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How do we first meet Jake?
"We first meet him when he's repairing the roof above Michelle's flat and being the kind of guy that he is, he hasn't got his safety harness on. He falls off the ladder and ends up hanging on the guttering outside Michelle's window so he's scrambling around trying to get his feet back on terra firma and not fall and break his neck. She comes to the window in a towel because she's been in the bath. She opens the window and pulls me through and as I land into the flat, her towel falls down and that's the first meeting!"
He goes in for the kill straightaway, doesn't he?
"Yeah - I think he's really smitten by her. He's very cheeky and says he's very shocked that he fell off the ladder and maybe needs a little time in her flat to compose himself again and as he leaves he steals a kiss. It stuns her and she's furious with him and tries to get rid of him and calls the police and everything but he's not dissuaded at all, he just sees it as more reason that they should be together. It's lovely actually. I was doing a
Was you getting naked part of the brief?
"Yes! It was one of those things where I read it and thought, 'OK, I should probably join a gym for that one!'"
So you worked out for it?
"You have to, don't you? Mainly because he's a labourer and they're well fit guys, they're in shape. So I needed to get in shape anyway but obviously there's a mild actor neurosis which says there's probably ten million watching so I should probably make a bit more effort!"
Are they expecting you to get naked more often, then?
"I don't know what's going to happen to be honest with you. I've done six episodes and I've had a fantastic time on it but the way we've left it is like, 'Watch this space'. I really hope I can get her to come back and I feel there's a lot of unfinished business with Jake and Michelle so fingers crossed that might be explored. I guess that means I'll need to keep my gym membership up if that's the case!"
"No, I don't actually. I think that's quite interesting because it's a very unusual thing for him. What I'm finding interesting about him is he does go round places and obviously he's met other women and things have happened with them but I don't think he's instigated things in that sense before. He's more of a carpe diem kind of guy - he'll seize the moment if the opportunity comes to him - he doesn't seem to be the sort of person to search something out deliberately and this is very definitely a chance meeting the way it all happens. It's certainly not contrived at all."
Do you think it's fate?
"I think he feels there is something in that. There's a certain something beyond intellectualness where he feels there's something connecting them."
Would you ever employ the roof trick to woo a lady?
"I don't think I would, no! I'm much more shy than Jake. When I met my wife it took me about four months to ask for her phone number. I don't think falling off a ladder and going through a window would have been good for me!"
Does Michelle agree to a date?
"Yes. He puts her under enormous pressure and eventually to save her embarrassment in front of everybody - and my embarrassment - she agrees she'll go out for dinner as long as I pay. We go out for this fantastic romantic meal. Slowly they get to know each other a little bit better. It confirms for him that it wasn't just an instant physical attraction (which obviously is there and he's besotted by her - who wouldn't be?) but there's something else going on which is really interesting for him."
"It's just over a week and how it's left is Jake gets a job to go to Glasgow and do more building work. That's the nature of his business - he'll just go wherever the work is. He asks her to come to Glasgow with him and obviously she can't because she's got commitments where she is. He's so genuine about it and he even says, 'I think we are made for each other', but circumstances mean they can't be together at that moment. That's how it's left and you know as much as me - I want to come back, I want Jake to come back and I want to find out what happens with them but as it stands it's left that he goes off to Glasgow and she stays in Weatherfield."
> Click here to read the second half of our interview with Kenny Doughty in Soap Scoop
Additional reporting by Philippa Warr
