Coronation Street's Colson Smith says Craig's shock death is the perfect exit

Craig was violently attacked by Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton), who had a vendetta against Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) and took his anger out on the young officer who got in his way.

While Mick fled the scene and tried to menace Kit's girlfriend Sarah Platt (Tina O'Brien), Craig briefly came round in hospital.

But, just as he saw beloved stepdad Kirk Sutherland (Andrew Whyment), who had lovingly brought Craig a tie that he had been looking for, his condition deteriorated.

Doctors battled to revive Craig, but ultimately declared him dead, watched on by a devastated Kirk, Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon) and paramedic Asha Alahan (Tanisha Gorey).

While we try and recover from this heartbreaking end to Craig's journey, star Smith raised our spirits, assuring us that he's thrilled by his exit story.

Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other media, the actor talked us through his reaction upon learning, last year, that Craig wasn't long for this world.

"I'd already braced myself for what was about to happen," he shared. "I'd been in that building since I was 12 years old, so I know exactly how it works. So I knew that my time was up and I knew that Craig had backed himself into a corner that was gonna be really hard to get out of.

"So I fully expected the chat [with producer Kate Brooks] to go that way. In the conversation with Kate, there'd been about 20 minutes of Kate kind of, talking to me, but we hadn't touched on when, or how, or who or what.

"So I kind of stopped Kate and said 'Look, I have two questions: one is when, and two is do I get killed?' And she kind of stopped and stumbled a little bit; and I said 'If it makes it easier for you, the right answer for me is Yes," Smith explained.

"For me to go, I would want to die, I would want the door to be shut so then I can kind of know in my head that Corrie has been this, Corrie has done that and it is now done, and Craig's journey is over.'

"So in a really weird way, it was the right thing for me to be killed. I didn't want that 'We might have you back', knowing that it would be very unlikely and knowing that it would feel a bit like unfinished business and an unfinished job.

"I think Craig dying, and Craig dying in the line of duty as a copper, that kind of hero's death was by far the most perfect story for the exit."

He also made a promise: fans won't be seeing him reappear as Craig for any flashbacks or ghost sequences!

"I did say I won't be coming back as a ghost. I was like: 'the day I leave, will be the day that I leave!'" he laughed.

While Craig's demise was truly harrowing, Smith had a great experience filming these episodes.

"I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was very lucky, because obviously we work with different directors all the time at Corrie, and we worked with Duncan Foster on this block, who has done so many big blocks over 30 years.

"I think he said I was the 40th person that he's killed! You kind of feel instantly in safe hands, and you feel like, when you're on set, that you're doing something special."

The actor also told RadioTimes.com and other press about a particularly poignant moment he spent on set after hours on his penultimate day.

"On the Thursday night I came back to work, it must have been about 8pm, and it was a really nice evening. It was warm and security knew that I was coming.

"I just sat outside the Rovers on the street, and I just sat there for probably about an hour; and just sat, chilled, sat on the street, kind of soaked it all in and just said, my way of saying goodbye and thank you to Corrie and everything that it had done for me. And then I felt okay, I was like 'done, I feel ready to go, bring on tomorrow.'"

In a sweet farewell gesture, Smith has revealed the personalised gifts he left all the cast and crew at Coronation Street on his last day.

"I bought everybody a little Lego Craig Tinker. It's a little Lego police officer with ginger hair, and I just put a sticker on it that said 'PC Tinker will always be there when you need him. I'll miss you all forever.'"

There will be a Craig-shaped hole on the cobbles now that our brave PC Tinker has departed, that's for sure!

Read more:

• Coronation Street confirms Craig Tinker's fate in early ITVX release
• Coronation Street's Charlie Condou open to return more than 10 years after exit
• Coronation Street's Joe Layton reveals Mick's fury over paternity twist: "He becomes fixated on Kit"
• Coronation Street and Emmerdale confirm bumper crossover episode for new 2026 schedule launch
• 6 Coronation Street spoilers next week: Flashback special reveals shock Kit Green and Mick Michaelis secret
• Jacob Roberts teases Kit's blackmail twist and Coronation Street flashback reveal
• Farrel Hegarty on Lou's 'blind love' for volatile Mick in Coronation Street
• Coronation Street flashback episode to reveal Kit's explosive past

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