Tommy Duckworth

Coronation Street star Chris Fountain has praised the decision to finally unite his character Tommy Duckworth and Rovers barmaid Tina McIntyre.

The pair get together at last this week as Tina steps in to support Tommy when his grandfather Geoff passes away.


Fountain told Hot TV of the storyline: "Viewers will see that Tina really does care for Tommy. She sits him down and takes control of the situation.

"It really means a lot to Tommy and she goes to see his family with him in Blackpool, which is a big thing for him, and she is lovely to everyone. He respects that she has gone out of her way to help him like that."

He continued: "With his granddad dying, you see a different side to Tommy that I hadn't seen until now. It brings Tina and Tommy closer together and they have quite a lot of time to themselves, having conversations and not game playing.

"They are genuinely talking and I think that's what they need. I think it is a very good dynamic. We have a great rapport on set. We have spent a lot of time working together when Tommy and Tina were living at Tyrone's house, so it has built nicely on and off screen."

Tommy also has another big storyline on the way as his bad boy father Terry (Nigel Pivaro) will be returning to Weatherfield later this month.

Coronation Street star Chris Fountain has predicted that viewers will empathise with Tommy Duckworth as his life spirals out of control in upcoming episodes.

Tommy is currently at the centre of a big week for the ITV1 soap as his dad Terry's debt crisis leads to danger for the Duckworths and Tina McIntyre.

Speaking on This Morning today (May 8), Fountain expressed excitement over his biggest storyline to date.

Fountain explained: "For the first year, I think the producers thought they'd just drip feed Tommy to the audience, just so that when anything did happen - like when he did get with Tina - they felt for him and did have some kind of empathy with what he was going through.

"It took him that long to get with Tina, and then up until a couple of weeks ago, everything was going fantastic for him. He'd got the girl, he'd inherited some money off his granddad and he was about to buy a flat. Then all of a sudden Terry turns up and just causes major problems, as Terry always does."

He continued: "It's hard. For Tommy, his dad's just turned up [and] he's got no other family. Although everyone's saying to him, 'This guy's bad news, you don't want to trust him', he's just clinging onto the fact that it's his dad and he's got no-one else except Tina."

Beyond this week's episodes, Tommy will find himself forced to carry out illegal activities for loan shark Rick Neelan to settle Terry's debts.

Fountain added: "I feel sorry for Tommy, because he's just trying to keep everyone happy. He's trying to keep his dad happy, he's trying to keep Tina happy, and now the loan sharks are turning up.

"Over the next few weeks, Tommy comes under so much pressure from every angle. He's having to tell lies and I think people are really going to feel for him."

Coronation Street continues tonight at 9pm on ITV1.

Coronation Street star Chris Fountain has warned that Tommy Duckworth will soon be "in really deep trouble" as he starts carrying out illegal activities.

Tommy is left confused next week as loan shark Rick Neelan orders him to get his job back at the garage. Later, the reason for this becomes clear as Rick forces Tommy to put drugs behind the door panels of a car which is dropped off at the business.

The storyline development comes as Rick continues to hound Tommy, wanting him to settle the debts of his wayward father Terry.

However, Fountain told Soaplife that Rick later puts pressure on Tommy to carry out more jobs.

The actor explained: "Tommy's horrified. He's never been around anything like this before and he's out of his depth. But he knows Rick means business and he has no choice.

"He doesn't tell [Tina] because he knows how much it would hurt her. It's a big deal, but he's blind to the consequences because he just wants to wipe the debt and get free of Rick.

"Tommy thinks it's just one job, but then he gets more and more jobs from Rick and he realises there's no release. It just keeps getting worse. Tommy ends up in really deep trouble."

Tommy starts working for Rick in episodes airing next week.

Coronation Street star Chris Fountain has revealed that his character Tommy Duckworth is still willing to forgive dad Terry after he discovers the truth about his girlfriend Tina's injuries.

Last night, viewers saw Tina fall and hit her head during a furious showdown with Terry. However, as Tina receives emergency medical treatment this evening (May 10), Terry tries to cover his tracks by telling Tommy that loan shark Rick Neelan is to blame.

Tommy does not discover the truth until Friday night's Coronation Street double bill, when the storyline reaches its climax.

Fountain told itv.com: "Terry being Terry, the rogue that he is, you find out at the end of this week that he's never had any regard for Tommy - he's never had any feelings for him and he's never had any intent of staying around and being his dad.

"After Tommy realises that it's Terry who's hurt Tina and not Rick, he's furious to start off with. But then he's still got that hope that his dad will stay around and be a part of his life."

The actor said that he can understand why Tommy has been fooled by his villainous father.

He explained: "Tommy's in a bit of a predicament, really. Obviously Tina's the love of his life and is the first girl he's fallen for. Yet his dad is his dad - it's a blood relationship and it's the only member of true family he's got left."

Discussing Tommy's ongoing struggles, he added: "Tommy's in a position he's never been in before. There's loan sharks, debts, money and people getting beaten up. He's not quite sure what's going on, but we've just got to see how he deals with it."

Coronation Street continues tonight at 9pm on ITV1.

