Geoffrey "Spider" Nugent is a character in Coronation Street, who first appeared from Ep 4317 - 15 Dec 1997 to 2000, followed by recurring appearances in 2002 and 2003, and returned as a regular in 2022. He is the nephew of Emily Bishop. Spider went from eco warrior to copper by 2022. Obviously he prefers locking people up as opposed to chaining himself to trees. Spider is played by Martin Hancock.
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Biography[]
Backstory[]
Geoffrey Nugent was born on the 4th January 1972 in London to Yorkshire born Edgar Nugent and his wife. Edgar's relatives all lived in Harrogate or Weatherfield, Salford.
1997-2000[]
"Spider" Nugent in 1998.
Spider Nugent arrived in Weatherfield in December 1997 to see his "Aunty Em". He was an Eco warrior. Spider rubbed local frozen food chain boss Eric Firman up the wrong way. In early 1998 he and Emily were involved in a tree saving campaign on the Red Rec, as the council wanted to build a development on there. The Red Rec was soon saved. In February 1998, Spider even considered leaving Weatherfield but changed his mind. He soon applied for a position of local Councillor but vied with Fred Elliott and Alec Gilroy in June and July 1998. They even bribed him but Spider relented. Spider developed a rivalry with Fred and Alec. Spider once insulted Fred by asking if those pigs and cows had a right to vote whether they ended up in his butchers shop window. In late July 1998, Spider lost out to Audrey Roberts as Councillor anyway. He was disappointed and said it is an indictment of the Status Quo. He sulked for a short time afterwards but came to terms with his defeat. Mike Baldwin referred to Spider as a "pot smoking vegetarian Eco warrior". Spider started being pursued by Toyah Battersby. However Toyah had to fight off for the affections for Spider from Lorraine Brownlow. One time, Toyah went to No 3 Coronation Street to seduce Spider but Lorraine appeared, having just had a shower. Spider later told Lorraine that he just wanted to remain friends. In October 1998, Anne Malone, who had feuded with Spider, was found dead in a freezer and Spider was a suspect in her murder but he was soon cleared.
After Lorraine left the area in early 1999, Spider and Toyah entered a relationship. In October 1999, when Emily was away, Spider and Toyah almost burnt her house down when they left a candle near a curtain. Luckily the fire only damaged the window area and surrounding wallpaper. However Emily noticed the difference and they came clean, saying they had stayed there while she was away, and almost burned her house down. Spider and Toyah played Adam and Eva at the New Year play on 1st January 2000. In July 2000, Spider wanted to move to India, and booked the trip without telling Toyah. Toyah felt she could not leave Weatherfield. Spider then left for India.
Spider in 1999.
2001, 2003[]
2003: Spider and Toyah leave together.
Spider returned to Weatherfield in late 2001 to visit Emily again. Toyah was shocked to see him again. Spider was starting a business in London and asked Emily for some money to borrow. Emily wrote Spider out a cheque and he left for London.
Spider returned again to Weatherfield in early 2003 when Emily had been attacked by Richard Hillman. Spider and Toyah agreed to reconcile and start afresh together and they both left for London.
Between 2003 to 2022[]
Around 2005 Spider and Toyah separated and she moved to Liverpool. Spider later moved to Peru and in December 2015 Emily decided to try and make contact with him again. On New Year's Day 2016 Emily departed for Peru to see Spider and do voluntary work with him. Two years later she returned to the United Kingdom to settle down with Freda Burgess. Spider himself returned to the United Kingdom. Realising his many years of activism hasn't always worked out, he decided to work within the law to improve things and ended up joining the police in London, and by 2022 was promoted to detective. Because of his past acitities in activism he was able to work undercover in different groups and expose any wrongdoing. He was sent back to Weatherfield in 2022 to infiltrate Griff's racist gang.
2022-2023[]
Spider is back living in London, and continues his activism. In July 2022 he got word from his activist friends about the Weatherfield Council's plans to burn the recycling, and travels back there to to take part in the protest. Leanne recognises him and asks if that is Spider. Kelly Neelan, who has never heard of Spider before, asks who he is. He crosses paths with Toyah and prevents her from stealing a council truck. The pair of them catch up as it has been seventeen years since they last met, and Toyah offers Spider to stay with her for the night, which he accepts.
Spider is later revealed to be an undercover cop. Local racist Griff Reynolds started a hate campaign and groomed young Max Turner.
Notes[]
- Spider and Toyah's separation after their departure in 2003 isn't clear, although it happened some point prior to 2011 as in that year she married a man named Toby Chapman. Upon Spider's return in 2022 he caught up with Toyah and it is revealed that they haven't seen each other in 17 years, meaning they split in 2005, two years following their 2003 exit.
- In April 2022, it was announced that Spider would be back after 19 years and would be involved in a storyline with Toyah. His return also marks almost 25 years when the character first appeared. He returned in July 2022, and remained for twelve months before departing again in July 2023.
Appendices[]
List of addresses[]
| Address | Duration |
|---|---|
| 3 Coronation Street | December 1997 to August 1999 |
| Flat 3, 6 Arnica Street | October 1999 to 28th July 2000 |
| India | July 2000 to 2001 |
| 3 Coronation Street | 11th to 18th November 2001 |
| London | 18th November 2001 to 2015 |
| Peru | 2015 to 2022 |
| London | 2022 to present |
Employment history[]
| Role | Institution | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | Juice bar | 2001 to unknown date |
| Aid worker | Unknown charity | 2015 onwards |
| Activist | N/A | 1990s to 2010s |
| Police constable | Police | around mid-2010s to present |
Memorable info[]
Appearances: 15 Dec 1997-1 Jan 2000, 23 Apr-28 Jul 2000, 11-18 Nov 2001, 27 Jan-5 Feb 2003, 1 Jul 2022-19 Jul 2023
Born: 4th January 1972, London, England
Full Name: Geoffrey Nugent
Nicknames: Spider
Parents: Edgar Nugent and Mrs. Nugent
Siblings: None
Grandfathers: James Nugent
Grandmothers: Agnes Nugent
Spouse:
Children: