Weatherfield Precinct Exclusive! - Corrie Blog Chat with Colson Smith

Wandering around the new Weatherfield Precinct set, I must have taken countless photos, a lot of the new set, and having a free pass to roam this brand-new two-storey building, we did just that. Stood on the balcony and admiring the view of the new playground, the shops, and the beautiful mural/recycle bin combo, I spied Colson Smith (Craig Tinker) presenting the Coronation Street social media video. A tall figure in real life, and considering I'd just visited Weatherfield Police Station, I envisaged Craig being quite imposing when making those numerous arrests on the show. 

Aside from the countless other media interviews he appeared to do, we managed to grab Colson for a quick chat about this new area of Weatherfield, Craig's favourite shop, and if he will be making any arrests on this precinct in future.

What do you think of the new set? 

Really exciting! they've been watering it down to see where the puddles land. It’s mad, isn't it? As viewers, we’ve already imagined what this looks like, only now do we see it. The stories are already being written, and we do a good job of making brand-new things look old! They've tarmacked it, there’s graffiti everywhere (that's those murals), and it's got that Weatherfield look to it - very weathered! We never had that space at Granada, but here, we've had two extensions in five years. It still has that feel, that it's in Weatherfield, and when a character takes over a shop or a unit, it will feel like part of the show. 

Craig Tinker likes Sweety Nuff! on Weatherfield Precinct

What would Craig’s favourite shop be? 

Sweety Nuff - definitely. Although he would have spent his younger days in the bakery. It's got that ginnel as well, which means crime, it has to be good news for Craig. I imagine this has always been a part of his beat -it will be interesting to see what happens. It's also a good set in having that bit of cover (under the balcony) as a lot of the time, filming outdoors, we are constantly exposed to the Manchester weather! 

Inside Weatherfield Cop Shop! Image @rybazoxo

Spider is currently an undercover policeman. How do you think Craig would manage undercover? 

Would he be good or bad? Knowing Craig, I doubt he would be the best undercover cop in the world. -I would love to see it, though! There is room to get him out of the uniform and into plain clothes. It could not be on the street as everyone knows him!

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Thank you Colson for chatting with the Corrie blog. Keep following us for more Weatherfield precinct content, fan chat, and my 'behind-the-scenes' bonus blog post coming soon. 

I am @rybazoxo your Coronation Street blogger and Cobbles conossieur. Thank you @sophie_writer1 for asking the questions. 

Please keep following the blog for more Weatherfield Precinct content, over Christmas and into 2023. 

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Corrie Blog reviews Colson Smith’s ‘Bored Of Being The Fat Kid’

As the first Coronavirus lockdown took its grip of the nation in early 2020, Coronation Street gave us an online treat and feel good fun when Corrie’s Craig Tinker Aka Colson Smith presented the 10-part YouTube series, ‘Corrie Good News' sharing fan pictures, tweets, artwork, interviews, and general praise for the show. Colson’s cheeky-chappie persona and natural chemistry with the online audience worked wonders in cheering us all up and alleviating some boredom. 

During this time it was noticed that Colson had shed some weight and was looking visibly different. The actor shared images online in June 2020 of his fitness regime with the subsequent online column inches and TV interviews praising his success. Whilst filming was halted for Corrie, I assumed Colson had hit a fitness regime upon lockdown in March (remember Joe Wicks!)  but it seems he started as early as January 2020. Like all of us, he had no idea that Covid-19 was about to ravage the planet, so this candid and soul-bearing video diary/documentary journey ‘ Bored Of Being The Fat Kid’  is all the more impressive. I mean, we all had ideas didn't we, at the start of lockdown, but I wonder how many people did something about it? 

Premiering on June 2nd via Youtube, ‘Bored Of Being The Fat Kid’  is directed by TV director Tim Royle  (Coronation Street and Emmerdale) and Colson is interviewed on film by his Corrie co-star Ben Price (Nick Tilsley). The film's synopsis written by Colson explains more; 

'Originally I planned on just watching this film alone in my bedroom one day and almost saying ‘Well Done Colson’ but now I feel I have the chance to maybe help someone else who was in the same position as me.

The documentary is all about my experiences with running, Food, Fitness & weight loss. 

The reason I decided to made the film is it’s my chance to tell my truth in my way. In the past 14 months, I've learnt so much about myself, most of this learnt while wearing my trainers and pounding the pavement. 

Back in January 2020, I thought it would be a good idea to start documenting some of my days in order to keep motivated and to look back on one day. 12 months later we started putting that together to make a short film; Bored Of Being The Fat Kid'

The film's director Tim Royle. Pic @whitenosugartv

So is it any good? 

