Cait Fitton On Lauren’s Return: "It Was Mental!"

On 24th June 2024, I sat in the cinema at the Coronation Street Experience, alongside the assembled Corrie cast and soap journos’  to watch last night's episode (09th July - Ep 11309/10) in its entirety. Sitting in a cinema watching an episode of Coronation Street, whilst cast members are in the audience watching it with you, is superbly surreal, and a bucket-list fanboy moment to treasure.

Lauren's return was quite the surprise, and following the episode’s exclusive airing, we headed to a floor 3 media suite* where actress Cait Fitton (who plays Lauren) was interviewed about her character's shock-fuelled return!

READ ON!

Hi Cait, 

The truth is out and Lauren is alive! How difficult has it been to keep that a secret? 

It's been mental and so much fun! I knew, early on, that I was returning, which is very fortunate in this industry. I started filming again in April, and had to sneak in and out of the building with Cal (Callum Lill, who plays Joel) having to put me in his car boot to make sure we weren't being seen - it was chaotic. I’ve had to get on the floor of taxis when leaving and it’s been a whirlwind of emotions. We filmed on location for some scenes, and I was hiding in a big black coat and sunglasses - luckily I wasn't seen” 

Tell us what's coming up for Lauren. Why has she only returned now? 

“She wanted to put the trauma to the back of her mind and move on. She rushes the process though. Since she left Weatherfied, she's been going from hostel to hostel, sleeping homeless, and not being able to pay the rent, so she’s been getting booted out of different hostels. She’s not been able to come back as she doesn’t know where Joel is: he could be in Weatherfield or away from Weatherfield, but she doesn't want to take that risk. It was a near-death experience and she doesn’t want to face that again. Only when she hears that Roy is in the hospital, it’s affected him physically, so she decides to go back to put things right. She's in survival mode ”

When did you find out about this element of Lauren’s story?

“When I started in 2022, Lauren was supposed to be just a three-part character / three-month stint as a supporting role in Max’s far-right storyline. I didn't know much about her, I knew things were being aired on screen, but I didn't know why she was the way she was. Coming in as a supporting character, you don’t get that opportunity. Was she a racist or was this inherited from her Dad?  I then got asked back and little hints of what she’d been through rose to the surface. I think I found out about this latest element just before Cal started, but I did not know how long it would go on for, or tense it would have been”

How would you sum up Lauren’s character? 

“Strong, very strong, and very caring. She doesn't trust (a lot of) people, but the people she does trust, she cares about a lot. She was very naive and a different person before she left. If anything she doesn't trust anyone now, even those she had a bond with. It will take a long time to break down those barriers. She's a brilliant character to play. She's a lost little girl and from the wrong side of the tracks” 

Lauren’s return also reveals that she’s pregnant!! How does she feel about that? 

“She’s never had unconditional love, so she doesn't know what that is. But, with a child, her child, she's that child's role model and that baby’s going be with her through everything. She's got someone that's going to love her unconditionally”

How does she feel about Joel’s reaction? 

“She’s petrified, terrified, as she knows what this man can do. She knows he won't stop at anything and now it's not just her she’s got to worry about, it's the baby as well. She wants to keep the baby safe but because of his authority and power, and the fact she’s from the wrong side of the tracks, she’s worried it (the baby) could be taken from her” 

Thanks, Cait! 

* I've got some superb behind-the-scenes photos. I'll share them in a separate post. 

I am @rybazoxo on X

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Corrie Blog Interviews Alison King : Carla’s factory fall-out?

Two Corrie press days in one month - I’m like a kid at Christmas! Later this week, I will be treating you to the lowdown on what's to come on Coronation Street this festive season and New Year 2024, but before then, I'd like to take you back three weeks to our press day interview with my favourite factory boss (sorry Mike), Mrs Carla Barlow. A very (very) early Christmas present from this blog gave me a chance to see one of my all-time favourite Corrie characters in the flesh, and I found out all about Carla’s state of mind following Stephen Reid’s underworld sabotage. Ideally, I would have written this a few weeks ago, but I think I've only just recovered from seeing her in the flesh. I was the same after I met Jodie Prenger (in Weatherfield Precinct car park) last December!  

Anyway, and as promised, here is our chat with the factory boss. With Underworld nearly taken down (again) can Carla bounce back once more? 

Hi Ali, 

How blindsided was Carla when she found out about Stephen, it must have hit her hard. 

I don't think it hit her that hard. Out of everybody, she was the one that was immediately onto him. As soon as he appeared in the office, she couldn't stand the sight of him, could she? She’s been onto him from the off!

