In tonight’s Coronation Street Stu Carpenter bids an emotional farewell to Weatherfield as actor Bill Fellows leaves the show after 3 years.
Having realised that his quest to try and mentor troubled teen Mason Radcliffe has put Yasmeen and her business at risk, chef Stu tells her he has decided to go and live permanently with his granddaughter in Germany.
Below Bill, 67, talks fondly of his time on the cobbles, his plans for the future and how he could have ended up playing a completely different character.
Coronation Street is on ITV at 8pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday and available to stream from 7am on itvx
What did you know about Stu before you started? And how has the character progressed?
Well, the character has progressed massively. What I knew was that he was a homeless guy that had been wrongly accused of murder, and he'd been in jail for 27 years, he'd come out, and he was down on his luck and that he would become embroiled in the big storyline of Seb’s murder. Obviously he then cleared his name but it meant daughter had to go to jail and he ended up as guardian of his granddaughter. He started a relationship with Yasmeen and became part of the community so he really did turn his life around but at some cost to himself and his family.
What was the public reaction like when he arrived?
It was very positive. I just think they kind of liked him. It was important to show homelessness and how anyone can find themselves in the position, normal people and I think that is why people liked Stu. He is a normal guy, a kind person who wanted to help others despite his situation.
So when you first started, how long did you think you would be here for what, did you have a plan?
When I first started it was a six month contract but with options that took me over three years. At the time it was something that did panic me a little as I have my house down south and it seemed like a long time, I am used to playing lots of different characters and three years seemed a long time to play the same character. But I needn’t have worried, what I realised when I got the chance to play someone for a long time it was heaven really, I wasn't tied into anything and the three years have flown and this felt like the right time to go, I always knew I would go at the end of the three years.
Had you ever considered doing a soap before?
I had yes, in fact I auditioned for the role of Roy’s brother, Nina’s dad before I got the role of Stu. I wasn't right for the part but it was for three weeks so it was fate really because I got this part and stayed three years. I am so proud to have been in Corrie. It is a massive part of all our lives, especially at my age, 67, it has been around all my life. All my family watched it so it was really exciting to be a bit of history. I was on set recently and I was just looking around at all the photos of everybody and I just thought “Wow, I have been a part of this’, the fact that I have worked alongside William Roache and who is a truly lovely man it has been wonderful.
How do you feel now that the three years is done and you are going?
I have no regrets at all. It is the right time to go for me and for Stu. I will look back with fond memories and I wouldn't rule out coming back in the future. But Stu has evolved, we started off with a homeless guy who was wrongly accused of murder and and then we get to the point three years later where this guy's got almost a quarter of a million pounds and has cleared his name and made it a life for himself. I'm really pleased with the story, because it's been fully, fully formed.
How do you feel about your departure storyline and his relationship with Mason?
I was glad that we have revisited the original Stu and his history. He started out by helping Kelly, played by Millie Gibson and I loved that storyline and working with Millie. Now he is trying to help someone else who he believes should be given a second chance. So we have come full circle. He believes that people should have a chance to redeem themselves, he wouldn't write someone off because they have been in prison.
Why does he end up feeling he needs to leave Weatherfield?
The difference is this time Stu’s actions are affecting others around him, he didn’t know about the situation with Dylan at first but even once he did he saw something in this young lad that he recognised and he felt he could help him turn his life around. But Mason’s actions and his family have put Yasmeen in danger. A brick has been thrown through the window and Yasmeen wants Mason out of her house. Stu is angry with Yasmeen and he falls a little bit out of love with her for giving up on Mason. He decides that he should go and live with his granddaughter in Germany. He knows that their relationship has been put through too much of a test. It is a sad decision but they both know it is the right one. As much as Stu wants to help people it can't be at the cost of other people. You can see them both struggling because they don’t really want to say goodbye.
Are you happy Stu wasn’t killed off?
I would have been fine either way and I did say that to the producer, but it is good to know that Stu is out there somewhere helping people, they said they wanted to leave the door open which is nice.
What have you got planned now you have finished?
I am fortunate in that I have a busy few months coming up. I am doing a couple of Episodes of a BBC sitcom based in Middlesbrough called Smoggie Queens with Mark Benton. And then I am working on a film with Mark again and Stephen Tompkinson about low level gangsters in Middlesbrough. It is kind of ironic that I am hedging back to the North East to work as it is even further from my home down south than Corrie is! But it is my hometown and I know a lot of people there so I am very much looking forward to that. There is a Vampire film in the pipeline which is looking promising. I want to keep working on varied projects and I also want to travel a bit, I am quite laid back but excited about the future.
Will you be taking anything of Stu’s with you?
I am taking Stu’s hat that he had from the beginning, as for me that symbolises the character more than anything else. I am more about memories than memorabilia. I have loads of fantastic photographs from across the three years and a lot of incredible memories.
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