Coronation Street star Martin Hancock confirms exit for Spider
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Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street star Martin Hancock has confirmed his departure from the role of Spider Nugent.
The actor's exit scenes air in Wednesday's episode (July 19), as Spider moves away from Weatherfield after his split from Toyah Battersby.
Earlier this week, Spider was shocked as Toyah begged him to stop his risky police work for the sake of their future. When Spider was hesitant, Toyah made the choice for him by ending their relationship.
Martin recently chatted to Digital Spy and other press about bowing out from Corrie after his year-long stint back in the role of Spider.
Why has Spider and Toyah's relationship gone so wrong?
"It's just bad luck and circumstances, isn't it? What's been happening previously in Spider's life and what's been happening previously in Toyah's life have conspired to break them apart in the end.
"It's sad as they're two very committed people, but for now, it's just not workable."
Do you think Spider prioritised his job over his relationship, or is it more complicated than that?
"I'm not sure it's just that – it's probably just naive to think you can stay in the community where you were working undercover straight after a case. I think Spider's desire to be with Toyah, and to be back in Weatherfield, maybe overrode his good judgement.
"I don't think Spider put his career before Toyah. He actually put Toyah before his career, but his career has dragged him back in. There's a lovely line where Spider even says: 'When I came back and I saw you, I thought I was getting a second chance at happiness'."
Spider and Toyah have been through a lot together. Will there always be a love there between them?
"I don't think it's the end of the story. I think these two will always have a bit of love there.
"Spider will be desperately sad about the way things have ended. At the end of the day, whatever version of Spider we're talking about, he loves Toyah so he's bound to feel sad. There's something between those two as their relationship dates back 25 years."
Would Spider have been happy to settle on the Street if he could?
"The thing with Spider is that he's such a hothead. He loves a good old cause and he does want to change the world. But this time around, it's possibly a bit of a wake-up call for Spider. He possibly realises that maybe there's something good about sticking around in one place.
"Spider's younger self wouldn't have thought that. This is the great irony – it's his older self that realises 'maybe I do want to stay in Weatherfield' but his younger self's actions have dragged him away!"
How do you feel about Spider's departure? Is he leaving with unfinished business?
"I'd like to think that Spider is leaving with unfinished business. From chatting with people, I think there is some unfinished business but not immediately."
Did you enjoy filming the dramatic kidnap, which aired earlier this week?
"In my time away from Corrie, I went off and did some action films. It was quite funny to come back to Corrie and now have action bits there too!
"It was a lot of fun – running around with jeopardy, wearing bullet proof vests and all that sort of stuff."
Were you proud to be part of Max and Griff's far-right extremism story?
"The rise of extremism is frightening. It's so subtle sometimes, with the way that it works and gets into young people's minds. It's horrible and it will destroy society if we don't address it, so I'm immensely proud of that storyline.
"I have to say that the people in that story were fabulous. There were very talented young actors involved – Paddy [Bever, who plays Max], Cait [Fitton, who plays Lauren], Sair [Khan, who plays Alya] – they're just brilliant.
"On top of that, we had Michael Condron, who I thought was just horrifically brilliant as Griff. Griff started out as this tetchy guy who became a horrible character. It was a brilliant journey that he went on."
Have you enjoyed playing a more mature Spider?
"Yeah, I've enjoyed it. I did have pangs for wanting to be the slightly more comedic Spider. But the more serious side of Spider was great because we were able to deal with some hardcore and heavy issues.
"It wasn't just Max's extremism story – there was the backstory of Spider seeing a friend get kicked to death. We talked about the safety of protesting, and protecting protestors' rights to protest. There were just lots of things that were more serious to deal with."
Did you get much response from younger fans who were seeing Spider for the first time?
"I think they like Spider. He's not your average copper, is he? I think young people generally like any character who shows a bit of commitment and wants to make the world a better place."
Can you sum up your time back on the show?
"I've enjoyed coming back immensely. When I was younger, I was a bit too enamoured with the party scene! It's nice to come back as an older and wiser person and really enjoy it for what it is, which is a great show with great people."
What was the best thing about returning?
"It's the same as last time – the people make the show. You bounce in and see the security and say hello, you bounce in past the press office and say hello. There's a lot of bouncing around that goes on!
"There's a lovely atmosphere on the show. The crew are funny – they're hilarious. Considering the amount of pressure that's on them and the hours that they work, they are a funny bunch. The green room's great too."
What will you miss the most?
"The banter! I don't mean that laddy banter or anything like that. I just mean the back and forth, the Corrie one-liners, the tongue-in-cheek moments.
"I know there's the old cliché about the family feel to the show, but it is genuinely there."
What's next for you?
"I can't tell you! As people always say, 'I've got a few things in the pipeline!' If they happen, they happen – if they don't, they don't. Otherwise I'll just go back to what I was doing before – just cropping up every now and again in reasonably good films."
Would you consider coming back?
"Yes, of course! I said it the first time I left, then second time round, third time round and this is the fourth time round. I love the show. It'd be nice for a Spider and Toyah wedding to happen at some point."
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Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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