Corrie airs at 9pm on ITV1
Nick has been through a lot with Sam over the years. How worried has Nick been about Sam in the past few weeks, and was the seriousness of the situation easier to miss because Sam can be quite an intense young man?
I think so. It’s been a tricky balance for Nick, and for Sam, but I think Nick is aware that he wants Sam to be a young man and get out there. At times, Sam has been quite insular, and what has worried Nick more is when Sam goes into his shell. Through quite a bit of this, Nick wasn’t really aware of what was happening; it was very personal to Sam, almost. He’s in his own world.
How much do you feel this whole situation has resulted in Sam falling through the cracks a bit, given the complex co-parenting dynamic between Nick, Toyah, and Leanne?
Yes, I think that’s entirely true. Because he is splitting their time between two houses, they might be picking up on different things. When Leanne and I were together, for instance, we were both seeing the same things. Now, Nick isn’t seeing the whole picture. I think it’s also important to distinguish that while Leanne and Toyah are sisters, Nick’s relationship is different with Toyah than it is with Leanne. Nick and Leanne have a long, long history, especially around the children – Oliver, Simon, and now Sam.
With Toyah, although she’s absolutely brilliant and she’s a counsellor and can see those things, Nick feels more hesitant about talking about it so much. He’s aware he’s essentially the only parent now, really.
Does Nick hesitate to confide in Toyah because of her profession as a counsellor?
Yes, he’s not wanting to sort of put it onto her, particularly because she is a counsellor. It probably feels a little bit like turning to her for that reason. He can get into that thing of just asking, “Is he all right? Is he all right?” and she says, “Yeah, yeah, it’s fine.” Whereas, Nick is thinking, “It’s not piecing together.”
Sam also has his exams going on. Did the timing of this potentially mean the issues were put down to more normal teenage stress?
Absolutely. You’re never going to go to where this story goes in your head straight away. You’re thinking he’s a teenage boy, lots is changing, as it does for all of us. So this could be that. And for Nick, he’s trying to balance being that parent, not being on both sides, and maybe he’s just not sure of himself as a father.
Nick turned to Roy at the start of this, who was also unaware that Sam was interacting with a different manifestation of him. How did Nick view that relationship?
What Roy and Sam have is very particular to them, and what Roy and Nick have is very different. Roy is never going to meet Nick in the same way as he meets Sam. And Nick realises that Sam needs something from Roy, but he’s completely unaware of how Sam’s seen that relationship with the imaginary Roy. Roy also wouldn’t necessarily venture so effusively that things are going wrong. He might say, “I’m not sure he’s quite right, Nick.” But someone like Leanne would definitely just turn around and say, “He’s not right. We need to sort this out.” She’s much more plain-speaking.
At what point does Nick realise just how far things have escalated?
It’s basically when Sam locks himself in the café. Sam finally sees two Roys, and he kind of locks himself in the cafe. I think what happens for Nick is that the situation suddenly bridges the gap into becoming a bit dangerous. Sam has never been dangerous before. Nick sees a part in Sam that he’s never seen before. He’s not letting Nick in, and then he locks himself up and gets aggressive to Roy. Those moments, when Sam is showing something so different from how he has been, is the bit when Nick thinks, “Oh, he’s in real trouble.”
The nature of psychosis means it’s real to Sam. Was Nick struggling to understand that?
Yes. Also, the fact that at times Sam can’t look outside of it and just go, “Oh, sorry, I just felt a bit off.” He can’t really do that. It’s real to him.
The person who finally recognises this is Carla, who has been through psychosis herself. How does Nick react when Carla says, “I think he has psychosis. This is really quite serious”?
It’s interesting. Carla and Nick have a history, but with Carla, it’s a moment of currency for Nick. Carla isn’t usually like that; she’s very full of brusqueness. If Carla is saying it, and Carla has seen it and gone through it, there’s a moment where I think Nick knows Carla enough to go, “She’s seen something properly.” What’s so good about a character like Carla is that, because of what she’s been through, she’s very black and white. Everyone wants that so then when she does break that hard shell it makes you sit up and take notice. That is what happens to Nick.
How does Nick take on the enormity of what Carla is saying?
He’s gone from, “Oh, I just think it’s teenage angst,” to, “He’s got psychosis. He’s really not well. He’s got to go to a hospital. He needs professional treatment.” That’s a big leap. Nick slightly rejects a lot from people. I think he feels slightly, either, is it his fault? Or is he on his own? He feels a bit unsure of himself and who’s around him.
Nick seems to find it easier to confide in David than in Toyah or Leanne. Why is that?
He knows the Platts are weirdly, absolutely dysfunctional in their own way, but they’ve been through so much together as a family. Oddly, he can go to David. He finds it easier to go to David with these things than it might be to Toyah or Leanne. Because his brother has gone through so much, and David had his real wild time when he was younger, but crucially, David has had kids. David’s been there, and Nick hasn’t.
For me, that’s been one of the nicest things, seeing that Nick and David can have a different relationship, rather than Nick being the one telling David off. I can go to David and go, “I just don’t know what to do at the end here. And I fear I’m on my own.” Classic Platts, you know, they shout at everyone else, and then once they go within each other, someone goes, “It’s okay. I think we can work it out.”
It’s interesting how family dynamics change when different situations bring out different people’s strengths.
Yes, and I think that’s at the heart of any family on the show, and definitely with the Platts. You’ll go through bits where one character is going through something really, really bad, but then someone else might be able to work it out. And that’s when the dynamic of a family works really well. It’s not so clear, but at any one time, there’s enough of them sorted compared to the others. I think that’s why the Platts work.
