married in a 1980s themed wedding, and then spend the night together at a posh hotel, as a wedding gift from Carla. In June 2016, Kirk accompanies Beth to her school reunion in which Beth insults Kirk in front of an old school rival. Kirk then moves in with Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden) as Norris is lonely, they become very close as they spend several evenings playing board games. Beth eventually wins Kirk back in a plan set up by Chesney and girlfriend Sinead. Casting Whyment resigned from Coronation Street in September 2003, in order to appear in the latest addition to the Carry On series - Carry On London. However, after the film's scripts were delayed, and amidst rumours that it would perform poorly, Whyment pulled out and returned to Coronation Street in a £60,000 deal. In 2012, Whyment said that he was committed to staying with Coronation Street. As he was in his eleventh year of playing the role and it remained "great"; he hoped it would be "a job for life". Development In 2013, it was announced that Kirk would start a romance with Beth Tinker (Lisa George). Their relationship begins when Kirk rescues Beth from a date who becomes aggressive with her. Talking about the romance, Lisa George said "Usually the viewers only see Beth as the really gobby person in the factory. But there are some really nice, tender little moments in this storyline, and Beth is quite open and honest with Kirk. I think it's really nice that the audience will get to see that." Reception For his portrayal of Kirk, Whyment was awarded "Best Comedy Performance" at the 2003 British Soap Awards. He won the award for the funniest character at 2004 Inside Soap Awards. Laura Morgan of All About Soap wrote that she "simply could not imagine" Coronation Street without Kirk and his "gormless grin". In 2004, Ian Hyland of the Sunday Mirror questioned whether there was a "better comic actor in Britain today than Andrew Whyment". Kirk and Beth's wedding was described as "possibly the tackiest event in soap all year" in the Inside Soap Yearbook 2016. References External links Kirk Sutherland at itv.com Coronation Street characters Television characters introduced in 2000 Fictional factory workers Fictional butchers Fictional singers Male characters in television