Meanwhile, Kit Green's attempts to impress Daisy Midgeley are failing miserably.
Each with their own troubles, they've somehow ended up spending the night together.
I travelled to Coronation Street Studios for an interview with Julia Goulding who plays Shona to get her take on what's going on for this unexpected pairing. Those who don't wish to read any spoilers should look away now.
“I never expected Shona to cheat on David,” says Julia. “Eight years they've been together, and she's always been faithful; she's literally never looked at another man. But, she was pushed to it.” She adds, “I'm definitely on her side in all of this.”
Noting everything David has done, including gaslighting her, Julia reckons her cheating is “out of pure revenge. I don't think she's necessarily been lusting after Kit. I don't think he's really crossed her radar –she's probably served him a couple of times in Roy's Rolls. She's very loyal. It's absolute revenge.”
Jack P. Shepherd (David Platt) and Julia reportedly argue in defence of their own characters' actions. “From his point of view, I get it,” she says.“But, I'm not coming from his point of view, I'm coming from mine. He's been using her brain injury against her. And also, sorry, this is not the 1950s; a woman is allowed to make her own decisions and not have her husband hide her mail from her. I definitely think he's in the wrong.”
In tonight's episode, we saw Shona accept Kit's invite to his hotel room without it being clear if anything happened between them for the second time. Asked if she thinks Shona would be capable of embarking on a full-blown affair, Julia says, “Well it depends how good that night was, I suppose. She's obviously tempted, because she goes back to the hotel room. It must have been really good. She pops her anorak on, and off she goes!”
What we did see, however, was Shauna arrive home with an injury, and we're told she was hit by a car after emerging from the hotel, resulting in a fractured arm. This means she has to lie to David who thinks she has slept on the sofa for the night after an argument over what her use of the morning-after pill means. For Shona, it was on foot of her secret night with Kit, while oblivious David interprets it as a sign of her not wanting to have another baby with him when she apparently indicated she did.
Pointing out that Shona isn't someone who generally tells untruths, Julia describes this as “the start of this web of lies that she's spiralling into”
We're told Shona doesn't have any initial concerns about Kit having any secrets to hold against her, as he's nice to her, but that she is perhaps underestimating his ruthlessness.
While she acknowledges that “the brain injury hasn't gone anywhere,” Julia notes that shades of the old Shona are starting to emerge, and says, “It has just been such a joy to play...that fire and that fierceness is back with a vengeance.”
On the pending departure of Gail, Julia says “She's been a constant for Shona, for sure. I think she's feeling nervous because with Gail gone, it could expose a lot more goings on in the family.” In terms of actress Helen Worth leaving the show, Julia says, it was “horrendous” saying goodbye. “It was emotional on so many levels, because from my point of view, personally, I've not only worked with Helen for eight years, I've watched her since I can remember. So Gail's been part of my life since I started watching Corrie, and obviously the last eight years getting to know Helen as a person as well. So, yeah, it was incredibly emotional.”
By Emma Hynes
Read all about my recent trip to Coronation Street in A Rover Returns.
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