Coronation Street star Ben Price, who is set to exit the ITV soap this week in dramatic scenes, says he was "surprised" at his character Nick Tilsley's exit storyline.
In scenes that will air this week, Nick, Leanne, Toyah, Steve and Peter head to the seaside in an attempt to bury the hatchet, but their day out quickly descends into a petty squabble.
Leanne comes to the realisation that her relationship with Nick is over, and heads home with Toyah. Steve and Peter also head off, leaving Nick alone. His day goes from bad to worse when he finds himself sucked into quicksand. Will his cries for help be heard?
Actor Ben Price, who announced in January that he was leaving the soap, has spoken about his decision to leave the show, his highlights from the last seven years, and how he felt about his exit storyline.
Can you tell us a little about your decision to leave?
The decision to go is based on wanting to spend more time with my family. I live a couple of hundred miles away from Manchester and I was away most weeks and have been for many years now so it was time. Of course I agonised over it as I’ve had the best time of my career here, I’ve had the best storylines and worked with the best family so it was tough to decide to leave all that behind.
As it got closer were you nervous about the decision, did you wonder if it was the right decision?No not at all because I was making it for the sake of my children, I need to go and see them more. I am sure people can see that is not really a decision that is a life choice. I feel like I have done everything with Nick that I could do, I have explored every part of him and done a 1000 episodes in 7 years. That is a lot of big stories.
Can you tell us your highlights of those 7 years?
My biggest highlight was realising I was part of the Platt family. My highlight was my first Christmas at the Platts with Helen and Sue and Jack and I realised I was part of that family. I came in with Michelle Keegan which was a great start! I realised I was part of a family and I recognised the importance of family on the street and if you come in as part of the Barlows or the Websters or the Platts you have a unit to work with already. My other highlights are getting to work with Jane, opening the Joinery which became the Bistro then the Live episode, it was massive, the tram coming into the Bistro me being trapped under the rubble with Ashley and Peter. They were the real highs for me and also sleeping with Kylie and then it coming out with David and it all unfolded from there. I have been very very lucky to have that working relationship with Jane and also Chris because once that happened there was endless story opportunities.
What defines Nick?
I realised very early on that the essential part of Nick Tilsley is a suit. What I like is as soon as I put on the suit everyone on the street knew that nick was the man who owned the business and wore the suit. I wasn’t working in the garage or the hairdressers or the Rovers, I run a business and the suit was important to me, I said to them very early on, can you put me in as many suits as possible and it separated him, made him different from the other guys on the street and helped define the character. I also liked the fact that I had a set that was mine in the Bistro, I was involved in the creation of of it, the suit, the set and number 8 helped make him a rounded character and gave him an identity that the audience could recognise.
I used to love it when Peter was smoking a fag in his leather jacket outside the bookies and Nick would walk down the street in his suit. That felt like Coronation Street for me. When you know categorically that your character hates another character like Nick and Peter do then it is going to work and you are going to enjoy it.
You immersed yourself very much in the brain injury storyline, tell us about the charity you got involved with.
Yes I am still very much involved with Headway and it was important to me to try and help make a difference. With this show you can open a window to someone's life that other people might not understand, I try not to comment on it, I want to be able to open the window and say this is the problems that Nick has and other people have these problems in real life and these people can help you. It’s great to be given that opportunity.
If I was to offer anyone joining this show some advice it would be that if you get offered that part understand what it is, it is more than a part. When I got here I realised when you are in a big storyline you just realise how many people watch this show.
How did you feel about your departure storyline when you were told that it involved being stuck in quicksand?
I was a bit surprised and wanted to know how it tied into everything that has been happening to Nick. But it does tie in brilliantly. Psychologically Nick is losing it and losing his perspective over the whole situation with Steve and Oli. It all boils down to him wanting his own child and now he finds himself having to deal with two fathers to two sons that he is helping to bring up. He had had enough of Peter and he had managed to do that as Peter was so poor at doing that but then Steve turns out to be Oli’s father and wants to be involved and Peter is back and wanting to be involved - there is no point of his life that he is going to be happy with this situation or able to deal with it.
Tell us a bit about the day out at the seaside.
It is a very weird situation, Nick suggests it, he is still trying to make it work, he is hoping that Steve or Peter will mess up on that day, that people would see Peter for what he is and that he would expose the two men in some way but he only ends up exposing his own personality flaws and issues. So he ends up storming off after a very nasty conversation with Steve and Peter and he doesn’t like what he has become.
Is he planning to try and kill himself?
No not at all, he is smart enough to know that he has bashed his head against the wall a long time and he knows he is never going to be happy with Leanne because there is too much else going on so he takes himself away from the situation but hasn't bargained for the tide or the quicksand. He isn’t planning to do a Reggie Perrin, he’s just stormed off onto a very dangerous part of the beach without realising.
What was it like to film?
It was very good because it was tough and cold and I was in that place, I wasn’t in a tank in a studio. We had the coastguard there, and they were amazing. I felt perfectly safe but I was actually in the water and I knew I didn’t have very long to do the scenes so we had to get it right. What you are looking for in any given situation is that the audience believe that you are really in that place that you don’t have to fudge it too much. You want them to think ‘that looks awful’ and actually it was quite awful because you put yourself in the position of someone who is really stuck which is quite frightening. Although on the day there was a bank of about 100 people with camera phones who all gave me a round of applause!
It was a different exit storyline, what really pains him deep down is that Steve and Peter aren’t as nasty as Nick can be, they try to come to his rescue - would he do the same if the boot was on the other foot. When it really comes to it when you really push him he has the propensity to be more cutting and more hurtful and that is to his detriment. Steve and Peter are nice blokes and Nick is a bit more calculating.
Will you miss him?
I think if I hadn’t done as much as I have then I would miss him but in truth I feel like I have really examined that character and I have done everything I can, I’ve gone from very high to very low and all in between and actually I feel like I have come to the natural and and it’s time to say thank you that was amazing. I will miss the breakfasts at the Platts all of them sitting round that table and doing those fantastic family scenes.
Are you taking anything with you?
I’d like Nick’s Crombie coat if they will let me, that is the only thing I want to take.
What are you looking forward to the most?
Initially - getting in my car and driving down the motorway to see my children and knowing that I am not coming back the other way two days later. My son said ‘is that it dad will you have finished work for good?’. I explained that I will be working again I hope, I have not retired and I have lots of things I still want to do.
