Coronation Street secretly “killed off” fan favourite character – here’s what happened next

For more than two decades, David Platt has been one of the most complex, unpredictable, and yet oddly endearing characters on Coronation Street.

Played by Jack P Shepherd since 2000, David’s journey has been nothing short of explosive — filled with crime, tragedy, humour, and heartbreaking resilience.

But what fans may not know is that David very nearly didn’t make it past his teenage years. In fact, the character was secretly “killed off” in the writers’ room —

and only a single scene saved him from soap history’s scrapheap.

Jack P Shepherd himself recently revealed this shocking behind-the-scenes twist during An Audience with Coronation Street at Salford’s Lowry Theatre, where he candidly told fans how close David came to disappearing from Weatherfield forever.

The origins of David Platt

David Platt, son of Gail Platt, first appeared on the cobbles in 1990, originally portrayed by Thomas Ormson. For a decade, David remained largely in the background, the youngest of Gail’s brood. But in 2000, when Jack P Shepherd took over the role, the character began to evolve into a central player in Coronation Street’s most gripping storylines.

From the moment Shepherd stepped into David’s shoes, the character was transformed. Viewers watched him morph from cheeky schoolboy to one of the soap’s most notorious bad boys, carrying storylines that tackled everything from juvenile delinquency and family betrayal to harrowing trauma and deep grief.

A troubled teen destined for disaster

Jack confessed that during his early years in the role, the writing team had decided David’s days were numbered. His increasingly destructive behaviour — from petty crimes to violent outbursts, including the infamous moment he pushed his own mother down the stairs — had painted him into a narrative corner.

“They were going to kill me off because I’d done bad things,” Jack admitted to host Sharon Marshall. “And it’s like anything — each character goes through bad scenarios, and if they keep doing bad things, they have to get rid of them, don’t they?”

According to Jack, the decision had already been made during a writers’ meeting. David Platt’s character arc had seemingly reached the point of no return. But fate, and one particularly powerful performance, had other ideas.

The scene that changed everything

The turning point came during a pivotal storyline involving serial killer Richard Hillman — arguably one of Corrie’s most chilling villains. In a key confrontation with his mother Gail, David was written to storm upstairs after lashing out, in typical teenage fashion. But Jack instinctively chose to approach the scene differently.

Instead of delivering his lines with petulance and anger, Jack leaned into sincerity and subtlety. He portrayed David as wounded and matter-of-fact, blaming Gail for the chaos that Hillman had brought into their lives.

“What changed their minds was that I did a scene where I blamed Gail about Richard Hillman,” Jack explained. “I played it a little differently, and I was just very matter-of-fact and more sincere with what he actually believed. And that’s when they went, ‘Oh, maybe he’s alright. Maybe there is a way back for his character. Maybe this lad’s quite good and we’ll try and keep hold of him.’”

That single performance saved David from being written out — and instead cemented him as one of the soap’s most enduring characters.

David Platt’s survival shaped Corrie history

Had David been killed off as planned, Coronation Street would have lost decades of compelling drama. His survival led to some of the show’s most talked-about plots:

• His turbulent marriage to Kylie Platt, which ended in tragedy when Kylie was killed in one of Corrie’s most devastating episodes.
• The dark and emotional male rape storyline, where David’s assault at the hands of Josh Tucker broke new ground for British soaps and earned critical acclaim.
• His complicated family relationships, from years of resentment towards Gail to his role as a protective father figure for Max and Lily.
• His redemption arcs, where fans saw glimpses of vulnerability behind his sharp wit and destructive tendencies.

David’s journey became a showcase of how soap operas can explore deeply human struggles through flawed but relatable characters.

Jack P Shepherd on life beyond the cobbles

The revelation about David’s near-death isn’t the only moment Jack has shared with fans recently. The actor also addressed the rumours surrounding his reaction at this year’s National Television Awards.

Viewers had speculated that Jack looked annoyed when he lost out on the Best Serial Drama Performance award to EastEnders legend Steve McFadden. But Jack later clarified on his podcast On the Sofa with Colson, Jack and Ben that he already knew the result before it was announced.

“Everyone who’s nominated, you have cameras facing you,” he explained. “And then they went, ‘And the winner is…’ All the cameras turned away from me and went to Phil Mitchell. So it was like, there’s obviously not a camera on me, just to give you a clue that I’ve definitely not won this.”

Known for his humour, Jack admitted he usually plays up to the moment by pulling a mock “angry loser face.” But this year, without a main camera on him, he decided against it — only to be caught on a smaller, unnoticed camera.

“So I was in shot and my reaction was, ‘I’m just watching the NTAs.’ I genuinely wasn’t pissed off,” he laughed.

Looking ahead: what’s next for David Platt?

Even after more than 20 years, David Platt remains integral to Coronation Street. The character continues to evolve, navigating new challenges while staying true to the sarcastic, sharp-edged personality fans have grown to love.

With the show hinting at fresh directions for David — particularly through his involvement in Harvey Gaskell’s storyline — viewers are eager to see how Weatherfield’s troubled bad boy will handle what’s next.

One thing is certain: the decision to spare David from an early soap death has shaped Coronation Street history in ways no one could have predicted. From villain to victim, from husband to widower, from son to father, David has been at the centre of stories that reflect the very heart of the show — messy, emotional, and endlessly dramatic.

As Jack P Shepherd himself summed up, sometimes all it takes is one scene, one performance, to alter the course of a character’s destiny. In David Platt’s case, it turned a teenage troublemaker into a Weatherfield icon.