As fans of Coronation Street will know, recovering alcoholic Peter Barlow has been fighting a legal battle with his estranged wife Leanne (Jane Danson) over custody of his son Simon (Alex Bain).

And with no resolution in sight to the proceedings, it’s all getting a bit messy and nasty, with both Leanne and Peter threatening to expose each other’s dubious pasts, which for Leanne is mainly that she used to be a prostitute, and for Peter, it’s all about his boozing.

However, the whole thing is about to reach a terrifying climax when a distressed Simon finds a bottle of wine that Peter’s girlfriend Carla Connor (Alison King) has hidden in a cupboard at the flat she shares with Peter and Simon…

And a confused and distressed Simon ends up downing the whole bottle, which results in him being rushed to hospital where some serious questions are to be asked about Peter’s ability to care for Simon, especially give that previously, when Peter was drunk, he set the flat on fire, risking Simon’s life.

However, fortunately Simon survives, but Peter realizes that he’s now got to put his son first, and Simon has made no secret of the fact that he wants to live with Leanne.

Chris Gascoyne, who of course plays Peter, has revealed to Soaplife that Peter will give up his son to Leanne, even though it’s the hardest things he’s ever had to do.

He explained, “Peter is angry at Simon for going off the rails, but he hasn’t yet seen it as his own fault.

“He thinks he is doing the right thing by keeping Simon away from Ken [Bill Roache] and Leanne, and is trying to justify it to himself.

“He’s got good intentions but he’s making every wrong decision.”

Chris added that when it’s revealed that Simon drank a whole bottle of wine, Peter still can’t take responsibility for what’s going so very wrong.

He said, “Peter still blames everybody but himself – Leanne, Carla and teacher Brian – until he finally gets to the truth of it, which is to blame himself.”

And when asked what Simon tells his dad about why he drank the wine, Chris said, “He says he drank it because he hates his life, and also because Peter hates his life.

“He thinks that if he drinks it’s going to make him happy, which is why Peter does it. It’s very sad.”

Peter then tells Simon that he can choose who he wants to live with, but as Chris went on to say, he’s not sure his character is prepared for Simon to choose Leanne.

He said, “I don’t think that possibility enter into his head until Simon says that he wants Leanne and Peter is left reeling.”

And when asked, “Does Peter consider giving up Carla to keep Simon?” Chris replied, “Yes, but he panics and gives Simon to Leanne.

“He is making decisions that he thinks will make everything all right again, but actually, he’s not making any right decisions and it’s just a mess.”

Finally, when asked if Peter has “any regrets”, Chris said, “He does. Maybe he’ll turn round at some point and wish he could put it all back together again with Leanne…

“But it’s way too late.”

Both Chris and co-star Alison King are taking an extended break from the show, but we’re promises an “explosive” storyline when they return later this year.