Corrie Blog Interviews Martin Hancock - Spider Exits The Street! What Now For Toyah?

This week, Spider Nugent left Coronation Street and sweetheart Toyah behind, as he continued his undercover police career off-screen. A sad departure, and ridiculous shoot-outs aside, Spider's year-long revival and entrenchment in the right-wing grooming storyline, has been delightful. With Lauren's Dad getting jailed and Max's redemption, this particular storyline is now over? I was sad to see Spider go this week, without mentioning 'Aunty Em' aka Emily Bishop, or his former number three residency, but equally happy to chat with Martin Hancock (who has played Geoffrey 'Spider' Nugent since 1997) for my latest Coronation Street Blog Interview. June of 2022 was when we last spoke, following the announcement of Spider's return, so it seems only right, and rather ouroboros, that I write up his latest exit interview! 

Hello Martin! After this week’s kidnap drama, we've seen the end of Spider and Toyah. What do you think went wrong for these childhood sweethearts? 

Life’s gone wrong between them - it's just bad luck and circumstance! What's been happening previously in Spider’s life and what's been happening previously in Toyah’s life have conspired to do them down in the end. They are both committed people but for now, it's just not workable. 

Do you think Spider has put his job before his relationship or is it a bit more than that? 

I think we've touched on this a few times in the episodes, it was a bit spideresque and naive to think you could work undercover in the community and then stay in the community you were undercover in! His desire to be with Toyah back in Weatherfield overrode his judgement. I don't think he put his career first - he put Toyah first - his career has drawn him back in. He thought he was going to get a second chance at happiness. He will be desperately sad about the way things have ended. Whatever version of Spider we are talking about, he does love Toyah. They've had a 25-year relationship and he will be gutted that it didn't work out this time!

They've both been through a lot before and again this time. Do you think they will always have that love between them? 

I don’t think it's the end of this story. These two will always have that bit of love there. 

Did you think Spider would have been happy to have settled in Weatherfield? 

Yeah, I think the thing with Spider is that he’s such a hothead he loves getting behind a good cause and wants to change the world. I think this time may have been a wake-up call for him. It made him think that he could stay around the one place -his younger self wouldn't have thought that! 

How do you feel about Spider's departure? Do you think he’s leaving with unfinished business? 

I’d like to think he is leaving with unfinished business, not immediately, but yeah, I think there is some unfinished business for him in Weatherfield. 

Have you enjoyed your time back on the show? 

I've enjoyed it immensely coming back. When I was younger I was a bit too enamoured by the party scene, so it was nice to come back as an older and wiser person to really enjoy it for what it is, which is a great show with great people, I've really enjoyed it! 

You came back as part of Max’s grooming and right-wing extremism. Did you feel proud to be part of that? 

Massively! The rise of extremism is frightening - it's so subtle sometimes, the way it works and infiltrates young minds - it will destroy society if we don't address it, so yes massively proud to have been part of that storyline. Working with some very talented young actors, and Michael Condron (who played Griff) was just brilliant.

What's been the best thing about returning to Coronation Street this time? 

It's the same as last time - the people. It's a lovely atmosphere - the crew is hilarious they are a funny bunch. I love all that, and the green room. I will miss the banter and the Corrie one-liners, those tongue-in-cheek moments. There is a family feel to it. I will miss the gang. 

Did you enjoy playing a more mature version of Spider this time? 

Yeah although I did have a few hankerings for the more comedic older version of Spider. There were a few times when Jane Danson (Leanne) and I had some of the old Spider/Leanne rivalries come in, and it would have been fun to wind up Audrey again. Seriously, Spider was great, and we dealt with more hardcore and heavier issues!

Would you consider coming back to the show in future? 

Yes!! Of course! I said it the first, second and third time around, and this is now my fourth - I love this show! 

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Thanks, Martin! Let's hope Spider returns to the show soon? My obsession with Corrie really began to take hold in the late 90s. As my teenage years developed, Toyah and Spider's romance and Brian Parks' controversial 'axe-man' era gave the show a much-needed refresher, drawing in the younger audience, AKA me. The youthful injection worked, and nearly 30 years later, a teenage me would be proud to say I've sat in on two cast interviews with one of my all-time favourite characters!! 