In an image-led industry, where it’s more noticeable when women lose weight, Colson putting his head above the parapet is certainly admirable and gives a fresh and insightful narrative. Taking Craig Tinker’s fictional drive to use weight as grounding, Colson takes us on his off-screen journey of losing weight, how he broke acting as the ‘fat ginger kid’ aged 11 and how social media trolling made him change his whole image, aged 22. 

At 17 he went on a diet for the NTA’s, with some success, but then immediately returned to unhealthy takeaways, and in this film, Colson addresses his relationship with food and the regaining of control. Acquiring a life coach, the actor initially weighed 22 stone, and by changing his diet and incorporating a fitness regime, the effects soon became apparent. Although lockdown could have been a curveball, and a perfect excuse to stop, Colson started running, and lost an initial 5 stone, before further weight dropped off. 

Being naturally thin and short myself, I’ve never knowingly had a weight problem (although thin people do get them) however, as a former boozer ( I quit drinking having been inspired by Peter Barlow’s relapse) the self-improvement, self-reflection and that need to change, is instantly recognisable, relatable, and very familiar. I’d imagine ITV must be looking at making a full-length version of this short film, but in the meantime, 11 minutes is a perfectly palatable length!

Colson cheered us all up with Corrie Good News, and with his latest film ‘Bored Of Being The Fat Kid’. he’s done it again! Well done, Colson, this is a very inspiring film! 

Watch it the film HERE

@rybazoxo

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Colson Smith Interview: Craig's mental health and working with MIND

When Craig hears that Neil may be about to mount an appeal against his conviction why does Craig tell Bethany? Surely as a police special he’s not meant to get involved?
I think it’s a knee jerk reaction from Craig, he overhears that Neil is planning to try and overturn his conviction and for Craig that’s the worst news possible. In the current mindset he’s in everything gets on top of him and he has to let it it out so he goes straight to the Platts and tells Bethany. It’s spur of the moment, he’s not thinking of the consequences of his actions until afterwards.

Is it Craig’s need to protect Bethany that is getting in the way of his job?
Yes, he’s still trying to look after Bethany, he’s broken the rules for her once so why not do it again.

How does Craig feel when his DC discovers he’s divulged this information, does he start to panic?
He does panic because as much as he wants Bethany to be safe the other thing he wants is to be a police officer, his application has been sent off so he’s under scrutiny at work and when they realise he’s made this mistake he could lose everything. When DC Leigh tells him to take some time off as he’s too emotionally involved that hits Craig really hard, in his head he has this battle between Bethany and his job and which he wants more, that pressure really starts to build up inside Craig.

Is the stress of this situation exacerbating Craig’s OCD?
Definitely, Craig becomes more frantic in his rituals than usual, he starts getting more worked up and because of that he’s doing his rituals wrong so having to go back to the beginning and do them again. It’s really starting to get on top of Craig so when the police then come round to ask questions about Andy (the flat was his last known address) it’s the worst possible time for Craig, DC Leigh has already had a go at him about talking to Bethany, he’s then had a go at Bethany, he’s feeling angry about it all and everything builds up as he tries to complete his rituals.

As Craig is doing his rituals is he aware that what he’s doing is unusual?
I think now in Craig’s head he has an understanding that what he’s doing is unusual but to him it is his normal and he just has to get it done. The more normal he can make it for himself, the more normal it becomes. He’s got this ongoing battle with needing to do his rituals, but not knowing he’s got OCD so not really knowing what the battle is and why he has to do this. He’s trying to protect Bethany, his job, protect himself and he thinks that the rituals are going to do that.

How does he feel when everyone is banging at the door as he’s trying to complete his rituals?
It’s the worst possible thing for Craig, when he’s doing a ritual he can’t get distracted and there’s banging on the doors, the buzzer going off, people shouting from outside, it’s all just pressure building on top of him. Craig is close to the point of a breakdown but without knowing it he’s saved by Bethany who bursts into the flat. He keeps doing his rituals in front of her but she can see something is wrong and he can see he’s scared her. But then when he’s done his rituals he calms down. Bethany takes him home and tells Beth what she’s seen and it’s Maria who suggests he could have OCD.

How does the suggestion that he could have OCD hit him?   
It’s tough for Craig, when he sees the doctor and he says he thinks it’s OCD it’s almost relief, what he has is an illness and he’s going to get help. Craig is so confused by what’s going on in his head and at this point when everyone knows there’s something wrong with him he feels worse than ever. But when the OCD is explained to him while it’s a worry it’s also a relief to have some understanding.

