Malcolm Hebden - Norris Cole

[Perdita]

CORRIE's Norris Cole sobs at mum Eunice's graveside - and is shocked to see illegitimate half-brother Ramsay has already laid flowers.
Busybody Norris (Malcolm Hebden) heads to the cemetery as a mark of respect to his mother, who died in 1961.

But Ramsay (Andrew Sachs) - whose name does not even appear on the gravestone - has got there first and left a small bouquet.

He is still there with sweetheart Emily Bishop (Eileen Derbyshire), who has taken him to see her murdered husband's grave.

She is smitten with Ramsay and opens up to him at the cemetery about Ernest in scenes to be shown this summer. He was killed in 1978 by a gunman during a botched robbery after they had been married for six years.

TV Biz revealed last week how Ramsay will break Emily's heart by returning to Australia later this year.

The Sun

[LostVoodoo]

sounds like a fun day out for all...

[Hannelene]

How did she die?

[Perdita]

We don't know yet but Norris blames Ramsay for the death of his mother and has obviously still not forgiven him. I am sure we will find out soon.

[Hannelene]

I hope so as it's getting a little pointless if no one explains why all the hatred

[pinkles14]

Spoiler:

I heard that Rasmey is going to die

[Perdita]

[He does, he has a heart attack before flying back to Australia.

[Perdita]

Malcolm Hebden (Norris Cole, Corrie)
Tuesday, August 25 2009, 06:00 BST

By Kris Green, Soaps Editor


Coronation Street's Norris Cole is about to be dealt a tragic blow when he receives the news of his half-brother Ramsay's (Andrew Sachs) death. Over the last three months, Norris - played by 69-year-old Malcolm Hebden - has spurned Ramsay's attempts to build bridges following their mother Eunice's passing, which Norris blames him for. Meanwhile, Emily (Eileen Derbyshire) has fallen for Ramsay's charms in a big way, so his departure and sudden death knocks her for six. Here, DS chats to Malcolm about his latest storyline, Norris's emotional side, reality TV and a potential return for Patty Clare as Mary.

What's it been like working with Andrew Sachs for the past few months?
"It was suggested two or three years ago that Andrew Sachs wanted to be my brother and because we had a change of perhaps two producers in that time, it just got lost in the hundreds of storylines we have. I was talking to our new producer Kim Crowther and said I thought it was a great shame we'd never picked up the Andrew Sachs stuff and she knew nothing of it. She thought it was a great idea and she made it happen. Andrew was very happy to do it.

"I had met Andrew once before and he expressed how keen he was to do it. We got on terribly well. I think it took him a little while to get used to my sense of humour but he did by the time he left! For me, the storyline kicks in once he's dead - that sounds awful - but I was just being dismissive and blocking Ramsay for the first part of the story. I just didn't want anything to do with him. Then Ramsay goes back to Australia and dies on the aeroplane but the fallout is enormous - not just for Norris, but particularly for Emily. She'd become quite fond of Ramsay. He's a civilised man and quite a charming character, whereas Norris isn't. Therefore, I'm going to be terribly unpopular for a little while until Norris realises that he was wrong."

What happens to Norris on the morning of the Charity Fete?
"They've done it terribly well. There's this fun street party going on outside and Norris gets a visit from the police and you don't actually see the police tell him why they're there. So for quite a while, you don't know what he's been told and then it's revealed that Ramsay died on the plane back to Australia. It's later revealed that he died of a brain tumour which he knew he had when he came over here so it makes it even more poignant that Norris totally rejected him."

We'll finally get to see the emotional side of Norris, too, when he visits his mother's grave…
"That's the difficulty for an actor. Norris is so irritating. He blows with the wind - he can behave quite sensibly and then just turn the whole thing upside down. I'm a little bit concerned about him. I haven't seen any of it but that emotional stuff becomes bigger and bigger and bigger. It's just making sure that it's still Norris, though, and ensuring I haven't delved into Chekov's Three Sisters or something. I shall still look like a bald dwarf, I know, and sound the same. We've never seen it before in him. From my point of view, it's more interesting to play - to drop the comedy and go for his actual emotions and feelings. I just hope that Norris is still in there somewhere."

Do you hope Norris will find love again?
"No - he's been married twice and badly scarred on both occasions. To marry Rita would just finish him off. He carries a flame for her but I don't think that will ever happen in terms of soap. The relationship works as it is. There's a few surprises there to come, though."

Apparently there are rumours that Pattie Clare's returning as Mary…
"Yes - Pattie Clare stayed with me the other weekend - and don't read anything into that! She has a big theatre background - many years at Glasgow Citizens Theatre - and we have a lot of friends in common so we've got on terribly well. I think she's really rather special and I certainly have to up my game when I'm working with her!"

