Bill Tarmey: 'Corrie exit honoured Star Trek'

Bill Tarmey: 'Corrie exit honoured Star Trek'
Bill Tarmey: 'Corrie exit honoured Star Trek'

Coronation Street's Bill Tarmey has confessed he changed his final line in the soap to pay homage to Star Trek. The 70-year-old actor and self-confessed Trekkie has revealed that as his character, Jack Duckworth, was dying, he inserted a line used by Captain James T Kirk as he died in the film Star Trek: Generations. Bill revealed in his autobiography Jack Duckworth and Me: "According to the script I was supposed to say 'I'm tired, Vera'. But I couldn't resist making a minor addition to my farewell speech. "I've been a lifelong fan of Star Trek since it first appeared and I remembered the last words of Captain James T Kirk. "As he took his final breath, he said, 'Oh my,' as if death was another great adventure. As a dedicated Trekkie, I decided to pay my own tribute to Captain Kirk and his crew by adding those words." Bill, who played the character for more than 30 years, added: "I didn't tell anybody what I was planning to do or why. I thought I'd see if I could get away with it - and I did. So I changed the dialogue and said, 'Oh my. I'm getting tired now, Vera'." Bill's final scene's as Jack were watched by more than 11 million fans last November and recently won him Best Exit at the British Soap Awards.

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