Bethany then speaks to the DC on Craig’s behalf, to try and explain what he did, how does Craig feel about her getting involved?
In Craig’s head he wants to make it as a police officer by himself because he’s earned it, so when he finds out that Bethany has gone behind his back and spoken to DC Leigh, Craig instantly worries. He doesn’t know what people are saying about him and a thought in his head that he doesn’t have an answer to is the worst thing in the world for Craig. He starts worrying that DC Leigh will have told everyone, that they’re all laughing at him, but that’s Craig catastrophizing everything that happens to him in his head. Any idea he gets his anxiety plays up to it and he immediately thinks the worst, he can’t see that Bethany is trying to help him as it’s clouded by the OCD.

How are you finding playing this storyline after working alongside MIND?
It’s a really tough storyline to play but I’ve really enjoyed getting involved in the process, meeting sufferers and the charities who have supported the development of the storyline. It’s such an important issue to highlight, when Kate our producer told me Craig was going to have OCD I had an idea in my head of what I thought that meant but I didn’t realise the extent that it can be almost disabling to someone and the effect that it can have on somebody’s life. It’s a really important storyline for Corrie to do and I’m really proud to be part of it. Hopefully it will raise awareness and help OCD become a less stigmatised illness.   

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The real-life story behind Craig's OCD Corrie storyline

Colson Smith, who plays Craig Tinker in Coronation Street, was interviewed today on ITV's This Morning.  He was there to talk about Craig's current storyline in Corrie where we've seen Craig struggling with the onset of his obsessive, compulsive behaviour.

It’s a condition that affects almost 750,000 people in the UK, but it’s also one of the country’s most misunderstood illnesses. Obsessive compulsive disorder is more than just extreme tidiness - and no one knows that better than Richard Taylor who provided the inspiration for Colson Smith’s portrayal of OCD in Corrie.

At just 19, Richard was housebound for nine months: dropping to a dangerously low weight; battling with suicidal thoughts; and unable to peel himself from his bed for fear of contamination. Colson joins us to explain why he wanted to get his portrayal of Corrie copper, Craig Tinker, just right. Alongside him is Richard, who hopes the soap’s hard-hitting storyline will help others in the future.

Colson says: "It’s fascinating how it takes different forms. How it’s seen in the public needs to change. The stigma needs to go.

You can watch the full video interview here.

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Colson Smith interview: Craig's OCD storyline

How did you prepare for this storyline?
Coronation Street helped me meet an OCD sufferer called Richard and it was very emotional to hear everything he had been through and how it affects his day to day life. I asked him questions about how to portray his OCD because I wanted it to come across well and realistic on screen. It was really helpful to speak to Richard and he shared his story with me and I was able to relate it to Craig’s journey.

Tell us about Craig’s OCD.
Craig has ritual OCD. It started off on screen as Craig looking at his watch and only being able to leave on even numbers but now it has developed in to these rituals which we see Craig having to perform to leave the house. The charity I met and Richard both said that although cleanliness is OCD and it is disabling and it is awful, they would rather us go against the OCD stereotype. Some people watching will question why he is doing that but it is OCD, it’s the illness and people do have to live their lives like that.

What was the trigger for Craig’s OCD?
The starting point was that Craig saw the dead body of Lara on the railway tracks and he wasn’t prepared to see that, he only wanted to see her because he thought she was Bethany. Later that day there was the court case and it was Craig’s turn to speak in court but he got the time wrong when being questioned. So ever since then he has started by drawing twenty four hour clocks and developed an obsession with time. This then developed into an obsession with even numbers and now it has come to this ritual that he has to perform.

Does Craig realise how serious his OCD has become?
Craig feels like this is completely normal but when the routine gets broken or he has to start again the feeling is frustration because he feels, “Why can’t I do this? What is wrong with me?” He has to keep doing the ritual and doing the ritual until he can complete it.

How does Craig feel when Jess suggests that if he’s not careful he’ll become a corrupt officer like Neil?
Jess says to Craig that his is how Neil started off because he has bent the rules and that’s really hard for Craig because Neil raped his girlfriend and that’s not what Craig thinks he is doing at all. He thinks that Jess has gone too far and it throws him so he has to do the rituals because he feels like Neil is going to do something to Bethany or something bad is going to happen to Bethany again.

What happens when Craig realises he is late for his date with Bethany?
Craig is meant to be meeting Bethany later but everything just goes wrong, for example the phone is ringing and someone is buzzing him so the ritual goes wrong and he loses count. Everything is just going downhill then he realises he has missed the date with Bethany but he has to get back into his ritual because he just can’t stop doing it.

