In June 1999, while Richard Wilson was performing in "Waiting for Godot" at the Royal Exchange in Manchester, Renwick informed him of his decision to kill off Victor. The actor reacted positively and said in 2006 that he did not want Victor to "take me over." Wilson had noticed that "the scripts weren't as original as they had been" and that he was "getting a bit tired of the character, trying to maintain a freshness". Annette Crosbie was saddened that the show was coming to an end because she enjoyed working on it, but she understood Renwick's feelings of being pressured to "top the last one".