Ah, the soap con man. A staple character of any soap opera. Pat Phelan, John Stape, Lewis Archer. Although the lines between con man and complete psychopath can become blurred - see the two former names - Lewis Archer has “con” written through his DNA.
A suave suit with not a hair out of place, he roamed the cobbles like a well-dressed predator hunting for his prey. I refuse to believe it’s been a little over nine years since Lewis first stole someone’s cash and fled the street. But no amount of money was ever enough for him as he always came back, desperate for more and stopping at nothing to get what he wants.
Unfortunately many times, that came at the cost of Audrey’s heart. Everyone knows that Aud’s love life hasn’t been kind to her, and Lewis was no exception. He was a charmer and so bloody good at it that he could charm the skin off of a snake. Audrey was blinded by his exterior chivalry. So was Gail for a little while, but in the end her skepticism drove a Lewis-shaped wedge between herself and her mam.
I honestly could not think of a single person who could’ve played Lewis other than Nigel Havers. Portraying the role so brilliantly is so important to make a bad guy likeable, and Havers did that with such perfect conviction.
I’ll be the first to say that I will really miss Lewis. I’ve seen a lot of speculation about what he was really up to in his final hours and I am willing to believe that he’d changed. It’s easy to think that he was preparing to swindle Audrey yet again. Was he though? Or had he really learnt the error of his ways?
While I think he had definitely thought about that £80K in Aud’s bank, he left it untouched. Even the most cruel of hearts have the power to love and I do believe that Lewis loved Audrey.
Maybe I’m just a hopeless romantic who tries to see the good in everything, or maybe I’m just mad... who knows. But what I do know is that the name Lewis Archer will never be forgotten.
Sophie Williams
Read some more of my natterings on Twitter @sophie_jw26
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