Perdita
04-05-2010, 17:29
"I don't believe Mary would hurt a fly!"
There isn't a woman alive who hasn't done something a bit crazy in the name of love. There's a fine line between ‘crazy' and ‘scary', though… and in her relentless pursuit of Norris Cole, Corrie's Mary Taylor has pole-vaulted right over it. But even the most hardened bunny boiler would have to think twice if the object of their affections called the police in. So, just why is Mary – who was recently released after questioning – back on the cobbles, all smiles and hoping that Norris will soon come to his senses?
"Mary's a determined lady, and she's set her sights on Norris," laughs star Patti Clare, who delights Inside Soap by sitting down for a good gossip about her crackers character. "Obviously Norris is deeply fearful of her – she frightened him with her antics in that cottage. But I don't believe she'd hurt a fly. I just think the intensity of her world can sometimes seem very scary."
That'll explain why Norris is a complete paranoid wreck this week, as Mary – who has already discredited his version of their holiday-hell story in front of all his friends – turns up at Blanche Hunt's funeral service. But is she actually a stalker?
"All she's really done is allow her fantasy about their relationship to run riot," insists Patti. "I don't think that Mary's had any luck in love at all, so she probably expected Norris to reject her. Now she realises that she has to build bridges with him – but she only goes to Blanche's funeral because she wants to pay her respects."
While their alter egos may be at war in Weatherfield, Patti is happy to report that she and co-star Malcolm Hebden (Norris) are still as close as ever – with even a challenging location shoot in Yorkshire unable to dent their friendship.
"We were up against the elements, but we did have a really good time filming," she grins. "It was lambing season while we were up there, and three little lambs had been born by the time we left – so we named two of them Mary and Norris! The greatest pleasure of Coronation Street has been getting to work closely with Malcolm. We just clicked straight away, and that's quite rare in this business."
We're hoping that a truce can be called between Patti and Malcolm's estranged characters because, here at Inside Soap, mad Mary is fast becoming a soap legend. And it seems that viewers of the show are in complete agreement with us.
"I keep getting loads of fan mail from people of all ages, especially youngsters," shares the star. "They find Mary really funny, and like her quirkiness. A lot of them want her to marry Norris – I don't know if that will change now, though!"
We're all aware that lucky Mary is a champion competition winner, with the recent trip to Brontë country being the latest in her long line of triumphs. But is Patti so fortunate in real life?
"I don't know if I've ever won anything," muses the actress. "Actually, when I was very little, I drew a picture of a fish and scooped a competition in the local paper. They came round and took a picture of me, and I was very proud of myself.
Perhaps Mary's luck will begin to rub off on Patti, starting with her winning a new contract at Corrie. Could she see herself moving onto the cobbles full time?
"To be honest with you, I'm not even allowing myself to think about it until it happens," confides the star. "It would be such a big deal for me and so exciting that I daren't even dream it's a possibility. If it works out, it would be utterly fantastic. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed!"
Should Mary stay, Patti knows what she wants as her character's next storyline…
"I'd like for Mary to find love," she says. "It'd be nice for her to have some good fortune in that department. When she was on her travels, she met a Spanish guitar player, Cézaro, and I'd like him to turn up and be the Spanish equivalent of Norris. It would be so funny! Malcolm's first role in Corrie was in the 1970s playing a character called Carlos, who was Spanish. Perhaps he could play Cézaro, too."
There are few things we'd love to see more than that, so here's hoping that Patti's Street dreams come true. But in the meantime, will Mary ever stop trying to convince Norris that he's her Mr Right?
"Mary's like the Terminator – she never gives up," warns the actress. "Her feelings for Norris are bigger than anything else, and she was even willing to lie about her mum dying to keep him close. She knows exactly what she wants, and that's Norris. All's fair in love and war, and Mary was just playing her top card. She's sincerely sorry to have frightened him, so I just hope that Norris can forgive her…"
"I don't believe Mary would hurt a fly!"
ITV
There isn't a woman alive who hasn't done something a bit crazy in the name of love. There's a fine line between ‘crazy' and ‘scary', though… and in her relentless pursuit of Norris Cole, Corrie's Mary Taylor has pole-vaulted right over it. But even the most hardened bunny boiler would have to think twice if the object of their affections called the police in. So, just why is Mary – who was recently released after questioning – back on the cobbles, all smiles and hoping that Norris will soon come to his senses?
"Mary's a determined lady, and she's set her sights on Norris," laughs star Patti Clare, who delights Inside Soap by sitting down for a good gossip about her crackers character. "Obviously Norris is deeply fearful of her – she frightened him with her antics in that cottage. But I don't believe she'd hurt a fly. I just think the intensity of her world can sometimes seem very scary."
That'll explain why Norris is a complete paranoid wreck this week, as Mary – who has already discredited his version of their holiday-hell story in front of all his friends – turns up at Blanche Hunt's funeral service. But is she actually a stalker?
