Frank Foster

[Perdita]

Coronation Street actress Alison King has admitted that she disapproves of the way her character Carla Connor is behaving in her latest storyline.

Carla has failed to give personal assistant Maria (Samia Smith) her full support after hearing that factory client Frank Foster (Andrew Lancel) tried to force himself on her during an informal business meeting at his home.

Next week, events take a new twist when Carla agrees to go into partnership with Frank at the factory, leaving Maria devastated.

In an interview with Inside Soap, King commented: "Carla's turned a blind eye to what happened to Maria. She thinks that letting Frank buy into the business is a positive thing because everyone gets to keep their jobs and she can keep the company afloat.

"But I do think it's quite selfish of Carla not to take Maria's feelings into account."

The star added that Carla is failing to see the part that she played in creating the mess in the first place.

"Carla needs to stop getting her mates in to work as her personal assistant as it always goes horribly wrong," she explained. "At the end of the day, Carla gave Maria some really bad advice in advising her to go round to Frank's house all glammed up.

"I think Carla knew at the time it wasn't a very sensible thing to do, but she's done it herself in the past and takes no responsibility for what happened."

DS

[Perdita]

CORRIE bosses are planning the soap's biggest brawl yet - which will see the Rovers Return getting trashed.
It all kicks off at Jason Grimshaw's 28th birthday bash next month when sex attacker Frank Foster and wife-beater Chris Gray square up.

At first it's a case of handbags as they push each other about, but the trouble soon escalates.

Others piling in will include Tyrone Dobbs, Tommy Duckworth, Owen Armstrong and Becky McDonald. Chairs will be thrown and windows smashed in the brutal fight.

Tipsy Becky even gets thumped by the stripper hired for Jason's party.

Rovers owner Steve McDonald arrives at the height of the mayhem and stands gobsmacked at his ruined boozer.

An insider told TV Biz: "The Rovers has been the scene for lots of punch-ups in the past.

"Usually there's always someone on hand to drag the fighters apart - until now.

"This will be the first time that a brawl anything like on this scale has broken out."



Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz1MUH7bw7V

[alan45]

THIS is the stripper who shocks Corrie's Ken Barlow when she puts on a sexy performance just for him.
Blonde Imelda is played by real-life pole dancing teacher Charlene Shaw, 29.
She turns up in the Rovers as a surprise treat for Jason Grimshaw at his 28th birthday party. But Imelda mistakes Ken (Bill Roache) for her "victim" and leaves the pensioner hot and bothered with her seductive routine.
Sheffield-born Charlene, who likes to be called Charlie, has all the credentials for the hilarious scenes to be screened next month.
Corrie bosses signed her after reading her CV, which lists talents such as appearing in "artistic nude" shots and giving lessons in exotic dancing.
Charlene also attended Manchester's Laine Johnson Theatre School whose former students include the Street's Tina O'Brien (Sarah Platt) and Sarah Lancashire (Raquel Watts). Imelda is booked by Becky McDonald (Katherine Kelly) to perform at the Rovers. But the stripper gets more excitement than she bargains for.
A fight breaks out between knicker factory boss Frank Foster (Andrew Lancel) and builder Chris Gray (Will Thorp).
It turns into an all-out brawl and Imelda ends up punching Becky - a move she could regret.
An insider told TV Biz: "This storyline has it all - sex, violence and comedy. It would be lovely to have Imelda around more."
Corrie's Cheryl Gray (Holly Quin-Ankrah) was once a lapdancer and Leanne Battersby worked as an escort.
But the soap's last striptease was in 2000 when Scott Wright appeared as Sam Kingston - the "Masked Python" who danced for Janice Battersby. Sam landed a job behind the bar in the Rovers.


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz1MeeZS7qW

[alan45]

CORRIE factory boss Carla Connor will try to kill herself - days after being raped by fiance Frank Foster.
Depressed Carla, played by Alison King, downs a bottle of sleeping pills with red wine.
Frank (Andrew Lancel) is arrested for the vicious attack that left her bruised and bloodied - but Carla cannot come to terms with her horrific ordeal.
When close pal Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) visits her, teary Carla declares her love for him and begs him to leave his wife Leanne again.
But he knocks her back - completing her humiliation and sparking the overdose.
A source said: "Carla is at rock bottom. She prides herself on being invincible and feels utterly broken by Frank's actions.
"Peter is the only friend she has left and she's never felt rejection like it. She wants to end it all."
After Peter returns to Leanne, Carla rings him on his mobile as she drifts towards unconsciousness.
She tells him: "I'm just ringing to say goodbye.
"I hope you have a happy life and please don't blame yourself. It's all Frank's fault."
Before Peter can answer he hears a crash and the line goes dead. Fearing the worst, he calls for an ambulance before racing to Underworld chief Carla's flat and finding her unconscious on the floor.
He looks to have arrived too late to save her as he cradles her seemingly lifeless body in his arms.
With tears streaming down his face and his voice shaking with emotion, Peter begs: "Carla, I'm so sorry. Please don't die!"
The ambulance arrives and whisks Carla away to hospital.