Rather a rubbish storyline IMO. Too dark and depressing.

Coronation Street star Chris Fountain has revealed that he is pleased with his amount of recent big storylines.

The actor's character Tommy Duckworth has recently been involved in a new relationship with Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) and has got caught up in a drug-running plot following his father Terry's betrayal.

"At first, when I joined the cast, I thought, 'Oh, I'm not really doing that much'," he told The Sun.

"But looking back it's been great because they've spent that year building Tommy into the Street.

"Now, with big stuff happening to him, viewers care about him because they've got to know him a bit. For me it's really exciting because it's my opportunity to prove what I can do.

"It's something I can really get my teeth into and hopefully do the story justice."

Fountain also revealed that Keegan was actually fully dressed during their recent sex scenes, while he was stripped down to his boxers on set.

"Underneath the cover she was wearing tracksuit bottoms, her Ugg boots and a top. She just moved the straps down so her shoulders were naked. It definitely wasn't as romantic as it looked.

"Obviously Michelle is a gorgeous-looking girl — she's won 'Sexiest Female' for, like, ten years in a row. But I've got a girlfriend and Michelle's got a boyfriend and the kiss is not going to be real like that."

He added: "I've never kissed anyone on screen like I would kiss my girlfriend. On top of that you have the crew standing there and I'm in my boxers. It is a little bit odd but I've been acting a long time and I've had my fair share of screen kisses, so I really don't mind."

The actor is currently dating dancer Jessica Derrick, who lives in London while he is based in Manchester.

On his relationship, he said: "We see each other more than I expected and everything is fine. I miss her like crazy all the time. Recently I had a long day at work and afterwards I just wanted to get on the couch and cuddle up with her.

"But it does keep things fresh because when we do see each other it's fantastic and extra special. Me and Michelle are kind of in similar places because her boyfriend Max is always away.

"We spend a lot of time together at work but we don't really see each other socially. Jess and Michelle have met a few times and they get on but I've not met Max yet."

CORRIE favourite Tommy Duckworth is lucky to escape alive after falling asleep at the wheel and smashing into a parked truck.

The mechanic (Chris Fountain) takes a second job delivering pizza in order to pay off the debts racked up by his dad, Terry.

But the exhausting schedule takes its toll on Tommy, and he ends up nodding off as he drives along.

And not only does it leave him injured, but he has a lot of explaining to do when a policeman sees the horror crash.

Tommy has grown increasingly desperate to pay off the cash his dad owes to loan shark Rick Neelan.

The scenes will be shown in a forthcoming episode of the ITV1 soap.

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Coronation Street star Chris Fountain has been pushed to the forefront of storylines in recent months, earning himself nominations for 'Best Actor' and 'Sexiest Male' at next month's Inside Soap Awards.

The 24-year-old's character Tommy Duckworth has even more turbulent times ahead in the coming days, as he finally discovers that best friend Tyrone Dobbs has become a victim of domestic violence in his relationship with Kirsty Soames.

Tommy is eager to help Tyrone after learning of the disturbing situation, but his rash actions end up making everything worse…

Digital Spy recently caught up with Chris to hear about Tommy's latest storyline and his Inside Soap nominations.

Congratulations on your nominations for 'Best Actor' and 'Sexiest Male' at the Inside Soap Awards. How does it feel to be in the running?
"I'm absolutely thrilled about it, to be honest. I've been really fortunate because I've been up for a few awards since I've been at Corrie. I've not won one yet, but I'm still hoping for some votes!"

Do you have a preference for which prize you'd rather win?
"I don't mind - a win is a win, really! It'd be nice to win 'Best Actor' because that's more of a prestigious award than 'Sexiest Male', but I'll take anything!"

Is there anything you'd say for why soap fans should be voting for all things Corrie this year?
"Well, we all work incredibly hard on what we do here at Corrie. I think that shows on screen, as there's been some absolutely fantastic stuff this year. The Tyrone and Kirsty storyline in particular seems to have really got the public talking. Because Tyrone is such a popular character, people are really feeling sorry for him when he's being treated so badly.

"On top of that, I think all of the storylines this year have been strong. If people want to vote for us, it'd be greatly appreciated by everyone at Coronation Street - from all of the cast to the producers."

You had a quiet first year on Corrie, but Tommy now seems to be getting bigger storylines. Has that felt like a big change for you at work?
"It's not a huge change, because even when I first started in Corrie and wasn't in a massive storyline, I was still very much part of the show and you'd often see me in and around the street - in The Rovers or in the garage. I've had a few quiet patches, but it's so full-on doing soaps, so sometimes it's nice to have a break every now and then.

"Having said that, I've really enjoyed all of the stuff after Terry came back - I think it's really introduced Tommy more as a character. I'm really pleased with how everything's going at the minute."

What was it like to film the Terry episodes, which were probably your biggest so far?
"They were great - it was fantastic to be involved in that story, because Terry has become a bit of an icon over the years at Corrie, so it was a big thing for him to be back in the show. With the Duckworth name being back in Corrie, there's always the possibility that he could crop up at any time!

"It was really fun to do, not just to be working with Nigel Pivaro and Michelle Keegan, but to have Tommy at the forefront of a storyline was really nice for me."

