Dean Fagan Interview: Why I wanted to leave Corrie

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog January 2018, reposted to this blog with permission.)


Millions of viewers were shocked tonight when Corrie favourite Luke Britton became the surprise new murder victim of psychopath Pat Phelan.

After stumbling across evidence that Phelan was implicated some way in the disappearance of Andy Carver, Luke signed his own death warrant by letting Phelan know he was on to him and was planning to go to the police.

A high speed vehicle chase led to an altercation between the two men with Phelan shooting Luke as he sat in the driver’s seat of his car, with Luke still alive Phelan then shot the petrol tank leaving the mechanic to burn to death in the fireball explosion.

Here Dean Fagan talks about how his decision to leave led to the dramatic showdown and how watching Luke’s death being filmed was like an ‘out of body experience.’

What made you decide to leave the show?
My decision to leave was based purely on my age and I felt that the time was right now to go and try new things! Also before I start to get older and want to settle down and life starts getting in the way of things and before I get too comfortable which is easy to do in this job, it is amazing job but I am also a person who likes to have new experiences. I have been here four years in December which as an actor is a long time in some ways to be playing the same role. I’m 29 and before the big 30 I felt I needed to make that break and try something else, it is a pivotal age.

What will you miss?
I will miss the people, it has been an experience that I will never forget, I have learned so much, to me Coronation Street is a microcosm of the whole industry, you experience everything within this environment.

Did you think they would kill Luke off?
When I told Kate that I wanted to leave obviously then it is up to them how they decide to write you out but this suited me perfectly, I like to finish something and not have the safety of thinking I can go back as it makes me hungrier for the next thing. It would be very easy to have that thought, I love Corrie, my friends are still there, should I ask to go back!

When did you find out what was going to happen to Luke?
I originally spoke to Kate in about June saying I wanted to leave at the end of my contract and she said ‘ok let us work on something’ I said I was prepared to stay a bit longer if it helped them work through the storyline. I then saw her a month or so later and asked how he was going to leave and she said ‘it’s final’ and I said ‘how final?’ and she said ‘pretty final - in a big ball of flames’ and she proceeded to tell me about the racism storyline and how that would intertwine with Luke trying to look for Andy and Luke pulling at the string with Phelan until he can’t take any more.

What did you think about your exit storyline?
For me there are two interesting stories - being involved in the Phelan story and the racism one, the show has rarely explored racism. It is great that the show is exploring these sort of attitudes that are sadly still around and for me acting out those scenes was not hard, as how he reacted would be my reaction which is easy to play. It needs to be done more in a way to bring it to people’s attention how it does affect the people on the receiving end.

I was excited to realise I was going to be a pivotal part of the start of Phelan’s demise, the start of the unravelling, that someone else has found out the truth and he has now killed again which is a desperate act and one that is going to eventually start more questions being asked. The Phelan era is huge and he has played such a massive part in the street so to be involved in that is brilliant. Luke will play his part in the whole end game.

What was it like filming those final scenes?
It is full on almost action story stuff, mild mannered mechanic to Mad Max. It was exciting to get the scripts, the car chase the gun shot through the window. It felt different knowing it was my last scenes and the set up for it all. I was out of my comfort zone and we were away from set, it is on the bleak moors essentially so it added that extra creepy atmosphere and drama.

What was nice was the fact that Alan Grint and John Folkard the same director and first assistant who filmed my first scenes filmed my last scenes so I felt I had come full circle. It felt like going out and filming a feature film.

How did it feel watching Luke die?
I was on set, it felt strange, I didn’t realise he was going to burn to death, I thought he would be dead from the gunshot so to watch that explosion and watch the car burn knowing ‘Luke’, someone I had known and played for four years was ‘in there’ and that was the end for him was weird. Even though he is a character it is still you so it is a bit like watching your own demise and physically standing there and watching the end of four years of your life going up in a fireball is quite a big thing.

I felt quite emotional about it - I didn’t get to play out his death on screen I got to watch him die. Most deaths on screen the actor is holding their breath and lying there dying in a hospital bed or on the street but this was more like an out of body experience to be there on the day they filmed that final scene but standing on the sidelines watching it. I came down the hill above where the scene was being done, I was like his soul standing there and watching him die.

