Coronation Street fans adore watching David Platt get into all sorts of scrapes on screen, but away from the cobbles, Jack P Shepherd has had his fair share of drama too. And it turns out, some of his earliest brushes with fame weren’t glamorous at all; in fact they were quite terrifying.
When A Trip To Asda Went Wrong
Jack opened up on his podcast On the Sofa about the very first time he realised people saw him as more than just a lad from Leeds. At 12 years old, he tagged along with his mum for the big shop at Asda, only to be recognised in the freezer aisle by an elderly woman. Instead of a friendly “hello,” she swung her handbag at him in fury before saying a word.
The actor remembered being shocked by the outburst, especially because at that point David was nothing more than a cheeky kid on screen. His mum tried to laugh it off and gently reminded the woman that soaps aren’t real, but the handbag incident surely scarred him. But that wasn’t the only incident.
Coronation Street: A Full-Blown Chaos
Jack recalled another moment from his teenage years that spiralled far beyond his control. He had been invited to turn on the Christmas lights in Kippax, Leeds, and expected a modest crowd. Instead, he arrived to find a sea of fans all clamouring to get close to David Platt.
The crowd soon surged forward, scrambling to climb onto the stage, forcing organisers to rush him inside. Staff locked the doors while fans pressed against the building, and refused to budge. Jack admitted he couldn’t even attempt to leave through the crowd without risking being swallowed up. Eventually, police had to arrive, and at last, officers disguised him in a uniform so he could slip out unnoticed.
The moment he handed back the hat and dived into the car, the fans sprinted after him. Police had no choice but to create a path by physically pushing people back. It may have been a scary way to learn about the price of fame. But for Jack, those stories have become part of his soap history. Stay tuned to Soap Opera Daily for more behind-the-scenes drama, spoilers, and all the latest from Coronation Street.