Canadian Idol

spoiler alert: this post makes reference to the Oct 12 episode on CBC

My, my, Nick Tilsley is back in town and he certainly seems different (almost like he's a different person - ed). Let's quickly summarize. Nick, the son of Gail Platt, is usually found in... Canada! I know what you're thinking (get on with it? - ed). Canada is not where most exiled Corrie citizens end up. They usually wind up in Spain or maybe Australia or even London.

So what was Nick doing in Canada?  Oh, you know, the usual: eating bacon, watching ice hockey, wearing a Mountie uniform and driving a canoe with all the mod cons (Oar on the floor? - ed). Of course, it's tough being an Englishman among all those rough-hewn, log rolling colonials, so Nicky makes the occasional visit to Weatherfield where he fights with Gail, impresses the punters with his Canadian accent and 'explores' his sexuality among the local talent.

He had a thing with Leanne but that didn't pan out and he returned to Canada. Then he had a thing with Maria but that didn't pan out so he returned to Canada (I'm surprised he didn't head to the airport after Tina left the bar - ed). Notice a pattern? Then, of course, there was his ambiguous friendship with Todd Grimshaw (Sarah Louise Platt's ex).

Why is Nick back on the Street? Well, it seems that he was summoned by his Gran, Audrey, probably via carrier pigeon ("lovey, they don't have phones in Canada"). Nick's immediate task seems to be stop Gail from marrying 'A Waste of Space' (Joe's middle name? - ed). But I'm sure that Nick's quest will also involve some romantic overtures (male or female? - ed).  Either way, the new and improved Nick certainly adds some much needed male eye-candy to the street and, with the recent departure of Luke 'Warm' Strong, I guess that's a good thing.