What are your highlights from your time on Corrie?
The storyline with Steph the revenge porn story is definitely up there -  again a great issue to be involved in and to explore. I loved the car racing stuff, working with Alan Halsall and Mike Le Vell, Kevin and Tyrone are iconic and the actors are great to work with, we had such a laugh.

What are you doing next?
I am in a play in February for Hope Mill Theatre Company, written by Renny Kaprinski. He is a great playwright. It is called D’Eon set in 1769 and is about the first openly documented transgendered person in European history. He was a French Aristocrat sent over by the french politicians to negotiate with the British at the time when they were at war with the french, it is a fascinating story. The French did not like the fact he was a man who turned into a woman. I am playing a guy who is assigned to bring him back to France to be charged with treason. Very different from Luke and Corrie!

I would like to just try out few things, to do different dramas, hard hitting stuff and things that have something to say, just keep learning, throw myself in the deep end and see where I go from there.

---

Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Luke's dead! We reveal Dean Fagan's next acting role

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog January 2018, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Dean Fagan, whose character Luke Britton was killed off in tonight's Coronation Street, will be joining a new play in Manchester next month.

The play is called D'Eon and it premieres at the Hope Mill Theatre in February 2018.

Dean will play the role of  Beaumarchais in the play that includes​ celebrity, intrigue and scandal aplenty.

D’Eon is the bizarre and amazing true story of one of the most infamous, outrageous, unsung warriors of history and the first openly documented transgendered person in European history.

The play runs for one week from February 13-17 2018.

More details here

---

Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Dearn Fagan interview: Can Luke bring Phelan down?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog November 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


Tell us about what happens when Luke finds some post for Andy.

Luke presumes Andy is staying with a friend in Bristol so he doesn't suspect anything at first but he notices more and more that Andy’s post starts to pile up. Luke just wants to see him to give him his post.

What is Luke’s first thoughts when he discovers that Andy never moved to Bristol?

“How odd?” But again he doesn't deliberate too much. Andy hasn't always been the most truthful or trusting person and he left without saying a word after dumping Steph so Luke thinks that Andy has told a lie about moving to Bristol to keep himself hidden and out of the way.

Why does Luke turn to Phelan?

Luke knows that Phelan was one of the last people to see him before he ‘left’. He also says he's still in touch with Andy. Phelan tells Luke to let it go, not to bother or think too much about Andy because of the way he dumped Steph. He confirms what Luke is thinking, that Andy wants to keep in hiding. Luke has no reason not to trust Pat at this point… he’s just the landlord.

What happens when Phelan sends Luke to an address in Birmingham?

Andy wasn’t there at the address that Phelan suggested so Luke returns very annoyed that he was sent on a wild goose chase.

What’s Luke’s reaction when he is told that Andy is travelling?

Dumbfounded! But he believes that Matt is telling him the truth.

Do you think Luke should be scared about what he is getting himself into with Phelan?

He has no idea what he's in for! He’s gets very curious, sensing something is a little off and pulling the string to unravel the sweater.

Did you always know that Luke was going to be hot on Phelan’s trail?

I knew they would cross paths eventually especially as all the drama with Andy and the laptop happened in the builders yard where Luke lives. That gives off a massive whiff and Phelan is the landlord! Questions were bound to be asked and the answers don’t add up so he inevitably becomes a strong lead.

What were your first thoughts when you found out about this storyline?

I was thrilled, I love the idea and was ready to get my teeth stuck in. Everything always gets turned up a notch when you’re involved with Pat Phelan!

What’s the best thing about working with Connor McIntyre?

Connor is a fantastic actor and a top bloke. We can have a laugh but he’s also true professional who wants the best and doesn’t stop until he gets it. I’ve learnt a lot from his work ethic.

What advice would you give Luke if he was your friend?

Remember the saying… ‘Curiosity killed the cat’

---

Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Five Characters I Would Like to See More of on our Screens

(This post was originally posted by Ruth Owen on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2016.)

 

Flaming Nora recently blogged about five characters she could do without. So, inspired by her great idea, I decided to blog about five characters I would like to see more of and would love to hear what you think.

Firstly, I would make a plea for Steph to appear more frequently and for longer. Lately all we've seen of her is when she is working in the bistro. True, she does get the occasional one liner but an actress of her calibre could do so much more. She is, as she demonstrated in the 'pictures on the internet' story, a skilled performer and she could easily carry a weighty storyline. Beautiful, talented, with an excellent ability to deliver a comedic touch, this girl is seriously under-used.

