Corrie's Carla back with a bang

By Fiona Pryor
Entertainment reporter, BBC News

For Coronation Street fans the moment has come where Tony Gordon, played by Gray O'Brien, could finally get his comeuppance.

His wife Carla Gordon, played by Alison King, has returned to the cobbles, leaving viewers at home in no doubt that Tony's secret is about to be revealed.

"Damn right I want him to get what's been coming to him, he killed the love of my life," King laughs.

In reality she is about to return after seven months' maternity leave.

In the soap she is back from Los Angeles where she fled to after finding out Tony had killed her brother-in-law, and lover, Liam O'Connor.

We know O'Brien is leaving the ITV1 soap, but no-one knows how... yet.

But for the actor, he is looking forward to some time off.

I didn't get hurt, although I was covered in bruises Alison King on filming a violent fight scene

"I'm looking forward to having a bit of a rest, in 20 years I've never worked as hard as this," he says.

"It's been great though, I couldn't have written it better myself, but it's been really exhausting."

He describes his character as a "nutcase" and "psychotic".

Rather unsurprisingly O'Brien insists the reaction he has had from members of the public has been positive.

"When I started I was told I would get a hard time," he says.

"But I have to say quite categorically, hand on heart I have had nothing but great things said from the public.

"The only derogatory thing was - although I took it in great jest - was a white van man wound his window down and shouted 'P45 soon'. If that's the worst it's been in two years, it's not been too bad has it?"

'Pretty intense'

Since Carla left, Tony has set up home with Liam's widow Maria Connor (Samia Smith) and is helping to bring up the baby she had with her late husband.

The climax to the storyline will be revealed in about six weeks.

In the meantime, viewers have been promised lots of action, including a violent scene between Carla and Tony's henchman Jimmy Dockerson, played by Robert Beck.

"That was pretty intense," says King.

"But I love doing my own stunts. I love getting stuck in. He got a sprained thumb as he got it bent back under my fat ass and the sofa.

Roy becomes embroiled in the story

"I didn't get hurt, although I was covered in bruises."

She admits it has been "full steam ahead" since returning from looking after her baby, Daisy Mae, and reveals she is missing her but is slowly "getting her head round" being back to work.

David Nielsen, who plays Roy Cropper, also becomes embroiled into the storyline.

On-screen Tony and Roy have never seen eye to eye, but off screen they are the best of friends, although O'Brien reveals doing some scenes with him was not all that easy.

"I could be doing the most serious scene and he will burst into laughter, he's shocking."

However there was one scene, shot in the river nearby the studios in Manchester, that Nielsen did not find funny.

"It was disgusting. You sink into that canal up to your knees into something that is a four letter word, beginning with S and ending in T," he laughs.

"It's silt. Unpleasant stuff. I had a tetanus jab beforehand, but they do test the water. I had cotton wool in my ears and Vaseline up the nose and it was freezing," he says.

Despite that, he insists it has been "great fun" to be involved in what seems to be shaping up as Corrie's biggest storyline this year.

"It's a great resolution to a long storyline, which will bring the whole street together."