You Ask… Ryan Clayton (Josh)
Corrie’s Josh Tucker ...faces your questions!
Hot on the heels of Weatherfield villain Josh being grilled by the police, his much nicer real-life alter ego Ryan faces your questions…
“What has the reaction from the public been like since David reported Josh for rape?”
I imagine there were a few celebrations – bottles of champagne may have been opened by some Corrie fans! Generally, if people see me out and about they will make a joke with me, and it’s all in good humour. The viewers just want Josh to be caught and get his comeuppance!
“Where is the most bizarre place you’ve ever been recognised?”
I went to Thailand recently with Qasim Akhtar [Ryan’s ex
Corrie co-star, who played Zeedan]. I’d been talking about going away, and Qas had been giving me tips as he’d been before – and just ended up coming with me. I think once people saw us together, they thought it was a case of the Corrie lads on tour! We climbed 1,237 steps to see a temple just as the sun was setting, which was cool, and there was a bloke from Bury who recognised us at an elephant sanctuary!
“Did you know that Josh was going to be a nasty guy when you auditioned for the part?”
Yes, I knew from the start that it was going to be a male-rape storyline, but I didn’t know that it was happening to David Platt. When I found that out, it just added a whole other layer to it in terms of how big the story was going to be. I’d grown up with Coronation Street on in the house and knew all of the classic characters, so it was a bit daunting coming in to do a screen test with
Jack [P Shepherd, who plays David].
“Has anyone in the cast given you advice on playing a soap baddy?”
Connor Mcintyre, who played Phelan, was really helpful. He said, “You will have a timeline on you, and while other characters have their own worlds in
Coronation Street, and those worlds intertwine, you have to play a whole different genre within the Street and focus on that”. It was good advice.
“What has been the most challenging scene to play since joining Coronation Street?
The aftermath of the rape has been difficult. A few scenes – like the
“Where’s the most bizarre place you’ve been spotted?”
one when Shona first confronted him – have riled me, as you just know that Josh is blatantly lying! It’s difficult to understand his motivation and why he would do something so awful.
“How do you and Jack get on in real life?”
We’ve got on from the start. He’s easy to get on with – and even though it’s a serious storyline, we’ve had a laugh in between. Jack doesn’t take himself too seriously, which I’m sure you know! And you need that when you’re dealing with tough stuff – you need to be able to leave it at work.
“Like Josh, are you into boxing?”
Yeah, I’ve boxed for quite a while actually – I was 11 when I had my first fight! I was also in a play, Gypsy Queen, about two gay boxers, and the timing of that was good as the Corrie casting directors came to watch me. I don’t fight outside of work any more, though. I’m not sure that our continuity department would be too happy if I came in with bruises all the time!
“Josh is a mechanic, but are you any good with cars in real life?”
It’s funny you ask. I was driving home on the night that my first Corrie episode went out – and realised I had a puncture! Let’s just say I needed some help. In my defence, I didn’t have the right equipment in the back of my car. I didn’t have a proper jack with me, so I couldn’t even lift the tyre! What were the chances after my first night of playing a mechanic on screen?
“If you could do any other job for just one day, what would you like to do the most?”
I don’t think that anyone would employ me, to be honest! I’d have to headline Glastonbury Festival as part of a band – maybe if they were reforming Oasis, and between Noel, Liam and myself we could be a three-way act!
“What’s next for Josh?”
I think it’s important Corrie tells the story as accurately as possible. There are a lot of people who have gone through what David has, and the perpetrator has got away with it – so how does a victim deal with that? There is no evidence and the police don’t have anything on Josh, so he is going to get away with it in the legal sense. There is not enough evidence to convict him, unfortunately.
“What would be your dream role after Coronation Street?”
I love playing baddies, and I’d love to go on to a drama – but it all depends on how long the Street will have me!
“How do you and Jack [P Shepherd, aka David] get on in real life?”