John stape hides a deadly secret from his friends and family

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Coronation Street star Graeme Hawley has revealed that viewers will see a "remorseful" side to his character John Stape when he makes his Weatherfield comeback.

John's dramatic return episodes air next week, showing him descend on Weatherfield in time for his wife Fiz's trial and cause fresh chaos.

Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) has recently been wrongly accused of three murders after being caught up in her husband's dark crimes. However, John is determined to make sure that she does not face a jail sentence.

Hawley told Digital Spy of John's return: "He's in a very determined and single-minded state of mind. He knows exactly what he's got to do, which is get Fiz out of jail. John is absolutely determined that, one way or another, he'll make that happen."

"He's completely remorseful for what he's done," he continued. "He never imagined in his wildest dreams that Fiz would be arrested for the murders, and now he feels absolutely terrible about it. He's determined to put it right for her, one way or another."

Hawley added that he believes Fiz still loves John despite the ordeal he has put her through.

"That's the thing about love, I suppose - it's not something that you can really switch off," he explained. "I think in some ways, Fiz absolutely hates John and she hates the things that he's done. She also absolutely hates him for the position that he's put her in.

"But at the same time, he is the love of her life and she can't change that. It's impossible for Fiz to switch that off."

As revealed earlier this year, John's return sees him kidnap Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan) for a second time - coaching her to testify on his behalf at the trial. However, things go wrong when he is involved in a car crash and has to be rushed to hospital.

Coronation Street airs Fiz's trial episodes all next week on ITV1.

[sarah c]

and after John confesses - on his deathbed - so probably not under caution but that doesnt matter in Soapland - Fiz will be vindicated and cleared of the murders - hooray!!

will we then conveniently forget about the fraud, for which she is actually serving her current sentance?

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Coronation Street star Graeme Hawley has revealed that he would like to land a Hollyoaks role in order to bag a full set of UK soap appearances.

The actor, who is best known for his role as Weatherfield's John Stape, previously played police officer Martin Crowe on Emmerdale and has also had parts in EastEnders and Doctors.

Hawley told PA: "It would be quite good to get the whole set. I was in EastEnders when I was nine years old, and I rode a bike across the Square and stood in a telephone box.

"So I have, technically speaking, done Coronation Street, Emmerdale and EastEnders. And I've been in Doctors, so it's just Hollyoaks and it's in the bag!"

John Stape is back on screen in Coronation Street next week as he returns to Weatherfield in time for his wife Fiz's murder trial.

The hapless villain is determined to make sure that Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) is not sentenced for his crimes and ends up kidnapping Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan) to testify in court on his behalf.

Coronation Street airs Fiz's trial episodes all next week on ITV1.

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Coronation Street star Graeme Hawley has praised the decision to involve Rosie Webster in his character John Stape's next storyline twist.

John takes centre stage again in next week's episodes as he is back in Weatherfield in time for his wife Fiz's (Jennie McAlpine) murder trial. As revealed earlier in the year, he soon holds Rosie captive for a second time and starts coaching her to testify on his behalf in court.

Speaking to Digital Spy about John's desperate plan, Hawley laughed: "She must be the most stable, sensitive and intelligent person that he knows!

"No, I think the real reason is that it's a full circle thing for John. Everything started with Rosie for John, and he feels like he needs her to find some redemption."

Discussing Rosie's attitude towards John, he continued: "It's definitely a scary experience for Rosie, but she can't help herself when it comes to having a dig. With Rosie, there'll always be the odd jibe in there - especially when it comes to John Stape!"

Hawley added that he enjoyed the opportunity to film more scenes with Helen Flanagan, who plays Rosie.

"Most of our scenes were filmed over a couple of days, so we had a full two days together and it was really lovely. It'd been ages since we'd done any big stuff together before that," he explained.

"I really enjoy working with Helen. I've worked with her in these big chunks since she was a teenager, and it's been nice to see her develop as an actress."

Coronation Street airs Fiz's trial episodes all next week on ITV1.

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Coronation Street revisits the John Stape storyline next week as the hapless villain's return leads to huge drama in Weatherfield.