What do you think about Spider's exit? Where does this leave Toyah's future on the cobbles? The qualified counsellor seems okay working at the Bistro and living in her sister's flat. Not long ago she killed Imran, escaped justice, and seems to have forgotten all about her former life as an echo warrior, ex-Rovers landlady, and staunch vegetarianism. As Spider's now gone - could she be next? Toyah’s flowery dresses and left-wing sensibilities make her one of my fave female characters, so I'd hope not, but you wonder where else she can go?  

I am @rybazoxo, your Coronation Street Blogger and die-hard Corrie fan!  

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Coronation Street Episode Review, Wednesday 22nd February, 8 pm

Here we are for another Coronation Street Blog review in which I will try and avoid discriminatory language, violence, and scenes of panic or distress, which ITVX warned me of before I watched tonight's show. I normally take ITVX’s warnings with a pinch of salt but tonight’s certainly made a lot of sense. Some dark drama from Corrie this week, and as much as I enjoy reading Corrie fans tweet about their annoyance, and longing for days of old, I love this show a lot more when they delve just that bit deeper into Weatherfield’s darkest corners and modern society’s taboo subjects. 

We shall start with stalking. Tonight, Justin’s weirdo voicemails and texts continue but Daisy’s waylaid with her influencer wedding arrangements whilst Daniel is teaching Max’s English lessons at the young offenders unit. Daisy’s suddenly not keen on social media, with all things considered, and reopening her phone, she decides to take the latest batch of messages to show the police. again. It makes no difference so Daniel offers to screen Daisy’s messages for her until she realises the police officer has ‘liked’ all of her Instagram pictures as well! two words; met police. 

At the STC, (young offenders/grooming/grassroots racism strand) Daniel gives Max some Larkin to read which is an interesting choice, and kudos to Corrie for That literary reference. With Ken off-screen, it's nice to know we've got Daniel and Roy to keep the high brow on it. Daniel is forgiving of the young lad's predicament and tells Alya that she should pay him a visit. 

She responds by making it very clear that she’s still struggling following the stabbing, but Ryan manages to change her mind. As with all Corrie prison visits, the visit itself is only a few scenes further on (unrealistic or for dramatic purposes?), and she read him the riot act, though not the victim statement itself (which I expected at this point) whilst Max could only listen. Later, he calls David to tell him all about his braying from Alya and it seems her words have helped. He wants his family to pay him a visit. 

Fuelled by her opening up, Alya decides to take the statement and read it out at Blake’s sentencing. I expect we won't see that particular scene as we got to hear the statement tonight instead. I didn't take note of who wrote Alya’s words but that was an astonishing piece of drama and my scene of tonight, if not this week. I am going to disregard this carbon copy of the very recent Sam / Harvey prison face-off due to the top-drawer drama. This right-wing story really took up the majority of tonight's drama in fact. 

Spider is still trying to track down the mystery right-wing benefactor and decides to pay Griff a visit in prison to see if he can press him for information. Another prison scene. That's all I’m saying. Spider admits that the police have found Griff’s burner phone which could lead them to Griff's paymaster. Meanwhile, Maria is perplexed at councillor Len’s sudden change of opinion, just as Spider reveals that the police have a warrant ready to make an arrest. Spider tells Toyah that once the case is over, he may return to normal policing. I hope this means the return of his blonde boss!! David did try to get things back to normal tonight with Shona, but although she made peace with Maria, her husband was still in the doghouse and he even got an earful in the pub!  

Elsewhere, Billy and Paul announce their re-coupling, and I'm pleased Todd had a nice part to play, just annoyed that the Archdeacon appears to be avoiding church for another week! Also glad to see Evelyn back and bringing some comedic light into this week's darker drama. 

What did you think of tonight’s Corrie? Let us know in the comments box. 

I am @rybazoxo cobbles connoisseur & Coronation Street superfan. 

