Today ITV have announced that Monday's second episode of Coronation Street will star just four of the cast.
The episode on Monday 29th October at 8:30pm will focus on the secrets and lies that are tearing the Barlow family apart and aside from two actors playing a doctor and a nurse it will only star William Roache as Ken, Chris Gascoyne as Peter, Rob Mallard as Daniel and Katie McGlynn as Sinead.
The action will all take place in Weatherfield General and the Barlow’s house and will centre on Daniel’s discovery of Sinead’s cancer diagnosis.
Sinead has kept the fact that she has been diagnosed with cervical cancer a secret from Daniel but on Friday (19th October) Sinead bumped into Ken in the hospital and later broke down telling him her news and swearing him to secrecy.
On Monday, Sinead collapses and is rushed to hospital, but when Daniel arrives he is stunned to find out the truth about Sinead’s illness and that Ken knew all about it.
Devastated, and struggling to deal with the news, Daniel heads back to number 1 to have it out with his dad but is intercepted by Peter in the backyard.
In moving scenes, written by Chris Fewtrell and directed by Mickey Jones, Daniel and Peter dissect Ken’s fathering skills and their upbringing, unaware that Ken has heard every word.
Speaking about the reveal, William Roache said "When Daniel does find out Ken gets the full blast of all the pent up resentment that Daniel has lurking because he was an absent father. It’s a great episode, drawing on their history and bringing all those things together. One of the things I love in Coronation Street is how it draws on its own history, in this case the history of Ken being a bad father.
I love it when we’re working in the Barlows, I’m very fond of them all in real life, I’m really enjoying having a full house again. A few years ago there was just Ken, Tracy and Amy. Now there’s Tracy, Amy, Daniel, Adam, Peter, Simon, Steve and Sinead as well, there are so many stories to tell.”
Rob Mallard said “I was delighted when heard about the episode, it was a real vote of confidence not only in us but in the characters and the story that they thought it could support a whole half hour episode. Also I love working with Chris and Bill and Katie, it was like doing a play, we had a read through and rehearsals. The pressure was on because in a normal episode they cut away to another storyline but this one is all on us. We had a great time filming it.
It was like a workshop and to do those scenes in the Barlows with two established actors like Bill and Chris it felt like doing an acting master class, I felt very lucky. It was something that made me take a sharp intake of breath, it was very challenging and I got to flex acting muscles that I don’t necessarily use every day.
Daniel rushes back from the hospital ranting and raving to himself, quite unhinged and paranoid and then he is running down the ginnel and fortunately Peter is outside and intervenes and calms him down and they have a conversation where older brother and younger brother dissect Ken basically and Ken hears most of it because he is in the kitchen but neither of them are aware of this.”
Coronation Street: Barlow's Secrets will air Monday 29th October at 8:30pm on ITV