Having discovered that his wife Fiz is about to stand trial for crimes that he committed, John is determined to help her and is soon back to his old tricks as he holds Rosie Webster captive for a second time, coaching her to testify on his behalf in court.

Unfortunately for John, things start to go horribly wrong when Kevin discovers what he's up to and a dramatic car chase leads to the killer being seriously injured. With his life hanging in the balance, will John get his chance to redeem himself?

Here, Graeme Hawley - who plays John - chats to Digital Spy about his return.

Have you enjoyed being back at Coronation Street for this return stint?
"Yeah, it's been lovely to be quite honest! In the nicest possible way, it's felt like I've never been away, really. I had three months away from the show, but within about five minutes of being back, I was straight back into the routine. I obviously know the working environment and the people really well, so it's been really nice to fit back into that for a short period of time."

When you filmed John's rooftop fall and subsequent disappearance earlier in the year, did you always know that he'd be back?
"I did - it was something that we'd always talked about, that this new part of the story could happen next. So I always knew that there was a bit more to do. But I didn't always know when it was going to happen - when I was first told, it was quite open-ended, so it could have been in three months, or it could have been in six months, depending on what the plans were."

John returns just in time for Fiz's trial, so does that mean he has good intentions as he makes his comeback?
"He does! Well, John always has good intentions, it's just that they always seem to go drastically wrong! I'm sure this time will be no different…"

Of all the people who John could choose to bring into his plans, why does he pick Rosie Webster?
"She must be the most stable, sensitive and intelligent person that he knows! (Laughs) No, I think the real reason is that it's a full circle thing for John. Everything started with Rosie for John, and he feels like he needs her to find some redemption."

What is John's mental state when he returns? Is he quite lucid or will we see him appear quite unstable again?
"He's pretty much off the scale now, I would say. After everything that's happened, you'll see that John is very affected by it. But he's also in a very determined and single-minded state of mind. He knows exactly what he's got to do, which is get Fiz out of jail. John is absolutely determined that, one way or another, he'll make that happen."

Does Rosie show her feisty side while she's being held captive by John, or is she too scared for that?
"It's definitely a scary experience for Rosie, but she can't help herself when it comes to having a dig! With Rosie, there'll always be the odd jibe in there - especially when it comes to John Stape!"

It's been a long time since you've filmed any big scenes with Helen Flanagan, so was it nice to work with her again?
"Yes, it was lovely, actually - really nice. Most of our scenes were filmed over a couple of days, so we had a full two days together and it was really lovely. It'd been ages since we'd done any big stuff together before that. I really enjoy working with Helen. I've worked with her in these big chunks since she was a teenager, and it's been nice to see her develop as an actress."

John's whereabouts have been a bit of a mystery, so do we find out where he's been?
"Yes, you do find out where he's been. It's not in any great detail, but you do find out. And it's not where people think he's been, either! He didn't know that Fiz was in jail - he's only found that out fairly recently and that's the reason why it's taken him so long to get into gear over this."

John is also involved in a car accident in these episodes, isn't he?
"Yes, there's a car chase involving John and Kevin, which was an opportunity for myself and Michael Le Vell to pretend that we were in The Sweeney! It was fun to do it - we had stunt doubles, lots of extra equipment and cameras to make it all look great, and it's quite a big part of the story. They should be really exciting scenes to watch as it was great fun to film."

Was it nice to catch up with Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fiz?
"It's always great to work with Jennie as she's brilliant. But because we are very good friends, it's not like I haven't seen her for the past few months. I've seen plenty of her, but it's fantastic to work with her again and we have some lovely scenes together coming up."

Has Fiz's love for John disappeared now?
"No, I don't think it has, really. That's the thing about love, I suppose - it's not something that you can really switch off. I think in some ways, Fiz absolutely hates John and she hates the things that he's done. She also absolutely hates him for the position that he's put her in. But at the same time, he is the love of her life and she can't change that. It's impossible for Fiz to switch that off."

