Coronation Street Blog: Alan Halsall interview: Cassie goes off the rails

In the week that Cassie goes off the rails and is found collapsed by Hope and Tyrone, Alan Halsall talks about why Tyrone is so keen to make this relationship with his mum work, if there is any way Evelyn and Tyrone can makeup and how he still loves every day on the cobbles after 25 years.

How has Tyrone been feeling since he found his mum? Has it been a bit of a roller coaster?

Without a doubt it has been a rollercoaster. I think he's just completely confused by the whole situation. He’s been told so many things throughout his life, in terms of Jackie Dobbs not being his mum and thinking his mum was dead. Now she just turns up on his doorstep. He's got so much going on with the kids and the garage, Fiz and everything else. And then this has just completely thrown him. And I don't think he knows where to turn or who to turn to right now.

Was he a bit naive when he thought okay, I'll take her in? Do you think he's sort of had a bit of rose tinted spectacles about how he thought this might turn out?

He was totally naive about the situation. Tyrone always likes to try and see the best in people and generally gets hurt by it. But he's just found out at the age of 40 that his mum is alive and she's right here and of course he wants to get to know her and everything else and has kind of dismissed all the warnings that he's been given by Evelyn etc. He has dismissed it because his heart's telling him that that's his mum and he wants a relationship.

Obviously, he and his nana were very close. And as a consequence of this situation, they're not at the moment, is he missing having Evelyn around?

I think so because I think very quickly Tyrone and Evelyn’s had this relationship where it was the first real family that he had had after so many years, that he just gravitated everything towards Evelyn and even though he rolled his eyes every week, over something she said or something she did, she was a real big strength for Tyrone. I think he feels really betrayed by this situation because he opened up so much to Evelyn and to find out she lied to him about his mum has hurt him so much, even though she said she tried to protect him. But you know, essentially, I think he is missing her guidance, he is missing everything about her really because, like I say even though he rolls his eyes every week, he absolutely loves her.

Probably if he stopped to think about it, he would realise why she'd done what she did and why she made such an effort with him, wouldn't he?

Obviously Tyrone's only getting part of the story, and of course Evelyn can be quite guarded and closed off about a things and therefore it is hard to piece it together. If you think about all those years and years and years of what she was going through with Cassie and she was still trying to help her and in some ways she's trying to rectify it all through Tyrone and the girls but Tyrone just can't quite see that yet. He feels betrayed by Evelyn at the moment. In terms of not understanding why she would lie to him if she's supposed to love him. He can't quite see that. There was a lot of love involved in those lies and probably a lot of pain for Evelyn too.

Has he any idea that Cassie has been lying to him or does he trust her or is he doing that Tyrone thing of just trying to ignore what he might be suspicious about?

He's really trying to have an open mind and open heart. But also he does have Evelyn’s warning and advice or in the back of his mind so is always a bit curious, but he wants it to work. I think that's the thing, it is not so much what he thinks as what he wants. He really wants it to work more than anything and therefore he's willing to dismiss things because he kind of needs it or wants it so badly to work.

Why does he offer Cassie the job at the garage? Does he really think that that's a good idea?

It is a couple of things really. One can keep his eye on her at the garage and he knows where she is. Obviously he's not going to say that to Cassie. He also feels that she needs something to do. I think he's so fearful that Cassie will just slip back into her old life if she has too much time on her hands. The job gives her something to do, a sense of purpose and obviously she is close to him all the time. It's a real role reversal in a way of him kind of becoming the parent of Cassie if you like and and trying to keep an eye on her and trying to do what's best for her, you know, even though it makes his day a bit tougher at work.

The girls are coming back this week. Is he worried that he is putting them at risk?

That is a real consideration for Tyrone of course. At the moment he is a single parent with Fiz away. And he's obviously allowing this woman, who no one really knows very well, to be around the girls, just because she's his biological mum. And he really does consider that an awful lot. But he glosses over so many things because he wants it so badly to work, he just wants to have his mum around and for her to be a good Nan to the kids.

So how does he feel when Michael tells him about what happened when he took Cassie to the hospital, then Abi confirming that the guy that Cassie was talking to is in fact a drug dealer.