Secondly, Steph's brother Luke - currently in a relationship with Maria. It may just be my opinion but I wonder if others are less than convinced by Maria and Luke. I wonder too why Luke, who is a decent, handsome and intelligent young man is content to languish in a back street garage as Kevin and Tyrone's underling. Does he have ambitions? Might he want to open his own garage at some point in the future or even turn his capable hand to something else either car related or not? He doesn't seem to lack confidence and nor does his younger sister Steph, for that matter. Perhaps they could go into business together? Perhaps they could take advantage of government business incentive loans.

Third on my list is the jewel of a character who is Craig. What a joy he is and what a long-suffering son to his somewhat less intelligent mum, Beth. After having been ditched by Caitlin, it would have been interesting to hear more of  his thoughts and feelings about this. He did seem keen on her. He need some mates, other boys his age. It would be an opportunity to show young people in a favourable light, intent on various projects or working over their summer holidays, perhaps in preparation for gaining a university place. I believe that Craig is studying for A levels, but it would be good to learn some specifics and to see his interests in the world developing. A Gap Year maybe? Whatever it is, let's be knowing.

I would like to see more of Beth, but a calmer. more thoughtful side where she becomes a more rounded person and not just typecast as a figure of fun, as she is so often portrayed. To see her in serious conversation with the son whose initial she wears round her neck, would potentially be an excellent scene. How might Beth react to his ambitions and the possibility that he might leave home before long?  It occurs to me to consider whether or not Kirk might hold her back. In fairness to Kirk though, he does convey show emotional intelligence and it would be hard to find a fairer more compassionate man on the cobbles than Kirk, even though his intellect will not set the world alight.

And finally, my fifth choice is Mary. Yes, it's true she did have some storylines to get her teeth into fairly recently, but now, armed with her award for best comedy actor in the soaps, it would be more than a welcome decision, in my book, to use her more. I sense that Mary and Gemma similarly divide opinion, but I can see those two developing a friendship of sorts...




Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook

Bethany and the Bullies

(This post was originally posted by Ruth Owen on the Coronation Street Blog in April 2016.)


The bullying storyline involving Bethany and Lauren, plus a few of Lauren's hangers on, has, in my view been brought to us most effectively.  Teenagers are complex creatures and we should never believe the mother or father who claims to know everything about their teenager and tell you how very close they are. One aspect of a teenager's life that is very well developed is the art of cunning. They allow those at home or at school to know only what they want people to know. They dissemble frequently.

At home and amongst her family, Bethany can be a real annoyance. She is rude, self-absorbed and embarrassed by her family, as most teenagers are, at least to some extent. The arrival of baby Harry though has been good for her. She has really taken to her little brother. So it was particularly upsetting to Bethany that Lauren and her crew took it upon themselves to insult Harry. The insult though,wasn't really directed at Harry, but was merely a device to maximise the bullying of Bethany and to further undermine her.

It has been interesting, though at times disturbing, to see Bethany in another light. At home she is confident, even cocky, but surrounded by these mean girls, we can clearly witness her terror. The scenes are well acted, credible and happen every day - if not face to face then in cyber world through social media. One positive aspect to come out of the bullying is that Bethany now seems more likeable and certainly more vulnerable.

How gratifying then that the hero Luke - tall, dark and handsome - driving a swish car to boot, should pull up, invite Bethany in and leave in their wake,  the mean girls open-mouthed with surprise and envy.

Ruth, twitter @ruth1722



Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook

Revenge of the Stupid

First posted on State of the Street, reposted with permission. 

Late last year we had a storyline that was a bit different for Corrie, that of the "revenge porn" photos that Steph's ex boyfriend Jamie used to blackmail her brother into illegal car racing. It didn't go on too long  but it was long enough to paint Jamie as a selfish idiot who seems to be one of those men who feels entitled and is ticked off if the world doesn't comply.

He got himself into debt and used Luke's ability as a racer boy to try to get himself out of it. Luke was coerced because of Jamie's threats to post online some intimate photos he'd taken of Steph when they were together. Once online, it's there forever. You might take them down off the original site but these days, things get saved, shared, posted and otherwise filtered around the interweb.