Stephen has played with Carla’s mental health these last few months. How has she been feeling through all of this? 

It’s hideous isn't it - it's been the worst nightmare ever, and to think that she was going to go down that rabbit hole again. She never wants to - Carla has tried looking after herself as best she can, and she keeps dangerous people like him at arm's length. However, because of Sarah, she has not been able to. It was so pre-meditated by him and awful for her. She felt like she was going backwards!

Did she have any idea how dangerous Stephen was? 

No, I don't think she had any idea of how dangerous he was. It's just about the money and business and the fact that he wanted that by any means. I don't think she thought he was violent or anything. 

What sort of Carla will we see emerge from all of this? Will she be tougher, or more damaged than she’s ever been before? 

All of the above! As usual, an influx of all of those things, possibly. I mean, she’s got answers, which is a good thing, but the damage to the factory- that's where you've got to wonder whether things will be solved or not. With Carla, you always get the street against her, or her against the street, and it's normally surrounding the factory, money and people's livelihood. I would imagine that they will be affected by this, and until she can get some money together again. They own 50% of the factory as well, so you think they would be looking out for their money too. 

Have you enjoyed being a part of this storyline? So much drama focused on Underworld!

We love Underworld! - It’s been a nice slow burner and Todd (Stephen Reid) has been such a joy to work with. I like wrapping it all up and how things have come together. It's been a joy, and always a joy to do a big storyline. 

Thanks, Ali! 

Keep ‘em peeled for my interview with Iain Macleod (Corrie producer) later this week as we find out what’s coming up for Carla and Peter this Christmas. 

I am @rybazoxo your (very lucky) Corrie Blog blogger and Cobbles Connoisseur

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Corrie Blog Interviews Joe Duttine. Is Tim Metcalfe Stephen’s Final Victim?

STEPHEN REID IS DEAD! LONG LIVE PETER BARLOW! 

Stephen Reid's death was no biggie for me, as the Coronation Street Press Day on October 2nd revealed the ending, but we were all sworn to secrecy, and of course, I kept my word. In all honesty, though, I’ve no idea what is going to happen to Tim. By the end of this high-octane, thriller-driven, Platt-driven, Peter Barlow-driving super soap week fest, Tim remains stuck in the boot of a car in the middle of the woods, and nobody knows where he is, or even if he is alive.

As part of the Super Soap Week press day Corrie Blog spoke to Joe Duttine (who plays Tim) about this past week's dramatics! 

Hey Joe, 

By the end of this week, we don't know whether Tim is okay or not! Why did Tim suspect Stephen from the very beginning? 

Because he saw his Mum go through such a terrible time with his Dad, any bloke that comes into his Mum’s life - he's going to be suspicious. Stephen’s just too smarmy, Tim could see that from a mile off! He couldn't quite put his finger on it for a long time, but little events made them alert to him. 

Do you think Tim could ever imagine the extent of Stephen’s crimes? 

It's only when he goes down to the canal and discovers the body that the reality of it hits him. That's when his suspicions were confounded. 

Is Tim being a bit daft then going after Stephen, knowing he’s done that? 

Tim just thinks in the moment doesn't he, he doesn't think about the danger of it. He’s turned down two tickets to see Wethy County so it's a big deal! He’s also disappearing from his anniversary celebrations so something has got his goat! 

He’s not scared either, is he? 

No, I don’t think he is scared. I don't think he thinks he’s putting himself in any danger. He just thinks he’s gonna sort Stephen out and then have some Moroccan food with Sally, but it doesn't quite turn out like that. 

What was it like filming those scenes? 

It was great. It was great to do something different and to get out of the building. When you get to film in real-life locations it adds a certain reality to things. It's nice to be with the crew on location and have lunch together, it feels like a sleepover. It was physically challenging, and the volume wall was a first for me. It is great to experience that new technology. It was quite an experience, we had a great time!

Should the viewers be worried for Tim? 

Yeah. I think so! I like the fact that we don't know where he is, or what happened to him! We only got to the scene with the dog sniffing at the car. We had to put a sausage in the car so the dog would sniff the right spot! 

Thanks, Joe! 

Has Stephen claimed Tim as his final victim, or will Tim live to see another Wethy County match? Watch ITV & ITVX this week to find out. 

I am @rybazoxo, your Coronation Street Blogger and keeper of press day secrets! 

