Kirk Sutherland is a fictional character from the BritishITVsoap operaCoronation Street. The character first appeared on-screen as "Mark" during the episode airing on 22 May 2000, played by an uncredited walk-on actor. He was renamed Kirk and has been played by Andy Whyment since October 2000.
Kirk loses the kennels following a lawsuit over the accidental neutering of a pedigree specimen and, within a week, proposes to his girlfriend, Fiz. She dumps him immediately and tells him that she no longer wants to be with him. She leaves Kirk to be with her first love, John Stape (Graeme Hawley), leaving Kirk feeling broken and humiliated.
After his friend Cilla leaves the street for Las Vegas, Kirk is left to look after her son, Chesney (Sam Aston). Kirk fails to provide adequate care for Chesney, and he is subsequently taken into foster care. When Fiz returns from a holiday, she is furious but forgives Kirk. She manages to get Chesney home, but she has to move in with them, making Kirk believe she still has feelings for him.
Kirk leaves to visit his parents in Cyprus for several weeks. In the days leading up to his return, Fiz dreads him coming home while she is providing a home for Chesney. On his return, he breaks the news that he has a new girlfriend called Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh), whom he fell in love with in Cyprus.
Kirk decides to move out of No. 5, as he feels he is in the way of Fiz's life. He packs his bags and leaves, only to turn up next door at Maria's. A few weeks later, he decides to pack and move in with Tyrone and Molly (Vicky Binns). He then moves out and back into Maria's when she goes to stay in Ireland with the baby at Liam's parents' house after Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien) admits to having Liam killed. Kirk applies for a job at Underworld as a machinist, but ultimately loses out to Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston). However, owner Carla Connor (Alison King) offers him a job as a delivery driver. Kirk soon forms a strong friendship with Izzy, and as a result, his feelings for her grow stronger. When Gary Windass (Mikey North) is arrested for assaulting a lad who was hassling Izzy, Kirk makes a false statement to the police that it was he who committed the crime.
Kirk helps Tyrone come to terms with the fact that baby Jack is not his son as he and Maria visit him on Christmas Day. He is later kicked out, along with Maria, by a frustrated and angry Tyrone. Kirk attends Peter Barlow's (Chris Gascoyne) wedding renewal to Leanne Battersby (Jane Dawson). He arrives with Maria and her boyfriend Chris Gray (Will Thorp). He informs Peter that everyone has arrived and that they can start the ceremony. Kirk, Tyrone, Gary, and Tommy abduct Leon Southam, whose girlfriend is harassing Fiz in prison. They hold him hostage in the empty butcher's shop and figure out how they will get out of it. Only for Norris to find Leon and perform a citizen's arrest on him. Leon is sent back to jail for violating his parole, and Norris is hailed as a hero, only for his fifteen minutes to expire immediately when a drunken Carla crashes into the bookies and almost kills Stella Price (Michelle Collins).
Kirk is put in charge of helping colleague Michelle's son Ryan Connor (Sol Heras) in the packing department at Underworld, as Michelle is punishing Ryan for an incident involving setting fire to Steve McDonald's (Simon Gregson) house. While left alone, Ryan takes advantage and fakes a severe injury in order to take time off. Michelle and Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis) take Ryan to the hospital, but no injuries are shown. However, later, Ryan announces that he plans to sue Underworld. Months later, Kirk meets Beth Tinker (Lisa George) and begins a relationship with her.
Finally, Kirk and Beth get married in an 1980s-themed wedding and then spend the night together at a posh hotel as a wedding gift from Carla. In the next year, Kirk accompanies Beth to her school reunion, in which Beth insults Kirk in front of an old school rival. Kirk then moves in with Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden). Norris is lonely; they become close as they spend several evenings playing board games. Beth eventually wins Kirk back in a plan set up by Chesney and their girlfriend Sinead.
Casting
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Whyment resigned from Coronation Street in September 2003 in order to appear in the latest addition to the Carry On series, Carry On London.[2] However, after the film's scripts were delayed and amidst rumors that it would perform poorly, Whyment pulled out and returned to Coronation Street in a £60,000 deal.[3]
In 2012, Whyment said that he was committed to staying with Coronation Street. As he was in his eleventh year of playing the role and it remained "great," he hoped it would be "a job for life."[4]
Development
In 2013, it was announced that Kirk would start a romance with Beth Tinker (Lisa George). Their relationship begins when Kirk rescues Beth from a date and becomes aggressive with her. Talking about the romance, Lisa George said, "Usually the viewers only see Beth as the really gobby person in the factory. But there are some really nice, tender little moments in this storyline, and Beth is quite open and honest with Kirk. I think it's really nice that the audience will get to see that."[5]
Reception
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For his portrayal of Kirk, Whyment was awarded "Best Comedy Performance" at the 2003 British Soap Awards.[6] He won the award for the funniest character at the 2004 Inside Soap Awards.[7] Whyment was also nominated for "Funniest Performance" at the 2007 Inside Soap Awards.[8] Laura Morgan of All About Soap wrote that she "simply could not imagine" Coronation Street without Kirk and his "gormless grin."[9] In 2004, Ian Hyland of the Sunday Mirror questioned whether there was a "better comic actor in Britain today than Andrew Whyment."[10] Kirk and Beth's wedding was described as "possibly the tackiest event in soap all year" in the Inside Soap Yearbook 2016.[11]
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