Actress Sue Devaney has been at the center of a whirlwind. From the revelation that her “brother” Carl is actually her biological son to her heartbreaking dementia diagnosis.
The cobbles of Weatherfield recently collided with the hills of Yorkshire in the high-stakes Corriedale crossover, leaving Debbie Webster behind bars and her life in tatters.
First of all, how did you feel when you discovered that the Corriedale episode was going to be set against the backdrop of Debbie’s wedding?
‘Oh, I felt very honoured, actually because when we first got the script, it was a case of Debbie getting married in Yorkshire, and then it’s coming back from the wedding that the crash happens, and that’s the Corriedale episode. I was like, wow. To be a part of something that’ll go down in history will mean a lot to me, you know, in years to come.’
What was it like filming the crash scenes in the night shoots and working with the Emmerdale cast?
‘I loved it. Because when we’re here at Corrie, you come in, do your filming, and then go home again. The cross-shoot, we had everybody on location. We were working nights, we had caterers, we had winnebagos to sit in, and everybody went into each other’s little whinnies for chats and stuff. And then we were back in the hotel, so everybody went for a drink. It was like filming on location. It was just wonderful because you could have a chat and get to know new people, which I love.’
Debbie was keeping the secret of being Carl’s mum. Was she planning to tell him in the car before the crash?
‘Yeah, I think she’s always been waiting for the right moment, and I think because she’s been diagnosed with dementia, she wants to tell the truth before she forgets the truth. And while she can still tell him the story, and she still knows the story. At that moment, when she was in the car, there was a feeling that she was about to tell him something, almost to try and stop him doing what he was doing. I think she’s been wanting to tell him a few times, and she just doesn’t find the right time.’
Now we know she’s Carl’s mum, it makes complete sense for all the things that she’s forgiven him for. Do you think her bond with him is that strong?
‘I think it is now. Yeah. A few years ago, I don’t think it would have been. I think she compartmentalised it. This happened such a long time ago, where she gave birth to him, and then watched him grow up, seeing his dad and Elaine bringing him up. And I think in her head, she thought, ‘yeah, he is my brother.’
It’s the story that you tell yourself. She thought he was being brought up well. At the time, she was 16, 17, she couldn’t look after him. And it’s only when she was told, ‘your life has got an ending’ that, and he was there in her life, and it brings back a lot of old memories. The truth has got to come out now.’
She’s obviously insisted on taking the blame for the car crash, much to Kevin and Ronnie’s dismay. Why is she so willing to do this?
‘I think she was willing to take the blame because she feels so guilty. She feels so guilty because Carl has been through such a hard time. She didn’t know that he had such a hard time growing up with Elaine. So when she finds out the guilt is dreadful. I think it’s in her head, she thinks that Carl is like he is because of her. She’s made him a bad person, because she didn’t bring him up, because she wasn’t his mother. So all that guilt, shame, remorse that she feels, it’s like, well, I’m gonna take all this, because it’s my fault. It’s my fault that he’s behaving like that.’
Carl eventually confesses that he was driving. At that point, Debbie tells him the truth. Was she nervous about telling him that he’s her son and not her brother?
‘I think she’s always been nervous. I don’t think she had decided that she was going to tell him. I think she didn’t know, and then when he said he’s going to the police station, he’s going to confess, then she can’t hold it in any longer. It was boiling over, and I think she just had to tell him. She had no idea how he was going to react. It’s a big thing. It is massive, to tell your brother that he is really your son.’
She’s facing the day of the sentencing. Is the reality of possibly going to prison starting to hit her?
‘I don’t think she’s thinking about that. I think she’s just thinking, ‘I’m the one that’s done it, and I’m gonna take this blame and it’s not Carl.’ So it’s like, right, do what you want with me. But I think part of her thinks, ‘well, they’re not gonna send me down, because I’m a woman with dementia.”
What’s her first impression when we first see her in prison?
‘Oh, she’s scared. She’s frightened. She’s so frightened. She’s never been anywhere like that. Everything’s going to be stripped from her. Debbie’s mask is going to be gone, isn’t it? The dementia is taking every last bit from her, but also the prison is gonna be taking everything from her. And it’s how she survives that.’
Are you relishing playing this different, stripped-back Debbie?
‘It is fantastic. Just a bit of mascara, you know, nothing else. It’s interesting to play somebody that, the whole front, the makeup, the way that they look, the what they drive, who they marry, everything has to be on show. So when you strip all that back, it’s interesting to play Debbie when it’s all stripped back. Who is she?’
How is she going to navigate telling Ronnie and Kevin the secret of Carl being her son?
‘I think she thinks she deserves to go to prison because of how dishonest she’s been. That’s where she thinks, ‘I’m in this cell because of the way I’ve deceived people.’ She’s deceived Kev, but again, she’s deceived herself. You’re only as sick as your secrets, aren’t you? And I think Debbie is now realising what she’s had to carry all these years. And she’s carried it for others as well, for Elaine and her dad. I think her getting married has made her realise, ‘you know what? This is family now. This is my family. And I maybe should have done this years ago.”
What about a relationship with Kevin? Can she rebuild that after everything they’ve gone through?
‘I think so. I think there’s always a strong bond there. Kevin’s not going anywhere. And I think it’s that forgiveness, isn’t it? It’s all about forgiveness. But it’s his love for her that’s been making him fight for the truth, even though she didn’t want him to be fighting for the truth. I mean, it’s tough for him, isn’t it? Because it’s, like, not just the fact that his brother stole his wife, and that his brother now turns out to be his nephew. It’s a lot. It’s great soap storylines though!’
Are you enjoying Debbie’s different stories?
‘I love it just when you think, oh, right, okay, I’m playing this dementia story then Oh, I’m getting married with a dementia choir. Oh now I am in a crash in a crossover episode, and to top it all my brother is really my son and I’m in prison for a crime I didn’t commit! How fabulous!’
Catch up on ITVX, and for classic visits to Corrie, these episodes air weekdays on ITV3 as well as on YouTube. Corrie airs at 8.30pm on ITV1