Chris Coghill, the actor behind Emmerdale's Kev Townsend, has openly admitted he despises his character's musical numbers, going so far as to refuse a Christmas-themed performance that would require him to remain on the show until 2029. In a candid interview with Metro, Coghill expressed his strong aversion to singing on the ITV soap, despite the character's popularity.
Hating the Musical Numbers
'Absolutely not, I hate them,' Coghill said when asked if he enjoys performing Kev's frequent bursts into song. Since his arrival in the Yorkshire Dales last year, Kev has covered hits by Daniel Bedingfield, Boyzone, and the Spice Girls, much to the delight of fans. However, Coghill's enthusiasm is notably lacking. He explained, 'No! If I could sing, I wouldn't have been an actor. If I could sing, I'd have been in a band in the 1990s.'
Despite his dislike, he revealed a playful negotiation with Emmerdale producer Laura Shaw regarding a potential Mariah Carey cover. 'Laura did say to me the other week, 'Do you want to do All I Want for Christmas is You?', and I said, 'If you keep me until Christmas 2029, I'll do it then.' We're in constant negotiations. It's excruciating. Horrible.'
Condition for Taking the Role
Coghill also disclosed that he initially refused to join the show unless his character survived a supposed terminal heart condition. 'When I was originally coming into it the first time round, they were like, 'Kev's this horrible manipulator who's forced Robert Sugden to marry him in prison, he's coming out and he's going to die from a heart problem.' And then I said, 'I'm not going to do it if he dies.' So they said, 'Alright, he's not going to die, he pretends he's going to die.'
This condition was crucial for him to accept the role, ensuring Kev's storyline would allow for future development rather than a quick exit.
Public Reaction and Character Evolution
Reflecting on the character's popularity, Coghill noted the mixed reactions on social media. 'There's people going, 'Kev's really funny!' and other people going, 'Yeah, but what about the time he stabbed himself in prison to emotionally blackmail Robert?'' He defended Kev's relationship with Robert, arguing that Robert was dishonest throughout. 'Nothing that came out of [Robert's] mouth the entire time Kev was with Robert was true!'
Coghill explained how Kev evolved from a manipulative villain to a more complex figure. 'It became a bit funnier and more endearing. He had a bit more of a vulnerable side. There's scenes where he can go from being a psycho, to vulnerable to quite slapstick and hapless, then back to being scary again, all in one scene, which is quite unusual to do.'
He added, 'When I left the first time, they said, 'This wasn't what we intended to happen,' and then they asked me to come back within about five weeks. This time, now I've come back, there's a lot more of the sympathetic side coming out.'
Fan Encounters and Past Experiences
Despite the intense storyline, public encounters have been overwhelmingly positive. 'I've not had that many in-depth conversations with people on the street, but the ones I have had have been people going, 'Kev!' And you go, 'Yeah!' 'You're great!' 'Thank you!' Nobody's had a go at me,' he shared.
Coghill contrasted this with his time on EastEnders, where he was warned about potential backlash. 'I know this is a different thing, but when I started EastEnders, with the character I was doing in that, they were like, 'There's people out there who really can't tell the difference between what they see on telly and what's real life, and because of the character you're playing, you're going to get a lot of s*** and you might need police protection…' And then you go out and people are like, 'You're brilliant in EastEnders, mate.' Although I did get hit over the head with a handbag in Selfridges, but apart from that…'
