Corrie’s Jack P. Shepherd hints at uncertain future as ITV soap contract nears end
Despite the Platt family being one of the cornerstones of Weatherfield, Jack P. Shepherd never knows if bosses will write David out.
“I get a year’s contract now, and it runs out this year,” says the Coronation Street star. “They might not continue it, they might go with someone else.”
As chaos has engulfed No.8, it’s easy to see why Jack, 37, who has portrayed David in the ITV soap since 2000, fears his character could be killed off at any moment.
David’s adoptive son Max Turner (Paddy Bever) set the Platts’ home ablaze in a botched insurance scam. Instead of cashing in, Max found himself behind bars – again – facing a sentence of six-and-a-half years.
But while Max is locked up, David’s troubles are far from over. Thug Harvey Gaskell and his cronies have reminded David of his unpaid debt and hinted that Max could suffer while he’s behind bars.
“David’s frantic because he thinks Harvey’s going to get to Max in prison,” Jack says. “He’s scared about the prison that he’s going to and trying to get Max as far away from Weatherfield as possible.”
Jack P. Shepherd has teased uncertainty for his soap future as his contract is ending this year
The actor has portrayed troublesome David Platt since 2000 (
ITV)
At first, Scotland seemed like the safest bet for Max, but he’s now serving time in a facility in County Durham. It hardly matters, as Harvey’s reach knows no limits.
“Harvey basically says, ‘You could send him to Timbuktu, I’ll still get hold of him and kill him,’” Jack says. A desperate David comes up with a plan to save his family. “The only way to pay Harvey off is with the life insurance policy,” Jack says. “If David dies, then it all pays out for everyone.”
David reached breaking point after seeing Harvey’s men cosying up to his 11-year-old daughter, Lily. He enlisted the help of hitman Andy, who had been blackmailed into killing David. At rock bottom, David asked Andy to help eliminate Harvey from their lives for good – by running over David.
For Jack, 37, David’s mindset is clear. “He feels like a failure,” he says. “Everything he does always has a negative effect on the family. He feels they’d be a lot better off in life if he wasn’t constantly messing things up.”
It’s not the first time David has teetered on the edge. From his late wife Kylie’s death to his own harrowing rape ordeal in 2018,
he’s battled dark thoughts before.
But this time, Jack argues, it’s different. “He has been low before, but I’m not sure he has actually been suicidal,” Jack says. “This is a suicide but it has to look like an accident.”
Jack relishes the high-stakes drama, especially when stunts are involved. But he’s not one to follow safety rules. “I always push the limits,” he admits.
Take the recent explosion at No.8 – Jack was told to stay behind the safety line. He agreed, until the cameras started to roll. “They said action, and of course I went past the safety line,” Jack admits. “But I’m safe, there are lots of people with extinguishers.”
His latest stunt, David’s dramatic crash, was even riskier as Jack was nearly hit by a car. “We had a near-miss because I wasn’t paying attention,” he says.
“There was a car coming and we added it into the scene. I was looking a different way and it nearly hit me.” Not that he’s complaining, saying, “I like doing all that!”
David wasn’t the only recent casualty in Coronation Street – his stunt resulted in the death of Daisy Midgeley’s unborn baby
The end result was nothing short of shocking. ”David’s main artery is hit so he’s bleeding out,” Jack says. “I was covered in blood, it was like being in Carrie!”
The gory detail wasn’t just for show. Director Suri Krishnamma spoke to medics who confirmed how brutal David’s injury would be. Jack recalls, “They said the [hospital] bed would be covered in blood, so we went, ‘Right, let’s do it properly.’”
But David wasn’t the only hit-and-run casualty, because pregnant barmaid Daisy Midgeley unwittingly stumbled onto the street as his plan was set in motion. “He’s annoyed to see her, but he tried to push her out of the way,” Jack says.
The aftermath of the incident sends shockwaves through Weatherfield. While David comes within an inch of death, Daisy tragically loses her unborn baby.
And the fallout has worsened David’s already volatile rivalry with Detective Kit Green (Jacob Roberts). Kit and David have clashed before – especially after the policeman’s one-night stand with David’s wife Shona. But this time, things turn particularly violent.
“David thinks he’s going to get arrested,” Jack says. However, Kit has another idea. Reckoning that David hasn’t begged hard enough for forgiveness, Kit drags him to a warehouse. “He starts beating him up, punching him and everything,” Jack adds. “David’s in a bad way.”
No matter the outcome of their fight, Jack refuses to give away any spoilers. “I like the unpredictability,” he says. “I don’t like telling fans anything.”
This approach may have even sparked some debate behind the scenes. “There are loads of times in the script where we feel as though we have to spoon feed the audience,” Jack says. “I say, ‘No, don’t.’ The unpredictability is more interesting. You want to be shocked and surprised.”
After 25 years on the soap, Jack never expected to be in Corrie this long. “I was only in the show three months originally,” he says. “Then they just kept ringing me, my mum and my agent to extend my contract.”
However, he is open to staying – one year at a time. “They can’t promise a 25-year contract, they don’t know what’s going to happen,” he says. “If it did end up being another 25, I don’t mind, as long as I’m happy.”
