Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre)

[swmc66]

A lot of people are complaining about this storyline on the internet. Not one person pleased. Looks like Vinny will die as that is the only way Phelan will be around for Christmas

[swmc66]

I have clearly missed the last episode. Was volunteering last night somewhere. Cannot believe what happened.

[mysangry]

OHhh I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how dark Phelan would go, we just need some one with some sense to see all is not right, but who is clever enough then brave enough to sort Pat out.
I must be one of a few enthralled as to where this story line can go to.
Corri has always had baddies and it's about time the Soaps can show just how bad life is outthere and with twisted heads like Phelan, Corri gets my vote for showing life can be sinister.

[Perdita]

OHhh I was on the edge of my seat, wondering how dark Phelan would go, we just need some one with some sense to see all is not right, but who is clever enough then brave enough to sort Pat out.
I must be one of a few enthralled as to where this story line can go to.
Corri has always had baddies and it's about time the Soaps can show just how bad life is outthere and with twisted heads like Phelan, Corri gets my vote for showing life can be sinister.

No problem with showing life can be sinister but the storylines need to be reasonably realistic (which they sure as hell are not where Mr Phelan is concerned lately) and I would have thought that producers have realised that stories that go on for too long loses viewers (I have rarely seen an episode of EastEnders since Lucy got murdered because I lost interest and I know I am not the only one!) ... I now have lost interest in Pat Phelan and the totally ridiculous scenarios which appear to carry on until next year .. YAWN!!!

[Perdita]

Just when we thought Coronation Street villain Pat Phelan couldn't get any worse, he's surpassed our expectations. A dark storyline twist on Friday night saw the Street's resident schemer force Andy Carver to shoot Vinny Ashford, before taking the gun and shooting Andy dead.

Evil Phelan has now dumped both of their bodies in a lake at a deserted mill, leaving us to wonder whether he'll ever face justice. Here, Connor McIntyre – who plays him – reacts to the chilling twist and offers new hints on what happens next.

This is the first time Phelan has actually committed murder. What made him cross the line?

"Phelan has been promising the world to Andy, but he is two or three steps ahead. The Vinny problem has evaporated and it was in that moment that Phelan realised how easy it is to solve a problem.

"As soon as he got the gun from Andy, he registered 'two birds, one stone'. He saw that opportunity and he is the architect of his own downfall. And now Nicola's gone, that was a catalyst as well. He's really at a dangerous moment."

Did Phelan always plan to kill Andy?

"No. So dark and deep is this thing, the replacement plan presented an opportunity to get Phelan's money back and solve Vinny once and for all, because he has proved that he is a dangerous guy.

"Phelan bullied and cajoled Andy into killing him, but in that moment Phelan saw an opportunity to solve a problem. Andy said, 'I know you Pat, you're not a murderer', but Phelan said, 'You don't know me' and he speaks for all of us. No, we don't know you!"

Now that Phelan has murdered someone, is this the beginning of the end for him?

"No question, this is the pebble that starts the avalanche."

Will the soap gods get justice?

"It must be so and we have just woken them up out of their slumber – 'hey this needs sorting out'. But while we run up to that, whenever that is, Pat Phelan is now a very dangerous person.

"Now he's crossed the rubicon, whereas before he would go to great lengths, for example the cellar, complicating things. The journey towards his comeuppance will be very lively I'm sure, because now he has a direct route to solving problems."

Phelan warned Andy that he'd never be able to live with himself for killing Vinny. Does Phelan truly believe he was doing Andy a favour?

"It's the logic of a narcissist, psychopathic thinking, that actually he's done him a favour. Although frighteningly, in terms of the writing, there is a certain logic to it and it will be very interesting to see how our viewers see it, because I don't think he was ever getting out of there, was he? So yes, those moments are all true for Pat Phelan."

When you came back into the show, did you ever imagine Phelan would become so evil?

