Coronation Street Blog: Inside Soap Awards contenders Patti Clare and Ian Bartholomew talk exclusively to Inside Soap Magazine

PATTI CLARE – FUNNIEST PERFORMANCE NOMINEE

Corrie star Patti Clare is desperate for her character Mary to meet her TV crush Ben Shephard – and has even suggested a story to get him to the cobbles:

“We have to get him on!” she told Inside Soap. “Ben could be passing through, and pop into Preston’s Petals to buy some flowers, just as Mary is having a really bad day. But nobody will believe her when she says he’s been there!”

And while it remains to be seen if Mary will meet her idol, off-screen Patti will soon be face-to-face with Ben: “The Tipping Point people have invited me on as Patti this October for a charity version of the show, which is fantastic!” she says.

Meanwhile, Patti was delighted with her nomination as Funniest Performance in this year’s the Inside Soap Awards:

“It’s lovely, especially after the year we’ve had,” she says. “Awards are important as they give a sense of normality that things are continuing, especially if you imagine that so much has been cancelled. It has kind of filled me with hope!”

IAN BARTHOLOMEW - BEST ACTOR, BEST VILLAIN, BEST SHOWSTOPPER NOMINEE

Corrie villain Ian Bartholomew has revealed his son his own son has boycotted Corrie because his character Geoff is so awful!

“My son who is 12 has said, “No dad, I can’t watch you being horrible to our friend Shelley [King aka Geoff’s wife Yasmeen]”. He’s seen me doing loads of stuff, including Half A Sixpence in the West End and other plays in London, so he knows what I do – yet he just couldn’t quite get his head round me wanting to play Geoff. When he grows up, he’ll realise that a job is just a job!”

But he hinted that – much to his son’s relief – the end may be nigh for Geoff:

“We love to hate a baddie, and see someone like Geoff get his comeuppance, so I suspect that he will,” he says. “Let’s be honest – Geoff is going to get it!”

Read the full interviews in the latest issue of
Inside Soap magazine, on sale now

Glenda Young

Author of gritty, family saga novels with Headline