Bonus Scoop: Corrie's Graeme Proctor

Yesterday, I managed to catch up with Coronation Street's Craig Gazey, who plays eccentric scally Graeme Proctor, in his first ever interview for the programme. If you haven't seen it yet, the main interview can be found here. However, here are some nuggets of transcript which didn't make the final cut.

On a personal note, I'm extremely pleased with the character's introduction. He's the much-needed additional light relief to Weatherfield that rounds Corrie off just nicely. All credit to the show's leading producer Kim Crowther for seeing the character's potential. And they've not thrown him into the deep end, either. He's simmering at the moment and will continue to bubble under for the next few months. However, I hear that there's a relatively big storyline on the horizon.

All I can say at the moment is that Graeme's the quirky kind of character that could easily become infatuated with things or people. Read what you will into that, though. It's a good'un!

Anyway, as promised, here are the extra morsels:

What was the reaction like from your family when they heard you'd be appearing in a semi-regular role?
"Well for my dad, I've made it now that I'm on Corrie! He can go down to the pub and someone will go 'hey, Mick, is that your Craig on Corrie' and he'll go 'Oh yes' [in the voice of Churchill the Dog from the TV advert]. I've done the RSC and some other big jobs, but that's it now. I've made it!"

For a smaller part, you've made a great impact…
"It's all quite overwhelming, really. I've seen that there's been a bit of a buzz about Graeme. I think a lot of it's down to the writing, though. I know it sounds a little clichéd! I look at the script when I get it and I think 'it'll be very difficult to mess this up' because it's very funny material. Corrie's great in that it doesn't take itself too seriously. There's a scene next week where I'm fantasising about doing the model Agyness Deyn's mum's garden, so then Agnes will say that I'm really good at doing the garden and then go on holiday today! It's great because it allows me to have a rant which has nothing to do with the plots, but they just work. It really gives you a sense of a character if it's coming out of his mind, rather than their actions."

You deliver some some fantastic one-liners, too…
"I think that doing Shakespeare and theatre has really helped me with my comic timing. Doing theatre, you have to be sharp every night and it's the same here at Corrie. I'm just getting used to it all here at the moment, looking at scenes that I don't think I nailed as well as I could have done, trying to make my scenes better. I don't want Graeme to become too bold, though. The dialogue's bold, but I want viewers to believe in him."

Loving Graeme's one-liners? Not quite your cup of tea? Let me know your views using the usual form below!