Monday, 7 April 2014

Chris Gascoyne: 'Peter goes to rehab'

Peter Barlow heads off to rehab next week under the strict instruction of his wife Carla.

When Carla (Alison King) finds out that Peter is drinking again, she immediately insists that he needs to clean up his act for the sake of their unborn baby.

Viewers know that the stress of Peter's recent affair with Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) has driven him back to the bottle, but Carla still has no idea this is the case and tries her best to support her wayward husband.

Here, Chris Gascoyne - who plays Peter - previews the latest trouble in store for his character.

How would you describe the current situation between Peter and Tina?
"Peter was overcome with relief when Tina's pregnancy test came back negative and I think he used that opportunity to finish things with Tina. He feels as though he might have gotten away with it, until Tina starts pursuing him again."

Does Peter worry that Tina hasn't really got the message?
"At first Peter thinks it's going to be quite simple. She's a lot younger than him and I think Peter arrogantly believes he'll be able to brush her off quite easily by saying she can do so much better than him. 

"When Tina texts him telling him she loves him, he realises it's going to be more difficult than he thought. That's another reason for him turning back to the bottle. It's a defence mechanism for Peter - as soon as he thinks he's in danger of things going wrong, he returns to his old demons." 

Does Tina realise how bad Peter's state of mind is?
"I don't think so. She doesn't know that Carla's pregnant, so she has no idea that he's having to deal with that too. Tina's not going to let him go easily, and she doesn't realise that the more she tries to win him back, the further she's pushing him into a dark hole. I don't think Tina realises how bad it is until Carla asks her for her help when she discovers he's fallen off the wagon."
Does this make Tina back off?
"No, quite the opposite. Tina thinks she can help Peter and tells him she wants to be there for him and help him, but it just makes him worse. It makes him realise that she's really not going anywhere, and that she is a threat to his relationship with Carla. It's not as simple and as carefree as he first thought it was when he went into it."

Why doesn't Peter just tell Tina to back off?
"Peter's conscious that if he upsets her by being harsh and to the point, she'll turn nasty and end up telling Carla. He's trying to tread carefully around her and end it with her as calmly as possible - he almost wants to get her to a position where she's agreeing with him that it's best they end it." 

How does Carla react when she finds out that Peter has been drinking?
"She's absolutely furious. He's been lying to her and she realises it when he comes in stinking of whisky, and it's made worse that he stood her and Simon up. 

"Carla's upset that he's fallen off the wagon when he knows she's pregnant. She tells him that he's risking his life by drinking and that he has an unborn child to think of now, as well as her and Simon. She's even more annoyed when Peter tries to tell her it's because of the stress he's under to be the perfect husband and father. Carla doesn't buy it."
Carla warns that if Peter drinks again, she won't have the baby. Does that worry him?
"She's sick of hearing his excuses and him feeling sorry for himself and this is the final straw. Carla had to battle a lot of demons when she found out she was pregnant and she needs Peter more than ever, but now he's drinking again she's scared he can't be there for her. 

"When she finally plucked up the courage to tell him she was pregnant, Peter vowed he'd be there for her 100%. When she gives him this ultimatum, he feels more trapped than ever. He's completely stunned by what she says." 

How does Peter feel when Carla tells him that he has to go to rehab?
"Carla doesn't even really give him a choice. She more or less tells him he has to go and I think he knows better than to argue with her about it. He's no energy to think about anything else at that point other than where his next drink is going to come from." 

Why does Carla phone Tina?
"Carla is struggling to keep everything afloat at the factory and look after Peter as well. She doesn't want to leave Peter on his own because she's scared and worried that he won't be able to keep away from the bottle. 

"Peter's humiliated when she asks Steve to come round and sit with him - he feels like he's being babysat. Obviously Carla has no idea about Peter and Tina, and doesn't think twice about calling her to ask for her help as well."
Was it always inevitable that he'd fall off the wagon?
"Peter's an addict, he has a drink problem - so yes, I do think it was always inevitable given what trouble he was going to land himself in with Tina and Carla. At the moment he can't find a way out of the hole he's found himself in and the only thing he feels he can turn is to drink. 

"It's all going to come crashing down - it's never going to end well for Tina, and Peter at some point is going to have to face the consequences of his actions."

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