Coronation Street signs Brookside legend for huge new role

CORONATION Street has signed up Claire Sweeney for a dramatic new role.

The legendary Brookside actress, 52, will play the mother of Tyrone Dobbs – who viewers know was thought to be dead.

Tyrone, (Alan Halsall) has been told by his grandmother Evelyn Plummer (Dame Maureen Lipman) that her daughter and his biological mother Cassie is dead. 

So when Cassie turns up on the cobbles out of the blue in June, Evelyn is faced with a real dilemma as she has to decide whether to come clean to Tyrone about her lies. 

Tyrone grew up believing that his mum was Jackie Dobbs, played by Margi Clarke, but in 2018 investigations into his parentage brought him into contact with Evelyn for the first time and he discovered evidence that Evelyn’s daughter Cassandra was his biological mother. 

Not trusting Cassandra to look after him properly due to her drug habit, Evelyn had abandoned Tyrone at a police station in 1982 where he was found by Jackie who brought him up as her own.

Now Tyrone faces more heartache as secrets and lies from his past threaten to destroy his relationship with his grandma and he has to navigate a new relationship with his mother.

Claire starts filming next week and her first appearance will be on June 28th. 

Speaking about joining Corrie, Claire said: “Even though I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed an amazingly varied career for nearly 40 years – being cast in Coronation Street is, to me, better than being cast in a Hollywood movie!

“I’ve watched it all my life and can’t quite believe that I’ll now be stepping onto those famous cobbles myself.

“I was really nervous when I got the scripts to audition as this show means so much to me and my family and this is Corrie gold, I was beyond thrilled and very grateful when I got the call that Iain MacLeod is trusting me to play Tyrone’s Mum and work alongside one of my heroes, Dame Maureen Lipman.

“Cassie is a character who is definitely going to make an impact – I just hope the audience will enjoy watching her as much as I’m going to be enjoying playing her!”

Coronation Street Producer Iain MacLeod added: “Claire bowled us over in her audition and the scenes with her, Tyrone and Evelyn will be electric.

“Her arrival will mark the start of a tumultuous time for Tyrone and the family and her impact will be felt across the street in the weeks and months that follow.”