When I met Joe Duttine at a Corrie party thrown by the Daily Mirror (read all about that here), he graciously put up with my questions and – top man that he is – agreed to speak to me again for the Coronation Street Blog. And so, while Corrie fans were laughing at Tim’s hilarious sofa-swapping escapades last week, I caught up with Joe on the phone (hands-free of course) as he took the M60 out of Manchester after a long day on set.
Martin Leay (ML): You’ve been in Corrie for
a while now – what have been the highlights?
Joe Duttine (JD): What has been
interesting is the change they made to the character since he first came onto
The Street. They’ve made him more entertaining, more humorous and that is
something I’m enjoying. I’ve done a lot of heavy drama in the past and it’s
quite nice to play a bit of comedy. And since they’ve put me with Sally, we
just seem to have this chemistry and this rapport and it’s nice… Sally and I
have been having a bit of a giggle.
(ML): Tim is very popular – what do you
think people like about him?
(JD): I think people like to have a
laugh. People want to see a bit of humour. There has been a lot of tragedy on
Coronation Street over the years and… I think that’s probably what Tim brings
to the show - a bit of lightness and silliness.
(ML): As an actor, do you prefer doing
comedy or drama?
(JD): I like mixing it up. I don’t
prefer one to the other - it’s just nice to have a bit of a change.
(ML): How much Joe Duttine is there in Tim
Metcalfe?
(JD): As an actor, especially in
something like Coronation Street, you lend yourself to the part so yeah, there
are elements of me although I’m not as slovenly or as lazy as Tim. I like to be
really tidy.
(ML): The dynamic between Tim and Sally is
brilliant – does that come naturally?
(JD): Very occasionally when you’re
working with another actor you get a chemistry… it’s an organic process that
comes from nowhere and when it does it’s really helpful… if you get on with
somebody and you have a similar sense of humour and you understand each other’s
temper and the way they speak, it’s handy.
(ML): So, that’s why Tim and Sally work so
well together?
(JD): Yeah, they’ve got chemistry. I
don’t know what they’ve been likened to but… it’s good cop, bad cop – that kind
of thing.
(ML): Can you see Tim and Sally becoming a
classic Corrie couple?
(JD): It might be a bit arrogant for
me to say they’ll become a classic Corrie couple but they seem to be
entertaining people. People seem to be enjoying Tim and Sally.
(ML): Would you like them to stay together?
(JD): I think it’d be a shame for them
to break them up. We see enough marriage breakups and affairs and infidelity.
It’s nice to see a couple stay together and be happy together. We don’t have to
create drama by splitting people up. There are lots of things they could do
with Tim and Sally without breaking them up.
(ML): What was it like coming into Corrie
and being put with a character as well established as Sally?
(JD): Every now and again… I was
reminded that I was sitting on the sofa in the Websters’ house with Sally
Dynevor and she’s been in it for 30 years – and she’s Sally Webster – and
suddenly I’m playing her boyfriend. I never dreamt that they’d put me with
Sally but they did and it developed and it’s home from home now.
(ML): If you could film a scene with any former
Corrie character, who would you choose?
(JD): It’d be good fun to do some
scenes with Jack. And I would have liked to do some scenes with some of the older
ones… like the Hilda Ogdens… the northern battleaxes. I think Tim could have
had a lot of fun with those characters - those kind of old step-scrubbing
northern women. I think Tim would fit quite easily into that period.
(ML): It’s been interesting to see Tim and
Kevin become mates. Will their friendship continue to blossom?
(JD): Yeah, I think so. Certainly
(with) the stuff that we’ve filmed, Tim and Kev have been friends… between now
and the Christmas eps and after Christmas, we’re matey, we’re friends and it’s
good… it’s much more interesting that they’re friends.
(ML): When Tim first arrived, it seemed he
might have a dark side. Is that still there?
(JD): No, I think they dispelled that
quite early on. I think people have a tendency to come into Corrie and attempt
to be the new Corrie hard man. And I’m quite glad that they steered Tim away
from that because… it’s been done, hasn’t it? It’s more interesting to be
likeable, I think.