"All she's really done is allow her fantasy about their relationship to run riot," insists Patti. "I don't think that Mary's had any luck in love at all, so she probably expected Norris to reject her. Now she realises that she has to build bridges with him – but she only goes to Blanche's funeral because she wants to pay her respects."
While their alter egos may be at war in Weatherfield, Patti is happy to report that she and co-star Malcolm Hebden (Norris) are still as close as ever – with even a challenging location shoot in Yorkshire unable to dent their friendship.
"We were up against the elements, but we did have a really good time filming," she grins. "It was lambing season while we were up there, and three little lambs had been born by the time we left – so we named two of them Mary and Norris! The greatest pleasure of Coronation Street has been getting to work closely with Malcolm. We just clicked straight away, and that's quite rare in this business."
We're hoping that a truce can be called between Patti and Malcolm's estranged characters because, here at Inside Soap, mad Mary is fast becoming a soap legend. And it seems that viewers of the show are in complete agreement with us.
"I keep getting loads of fan mail from people of all ages, especially youngsters," shares the star. "They find Mary really funny, and like her quirkiness. A lot of them want her to marry Norris – I don't know if that will change now, though!"
We're all aware that lucky Mary is a champion competition winner, with the recent trip to Brontë country being the latest in her long line of triumphs. But is Patti so fortunate in real life?
"I don't know if I've ever won anything," muses the actress. "Actually, when I was very little, I drew a picture of a fish and scooped a competition in the local paper. They came round and took a picture of me, and I was very proud of myself.
Perhaps Mary's luck will begin to rub off on Patti, starting with her winning a new contract at Corrie. Could she see herself moving onto the cobbles full time?
"To be honest with you, I'm not even allowing myself to think about it until it happens," confides the star. "It would be such a big deal for me and so exciting that I daren't even dream it's a possibility. If it works out, it would be utterly fantastic. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed!"
Should Mary stay, Patti knows what she wants as her character's next storyline…
"I'd like for Mary to find love," she says. "It'd be nice for her to have some good fortune in that department. When she was on her travels, she met a Spanish guitar player, Cézaro, and I'd like him to turn up and be the Spanish equivalent of Norris. It would be so funny! Malcolm's first role in Corrie was in the 1970s playing a character called Carlos, who was Spanish. Perhaps he could play Cézaro, too."
There are few things we'd love to see more than that, so here's hoping that Patti's Street dreams come true. But in the meantime, will Mary ever stop trying to convince Norris that he's her Mr Right?
To be published in Inside Soap
There isn't a woman alive who hasn't done something a bit crazy in the name of love. There's a fine line between ‘crazy' and ‘scary', though… and in her relentless pursuit of Norris Cole, Corrie's Mary Taylor has pole-vaulted right over it. But even the most hardened bunny boiler would have to think twice if the object of their affections called the police in. So, just why is Mary – who was recently released after questioning – back on the cobbles, all smiles and hoping that Norris will soon come to his senses?
"Mary's a determined lady, and she's set her sights on Norris," laughs star Patti Clare, who delights Inside Soap by sitting down for a good gossip about her crackers character. "Obviously Norris is deeply fearful of her – she frightened him with her antics in that cottage. But I don't believe she'd hurt a fly. I just think the intensity of her world can sometimes seem very scary."
That'll explain why Norris is a complete paranoid wreck this week, as Mary – who has already discredited his version of their holiday-hell story in front of all his friends – turns up at Blanche Hunt's funeral service. But is she actually a stalker?
"All she's really done is allow her fantasy about their relationship to run riot," insists Patti. "I don't think that Mary's had any luck in love at all, so she probably expected Norris to reject her. Now she realises that she has to build bridges with him – but she only goes to Blanche's funeral because she wants to pay her respects."
While their alter egos may be at war in Weatherfield, Patti is happy to report that she and co-star Malcolm Hebden (Norris) are still as close as ever – with even a challenging location shoot in Yorkshire unable to dent their friendship.
"We were up against the elements, but we did have a really good time filming," she grins. "It was lambing season while we were up there, and three little lambs had been born by the time we left – so we named two of them Mary and Norris! The greatest pleasure of Coronation Street has been getting to work closely with Malcolm. We just clicked straight away, and that's quite rare in this business."
We're hoping that a truce can be called between Patti and Malcolm's estranged characters because, here at Inside Soap, mad Mary is fast becoming a soap legend. And it seems that viewers of the show are in complete agreement with us.
"I keep getting loads of fan mail from people of all ages, especially youngsters," shares the star. "They find Mary really funny, and like her quirkiness. A lot of them want her to marry Norris – I don't know if that will change now, though!"
We're all aware that lucky Mary is a champion competition winner, with the recent trip to Brontë country being the latest in her long line of triumphs. But is Patti so fortunate in real life?
"I don't know if I've ever won anything," muses the actress. "Actually, when I was very little, I drew a picture of a fish and scooped a competition in the local paper. They came round and took a picture of me, and I was very proud of myself.
