Roy Cropper discovers Goth niece Nina in Corrie

Life is about to get a whole lot more complicated for Corrie’s cafe owner Roy Cropper when he discovers a family he never knew existed.

“The storyline is a great device to bring Roy’s niece Nina into his life, a new relationship with a younger character, a troubled young person in the same way as he took in Wayne, Fiz, Becky and even cared for Carla when she was struggling. It is an interesting dynamic.” – David Neilson who plays Roy

Next week viewers will find out that Roy has been doing some more digging into his mother’s secret life and has unearthed evidence of a son she had during her affair.

When he finally tracks down his brother Richard Lucas (Paul Bown) he is surprised to find that he has a teenage daughter Nina, and she is less than impressed with Uncle Roy’s sudden appearance in their lives.

“Roy works well when he has something to focus on, a problem to solve or someone to look out for, particularly someone who others may see as a bit different. Roy can identify with that as he has been an outsider himself. It is interesting and it puts him on his mettle. They are different generations and worlds apart but there is a connection between them.” – David Neilson

Roy’s subsequent discovery that Richard is seriously ill leads him to agree to take on responsibility for his niece’s welfare, but will he regret taking in another troublesome teen?

Goth Nina is played by newcomer Mollie Gallagher, 21, and this is the Manchester-born actress’ first TV role. She said she was ‘absolutely delighted’ to be joining Corrie adding how she ‘grew up watching the show’ noting how it is ‘surreal to be on the set’ and working with cast such as David Neilson and Alison King.

Roy Cropper first appeared in Weatherfield back in 1995 as a creepy neighbour of Diedrie (Anne Kirkbride) later becoming a pillar of the community and café owner.

“Nina is a really interesting character, she is a bit of an outsider and although she is reluctant to let Roy into her life she soon realises they have more in common than she first thought.” – Mollie Gallagher who plays Nina