Gavin Rodwell - Andy Carver

[Dazzle]

The real Gavin, Dazzle??? Who do you mean?

Yeah, I mean the real Gavin sounds nasty. The interview with the actor playing faux Gavin earlier in the thread states that he decided to pretend to be him to get back at the real Gavin, who'd messed him about quite a bit, and that it wasn't malicious.

It was certainly a very bad thing to do, and I feel very sorry for Michael when he finds out, but I get the impression that Andy (faux Gavin) is a decent person who's made a very bad choice rather than an out-and-out baddie.

That doesn't change the fact that Michael will be devastated when he finds out the truth, which is why part of me hopes he dies without ever doing so (especially if his real son is a bit of a b*stard).

[swmc66]

Maybe his son wont come in the show and dies early from a heart problem then Gavin has to confess all

[Dazzle]

Maybe his son wont come in the show and dies early from a heart problem then Gavin has to confess all

I actually love the idea of the real Gavin dying of heart problems before he meets his father, especially if he's a nasty piece of work who would treat Michael badly. Andy could then continue pretending to be him for the foreseeable, making everyone happy for now.

Although I've complained profusely about disliking Michael, he's grown on me recently and I really don't want to see his devastation when he find out he's been conned (that's why I'm dreaming up ways of avoiding that happening).

Of course, this being a soap, it would come out eventually, but I like the idea of Andy being Michael's "son" for the time being at least.

[swmc66]

I dont know how he is going to get paid for his work with a false name and NI number etc.

[alan45]

The walls seem to be closing in on Andy, the man who has been posing as Gavin Rodwell for months in Coronation Street.
The friend of Michael's long lost son is facing yet another challenge as the real Gavin's girlfriend Lisa arrives in town.
The Weatherfield impostor finds himself hiding from the visiting blonde has she speaks to Steph Britton.



This is going to take a lot of explaining!
Earlier in the upcoming episode Steph is moaning to Leanne about how distant 'Gavin' has been since they pair got together on New Years.


Despite sharing a passionate kiss he's barely spoken to her since.

Having no idea that he is really Gavin's old friend Andy, Steph is more than a little confused to come face to face with Lisa - Gavin's girlfriend.
Visiting the Bistro looking for her other half, Lisa asks Steph where she can find him while on seeing her, Andy ducks behind the bar to hide.
Not knowing the truth about his true identity Steph is highly confused both with his behaviour and her surprise guest.



It has become clear that Andy's plan to stand in as Gavin has gotten quite out of hand, Oliver Farnworth, who plays the character in the soap told Digital Spy, 'Andy is free-wheeling and he's making it up as he goes along.
'There is no game plan and he's not particularly malicious or manipulative - he just falls into it.
'Andy really doesn't mean any harm on anyone.'
Not so subtle: Andy's explanation for ducking down onto the floor better be good!

[alan45]

The walls seem to be closing in on Andy, the man who has been posing as Gavin Rodwell for months in Coronation Street.
The friend of Michael's long lost son is facing yet another challenge as the real Gavin's girlfriend Lisa arrives in town.
The Weatherfield impostor finds himself hiding from the visiting blonde has she speaks to Steph Britton.

This is going to take a lot of explaining!
Earlier in the upcoming episode Steph is moaning to Leanne about how distant 'Gavin' has been since they pair got together on New Years.

Despite sharing a passionate kiss he's barely spoken to her since.

Having no idea that he is really Gavin's old friend Andy, Steph is more than a little confused to come face to face with Lisa - Gavin's girlfriend.
Visiting the Bistro looking for her other half, Lisa asks Steph where she can find him while on seeing her, Andy ducks behind the bar to hide.
Not knowing the truth about his true identity Steph is highly confused both with his behaviour and her surprise guest.

It has become clear that Andy's plan to stand in as Gavin has gotten quite out of hand, Oliver Farnworth, who plays the character in the soap told Digital Spy, 'Andy is free-wheeling and he's making it up as he goes along.
'There is no game plan and he's not particularly malicious or manipulative - he just falls into it.
'Andy really doesn't mean any harm on anyone.'
Not so subtle: Andy's explanation for ducking down onto the floor better be good!

[Perdita]

Coronation Street bosses are planning to introduce the real Gavin Rodwell.