Steph finally found out and was horrified, mortified and pissed off, but more the first two, initially. Taking sexy photos isn't a new thing. Lots of couples do it, in addition to things like video-recording themselves. You are in love, you are passionate about each other, you trust each other, so why not? Age is no restriction on this either. You don't have to be young and naive.

Back to Jamie. Steph found the courage to call the police, with Leanne's support and he was arrested. It's illegal to do that, you see, post photos with the intent to embarass or blackmail or bully someone. That's what Jamie was doing, on all accounts. He said he was very sorry but he was desperate and when Luke and later Steph wouldn't give him what he wanted, he followed through with his threats and he'll now have a criminal record. He's also down one girlfriend because Luke and Andy busted him in the bar where he hangs out just before the arrest.

Jump ahead a month or so. Luke and Andy have discovered that Jamie is out on bail. I'm not sure why they were so shocked and outraged. He was likely bailed shortly after the arrest, which is pretty normal. He might be a toe rag but he's not a dangerous axe murderer. The dynamic duo decide Steph's honour hasn't been completely defended, find out where he's working and proceed to get him and his mate who vouched for him sacked. Job done, right?

It's interesting to remember that the girlfriend that was told about the photos dumped him immediately and the bar manager, also female, did likewise.  Part of that was him not telling her about the arrest and pending trial. It might have been more interesting if the manager had been a male and been equally outraged about the reason for the arrest, just to put both sides' points of view out there, that it isn't just women that would hold this sort of thing against you, but never mind...

Now we come to the most recent chapter. Jamie is pretty ticked off that he's lost his job and he drags his friend along with him to suss out the area where he knows Steph, Luke and Andy live and work. Jamie may have said he learned his lesson but he hasn't and we can clearly see that. He's still intent on revenge but now his bullying side shows up again. He's not going after Luke and Andy who are the ones that caused him to lose his job (and previously, his girlfriend). He's going after Steph to teach her a lesson because he thinks she sent them to do her dirty work. Teach *her* a lesson. Because it's easier to go after a woman than two men, isn't it? Easier to go after a woman you've already victimized.

He wants to scare Steph so he decides to stage some sort of robbery or invasion of the place where she works, probably at closing time but they sit in the car over several days, for hours at a time watching the place. I'm not sure why nobody actually noticed and questioned it. If i saw two men in a car on my street  or in the vicinity sitting there for hours on more than one occasion, I'd be calling the police. It's a soap so we would have to suspend disbelief on that point. At the last going off, it looked like they were parked outside the Kabin (see photo below, you can tell by the type of things in the shop window), with Jamie watching the Bistro through the rear view mirror. Surely Norris would have been in there like a dirty shirt!

That was also the day that the Bistro was closed most of the day due to the power cut. They must have missed the lunchtime event when the restaurant had emptied out. They sat there, and for hours never really questioned why there were no customers going in our coming out, nor staff or deliveries. By the time they saw Robert come out, it was now later in the day and getting dark. They knew, somehow, that he was the chef though how they knew is another mystery though I suppose they had been in and out of the Bistro a couple of times back when the blackmail was going on. They still didn't figure out that the restaurant was closed. Jamie still thought Steph must have been inside all day.

Let's do it! Though Jamie's friend wasn't too keen on it by this time, he went along with it instead of walking away. In they go, into a dark restaurant with nobody there except Carla who decided, after a confrontation with Robert, to stay on and drink by herself. She'd locked the door when she arrived but Robert had unlocked it to leave, giving her the keys to lock up behind herself. I wonder if she was going to check the door in the kitchen? that was open because Tracy was able to let herself in and out when she heard them burst in. Why didn't she make an anonymous call to the police? Well, that's Tracy for you. She could have said she had gone there to surprise Robert and didn't have to reveal she'd overheard the conversation between he and Robert. But then we couldn't have had the action that came next.

Jamie was in a rage, now, because there was no Steph, no money in the till (duh, closed most of the day, why would you leave the money there?). At least there was a woman there you could push around and scare but Carla being Carla, with a good gutfull of red wine in her, did put up a good front. Because Jamie hadn't already seen the candlelight bouncing off that huge rock on her finger when he first pushed her on the ground, she slipped it into her handbag to prevent it being taken if they did notice it but they end up stealing the whole bag instead. They didn't really hide much of their faces and Carla would have a very good look at their eyes and their face a few times, and the other guy mentioned Jamie's name at least once.

