Perdita
27-01-2009, 06:21
After the string of deaths which have plagued his life, businessman Carl King might just be about to find happiness after nearly four years in the quaint little Yorkshire village of Emmerdale. Having realised that a reconciliation with Chas Dingle (Lucy Pargeter) is well and truly off the table, Carl is taken by surprise next week when girlfriend Lexi Nicholls (Sally Oliver) proposes. Seeing this as his opportunity to make a fresh start, Carl gladly accepts. But will the pair make it down the aisle? Or will Carl wreck his relationship before he makes it to the church? We gave actor Tom Lister a call to chat about his upcoming storyline.
What's it been like on set since Matt Healy's departure?
"I have to admit that it's really felt strange. It's felt a bit like we've been wandering around with a leg missing. He was such an integral part. We had five years of being the three brothers and so for Matt to go, it was really sad."
Character-wise, does Carl feel responsible for Matt's death?
"Yeah, I think he does. It's one of the many things that he just buries deep down so he can try and get on with life. Carl's always got this fragile element to his personality – he has his father's death on his conscience, then there's Paul the postman, Grace Barraclough and now his brother."
Do you think the Kings are about to lose their status in the village now the Wyldes have turned up?
"It's going to be interesting to find out if we'll become similar players like the rest of the villagers, or whether we'll be able to climb back up the ladder to regain that status we once had. I think we have the potential to do that, but its whether the remaining brothers can pull it off. Jimmy's quite happy blundering around being himself and doesn't have the drive that Matt always did – so now it's whether Carl becomes the driving force..."
Do you think Carl ever stopped loving Chas?
"I don't think so, but at Christmas, that door was basically slammed in his face when Chas's son Aaron fell into the mix and gave his mum an ultimatum – him or Carl. So Chas chose her son. From there, he shifted his attention and was taken by surprise by Lexi."
Carl's backed into a corner next week by Lexi, isn't he? What happens?
"I think Lexi knows there's something there between Carl and Chas and Lexi's envious of that. Obviously Lexi knows that Carl killed his father, but she doesn't know that Chas was the reason. Lexi decides to go all-guns blazing and propose. I think rather than being backed into a corner, part of Carl thinks that if Chas has knocked him back, he'll try and do right by Lexi."
Does he regret his decision at all?
"For me, I think there's more interest and distance in us playing the angle that Carl's gone into the engagement with the best intentions, rather than wishing he was with Chas all the time. Chas will always be there in the background, though. It'll be a case of 'will they get married?' or 'will Carl and Chas get back together?' Viewers won't know which way it's going to go – they'll be kept guessing as to how it'll pan out."
What was the reaction among the cast to the news of Anita Turner's decision to step down as producer?
"It's a real shame. I was excited by her ideas and direction. She did some great episodes and felt she was putting things into place for the long term. She obviously felt that perhaps it was right to pass that responsibility onto somebody else. She was lovely to work with and I wish her all the best."
And what about Keith Richardson?
"Keith's been fabulous over the years. He's given his all to Emmerdale and other Yorkshire programmes for a long time now and he was probably getting to the point in his life where he wanted to relinquish a bit of responsibility and enjoy himself! And it's well deserved."
[B]Carl King on Tom's murder and Cain's return[/B
Last week, I caught up with Emmerdale actor Tom Lister to chat about his character Carl King's engagement to Lexi Nicholls (Sally Oliver), among other things. Click here to read the main portion of the interview.
Here are three additional snippets from the interview, including Tom's thoughts on the return of Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) in April.
Do you think Tom's murder still weighs heavily on Carl's mind?
"Definitely. It's always there and if you scratch a little deeper beneath the surface, it's not too far down. There are quite a lot of things down there which haven't yet been dealt with. That plays quite nicely into what potentially could open up later this year, storyline-wise. Chas is obviously the main reason why he fell out with his father in the first place."
Where does your character go from here?
"The Carl and Lexi strand will play out for quite a while. For all his best intentions, though, Carl's someone who always seems to mess up and he can't keep it in his trousers. He always tries to do right but more often than not, he can't help himself. He's just an idiot when it comes to women, money and his children!"