Perhaps Mary's luck will begin to rub off on Patti, starting with her winning a new contract at Corrie. Could she see herself moving onto the cobbles full time?
"To be honest with you, I'm not even allowing myself to think about it until it happens," confides the star. "It would be such a big deal for me and so exciting that I daren't even dream it's a possibility. If it works out, it would be utterly fantastic. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed!"
Should Mary stay, Patti knows what she wants as her character's next storyline…
"I'd like for Mary to find love," she says. "It'd be nice for her to have some good fortune in that department. When she was on her travels, she met a Spanish guitar player, Cézaro, and I'd like him to turn up and be the Spanish equivalent of Norris. It would be so funny! Malcolm's first role in Corrie was in the 1970s playing a character called Carlos, who was Spanish. Perhaps he could play Cézaro, too."
There are few things we'd love to see more than that, so here's hoping that Patti's Street dreams come true. But in the meantime, will Mary ever stop trying to convince Norris that he's her Mr Right?
"Mary's like the Terminator – she never gives up," warns the actress. "Her feelings for Norris are bigger than anything else, and she was even willing to lie about her mum dying to keep him close. She knows exactly what she wants, and that's Norris. All's fair in love and war, and Mary was just playing her top card. She's sincerely sorry to have frightened him, so I just hope that Norris can forgive her…"
"I don't believe Mary would hurt a fly!"
ITV
There isn't a woman alive who hasn't done something a bit crazy in the name of love. There's a fine line between ‘crazy' and ‘scary', though… and in her relentless pursuit of Norris Cole, Corrie's Mary Taylor has pole-vaulted right over it. But even the most hardened bunny boiler would have to think twice if the object of their affections called the police in. So, just why is Mary – who was recently released after questioning – back on the cobbles, all smiles and hoping that Norris will soon come to his senses?
"Mary's a determined lady, and she's set her sights on Norris," laughs star Patti Clare, who delights Inside Soap by sitting down for a good gossip about her crackers character. "Obviously Norris is deeply fearful of her – she frightened him with her antics in that cottage. But I don't believe she'd hurt a fly. I just think the intensity of her world can sometimes seem very scary."
That'll explain why Norris is a complete paranoid wreck this week, as Mary – who has already discredited his version of their holiday-hell story in front of all his friends – turns up at Blanche Hunt's funeral service. But is she actually a stalker?
"All she's really done is allow her fantasy about their relationship to run riot," insists Patti. "I don't think that Mary's had any luck in love at all, so she probably expected Norris to reject her. Now she realises that she has to build bridges with him – but she only goes to Blanche's funeral because she wants to pay her respects."
While their alter egos may be at war in Weatherfield, Patti is happy to report that she and co-star Malcolm Hebden (Norris) are still as close as ever – with even a challenging location shoot in Yorkshire unable to dent their friendship.
"We were up against the elements, but we did have a really good time filming," she grins. "It was lambing season while we were up there, and three little lambs had been born by the time we left – so we named two of them Mary and Norris! The greatest pleasure of Coronation Street has been getting to work closely with Malcolm. We just clicked straight away, and that's quite rare in this business."
We're hoping that a truce can be called between Patti and Malcolm's estranged characters because, here at Inside Soap, mad Mary is fast becoming a soap legend. And it seems that viewers of the show are in complete agreement with us.
"I keep getting loads of fan mail from people of all ages, especially youngsters," shares the star. "They find Mary really funny, and like her quirkiness. A lot of them want her to marry Norris – I don't know if that will change now, though!"
We're all aware that lucky Mary is a champion competition winner, with the recent trip to Brontë country being the latest in her long line of triumphs. But is Patti so fortunate in real life?
"I don't know if I've ever won anything," muses the actress. "Actually, when I was very little, I drew a picture of a fish and scooped a competition in the local paper. They came round and took a picture of me, and I was very proud of myself.
Perhaps Mary's luck will begin to rub off on Patti, starting with her winning a new contract at Corrie. Could she see herself moving onto the cobbles full time?
"To be honest with you, I'm not even allowing myself to think about it until it happens," confides the star. "It would be such a big deal for me and so exciting that I daren't even dream it's a possibility. If it works out, it would be utterly fantastic. I'm keeping my fingers and toes crossed!"
Should Mary stay, Patti knows what she wants as her character's next storyline…
"I'd like for Mary to find love," she says. "It'd be nice for her to have some good fortune in that department. When she was on her travels, she met a Spanish guitar player, Cézaro, and I'd like him to turn up and be the Spanish equivalent of Norris. It would be so funny! Malcolm's first role in Corrie was in the 1970s playing a character called Carlos, who was Spanish. Perhaps he could play Cézaro, too."
There are few things we'd love to see more than that, so here's hoping that Patti's Street dreams come true. But in the meantime, will Mary ever stop trying to convince Norris that he's her Mr Right?
To be published in Inside Soap