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Coronation Street Episode Review;Wednesday the 21st December 8 pm

With Christmas just around the corner, Coronation Street has hung up the tinsel and overloaded Eileen's with Grotto tatt, but this year's present from the cobbles is still a few days away, and the wrapping up of certain storyline presents is continuing with good momentum!

Tonight, Max is readying for his camping survival trip initiation with Griff and the gang, troubling Shona and David, who have reluctantly let him go. At the campsite, things prove a bit too much for the youngster, (it's blatantly a right-wing training group) twisting his ankle whilst running and refusing to skin a rabbit for camp lunch. As a staunch vegetarian, the mere thought twisted my stomach, and I think Max felt the same. Grassroots fanaticism may be one thing, but Griff taking a bomb with him, out into the woods, and inadvertently blowing up his car, made tonight's Corrie surprisingly high-octane!

Max is taken to hospital with burns and concussion, and Griff pretends to be David, presumably to cover up his bomb-making. Shona and David are home and none-the-wiser, so they leave their son a voicemail. With Max in a hospital bed, Griff pushes him to cover up the accident and makes a subtle threat about skinning rabbits. With the bomb explosion covered up, Spider heads behind the ginnel to facetime his police colleague with the latest developments. He then bumps into Toyah and tells her the truth, but she doesn't believe him. 

Tyrone is still organising the secret Christmas day nuptials to Fiz, and much to his surprise, his bride-to-be decides to book a week-long cottage break for the festive season. Ty secretly tells the girls to lie about not wanting to go, telling them about his Christmas day wedding plans. Fiz seems saddened by the news, with Hope using the secret to her advantage.  

Meanwhile, Nick’s subterfuge to shore up the bistro finances, via Harvey’s funding is risking opening up old wounds and creating rather large new ones. Although new to the street, Damon’s making his presence in the Bistro well-known, forcing Nick to tell Leanne that Damon is Jacob’s dad, lying that he’s an old friend, but Leanne agrees to take the cash anyway. Jacob seems to have turned a corner, and Simon tells Amy that he is good at the factory. Carla seems charmed by the reformed bad-boy until Damon decides his son should work at the Bistro, blowing Jacob’s evening calls to Underworlds USA clients. Simon is also miffed, and although the lads share bants at the factory, I sense things won't last. Carla tells Leanne that Jacob’s got an evening job at the Bistro, and she’s fuming too. Amy is also less than impressed with her boyfriend's two jobs. What are Damon’s plans for the Bistro, exactly? 

Later, Daisy and Daniel await the test results and are pleased to learn the lump is a benign cyst. With Daniel's article refused publication, Daisy decides he should head back to teaching. 

Elsewhere, and at N0.11, Todd seems awkward around Lawrence, while George is struggling to hide his secret Santa sofa! He gathers the gang in the rovers and devises a plan to swap it without Eileen noticing. George offers Eileen a few nights at his house, and she agrees. I'm guessing this is Corrie's comedy Christmas day element gathering pace also. 

What did you think of tonight’s Corrie? Let us know in the comments box. 

I am @rybazoxo your cobbles connoisseur & Coronation Street superfan.

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Spider returns to Coronation Street. Corrie Blog interviews Martin Hancock

When Coronation Street announced the return of 90s Corrie legend Geoffrey ‘Spider’ Nugent, the Corrie fan fraternity went into a Twitter meltdown! For those of a certain age (aka, me) who’ve been watching the show for 25 years, my heady Britpop memories merge nicely with those of Toyah Battersby's teenage crush on Emily Bishop’s hippy echo-warrior vegan nephew, Spider. For those who aren't, ITV3 Classic Corrie repeats have only cemented Spider's legacy in Weatherfield fan folklore. 

I was overjoyed to be invited to an ITV Coronation Street online press event to chat with Martin Hancock (who plays Spider) to learn more about this epic character revival

Hi Martin, Welcome back to Coronation Street!!! How does it feel to be returning after 25 years away? 

It is really exciting and a little bit scary. It's lovely and I'm really happy!!

Have you always been interested in a return, and if yes, why did you feel that now is the right time? 