But Peter blames himself for not seeing the signs of how depressed she had become - and for not warning anyone that she was in need of professional help.
The harrowing scenes will be screened on ITV1 in September.
Coronation Street has been criticised for being too dark in recent weeks. Carla's rape and suicide attempt come after innocent Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine) is is arrested for three murders committed by her fugitive husband.
She is then threatened by drug dealers in jail.
Last night soap insiders insisted Corrie bosses are being careful to avoid sensationalising Carla's suicide attempt.
One source told TV Biz: "Both the scriptwriters and the actors involved are working closely with the relevant charities and support groups to make sure this is handled as sensitively and as realistically as possible."


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz1TGEMQjeu

[Perdita]

CORRIE factory boss Carla Connor will try to kill herself - days after being raped by fiance Frank Foster.
Depressed Carla, played by Alison King, downs a bottle of sleeping pills with red wine.
Frank (Andrew Lancel) is arrested for the vicious attack that left her bruised and bloodied - but Carla cannot come to terms with her horrific ordeal.
When close pal Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) visits her, teary Carla declares her love for him and begs him to leave his wife Leanne again.
But he knocks her back - completing her humiliation and sparking the overdose.
A source said: \"Carla is at rock bottom. She prides herself on being invincible and feels utterly broken by Frank's actions.
\"Peter is the only friend she has left and she's never felt rejection like it. She wants to end it all.\"
After Peter returns to Leanne, Carla rings him on his mobile as she drifts towards unconsciousness.
She tells him: \"I'm just ringing to say goodbye.
\"I hope you have a happy life and please don't blame yourself. It's all Frank's fault.\"
Before Peter can answer he hears a crash and the line goes dead. Fearing the worst, he calls for an ambulance before racing to Underworld chief Carla's flat and finding her unconscious on the floor.
He looks to have arrived too late to save her as he cradles her seemingly lifeless body in his arms.
With tears streaming down his face and his voice shaking with emotion, Peter begs: \"Carla, I'm so sorry. Please don't die!\"
The ambulance arrives and whisks Carla away to hospital.

But Peter blames himself for not seeing the signs of how depressed she had become - and for not warning anyone that she was in need of professional help.
The harrowing scenes will be screened on ITV1 in September.
Coronation Street has been criticised for being too dark in recent weeks. Carla's rape and suicide attempt come after innocent Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine) is is arrested for three murders committed by her fugitive husband.
She is then threatened by drug dealers in jail.
Last night soap insiders insisted Corrie bosses are being careful to avoid sensationalising Carla's suicide attempt.
One source told TV Biz: \"Both the scriptwriters and the actors involved are working closely with the relevant charities and support groups to make sure this is handled as sensitively and as realistically as possible.\"


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz1TGEMQjeu

This assault storyline is already being discussed here http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/s...6-Carla-Connor

[alan45]

This assault storyline is already being discussed here http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/s...6-Carla-Connor

Thats what comes of having so many threads on the one subject

[alan45]

Interview in People 4/9/11

AS Corrie’s evil factory boss Frank Foster, Andrew Lancel is ready for the nation to be horrified as a rape plot unfolds over the next few weeks.

And the actor says his assault on fiancée Carla Connor, played by Alison King, has been the toughest but one of most rewarding roles of his life.

Andrew, 41, admits: “It has been very difficult to play. This stuff has never been seen before on Corrie.

“It’s been hard work and really challenging but also amazing.

“He’s a monster but I’m having a ball playing him. Frank has been a gift. There isn’t a day I haven’t enjoyed. I love coming into work.

“He is romantic, heroic and a monster. For an actor bad guys are always the best to play.”

But Andrew found the day he filmed the implied rape and the harrowing aftermath so physically and mentally draining that he decided not to return to the family home in Liverpool he shares with wife Louise Edge and three-year-old son Isaac.


“It was very heavy stuff. I found it very hard. I didn’t want to talk to anyone and I was really snappy.

“It was hard to shake off that day and I didn’t want to take that home with me so I stayed at a friend’s flat in Manchester.”

But since finishing the *disturbing scenes, spending time with his wife and son has helped him get away from the emotionally draining work.


