Coronation Street: Craig is in crisis after Neil Clifton appeals against his conviction - Colson Smith interview
Will his OCD rituals finally be revealed?
Kind-hearted Craig Tinker will land himself in trouble on next week's Coronation Street when he goes against police orders and tells Bethany that Neil Clifton is appealing against his conviction.
"It's a knee-jerk reaction - he overhears that Neil is planning to try and overturn his conviction, which for Craig is the worst news possible," says Colson Smith. "In his current mindset, everything is getting on top of him so he has to let it out. He goes straight round to the Platts and tells Bethany, but he doesn't think of the consequences of his actions until afterwards."
The trouble is that Craig's superior officers find out about what he's done and tell him that his career could now be in jeopardy: "DC Leigh tells him to take some time off as he's too emotionally involved. This hits Craig really hard because he knows he could lose everything. The pressure is now building inside Craig - it's a battle between Bethany and his job and which he wants more."
Already struggling with his OCD symptoms, Craig's problems will intensify after Bethany calls round in scenes to be shown on Monday 2 April. Fearing that she's going to catch him performing his rituals, Craig ends up getting upset and blaming Bethany for what has happened. And worse is to come on Wednesday when the police arrive to search the flat as Andy's last known residence. Finding that he can't cope, Craig bolts the door and refuses to let anyone come in:
"For Craig, all this comes at the worst possible time. He's doing his ritual and can't get distracted - and now there's all this banging on the door and shouting from outside," reveals Smith. "Craig is close to the point of a breakdown, but without knowing it, he's saved by Bethany, who bursts into the flat. He keeps doing his rituals in front of her, but she can see something is wrong and he can see he’s scared her. But then when he’s done his rituals he calms down. Bethany takes him home and tells Beth what she’s seen and it’s Maria who suggests he could have OCD.
And how does the suggestion that he could have OCD hit Craig? "It's tough for him - but when he sees the doctor who tells him he thinks it's OCD, there's a feeling of relief to have some understanding."
But fresh anxiety comes when Bethany decides to speak to Craig's superior on his behalf in order to explain what did. So how does Craig feel about Bethany getting involved? Says the Corrie star: "Craig wants to make it as a police officer by himself, so when he finds out that Bethany has gone behind his back and spoken to DC Leigh, Craig instantly worries.
"He doesn't want everyone laughing at him, but that’s Craig catastrophising everything that happens to him in his head. Any idea he gets his anxiety plays up to it and he immediately thinks the worst. He can’t see that Bethany is trying to help him because his thoughts are clouded by the OCD."
The upcoming drama will see Craig left furious when he finds out that Bethany has talked to the police about him. But when Beth assures her son that Bethany meant no harm and was only looking out for him, might Craig come to see things differently? Or will the pair be left further apart than ever before?
You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's drama on Coronation Street below
And visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.
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