It’s fair to say that Kit Green has been a complex addition to Coronation Street.
Previously known for his role as kindly everyman Damon Kinsella in Hollyoaks, actor Jacob Roberts has made his mark with his compelling performances as the much more reserved, calculating Kit.
But just over a year after his first appearance, we’re no closer to understanding exactly which direction Kit is going in as a long-term character.
As the long-lost son of Bernie Winters (Jane Hazlegrove), Kit’s past with killer Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton) and the latter’s wife Lou (Farrel Hegarty) was explored in a flashback episode, revealing Kit’s role in a horrific firework attack which left a woman severely injured.
However, although we saw a young Kit threaten Mick so as to protect himself from any consequences, I’m still reluctant to label Kit as an out and out villain.
A remorseful Kit trained as a police officer and, somewhere along the way, he became a corrupt cop. We’ve seen Kit cover up his own act of criminal damage and menace Beth Sutherland (Lisa George) into leaving Weatherfield after taking over her dodgy side hustle.
Yet, another incident saw Kit plant evidence in the vehicle of sexual predator Nathan Curtis (Christopher Harper), sending the evil man back to prison where he belonged. Kit also used his position to make life easier for late brother Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) and sister Gemma Winter-Brown (Dolly-Rose Campbell).
There seems to be a constant tug of war between the devil on Kit’s shoulder and his conscience, meaning that he’s not quite a villain, but also not a salt-of-the-earth good guy.
So, where does that leave him?
Well, many before Kit have transitioned from miscreant to popular anti-hero.
If Corrie chooses not to double down on his dark side and instead delves further into Kit’s psyche, perhaps he’ll follow in the footsteps of the multi-layered Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford), Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce) and Gary Windass (Mikey North). They have all dabbled in manipulation, murder or both, but ultimately won over the audience.
Confirmation that new cobbles regular Brody (Ryan Mulvey), the boy that Mick raised as his own, was actually fathered by Kit, hints that Coronation Street is committed to cementing Kit as a key fixture.
After surviving being stabbed by Mick, Kit rejected Brody but made amends with interfering but well-meaning Bernie in a moment of genuine warmth.
When we see Kit around Bernie and Gemma, his vulnerable side comes out. Kit’s blossoming romance with Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) has softened him, too, and with imprisoned Mick having cut Brody off for good, this change in demeanour paves the way for Kit to get to know his son.
Kit has abandonment issues thanks to Bernie giving him up as a child, and this could be why he can’t face parenthood.
But, with the show making excessive use of its police station set, will Kit get the chance to face these demons as thoroughly as he deserves? After all, it’s whenever he’s in work mode that Kit’s ruthless side resurfaces.
While his ambiguity provides constant intrigue, we’re increasingly curious as to whether he’ll lean further into his nasty streak or listen to his moral compass, and how that could impact his future.
It might seem easier for Kit to be billed as a full-time ‘bad boy’. All it would take is one outrageous act that crosses the line from scheming to sinister, and an ensuing pattern that prevents him from ever turning back, as with Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce) and Richard Hillman (Brian Capron).
Still, Kit surely has a longer shelf life than that, and Jacob has the talent and staying power to turn things around for his alter ego and show that there are reasons for his underhand behaviour.
A strong path to redemption has created some of soap land’s best-loved anti-heroes, from Emmerdale’s Robert Sugden (Ryan Hawley) to Hollyoaks’ Sienna Blake (Anna Passey).
That journey doesn’t ensure an entirely reformed character; merely one who has earned empathy, likeability and, at times, adoration in the eyes of the viewer – something Kit could produce if given the capacity.
Slowly but surely, Kit’s armour is cracking. Only time will tell whether this is enough to keep his fiendish side at bay, or if he will become Coronation Street’s next big villain.
