Coronation Street teased the exit of Peter Barlow tonight when he tried to persuade Carla they should leave Weatherfield to crew a yacht.
But is this how he will leave the soap as Chris Gascoyne’s departure nears?
Peter struggles in Corrie
After he killed Stephen Reid last month, Peter has been battling with his demons once again. He’s been growing closer to ex Toyah as she supports him. He’s also been struggling with the urge to drink again and is attending AA meetings.
His wife, Carla, meanwhile left him to deal with it all alone in an attempt to save her business. She headed off to Spain to salvage a deal and stop the factory going under after Stephen stole all the cash from the Underworld account.
The trip was unsuccessful and she came home to discover Ken’s fears Peter was drinking again.
He isn’t, but has now admitted he’s struggling.
Carla has made an attempt to support him, but when the factory was thrown into chaos once again her attention was once more diverted away from her marriage.
Fans have been pretty unimpressed at the way Carla has put the business before her marriage. They have complained it’s a complete personality transplant for the character who always loved Peter fiercely.
What happened in Coronation Street tonight?
Carla was fighting to save the factory after the police revealed they could not trace the cash Stephen stole. The workers hadn’t been paid and Sarah was in a panic as to how much longer they could get them to keep stitching.
Carla knew if they could just get this order out it would mean cash on delivery and she could pay the wages. However, rather than be honest about that she lied to the staff. She told them the police had traced the money Stephen took and they’d be getting paid tonight.
When the truth came out (thanks to Beth), the workers downed tools and walked out.
Carla and Sarah tried to talk them round, then Peter stepped in a let rip. Eventually, he managed to save the day by roping in other people, such as Nina and Evelyn, to finish the job. Sally and Izzy also came back.
Although Carla was relieved, she was left in shock when Peter made a suggestion. He wants them to give up their life in Weatherfield and sail the world – next week.
Peter’s exit plot revealed?
He told his wife all about his mate who was working on yachts in Majorca and making lots of money. When Carla said she could murder a holiday like that (poor choice of words, perhaps?!) Peter stopped her.
“I’m not talking about a holiday, he’s looking for a crew. What do you say? You, me, sailing off into the sunset?”
Carla was stunned into silence then told him he can’t run away from his problems. When she insisted it was too spur of the moment and unthought out, he told her that’s the “beauty” of it. He wanted them to just go for a year and then revealed the idea was to set sail next week.
“Next week?” Carla cried. “Do you really think I can just pack up my life and my business and just go off in a few days? Sorry, it’s a very hard no from me.”
And as she walked off to take a business call, Peter put his head on the desk looking depressed and defeated. So will he take the option to go alone? Will the call of the sea be too much for Peter to refuse? Is his Coronation Street exit set to see him sailing the world – without Carla?
Big Christmas for Carla and Peter in Coronation Street ahead of his exit
Coronation Street has confirmed that there will be a special two-hander episode with Peter and Carla which will air on Boxing Day. So if Peter is going to set sail, it probably won’t be next week!
Speaking to Entertainment Daily! and other media, Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod revealed: “They find themselves at this enormous fork in the road where they love each other but perhaps their happiness is no longer reliant on each other, which is to say, maybe they start to wonder if they’d be happier somewhere else.”
Iain added: “There’s a huge two-hander between the two of them, more or less they’re the only two cast in the episode, that is a greatest hits compilation, for those of you that have been big fans of Peter and Carla since the start, that picks over every single detail of who they are, what they’ve been as a couple, what they want for their futures, what happiness looks like for them.”
Finally, Iain shared: “It’s building towards an exit for Peter which is really brilliant and bittersweet and feels like Corrie at its very best.”
Chris Gascoyne confirmed he was taking a break as Peter earlier this year. But it’s hoped the door will be left open for his return.
Read more: Complete Coronation Street cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
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