Countless Brits tuning in to watch Coronation Street’s Boxing Day episode this festive season were left ‘in tears’ as they watched long-serving character Peter Barlow leave the show afterthe best part of two decades on the fictional Manc street.
For those not up to speed, Barlow, played by Chris Gascoyne, has had a rough few months in Weatherfield following the accidental death of Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce), struggling ever since and in desperate need of looking after — his wife Carla (Alison King) having taken on that job.
After spending an emotional Christmas Day together, Carla surprised him with a one-way ticket to Spain to join his friends on their trip around the world, a decision neither took lightly but agreed in the show’s closing moments was “the right thing to do”.
Saying goodbye to his friends and family for one last walk along the cobbles, Barlow’s final moments saw him embrace Carla before saying goodbye to his home and jumping on the tram to the airport to start the next chapter.
Peter Barlow cracks that wry smile that had been missing for so long as sets off on his journey.
There were homes all across the North and, indeed, the whole of the UK welling up as they sat down to watch Peter Barlow’s final moments, with many jumping on social media to pay tribute to the beloved Corrie character.
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Even prior to his departure on Boxing Day, one person wrote “How is it [his] last episode tomorrow?” along with numerous crying emojis, while another added, “23 years of Peter Barlow and I have absolutely no words right now”; almost every post revolved around tears in some fashion.
A third shared the following: “Goodbye Peter Barlow, you are by far the best character I have ever loved. It has been the honour of a lifetime watching your story and I’m so f***ing proud of you. Life won’t be the same without you, I’m going to love & miss u forever. Until we meet again but for now, be happy.”
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Safe to say the character, no matter how “perfectly flawed” as one viewer put it, meant a lot to so many people, so it was only right that Gascoyne gave them a special farewell himself.
Filmed on his penultimate day on the cobbles, Chris Gascoyne says farewell after 23 years of playing Peter Barlow with a heartwarming goodbye message 💚 #Corrie@ITV@WeAreSTVpic.twitter.com/6HUTHNMXyz
Speaking ahead of his final episode airing, the 55-year-old son of Ken and Valerie, not to mention brother of fellow fan favourite Tracy, admitted it was “emotional” reading that last script, adding that it was “not because I was leaving, but I genuinely, genuinely felt moved by it.”
He also explained how they didn’t rehearse the scene and never really do, stating that the raw feelings felt in the scene were captured in just one or two takes and that he believes “most people will have had exactly the same thing in their life, so they’ll identify with it.”
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The Nottinghamshire-born actor also went on to give fans some hope of a return by stating, “Of course, I’ve not ruled [a return] out, it’s been such a part of my life. I’ve grown up with so many people there but I need a rest and to look to do something different, I’m not getting any younger.
Gascoyne is currently enjoying a turn in a pantomime in St Albans and has only ever been out of the show for a total of four years (2003-2007) since he joined the cast back in 2000. That being said, having arrived on Coronation Street with nothing but a bag and now leaving with one, fans believe the door is wide open for a return.
Bolton-born celebrity makeup artist claps back at ‘nasty’ and ‘evil’ Katie Price comments
Daisy Jackson
Bolton-born celebrity makeup artist Made By Mitchell has hit back at social media users who criticised Katie Price’s appearance, describing some of the comments as ‘so evil’ and ‘downright rude and nasty’.
The makeup artist, whose real name is Mitchell Halliday, was responsible for Katie’s glam for a recent red-carpet appearance at the NTAs, with the pair opting for a bold and distinctive look.
While thousands of people took to social media to share their opinions on the reality star’s makeup and outfit, Mitchell said he was comfortable with people disliking the look – but was upset by the personal nature of some of the comments aimed at Katie.
“Thousands and thousands and thousands of people have given their opinion on the glam and outfit,” he said.
“A lot of it is positive and a lot of it is negative as well, and that is so okay – everyone is allowed to have their own opinion.”
While Mitchell said he was not bothered by people criticising his makeup, he admitted that some of the reaction left him upset.
He said: “I was genuinely a bit upset by some of the comments and what I was reading, and not because people didn’t like my makeup, that is so okay, it’s literally fine, again my client was happy and that’s all that matters to me.”
Mitchell said it was the comments directed specifically at Katie that affected him most.
“How people were speaking about Katie just really got me to be honest,” he said.
“It was so so evil. So many evil comments.”
He questioned why users felt the need to leave such harsh remarks rather than simply moving past content they did not enjoy.
“What is wrong with people? Just scroll on. Scroll on,” he said.
He also defended the decision to create a more dramatic look, arguing that it reflected the style Katie and Mitchell had set out to achieve together.
“This is a Katie Price and Mitchell glam,” he said.
“If Katie asked me to go and do her makeup for a red carpet and she asked me to do ‘please just do a really soft clean girl look’… really? I would’ve said ‘why have you brought me all the way down here?'”
Mitchell stressed that he was not trying to prevent people from having their say, acknowledging that social media users were entitled to their opinions.
“Opinions are so valid, I’m never gonna stop someone from giving their opinion in a comment section, that’s completely fine especially on my page,” he said.
“However, you don’t need to be nasty about it. And some of those comments were just downright rude and nasty.”
He added that he did not want his social media platforms to become a place where people could target Katie personally.
“Some of the comments about Katie were just so uncalled for and my page is not the place for that,” Mitchell said.
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His message to those commenting on the look was simple: “Just be a bit kinder, it’s not that hard.”
A TV channel playing Christmas films 24/7 is now back on air in the UK
Emily Sergeant
Do you think it’s too early for the ‘C word’? Never mind, you’ve already clicked on this article.
Sure, we may only be into our second full week of September, but given the fact the weather these past couple of days hasn’t exactly screamed summer, it already feels like the festive season is around the corner – but whether or not you think it’s too early to be talking about Christmas, it’ll soon be too tricky to escape from.
Especially not when the famous TV channel showing festive film favourites non-stop is now back on air in the UK.
Yes, you heard that right – Christmas films, 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
If you’re ready to wave goodbye to summer, and in welcome autumn and winter with open arms, then there’s arguably no better way of getting into the festive spirit than with the long-awaited and highly-anticipated return of the TV channel that’s charmed audiences for over half a decade now.
GREAT! Christmas the UK’s biggest seasonal channel, and it’s now live on Sky, Freesat, Freeview and Virgin Media.
You can expect almost four months of back-to-back seasonal movies.
The 24-hour feel-good and free-to-air channel will be bursting with non-stop Christmas spirit, and will be showing a heartwarming lineup of festive films – including some absolute fan-favourite classics that make it to screens every year without fail, alongside some cheesy Hallmark classics, new channel premieres, and so much more.
Danny Jones -
27th December 2023 
