James Atherton cast as Steph's ex

[tammyy2j]

Former Hollyoaks star James Atherton is swapping Chester for Weatherfield after landing a guest role on Coronation Street, Digital Spy can exclusively confirm.

The actor has signed up to play new character Jamie on the ITV soap and will make his first appearance in a few weeks' time.


Jamie is an old friend of current Coronation Street regular Luke Britton as they both used to be involved in track car racing.

He is also an ex-boyfriend of Luke's sister Steph and will be causing problems for both of the siblings when he arrives on the cobbles for an upcoming storyline.

Atherton will be a familiar face to many soap fans as he previously played serial killer Will Savage on Hollyoaks.


Will was a Hollyoaks regular for over two years from early 2011, originally introduced as a geeky character before slowly turning to the dark side.

The evil schemer also returned for a guest stint late last year, which saw him finally get his comeuppance when the show's 'Gloved Hand Killer' murdered him at the local hospital.

[Perdita]

Fresh from playing creepy serial killer Will Savage in Hollyoaks, James Atherton is about to cause another big stir in the soap world as his Coronation Street character Jamie Bowman turns sinister.

Corrie will be exploring the oh-so topical issue of 'revenge porn', as newcomer Jamie threatens to release some revealing photos of his ex-girlfriend Steph Britton. He shares his twisted intentions with Steph's brother Luke, hoping to manipulate him into continuing his track racing career.

With another dramatic story to sink his teeth into, James recently caught up with Digital Spy to chat about swapping soaps and the on-screen trouble to come.

How have you found the experience of moving from Hollyoaks to Coronation Street?
"It's been interesting. Will Savage became a bit of an iconic character over on Hollyoaks because he was such a nutter. Doing all of my storylines there was great and I was really close with Danny Mac, my on-screen brother.

"Coming over here into Corrie, I've been playing something that's a bit closer to home - at least to begin with. Everyone has been really welcoming and friendly, so it's been really easy to settle in. That's made it a great place to work and we've got some really good stuff coming up."

Did you ever expect to get another high-profile role so soon?
"No, it came as a bit of a surprise actually. I couldn't believe it when I got it. I'd just been doing bits and bobs - a bit of theatre and a few episodes of other shows here and there. It feels like it's come along at a good time."

Did you go through a long audition process?
"It happened quite quickly. I was actually doing a new film version of Macbeth, but I ended up starting at Corrie at the same time because I went in for the audition and then had my first day filming a week later. It was a really quick turnaround."

How do you feel about exploring the 'revenge porn' storyline?
"It has to be done with real care. We have to pitch it right, because it's a really important issue and something that is very topical. There are people out there who are being really hurt by this. So far I think we're doing a really good job at fairly representing every side of it.

"There are other elements to the story as well, certainly from Jamie's point of view. He's not just a bad guy who wants to take his problems out on his ex-girlfriend. Jamie has his own personal reasons for doing it as he's struggling with debts and needs Luke to keep racing, but that still doesn't excuse it in any way, shape or form."

You seem to be developing a reputation for playing soap bad guys!
"I have to admit, when I read it and realised that I was going to be the bad guy, I thought, 'Not again!' But it's been written really nicely. So far it's been a nice slow-burner, so you can really feel the pressure building up on Luke as Jamie makes his threats. It's nice to have something dramatic to explore, that's for sure."

How does Luke react to Jamie's ultimatum?
"I don't think Luke can believe it to begin with. They're really old mates, so Luke is really shocked by it and he doesn't take him that seriously at first. Initially Jamie just asks him to do a race and is trying really hard to get him interested.

"When Jamie realises that Luke won't do it, he pulls out this little plan from up his sleeve and mentions the pictures that he has of Steph. Luke is really disgusted when Jamie threatens to release them if he doesn't cooperate."

Did you know from the start that Jamie would take this nastier turn?
"I only found this out a bit later. I always knew there was some sort of edge to him, but the audition scenes were a lot tamer than the stuff we've been filming recently. I thought Jamie was going to be a lot lighter than what's actually happened, but it is a great story to have."

