Coronation Street’s Abi Webster is set to face a terrifying new ordeal, and actress Sally Carman has revealed just how much it will rock her character.
“This brings out that wildness, that sort of react before thinking…”
In upcoming scenes, Abi will be left reeling after switching on the TV to see her son Seb’s killer, Corey, being hailed a hero.
“It feels like she’s been ambushed in her own house,” says Sally. “Suddenly Corey’s literally in her kitchen, and not only is he in her kitchen, he’s having a great time, being bigged up and being celebrated. It’s just like a sucker punch in her stomach.”
This throws Abi’s carefully constructed coping mechanisms into disarray. “She’s very good at getting her head down and keeping busy,” Sally explains. “But this has totally turned all of it on its head and she feels like she’s back to the day he was kicked to death by Corey.”
The turmoil doesn’t end there. Abi’s past soon comes back to haunt her in a shocking way.
“There’s something that doesn’t sink in instantly,” says Sally, describing a disturbing video that emerges. “She can’t quite get her head around it. There’s so much to compute because she has no memory of this video but she also knows that it’s possible…”
Fearful that her husband Kevin will discover the truth, Abi’s desperate to keep the videos hidden. “She’s desperate for him not to see this because it’s actual visuals of her past which are being thrown very much into the present and she doesn’t want that. It’s so damaging. You can’t unsee something like that.”
As Abi spirals, she lashes out at the one person she suspects is behind it all – Dean. “She goes after him with a wrench, she wants to kill him!” reveals Sally. “Her emotions are all over the place.”
However, a shocking twist awaits. The videos are revealed to be deepfakes, leaving Abi terrified and confused. “There’s a sense of relief, but I think mostly she’s confused and reeling, thinking who could be doing this and why are they doing this?” says Sally.
With Cassie lurking in the shadows, it seems Abi’s ordeal is far from over. “Abi’s got a lot of time for Cassie despite Cassie being anything but a friend to her,” reveals Sally. But could Cassie be more dangerous than Abi realises?
“I don’t think anything Cassie could do would surprise Abi because Abi’s done pretty much everything you could possibly do,” says Sally. “I think what would be interesting is if Cassie were to cause any damage to Abi’s nearest and dearest.”
One thing is for certain – Abi is in for a fight, and Sally is relishing the challenge. “I love that, we’ve got a team of brilliant writers who see past the obvious and are giving me a chance to retain who Abi is without having to go back into where she’s been. Abi as a character has moved on from that and she’s developed a strength through having this sustained period of sobriety and building a life. It’s not beyond her to relapse but it would take a lot for her to go back because she’s gone through so much more, more than most humans ever go through.”
Coronation Street airs these scenes from Monday May 20 on ITV1
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