Jamie finally realized he ought to get away from the scene of the utter disaster he'd wrought with  armed robbery (baseball bats) and  assault now added to his criminal record, not to mention the possibility of attempted murder when Carla ran after them to retrieve her bag in a pretty stupid move, really, but again, you can probably blame the wine and the adrenaline for that,  and she got dragged along by the car until she landed on the cobbles. I couldn't see whether she got the bag or not but she's in pretty serious condition.

Jamie is obviously a bully and obviously not the sharpest tool in the box. This is not out of the realms of reality. A lot of law breakers are not very smart. I expect this is the last we'll see of Jamie. I hope Steph is strong and testifies at his trial but I don't suppose we'll get to see that.

All in all, I thought this was a good storyline and the actors involved were great! It was something different and something relevant for this day and age. Keep your knickers on, boys and girls, the internet is out there just waiting to salivate over your bits and pieces!


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)




Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook

Another Great Britton

(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2015.)


The other week Flaming Nora published a blog singing the praises of the Corrie character Steph Britton. I was in full agreement, Tisha Merry has been a ray of sunshine on the cobbles of Weatherfield. It's nice to see a young character come on in Corrie without the usual baggage or being made to look old before their time. Long may she continue to brighten up our favourite street.

This made me think how much I enjoy both Britton siblings on screen. Steph's brother Luke has been in Corrie for a while now and I really like Dean Fagan, I think he brings a lot of charm to the role. I also think they make for a very believable brother and sister double act. It's just a shame they haven't really been given a major storyline of their own so far.

Luke's main role since arriving in the street has been as suitor to Maria. While I have no problem with this at all and it has been cute to see him win her and Liam over, I do fear for his long term future as past boyfriends have not faired well with the Corrie crimper. Sadly they haven't really had a great deal of screen time together either which hasn't helped. Luke has also been effective in his role as mechanic alongside Kevin and Tyrone - his banter with the latter in particular has been great fun. While Luke and Steph have great chemistry as siblings we haven't had enough opportunities to see them together in anything significant. I know certain storylines can dominate and at times but these two are crying out for something more to get their teeth into. 

I must confess to having fallen for Luke's significant charms, but trying to be impartial, I still think he's a character with plenty of promise. I think both Brittons have something fresh to contribute to Coronation Street at a time when some viewers feel it could do with a few changes.

So do you agree that Luke should feature in a more prominent storyline? And if so, what should it be?

Follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82 

Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook

Corrie's Dean Fagan turns theatre director

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog March 2015, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Coronation Street actor Dean Fagan, who plays garage mechanic Luke Britton, is to go behind the scenes as director on a new theatre production.

Dean and his pals from student days at Salford University have set up a new theatre company, Perfectly Flawed, and are preparing to showcase their first production in April at the Salford Arts Theatre.

Dean has been working on the production in between his filming commitments on Corrie.

Perfectly Flawed is a theatre adaptation of the brooding John Fowles novel The Collector, which will star Mark Frampton as the obsessive Frederick Clegg who kidnaps beautiful young art student Miranda Greg, played by Louise Pridding, after winning the pools and buying a remote country house to keep her imprisoned.  The Collector, which is suitable for audiences over 16, will play at the Salford Arts Theatre from April 23-25. For tickets see salfordartstheatre.com.

The Manchester Evening News has some pictures, well worth a look.

Glenda Young
Flaming Nora Blog / Twitter  




Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook

An evening with Corrie’s ‘New Generation’

(This post was originally posted by Martin Leay on the Coronation Street Blog in February 2015.)

This is my first blog since Anne Kirkbride passed away. Like all of us, I was shocked and saddened to hear the news and my condolences go out to her friends and family.

It is bittersweet that just a week before we lost Anne, one of Coronation Street’s longest-running actors, I was in Manchester meeting some of the newer recruits who will be at the centre of the action in Corrie this year. 

It all happened over pizza, bowling and karaoke (no pool) and was as surreal as it sounds. I arrived at All Star Lanes in Deansgate and was ushered into a room with a private bowling lane, loads of food and a free bar with cocktails on tap. I stuck to a liquid dinner of Brooklyn Lager.

