I travelled to Coronation Street Studios in Manchester to hear all about her vision for the show, and to find out about her plans for characters and storylines going into 2025.
Kate had so much to share, that I've divided it up into six blogs. This one is dedicated to her insights regarding the Websters.
Those not wishing to read any spoilers should look away now.
"So, I love the Websters," says Kate. "They're just brilliant. It's Kevin and Sally, they're at the heart of it, you've got Tim, you've got Abi; they're a great character group."
"So, as we go into the New Year, Kevin will discover that he's got testicular cancer which causes a massive strain on his relationship. Obviously Abi's a really strong character, but she's going through her own turmoil at the same time. We want to tell this really truthfully. We've been working really closely with Macmillan Cancer Support to make sure that we tell the story right."
"It was really important we don't show him being embarrassed or being reticent to talk to his friends about it, and he's quite open about it, which I felt was quite refreshing. So, he talks to Tim and Steve and people like that, and they obviously all have their own inimitable style in how they handle it. But ultimately it's about his relationship with Abi and that is going to be truly truly tested."
"As I kind of alluded to, Abi is going through her own situation as she struggles in the aftermath of a big event that happens in January. She loves Kevin and he loves her, but temptation comes Abi's way, let's put it that way."
Kate also revealed, "We've got Carl Webster coming into the show, who is Kevin and Debbie's brother. He's not returning, we've never seen him before. So, he's coming in to build up that Webster clan." With the actor not cast at the time of interview, Kate told us, "it's very early days."
The rumoured departure of Debbie Webster via a long-running and heartbreaking dementia storyline hadn't been reported at the time of this interview. While Kate did mention "big stories" coming up for Debbie and Kevin in the context of the Websters, nothing besides his testicular cancer story was mentioned on the day. A petition to save Debbie, and by extension, actress Sue Devaney, was launched in the aftermath.
I am among those who feel Debbie has been an underused breath of fresh air who offers the perfect opportunity to celebrate everything that is great about traditional Corrie characters by putting her front and centre. She is probably one of the most obvious vehicles for showing the best of the Street, and so I sincerely hope that if there is a big story for Debbie in 2025, that it will be an upbeat, positive and entertaining one.
Read more from our interview here:
By Emma Hynes
Read all about my recent trip to Coronation Street in A Rover Returns.
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