To be honest, it really winds him up because I think he kind of knows something like this is liable to happen and he is desperate for it not to happen. So then when he hears that things like this are going on he’s devastated and is probably a bit embarrassed. He knows that Evelyn told him this type of thing would happen and he gets a bit bullish with Evelyn because he doesn't want to let her know that she was right. He's really confused about where to turn. He would probably turn to Fiz but he doesn't want to worry her whilst she is away and then after that it would probably turn to Evelyn but he doesn't really want to tell her that she was right all along because he still wants to make it all work. He just feels really lost in the whole thing and doesn't know where to turn for advice.

Abi is someone that is advising him a little bit. Does he think that she might be able to help the situation?

Initially when Tyrone invites Abi and Kevin around, Cassie isn’t very happy that he is introducing her to another former drug user and she is right about why he wants Abi around. Tyrone doesn't really have any understanding of drug abuse or anything like that. And so Abi could be somebody that he could speak to or even Kevin, I would say more so about how he's helped Abi so could advise Tyrone. Because he doesn't really have many other places to turn or even just want somebody else around to talk to about Cassie because obviously it's still a strange relationship and quite awkward they still probably have not got a great deal in common right now, just because they are blood relatives doesn't mean they will immediately have an easy relationship . He needs his friends and Abi and Kev are probably the best people to help him because of their past history.

What happens when they find Cassie collapsed. What's sort of going through his mind at that point?

It's actually Hope that finds Cassie collapsed and of course therefore, Tyrone’s devastated for many reasons. His mum is on the floor collapsed and needs an ambulance which is scary for everyone. He doesn't really know what's going on but is also trying to protect Hope and what she's seen. He also feels let down and betrayed by his Mum, she had promised him that everything was going to be alright. It's a real whirlwind of emotions and Tyrone is so shocked by it all because even in the back of his mind, he probably thought something like this could happen. He also wanted to believe so much that he wouldn't. His first concern is Hope and worrying about what she's seen and how she's dealt with it. What he really doesn't quite understand is why she's gone back to using drugs. He doesn't understand why when she has found him and everything is better in her life she has still gone back to the drugs. And he doesn't really understand drug abuse and of course this was what Evelyn was trying to say to him.

Why does he agree then to go to the support group with her because he must be angry with her at this stage?

Oh he's definitely angry with her at that stage but he doesn’t hesitate to agree because he's so desperate to make this work and to help her. He's also not wanting to upset her anymore. So she kind of puts him in a position of’ please come with me, it will help’. And again Tyrone being the big hearted kind of guy that he does want to do that. He puts all anger to one side because obviously thinks that that will help if he goes along. And obviously, Abi going as well, makes it a little bit more comfortable for him that it's not just him and Cassie going. It's just him putting his thoughts and feelings to one side. He thinks that this might actually be the spark that might be something that helps. Because of this wanting it to work he's willing to try anything

Does he believe what she says at the support group?

Yes he does because it's probably the first time that she has spoken in front of Tyrone about what's going on. Other than the few things Evelyn has said he has nothing else to believe so he does take what she is saying at face value. He's completely taken in by it. He also feels very sad for her and sorry for what she went through and he gets gets angry because he's confused how Evelyn let those kind of things go on. He believes that because Evelyn has never told him the full story.

Is there any way back for Tyrone and Evelyn?

I do think so. For Tyrone the last five years having Evelyn in his life has been huge and they always got on really well. He looks up to her as an advisor and loves her. I think he just feels betrayed, but there's something that I do know about Tyrone is that he can forgive people and you know, I think he would, he absolutely wants to all the way through. He wants Evelyn in his life and wants to forgive. They have moments when you think they are going to be friends again when he hears what Evelyn is saying and wants to take it on board. But then Cassie says something that changes in his mind. And he really is torn because for the first time in a long time he's got two family members telling him something and he just doesn't know where to turn with it. His absolute dream would be to have the four generations under one roof and the four generations together as a family.

This year is your 25th in the show, are you enjoying this part of Tyrone's life? And are you enjoying this storyline working with Maureen and Claire?

Honestly, it's brilliant Tyrone started off with not a single family member. We saw him move in as a squatter in Curly's house and as a lodger with Jack, Vera so now to have this kind of multi generational family living at number 9 Coronation Street is incredible. Even now 25 years on, you pinch yourself and think wow, how's this happened? Yeah, I love it. And I love this storyline, going through all these emotions of Tyrone finding out all these things and working with brilliant actors not not just Maureen and Claire, but also obviously Jennie who I have spent most of my life with there and with the two girls who are just brilliant. So yeah, in all honesty, I say this all the time, I love it. I love every single day at work.

Glenda Young

Novelist published by Headline