We were put into teams for an icebreaking game in which I had to act out a classic scene in front of a load of Corrie stars! I was pleased with my portrayal of Richard Hillman murdering Maxine Peacock but sadly Corrie’s Casting Director was not there to see my work.

We were told we’d be able to interview the cast members for the first hour, after which everyone would be ‘off duty’. It was a bit of a free-for-all with the journos fighting to get their dictaphones in front of the most desirable faces first. It was fun to observe the scene and chat to people whenever an opportunity arose. 

Sean Ward (Callum Logan) was in particularly high demand. Female scribes were queuing up to get near him. I didn’t get a look in, though he did say hello later on because he remembered me from the roundtable interview at ITV Southbank last October – he’s a Top Boy, Sean and his charisma is both undeniable and enviable.

There was going to be a bowling league, so I was pleased Mary Taylor didn’t turn up. Down the alley, I hear she’s “a cranker of some renown” – unbeaten in five years! Luke Britton is no stranger to the lanes either, having recently taken Maria and Liam bowling. It was fitting then that the first person I approached was Dean Fagan.

I’m a big fan of Luke and I’m pleased to report that Dean is brilliant too. Before Corrie, he played Culture Club bassist Mikey Craig in the 2010 BBC drama Worried About the Boy, which also starred Douglas Booth and Mathew Horne and told the tale of Boy George starting out in Showbiz. I remember watching it. He also did a few “bits and bobs” on ITV and in theatre.

I asked about Kirk’s stag do, when Luke had a one-man rave in Ty’s living room. Apparently, Dean got “a lot of flak” for his dance moves, which were based on his mate who he DJs with. I told him I’d just blogged about The Haçienda and mentioned Luke’s dancing. “I felt I was right back there”, laughed Dean. Interestingly, Dean starred in a play about that whole scene. It was called Manchester Sound: The Massacre and ran for a month at the Library Theatre in 2013.

Dean explained how the play “compared the Peterloo Massacre of Manchester to the Haçienda scene”. It brought together two groups of idealists “trying to get out of the situation” they were in – searching for utopia but suppressed by the establishment. The play correlated the two eras (1819 and 1989) of Manchester’s history. Dean says, “it was a complicated context but we somehow made it work”. It sounds fascinating - they should bring it back! Here is a little video about the play, featuring Dean Anthony Fagan in the 80s clothes he might have worn to Beth and Kirk’s wedding if only Maria had invited him...

Luke and Maria haven’t really gelled yet – their dates keep going wrong and the bowling night is a case in point. Dean describes it as “a square peg in a round hole sort of thing” but thinks “there is something that connects them on a certain level”. Luke is quite young to take on father-figure responsibilities for Liam but Dean believes “he wants to prove himself as a mature man”. Although the backstory for Luke and Steph hasn’t been filled in yet, Dean senses that perhaps  “his dad wasn’t there”. Luke wants to be a responsible adult – which maybe “hasn’t been taught to him by his Dad”.

Dean is a Manchester lad and although he had done stuff before, Corrie was “the first job where (his) Mum and Dad shouted down the phone”. He is pleased with the reaction Luke has received. “He’s a nice guy – he’s just a lad, basically. He gets on with his job… he’s a relateable character and I hope that’s how he’s perceived”. That is certainly why I like Luke.

I thought it would have been brilliant for Luke’s street cred if the motormouth mechanic had gone through with the Carla Connor fling. “He could have done it”, says Dean – although I suspect the fact he didn’t says much more about Luke’s character than if he had. “It show a different dimension”, agrees Dean. Luke is one of my favourite new characters and Dean Fagan was a really top bloke.

Next up I chatted to Tisha Merry, who plays Luke’s on-screen sister, Steph. Tisha was lovely and Steph is another brilliant addition to The Street. Before Corrie, Tisha was in a BBC drama set on another street – 32 Brinkburn Street. She also did a few plays and short films. But with Corrie, she beams, “this is the big one – it’s very exciting”.

I love Steph’s P.M.A. approach to life. However, I put it to Tisha that she works far too hard. Nick “runs her ragged!” she laughs. I was keen to know whether Steph and Andy are in it for the long haul. Tisha likes Steph’s ability to empathise and the fact “she can separate herself from things and help people out”. She seems to be standing by her man who is not actually the man she thought he was.

