Coronation Street Blog: Colson Smith interview: Can Craig bring Ray down?

Craig has had his suspicions about Faye recently, tell us what he thinks happened the night Adam was attacked.

Craig has single-handedly taken it upon himself to be the one to discover who attacked Adam and when Faye is so against Craig arresting Gary, Craig feels there must be more to it than just the brother/sister relationship. Craig tries to get to the bottom of why Faye is so sure that Gary is innocent but he doesn’t really get very far, he ends up chasing his tail because he can’t get any information out of Faye. He is aware that Faye is acting sheepish but Craig does think it is Gary because in his mind, Gary has been caught red-handed.

What goes through Craig’s head when Faye drops the bombshell that she was the one who attacked Adam? She also tells him what happened with Ray.

It is an difficult one because at the same time she confesses about attacking Adam she also tells him about what happened with Ray so it’s quite a compromise for Craig because on one hand he is thinking about his job as she has confessed a crime and on the other hand he is thinking about his friend and someone he really likes being taken advantage of which she has been by Ray. Craig is caught in a really sticky position and he says to Faye that he is there for her and he will do whatever she thinks is right. He supports Faye and tells her what happened to her was wrong and that has always been a strong part of Craig’s character, he has always had a moral compass. Craig understands that what Faye did to Adam was wrong but what has happened to Faye with Ray is also wrong.

As Craig has such a strong moral compass, does it cross his mind to turn in Faye himself?

He is definitely struggling with what she has just told him. I am not sure if Craig would have ever turned Faye in but it is such a tough position for him because he has been very close to the borderline of mixing work with people he knows on the street and now it involves someone who he has a really close relationship with, he is in a real bind.

Faye decides to go to the police herself. How does Craig feel when Tim accuses him of forcing Faye’s hand to get a promotion?

I can completely see where Tim is coming from because from the outside perspective looking in, it does look like Craig is being a busybody and he is trying to score points. However it is just Craig trying to do the right thing. Because Craig is a character with so many morals, he is getting himself in worse situations because he is trying to do the right thing as a police officer but also trying to do the right thing as a resident of Coronation Street which is impossible! Finding a happy balance as a police officer on that street is not possible.

Craig tells Faye that he will stand by her. Even though Faye has confessed that she cheated on Craig, do you think their relationship is strong enough to get through this?

I don’t think that Craig cares that she cheated on him at all, I think the thing that Craig cares about is that he wasn’t there to stop what happened to her with Ray. Craig takes a lot of responsibility and especially with girls and people he is close with after what happened with Bethany - Craig beat himself up so much about that fact that he didn’t stop Bethany from being assaulted and so when something similar has now happened to Faye, he thinks again that she should have been there and that she should have done something. Craig rarely thinks about himself and he makes selfless decisions and he won’t let Ray get away with this. He has never liked Ray and now this is the nail in the coffin.

With Craig’s moral compass and the dynamic between him and Faye, what has this storyline been like to play?

It’s been great to work with Ellie Leach again because the last time we properly worked together will have been when we were fourteen when Faye was having a baby. From then, the characters lost touch a little bit but were always friends in the background. Now, they are at the forefront of this storyline together, it has been good to revisit their friendship and their relationship because Ellie and I have always enjoyed working together and we always will. Working with your friends is a massive plus! The story has been interesting because we have seen Craig as a character with Faye and then we have seen him as a police officer with Faye and the two are very different. It has been difficult for Craig because he doesn’t want to do some of the stuff he does but he is so by the book that he has to do the right thing and that’s why he rarely thinks about himself. It has been really interesting to see that challenge for Craig and I think that is going to be a theme of things to come for him.

Craig was gunning for Ray prior to this, now you have said it is the nail in the coffin for him. Should Ray be worried?

Yes, Craig versus Ray is heavily on. Craig is on to Ray and he is definitely coming for him. But again, Craig has to do things the right way. Tim, as Faye’s dad, is going to want to go round and knock Ray’s block off and that is what Craig would want to do too but he can’t, he has to do it by the book which I am sure, in the long run, will work out a lot better for Craig because he will get Ray properly but he has to bite his tongue for now.

Glenda Young

Author of gritty, family saga novels with Headline