Corrie’s Barlow cast ‘delighted’ with special episode
Last night the Barlow’s secrets were revealed in a special episode of Corrie.
Daniel, Sinead and Ken Barlow.
“I was delighted when heard about the episode, it was a real vote of confidence not only in us but in the characters and the story that they thought it could support a whole half hour episode. Also I love working with Chris and Bill and Katie, it was like doing a play, we had a read through and rehearsals. The pressure was on because in a normal episode they cut away to another storyline but this one is all on us. We had a great time filming it. It was like a workshop and to do those scenes in the Barlows with two established actors like Bill and Chris it felt like doing an acting master class, I felt very lucky. It was something that made me take a sharp intake of breath, it was very challenging and I got to flex acting muscles that I don’t necessarily use every day.” – Rob Mallard
Coronation Street aired an episode on ITV, STV and UTV last evening which featured just four of the lead cast and focused on the secrets and lies that are tearing the Barlow family apart.
The episode which went out at 8.30pm on Monday, October 29th only featured regular characters Ken, Peter, Daniel and Sinead with the action taking place in the Weatherfield General Hospital and the Barlow’s house. The storyline concerned Daniel’s discovery of Sinead’s cancer diagnosis. The Barlow’s episode did feature two actors playing a doctor and a nurse in the hospital scenes, however, the key players were William Roache, Chris Gascoyne, Rob Mallard and Katie McGlynn.
Peter Barlow.
Troubled for years, Ken with late wife Deirdre.
In the recent storyline Sinead has kept the fact that she has been diagnosed with cervical cancer a secret from Daniel but on Friday, October 19th Sinead bumped into Ken in the hospital and later broke down telling him her news and swearing him to secrecy.
On Monday 29th Sinead collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, but when Daniel arrived he was stunned to find out the truth about Sinead’s illness and that Ken knew all about it. Devastated, and struggling to deal with the news, Daniel headed back to number 1 to have it out with his dad but was intercepted by Peter in the backyard.
In moving scenes, written by Chris Fewtrell and directed by Mickey Jones, Daniel and Peter dissect Ken’s fathering skills and their upbringing – for Peter stretching back nearly fifty years – unaware that Ken has heard every word.
Coronation Street, television’s longest running serial, began back in December 1960, from the Granada Studios in Manchester, William Roache as Ken, appeared in that first edition – and has been a regular ever since. The Barlow family have been a key part of storylines over nearly sixty years of Weatherfield storytelling.
“When Daniel does find out Ken gets the full blast of all the pent up resentment that Daniel has lurking because he was an absent father. It’s a great episode, drawing on their history and bringing all those things together. One of the things I love in Coronation Street is how it draws on its own history, in this case the history of Ken being a bad father. I love it when we’re working in the Barlows, I’m very fond of them all in real life, I’m really enjoying having a full house again. A few years ago there was just Ken, Tracy and Amy. Now there’s Tracy, Amy, Daniel, Adam, Peter, Simon, Steve and Sinead as well, there are so many stories to tell.” – William Roache
