Martin Platt

Martin Platt
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by Sean Wilson
Duration 1985–2005
First appearance 28 January 1985
Last appearance 9 November 2005
Introduced by Mervyn Watson
Book appearances Coronation Street:The Complete Saga
Classification Former; regular
Profile
Occupation Nurse
Home Liverpool

Martin Platt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, portrayed by Sean Wilson.

Creation and development

Departure

Actor Sean Wilson was axed from Coronation Street when a major storyline conference decided the character of Martin had been "played out". At the time, it was said that "Sean can’t believe he’s just been dropped like a dead weight after 20 years. It came like a bolt out of the blue."[1] However, the actor later reflected that the producers had "done him a favour by axing his character",[2] and Wilson has since said that if he were to return to the soap, the producers would have to be "very persuasive".[3] He claimed he was dropped from the show, due to his refusal to portray a storyline in which Martin would have a relationship with an underage girl.[4]

Storylines

Teenager Martin Platt is first seen in 1985 as a school-leaver working in Jim's Cafe. He had two GCEs and was studying at Salford Technical College. In 1989, Brian Tilsley (Christopher Quinten) is murdered and Martin begins comforting his widow and former employer at the café, Gail (Helen Worth). They gradually fall for each other and in 1990, Gail finds she is pregnant. Feeling Martin is too young to settle down, she is about to have an abortion when Martin stops her. They marry in 1991, and the child is named David (Thomas Ormson). Martin helps raise Gail's two older children, Sarah-Louise (Lyndsay King) and Nick (Warren Jackson) from her marriage to Brian. He develops a father-daughter relationship with Sarah but Nick does not like him and refuses to listen to Martin. Brian's mother Ivy is also hostile towards Martin.

In the mid-1990s, Martin becomes friendly with fellow nurse, Carmel Finnan (Catherine Cusack). Carmel makes Gail believe she is having an affair with Martin and is pregnant by him, but the problem is solved by Carmel's father from Ireland coming to take her home. Martin later sleeps with nurse Cathy Power (Theresa Brindley) after a New Year's party. Martin confesses, and Gail finds it difficult to forgive him, but they are reconciled after Martin passes his nursing exam. In 1999, Martin becomes friendly with Rebecca Hopkins (Jill Halfpenny), and Gail accuses him of having an affair, but is reassured. Martin and Rebecca subsequently do have an affair, which Martin confesses to Gail only after Rebecca has left him. After an unsuccessful attempt to patch up the marriage, Martin goes to live in a nearby flat and Gail divorces him.

After his divorce Martin unexpectedly begins a romance with Gail's best friend, Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor). The romance causes controversy due to Gail and Sally's friendship (plus Martin's friendship with Sally's ex-husband Kevin), but Gail's happiness with new boyfriend Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) leads her to give the new couple her blessing. However, the relationship eventually fizzles out and Sally reunites with Kevin.

When a deranged Richard, revealed to have committed two murders, tries to kill Gail and the children by driving his car into the canal, Martin and Tommy Harris (Thomas Craig) jump into the canal and swim down to the sunken car and rescue them, although Richard dies. Martin later falls in love with Tommy's sixteen-year-old daughter Katy (Lucy-Jo Hudson). Tommy, who had previously been Martin's friend, is outraged when he finds out about their relationship, and attacks Martin physically, whilst Katy's brother, Craig (Richard Fleeshman), attempts to kill Martin by interfering with the brakes on his car. Katy's parents are even more unhappy when she leaves school and gets pregnant. When Sally begins having an affair with work colleague Ian Davenport (Philip Bretherton), her previous relationship with Martin (who is working particularly late hours) leads Tommy and Angela Harris (Kathryn Hunt) to believe they are having an affair. They tell Katy, who moves out of Martin's flat and has an abortion. When Gail tells them the truth, Katy is devastated. She confronts Tommy in a rage, and attacks him with a wrench, killing him. Because of the bad blood between Martin and Tommy, Martin is at first arrested for the murder. Even though Angela only witnesses the murder of Tommy, she confesses to doing it. Martin is released, and Angela arrested. Katy is hysterical, and as a diabetic, decides to commit suicide by forgoing her insulin injections and eating sugar. Martin, Sarah (now played by Tina O'Brien) and Sarah's then boyfriend Scooter (Sushil Chudasama) manage to get her to hospital, but she later dies.

Before he leaves Coronation Street to move to Liverpool with new girlfriend Robyn (Claire Calbraith). Martin remains close to Gail, even after the divorce, and often comes round to have tea with Gail, Sarah, David (now played by Jack P. Shepherd), and Sarah's daughter Bethany (Amy and Emily Walton). David is devastated when he hears that Martin is leaving and does not talk to Martin for a while; however, the two of them reconcile just before Martin leaves. Martin and Robyn later have a daughter, Caitlin.

Reception

The character has been described as the "only properly functional husband" of Gail, and that he "was merely an adulterer".[5]

References

  1. ↑ Nathan, Sara. Yates, Charlie (14 May 2005). "Corrie Martin's smartin'". The Sun. (News International). Retrieved 15 May 2011.
  2. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (22 May 2005). "Sean Wilson happy to be leaving Corrie". Digital Spy. (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  3. ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (18 December 2009). "Wilson: 'I deserved better from Corrie'". Digital Spy. (Hachette Filipacchi UK). Retrieved 16 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "Wilson has no regrets over leaving Corrie - Soaps News". Digital Spy. 2006-01-15. Retrieved 2014-08-13.
  5. ↑ Viner, Brian (16 March 2010). "Last Night's Television - Women, BBC4; Coronation Street, ITV1". The Independent ((Independent Print Limited)). Retrieved 16 August 2011.

External links