Actor Ian Mercer - flippin' 'eck, it's Pete Jackson! Nay, yer puddled - it's Gary Mallett...Thanks to those who took part in my first Name That Cliffhanger quiz.
Tvor said...
-
That was the guy that later played Gary Mallett but back then he played one of Terry Duckworth's mates (Pete something?). Terry, however, ran off with this guy's missus.
-
It's Ian Mercer as Pete Jackson, ex-army mate of Terry Duckworth. Terry ran off with Pete's wife Linda in the 1980's. Ian Mercer returned later as Gary Mallett and thumped Terry!
-
Ian Mercer as Pete Jackson - he was dishy back then. I felt sorry for Pete when his mrs ran off with naughty Terry and would of loved to comfort him!
-
Yes, Ian Mercer was nice looking. His wife was called Linda in the show and I thought she was a mug to run off with Terry. I remember Pete (Ian) cried and it was well acted and I felt so sorry for him! Terry was back in Weatherfield, minus Linda, in 1988.
It was rather a sad story. Nigel Pivaro had decided to quit his role as Terry Duckworth, and so up popped an old Army pal in the story-line, Pete Jackson (Ian Mercer).
Terry found Pete was living in the Weatherfield district when he was on the rounds with his "Cheap And Cheerful" door-to-door venture, and wasted no time in getting re-acquainted. The two men reminisced about their boozy Army days and "romantic" exploits and Terry discovered that Pete had left the Army and married.
Terry was immediately attracted to Pete's wife, Linda (Kazia Pelka), and she to him.
Pete had been made redundant from his last job as a security guard.
Terry invited Pete to join him and Curly Watts (Kevin Kennedy) at Cheap and Cheerful, and began an affair with Linda.
Linda hated herself for submitting to Terry's advances, but couldn't help herself.
Pete quickly became aware that she was unhappy. "It's not me, is it?" he asked her, aware that he'd been having a few too many boozy nights out recently.
No, she said - she didn't know what it was.
Determined to cut down on the boozy nights out, Pete returned home early one evening to find Linda in Terry's arms.
Unable to believe the betrayal of his wife and "best mate", Pete was stunned. The following day, he broke down in tears and begged Linda to stay with him.
Moved by his distress, Linda agreed, and Pete called at the Yard to tell Terry - and to warn him to keep away from Linda.
But Terry couldn't. He gave Curly £250 for his half share in the works van, dissolved their business partnership, and drove over to the Jackson house.
At first, Linda remained strong - she would stay with Pete, he needed her, she needed him.
But finally her will broke - and she packed her suitcase.
Terry told Pete he'd never wanted to hurt him. Pete replied: "Yer a bastard!""I love you. We'll be all right!" he told Linda.
But Linda told him she loved Terry, she'd never felt this way about Pete.
And she felt that if she didn't leave with Terry, she'd regret it for the rest of her life.
Pete was shattered, but as the van drove away, he said: "I'm gonna get you, Duckworth. I'm gonna kill yer."
That was our cliffhanger.
Another person distressed by Terry's actions was Curly Watts, who faced life alone at Cheap and Cheerful. Not realising that Terry had run off with Linda, he called on Pete the following day to invite him to come back into the business.
Pete asked if this was a perverted joke?
Curly was completely unprepared for the news that Terry had scarpered with Linda.
Terry's Mum, Vera (Liz Dawn), was also deeply distressed by the news.
As it turned out, the Terry/Linda relationship didn't last.
Terry was soon back in Weatherfield.
And who knows what happened to poor Pete, betrayed by his wife and his "best mate"?
I must say, Ian Mercer was very good in the role, portraying Pete as good natured, laddish, and touchingly "little boy lost" and tearful at the prospect of losing his wife. He left some of us wondering just how Pete was going to fare alone.
Ian Mercer returned to the show in 1995 as a new character, Gary Mallett.
And Terry Duckworth deprived Gary Mallett of his wife, Judy - by inadvertently causing her death.
No comments:
Post a Comment