'Coronation Street' star Jennie McAlpine: 'I want happiness for Fiz'

Coronation Street star Jennie McAlpine has revealed that she is keen to see some happiness for her troubled character Fiz Stape.

Fiz's future looks bleak in the coming days as she stands trial for three murders, having been wrongly accused of her husband John's dark crimes.

The devoted mum's only hope is the surprise return of John (Graeme Hawley), who is now back in Weatherfield to help clear his wife's name.

McAlpine told the Daily Record of the storyline: "I'm hoping she's not going to get sent down for life and that there's going to be some happiness on the horizon. I have asked as many writers as possible to write me some funny lines."

The actress explained that things look particularly bad for Fiz in tonight's double bill of the soap, which sees Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh) slip up while telling the court about the night of Colin Fishwick's death.



"Hayley wants to do the right thing, as do all her friends, but she drops her right in it. It's a nightmare," McAlpine said. "She tries her best, but they do like telling the truth, do Roy and Hayley.

"The prosecution question her about Fiz's whereabouts on the night of Chesney's party and Hayley is forced to say that Fiz went out for a while, which she did looking for John. She says it was about half an hour, which seems a bit long to nip across the street, so when they ask Hayley what Fiz was doing she says, 'I don't know, she could have been doing anything'."

McAlpine confirmed that she is thrilled to have been part of John's long-running storyline.

"It's been a fantastic ride," she said. "Every time I get a script I'm thinking, 'What's he done this time?' You read it and think John's had his chips, but he survived again and again."

Coronation Street launches Fiz's trial episodes tonight at 7.30pm on ITV1.

> Coronation Street John Stape return is great, says Jennie McAlpine
> Read our interview with Graeme Hawley about John's return
> Read more Coronation Street spoilers and news

Watch a video preview of tonight's Coronation Street double bill below: