Martin Platt

Martin Platt
Sean Wilson as Martin Platt (2005).
Coronation Street character
Portrayed by	Sean Wilson
Created by	Mervyn Watson
Duration	1985–2005
First appearance	28 January 1985
Last appearance	9 November 2005
Classification	Former; regular
Book appearances	Coronation Street:The Complete Saga
Profile
Date of birth	2 June 1968
Home	Liverpool
Occupation	Nurse
Family Wife Gail Tilsley (1991–2001) Robyn Platt (2006—) Father Barry Platt Mother Barbara Platt Sons David Platt Daughters Caitlin Platt Adoptive sons Nick Tilsley Adoptive daughters Sarah Louise Grimshaw Romances Jenny Bradley (1986–89) Rebecca Hopkins (1999–2000) Sally Webster (2001–02) Katy Harris (2003–05)

Martin Platt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, portrayed by Sean Wilson.

Creation and development

Departure

Actor Sean Wilson was axed from Coronation Street when a major storyline conference decided the character of Martin had been "played out". At the time, it was said that "Sean can’t believe he’s just been dropped like a dead weight after 20 years. It came like a bolt out of the blue."^[1] However, the actor later reflected that the producers had "done him a favour by axing his character",^[2] and Wilson has since said that if he were to return to the soap, the producers would have to be "very persuasive".^[3]

Storylines

Backstory

Teenager Martin Platt is first seen in 1985 as a school-leaver working in Jim's Cafe. He had two GCEs and was studying at Salford Technical College.

1989–2002

In 1989, Brian Tilsley (Chris Quinten) is murdered and Martin begins comforting his widow and former colleague from the cafe, Gail (Helen Worth). To everyone's surprise, the two fall for each other and in 1990, the couple have a child. Gail does not think it is fair for Martin to have a child at his age, and is about to have an abortion when Martin stops her. They get married in 1991, and the child is named David (Thomas Ormson). Martin helps raise Gail's two older children, Sarah-Louise (Lyndsay King) and Nick (Warren Jackson) from her marriage to Brian. He develops a father-daughter relationship with Sarah but Nick does not like him and refuses to listen to Martin.

In the mid-1990s, Martin becomes friendly with fellow nurse, Carmel Finnan (Catherine Cusack). Carmel makes Gail believe she is having an affair with Martin and is pregnant by him, but this is not true. The problem is solved by Carmel's father from Ireland coming to take her home. Martin later sleeps with nurse Cathy Power (Theresa Brindley) after a New Year's party. Martin confesses, and Gail does not speak to him for months. They are reconciled after Martin passes his nursing exam. In 1999, Martin has another affair with Rebecca Hopkins (Jill Halfpenny), confessing to Gail only after Rebecca has left him. After an unsuccessful attempt to patch up the marriage, Martin goes to live in a nearby flat. Gail divorces him and later marries Richard Hillman (Brian Capron).

2003–2005

After Richard commits two murders and tries to kill Gail and the children by driving his car into the canal, Martin and Tommy Harris (Thomas Craig) jump into the canal and swim down to the sunken car and rescue Gail, and the children. Martin falls in love with Tommy's sixteen-year-old daughter Katy (Lucy-Jo Hudson). Tommy, who had previously been Martin's friend, is outraged when he finds out about their relationship, and attacks Martin physically, whilst Katy's brother, Craig (Richard Fleeshman), attempts to kill Martin by interfering with the brakes on his car. Katy's parents are even more unhappy when she leaves school and gets pregnant. Sally Webster (Sally Dynevor), one of Martin's ex-girlfriends, is having an affair with work colleague Ian Davenport (Philip Bretherton), and her friendship with Martin, who is working particularly late hours, making Tommy and Angela Harris (Kathryn Hunt) believe they are having an affair. They tell Katy, who moves out of Martin's flat and has an abortion. When Gail tells them the truth, Katy is devastated. She confronts Tommy in a rage, and attacks him with a wrench, killing him. Because of the bad blood between Martin and Tommy, Martin is at first arrested for the murder. Even though Angela only witnesses the murder of Tommy, she confesses to doing it. Martin is released, and Angela arrested. Katy is hysterical, and as a diabetic, decides to commit suicide by forgoing her insulin injections and eating sugar. Martin, Sarah (now played by Tina O'Brien) and Sarah's then boyfriend Scooter (Sushil Chudasama) manage to get her to hospital, but she later dies.

Before he leaves Coronation Street to move to Liverpool with new girlfriend Robyn (Claire Calbraith). Martin remains close to Gail, even after the divorce, and often comes round to have tea with Gail, Sarah, David (now played by Jack P. Shepherd), and Sarah's daughter Bethany (Amy and Emily Walton). David is devastated when he hears that Martin is leaving and does not talk to Martin for a while; however, the two of them reconcile just before Martin leaves.

Off-Screen: 2005–

In January 2006, David reports that Martin is expecting a baby with new partner Robyn. In October 2007, during the week of Sarah's planned wedding to Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas), Martin telephones Sarah to say he is unable to come to the wedding as his daughter Caitlin is ill. Martin is mentioned in 2009 when David goes to stay for a period of time with him and Robyn after falling out with Gail and her new lover Joe McIntyre(Reece Dinsdale).

Martin was mentioned again on 28 March 2011 during an argument between David and Gail over David's upcoming wedding to Kylie Turner (Paula Lane). Gail argued that she had married all her husbands because she loved them, including Martin. Gail also tells David that although she and Martin split up, they had had some good years togeher. In April 2011, Martin does not attend David and Kylie's wedding. His absence was not explained onscreen. The following month, after David expresses a desire to help Kylie regain custody of her son Max, Gail asks David if he is willing to bring up another man's son and David reminds her that Martin brought up Nick and Sarah as his own children whilst they were married, to prove his point.

Reception

The character has been described as the "only properly functional husband" of Gail, and that he "was merely an adulterer".^[4]

References

1. ^ Nathan, Sara. Yates, Charlie (14 May 2005). "Corrie Martin's smartin'". The Sun. (News International). http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/107325/Corrie-Martins-smartin.html. Retrieved 15 May 2011. 
2. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (22 May 2005). "Sean Wilson happy to be leaving Corrie". Digital Spy. (Hachette Filipacchi UK). http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/news/a21366/sean-wilson-happy-to-be-leaving-corrie.html. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
3. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (18 December 2009). "Wilson: 'I deserved better from Corrie'". Digital Spy. (Hachette Filipacchi UK). http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3/coronation-street/news/a192031/wilson-i-deserved-better-from-corrie.html. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 
4. ^ Viner, Brian (16 March 2010). "Last Night's Television - Women, BBC4; Coronation Street, ITV1". The Independent. (Independent Print Limited). http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/last-nights-television--women-bbc4-coronation-street-itv1-1921789.html. Retrieved 16 August 2011. 

External links

• Martins profile at www.Corrie.net