A face from Carla's past has arrived on Coronation Street in the form of savvy businessman Lucas. Determined to win Carla's affections, Lucas has already tried to persuade her to go for a weekend away, but will he return to try again? Actor Glen Wallace told us about who Lucas is, and what part he played in Carla's life previously.
"[Lucas] is a very successful businessman, he's very alpha-male," said Glen. "I think he's on the front foot, he's very proactive and I think this whole move up to Manchester and coming to meet Carla is very decisive. It's not with any malicious undertones, it's a case of he's no longer willing to miss out on life's opportunities, and I think he sees Carla as one of life's opportunities that he's definitely not going to let go."
Carla and Lucas first met on a night-out in Devon, not long after Carla moved there after her failed marriage with Nick Tilsley. "I think Lucas would look upon it as twin flames, a soulmate, someone who he's had an instant connection with," said Glen. While the specifics of their relationship in Devon remains unclear, the chemistry between them told us that they were extremely close.
Upon his return, Lucas has jumped the gun and booked a hotel for him and Carla to spend the weekend together. However, last night's episode showed Carla have a change of heart as she decided not to go with him. This doesn't put Lucas off though, and he will return with a different approach. "I think it's dented his ego that she didn't come, but I think it's given him the time of going, 'No, hold on a second, I'm not going to let this go', and then he goes in with a slightly softer approach," Glen told us.
"It's funny because you obviously shoot your first couple of episodes and then you don't pick up your next set of scripts and I've had to go to [Alison King], 'So did you come with me or did you not?' I didn't know for a week or two whether we had gone off!"
Viewers also learnt last night that Lucas's girlfriend, Lucy, passed away from a drugs overdose. Glen said: "There's parallels between [Carla's] relationship with Peter and Lucas's with Lucy. He's gone through that relationship of being a caring partner and looking after someone who is addicted to something. He's saying, 'Look, I've been there, I don't want you to do what I did'. Business or personal life, I don't think he takes no for an answer. I think he can see a real future with Carla. He can see it and he knows it."
Of course, Carla does have Peter to think about, and their history together is sure to complicate Carla's decision on who she wants to be with. However, Lucas is unaware of their history, and so just sees Peter as an obstacle. Glen said: "The fans and I may know the backstory, [but] Lucas isn't going to know that, Lucas doesn't care. There's no love lost between him and Peter."
It's no secret that Carla and Peter are one of Coronation Street's most loved couples, but is there a possibility that Lucas is better suited for Carla? "Lucas has the capacity to ask Carla the questions about herself and about relationships that maybe she hasn't been asked before, or that people didn't want to ask. He's going, 'I'm a clean slate, I want this to work'."
Lucas will return to Weatherfield on a recurring basis, and Glen explained that Lucas certainly has the potential to stick around long-term. "I think there's legs in the character, but I also think there's legs in the relationship with Carla. Even with Peter, I think he has the capacity to maybe get under his skin a little bit."
Talking about any characters Glen would love to share screen time with, he said: "I wouldn't mind having a wee pint with Ken in the Rovers. I don't know if he'd welcome me with the amount of trouble that I may or may not be about to cause, but I think he'd have some great stories."
With Carla's relationship with Peter hanging in the balance, will Lucas be successful in winning Carla's heart?
Sophie Williams
I'm on Twitter @soph_writer
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