TV Times – 13 July 2019

TV TIMES 9

B

ack in December,

when Coronation

Street boss Iain

MacLeod revealed

that a disaster at Underworld

would lead to the creation of

Weatherfield’s next big villain,

few fans could have predicted that

Gary Windass would take the title.

Yet here we are, seven months

down the line, and Gary has seen

off not one but two residents. In

May, he was revealed to have

sabotaged the factory roof, which

inadvertently led to the death of

Rana Habeeb. Meanwhile, last

month, Rick Neelan’s attempt to

kill him resulted in Gary striking

back and causing the twisted loan

shark to end up six feet under.

It’s quite the turn of events.

But for actor Mikey North, it’s

a change worth celebrating.

‘This is hankering back to what

Gary was like in the early days,’ says

Mikey, 32, whose alter ego was an

unlikeable rogue and enemy of

David Platt when he first arrived

on the cobbles in 2008.

‘I think that Gary had become

too nice, and for the first time

in years, I’ve got a clear idea of

what I’m supposed to be doing,

character-wise. In the middle years,

I think that got lost a bit – I wasn’t

sure whether I was supposed to be

playing a bad boy turned good, or

whether he was just a nice guy.’

There’s another reason why

Mikey has embraced his character’s

new dark direction. Soap tradition

generally dictates that villains

get their comeuppance with a

grisly demise – think serial killer

Richard Hillman drowning in the

canal, or Pat Phelan being stabbed

to death during the Bistro siege.

But despite Gary confessing

to Imran this week that he

was responsible for Rana’s

untimely passing, he’s going

nowhere – at least for now – meaning

Mikey can relax, knowing that

unemployment isn’t lurking.

‘Iain has always said that he

wants to make Gary in the mould of

Mike Baldwin, as opposed to him

being a cold-blooded killer,’ explains

Mikey. ‘He’s said this is by no means

an exit storyline. He wants to keep

Gary as a long-term villain – not

in a Pat Phelan way, but as more

of an anti-hero.

‘He has also mentioned that he

wants Gary to be running half the

Street,’ adds Mikey, whose character

has recently set himself up as a loan

shark using the late Rick’s

money. ‘But I imagine

something will happen to

bring him back to earth

and knock some sense into him.’

That Mikey isn’t headed for the

job centre will no doubt also come

as a relief to his wife, Rachael. The

couple have a little boy together,

Archie, and Rachael is currently

pregnant with baby No.2.

The pair tied the knot in 2016,

and Mikey’s happy home life comes

as stark contrast to that of Gary’s.

He’s quick to point out, though,

that, given his son’s age, real life

is no walk in the park.

‘I’ve got a two-and-a-

half-year-old, so it’s

not all loveliness!’

he laughs. ‘I

come to work

for a rest! But

Archie does

take my mind

off stressful scenes. He’s seen me

on telly and he pretends to be Gary

• he hits things and goes, “Aargh!”
  He used to think I was Prince
  Harry. When Prince Harry came
  on the TV, he’d say, “There’s Gary!”’

As Mikey braces himself for

busy times ahead, both on

and off screen, he’s certainly got

plenty to smile about, and what’s

particularly pleasing for him is

that he’s able to embark on

this new chapter with

a very important

piece of paper – his

driving licence.

It’s something

many of us take

for granted, but

when he passed

his test last year,

on the E4 reality

show All Star

Driving School, it was

an emotional moment

he thought might never happen.

‘I’ve never been so nervous in all

my life, and that includes doing the

Corrie live eps!’ he smiles. ‘I moved

to London when I was 17, and it was

something I’d put off. I almost had

a phobia of learning to drive.

‘When I passed, I burst into tears

like a big girl. I’d built it up to the

point that I thought I was never

going to do it. I’ve driven everywhere

since then, and I’m still here to tell

the tale, which is the most important

thing. It’s the best thing I’ve done!’

Alison slAde

PHOTOS: ITV, JOSEPH SCANLON

Mikey North on his character’s killer

storyline, and being the next Mike Baldwin

Upset: Girlfriend

Sarah ended things

with reckless Gary

2008

Gary’s going

nowhere!

SOAP

Coronation Street

MON, WED, FRI / ITV / TIMES VARY

CORONATION STREET IS

PREVIEWED ON PAGES 22-

Flashback: In the

early days, Gary

clashed with David

Killing: Gary put

a stop to evil Rick