Going back to Beth and Kirk’s wedding, there was a strange scene where Steph walked along the street dressed in a shell suit type number. It was very late 80s but Steph wasn’t going to the wedding! Tisha clarified this is Steph’s “gym/workout outfit” and she was on her way to V Court Fitness. She wore it in the cricket episode too. Tisha says she “would never wear” much of what lies in Steph Britton’s wardrobe but she picks out clothes that she feels fit the character.

It is always interesting to hear what it is like for someone new to The Street to go through the life-changing experience of being recognised wherever they go. “It’s really bizarre and I cannot get used to it”, says Tisha… but it is “fabulous” to receive positive feedback from fans. She must have received a lot of that since joining the show.

Equally lovely to talk to was the resplendent Sair Khan (Alya Nazir) who I bumped into at the bar. Earlier that afternoon, I had seen the crash episodes at a preview screening and one thing that caught my eye was how sparkly Alya’s dress was. Sair loved that outfit and feels it was “the perfect choice to dress her a bit more traditionally but with such a modern twist”. She sees Alya as “a girl who holds her culture and family very close to her heart”. And as a student of Fashion and Business, you wouldn’t catch Alya Nazir in something off the High Street!

It must have been cold during filming, though, because Alya was the only one not wearing a coat in the back of that bus. Sair didn’t want to cover up the dress but “really regretted that by day three in the freezing cold doing night shoots!”

Alya is young and ambitious and is certainly putting Sally Webster’s nose out of joint at the factory. I wonder if she will ever reach the upper echelons of management at Underworld. “She wants to own a business one day”, says Sair… “She wants to make her family proud”. The Awards Ceremony was “a symbol of her doing well at her job… helping to organise this big event”. Sadly, they never got there.

It was nice to hear that Sair is a massive fan of Corrie, which she thinks helped in her audition. She says “I knew who was who, I knew what was what and I knew what soaps are like”. Sometimes Sair wants Alya to be friends with characters that she really likes – Sally, for example – but says, “it’s fun being put against each other and fighting for this role at Underworld”.

I like Gary but am curious to understand why the terrible deed of breaking into Roy’s Rolls helped him win his way back into Alya’s affections. Sair reasons that “human beings are so complex… sometimes when you meet someone you can’t help that you like them”. She enjoys the fact it’s “a bit of a Romeo and Juliet scenario” of “two people that are from different worlds together… and it’s working”.

I had a brief chat with Qasim Akhtar who is a lot easier going than Zeedan Nazir! I remember Qasim from Shameless, the brilliant comedy-drama series set on a fictional council estate in Manchester. Corrie is “a bit different from Shameless”, he jokes – and he’s not wrong! Although, that said, I reckon Callum and his mates on the Paul Robeson Estate could handle themselves on the Chatsworth Estate.

Soap “wasn’t really the road (he) wanted to go down”, but the role of Zeedan came along and after reading the script and meeting everyone involved, Qasim says, “I fell in love with it and I just knew it was for me”.

As Anna Windass pointed out in the café recently, Zeedan and Gary got on like a house on fire before the whole Alya thing. Their falling out “kind of annoyed” Qasim because he and Mikey North “had some good banter on and off screen”. He is hopeful though they will “bring it back together somehow”. He told me there is a storyline coming up at the builders’ yard with Zeedan and Tony, which “adds fuel to the fire” of Kal and Tony’s feud.

Next up was Oliver Farnworth, who we now know portrays Andy Carver rather than Gavin Rodwell. Oliver told me his Corrie contract is ongoing and he is currently signed up for a year. The public has warmed to this Andy guy. Oliver believes viewers have “been allowed to be onside from early on because they’ve been let into his lie”. He hopes Andy is “not a bad person” but someone who is “in a terrible set of circumstances and has started feeling for people around him”.  “We’ll see how long it runs”, he says.

Essentially, Andy doesn’t want to harm the guy who isn’t his Dad. Oliver finds the current limbo interesting and hopes that, dramtically, “there is a lot of mileage in it”. When the real Gavin Rodwell emerges, I can’t help but think we’ll have another Ryan Connor scenario on our hands, and Michael will stick with the son he has come to love.

