When Craig hears that Neil may be about to mount an appeal against his conviction why does Craig tell Bethany? Surely as a police special he’s not meant to get involved?
I think it’s a knee jerk reaction from Craig, he overhears that Neil is planning to try and overturn his conviction and for Craig that’s the worst news possible. In the current mindset he’s in everything gets on top of him and he has to let it it out so he goes straight to the Platts and tells Bethany. It’s spur of the moment, he’s not thinking of the consequences of his actions until afterwards.
Is it Craig’s need to protect Bethany that is getting in the way of his job?
Yes, he’s still trying to look after Bethany, he’s broken the rules for her once so why not do it again.
How does Craig feel when his DC discovers he’s divulged this information, does he start to panic?
He does panic because as much as he wants Bethany to be safe the other thing he wants is to be a police officer, his application has been sent off so he’s under scrutiny at work and when they realise he’s made this mistake he could lose everything. When DC Leigh tells him to take some time off as he’s too emotionally involved that hits Craig really hard, in his head he has this battle between Bethany and his job and which he wants more, that pressure really starts to build up inside Craig.
Is the stress of this situation exacerbating Craig’s OCD?
Definitely, Craig becomes more frantic in his rituals than usual, he starts getting more worked up and because of that he’s doing his rituals wrong so having to go back to the beginning and do them again. It’s really starting to get on top of Craig so when the police then come round to ask questions about Andy (the flat was his last known address) it’s the worst possible time for Craig, DC Leigh has already had a go at him about talking to Bethany, he’s then had a go at Bethany, he’s feeling angry about it all and everything builds up as he tries to complete his rituals.
As Craig is doing his rituals is he aware that what he’s doing is unusual?
I think now in Craig’s head he has an understanding that what he’s doing is unusual but to him it is his normal and he just has to get it done. The more normal he can make it for himself, the more normal it becomes. He’s got this ongoing battle with needing to do his rituals, but not knowing he’s got OCD so not really knowing what the battle is and why he has to do this. He’s trying to protect Bethany, his job, protect himself and he thinks that the rituals are going to do that.
How does he feel when everyone is banging at the door as he’s trying to complete his rituals?
It’s the worst possible thing for Craig, when he’s doing a ritual he can’t get distracted and there’s banging on the doors, the buzzer going off, people shouting from outside, it’s all just pressure building on top of him. Craig is close to the point of a breakdown but without knowing it he’s saved by Bethany who bursts into the flat. He keeps doing his rituals in front of her but she can see something is wrong and he can see he’s scared her. But then when he’s done his rituals he calms down. Bethany takes him home and tells Beth what she’s seen and it’s Maria who suggests he could have OCD.
How does the suggestion that he could have OCD hit him?
It’s tough for Craig, when he sees the doctor and he says he thinks it’s OCD it’s almost relief, what he has is an illness and he’s going to get help. Craig is so confused by what’s going on in his head and at this point when everyone knows there’s something wrong with him he feels worse than ever. But when the OCD is explained to him while it’s a worry it’s also a relief to have some understanding.
Bethany then speaks to the DC on Craig’s behalf, to try and explain what he did, how does Craig feel about her getting involved?
In Craig’s head he wants to make it as a police officer by himself because he’s earned it, so when he finds out that Bethany has gone behind his back and spoken to DC Leigh, Craig instantly worries. He doesn’t know what people are saying about him and a thought in his head that he doesn’t have an answer to is the worst thing in the world for Craig. He starts worrying that DC Leigh will have told everyone, that they’re all laughing at him, but that’s Craig catastrophizing everything that happens to him in his head. Any idea he gets his anxiety plays up to it and he immediately thinks the worst, he can’t see that Bethany is trying to help him as it’s clouded by the OCD.
How are you finding playing this storyline after working alongside MIND?
It’s a really tough storyline to play but I’ve really enjoyed getting involved in the process, meeting sufferers and the charities who have supported the development of the storyline. It’s such an important issue to highlight, when Kate our producer told me Craig was going to have OCD I had an idea in my head of what I thought that meant but I didn’t realise the extent that it can be almost disabling to someone and the effect that it can have on somebody’s life. It’s a really important storyline for Corrie to do and I’m really proud to be part of it. Hopefully it will raise awareness and help OCD become a less stigmatised illness.
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4 comments:
The very real social and medical issues that Corrie addresses have to be dramatically interesting as well as accurate. Some viewers may identify with this issue and feel supported. I get that, but the other aim surely is to highlight it for all viewers. As well as educating, Corrie must entertain. Two problems with this storyline from a dramatic point of view: one is that Craig is not sufficiently compelling for us to be interested in his situation; the second is more awkward to say - the actor isn't great. A third problem might be that Craig and Bethany's relationship/friendship has never been believable. On top of that, I'm betting a new police recruit would have been assigned well away from his neighbourhood to keep clear boundaries between social networks and the job or, at least, transferred when problems started emerging.
I agree with everything you say except for the comment about the actor. I think that Colson Smith has done an excellent job with his role right from his first entrance in the Street.
I agree with everything Humpty says, including the comment about the actor not being great. He isn't. But maybe he will improve with time, he's still only young.
I’m afraid he hasn’t done an excellent job at all, Popcorn. Craig is (or can be) an appealing character but Colson’s lack of proper training has been painfully evident from the start. I think he is improving, but this OCD storyline isn’t allowing him to shine.
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