Character Study: Spider Nugent

This post is dedicated to our outgoing (in more ways than one) editor, Glenda, aka Flaming Nora. Glenda leaves us today for pastures green and to send her off in style, I'm writing a special character study just for her, in honour of her favourite male character.

Geoffrey "Spider" Nugent, played by Martin Hancock, appeared one chilly December day on the doorstep of Number 3. He was the son of Emily's brother, Edgar. He was an idealist. He dropped out of university and joined protest and eco-warrior organizations around the world until he landed on Coronation Street and Auntie Em's. He was a somewhat ungainly looking young man, a bit bedraggled, but full of charm and sincerity. Emily enjoyed having her nephew under her roof and even found a new lease on life, supporting his causes and even joining the campaign to save the Red Rec.

Spider wasn't backwards in coming forwards either, with the ladies, that is. He attracted the attentions of young Toyah Battersby who fell hard for his idealism and adopted many of his causes as her own, including vegetarianism. Spider didn't see her in the same light, however, and cast his eyes first to Lorraine Brownlow, Natalie Horrocks' niece and later, he vied with Curly for the attentions of the lovely Nita Desai. His rumpled girlfriend, Log, paid a visit but a jealous Toyah soon put that to rest with Emily's help.

Spider's principles led him to attempt politics, running for council against Audrey Roberts who won that contest by a hair. Spider was a good mate, as well, and helped Curly get his house back and also helped clear Curly's name later on when Mad Anne Malone had framed him with store sabotage at Firman's. Curly took off in the meantime but Anne ended up frozen in the store's freezer, an icy end for the Ice Maiden.

Toyah finally got her man, though, and she and Spider eventually moved in together. Spider put his principles on the line with a job at the Benefits Agency. He thought he might be able to do some good for the down trodden but in the end, he started to slip down the slope to beauracracy but when he had to refuse a single mother her benefits, he realized he could no longer be a part of this and walked out. He decided he had to get back to basics and thought he and Toyah could go to India. She realized she wasn't ready to leave and wanted to further her education so she stayed and he left.

He reappeared a few years later, hoping to ask his Auntie Em to invest in a business he wanted to start in London, an organic juice bar. He was horrified to discover that his lovely Toyah had endured a rape and a cheating boyfriend who'd slept with and gotten her roommate Maria pregnant. Emily raised the money for him since he would have been the recipient of her estate anyway, and he took Toyah to London with him so she could start fresh.

For a nearly complete history of all Spider's doings on the Street, read the profile on Corrie.net that Glenda wrote! To find out what else Martin Hancock has done on film and television, check out his IMDB entry.

We all miss Spider and we wish him all the best. Why not bring him back for a visit to Auntie Emily someday!!!