Emmerdale's Chris Coghill has revealed he 'f***ing hates' his character Kev Townsend's singing scenes, describing them as 'excruciating' and 'horrible'.
Kev's Journey
Kev Townsend initially arrived in the Dales as Robert Sugden's (Ryan Hawley) secret husband, whom he met and married in prison. The character started off as a typical villain, manipulating Robert by playing up his heart condition, lying that he didn't have long to live, and even taking him and Aaron (Danny Miller) hostage in dramatic scenes complete with a samurai sword.
Despite his antics, the reaction to the character was overwhelmingly positive, and fans loved him. His short stint on the show was extended into a longer run, and he's still there almost a year later.
Original Plan to Kill Off Kev
Chris says the initial plan for Kev's character was to kill him off: "The first time around they were like 'Kev's this horrible manipulator who forced Robert to marry him in prison. He's coming out [of prison] and he's gunna die.'"
The actor wasn't a fan of the plot line, so they settled with him pretending to die instead: "I went I'm not going to do it if he dies, [So they said] alright, he doesn't die he just pretends to die."
He says he always knew how his first stint on the show would 'play out', and Kev exited the show back in January after deciding his son Lewis (Bradley Riches) would be better off without him. This didn't last long, though, and Kev made a comeback in June, hoping to reconnect with Lewis.
Unexpected Return
Chris says he wasn't supposed to return but the producers asked him to come back: "[It] wasn't what we intended to happen, and they asked me to come back within about five weeks."
This time around we see a more vulnerable side to Kev and start to understand why he is the way he is: "There's scenes where you can go from psycho to vulnerable to quite slapstick and quite hapless and then back to being scared again all in one scene which is quite unusual to do."
"It's a bit like a playground, you can do everything all at once."
Freedom in the Role
Chris says he loves the freedom of the role and being able to add his own touches to Kev's character: "They give me freedom to change, mess about with bits and scenes and stuff. I'm just doing what I'm doing and I'm really liking it."
Hating the Singing
One thing that the fans love but Chris doesn't is the singing scenes, calling them 'excruciating' and 'horrible'. Kev famously announced that he was Lewis's dad by performing 'Father and Son' to him. Chris jokingly says he absolutely 'f***ing hates' those scenes.
"[Producer] Laura did say to me the other week, 'do you want to do All I Want For Christmas Is You?' And I said if you keep me til Christmas 2028 I'll do it then."
He joked: "If I could sing I wouldn't be an actor I would've been in a band in the 90s."
