Coronation Street has cast Brookside legend Claire Sweeney in a new role. She will be playing Tyrone Dobbs’ long-lost mum when she joins the soap later this year.
It’s set to be a huge shock for Ty, who believed his mum was dead. This is the lie grandmother Evelyn Plummer told him.
How will Tyrone react to his mum’s return? And what does this mean for Evelyn?
Claire Sweeney joins Coronation Street
West End star Claire starts filming at Corrie next week. Her first scenes will air on Wednesday June 28.
Of her new role, Claire said: “Even though I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed an amazingly varied career for nearly 40 years – being cast in Coronation Street is, to me, better than being cast in a Hollywood movie!
“I’ve watched it all my life and can’t quite believe that I’ll now be stepping on to those famous cobbles myself. I was really nervous when I got the scripts to audition as this show means so much to me and my family.
“This is Corrie gold. I was beyond thrilled and very grateful when I got the call that Iain MacLeod is trusting me to play Tyrone’s mum and work alongside one of my heroes, Dame Maureen Lipman. Cassie is a character who is definitely going to make an impact – I just hope the audience will enjoy watching her as much as I’m going to be enjoying playing her!”
Meanwhile, Coronation Street Producer Iain MacLeod also spoke of Claire’s casting. He said: “Claire bowled us over in her audition and the scenes with her, Tyrone and Evelyn will be electric.
“Her arrival will mark the start of a tumultuous time for Tyrone and the family and her impact will be felt across the street in the weeks and months that follow.”
What happened to Tyrone’s mum?
Tyrone grew up believing Jackie Dobbs was his mum. But in 2018 he discovered Evelyn and found out her daughter Cassandra was in fact his biological mother.
Evelyn hadn’t trusted Cassie to bring up a baby because she had a drug habit. Taking matters into her own hands, Evelyn took baby Ty and abandoned him at a police station in 1982. Jackie found him and brought him up as her own.
When Evelyn first met Tyrone she told him that Cassie was dead. But why did she lie? The sharp-tongued matriarch is now faced with the dilemma over whether to come clean to Ty and how she’s going to explain herself.
How will this affect their family unit? And does this tie in the Evelyn’s temporary departure from the cobbles this year?
Who is Claire Sweeney as she joins Coronation Street?
The actress and presenter played Lindsey Corkhill in Liverpool-set soap Brookside. As well as her soap past, she has starred in a number of West End hits.
Her most notable roles include Roxy Hart in Chicago and Miss Adelaide in Guys and Dolls. She also played Paulette in Legally Blonde on tour and Velma Von-Tussle in a UK tour of Hairspray.
Other television work includes Benidorm, Scarborough, Candy Cabs and Clocking Off. Claire has also hosted 60 Minute Makeover, and was a Loose Woman for a number of years.
Read more: Complete Coronation Street cast list 2023 – meet them all here!
Coronation Street usually airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
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