(ML): Dev recently criticised Tim’s
workmanship. Would you pay Tim to clean your windows?
(JD): Probably not. I think he’s
probably just a bit quick and cheap. I personally like a more thorough job. I
like the window sills wiping down and I like them to come inside and do the
windows inside… my own personal window cleaner is always taking the p*** out of
me for not doing it properly.
(ML): Tim got stuck on the roof recently.
Were you actually several stories high?
(JD): Yeah, I was literally on the
top of Sally’s house… health and safety went a little bit crazy on that one. There
was scaffolding all up the back of the house and I had a big wire up my trouser
leg. There was no way that I was going anywhere!
(ML): With the illiteracy storyline, was it
good to get an issue to sink your teeth into?
(JD): The reading story is kind of being
put to one side a little bit… it’s still there but it’s not as prominent as it
was… I don’t know how serious they wanted it to be played because it didn’t run
for a great length of time. But seriously, there are people that can’t read so
I guess it has touched some people and we’ve made people aware.
(ML): Will it re-emerge at Faye’s school
auction?
(JD): Not that I’m aware of… I think that
it’s just something that has become one of Tim’s characteristics and that adds
to his personality.
(ML): What will Christmas at No 4
Coronation Street be like this year?
(JD): The Webster household on Christmas
day will be quite entertaining… we just provide all the Christmas fun.
(ML): What does 2015 have in store for Tim?
(JD): I’ve only got the scripts up until
January. I have no idea what life
is going to be like in 2015… I’d like to see (Tim and Sally’s) relationship
develop a bit further.
(ML): What can you tell us about Faye’s
pregnancy?
(JD): All I know is that she’s pregnant. I
don’t know who the father is. I don’t know how Tim is going to react to it.
I’ve not read a scene where Tim finds out yet.
(ML): What will Owen’s exit mean for Anna,
Faye and Tim?
(JD): No idea. I don’t think that they’ll
put Tim with Anna… I think Tim and Sally have such a good relationship it would
be a real shame to break them up.
(ML): Are there any characters you wish you
could do more scenes with?
(JD): I’d quite like to do a bit more in
the pub… I think Tim and Steve could have fun.
(ML): How does Corrie compare to your other
work in TV, film and theatre?
(JD): Now that I’ve got a young family it’s
nice to know that I’ve got regular work…
jobs don’t really last 2 or 3 years when you’re a jobbing actor …
they’re normally over with within 2 or 3 months. So being in a show that is
continuing, like Corrie, is incomparable to anything else that I’ve ever done…
it’s more like a regular job.
(ML): You were in The Village on BBC1 last
year. How was that?
(JD): Great… I loved it. I just wanted to
do more of it. I don’t think they
developed my character enough, otherwise I would have hung around to do a
second series but then Corrie came along so I decided to do that.
(ML): What have you been watching
recently?
(JD): I really enjoyed ‘Peaky Blinders’.
(ML): You were in ‘The Navigators’ directed
by Ken Loach. What was he like to work with?
(JD): Amazing. It almost spoilt the rest of my career because I just wanted
to work with him all the time… it was brilliant… a fantastic experience and I
wish I could do it again.
(ML): What was it that you liked about the
way he worked?
(JD): Because he’s Ken Loach he can do what
he wants… there was one particular scene where we were working on the side of
the railways and … we got out of the way when this train came past but as the
train came past someone on the train had been to the toilet and we got covered
from head to toe in s***. It wasn’t really s***, it was a special effect that
he had arranged to get the reaction that he wanted… he can do what he wants to
get reactions and that gives you great freedom as an actor.
(ML): How did it feel joining a
long-running show like Corrie?
