Corrie’s Colson Smith admits he ‘wanted Craig dead’ after brutal chat with boss
Coronation Street star Colson Smith has broken his silence on the brutal death of his character Craig Tinker after the police officer was murdered in the ITV soap
The police officer died in brutal scenes on the ITV soap after a vicious attack (Image: ITV/Coronation Street)
The devastating demise of Craig Tinker on Coronation Street had fans in tears, and actor Colson Smith has now opened up about the harrowing exit of his character.
The copper met a grisly end on the ITV soap following a savage assault by baddie Mick Michaelis, played by Joe Layton, in the previous instalment. Mick mercilessly battered the unsuspecting Craig with a bat, leaving him to die.
Tragically, Craig succumbed to his injuries, leaving everyone in pieces. Colson has now spoken out about the gut-wrenching death of Craig, who had been part of the show for longer than 10 years.
Coronation Street’s Craig Tinker actor Colson Smith has spoken out over his character’s brutal death for the first time(Image: ITV/Coronation Street)
He discussed the producers’ decision to phase out both him and his character, recounting how he felt when he first heard the news. He also divulged his immediate thoughts upon discovering his character would meet a tragic fate, reports the Mirror.
Colson told media outlets: “When I was in the chat with Kate [Brooks] I’d already braced myself for what was about to happen. I have been in that building since I was 12 years old, so I know exactly how it works.”
The popular actor already sensed a bleak ending for his character as he said: “I knew that my time was up and I knew that Craig had backed himself into a corner that was going to be really hard to get out of, so I fully expected the chat to go that way. There had been about 20 minutes of Kate talking to me, but we hadn’t touched on when or how, or who or what.”
He boldly confronted the situation, recalling: “So I kind of stopped Kate and said, ‘Look, I have two questions, and one is when, and two is do I get killed?’. And she kind of like, stopped and stumbled a little bit. And I said, if it makes it easier for you, the right answer for me is yes.”
The star expressed his willingness for the ultimate exit strategy: “Like for me to go, I would want to leave. I would want to die, I would want the door to be shut, so then I can kind of know in my head that Corrie has been this, Corrie has done that, and it is now done, and Craig’s journey is over.”
Craig Tinker’s brutal death on Coronation Street left viewers sobbing on Wednesday night(Image: ITV)
Colson further explained: “It was the right thing for me to be killed. I think Craig dying, and Craig dying in the line of duty as a copper, that kind of hero’s death was by far the most perfect story for the exit.”
Discovering his character’s destiny and his departure from the soap in October last year hit him hard, as he revealed: “I think from that night at the end of October, it was that night where any emotion that I had, or any feelings that I had, that was kind of when it played out and that was the most difficult bit.
“The most difficult bit is going back to work and working through the thing, the rest of the building finding out and seeing other people’s emotion and understanding of things, that’s the toughest bit.
“Do I feel like a part of me has died? I feel like I will miss Corrie, I miss going to work, I miss having a job, and I feel like I’m accepting of nothing will ever replace that. I can do anything in the rest of my career, the rest of my life, and I’m fully aware that I will never get what I have got from Coronation Street from anywhere else.”
Colson revealed Corrie had “been his life” with him grateful for the past 14 years on the ITV soap. He said: “I think it’s probably been my life you know, I started as an 11-year-old, and it pretty much is all I remember. I remember getting the job and I don’t remember much about before.
“This show has – I said it in my leaving speech – like everything I have done, achieved, I’ve done whilst in that building. My best days, my worst days, all my first moments have been whilst being part of Coronation Street, and that is the thing that I will forever be grateful for. I wouldn’t even say it’s changed my life, I would say it’s been my life, and my life is what it is because I played Craig Tinker in Coronation Street.”
Audiences were left shattered by the harrowing sequences and Craig’s demise, flocking to social media to share their distress. One viewer confessed: “How can I know Craig’s dying but I’m sobbing anyway?” while another admitted: “I literally can not stop crying that was the saddest episode.”
Another fan expressed their sorrow succinctly: “Incredibly sad,” and yet another shared: “So sad, my heart can’t take it.”