Craig said the decision to leave the Street wasn't easy. He said: "When I first joined the cast I had no idea just how much I would enjoy being part of such an amazing team. But I became an actor for the diversity of work and the opportunity to play different roles, I also really miss working in theatre. I feel this is the right time for me to leave after two and a half fantastic years playing a unique and brilliantly written character. I don’t know what the future holds but I hope I will be given the opportunity to show my versatility as an actor and work on different projects."
Corrie producer Phil Collinson said: "Craig very quickly created a brilliant and memorable character and we are very sad to see him go. But we wish him well and all hope this isn’t the last we see of Graeme."
Read our exclusive interview with Craig Gazey
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24 comments:
I liked Graeme :(
oh no!! I'll be sad to see him go, hopefully they'll leave it open for him to come back if he wants to. Graeme is one of my favourite characters.
awwwww no!!! One of THE best characters on Corrie. I enjoyed every moment he was on-screen.
~JB in Canada
Gutted!
he will be missed! now I guess it means that Tina will go off with that Duckworth boy...
Aw no... I really love Graeme
Ingrate!
Only joking! I wish him well, at least better than Tina O'Brien has done.
And if he's going, maybe they can lose that awful Tina MacIntyre too, she's surplus to requirements.
Noooooooooooo. I love Graeme!
Thank God! Graham is OK in small doses (very small doses), but Craig Gazey can't act - he's exactly the same in real life. And surely the character is so odd that the scriptwriters must have had a job coming up with new, realistic plots for him.
I liked Graeme but only for funny storylines. Didn't think he was that good doing serious storylines.
Hope he comes back one day, but maybe this means more funny storylines for the great Pam Hobsworth who is really not used enough.
I really like Graeme's character... he brought a touch of levity and utter absurdity to the street that it needs. I will miss him!
Rebecca in TO
What a shame - one of the best current characters! Wish him luck!
John McE - playing a character similar to your own personality does not mean you can't act - or are not acting. Place the Average Joe off the street in front of a camera, with a script and tell him to just play himself and watch the train wreck that ensues. It's the difference between straight acting and character acting - both are equally valid. I also disagree that Craig isn't so good at serious stuff. Two of my most memorable Graeme moments were the starlit picnic with Tina, talking about his old friend who died, and the very moving scene on the night of the tram crash, talking about his feelings for Ashley. I'm very disappointed he's leaving ... but scenting an opportunity here. Wonder if he's interested in a project I'm working on ;)
I always liked Graeme, but more recently I felt his character was becoming OTT. But good luck to Craig. And good post, Cobblestone.
Load of Rubbish. My favourite character
I can understand his desire to branch out, but this is awful news! I didn't find his character odd at all. He actually made sense to me - humourously righteous. Sounds like he could be back for visits, fingers crossed.
Really bad news, and for Corrie too. He's proper Coronation Street, like Mad Mary, unlike wooden Tina and the plastic GP.
Noo he's awesome :(
And ew to the person who wants Pam back, she's annoying in so many ways, even to look at.
I'm sorry he's leaving as well - a very likeable character, loved his scenes with Ashley in the butcher's in particular.
I am very sorry grahame is going as we need a bit of light heartedness but in truth they havent dont anything with hime lately and this "romance" with Miss Macintyresome never really gelled for me. Tina should also go now, the character has come to the end of the road, especially with the character of Kylie coming back.
Call me old-fashioned, Cobblestone - but I admire actors who can invent and play a character completely different from their own (Hilda Ogden, Haley Cropper for instance) far more than one who simply plays themselves. But in the end we each have our own opinions.
Of course everyone is entitled to their own opinion, John McE, but I'm speaking from experience, rather than opinion. I'm a character actor myself, playing roles very different from my own personalities - the sort you admire ;) - and in all honesty, the biggest challenges I've had have been the rare occasions when I have had to play someone similar to myself. It's actually much easier to strap on a metaphorical mask and 'be someone else'. The acting directory The Spotlight divides actors into 'Character Actors' and 'Leading Men', the second being acotrs who do play similar parts to themselves. What is highly unusual is that Craig is playing a character part straight. You'd never call him a Leading Man, but that's pretty much the technique he is using (and he IS using technique, otherwise we'd have an unconvincing Tracy Barlow-style performance that convinces no-one). I believe the reason for this was that when Craig first appeared in The Street, in the Young Offenders Unit, producers observed Craig's own quirky personality and decided they wanted it in the show full time (with instructions to the writers to "make him VERY funny") But again this does not mean he isn't acting. I guess what I'm saying is, please don't think less of the actor because he's giving the producers exactly what they asked for. We'd need to see Craig in other roles before making judgements on his acting ability. Let's not forget, actors like Cary Grant also played roles very similar to their own personalities and no-one thinks any less of them for it.
I loved him at first and the comedy story lines worked brilliant. Giving him serious scenes and putting him with Tina was a huge mistake. Good luck to him with whatever he does in the future :D
From Canada... I am gutted!!! I wish I didn't know he was leaving, however, I will never ever forget the day David dragged the radiator with his handcuff into the street after Graham and then the next day Graham peddling his bike with his and Tina's wordly possession while the bike squeaked and the chain on the bike had a tooth missing. I still get tears in my eyes!!!!! Come back Graham....the show should let you have sabbaticals so you can do theatre.....go to prison for a while.
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