Adam Rickitt took over the role on 15 October 1997 until 21 April 1999 but returned for three separate stints between 2002 and 2004 and made his final appearance as Nick on 11 July 2004.

Nick's storylines have included his adolescent problems and his role in the fraught relationship between his parents, his teenage marriage to Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and their divorce, and his engagement to Maria Connor (Samia Smith).

In late-May 2017, after a trip to the seaside with his enemies Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) and Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson), he became trapped in quicksand.

Since his return in 2018 his storylines have included: stealing £80,000 from grandmother Audrey, reuniting with ex-wife Leanne, going into business with Carla, opening a barber shop called Trim Up North with brother David, using stolen money and discovering that he has a son with his ex-girlfriend Natasha Blakeman (Rachel Leskovac).

After Brian's murder in February 1989, Nick began misbehaving, but Martin Platt (Sean Wilson) proved a calming influence.

Brian's mother Ivy Tilsley (Lynne Perrie) was furious and was devastated when she discovered this, igniting her feud with Gail and Martin.

In July 1996, Nick stayed at home while the rest of the family went away on holiday, but, tired of his maternal grandmother Audrey Roberts' (Sue Nicholls) fussing, he ran away and was reported missing.

Gail allowed Nick to go and live with her half-brother, Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce) in Canada, hoping that it would improve his behaviour and his education.

On New Year's Eve 1998, Leanne refused to attend his eighteenth birthday party and Nick was shocked to discover that she was pregnant.

Nick reappeared at Gail's wedding to third husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) in July 2002 and soon began dating Maria Sutherland (Samia Smith).

When Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle) made fun of him, he had her sacked, but was forced to reinstate her when Harry Flagg (Iain Rogerson) reveals that he saw what Nick did.

Leanne returned to Weatherfield around the same time, following a chance encounter with her father Les Battersby and Steve McDonald, who were on a night out together.

Angry with Maria for sleeping with her stepsister Toyah Battersby's (Georgia Taylor) boyfriend John Arnley, Leanne attempted to come between them.

In December 2010, when Peter is critically injured in a gas explosion that destroys The Joinery and the subsequent tram crash, he and Leanne marry in hospital.

That evening, Nick confides in David's wife Kylie Platt (Paula Lane), and she reveals to him that Eva has been quietly causing trouble between him and Leanne.

Nick encourages Kylie to have an abortion and she gives it serious thought but changes her mind after David stops her, as he wants to start a family.

David only suffers minor injuries but Nick is in a coma and has an emergency operation to remove a blood clot from his brain.

Later, when Nick can talk more fluently, he blackmails David to get a paternity test to see who Lily's biological father is; under the threat of telling the police and the rest of their family how the accident really happened.

Nick later gets easily frustrated, as he has trouble with his short-term memory and is discharged from hospital with a walking stick, and moves in with Leanne so that she can look after him.

The next few weeks are extremely difficult for Nick, so he is delighted when Leanne returns and wants to give their marriage another go, but struggles to cope with his tantrums and short temper.

Even so, Nick continued to visit until Leanne told him that she could not forgive him or love him again due to what he had put her through and his absence during her lowest moments.

Nick initially tried to deny involvement and blame the theft on their junior stylist Natalie Watkins, but decided it was the right time to finally come clean about what happened.

Nick, who by this time is staying in Natasha's flat with Sam, begins to suspect that Leanne is having an affair, however she soon informs the police of Harvey's actions.

A sting operation leads to Harvey's arrest and after making a statement, Leanne and Simon decide to go into hiding out of fear of reprisal.

When Peter is discharged from hospital, the same attacked is waiting in the car park to follow them, however Carla manages to slip away to visit Leanne and Simon to inform him that his dad is okay.

In 1996, Jackson decided to leave Coronation Street to focus on his GCSEs and assumed that he would return to the role the following year after his exams were finished, but was later axed from the programme completely.

In early 2009, it was reported that producers were discussing bringing Nick back, but Rickitt was unavailable because he was starring in Shortland Street, a soap opera in New Zealand.

The child, Sarah Louise (Lynsay King), is Brian's but he refuses to believe it and begins dating lawyer, Liz Turnbull.

[8] Speaking about Nick's re-introduction, Danson said it's interesting when an old character is re-introduced because even though it's a different actor, the previous baggage remains.

[9] In September 2014, it was announced that Coronation Street producers had signed up former Emmerdale and Bad Girls star Claire King for a guest stint as Erica Holroyd.