Former Hollyoaks and Mr Selfridge actor Oliver Farnworth recently joined the soap in the role of Andy, an impostor who is pretending to be Gavin.

Oliver Farnwoth plays Gavin Rodwell in Coronation Street
© ITV
Oliver Farnwoth plays Gavin Rodwell

Andy is a friend of Gavin who decided to impersonate him for his own gain, but he could be forced to face the consequences of his actions when the real deal turns up later this year.

Next week's episodes see Andy confide in his love interest Steph Britton about his true identity. However, they soon consider keeping the news to themselves as they believe the shocking truth could prove fatal for Gavin's father Michael, who has a heart condition.

Farnworth told Inside Soap: "With Michael's heart condition, any surprises like this might send him over the edge. So it's going to be really difficult for Andy and Steph - who's now implicated in this - to break the news to him.

"As for the real Gavin, I think we'll be seeing him at some point. Things are set to get very heated indeed between him and Andy."

Farnworth also confirmed that he is sticking with Corrie for "the foreseeable future", indicating that there could still be a place for Andy in Weatherfield once the truth is out.

He added: "There's a lot more intrigue to come and I know there are some exciting things planned over the next few months."

[alan45]

Impostor Andy Carver finds himself being blackmailed on Coronation Street next week after the real Gavin Rodwell returns from his travels.

After months of pretending to be Michael's estranged son, Andy fears the game is up when Gavin (Mark Holgate) arrives back and discovers what he is up to.

Gavin considers revealing the truth to Michael (Les Dennis) but later sees a way to make some quick cash instead, demanding £5,000 from Andy in exchange for his silence. Backed into a corner, Andy decides to steal from the Bistro to come up with the cash...

Here, Oliver Farnworth - who plays Andy - reveals the drama in store once Gavin returns.

Has Andy always known this day would come?
"Yes. Andy knows that at some point he's going to have to address the issue and confront it. He knows he can't live this life forever. I do think Andy had hoped that he wouldn't have to face up to it so soon - I think he was hoping for a bit more time. I also think Andy would have wanted the truth to come out in very different circumstances because Gavin literally just turns up out of the blue, so Andy has no control over the situation at all. Andy is really unprepared!"

How does Gavin's return come about?
"Steph goes round to Andy's flat without him, walks in and Gavin's stood there. He completely takes her by surprise, she's obviously not expecting to see him there! Gavin wants to know who she is so Steph has to do a lot of backtracking and covering up.

"Steph then goes to find Andy to tell him as quickly as possible. She breaks the news and Andy is completely mortified, but the pressing issue is that he has to work fast to cover his tracks. Andy has left payslips from the Bistro with Gavin's name on and the letter from Michael, all lying around the flat because he wasn't expecting Gavin to just turn back up. Andy was expecting Gavin to give him a call to tell him he was coming back from travelling, so he hasn't been covering his tracks."

Would Andy rather carry on living Gavin's life?
"I think he would have carried on living Gavin's life in the short term. He's just started earning some money, he's just settled in the Bistro and he's so happy with Steph. But he knows eventually he would have no choice but to do something about it. Whilst he is enjoying being part of a new family, he also feels so uncomfortable about it. The lie is not pleasant for him and he hates what he's doing to the people around him, even though they are oblivious to it.

"I'm not sure how he would do it, maybe by distancing himself from the family slowly. There's also the fact that Michael has a heart condition and he knows he has to tread carefully around him, so Andy would certainly have wanted to think carefully about how he approached the situation."

What happens when Andy and Gavin come face-to-face again?
"Andy goes back to the flat and tries to appear normal with Gavin and tries to be pally, asking him about his trip and if he enjoyed himself. Gavin very quickly says that his trip was fine, but asks when exactly did he start to work at the Bistro?

"Andy makes up an excuse that he had a problem with the bank, that his account was frozen and he needed a quick fix for the job so just gave Gavin's name. Perhaps that could have worked, had Gavin not also found the letter from Michael too! That's when it really kicks off. Andy can't get out of it at that stage - he's been rumbled."