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Corrie Hate Crime! Interview with Corrie Producer Iain McCleod and The Sophie Lancaster Foundation

Tonight sees Coronation Street tackle a hideous hate crime when Nina and Seb are involved in a brutal and life-changing gang attack. In a storyline that's reputedly to last the remainder of the year, Corrie has worked with the Sophie Lancaster Foundation in researching and writing the story. The attack is primarily aimed at Nina Lucas’ goth persona mirroring the real-life attack and death of Sophie Lancaster, in Lancashire, in 2007.

As press day’s go, this one has a more serious and sombre air to it, but still, it’s always a pleasure to be invited to such prestigious online Corrie press events. Turning on my zoom (for some reason I opened it twice, so had double audio for a while) I joined Coronation Street online for this Hate Crime conference call in trepidation of how this storyline will pan out. 

Starting with the show’s Executive Producer Iain McCleod, and Sylvia Lancaster (Sophie’s Mum and foundation founder) we spoke about the preparation and research that goes into such a storyline such as this. 

Q - How did this storyline come about?

IM - A couple of years ago, the idea was floating around the writer's room and it felt like a story that needed to be told. It is something that sits very well within the soap genre and although we don't set out to change the world, we can be agenda-setting. I felt that the message of the story around tolerance and inclusion was incredibly pressing, more now than ever. We knew, even as far back as the introduction of Nina’s character, that this was the angle that the story was going to take

Q Was it important to have Nina's character embedded into the street, before producing this storyline? 

IM- Absolutely. I think when Nina’s character was introduced she was a bit unusually presented and maybe people saw that as a barrier to liking her. You may remember that when she first came in, we did play some casual intolerance in the cafe, we were quite keen that we would play the reality of people seeing her without knowing her, and then realising that in fact, she’s just like any other teenager. We took our time in peeling away the layers of the character and then introducing the relationship with Seb. It was clear then that this was the right time to move forward with the next chapter of this story 

Q Was it deliberate to attach that character to Roy. In the sense that Roy has had all sorts of waifs and strays in his life before, but Nina is family?

IM - We wanted to make it to someone connected to Roy, as his relationship with Hayley exposed him to prejudice and intolerance. We felt like he was someone with the right level of life experience to be a moral guardian to Nina through this romantic phase of the story and then the difficult phase that's to come. Nina is Roy’s one remaining family member -that we know of - so we used that as a good stepping-stone to tell this story 

Q- How important was it to work with Slyvia Lancaster in the development of this storyline? 

IM - Incredibly important and not least to ensure that we had some authenticity in Nina’s presentation that was right and in the fall-out that follows. We know the foundation does some amazing work and wants to change society's view of intolerance. It enabled us to not only tell a really good story, but to maybe change people’s preconceptions about the alternative culture, and how society deals with different cultures. It’s also important to look at how society prosecutes those kinds of crimes too. I hope what we put on screen does justice to the foundation. It's the human being that matters, not what they look like!

Sophie Lancaster (image via @sophie_charity)

Remembering this real-life heinous crime with such clarity, I was very honoured to listen to Sophie Lancaster’s Mum talk about Sophie, the work the charity does, and the fact she was a big Corrie fan too!

Q - How did you feel when you were first asked by Coronation Street to help with this storyline? 

SL - As you can imagine, getting the email from Coronation Street asking to work with them was a surprise. The experience has been very professional, very well looked after, and they have been very sensitive to the issues involved. We knew they would do it sensitively and do a good job

Q - You were also involved with the development of Nina’s character in the early days. How do you feel about how the character has progressed and the fan base she now has? 

SL - People have taken Nina to their hearts, looking behind the image and seeing the person - it's a massive part of the work that we do

Q - You used to watch Coronation Street with Sophie, and she had a favourite character. Can you tell us more about that? 

SL - It was years ago, they had a character called ‘Spider’ who was an eco-warrior type and I can see him as visibly as anything with a combat jacket and a beanie hat. Sophie loved him, everything he stood for, and who he represented

Q - How do you think Sophie would feel now, having the charity work with Coronation Street in her name?

SL- She would be astonished I think and very proud of that. 

Read all about Sophie's story via the Sophie Lancaster Foundation

Follow on Twitter @sophie_charity 

Still to come from our latest press day is our chat with the lovely Mollie Gallagher (Nina), Harry Visinoni (Seb Franklin) Sally Carman (Abi Franklin) and the finale being a rare interview with street icon David Neilson (Roy Cropper). The latter article is being written by fellow Corrie blogger @stewiedawson who I had a chat with yesterday, post-interview. Quite frankly, he delivered such eloquent enthusiasm over all things, Roy Cropper, that I had to pass the baton on - and I can't wait to read it. You're in for a right treat there! 

@rybazoxo 

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