12 February 2024 , 00:01
547
0
It has been 16 years since Violet Wilson appeared on the Coronation Street cobbles – but now she’s back to help sort out wayward son Dylan.
Antony Cotton, who plays teenager Dylan’s gay dad Sean Tully, has revealed that actress Jenny Platt is returning to Weatherfield for a guest stint.
The former Rover’s Return barmaid gave birth to Dylan in 2008, after pals Sean and Violet made a drunken pact to have a baby if they were single at 30.
Speaking ahead of their first scenes being filmed last month, Antony declared: “Tomorrow, after 16 years, Jenny is coming back. We’ve tried to get her back in various different ways, means, forms for a little bit – because at the end of the day, she’s Dylan’s mum.
“We do often talk about Violet, and Sean off-screen goes down and stays with them. But 16 years ago, she left with Dylan, and she’s never been seen on screen since.”
Corrie's Sue Cleaver says I'm A Celebrity stint helped her to push boundaries
Coronation Street actress Jenny Platt will reprise her role as Violet Wilson for the first time since 2011 (ITV)Antony is thrilled to be working with his pal again, having always kept in touch with Jenny. He added: “She’s not even been in the new building, let alone play Violet. So I’m very excited to see my mate, Jenny, and also to see Violet. I just hope that she’s not nervous because she doesn’t need to be nervous.”
But the actor, 48, admitted that working on the soap had changed enormously since she was last there. He says: “We shot a lot less content. When she was there the internet barely existed. Isn’t that mad? And there were no smart phones, people were still using Blackberries.”
He said their scenes would be interesting to play because there was “a bit of blame” going back and forth between them over Dylan’s involvement with the bullying of Liam Connor.
Violet Carson went into labour in the Rovers (ITV / Rex Features)He’s now hoping that she can be persuaded to return again after he initial stint of a month. “This storyline is going to go on. So as long as it goes well and she enjoys it, I’m hoping that we might see her again. Because if there’s more of this stuff and it gets more serious, one would imagine that we would perhaps see Violet again.”
In the plot Dylan has got caught up in the serious bullying of Liam, led by Mason Radcliffe, which has led to the youngster considering ways of ending his life. Doting father Sean just cannot accept that Dylan, played by 17-year-old Liam McCheyne, has anything to do with the bullying.
But Antony sighs: “It’s a very shocking story. And unfortunately it is a reality. Our show has to mirror life and to reflect societal issues. And male suicide is the biggest killer in Britain, for men under the age of 40.”