What's Craig’s reaction when Liam sees him performing his rituals?
Craig tries to brush it off by describing what he is doing and he would never say that to an adult but because it is Liam, Craig lets his guard slip.  Craig tells Liam that when he is doing the rituals, he is keeping people safe.  From that, we know what Craig means in his head but Liam took it as Craig is a superhero so Craig goes along with that he has magical powers.

How does Craig feel that someone now knows about his OCD?
It’s agreed that it is their secret but that is really hard for Craig because he has to agree to it. Craig should never have to be in that position with a young child because he is relying on him to keep quiet.

Does something change at that moment?
Craig slowly starts to gather with Liam that what he is doing is not normal but he thinks this is what he has got to do. The difficult thing for Craig is that the person he cares about most in the world is Bethany and he thinks that everything he is doing is keeping Bethany safe. He really does believe that.

How would Craig feel if other people found out?
It would concern him because he is trying hard to impress Bethany and be there for her. One of the things that Richard told me was that you know that something is wrong but you don’t know what so you hide it from everyone, even the people closest to you. I have tried to do that in my performance.

What do you hope this storyline will achieve?
I want to do it justice for people who suffer from OCD. I would like to help rid of the stigma of OCD and help people to understand and raise awareness. Hopefully anyone is watching it who recognises the symptoms that Craig has can speak to someone about it or be pointed in the right direction.

What was your reaction when you first read the scripts for this storyline?
I felt excitement because I was looking forward to taking this on and doing it justice and hopefully I will. Both my parents work in mental health so I have talked to them about it and I have also been given advice from Ian Puleston-Davies. I have just read some scripts that made me cry when I read them for the first time.

What’s it like working with Donnaleigh Bailey who plays Jess?
Donnaleigh is brilliant. It’s great to work with someone who was in my position - she was in Doctors when she was my age so she is full of advice and she is really fun to work with. She is very helpful and talks me through a lot of things like being in a soap at a young age.

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Colson Smith interview: Romance for Bethany and Craig

This time of year, the previews come in thick and fast before Christmas and the story of Craig and Bethany's date will be shown the week of December 11th.  You can find out more about it here.

How is Craig and Bethany’s relationship prior to this week?
Craig is very fond of Bethany and he has been for a long while. They got stronger throughout the storyline with Neil and Nathan so Craig feels quite a responsibility to her  and it has developed into a crush. Now it’s got to the point where his emotions are spiralling out of control and he has to do something to win Bethany over before it’s too late.

Is he nervous about making a move?
After everything that’s happened to Bethany he’s quite reserved and he doesn’t want to be too full on with her in case it puts her off.  He cares about Bethany a friend as well as a crush.

Does he worry that if he makes a move and it goes wrong that their friendship will be ruined?
Craig has always been a shy person around people and he’s never really gone at something but it gets to the stage with his feelings that he can’t be awkward anymore and he’s just got to go full leather so he does when he plucks up the courage.

What happens when Bethany approaches Craig and asks him to come round for pizza?
Craig is really scared but he wants to impress her so he gets his best shirt out, gets his hair done and sprays loads of aftershave to impress Bethany and to win her over.

How does Craig feel when he’s knocking on the door of No. 8?
He’s really nervous but he’s got it in his head that this is the right time to tell Bethany. He’s had a pep talk from Beth who told him it was now or never so he’s ready, he’s plucked up the courage. He knocks on the door and thinks that it’s the right time to tell Bethany about his feelings.

What are his thoughts when he’s telling Bethany how he feels?
He puts on a brave front. Obviously he’s awkward already and it’s not the easiest conversation to have for anyone but for Craig it it is even more difficult. But he goes for it and asks her the question...

Do you think that Craig and Bethany are a good match?
Yeah, Craig has looked after Bethany and he’s always been there for her. She hasn’t been very nice to him at times but he’s overlooked that because he’s so mad and crazy for her. Craig would be a good boyfriend to Bethany but I am not sure how Bethany would be to Craig.

What is it about Bethany that Craig likes so much?
They have a good friendship and they are similar ages. They’ve supported each other and have a lot of laughs together.

What do you think the viewers’ reactions will be?
I think the viewers would be really happy if Craig and Bethany got together. It’s been a thing that people have been asking for and it’s two characters that work well together so people enjoy seeing them together on screen. People have sent messages to Lucy and I saying that they want Craig and Bethany to get together.

What is the best thing about working with Lucy Fallon?
We have a laugh together and we get along. We’re probably the only two that are this age in the cast so we have always been close. We’ve had a lot of scenes together in quite a short period of time so it’s great to work with her.

What advice would you give to Craig?
Don’t mess it up!

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