Kevin Chalk

Kevin Chalk (né Skelton) is the adoptive son of maths teacher Daniel Chalk and a former pupil at Waterloo Road.

He joined as a pupil at Waterloo Road in Series 8. He is a lot smarter than he lets on and looks like a baby angel. Hiding his vast intelligence for the purpose that he prefers to fall "under the radar", Kevin in earlier episodes has a tendency to act out when it is suspected that he is indeed limiting his rather considerable abilities. He's in foster care but doesn't want anyone to know, so he told his mates that his father was an engineer. He has a close relationship with Daniel Chalk, and at the end of the autumn term he asks Daniel to foster him after he heard that Daniel was thinking about taking someone in. They had a brief feud when Kevin discovers that Daniel legally changed his name when he was a teen, but, after a talk with Tom Clarkson they have a discussion, and Kevin discovers that Daniel was abused as a kid.

Kevin, most interestingly, is one of the only characters in the series that does appear to have a brain in constant residence in his skull that is capable of work above the level of the rest of his class, and in an admirable early action, corrects the grammar on Scout's poster for the sheer fact that it bothers him. This action can undeniably be seen to be a reflection of the idea that Kevin, despite what he may insist, enjoys rigours of the mind and cannot tolerate the presence of stupidity (though he desperately tries to avoid offending Scout, correcting the poster in secret and claiming that 'it's great' when he is caught). He is also shown, despite mistakes he makes earlier on in the series, to have a truly kind heart and caring nature that is complimented by the angelicness of his delicate facial features.

Series 8

Kevin makes a quick connection with Connor Mulgrew and proves that he would do anything for his friend, such as setting fire to Audrey's old war book. Despite his misguided sense of help, Kevin also proves his loyalty to Chalky when he realises he had made a mistake when calling him a stalker. In Episode 18, he gets into the cup final with the school football team.

In Series 8 Episode 20, Kevin legally changes his name to Kevin Chalk and is the best man at Connor and Imogen's wedding. He also tells Chalky that he will stay at the schoolhouse until he finishes his final year at school so that Chalky can take his dream job in London. He is also the co-inventor of the mobile game 'Chalk and Cheese' that grabs the attention of Lorraine Donnegan, who helps Chalky and Kevin sell the game and get Chalky his dream job in London.

In Series 8 Episode 23, Kevin begins a romance with Dynasty Barry. The romance is hinted at in previous episodes on numerous occasions - with the love affair possibly being traced back to Dynasty's first A* in English, which provided the intellectual grounding the pair required for their romance to bloom. The pair can be seen to bond in earlier episodes out of mutual irritation with each other; Dynasty's frustration at Kevin's (endearing) arrogance regarding their shared work and Kevin's belief that Dynasty's 'help' is an unnecessary hindrance to his intellect. From this 'married-couple' style bickering, the cheeky romance emerges - climaxing of course with the kiss.

The fly in the honey sweet romance is the presence of notorious thug Steve-O, who, as the ex-boyfriend of Dynasty, believes Kevin to be standing in the way of him and "his girl"'s relationship. Unable to accept Dynasty's choices, Steve-O proceeds to threaten Kevin who, unfortunately lacking in the brawn that could combat Steve-O's strength, is forced to the ground. His usually calculating mind is unable to decipher a less submissive reaction to the threat.

Despite Steve-O's threats, the pair are able to continue their relationship in the relative safety of Chalky's old flat, with this moment marking the end of sweet Kevin's innocence. As a true reflection of his endearingly inexperienced and shy nature, when the pair begin to undress each other Kevin utters the superbly awkward phrases of "did you, like, want a cup of tea or something", but Dynasty is not put off.

However, amid more threats from Steve-O, Dynasty breaks up with Kevin to protect him from the thug. After Steve-O later rapes Dynasty in Chalky's flat and Kevin finds out, Kevin decides to take Steve-O down by killing him, and Connor asks Dynasty's less-than-law-abiding brother Barry to get hold of a gun. When Connor and Kevin arrive at the location where they have been told that the gun is hidden, they are surprised by Steve-O pointing it at them, with Barry in tow, Barry having seemingly betrayed them. But after a moment of unbridled bravery from Kevin in which he shouts at Steve-O and goads him into pulling the trigger, the gun is revealed to be empty, Barry having double-crossed Steve-O for raping Dynasty. After a brief scuffle with Steve-O, Barry runs away as the police arrive, and Kevin, Connor and Steve-O are arrested. Kevin and Connor are quickly released, and Kevin and Dynasty happily reunite.

