Coronation Street
Residents flee in terror as Derek goes berserk – but who’ll find themselves in the firing line?
Brutal Gary Windass spreads horror on the cobbles this Christmas, after he pushes his whipping boy Derek to the brink of sanity and beyond – causing him to take a murderous revenge!
As enraged Derek runs amok with a shotgun through Weatherfield’s Winter Wonderland, almost anyone could find themselves caught in his line of fire – with the likes of Shona and Sarah desperately running for whatever cover they can find. As shots blast out through the freezing night, it’s clear that not everyone will live to see Boxing Day…
HOSTAGE SITUATION
The terrifying drama kicks off when Gary is forced to confess that he’s the secret owner of Underworld, after drunken Derek reveals the true story to horrified Izzy. Furious with Derek for exposing him, Gary takes him hostage, locking him in the furniture shop so that Derek misses a flight to Florida and loses contact with his beloved family forever. His punishment meted out, Gary sets Derek free – but little does he realise that the broken man is already busy plotting his violent revenge…
“Gary goes too far this time!” reveals Mikey North, who plays him. “Taking Derek hostage is arguably the cruellest thing he’s ever done – knowing his kids are waiting at the airport and reading out texts from Derek’s wife saying that he will never see them again. Sure, Gary killed Rick, but he was an evil loan shark and that was self-defence. Derek hasn’t done an awful lot wrong! Basically, Gary’s
cruelty is the cause of everything that happens next. He’s totally to blame…”
THE TRUTH IS OUT
The atmosphere on the Street is already tense after the grand factory re-opening party ends in disaster for the Platts. Sarah and Nick can’t believe it when they find out that Derek never owned the factory – and that their landlord is none other than Gary Windass! Bitter words are exchanged, which only serves to make Gary, in typically vindictive style, raise their rent. Gary seems to have Sarah and Nick right where he wants them, but there’s a loose cannon he must tie down first…
“Derek is the one person who can scupper Gary’s plan – after all, he knows too many of Gary’s secrets,” explains Mikey. “Gary wants rid of him, and that’s when he cruelly keeps him away from his family. He thinks he’s warned off Derek for good, although the man is refusing to go down without a fight!
Meanwhile, the residents of Coronation Street are bubbling with excitement for the Winter Wonderland that Michael has helped create – a veritable maze of rides and stalls weaving through their little corner of Weatherfield.
With festivities in the Rovers already kicking off, Gary’s in no mood to celebrate. He’s worried because an antique shotgun, recently collected by Fiz from a house clearance and found to still be in fully working order, has gone missing from his filing cabinet. And, soon enough, Gary is staring down the barrel of that very gun…
“You would think that having a gun pointed at him by Derek would scare Gary,” shares Mikey, “but the way I play it is that he doesn’t care any more.
Derek is the one person who can scupper Gary’s plan…”
“In the Rovers, Gary’s prepared to do everything he can to save people. If he was shot himself, it would, in a weird way, solve a lot of his problems! Gary has lost all sense of fear, because the worst has already happened – he’s killed someone and buried them. Now he thinks: just bring the rest on!”
SHOTS FIRED!
The terrified crowd in the Rovers begs Derek to put the gun down, but he takes aim and fires. Has he already taken his first victim? