Why John Savident quit Coronation Street after 12 years and stayed off screens for a whole decade
"I was surprised and disappointed", he recalled.
SOAPLAND mourns the death of actor John Savident, known for his booming voice and stint in the Weatherfield cobbles.
Several years after his departure from Coronation Street, the late actor revealed the real reason he was written out of the ITV soap.
After discreet beginnings on stage and the silver screen, most notably in Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, John Savident found himself propelled into the spotlight when he joined the Corrie line-up in 1994.
The illustrious Guernsey actor rose to prominence and became a household name when he portrayed romantic butcher Fred Elliott who combined his work with pulling pints at The Rovers alongside Liz McDonald and Shelley Unwin.
Throughout his time in the cobbles, Fred quickly became a fan favourite and he was involved in a plethora of dramatic storylines.
Aside from his disastrous love life, which includes three marriages and a string a of failed proposals (including to Weatherfield icon Audrey Roberts), Fred had a secret son, Ashley Peacock.
Ashley himself rocked up the Street and developed a close bond with his estranged father while they worked as butchers together.
However, this ended in tragedy as Fred was killed off in 2006, suffering a stroke on the day he was preparing for wedded bliss with Bev Unwin.
Years after his emotional on-screen exit, John Savident opened up about his departure and admitted that fans only have soap bosses to blame for it.
John explained that, at the time, he was longing for more family time with his wife, theatre director Rona Hopkinson, their children and grandchildren.
These included daughter Romany, son Daniel and the latter’s two children, Molly and Charles who then lived in Hertfordshire.
But when he tried to reach an agreement with Corrie bosses to have some free time, John was shocked to be shown the door.
“I did think they might find some way to accommodate me”, he first admitted.
Soap producers agreed to write Fred Elliott out completely and, when he recalled the events that led up to his exit in 2013, John was still bitter over the decision.
“Quite honestly I was surprised and disappointed that they didn’t try a bit harder.”
“I told them a year in advance that I was going and then they took me out for dinner and said, ‘We’re not going to insult you, John, by trying to make you stay’.”
“And I’m sitting there thinking, ‘Please, go on, insult me’.”
At the time of his exit, however, John simply cited “personal reasons” without giving up any detail.
Suggestions about him wanting to stay out of the spotlight, particularly after being stabbed in his Manchester flat back in 2000 were rife.
Fans of the soap star may recall that he had invited back Michael Smith, aged 30, to talk about theatre after they’d met in a nightclub.
Michael Smith was jailed for seven years for the attack.
“That was a deeply unpleasant experience”, John remembered about his exit.
“But it was the show itself that did for me – it was breaking my heart.”
Speaking about his family, he added: “They are really great kids, both sporty and so full of life and fun.”
“I regret missing out on seeing them during a part of their growing up. I was becoming an absentee husband, father and grandfather by spending so many hours working on The Street.”
“I couldn’t go on any longer – the whole situation was becoming ridiculous and deeply distressing.”
“If they’d made things a little easier for me by letting Fred give up either The Rovers or the butcher’s shop I’d probably have stayed but that option was never presented to me.”
“So I just served out my notice.”
While he is best known for his Corrie role, John has also appeared in the political comedy Yes, Minister, biopic Gandhi and war film Battle of Britain.
John was also seen in Doctor Who and several period dramas in the likes of The Remains of The Day and Middlemarch.
His death at the age of 86 years old was announced in a statement shared by his agent on Friday, February 23, 2024.
“We are sad to announce the death of the actor John Savident who died on Wednesday 21 February.”
“He was a much-loved husband and father of two and will be sorely missed by all who knew him.”
In a statement of her own, following the sad news of John’s death, Audrey Roberts star Sue Nicholls expressed her sadness.
“I am very sad to hear of John’s passing”, the statement reads.
“My memories of working with you dear John on the street are a joy, and always will be.”
“God bless you and thank you for being in my life. Much love to you and your friends and family.”
Coronation Street airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8pm on ITV.
