‘He's beginning to unravel...'

Corrie star Mark Frost on Ray Crosby’s most shocking week yet and channelling Liam Gallagher

- Alison Slade

CORONATION STREET MON, WED & FRI / ITV / TIMES VARY / SOAP

The pressure’s building for Corrie’s Ray Crosby.

As the scheming businessman struggles to raise the cash for his redevelopment project, he’s blindsided by his arrest for the attempted rape of Faye Windass, while nemesis Abi Franklin has evidence that he bribed a council official and says she’ll only bury it if he owns up to his assault.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, and we’ll see Ray at his most ruthless yet.

We caught up with star Mark Frost, 52 – whose previous credits include Poldark, Holby City and The Bill, among many others – for the inside story on playing Weatherfield’s reigning villain...

How does Ray react when he is arrested for Faye’s attempted rape this week?

What I’ve always enjoyed about Coronation Street is that even in moments of high tension, there can be an air of humour. It’s actually quite funny, because he starts reeling off all the reasons the police might be there for him. Of course, there are so many, and each one he reels off lands him further in it! The last thing he expects is to be arrested for attempted rape because first off, he doesn’t think he has tried to rape anybody, and secondly, he underestimates women, and certainly Faye, who he thinks would never have the gumption or bravery to call him out on it. So he’s genuinely shocked.

And then there’s extra pressure when Abi gets proof that he bribed the chairperson of the planning committee. Will we see him lose control?