Corrie's Norris on his backstory, comedy and Rita

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."

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