Later this week, Tommy finds out that Kirsty has been violent towards Tyrone. How does he react?
"Tommy is obviously gutted about this, especially as Tyrone hasn't told him. In a way Tommy feels bad, because he was the one who introduced the two of them and pushed them together in the first place!

"Tyrone is Tommy's best mate, so it's really difficult for Tommy to stand by and not be able to do anything about it. Tina orders Tommy not to say anything to Tyrone or anyone else, because it's a secret. But you'll see that Tommy blows his lid a little bit! Tommy hates Kirsty anyway, so this latest news really riles him up."


It doesn't take long for Tommy to confront Kirsty…
"Yeah, Tommy gives Kirsty a piece of his mind after he spots her arguing with Tyrone and Tina. He doesn't stop there, though - there's also a scene where Tommy goes into the pub and starts shouting at Kirsty in front of everyone. Tommy thinks that if he outs Kirsty in public, then Tyrone will have no choice but to admit what's been going on.

"However, rather than that happening, Tyrone then shouts to everyone in the pub about Tommy being involved with drug dealers at the garage - and how he was to blame for Rita being late for her wedding.

"Nobody believes Tommy when he says that Kirsty has been beating up Tyrone, especially considering that she's nine months pregnant. So the tables end up being turned on Tommy and Tina. They're being seen as the bad guys, when really they're just trying to help."

Is there anyone in particular who reacts badly to the drugs secret?
"Kevin has a real go at Tommy, because it was his garage where it was all going on. Jason also turns his nose up at Tommy a bit, even though they're mates. Tommy and Tina are a bit like outcasts for a bit - everyone thinks that they're just being spiteful and lying about Kirsty.

"Obviously that couldn't be further from the truth - all they're trying to do is help Tyrone. But he's having none of it and he's blind to everything that's going on, really."

Does this put a strain on Tommy and Tina's romance?
"They manage to keep a united front to an extent, but because of all the debt that Tommy's in, they're also having a really hard time of it at the moment. It does put a bit of a strain on them."

Tommy also loses his job at the garage due to all the drama. Will this be for good?
"I don't know - maybe! It could be permanent, but I don't know where it's going to go. I imagine that if Tyrone and Tommy do make friends again, he'll probably get his job back. But as of yet, it's not looking good!"

What does Tommy do next?
"Obviously he's gutted about losing his job, but he's well aware that he needs to keep paying Tyrone back, and make sure he has enough money to live on personally as well. So he starts work in a security job at a warehouse, as well as working as a pizza delivery boy."

Do you think Tommy and Tina are going to have a long-term future together?
"I'm not sure, but I think it would be nice as couples tend to split up all the time in soap, so it'd be good for them to have some sort of longevity. I do know that there's some really good stuff coming up for Tommy and Tina, but it just depends on how that pans out as to whether they stay together or not."

Away from Corrie, you've started studying again on a music course, haven't you?
"Yeah - music has always been a big part of my life. I've been DJing for the last six years, and I just got to the point where I wanted to start making my own music. I've been messing around for a couple of years now, but never took it ridiculously seriously, so I didn't learn a great deal until now.

"Musically I'm okay, but it's just a case of learning how to make it happen on a computer. So I've started a course at the Manchester MIDI School, which is two minutes away from the Corrie set. I'll be doing that for nine months."

How do you fit it in with your Corrie commitments?
"It usually works out okay, but it can be quite difficult sometimes. For example, in the past couple of weeks I've been on some night shoots, and my course is 7pm to 10pm twice a week. There are also times when I'm filming all day, and then have to take in a massive lecture on music theory afterwards! In general, though, it's worked out well and hasn't caused too many problems!"

Coronation Street star Chris Fountain has revealed that the Weatherfield locals will turn against his character Tommy Duckworth when he tries to expose Kirsty Soames's violent ways.

Tommy receives a shock later this week as he finally discovers that his best friend Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) has become the victim of domestic violence in his relationship with Kirsty, who returns to screens on Thursday (August 23).

Unable to keep a lid on his own temper, Tommy later attempts to publicly shame Kirsty (Natalie Gumede) during an argument at the Rovers Return.

Fountain told Digital Spy: "Tommy thinks that if he outs Kirsty in public, then Tyrone will have no choice but to admit what's been going on.

"However, rather than that happening, Tyrone then shouts to everyone in the pub about Tommy being involved with drug dealers at the garage - and how he was to blame for Rita being late for her wedding.

"Nobody believes Tommy when he says that Kirsty has been beating up Tyrone, especially considering that she's nine months pregnant. So the tables end up being turned on Tommy and Tina. They're being seen as the bad guys, when really they're just trying to help."

He added: "Tommy and Tina are a bit like outcasts for a bit - everyone thinks that they're just being spiteful and lying about Kirsty. Obviously that couldn't be further from the truth - all they're trying to do is help Tyrone."

Kirsty is due to give birth in the next few weeks, with early reports suggesting that she goes into labour following a huge argument with Tina.

Meanwhile, Coronation Street's producer Phil Collinson recently told Digital Spy that the domestic abuse storyline will run into 2013.