What does Andy say about the letter?
"He tells Gavin that he received the letter a couple of months back and that he did try to get in touch with Gavin to tell him - which is true, we've seen Andy try and contact Gavin on screen. But then Steph puts her foot in it by telling Gavin that Michael's a really nice man, and Gavin realises that Andy's been in contact with Michael. Things turn nasty at that point!"

Have Andy and Gavin always got on in the past?
"They have quite an interesting relationship in a way. They're almost like brothers would be, they do fight and they mess about and wind each other up but they will always have that friend bond that they've always had. Gavin was a big wind-up merchant and did do some quite bad things to Andy when they were friends. He pinched Andy's girlfriend off him and his jokes and messing around could turn quite dark."

What does Andy do next?
"He's on a complete rollercoaster. On the one hand he feels terrible guilt about what he's done to the people around him, but then there's a huge feeling of sadness and loss that he's going to potentially have to leave this family he's found, and I think that will cause him a lot of sorrow."

What happens when Gavin comes into The Rovers?
"Andy is on eggshells. He thinks this is it, that Gavin has come to spill the beans. Instead, Gavin tells Andy and Steph that he'll keep quiet about who he really is, in exchange of £5,000. By this point their friendship is well out of the window and Gavin gives Andy a chance to cut all ties. Gavin doesn't care about Michael - he's grown to really hate him and I think a lot of that has to do with the stories his mum has told him throughout the years. He genuinely doesn't care about getting to know his dad, he just wants the money.

"This malicious side of Andy comes out even more when he says maybe he will introduce himself to Michael after all. Gavin and Steph have to beg him not to because of Michael's heart condition. Andy's really worried by this. Gavin is calling all the shots and Andy really has no control over the situation."

Why does Andy decide that a fake mugging will solve his problems?
"It's an off the cuff decision - they don't really have much of a choice. Nick's given Andy the banking to do and Andy realises he's holding a big wad of cash and it could be the answer to their problem. Andy tells Steph that the Bistro will be insured against this kind of thing and who would ever query it?

"Andy disappears with the money and comes back a couple of hours and tells Steph he can't go through with it. Steph tells him he has to, as Nick will want to know why he hasn't done the banking. They are committed to the idea then and Steph gives him a few more digs to make it look as though he's been attacked."

Can Andy keep this up until Gail and Michael's wedding day?
"Andy still has to find another couple of grand to top up the money from the Bistro to give to Gavin and he is just beside himself with worry. He doesn't know what he's going to do or how he's going to find the money. So actually I think the worry is that if they don't find the money in time before the wedding, Gavin will blow Andy's cover for him."

How far would Andy go to keep this situation under wraps?
"I think he'd go a long way, to protect Michael and the family. The scrapes he's already got himself into prove how far he's willing to go! He's not doing this for any self-gain now, he wants to protect Michael and he knows that any stress to him could cause him serious harm. I think ultimately everything Andy is doing is plotting how he's going to get out of this with damage limitation to the people around him."

What has been the best thing about playing Andy so far?
"Getting beaten up by Tisha?! (Laughs.) The best bit has been the situation Andy arrived in. He has really been in the hub of the Street and he's interacted with a lot of different people in Weatherfield. It's meant that I've been able to work a lot with the Platts, which has been amazing, as well as in the Rovers and the Bistro. He's integrated well onto the Street."

[tammyy2j]

It is a shame the real Gavin is being killed off so soon, he is a good actor and could be a decent nasty villain on the show

[Perdita]

Coronation Street's Andy Carver will find his relationship with Steph Britton hitting the rocks next week as the pressure of his double life takes its toll.

As Andy (Oliver Farnworth) struggles with the enormity of the lies he has told, he starts to find his romance with Steph (Tisha Merry) being affected too.

When Andy suggests that he moves away from Weatherfield and starts afresh on his own, Steph is furious and they have a row.

A deeply hurt Steph soon calls time on their relationship, before confiding in her brother Luke how Andy has been leading a double life and masquerading as Michael's son Gavin.

Furious, Luke struggles to hide his feelings on the matter and marches across the street to find Andy, where he hits him.

Maria makes a shock decision after hearing about Luke violent behaviour towards Andy.
© ITV
Maria makes a shock decision

However, Luke's violent actions horrify Maria and she soon makes a shock decision about their future together.

Coronation Street airs these scenes next week on ITV.