I always said if I was to be asked to return, I would always say yes. I’ve gone off and done other things - you'd be amazed the places that Corrie reaches around the world -or not. Then it was last Christmas, Georgia (Taylor - Toyah Battersby) posted a picture up online, an old one, of Toyah and Spider together, arm and arm with each other, and it went in the papers. My mother-in-law, who is the oracle on all things #Corrie, saw it, rang me up, and said ‘Eh ah duck - you're in the papers’ (Martin said this is a faux Yorkshire accent, so I'm assuming she is) I got sentimental upon seeing the pictures, and my wife said 'You’ve always said you’ll go back, and you're not getting any younger, so pull your finger out!' I called my agent, my agent then rang Corrie, we had some toing and froing, and here I am! 

How easy has it been for you to slip back into the role of Spider? 

Ahhhh! I want to say it's been difficult and challenging, but you know what, part of me is Spider - obviously. I've always carried a bit of that militancy with me, not to the same extent as he has, I'm more Spider-lite. In that aspect, it has been quite easy to step back into it but at the same time, a bit odd. The funny thing is, going through the years, whenever there’s been any sort of echo news story in the papers around the world, it does make me think back to Spider and how he would react. I think to think Spider is my better self!

Were you nervous to start filming again, and what has the reception been like? 

Yes, extremely nervous! I did have sleepless nights and I was very nervous. My first day back was for orientation as it's a new studio, and the first person I bumped into was one of our assistant directors, who was my first when I started originally on the show. The first cast members I met were Georgia (Toyah) and Jane (Leanne) That was just brilliant. A huge warm blanket of love was thrown over me! I was near the dressing rooms and saw some of the older cast members, the years just rolled back! 

Are there any new cast members that would particularly like to work with? 

Well, he’s not that new, but yes, Joe (Duttine - Tim Metcalfe) because I went to drama school with him. In our 30-year careers, we've never worked together. I think his character is brilliant, I love it. It would be great to work with him. 

So why is Spider back in Weatherfield? 

The story is that Toyah has a protest with the council - about the recycling and them not meeting up to their responsibilities. Toyah puts a call out to the activist community and Spider answers the call. I think he was around, he happened to hear about it and went anyway. He clambers through a crowd of people and just jumps into a bin wagon that Toyah is sitting in, he's next to her and says’ whatcha - long time no see’ very cheerily like he's never been away. I thought it was just what Spider would be like. Toyah asks him what he’s doing there - and he says he's still around and still in the (protesting) game

Is he the same Spider that we’ve always loved, or has changed somewhat over the years? 

He’s a bit creakier than he used to be - but aren't we all! No, he will be pretty similar to the Spider we know and love, without giving away anything. 

Toyah and Spider have such a long history together. They both left the street together in 2003 but we viewers are unsure as to what happened next. Do you think there is any unfinished business between them? 

Whenever they've parted ways, it's always been with love in their hearts and kind words - they've always been friends. Spider thinks the world of Toyah and she’s the same as Spider, they've always been that way. They are a partnership and a partnership for life. 

   

Toyah has been through a lot recently. When Spider hears what she’s been through, is he more than happy to be a shoulder to cry on or is he hoping for a bit more? 

Ooh, saucy! I think that Spider is a man who wants the best for everyone and for those he cares about. He’s happy to be a shoulder to cry on and who knows what else? : you never know with Spider!

Thanks, Martin!!

Spider and Toyah were a brilliant on-screen couple who left Weatherfield together for London in 2003. We don't know what happened next but they did split up again, and quite sometime before Toyah's return to the street on Christmas Day of 2016. 

Is Spider’s return a retcon? Did something happen, that we don’t know about, during 2003 - 2011 that is now about to reemerge? Is this going to be relevant to Toyah’s mindset and maybe mitigate the death crash? Will Toyah and Spider reunite again in the face of adversity? Spider’s return to Coronation Street airs in Episode 10679 on Friday 1st of July 2022 so make sure you're tuned in!

I am @rybazoxo Coronation Street Blog Blogger and ardent Corrie Superfan 

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