“Daniel’s crossed Phelan – he doesn’t realise how much danger he’s in!”
THE PLUCKY REPORTER HAS GOT HIMSELF A SCOOP – BUT WHAT WILL IT COST HIM? ROB MALLARD TALKS TO US…
Daniel is the bluebottle to Phelan’s warthog – he’ll get swatted!
Complex, dangerous and broken: words that could describe both Daniel Osbourne and Pat Phelan. They’ve been the villains at the heart of two of the Street’s most shocking plots in the past year, and have become firm favourites with Corrie fans. So, it’s a treat that the latest twist in Phelan’s plot sees Daniel involved in a bid to get the real story behind his development scam. Pitting fiendish Phelan against brainiac Barlow is tantalising stuff, and actor Rob Mallard is delighted…
“These men are incredibly calculating social manipulators,” explains the star, who will soon celebrate a year in Coronation Street. “Their only interaction in the past was when Ken was found at the bottom of the stairs. Phelan was suspicious of Daniel, and rightly so! I think they’ve underestimated each other, and it’ll be interesting to see if each of them realise how clever the other one is.”
Daniel comes into Pat’s orbit via his new job at The Weatherfield Gazette.
The gifted writer wants to use his talents – and he has a lot of scope on the cobbles, with no end of scandal on his doorstep!
“As devastating as losing his place at Oxford was, it’s left Daniel with a blank slate,” muses Rob. “He’s looking for a story, and starts talking to Yasmeen about the Calcutta Street development. When he tries to speak to Phelan, Pat at first dismisses him – but with Eileen around, Phelan has to play the innocent victim, and is obliged to give Daniel the info he needs. This two-faced behaviour makes Daniel realise there’s more to all this than meets the eye.”
However, the Calcutta Street scandal is just the tip of the iceberg. We all know Phelan has a host of shocking secrets – not least his captive, Andy! But a passing mention of Anna and her hatred of Phelan gives Daniel a new lead to follow…
“The plot thickens!” teases Rob. “Anna warns him to stay away from Phelan, and she’s very dramatic. Daniel suspected that Phelan has scammed people, but he saw Phelan as no more than an opportunist who tried to make off with people’s money. It’s Anna who gives Daniel his first inkling of how dangerous Phelan can be.”
Daniel’s investigation turns up evidence of a conspiracy, and Cindy – his editor at
the Gazette – is very impressed with her cub reporter’s instincts. She’s also, it must be said, taken with his boyish good looks… “Daniel doesn’t trust women because he keeps getting hurt by them, but Cindy comes with an opportunity for him!” shares Rob. “I hope romance might be on the cards, because I really liked working with Esther Hall [Cindy].” There will be no love lost between Daniel and Phelan, though – and that means plenty of scenes between Rob and cast mate Connor Mcintyre. “Connor has a lot of gravitas as a performer,” he enthuses. “He doesn’t blink! When you are filming scenes with him, he stares you down!” We can only hope Daniel survives his clash with Phelan – and vice versa – given they both have form for violent outbursts. But Rob warns that Daniel is going to make himself very irritating to the strung-out villain. “You know when a fly won’t stop buzzing around?” he grins. “Phelan is the warthog and Daniel is the bluebottle flying around his head. Inevitably, he’ll get swatted!”