And it was all going so well…Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall), one of the most popular characters in Coronation Street, has just been reconciled with Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine) following his ill-fated affair with Alina Pop (Ruxandra Porojnicu).
But now his peace of mind is once more in jeopardy.
Tyrone and Fiz’s rekindled romance is threatened by the publication of a new book about her late serial killer husband, John Stape. They are worried that Hope (Isabella Flanagan), her daughter with John, will be seriously hurt by this.
Tyrone is mortified when he reads the first extract from the book in the local paper, The Gazette.
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Halsall says, “After feeling like he has just survived everything that Fiz and he have been through in the last year, Tyrone thinks, ‘Oh no, not another thing to deal with. Why do we have to deal with this again when it’s been years since John Stape?’.
“Both Fiz and Tyrone are really upset that this situation is rearing its ugly head and puts them in a position where they are going to have to speak to Hope about John Stape before they have wanted to.
“Tyrone is also really upset about it because he feels like it’s out of his control.”
Halsall, 40, outlines what Tyrone’s biggest concern is about the book being published.
“For Tyrone, it’s the fear of the unknown that is driving his actions throughout this week.
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Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs in Coronation Street, says Tyrone is worried about the fallout from the book about John Stape because he “doesn’t know if this is going to interfere with his and Fiz’s relationship, especially since they have worked so hard to get their relationship back on track”.
“He doesn’t know how Hope is going to react to all this. He also doesn’t know if this is going to interfere with his and Fiz’s relationship, especially since they have worked so hard to get their relationship back on track after his own mistake with Alina.
“He doesn’t know how this is going to disrupt their family life. Tyrone feels like he’s only just settled back in with Fiz and the kids, and he doesn’t want anything to ruin this moment. So he is scared of what might happen next.”
The actor goes on to say that the book could endanger Tyrone and Fiz’s newly settled family life.
“Fiz and Tyrone are definitely rekindled. It’s just that Tyrone has got a real fear of upsetting Fiz now and he doesn’t want to be doing that. He is trying to help the situation. He also just wants to show Hope that he is a good dad.”
Halsall believes the turbulence Tyrone and Fiz are currently going through is a reflection of many relationships in real life.
“In all honesty, we live in this world where we think that everyone’s lives are perfect because of what we see on social media. So I think it is quite nice to show the other side of that.
“There is a long history and a lot of love between Fiz and Tyrone. But of course, every family has issues, whether they be big issues like books being published or menial things throughout the day.
“So I think it is great that we see that, but also that we see the strength that Tyrone and Fiz have, getting back together after such hard times.”
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A younger Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) with her then husband, serial killer John Stape (Graeme Hawley) in Coronation Street.
Halsall has played Tyrone since 1998, during which time he has worked with some of Coro’s finest.
“I do feel like I have been super lucky throughout my time here. I was put with Bill Tarmey and Liz Dawn (Jack and Vera) originally, who I still idolise to this day. Now I get to work most days with Jennie McAlpine, who is an absolute dream.
“I must admit that since Maureen Lipman (Evelyn) has come along a couple of years ago, we have a great laugh. She is an unbelievable professional. She will be emailing me at half past 10 at night with line tweaks and amendments. She is a joy to work with.”
The actor details how he felt when he first heard that John Stape, who died in 2011, would be coming back into Tyrone and Fiz’s lives.
“Well, obviously I was thinking, ‘John Stape is dead’. We didn’t quite know how it was going to work out at the time, but this is the great thing about this show. There is so much history in terms of characters and storylines.
“The fact that the show can come back to these moments and they can impact Fiz and Tyrone’s lives again 11 years later is an incredible part of what makes Coronation Street so great.”
Coronation Street, TVNZ 1, Tuesday to Thursday