Dynasty's overprotective mother Carol Barry disapproves of Kevin and Dynasty's relationship and so decides to air their problems on the Jeremy Kyle-esque TV show Noble Thoughts. However, things start to get worse when Kevin's estranged mother Daisy shows up in the spotlight, until she confesses that she had kicked him out of their family home when he was just 10 years old. Daisy blamed Kevin for most of the troubles in her life, even for causing her to suffer a miscarriage, but Kevin says he wasn't made aware that she was pregnant at the time. This horrifies Carol the most as she unconditionally loves all of her children, and she invites Kevin for dinner, finally accepting him.

Series 9

6390754 orig — Kevin, George and Princess

In Series 9 Episode 3, Kevin kisses George Windsor's wife, teaching assistant Princess Windsor. In Episode 4, Kevin helps Princess to leave George by stealing her bag back from him. He also gives her some money for a train ticket to London. He intends to go with her, but she leaves without telling him. Kevin then breaks up with Dynasty, believing that he must not truly love her if he kissed someone else, though he soon realises he was wrong.

In Episode 8, during living history week, the two reconcile and get back together after Kevin woos Dynasty with a secret picnic in the woods.

In Episode 13, new student Gabriella flirts with Kevin, to Dynasty's chagrin.

In Episode 16, while preparing for his Edinburgh University bursary interview, Kevin suffers a stroke. When he collapses he is rushed to hospital, accompanied by Carol, Maggie and Dynasty. It is revealed Kevin might not survive unless he has a risky operation. Chalky has not arrived yet, so Maggie has to make the choice on the spot, which causes tremors between her and Chalky when he does arrive. Nonetheless, Kevin pulls through and regains consciousness, much to the relief of Dynasty, Carol, Maggie, Chalky and the whole school. After regaining consciousness, it takes him a while to get his strength back and he is bound to the hospital for a while. He is eventually able to leave in a wheelchair and is able to visit the school a few times.

Series 10

Series 10 is a quieter one for Kevin, he returns on the first day back (on crutches) and is greeted by Vaughan Fitzgerald, his new headteacher, and Rhiannon Salt. Later, in the canteen, Kevin drops his lunch; he refuses help from both another pupil and Hector Reid, until Hector finally helps him, telling Kevin he won't be able to do some things yet. His long-term girlfriend Dynasty Barry leaves for Police college in Episode 2, but they agree to try to make it work.

Kevin is not seen again until Episode 5, when he gets Lenny Brown's predicted grades by hacking into the school network. Leo Fitzgerald realises what Kevin did and persuades him to show him how. In Episode 6, Kevin sets himself a target of hacking multinational company WireData Systems. He gets in, after which Leo tests himself to also hack the system, however he does not cover his tracks and the hack is investigated by the police. When the school's computers are confiscated the next day, Kevin is bitter that no one thinks he is capable of the hack and falls out with Leo, calling his dad prejudiced. When Leo admits to the hack, Kevin tells WireData owner Jackson Whittaker that it was him and proves it. Whittaker decides to prosecute, to Vaughan and Kevin's dismay. However, Kevin has already set a computer worm on the system as an insurance for if he was to admit to the hack, and he eventually persuades the owner not to prosecute, and signs a contract to confirm this on the agreement that Kevin helps WireData to find the faults within their firewall, possibly giving Kevin a career starter.

In Episode 10, Kevin is shocked to win the award for Most Inspiring Pupil, however he sits alone for the most of the school dance, revealing to Maggie Budgen that Dynasty would have really liked it. Maggie persuades him to dance with Dynasty's sister, Kacey.

During the spring term, Kevin is seen to take his GPD (graphics and product design) classes at Havelock High. In Episode 12, Kevin begins a feud with new pupil Scott Fairchild, after he steals and breaks Dale Jackson's bike. When it's revealed that Waterloo Road are getting a new GPD teacher, Kevin is no longer allowed to attend his GPD classes at Havelock, so Kevin begs Vaughan to transfer him to Havelock completely, but Vaughan refuses. Later on, Kevin arranges to have a fight with Scott, however this does not happen. Instead they have a bike chase after Scott steals Dale's bike, ending in Kevin crashing and getting knocked out. He later wakes up and is rushed to hospital. Vaughan is persuaded by his ex-wife Olga Fitzgerald to let Kevin transfer to Havelock, and he leaves Waterloo Road and is not seen again.

Personality

Kevin is a very private person, only confiding in Chalky or Maggie, his 'parents'. He has always felt like an outsider and cares deeply about what people think of him. Throughout his time on the show, Kevin's key theme is growing up. In Series 8 he tries to grow up and become a man to protect Dynasty and stand up to Steve-O Malone. In Series 9, Kevin kisses Princess during a crisis of confidence over whether his feelings for Dynasty are genuine, however he later wins Dynasty back. By Series 10, Kevin has grown up, but not the way he wanted to, he has had to grow up to come to terms with his stroke, something that changes him completely.