Oliver Farnworth has been in Hollyoaks and has done lots of theatre but his last TV role before Corrie was the second series of Mr Selfridge. He played a Belgian refugee and regards it as “a turning point” in his career. He worked closely with Amanda Abbington (who played Miss Mardle) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. He says, “She is an actor who I would aspire to be like in the future… I think she’s absolutely brilliant”.

Oliver is also full of praise for his current co-star, Les Dennis. Oliver admires his old school work ethic of “turn up, know your lines, do the job to the best you can and get on with it”. He observes, “the real, true, stars are the ones who on the first day go hiya mate, do you want a cup of tea?” With Les Dennis, he says, “it’s a level playing field and that to me was quite humbling”.

I also had a good chat with Daniel Brocklebank and was very impressed with the research he has carried out to enhance his portrayal of Billy the Vicar. He did this entirely of his own volition because as a gay man himself, he wanted to find out what might lead Billy – who we are to believe, has ‘lived’ – towards the Church.

Daniel has therefore spoken to a number of gay clergymen. I suggested he should have a word with Reverend Richard Coles, the former Communard who inspired the BBC Two sitcom Rev. It will be interesting to learn more about Billy’s history. He was enthusing to Sean about Berlin techno clubs the other night, so he must have hit it hard before finding God. There is a lot of potential for Billy and Sean and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

Unfortunately, I had to leave before the end of the night to get back to that London. I walked out of All Star Lanes and could see photographers waiting in the cold to snap some of Corrie’s brightest new stars. They must have been disappointed to see me!

The world of Weatherfield will certainly be poorer for Deirdre Barlow’s absence and it is sad to think that older Corrie characters will not be on our screens forever. However, Coronation Street – like life itself – moves on and it is entirely realistic that the people who make up a community will change over time.

The Corrie top brass have put a lot of faith in the ‘new generation’ over the last year or so. It was brilliant to meet many of these new actors and learn how much it means to them to be starring in our favourite show. I believe that the future is bright at Coronation Street.

By Martin Leay

Twitter: @mpleay 

Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook

Funny Guy

(This post was originally posted by Scott Willison on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2014.)

There was a point during Monday's Corrie when I genuinely hoped that my house would fall into a hellmouth and I'd be damned to an eternity toiling in the sulphur mines of Beelzebub; at least it would have meant I wouldn't have to watch Maria and Luke trying to buy a car any more.  They were painful, unfunny scenes that should really have had a laugh track layered over the top so that we knew these were COMEDY.  I like Luke, but his sudden grumpiness seemed out of character; Maria continues to be a hairstyle in search of a personality; and the guest actor ramped his "funny acting" up to levels Norman Wisdom would have found over the top.  Why was he carrying a pipe?  Why did a diabetic coma involve him shouting non-sequiters?  Why would a barely conscious man pick up his car keys?  As for Luke carrying Maria because her heels hurt... I'm sure we were meant to be rolling around on the floor with mirth, but frankly, no.

And then Les Dennis turned up drunk.  In just a few blissful moments, Michael was funny, charming and in character.  It was a reminder that Les Dennis is a very talented, very experienced comedian, and that Corrie really hasn't been using him to his full powers.  Over the past few months Michael's been full of angst, guilt and anger.  He's moped around because he thinks he's dying.  He's tried to break up with Gail for her own good.

Anyone could do that.  There are thousands of jobbing actors out there who could play a serious, down beat man.  Coronation Street cast Les Dennis though.  Use him!  Give him more comedy!  I understand Les probably wants to prove that he's a proper actor and not just a game show host trying a change of tack - much like when Matthew Kelly gave up presenting for acting, and immediately played Lenny in Of Mice and Men and a serial killer - but it just leaves me frustrated.  I'm not saying that Michael should suddenly break into long missed characters from the Les Dennis Laughter Show, but a bit of jolliness wouldn't go amiss.  Craig Charles manages to be funny and heart-warming whenever he's on screen - he's so naturally charming, it's almost enough to make us like the pestilent Andrea.

Of course, in an ideal world, Michael would get a job in the Kabin alongside Rita and would say "I don't really know" every other episode.  I expect La Knox would put quite a firm stamp on that idea (she still hasn't shared the screen with Les; the Kabin is only ever staffed by Norris when he pops in) but we can dream.  In the real world, I'd just like Les to be allowed to make us laugh again.



Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook