Chris Gascoyne: the lovable rogue of Coronation Street
Peter Barlow, the lovable rogue of “Coronation Street,” is in another mess, partly his own doing and partly the fault of yet another conniving woman.
The police believe Barlow pushed his eminently respected father down a flight of stairs, causing serious bodily injury.
He pleads his innocence but fears he will be in prison when the new love of his life, Toyah Battersby, bears his IVF-conceived child. Toyah’s vexatious rival Chloe is out to frame him.
It’s the sort of jam that Barlow has found himself in many times during the 17 years he has been a key character on “Coronation Street.”
Barlow is a tattooed dipsomaniacal exseafarer/bookie with a knack for wooing the best looking women on the street (of which there seems an unending supply).
His wonderfully flawed relationships all seem to end in a series of calamities, rained down on him by the show’s indefatigable scriptwriters. Somehow the audience always ends up feeling sorry for the miserable sot.
Without Barlow “Coronation Street” just wouldn’t be the same. Corrie — as it is known to its millions of fans around the world — is the longest running series in television history, first appearing on English television on Dec. 9, 1960. It is addictive, the heroin of British soaps.
Chris Gascoyne knows Barlow well. The 49-year-old English actor has been playing Barlow since the character was introduced to the show on its 40th anniversary, 17 years ago.
Gascoyne admits to having a love-hate relationship with both the character and the show. He has left it twice over the years, but each time came back.
His most recent return was late last year, after a two-year absence.
“It’s very, very demanding,” Gascoyne says in an interview Thursday evening. “When my character is in a strong storyline as he is now, I can be working 14-hour days. We can be juggling 15 episodes a week, out of order.
“I wanted a break from the schedule to do theatre, to do plays. I also feel, it’s OK to take a break for Peter’s sake. I like Peter to be as fresh as possible. There’s only so many stories at a time, I feel, that you can put Peter through.”
Gascoyne is on the phone from Ottawa International Airport. Caroline Harding, his wife of 15 years and a fellow actor, is picking up the luggage while he takes some time to talk to The Hamilton Spectator. They’ve come to Canada for a fivecity speaking tour.
It’s called the “Peter Barlow: Prodigal Son Tour” and comes to The Studio (at Hamilton Place) on Monday, (there are still a handful of tickets available), and Toronto’s St. Lawrence Centre on Tuesday, then Calgary and Vancouver.
Gascoyne and his wife have three school-aged children back in Manchester where they live near the set of “Coronation Street” (the show takes place in the fictional suburb of Weatherfield). They’re making the tour a working holiday, hoping to see some sites during their visit.
The live show consists of Gascoyne on stage with an interviewer. Together they discuss the past, present and future of “Coronation Street,” as well as what it’s like being part of one of the most loved ensemble casts in television history. He even takes a few questions from
the audience. Questions like: “How much of Peter Barlow is Chris Gascoyne, and how much of Chris Gascoyne is Peter Barlow?”
“That’s the million dollar question. I think we’re kind of 50-50. It’s me under imaginary circumstances,” says Gascoyne, who made headlines in 2008 when he was convicted of driving under the influence (he has since quit drinking).
Gascoyne admits the Corrie cast sometimes feels like “puppets” in the hands of the more than 15 writers working Corrie storylines.
“They move us around. They create it and we play it. Then they take that back and have their little puppets do something different … and I mean that in a nice way, because I genuinely believe they write well for me.”
Gascoyne says he always returns to “Coronation Street” because “I love the show and I love the people.
“It’s part of my life. The people that I work with are part of my life. At times, I’m with them more than my family. We’ve seen births, deaths, marriages and divorces, everything you could think of these people have been through … Let’s just say … it’s an unusual job.”