Do you think Nick, Toyah, and Leanne can unite for Sam’s sake going forward?
Yes, I do. However, I think, further on, and I don’t know this, but I think there will always be the push and pull between Nick and Leanne with Sam. I have loved that they’ve kept Leanne in the loop. I think that is very good because it feels real and very true to the stories before, as she stayed strong with Simon. It makes complete sense that she would do that, especially having lost her own child, with Sam who she’s known since he was a small child.
How does Nick feel about Idris, Leanne’s new love interest, and the fact that he may potentially be involved in Sam’s life?
I think that’s quite painful for Nick. I think it’s also quite painful for Nick to see Leanne with someone else. I think he finds it very difficult. Idris has come in, you will see Sam opening up to him, or that’s potentially on the cards, and I think Nick then feels quite lost. And then also gets angry and a bit protective, but also recognises in a sad way that maybe he’s not completely rounded. Often teenagers going through any sort of angst, the last person they’re going to speak to is actually their key caregiver.
If there’s someone else who’s kind of removed from it, they can talk to them. But it’s hard for the parent to stand by and watch that, particularly when it’s a new love interest for someone who has been in Nick’s life for such a long time with Leanne. There’s a lot wrapped up in those emotions.
Does Nick view Idris as competition, perhaps on an equal standing with himself in the community?
Yes, and also, I think a bit of it is that Leanne has had other relationships, and Nick’s been a bit non plussed. But Idris, he’s a businessman, does quite well. I think Nick finds it a bit tricky. Nick slightly lives in his world of owning the bistro and having a certain standing. That’s good because it crumbles at times, which I think is fantastic. He sets himself up as being able to handle it all, and then the great bit is when Nick can’t, and he loses it or he doesn’t know what to do. I think he can see in Idris it might be a bit more tricky.
It’s very similar to Peter. Peter was a bit flawed, but you could also see in Peter there was a power that Nick couldn’t match. I think there’s the best of that vibe in Idris. I’m already seeing Idris will definitely probably be a match for Nick in certain ways. And Nick didn’t like that with Peter, and doesn’t welcome it. And also, he can see Leanne is happy.
Nick seems to work best with a male foe.
I think he works well in that. I think he quite likes it. The character understands business competition. He’s had it with Carla a bit. He’s had Kal, who was with Leanne for a bit. And definitely Peter has probably been the best adversary for Nick.
You’ve seen young Jude grow up in this role. You must be very proud of everything he’s done, particularly bringing this very adult, very grown-up serious storyline to life. How have you enjoyed watching that and working with him?
It’s very tricky in the show to go from a child actor to, you know, your voice breaks, you get bigger, and you’re given a story which brilliantly bridges the child-to-adult story. Which you’re carrying. We did talk about it a lot. We’re quite close in a very work way. We’re very good at sitting down and going, “What do they need from the scene?” I remember we did an early scene where he lost it, and I said, “I think we go for this. I think we really go for it, because I think you’re leading this now.” When he was younger, I would probably be more of the driving force, but I said, “I think you are now. This is your story.”
That must be a lot of pressure for a young actor.
It’s a real privilege, but it’s also a pressure. And not everyone can do it. It’s a particularly hard story because so much of it is imagined within the same actor, within him. That’s hard. You’re acting something differently than everyone else is seeing. It’s not easy. And the storyline, although I’m there and the family are there, is his. I think he’s found, definitely after we did the first few scenes, and we got over this really big hump, I said, “I think that’s it. I think you’ve cracked it. I think you’ve really got it.” He’s not arrogant at all but I think he recognised, “Yes, I pulled something out that wasn’t there, in a younger version of Sam.”
It sounds like a great partnership.
Selfishly, I want him to be brilliant, and he is brilliant. When you’re with someone who’s discovering that power as an actor, in an adult story, it’s really amazing to watch. He is really, really good and such a nice young lad as well. Super level, super diligent, but also, he’s got a bit of a Platt about him. It’s been really lovely for me. I get to work with a really good actor, and it makes me better.
The audience reaction seems overwhelmingly positive.
I think what he’s done is really put it out there, so the audience are really with him. You can see from the reaction. I think, weirdly, you can’t break the character because he’s done so much work with him that they want to be with you. There are some really, really upsetting scenes which I think really do justice to the story, do justice to the characters, and do justice to what people go through. And how confusing it is on both sides.
You’ve played Nick for 15 years this year. How would you describe him now, how has he changed from when you first took over the role, and what do you still enjoy about playing him?
It’s been amazing. I think what I’ve been very lucky with is that everyone around me has grown up with me. Jack, with David, has developed as an actor and as a character. Everything that happened, and Kylie, and the children, and Shona, and the same with Jane as Leanne. All the Platts. I’ve been very, very lucky that Nick has been able to grow in those 15 years into different stories. I’m playing different stories than I did in 2009 or 2010. We’ve moved on, and yet the stories continue. I have my own family, and what does that bring? The business goes up and down, and my mum leaves, and what does that mean for the family?
I think what’s incredible is, you get a character that the writers seem to want to write the next stage for you. And that is what’s so exciting. It genuinely feels like you’re playing the full book. You’re going right through the book. You’ve started, you’ve got a bit of a middle now. You’re pushing through the book, and that’s exciting. He’s not the same Nick he was, and I’m not the same Ben, which is great. I think that’s how it should be.
Catch up on ITVX, and for classic visits to Corrie, these episodes air weekdays on ITV3 as well as on YouTube.