“Isaac is great – he knows Daddy is on Corrie but he doesn’t really know what that means. I brought him in to the set the other day. He wanted to get the train so we did. Isaac loves coming into work with me.

“At the moment I’m getting recognised quite a bit so I had a cap on and was trying to keep a bit of a low profile and we’re sitting there and he says very loudly: ‘I’m excited about going to Corrie, Daddy’.

“Everyone turned to look at me – he had totally blown my cover. I had to laugh!”

Carla and Frank’s relationship starts falling apart at their engagement party when he makes a big speech declaring his love and she feels overwhelmed.

Carla starts drinking and drives off in Frank’s car with, as our pictures from tonight’s episode show, disastrous results. She knocks down Rovers’ landlady Stella Price (Michelle Collins) leaving her fighting for life and smashes into the bookies.



It’s the biggest stunt on Corrie since last year’s tram crash to mark the show’s 50th anniversary.

Frank tries to cover-up for drunken Carla, who is already banned from driving, by pretending to have been behind the wheel. He fails to see Carla is getting cold feet about *marrying and when she dumps him on the eve of their wedding he *retaliates by raping her.

Andrew says: “Frank is a very *complex character. On one hand he is old-fashioned and a gentleman, he opens doors for women but then buried deep there is this other side to him.

“Right up until it happens Carla is apologising to him as she calls off the wedding. She even says ‘you are a good man. You don’t deserve this’.



“He tries to blame Carla. He even says to her ‘you made me do it’. That’s the most difficult line I’ve ever had to say. It is chilling.”

Andrew says: “Frank is in blind denial and determined to deceive everyone into thinking he’s innocent.”

But as The People revealed he then goes on to prey on Sally Webster.

Andrew says the scenes were equally tough for Alison, 38, and the stars have helped each other cope.

“Alison has been amazing. We get on really well and while we were *filming the rape stuff we literally spent 90 per cent of our time together working on it to get it right.

“It’s a good job we get on so well. It was very emotional to film for both of us but we had lots of support from all the other cast and crew. There were lots of hugs and lots of real tears and also lots of silence on set.”

Andrew admits he is a bit worried about the public’s reaction to the storyline and is bracing himself for possible comments.

“To be honest I’m surprised I haven’t had more already but actually people seem to like Frank.

“People have said to me ‘I wish you weren’t going to rape Carla’.

“But when I was offered the part they told me from day one how it started and how it ended so I knew exactly what I was getting into.”

Playing Frank has been totally different experience for Andrew who played Det Insp Neil Manson on ITV’s The Bill for seven years.He says: “Domestic rape happens in real life and we have a responsibility to talk about these issues. It is the first time it has been dealt with like this on Corrie. We are not doing it lightly. It is very well done.”


Wife Louise, a dance teacher, is a big Corrie fan and never misses an *episode – watching as she irons. To escape the *intensity of playing Frank Andrew loves *to cook and says he is at his happiest in the kitchen.

“Cooking is about the only thing I’m any good at. I’m a real foodie and I just love everything about it.” In fact, he says, apart from work and family his main passions are football – he’s an Everton fan – food and his faith.

Andrew regularly goes to church near his home in Liverpool and religion clearly plays an important part in his life.

Just a few days after we meet he is heading off to a Christian festival called Greenbelt which is held annually at Cheltenham racecourse.

He is even on the bill hosting “an evening with” style event for festival-goers.

“People in this country are funny about religion but Greenbelt is just great. I first went to it in 1990.

“On the Sunday morning they do communion for 20,000 people.

“But it’s not that different to any other festival really – the busiest tent is always The Jesus Arms beer tent.”

He says he expects to get some awkward questions about how playing a rapist fits in with his faith.

“It’s a question people are bound to ask – but I see it as an important issue which we are getting out into the open.”

[Perdita]

Interview in People 4/9/11

AS Corrie’s evil factory boss Frank Foster, Andrew Lancel is ready for the nation to be horrified as a rape plot unfolds over the next few weeks.

And the actor says his assault on fiancée Carla Connor, played by Alison King, has been the toughest but one of most rewarding roles of his life.

Andrew, 41, admits: “It has been very difficult to play. This stuff has never been seen before on Corrie.

“It’s been hard work and really challenging but also amazing.

“He’s a monster but I’m having a ball playing him. Frank has been a gift. There isn’t a day I haven’t enjoyed. I love coming into work.

“He is romantic, heroic and a monster. For an actor bad guys are always the best to play.”

But Andrew found the day he filmed the implied rape and the harrowing aftermath so physically and mentally draining that he decided not to return to the family home in Liverpool he shares with wife Louise Edge and three-year-old son Isaac.


