I caught up with Oliver Farnworth on the red carpet to chat John Sugden – Andy Carver, depending on which soap you follow and left it to the cast to tease what is to come.
When asked to tease the upcoming ‘Corriedale‘ crossover event in three words, Oliver didn’t hold back, describing the scenes as ‘mega, super and explosive.’
While his previous role as Andy Carver on Coronation Street involved intense psychological battles, he notes that the scale of the drama involving John Sugden is reaching a fever pitch ‘I think the drama itself, from a humour level, is very similar. I think the situational nature is different,’ he explained. ‘The stuff that I was doing in Corrie was very much just psychological, it was me and Pat Phelan’.
The upcoming special, airing January 5th, 2026, moves from the psychological to the communal. ‘Whereas what we’re going to see is literally two huge groups of people coming together over a big tragedy and the fallout of that,’ he teased. ‘So there’s a lot more people involved and a lot more potential for interaction.’
Despite almost killing Aaron a few months ago, John’s journey is a relentless drive to reclaim what he believes is his. Despite the obstacles, he remains convinced that he can win Aaron Dingle back. ‘He always thinks he can win Aaron back. He’s adamant that he can, and this has been his problem all along, really,’ Oliver said. It seems viewers should prepare for John to cross any line necessary, as the actor warned, ‘But he will stop at nothing to get Aaron back.’
The dynamics in the village have become increasingly crowded, particularly with the presence of Robert Sugden and the return of Ryan. For Oliver, the complexity is a gift. ‘It’s been brilliant, because I think when you’re playing a complex character like mine, the more people that you have in your inner circle, regardless of whether your character likes them or not, the more exciting the drama is’.
‘Because obviously, Danny Miller and I do a lot together, and that’s amazing, very heavy, very psychologically difficult. But then you add a half-brother into the mix, and a love triangle, and you’ve got a third more drama, so yeah, it’s been great having him back.’
With the added “Kev” element now in play, the love triangle has evolved into something much more complicated. As Oliver puts it: ‘It’s a love square. It’s not even a triangle anymore, it’s a love oblong, shall we say.’
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