Will there be a showdown between Jamie and Steph at some point?
"There absolutely will be. It's quite emotional for both of them because Steph starts pulling at Jamie's heart-strings not to release the pictures. As we know, they are ex-boyfriend and girlfriend and they still have a connection. That's what's so tragic about the 'revenge porn' issue - it can be two people who were truly in love at one point, so it's really messed up."

Are you in Corrie just for this storyline?
"I don't know yet - it's open-ended at this point. I'd obviously love to stay because it's a fantastic place to work. If they keep throwing storylines like this out at me, then I'd love to stay and do more. Watch this space."

How are the Hollyoaks fans reacting to your new role?
"I think they seem to be enjoying it. I think they got a bit of a shock when I first showed up on screen, though! There was a fairly big Twitter reaction and they're liking it so far - long may it continue."

Will Savage was unlucky enough to be murdered by Hollyoaks' Gloved Hand Killer this year. Were you happy with that, or do you wish they'd left the door open?
"I think it was definitely the right time for it to happen. Danny Mac was leaving the show as well, so it was good for us to both go at the same time. We'd started at the same time too, so it seemed really right.

"I also thought it was really good that there was another killer coming into the show by getting rid of the old one. That was quite a nice full-circle storyline. I'll have to tune in to Hollyoaks next week to find out who the Gloved Hand is - I'd love to know who my killer was."

What are the main differences when it comes to filming the two shows?
"Corrie is filmed multi-camera while Hollyoaks is single camera and I have found that to be a big difference. It means that over here at Corrie it's a lot quicker but in a different way. You get a bit more rehearsal time, but once you're up and running and you're getting into the meat of a scene, it's over before you know it.

"You've got to be really 'on it', whereas on Hollyoaks because it's shot on single camera, there's a lot more time because crews are moving around tracks on the sets."

Would you like to play a nice guy after this?
"Yeah, possibly! It's about time, isn't it? But I also think it's far more interesting to play the bad guy. You find nuances in the character and ways to try to make them likeable. That's the other thing - if people end up liking the character even though he's a bad guy and they want to see more of him, then that's brilliant."

[Perdita]

Coronation Street's newest bad boy Jamie Bowman will be arrested as the show's 'revenge porn' storyline escalates.

Jamie is about to take centre stage in a major plot for the ITV soap as he callously releases private photos of his ex-girlfriend Steph Britton.
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James Atherton filming scenes for Coronation Street
© MCPIX/REX Shutterstock
Jamie is arrested

Viewers will see the storyline begin on screen this week, as Jamie first starts making threats to reveal the pictures of a scantily-clad Steph. He does so in an attempt to manipulate Steph's brother Luke, wanting him to continue his track racing career.

Former Hollyoaks star James Atherton, who plays Jamie, has now been spotted filming on location for scenes which see his character get his comeuppance.

While firm details won't be revealed until the scenes air later this year, it's thought that fans can expect a big showdown at a pub involving Jamie, Steph, Luke, Leanne Tilsley and Andy Carver.

Afterwards, it'll be time for Jamie to face the consequences of his actions as he is carted away by police officers.
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Dean Fagan, Tisha Merry, Jane Danson and James Atherton filming scenes for Coronation Street
© MCPIX/REX Shutterstock
Jamie's true colours will be publicly exposed

Dean Fagan, Tisha Merry, Jane Danson and James Atherton filming scenes for Coronation Street
© MCPIX/REX Shutterstock
Steph will be relieved that her ordeal is over

Speaking to Digital Spy about the 'revenge porn' plot last week, Atherton explained: "It has to be done with real care. We have to pitch it right, because it's a really important issue and something that is very topical. There are people out there who are being really hurt by this. So far I think we're doing a really good job at fairly representing every side of it.

"There are other elements to the story as well, certainly from Jamie's point of view. He's not just a bad guy who wants to take his problems out on his ex-girlfriend. Jamie has his own personal reasons for doing it as he's struggling with debts and needs Luke to keep racing, but that still doesn't excuse it in any way, shape or form."

Atherton previously played evil serial killer Will Savage on Hollyoaks.


digitalspy

[swmc66]

I wonder why Leanne turns up in this storyline. Oh forgot Steph works for her