Who would have thought way back in 2000, when a fresh-faced Jack P Shepherd burst on to the scene as a young David Platt, that almost 19 years later we'd be hailing him as one of the best characters on Coronation Street?
Son of Corrie stalwart Gail Rodwell and absentee Martin Platt, David has certainly seen his fair share of action, drama and humour (David the dog, anyone?) over his time on the show.
Among his many highs and lows as the wayward son, David has become a key resident. Powerful and memorable storylines such as the death of his wife Kylie, almost killing his brother Nick in a car crash and David being raped by his friend Josh, have all seen Shepherd shine.
It hasn’t always been easy to love David over the years, though. Pushing his mother Gail down the stairs and smashing up half of the Street with a pole were testing moments, but we still loved him anyway.
David is one of those complex characters: hard to hate even when he does something reprehensible, and loveable when – for example – he's angrily confronting his brother Nick for stealing from their gran. Is he a good guy or a bad guy? We don't care.
What makes David work isn’t just how well he is played by Shepherd, but how he's written. He is three-dimensional and multi-layered. Though his progress over the years has been steady and relatable, the writers haven’t shied away from his origins.
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Though David is now a parent who loves his children dearly and has even taken on someone else’s child, he still has that angry, reactive tone in what he does. You know that anyone who pushes him will regret it instantly, while those he cares about flourish in his kindness.
His support of niece Bethany after her grooming ordeal really showed that David had the ability to care about people other than himself. It was heartwarming.
Then there's David the dog. How can anyone hate on a person who loves their dog that much? The addition of the dog has also added a new layer to the character, a chance to see David as part of a wholesome family unit (despite the drama, of course).
Recently, we've witnessed another personal battle for David with the return of Shona’s son Clayton, the person who killed David’s wife Kylie. Naturally, Shona wants to support her son regardless of the bad things he's done, like any parent would. The feelings David has towards him, however, make it difficult for him to support Shona.
It's clear that David loves Shona and she has been a great influence on his life, but could anyone really forgive someone who murdered their wife? This moral complexity is what makes it impossible to get bored by David's presence.
Lastly, we can't forget he survived Richard Hillman. One of his mum’s many husbands and the worst of the lot, Richard memorably tried to kill the Platt family off by driving them into the canal.
They survived but the scars remain. Could you imagine if we lost David among all of that? Thankfully, we don’t have to. It would seem Jack P Shepherd is here to stay for the foreseeable future, so we're sure there will be plenty more comedy, tender moments and incredible drama.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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