“It was very heavy stuff. I found it very hard. I didn’t want to talk to anyone and I was really snappy.

“It was hard to shake off that day and I didn’t want to take that home with me so I stayed at a friend’s flat in Manchester.”

But since finishing the *disturbing scenes, spending time with his wife and son has helped him get away from the emotionally draining work.


“Isaac is great – he knows Daddy is on Corrie but he doesn’t really know what that means. I brought him in to the set the other day. He wanted to get the train so we did. Isaac loves coming into work with me.

“At the moment I’m getting recognised quite a bit so I had a cap on and was trying to keep a bit of a low profile and we’re sitting there and he says very loudly: ‘I’m excited about going to Corrie, Daddy’.

“Everyone turned to look at me – he had totally blown my cover. I had to laugh!”

Carla and Frank’s relationship starts falling apart at their engagement party when he makes a big speech declaring his love and she feels overwhelmed.

Carla starts drinking and drives off in Frank’s car with, as our pictures from tonight’s episode show, disastrous results. She knocks down Rovers’ landlady Stella Price (Michelle Collins) leaving her fighting for life and smashes into the bookies.



It’s the biggest stunt on Corrie since last year’s tram crash to mark the show’s 50th anniversary.

Frank tries to cover-up for drunken Carla, who is already banned from driving, by pretending to have been behind the wheel. He fails to see Carla is getting cold feet about *marrying and when she dumps him on the eve of their wedding he *retaliates by raping her.

Andrew says: “Frank is a very *complex character. On one hand he is old-fashioned and a gentleman, he opens doors for women but then buried deep there is this other side to him.

“Right up until it happens Carla is apologising to him as she calls off the wedding. She even says ‘you are a good man. You don’t deserve this’.



“He tries to blame Carla. He even says to her ‘you made me do it’. That’s the most difficult line I’ve ever had to say. It is chilling.”

Andrew says: “Frank is in blind denial and determined to deceive everyone into thinking he’s innocent.”

But as The People revealed he then goes on to prey on Sally Webster.

Andrew says the scenes were equally tough for Alison, 38, and the stars have helped each other cope.

“Alison has been amazing. We get on really well and while we were *filming the rape stuff we literally spent 90 per cent of our time together working on it to get it right.

“It’s a good job we get on so well. It was very emotional to film for both of us but we had lots of support from all the other cast and crew. There were lots of hugs and lots of real tears and also lots of silence on set.”

Andrew admits he is a bit worried about the public’s reaction to the storyline and is bracing himself for possible comments.

“To be honest I’m surprised I haven’t had more already but actually people seem to like Frank.

“People have said to me ‘I wish you weren’t going to rape Carla’.

“But when I was offered the part they told me from day one how it started and how it ended so I knew exactly what I was getting into.”

Playing Frank has been totally different experience for Andrew who played Det Insp Neil Manson on ITV’s The Bill for seven years.He says: “Domestic rape happens in real life and we have a responsibility to talk about these issues. It is the first time it has been dealt with like this on Corrie. We are not doing it lightly. It is very well done.”


Wife Louise, a dance teacher, is a big Corrie fan and never misses an *episode – watching as she irons. To escape the *intensity of playing Frank Andrew loves *to cook and says he is at his happiest in the kitchen.

“Cooking is about the only thing I’m any good at. I’m a real foodie and I just love everything about it.” In fact, he says, apart from work and family his main passions are football – he’s an Everton fan – food and his faith.

Andrew regularly goes to church near his home in Liverpool and religion clearly plays an important part in his life.

Just a few days after we meet he is heading off to a Christian festival called Greenbelt which is held annually at Cheltenham racecourse.

He is even on the bill hosting “an evening with” style event for festival-goers.

“People in this country are funny about religion but Greenbelt is just great. I first went to it in 1990.

“On the Sunday morning they do communion for 20,000 people.

“But it’s not that different to any other festival really – the busiest tent is always The Jesus Arms beer tent.”

He says he expects to get some awkward questions about how playing a rapist fits in with his faith.

“It’s a question people are bound to ask – but I see it as an important issue which we are getting out into the open.”

already posted http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/s...ge3#post755747

[alan45]

Thats what comes of having so many threads on the one subject

already posted http://www.soapboards.co.uk/forums/s...ge3#post755747

The interview was about Andrew Lancel not Carla Connor so I thought this thread more appropriate. I don't think hi family or Church have anything to do with her

[Perdita]

The interview was about Andrew Lancel not Carla Connor so I thought this thread more appropriate. I don't think hi family or Church have anything to do with her

The article is mainly about the rape storyline and Carla Connor's alcohol consumption. And I have not yet seen DI Manson in Corrie