Craig Tinker (Colson Smith)

[parkerman]

MoMo it is then.

[Dazzle]

MoMo it is then.

This is the first time I've ever started a trend!

[Perdita]

Young Coronation Street star Colson Smith had his first live TV interview today (April 1), promoting Faye Windass's teen pregnancy storyline on This Morning.

The 16-year-old's character Craig Tinker will feature in dramatic scenes this week as his friend Faye (Ellie Leach) goes into labour while they are spending time together at the empty Corner Shop flat.

Colson Smith on This Morning
© Rex Features / Steve Meddle/ITV
Colson Smith on This Morning

Craig is the only person on the Street who is aware of Faye's pregnancy, but her secret will soon become known to all as she urges him to find her adoptive mum Anna to help her through the labour.

Smith appeared on This Morning with his on-screen mother Lisa George (Beth) today to offer his thoughts on the fireworks to come.

"Craig's a nice kid, he's got a big heart and he loves being Faye's friend," he explained. "The friendship's been tested along this storyline, but Craig's always still been there for Faye. There was a scene the other night when Faye threw a pillow at Craig and Craig said something like, 'Don't worry Faye, it's your hormones!'

"It's been really nice to see the friendship get stronger and even when it's had the challenges, it's stayed strong. Craig is like Faye's rock and he tries to support her as much as he can throughout the story."

Colson Smith & Lisa George on This Morning
© Rex Features / Steve Meddle/ITV

Discussing Craig's development as a character, he continued: "It's been good going from Craig to a kid with a rat, all the way to Craig with his friend who's now having a baby and it's all really dramatic. It's really good fun because it's a storyline that does happen and it needs to be represented.

"I think the way we've done it at Corrie works really well with Faye being in denial. Although Faye doesn't understand it, Craig keeps saying, 'You can't pretend this isn't happening'."

Meanwhile, George revealed that her character Beth will initially fear that Craig could be the father. Viewers know that Jackson, another boy at school, is really the dad.

George laughed: "Craig says that she's going to have a baby, so Beth - as Beth is - says, 'Oh come on then, give me all the gossip! What's going on?' Then he's like, 'No, she's having it now!' Then there's a scene where she has a go at Craig thinking he might be the father. She says, 'I had really high hopes for you and you better not be the dad!'"

[Perdita]

Coronation Street has been criticised by a stillbirth charity after "misleading" and "potentially dangerous" dialogue in the soap's latest episode.

Wednesday's visit to Weatherfield sparked complaints after teen character Craig Tinker offered Faye Windass advice on her pregnancy, suggesting that her unborn baby would be moving less as her due date approached.

Faye feels the baby is coming
© ITV
Faye and Craig in Wednesday's Coronation Street

As the pair spent time together in the empty flat above the Corner Shop, Craig told Faye: "I've been doing some reading up online. Can you feel it moving about less, the baby? As it comes closer to the time, it moves about less because it's not got as much space."

The inclusion of the line was immediately criticised by charity Count The Kicks, which aims to raise awareness of how a baby's movement throughout a pregnancy indicates its wellbeing.


An initial tweet from Count The Kicks was retweeted over 600 times. Some viewers also sent messages of concern to the ITV soap's official Facebook page, pointing out that Craig's claims could be accepted as fact by fans of the programme.

In a subsequent statement, Count The Kicks CEO Elizabeth Hutton added: "The comments used on last night's episode of Coronation Street about babies' movements slowing down at the end of pregnancy were quite simply misleading with potentially dangerous consequences.

"A baby's movements do not slow down at the end of pregnancy. As a charity, Count the Kicks campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of monitoring baby's movements during pregnancy to avoid stillbirth and neonatal death. It is our aim to cut the number of stillbirths and neonatal deaths in the UK that currently stands at 16 every single day, by a third."

Hutton added: "There is a large group of the population that, for whatever reason, do not have regular antenatal care. This group are twice as likely to experience a stillbirth and it is important we get the correct information to them in any way we can.

"Every baby moves differently and it is important that mums-to-be get used to their own baby's pattern of movement, and if any significant changes occur they should contact a healthcare professional."

Responding to the criticism, a Coronation Street spokesperson told Digital Spy: "Craig's interpretation of what he read online was that of a 16-year-old boy who does not have any knowledge of pregnancy. He is not a medical professional. We are very grateful to the charity for raising awareness of the fact that babies should continue to move right up to birth."

[mariba]

Ridiculous! Craig is right! Babies usually DO move less towards the end of the pregnancy-that's all he said! He didn't say babies wouldn't move at all did he?? Why is there always someone complaining about something?? No wonder soap writers are becoming more and more careful to write anything..!
And yes, I'm a mother of two-I know something. In the end it is important to count the kicks, but is that really the job for Corrie writers to remind pregnant women about this as well? Are people really this stupid these days that they don't get info themselves??

[mariba]

Ridiculous! Craig is right! Babies usually DO move less towards the end of the pregnancy-that's all he said! He didn't say babies wouldn't move at all did he?? Why is there always someone complaining about something?? No wonder soap writers are becoming more and more careful to write anything..!
And yes, I'm a mother of two-I know something. In the end it is important to count the kicks, but is that really the job for Corrie writers to remind pregnant women about this as well? Are people really this stupid these days that they don't get info themselves??

[Dazzle]

I don't find it ridiculous that a charity that campaigns about babies being born dead is concerned about the messages being given by this storyline. They surely know a lot more about this subject than most, even us mothers. As they say, many people don't get ante-natal care so they obviously don't get all the information and not everyone has access to the internet.

There's many reasons this can happen and it's probably usually vulnerable people on the fringes of society. This doesn't mean they're stupid, it just means their lives are tough for whatever reason.

This complaint hardly compares to the ridiculous overreactions about gay kisses and being misled about the identity of murderers that soaps are often subject to. I'm glad Count the Kicks has spoken out. Who knows, maybe a baby's life will be saved because of it?

[swmc66]

When he said that i thought it was true as he has been reading books and going on the internet but was baffled as no movement would worry me as i had to count the kicks with one of my babies. So probably best they raised it as a lot of people do not research and listen to old myths.

[Katy]

He was making a comment as a teenage boy who had been googling.

He isnt speaking as a medical professional just a scared wee boy out of his depth.

[swmc66]

I know i see that now poor thing