Is John remorseful for what he's put Fiz through over the past few months?
"Absolutely - he's completely remorseful for what he's done. He never imagined in his wildest dreams that Fiz would be arrested for the murders, and now he feels absolutely terrible about it. He's determined to put it right for her, one way or another…"

Coronation Street actor Graeme Hawley recently had a chat with Digital Spy about his character John Stape's dramatic return to the cobbles.

For all the gossip on what John will be getting up to this time around, head over to our main interview with Graeme if you haven't already.

Here, though, Graeme discusses his time away from Coronation Street, his future plans and how he's found the experience of playing John.

As Graeme, what have you been getting up to over the past few months?
"Well, my wife gave birth to our second child about a week after I finished filming at Coronation Street, so I've been spending a lot of time at home with the family, which has been wonderful. The previous couple of years had been pretty crazy, so it was really nice to spend a couple of months at home with my children and my wife.

"I've also done some bits and bobs of work as well. I DJ as well, so I've been doing a lot of that in the past couple of months. But everything that I've been doing work-wise have been things that have allowed me to spend a lot of time at home, rather than going away somewhere."

During your time away, did you have lots of fans asking you whether John was coming back?
"Yeah I did, but what's interesting is that nobody really said, 'Is he coming back?' Instead people were saying, 'When's he coming back?!' There's been this assumption that he would return at some point, and it's quite interesting that everybody saw it in that way. It's all been really positive and I've had some amazing feedback over the storyline and how it all came to a head. It's been lovely to have that feedback."

Have you enjoyed the chance to play such a unique character?
"It's been wonderful. Television-wise, it's certainly been the best job that I've ever had. And it's certainly the most interesting job that I've ever had. It's been brilliant to play a character like John Stape. I've said on many occasions that I'm always more interested in playing a complex, flawed character like that, compared to what I would be if I was playing a goody two-shoes.

"It's great to explore the layers of somebody who can't help but mess up. And to do that on one of the best shows in this country has been a wonderful honour. I'm very proud to have had the opportunity to do that."

Was the comedy aspect to John's storyline introduced by the writers, or was that your choice in the performance?
"I think it was very much a double thing - it was from both sides, really. I think from the very early days, the writers started putting in that comic edge to him, and that certainly was something that I was interested in doing as an actor. I took that and ran it with it, really. I think the writers also latched on to my sense of humour and what I was good at quite early on. That happens with the show quite often - when the writers learn what your skills are and what you're best at, it starts to work together as a joint thing."

What's next for you? Would you like to do more TV or concentrate on theatre for a bit?
"In an ideal world, I'd love to do a bit of both - and other things besides. I'm quite keen to get back on the stage again, as I did a lot of theatre before Corrie. But I'd also really like to get involved in another TV show as well, and perhaps do a bit more comedy and explore that side of things. On top of that, I write - so I'll concentrate on that for a little while as well, and carry on with the DJ-ing. There's a lot going on so in an ideal world, I'll be doing all of these things and more!"

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Coronation Street star Graeme Hawley has revealed he is keeping the bushy beard he grew for playing John Stape as a fugitive.
The 37-year-old actor is bowing out of the soap next week after returning to save Fiz from jail. But Graeme has revealed his wife has taken a fancy to his new dishevelled look.
He said: "It is John's beard. But John is very kindly going to let Graeme keep it I think.
"My wife quite likes it and I quite like it as well.
"I'm going to have to tidy it down a little bit - I'm a little bit wild man of Borneo at the moment. I'm going to trim it down a bit and hopefully get a bit more George Clooney with it, and keep it for a while."
He added: "Until my agent phones me up and says 'Get rid of that beard. No body wants to give you a job'!"
Graeme admits he will be sad to say goodbye to Corrie, but will keep in touch with all the friends he has made, and is looking forward to moving on.
He said: "It's the same with anything in life, it's much better to leave the party while it's all good fun and great, than be the last one to go when it's all over. So I'm much happier to go now while things are great and the story's gone so well."
:: Graeme Hawley will be back on screen as John Stape in Coronation Street on ITV1 from Monday, October 24.

PA


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