"No but I knew the quality of writers that we have here, even in that short stint at the beginning. For those three scenes, he was a straight up and down dodgy character, but he's grown and the writers and [producer] Kate Oates have given him that latitude. 'How far can we fold this guy, how many dimensions can we put on this guy?' What a lovely thing."

You've said before that sometimes you spot people in the street being quite scared of you and you like to go up to them and put people at ease! Why is that?

"First of all it disturbs me to see somebody genuinely frightened, so I think anybody would do that. It's worth pointing out that some are certainly not frightened! Some of them are quite the opposite, quite feisty they come."

In the coming weeks, Anna and other people are going to start to get more suspicious about Phelan. Is anybody safe?

"No. He never forgets, Vinny is a classic example. Remember the last scene in The Rovers, 'best day ever', now what does that mean? That's where you see the danger."

What was it like filming those scenes at the factory?

"Fabulous, it was like a movie set. We are used to working in studios so everybody was really excited. There was a real atmosphere to what was going on. It was cold and wet but everybody was well up for it."

Were the three of you able to have a laugh and relax, or did it remain very intense throughout?

"These guys are professionals, so we will stay in the mood as we need to. I don't mind the intensity and Ian Kelsey doesn't mind it either, Oli the same and we don't often get a chance to do those scenes. I'd be worried if anybody wasn't intense. "

How much did the location help you?

"No question, it's all about atmosphere. But when you are going in there, it charges the atmosphere. It was just great."


Digital Spy

[Ruffed_lemur]

I'm done with Corrie for a while. I don't watch violent murder dramas. A pity about some storylines but Phelan is still around, so not for me.

[mariba]

Me too. Until Phelan is gone. And hopefully by then, Todd will be back, with Carla!

[Perdita]

Barely a day goes by without another Coronation Street news story revealing what resident villain Pat Phelan will be getting up to next. It can also be pretty easy to lose track of his never-ending schemes – murder, blackmail, framing people for crimes they didn't commit. And that's only the half of it.

Fortunately, we're here with a handy guide to Phelan's future, recapping all the biggest spoilers and teasers we know for his upcoming storylines.

1. Phelan WILL get his comeuppance

Let's get the most important one out of the way first – Coronation Street isn't going to let Phelan's reign of terror drag on indefinitely. That's good news for famous Corrie fans like Fern Britton and Sir Michael Parkinson, who've accused the show of going too far with his increasingly bonkers storylines.

When Phelan's double murder twist shocked Corrie's fanbase last month, Connor McIntyre – who plays him – confirmed that it would set the ball in motion for his just desserts. Asked whether the soap gods will do their worst, he replied: "It must be so and we have just woken them up out of their slumber – 'hey, this needs sorting out'."

After hundreds of complaints from viewers over Phelan's murderous actions, Corrie also later told Digital Spy: "One day, Phelan will get his comeuppance and justice will be done." Phew.

2. Phelan's comeuppance ISN'T happening anytime soon

You've heard the good news, now here's the bad – well, at least if you're the type of fan who wants things wrapped up as quickly as possible. When Digital Spy caught up with Corrie's producer Kate Oates at the Inside Soap Awards earlier this month, she confirmed that the show isn't in any rush to bring Phelan's story to an end.

Kate told us: "It's just the right length of time. When it happens, people will be really ready for it and really hungry for it. But there's a few dark twists and turns to come first..." That doesn't sound good for Phelan's enemies.


3. Phelan's downfall will mean a dramatic exit


Not a huge surprise, but Connor doesn't seem in any doubt that Phelan's comeuppance will involve him bowing out from the show. While some villains can be redeemed after a downfall, that's not exactly looking likely for someone who's plunged to such dark depths as Phelan.

Connor told this week's Inside Soap: "I'll be there until there is no more need for Pat Phelan – and of course I'll miss him!"


4. Phelan has a Mr Nice Guy act ahead

Anna Windass may spend most of her time bad-mouthing Phelan – and rightly so after what he's put her through – but she may struggle to get anyone to believe her after he tries to claw back his popularity among the locals.