Are you looking forward to Jeff Hordley's return?
"It was a coup to get Jeff back. I'm really hoping that the Kings won't have forgotten what Cain did to them. He stole a couple of million from them, so it's probably not slipped their mind. I don't think they'll bury that hatchet that easily. Cain's a great character and hopefully there will be fireworks."
What's it been like on set since Matt Healy's departure?
"I have to admit that it's really felt strange. It's felt a bit like we've been wandering around with a leg missing. He was such an integral part. We had five years of being the three brothers and so for Matt to go, it was really sad."
Character-wise, does Carl feel responsible for Matt's death?
"Yeah, I think he does. It's one of the many things that he just buries deep down so he can try and get on with life. Carl's always got this fragile element to his personality – he has his father's death on his conscience, then there's Paul the postman, Grace Barraclough and now his brother."
Do you think the Kings are about to lose their status in the village now the Wyldes have turned up?
"It's going to be interesting to find out if we'll become similar players like the rest of the villagers, or whether we'll be able to climb back up the ladder to regain that status we once had. I think we have the potential to do that, but its whether the remaining brothers can pull it off. Jimmy's quite happy blundering around being himself and doesn't have the drive that Matt always did – so now it's whether Carl becomes the driving force..."
Do you think Carl ever stopped loving Chas?
"I don't think so, but at Christmas, that door was basically slammed in his face when Chas's son Aaron fell into the mix and gave his mum an ultimatum – him or Carl. So Chas chose her son. From there, he shifted his attention and was taken by surprise by Lexi."
Carl's backed into a corner next week by Lexi, isn't he? What happens?
"I think Lexi knows there's something there between Carl and Chas and Lexi's envious of that. Obviously Lexi knows that Carl killed his father, but she doesn't know that Chas was the reason. Lexi decides to go all-guns blazing and propose. I think rather than being backed into a corner, part of Carl thinks that if Chas has knocked him back, he'll try and do right by Lexi."
Does he regret his decision at all?
"For me, I think there's more interest and distance in us playing the angle that Carl's gone into the engagement with the best intentions, rather than wishing he was with Chas all the time. Chas will always be there in the background, though. It'll be a case of 'will they get married?' or 'will Carl and Chas get back together?' Viewers won't know which way it's going to go – they'll be kept guessing as to how it'll pan out."
What was the reaction among the cast to the news of Anita Turner's decision to step down as producer?
"It's a real shame. I was excited by her ideas and direction. She did some great episodes and felt she was putting things into place for the long term. She obviously felt that perhaps it was right to pass that responsibility onto somebody else. She was lovely to work with and I wish her all the best."
And what about Keith Richardson?
"Keith's been fabulous over the years. He's given his all to Emmerdale and other Yorkshire programmes for a long time now and he was probably getting to the point in his life where he wanted to relinquish a bit of responsibility and enjoy himself! And it's well deserved."
[B]Carl King on Tom's murder and Cain's return[/B
Last week, I caught up with Emmerdale actor Tom Lister to chat about his character Carl King's engagement to Lexi Nicholls (Sally Oliver), among other things. Click here to read the main portion of the interview.
Here are three additional snippets from the interview, including Tom's thoughts on the return of Cain Dingle (Jeff Hordley) in April.
Do you think Tom's murder still weighs heavily on Carl's mind?
"Definitely. It's always there and if you scratch a little deeper beneath the surface, it's not too far down. There are quite a lot of things down there which haven't yet been dealt with. That plays quite nicely into what potentially could open up later this year, storyline-wise. Chas is obviously the main reason why he fell out with his father in the first place."
Where does your character go from here?
"The Carl and Lexi strand will play out for quite a while. For all his best intentions, though, Carl's someone who always seems to mess up and he can't keep it in his trousers. He always tries to do right but more often than not, he can't help himself. He's just an idiot when it comes to women, money and his children!"
Are you looking forward to Jeff Hordley's return?
"It was a coup to get Jeff back. I'm really hoping that the Kings won't have forgotten what Cain did to them. He stole a couple of million from them, so it's probably not slipped their mind. I don't think they'll bury that hatchet that easily. Cain's a great character and hopefully there will be fireworks."