http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/soaps/s3...poAabqeFm0VQvy

Craig Charles has said he didn't want to leave Coronation Street permanently. He asked for time off and said that the Corrie bosses thought he'd had enough time off. He wants to film some Red Dwarf so asked for a break and was written out of Coronation Street. He also said some actors leave the big soaps hoping they'll find something better and end up with "walk on parts" in things like Casualty and Waterloo Road. He said that at least he's not leaving in a box so the door is open for him to return (if they would have him back).

Apologies if there's a thread on this. I had a look and didn't see one.

red dwarf is filming two back to back series and I believe craig charles is doing a music tour early next year so he needed a fair bit of time off.

they could both come back nxt year maybe after the baby is born if the producers wanted to give them another go.

he did another interview the other week where he said that he may live to regret leaving and that after the tour is done he may be dying to go back

Basically he wanted to have his cake and eat it.

As he says himself, he's asked for and been given loads of time off in the past and so he's assuming Corrie think he's had enough, which would be fair enough imo.

He wasnt missed when he went missing on the fishing boat for all those weeks.

I imagine the stability and steady income of Corrie would be extremely welcome, especially when there isn't many jobs for actors these days where they actually act. Most actors these days seem to spend more time eating kangaroo balls or doing the cha cha rather than doing proper acting.

But sticking with corrie means he lacks variety.

Yes i agree.

I like Craig Charles a lot whenever i see his interviews with him and the short time we go on IAC but he has had a lot of time off over the years and enough is enough.

As I've said in the past on other threads, i really do think that people should commit to one series and not try to continuously 'have their cake and eat it' re long breaks, especially if to do other work.

I'm not against a sabbatical for real long termers but they should be few and far between, one every 10 years or so.

I assume they did give him a choice, he could have turned 'red Dwarf' and the tour down after they refused his time off. If he committed to other work before getting it approved by Corrie then it is rather his own fault.

I like the guy but i am glad they gave him a choice. If it was a small project that perhaps took him away for a few months, then yeah ok. But to ask time again to go and film another television series, then no actors should not be allowed. Lacey Turner and Samantha Womack have both been allowed to do this on EE. This is why i love US television because they are strict and very rarely ever let their actors go off to go and do something else. If you are an actor who wants to do several projects a year, it's best not to do a television soap then as you have an all year around commitment.

Looks like a rare moment of agreement for us.

As much as I like Craig Charles, I've always felt that he's kept Corrie as his 'cash cow' while doing the things he really enjoys on the side. His BBC 6 Music show is still a key part of the station's weekend schedule and he has also been doing more work on Radio 2 - he's covering for Graham Norton at the moment. Add to that the recent returns of Red Dwarf and his touring DJ sets, he's a very busy man.

Kind of like someone who works at a call centre for five days a week then goes off to pursue their 'real' passion for a few hours at the weekend.

He's been in CS for far too long... The character's such a bore.

Good riddance.

Couldn't agree more, and Miss mole is leaving with him, so good riddance to two bores.

The guy has loads of time off. He should be great full. There aren't many jobs where you can take nice long breaks to do something else when you want to!!!
Anyway, a future Producer could always ask him back.

I'm glad he's going.

I was getting fed up of his boring bed-hopping antics and his sweaty face.

Sorry kitkat - I somehow missed your reply when I was replying to OnJ too!

I'm absolutely with you. Craig Charles has had quite a cushy number on Corrie when you think about it. He's a supporting cast member at best and has hardly been a 'main player'. A few scenes in the cab office and Rovers, the odd romance/quickie thrown in here and there and that's really all he's done.

A scenario like this always makes me think of Chris Quinten (Brian Tilsley) and the way that his character was written out in 1989.

Quinten had spent most of the 80s trying to pursue other 'projects' and had been granted a number of temporary exits from the show. Each time Brian had been shown as working away, most notably in Qatar. By the end of the decade the breakdown of his marriage with Gail had been repeated more than half a dozen times. In 1988 Chris requested a part-time contract so that he could move to the USA with his fiancée. He wanted to retain his role in Coronation Street, with Brian making guest appearances. Definitely having his cake and eating it with that one! The production team rejected this request and decided, given his numerous other departures, that the only believable way to write the character out was to kill Brian. The rest is Corrie history.

To be fair, most US TV shows don't film all year round - generally there is a 3 month hiatus which allows them to do other work such as a film, short series or stage show. So they can get their variety that way, as well as remind casting directors and audiences that they can do other things which will help them find work when their long running series come to an end. Look at the Buffy people as examples, Sarah Michelle gellar did Cruel intentions, Scooby DOO and I know What You Did Last Summer during her summer breaks without it affecting her filming of the show. Jon Hamm did 'black Mirror' last year during the 'Mad Men' break.

Very True.

Interesting. I'd actually forgotten the details of Quenten's departure although I'm sure i knew it at the time. His marriage didn't work out did it, she'd married Steven Meadows (ex Santa Barbara) within about 2 years and he'd returned to England with his tail between his legs.