Shepherd: 'Grannies hit me with handbags'

Jack P Shepherd has revealed that old women often hit him with handbags because of the antics of his Coronation Street character David Platt.

The actor said people mix him up with his villainous alter-ego, who will be seen pushing mum Gail (Helen Worth) down the stairs and leaving her for dead on Friday.

He told The Sun: “It’s always the little old ladies who have a go at me. Younger people think David is great but the grannies attack me with their handbags. What is it with grannies and their handbags? They should be given Asbos!

"They call me a ‘tinker’, and a few other more - shall we say - colourful words that you probably couldn’t print in a family newspaper.

“I scare children, too. They’ve been known to burst into tears just at the sight of me."

He added that he expects to anger viewers further when David's behaviour sinks to a new low this week, saying: "I know I’ll get more of that. They want to know why I’m so awful to my mum so these scenes will really get them going.

“I get a lot of reaction from all sorts of people when I’m out and about but it’s generally in good humour so it doesn’t bother me.”