Coronation Street to welcome trio of male characters after several stars exit
Colson Smith, who plays Craig Tinker, and Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw), are among those who announced their departures earlier in the year.
Coronation Street is welcoming a trio of male characters to Weatherfield amid the departure of several stars from the soap.
Earlier in the year, Colson Smith (Craig Tinker), Sue Cleaver (Eileen Grimshaw), Charlotte Jordan (Daisy Midgeley), Luca Toolan (Mason Radcliffe), and Shelley King (Yasmeen Metcalfe) announced their exit.
The first character to arrive on the cobbles is James Bailey, previously played by Nathan Graham, who will appear on the soap from March 17.
Silent Witness actor Jason Callender takes on the role of James, who visits his sister Dee-Dee Bailey, played by Channique Sterling-Brown, after living in the US with his partner Danny.
“James is bringing a lot of warmth, a little bit of love, charisma and a little bit of charm,” said Callender.
Theo Silverton, played by The Archers star James Cartwright, is a new arrival who gets on the wrong side of both Julie Carp, played by Katy Cavanagh, and Tony Maudsley’s George Shuttleworth – before Todd Grimshaw, played by Gareth Pierce, offers him help to put things right.
Cartwright, whose character will appear on the show from March 25, said: “I think Theo is a good guy, he comes in with the best of intentions, as most people do, but he may upset some people with his behaviour.”
On April 11, viewers will be introduced to Carl Webster, who is not new to the show’s history, but new to the cobbles.
World War Z actor Jonathan Howard, who is taking on the role, said: “Carl is Kevin and Debbie Webster’s little brother, they have different mums so he’s a bit younger than they are.
“He comes into Weatherfield to ostensibly be with his brother because he’s found out he’s got cancer but then we’ll discover Carl’s got some money issues back in Germany where he’s been living.”
Carl will be seen in a fight with Abi Webster, played by Sally Carman-Duttine, over a car parking space before realising she is his brother’s wife.
On Wednesday, Jack P Shepherd appeared to spoil that his character David Platt will exit the soap when he told This Morning it would have been “nice” to reach his 25-year milestone on the ITV show next month but that the next instalment marked “the end”.
Toolan’s character has already been killed off, with Cleaver’s character leaving in the spring and Jordan’s in early summer.
It comes after Helen Worth said farewell to her character Gail Rodwell after 50 years on the cobbles in an emotional Christmas Day episode.
Coronation Street airs weekdays on ITV1.
