Chris Gascoyne, who plays the Corrie role of bookie and pro-boozer – though he’s gone into retirement right now – Peter Barlow, has revealed that he’s in awe of his little co-star Alex Bain, who plays the role of Peter’s son, Simon.

We have of course seen a lot of Peter and Simon of late on the show, as the little lad has been at the centre of a vitriolic tug of war between his dad and step mum Leanne (Jane Danson), and as Chris told What’s On TV, those scenes have often been fraught with very real emotion.

He said of Alex’s performances, “He has done great, and it’s not been an easy storyline for him, or any of us, it’s a tough thing to portray.”

And we have of course seen poor little Simon in tears on-screen frequently, and of that, Chris remarked, “It’s hard for him to do that. He has coped with it really well and we try to make it a bit of fun…” Read more & comment »

As fans of Coronation Street will know, recovering alcoholic Peter Barlow has been fighting a legal battle with his estranged wife Leanne (Jane Danson) over custody of his son Simon (Alex Bain).

And with no resolution in sight to the proceedings, it’s all getting a bit messy and nasty, with both Leanne and Peter threatening to expose each other’s dubious pasts, which for Leanne is mainly that she used to be a prostitute, and for Peter, it’s all about his boozing.

However, the whole thing is about to reach a terrifying climax when a distressed Simon finds a bottle of wine that Peter’s girlfriend Carla Connor (Alison King) has hidden in a cupboard at the flat she shares with Peter and Simon… Read more & comment »

As fans of Corrie will most likely know, Leanne Barlow is back in Weatherfield next week, and though she initially only intends to collect the rest of her belongings and leave again, her step-son Simon’s distress makes her think twice…

And not only that, by the end of the week, Leanne will have vowed to get custody of Simon (Alex Bain), and according to Jane Danson who of course plays the feisty mum, Leanne will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

In an interview with What’s On TV, Jane began by explaining what Leanne’s been doing since she stormed off a couple of weeks ago.

She said, “She’s been kipping on [sister] Toyah’s sofa while the dust settled. After discovering Peter and Carla’s affair she just needed to get away.

“After going through so much with Peter with the miscarriage she just feels completely betrayed… Read more & comment »

It’s been reported by the Sun today that since airing Carla Connor’s rape ordeal at the hands of her fiancé Frank Foster the number of women reports rapes has “rocketed”.

And speaking to the paper, Alison King, who of course plays Carla, has praised the show’s writers for the dramatic storyline, and how it’s been received by viewers.

Of the massive increase in calls to rape crisis hotlines, Alison said, “The reaction from fans has been immense.

“I have had a lot of letters from women who have come forward since that episode.

“There was an 800 per cent increase in the number of people reporting rapes after we did the story, mainly those who had been raped by someone they knew.

“It shows how hard it is to go and report rape to somebody because people are so scared of their whole life being ripped apart publicly on the stand… Read more & comment »