Quotes

"Uh, nothing! I'm Kevin. First day." (first line)

Daniel: "Hey! What d'you think you're doing? That could've hit us there!"
Kevin: "Oh, no way, Sir. Simple parabolic curve. Had it all worked out."

"I dunno who told you I was a whizz-kid, Sir, but it might have been the person that told you that shirt and tie combo was a good idea."

"I just wanted to say...you know, uh...you know you're applying to foster? And I'm, like, in foster care...um, only, I've been in loads of temporary homes. That's only cos they're tryna find me a place in a home, not cos I'm any hassle. Um...it's no big deal if you didn't want to...but, I mean, if you did look into fostering...me, um, well, I'd be cool with it, you know? If it was with you."

"That's the thing about respect, isn't it? How can you expect it if you don't respect yourself? Like, I'm sitting here looking at you now, and what do I see? A fat man comfort eating. I don't see any survivor. I don't see anyone who could be a foster parent. I just see a damaged man who needs more looking after than I do."

"Chalky's not Chalky! He's a fake! He's someone else! It's true - uh, on his laptop, there's forms, photos, everything. I saw it!"

Kevin: "And also...I wanna ask them if they'll let me change my name."
Daniel: "No. What d'you wanna go and do a thing like that for?"
Kevin: "For the future. Kevin Chalk. What d'you reckon?"

"No. We come as a pair. Chalk and Chalk. It's all legal!"

Kevin: "When I got that letter this morning, I was made up. I got your name! You're my role model."
Daniel: "Oh, don't be so stupid."
Kevin: "Okay then. My dad. You taught me to be confident in myself. For who I am, not who I was. So if you knew all that about how to help me get over stuff, how can you be the massive loser you're making yourself out to be? We're in this together now."

Dynasty: "Oh look. Someone's relieved that I'm not gonna make a show of them at the chess tournament."
Kevin: "Oh get real, you're just a bimbo, and everybody knows that bimbos don't play chess."

"She didn't wanna go out with me, did she? And why d'you think that is? Because I'm too clever? Because my jokes are too funny? No, she dumped me because I'm a spineless little coward and she didn't want that! And d'you know what, I don't blame her."

"Go on then! Do it! Cos if you think I'm gonna stand here and beg, you're wrong! I wouldn't give you the satisfaction!"

"Maybe we should all start carving our essays into stone. Save on loads of paper."

"No, I didn't just fall!"

Kevin: "I was gonna sneak away today, like a coward. and I thought I was a big man doing it. I thought I loved you."
Dynasty: "You thought?"
Kevin: "But I coulda just walked away! That can't be love, can it? I'm so sorry."

Kevin: "Yeah but you don't have a manky face. I think you look better without makeup - even better."
Dynasty: "I don't really care what you think, Kevin. In fact, I don't think anyone does."

Nikki: "End of term can only mean one thing."
Kevin: [singing] "No more WOOORK!"
Nikki: "No. Reading! For the holidays!"

"Oh no. Oh, mate, you should've consulted on the apron."

"Connor! Ah! How was your interview? Tell me, did they grill you, roast you, wrap you up in Parma ham and drizzle you with a light helping of Parmesan?"

Kevin: "Look, I-I love you. D'you know that? And...and if there's anything that you wanna do, I wanna support you. You can do anything that you want."
Dynasty: "Go to your interview, you're gonna be late."
Kevin: "Yeah, I know...but I love you, and-and I wanna support you..."
Dynasty: "Kevin, just do one!" (right before Kevin has a stroke)

"Yeah. And I want it to keep working. So, just promise me that you won't fall for some big fit police cadet!"

Simon: "Oh come on, you're much better than this!"
Kevin: "I used to be, yeah!"

Leo: "It was you, wasn't it? With the predicted grades?"
Kevin: "I'm pleading the fifth amendment. To the head's son."
Leo: "I won't tell anyone, honestly. I never tell my dad anything. Doesn't listen to me anyway. If you did hack into the school system - not saying you did - but it would be very impressive."
Kevin: "No, no, it's not that impressive if you've got the right tools."

Leo: "The hack you did, the WireData Systems?"
Kevin: "That was a work of art."
Leo: "Yeah, well, the police are looking for the artist."
Kevin: "Yeah, well, they'll never find him. They won't even know I was in."
Leo: "Then why is the entire Greenock police force tearing the school's computers apart?"

"Well, I needed some kind of an insurance, you know, if I was to admit to the hack. Guess I was right."

"What if I transferred to Havelock completely? For all my grades...everything?"

"Do you know what? All Fitzgerald is trying to do is save this place, so idiots like you have got a place to go, when no-one else will have 'em."

"Thank you, Sir. And all of you. You know, Waterloo Road's lucky to have teachers like you." (final line)