Entertainment

Corrie’s Connor McIntyre on Pat Phelan’s upcoming drama

Viewers are set for an intense ride in the new year…
Viewers are set for an intense ride in the new year… Viewers are set for an intense ride in the new year…

Coronation Street’s Connor McIntyre has said that filming a car chase as the villainous Pat Phelan was a “blessing”, while promising more drama on the cobbles in the new year.

The soap star has entertained and horrified fans with murderer Phelan’s antics in recent months, but things may finally come to a head for the twisted builder as his crimes – the double murder of Andy Carver and Vinny Ashford – could be uncovered by Luke Britton.

In scenes that will air in early January, Luke smells a rat over Andy’s disappearance and goes to the mill – where Phelan has buried the bodies – while Phelan is there, trying to plant a gun covered with Seb Franklin’s fingerprints to frame him for the murders.

However, when Luke questions Phelan about Andy’s whereabouts and threatens to report him to the police, Phelan violently smacks him over the head with a rock.

Coronation Street
Coronation Street (Mark Bruce)
At the mill, Luke Britton quizzes Phelan about Andy, convinced he knows more than he’s letting on (ITV)

The two become gripped in a fight and Luke punches Phelan, knocking him unconscious before staggering to his car to drive away.

Phelan then wakes up and follows him in his van prompting a road pursuit with potentially dramatic consequences, but he must protect his secret and stop Luke from getting to the police.

McIntyre said, of the dramatic car chase scenes: “(It was) fabulous, we are boys so what could be better (than) driving cars around corners at speed with cameras inside!

“I had not done a car chase before that I can remember so it was great fun. We had a great director and a great crew and it’s a blessing to play these things out.”

He said that these scenes will be different to those involving Andy and Vinny because they are not filmed in the dark.

“What gives these scenes an extra charge is that they are in broad daylight,” McIntyre said.

“This is really indicative of the seriousness because Pat would like to go around quietly in the dark.

“All of a sudden he is being forced into a situation in broad daylight and it only takes somebody to see what is going on and the cat it is out of the bag on all levels…”

He said, of the potential of being uncovered: “At first he thinks he can manage it because Luke is a nice guy but irritating because he wants to know the truth.

Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Connor McIntyre as Pat Phelan (ITV)

“He has kept pressing and Phelan has sent him on a wild goose chase. But when Luke finally turns up at the mill, it becomes clear that this is not going the way he wants. Luke is determined and knows something’s not right. There lies the big problem for Phelan.”

Of filming the scenes with Dean Fagan, who plays Luke, he said: “Dean is a great kid. It’s great to have actors that are committed to it, it all lives and dies on that. Very exciting scenes.

The actor said he was “excited” to learn that his character would be “right in the middle of the action”.

“It’s tragic that Phelan goes to the mill to ditch the gun and poetically Luke turns up,” he said.

“Phelan is about to put all that to bed but just as he is about to do that, there’s another problem and he is pulled back into this.”

:: Coronation Street continues on Monday at 7.30pm on ITV.