What do you enjoy watching on TV when you're not working?
"I enjoy Dragons' Den, Antiques Roadshow and - it's a terrible confession - but I do tend to watch the talent programmes as well. Britain's Got Talent and that sort of thing. I'm not particularly proud of it but I do watch them. I always hope we'll discover someone really, really special. It's very hard to get into the business at all - there isn't the work - and I hope that one day (we haven't done it yet) there will be someone out there and I'll be there when they discover them. I've given up on America's Got Talent with that 4-year-old child on there - that's just obscene. It's just building up for disappointment. She's not going to get a million dollars, she can't work in Vegas, she's just a very sweet child. She will get over the disappointment - we all have - but I think it's just a shame."

Would you ever do a reality show?
"I might have done Strictly Come Dancing at one time but my body's not up to it. That's the only one I would have done - none of the others. I have danced a bit - I used to be able to do that sort of thing but the physicality of it... I did the charity one two or three years ago and that nearly finished me off. Physically it's just very, very demanding."

Corrie's Norris on his backstory, comedy and Rita
Tuesday, August 25 2009, 06:00 BST

By Kris Green, Soaps Editor

I recently caught up with Coronation Street legend Malcolm Hebden about his character Norris's ongoing storyline with his half-brother Ramsay (Andrew Sachs).

The plot takes a predictable-but-poignant twist next week when news reaches Weatherfield of Ramsay's sudden death during his plane journey back to Australia. Ramsay leaves Weatherfield during Thursday's episode of the Manchester drama and during Monday's instalment, the police deliver the devastating news to Norris.

Click here to read what Malcolm has to say about the latest storyline peak in the main part of my interview. However, if you fancy reading more about the the plot's back story, then read on.

What was the truth behind Norris's mother Eunice's death?
"She, of course, was impregnated by a cinema organist in the orchestra pit at the cinema in 1934 and the result of that brief fling was Ramsay. In 1934 you didn't have an illegitimate child - it just wasn't on. So she had him adopted and eventually he was sent to Australia as a lot of children were back then. He had quite a happy childhood with his adoptive parents - they were very good to him, but he wanted to seek out his true birth mother. He found out where she lived and wrote to her constantly but she sent the letters back, unopened. I think she had probably married a bit above herself and become a bit more middle-class. She then had a proper husband and she had me - God help her.

"[Ramsay] eventually came back over to England and the shock of that for Norris's mother was massive. Nobody found out that Ramsay was her illegitimate son, but Norris knew and a year later, she died. She probably died of natural causes but I think she probably had a bit of a breakdown. Ramsay also turned up at her funeral and he and Norris had a terrible showdown about it and Norris said that he never wanted to see him again. Then he obviously finds out that he's ill with a brain tumour and he wants to put things right but Norris won't allow it.

"You can imagine the fall Norris has to come when he finds out that Ramsay has been writing to his mother every month for two years. Norris later finds a letter that his mother had written to Ramsay saying "don't ever write to me again" that Ramsay's carried about with him for 50 years in his wallet. I think it will resonate with quite a lot of people. I don't want to go into my own life but I do have a half-brother who lives in Australia, so when he finds out about this, he'll probably think I came up with the storyline but it's pure coincidence!"

Do you enjoy playing the comedy material?
"Well, I've always played comedy all my career. I was advised by a famous voice coach to go for the comedy - "If you look like you do, go for the comedy!" they said - and I spent many years working for Alan Ayckbourn in Scarborough who writes comedies, usually with a darker undertone. He always used to say "keep the comedy there as long as you can before you deliver the real goods". I shouldn't say "real goods" because I certainly give as much time and attention to playing the comedy as I've done to this new run of more dramatic stuff. It's all the same job."

What's it like working with Barbara Knox?
"Well we both have a similar background, we both come from the theatre and we're both terribly keen to know our material before we go - there's no rehearsal on the Street, but we get together and run it. You have to do that, especially with comedy because comedy is about timing. There's a technique to it and therefore you do need to speak the lines to each other beforehand. Barbara Knox is always willing to do that. We're not bosom mates or anything, we don't see each other outside the show. It's very much a working relationship which, fortunately for both of us, works."


From Digital Spy

[lizann]

Ok so Norris was very upset at Rita being hurt or even dead I think nutbag Mary also coped on that Norris is in love with Rita do you think he will confess all and maybe they get together or maybe Emily could fight Rita for Norris - Norris needs some action

[Chloe O'brien]

I hope they don't hook Rita & Norris together. I love them the way they are. They are like an old married couple and work brilliantly together.