(JD): Everybody’s been really lovely to me
since I’ve got there and I’ve kind of got on well with everybody and I’ve done
little bits of stuff with everybody… I’ve had a good time doing that. It’s
quite daunting knowing that you’re coming into a soap and you’re going to be
doing scenes with these Corrie stars that have been doing it for years and
years and years… they’re national treasures, aren’t they? ... Stepping on set
for the first time with those legends… makes you stand up a bit.
(ML): What are you most proud of during
your time in Corrie?
(JD): I’m quite proud that I’ve become the
window cleaner on the nation’s favourite street. I want to be the nation’s
favourite window cleaner!
(ML): You were in the public eye before Corrie
but do you get recognised more now?
(JD): Definitely. I get “Oi! Come and clean
me windows”… “Oi! Can you read this? Can you read that?”… “Oi! Dimmo”. It’s
weird to be associated with one character when you’re an actor who has done a
lot. People associate you with
that character. For them you are
real.
(ML): I guess that shows the impact Corrie
still has?
(JD): Yeah, definitely. Corrie is big in
millions of people’s lives, isn’t it?
(ML): It looks like the old set is going to
be turned into a theatre and arts venue so perhaps some of the cobbles could be
preserved?
(JD): I’m sure they will and how great it
is to be part of that history. Even if it’s just in a small way, it makes you
feel proud.
(ML): Will you be staying at Corrie for a
while?
(JD): I’m definitely there till the end of
October next year and then we’ll see what happens after that. Then they’ll
decide whether they want to keep him and do something with him or not… as long
as Tim and Sally are popular and they’re getting enough to do, then I’m happy…
the thing is with being an actor; you never know what is around the corner. I
never knew that three years in Coronation Street was going to be around the
corner for me. I’d just been working with David Blair doing things like ‘Accused’
and then I did ‘Scott & Bailey’ and I did ‘The Village’ and lots of single
camera drama and then suddenly Corrie comes along and I had no idea that was
going to be the case. So that’s quite exciting knowing that you don’t really
know what’s going to happen in the future.
And at that point, Joe Duttine pulled up
outside his favourite offy in Glossop to pick up some Farmers Blonde beers to
drink at home in front of that evening’s hour-long Corrie. It sounded such a
good idea that I got some beers in myself, which I enjoyed while watching one
of the best Corrie episodes in ages; all down to Tim, Sally and the
lips-like-Jagger settee. Tim and Sally are a joy to watch and their scenes
light up the screen. I would like to thank Joe Duttine for taking the time to
speak to the Blog. Here’s hoping for lots more Tim and Sally in the New Year!
By Martin Leay
Twitter: @mpleay
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All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
7 comments:
Great interview - and I LOVE Tim & Sally.
Yes, a great interview and Joe Duttine made some things clear. Although he wouldn't know for sure, it doesn't sound like Tim and Anna get together. I'm also glad that he doesn't have a dark side waiting to emerge, and it's reassuring that the dyslexia/literacy storyline is not going to become the next big issue, but is simply another dimension to Tim's character. No mention of Howie, Tim's disabled cousin who was supposedly turning up early next year. Maybe they couldn't decide on an actor.
Wonderful actor and character.
Really enjoying Sally and Tim. It's such relief when they're on the screen, pure and genuine comedy and chemistry. They are natural and believable and I love it. Hope that doesn't change uneccessarily.
Also, appreciate the Ken Loach reference. I remember thorougly enjoying "Life is Sweet", and I now can't wait to watch "The Navigators". Rotten Tomotatoes gives it 10/10. Saw that Steve Hussein and Tom Craig are in it too.
Thanks Martin, good stuff.
Thank you Martin! I really enjoyed the interview. I quite like Tim and Joe seems like a lovely bloke. Hope the PTB keep on our screens for a long time to come!
He's a snappy dresser, Joe is. I have noticed in a couple of photos that he likes to wear very stylish scarves.
Tim and Sally forever.
Thanks guys - glad you enjoyed the interview.
Reading between the lines, I don't think anything has been done about Howie as of yet.
I want to watch "The Navigators" too. "Life Is Sweet" is a Mike Leigh film - very good though, saw it recently.
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