Coronation Street's Chris Gascoyne confirms Peter Barlow exit details

Coronation Street spoilers follow.

Coronation Street star Chris Gascoyne has shared the first details of his exit from the role of Peter Barlow.

Peter took centre stage in a huge storyline twist this week as he mowed down Stephen Reid on the cobbles, killing the Weatherfield villain almost instantly.

Show bosses have now revealed that Peter will be arrested on suspicion of murder in Monday night's episode (October 16), which leaves him facing some tough questions from DS Swain and her team.

While viewers will have to stay tuned to find out whether Peter is heading to jail, this storyline marks the beginning of the end for his time on the Street either way.

Here, Chris Gascoyne – who plays Peter – shares some teasers of what's in store.

Were you shocked when you found out that Peter would kill Stephen?

"It was Iain [MacLeod], the producer, who told me and I was not expecting it that's for sure. But I was pleased and I was keen to see how the story would pan out.

"When I read it, I loved that it kind of came out of nowhere. Hopefully it was not something that the audience was expecting. They knew that Peter was angry and was looking for Stephen, but although he had tried to beat him up at the flat, I don't think anyone saw that last moment coming until it happened.

"Peter was one of the few people who was not on the street at that point and then he came out of nowhere."

How did Peter get to the stage where he was prepared to kill someone?

"What has happened throughout the week is that Peter had got himself more and more wound up, so he was not in control of what he was doing. He was not thinking rationally. He'd gone into some weird place that he can sometimes get into, and he can't stop that. I think that's what has happened there.

"He wound himself up to a point where he had tunnel vision and thinks he is being the hero, but was he being a hero? That is where the story goes from here, what was his real intention? I've really, really enjoyed playing this story out and there is so much more to come."

Carla had asked Peter to stay out of it, but did that leave him frustrated?

"Because Peter felt he was doing it for Carla, he ignored her and wouldn't let it drop. It was too hard for him to sit back and do nothing once he knew what Stephen had done to Carla.

"I was surprised Peter managed to last as long as he did. He had put it on the backburner, but it was ignited again as more and more things started to come out. He was determined to find Stephen and once he knew he was back on the street he was determined to get to him.

"That said, I don't think he drove there with the intention of doing what he did."

How important was it to you that this was kept back as a shock moment?

"I was delighted that it was done that way. There are two ways you can do these sort of things – you can telegraph it and get the audience on board with what is coming and some people like taking the audience on the journey.

"Or in certain situations you can go all out for the shock value and I think that worked brilliantly for Stephen's death. I am someone who likes to be shocked or surprised so this appealed to me."

How does Peter react when he's arrested and questioned next week?

"He is shocked that he is being arrested and questioned for murder. As the week starts, he is certain that he saved Jenny's life and he can't understand why he is being asked about his motivation for running him over. At this point, that is his frame of mind and he is still feeling a certain amount of justification for what he did."

Peter starts to question his own motive and doubt himself, doesn't he?

"Yes, when other people who saw what happened start to question it, he starts to doubt himself. He starts to lose control and a whole internal monologue starts in his head. He starts to think: 'What have I done? Was Jenny in danger? Could I have done something different? Would it have been better if Stephen had been arrested?'"

Does this story now become Peter's story?

"Yes, that is what is great about this for me. This is where Stephen's story ends and mine picks up. Peter is a man who is in deep conflict with himself. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter how it happened – he has killed someone.

"It is impossible to imagine what that must feel like. Could you ever rest, could you sleep? He actually says: 'I have taken another human being out of this world forever, what kind of person does that? What does that make me?' And he is terrified."

How does Peter cope with the reaction of those around him?

"This is the other thing – he has killed someone that everyone knew and whatever that person did, he has taken away someone's son, uncle, brother.

"I think Audrey needs somebody to blame. She does blame him because she believes he didn't have to kill him. But in Peter's world, he thought he did have to kill him because Stephen had killed everybody else and he had a bottle to Jenny's neck.

"The truth is, underneath it, Peter took away Audrey's son. So he can't say: 'Oh God, I didn't do it'. He feels deeply for Audrey's pain, so in that way, it's interesting."

How do you think the audience will feel about Peter?

"What I'm really interested in is whether they will forget what Stephen did, will they be pleased that Peter killed him to save Jenny, or will they be led by other people's feelings? Will they see Peter as a good person, or will they think that he should face justice for what he did?

"It is multi-faceted in that way, and I hope that that's where they go. I don't want people to have a straight-down-the-line opinion. They will feel for Peter and feel for Audrey, and I hope they'll feel for Stephen to an extent."

How does this situation affect Ken and Carla?

"They are really worried about Peter, and then of course he is arrested and it looks as though he is going to be charged. It will always be in the back of their mind that he could end up drinking again. And when Peter finds out that Stephen had let Jenny go before he drove into him, that really affects him."

Does Peter start to feel that he should pay for what he has done?

"He is in hell and he is fighting through fear, but when he knows that Jenny is pretty adamant she would have been okay, that really starts to affect his mental state of mind.

"As we know, Peter has been through a lot and there is no doubt that he will be tempted to drink, which really would be a decision to kill the pain and kill himself through alcohol, he knows that.

"This is a real danger zone for him. He has taken a man's life and even if he goes to prison he will have to live with that, he will always suffer. It will be interesting to see how he deals with his demons.

"He is a man in conflict with himself. It's a man who can't communicate with other people because of it. He is starting to believe he is a murderer and it is deep in his stomach and in his soul. That's what I love about it. People will be able to watch how much he's suffering, he feels completely alone."

We know that you're leaving the show, so will this story be the beginning of the end for Peter?

"Yes, without giving too much away, this will affect his future. Peter has been arrested on suspicion of murder and he is struggling with his demons. He has always had lots of enemies, but at the end of the day he is his own worst enemy.

"He is the one that has suffered at his own hands the most emotionally and we can see this starting to happen again. He is facing prison, the drink is on his mind again, Audrey wants him to pay for what he has done. It is a turbulent time ahead."

Are you pleased that your decision to leave resulted in this storyline twist?

"Yes, it just came together at the right time. I've learned a bit more about Peter than I knew before. The more that I know, the more that I see this side of him, the more I like him. He's got a lot of depth and it has been great to explore that."

Can you give us any hints on how Peter will leave the street?

"Well, he has just killed someone so there are so many storylines that can come out of that and so many reasons that he might not be around any more. All I will say is I am delighted with my exit storyline. The scripts are superb and I can't wait to see the reaction to how Peter leaves the street."

Check out more of our Coronation Street coverage:

Coronation Street's Todd Boyce shares goodbye message after Stephen's final episodeCoronation Street missed an opportunity with Stephen Reid's storyline Coronation Street's Ed Bailey left humiliated as he meets Dee-Dee's new boyfriendCoronation Street confirms turning point for Todd and George's feudCoronation Street confirms Carla Barlow crisis after Stephen Reid's exitCoronation Street's Ryan Connor and Daisy Midgeley to be blackmailed after sleeping together Coronation Street boss promises huge aftermath to Stephen Reid's exit

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.

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