In the next fortnight, we'll see Phelan try to get back in Faye's good books by offering Seb his job back at the builders' yard. He also gives local vicar Billy Mayhew money for the church fund and even hands out £5,000 compensation to everyone he conned with his fake flats last year. Who needs Santa when you've got Phelan in a good mood?


5. There's a long way to go yet for Phelan and Anna


Phelan's biggest enemy Anna is leaving the show and Corrie bosses have never made any secret of the fact that her departure is likely to be linked to her nemesis. Anna's final scenes aren't expected to air until early 2018, so there's at least another two months of this cat and mouse game still to come.

In this Friday's double bill, Phelan uses his knowledge of Gary and Nicola's baby secret to his advantage, telling Anna about her son's infidelity in an effort to blackmail her. Phelan tells Anna they should work together – although his idea of co-operation is usually slightly skewed in his favour, to say the least.

Recent paparazzi pictures taken on location also showed Anna being arrested in some heartbreaking Christmas scenes. Will this be connected to Phelan's attempts to frame her? (Do we even have to ask?)


6. Nicola will be back

Soaps love to trick us with a fake exit and there were some fears that we'd seen the last of Phelan's daughter Nicola when she left the Street and jetted off to Australia.

Fortunately, our soap insiders confirmed that Nicola will be back at some point in the near future. With much more to explore between her and Phelan – not to mention her being pregnant with Gary's baby – it certainly would have been a shame to see her go so soon.


7. The focus of Phelan's story will shift to Eileen


Sharing another juicy Corrie spoiler with Digital Spy at the Inside Soap Awards, Kate Oates confirmed that she wants the show to spend more time exploring Eileen's role in the Phelan saga. So far Eileen has seemed annoyingly oblivious to her husband's dark side, but that might be about to change in the not-too-distant future.

Kate told us: "One of the relationships we haven't seen much of is Phelan's relationship with Eileen. She's been more in the dark than Andy – and he was in the cellar for ten months!

"I think it'll be interesting as she starts to peel back some of the layers of what's going on with her husband and work out how she feels about it. She doesn't know the whole truth, but she starts to see glimpses. How much is Eileen going to put up with? She's fundamentally a good person and Phelan is going to have to work harder to pull the wool over her eyes."

8. Phelan may kill again

Corrie hasn't officially confirmed any more murders in this storyline, but as always, we've been able to rely on Connor for some sneaky hints on where things might be heading next. Chatting after Andy and Vinny were both killed off, Connor explained that the dark twist made Phelan more dangerous than ever.

Why? Well, because after months of being reluctant to kill anyone in cold blood, Phelan finally crossed the line when he shot Andy dead – and now that he's got a taste for it, he certainly won't be afraid to strike again.

Connor explained: "Pat Phelan is now a very dangerous person. Before, he would go to great lengths, for example the cellar, complicating things. The journey towards his comeuppance will be very lively I'm sure, because now he has a direct route to solving problems."


9. Evidence of Phelan's guilt will start to crop up

The occasionally-clueless residents of Coronation Street aren't known for their observational skills whenever there's a villain on the scene, but some evidence of Phelan's guilt does start to be dropped into episodes over the next few weeks. Could these be Corrie's answer to that Emma Barton video in Emmerdale – clues ready and waiting to be picked up on as the story reaches its climax?

This week, we'll see Eileen get hold of a wire model of a house that Andy made before he died, while next week's episodes see Todd smell a rat when he spots Vinny Ashford's bag. Is Phelan starting to get careless when it comes to covering his tracks? For everyone's sake, let's hope so...

Digital Spy

[lizann]

so anna will be gone before phelan whether dead or prison or on run

[parkerman]

So, no end in sight yet? Months to go (at least). It almost makes the Bobby Beale story seem reasonable, well thought out and a highlight of Soap history.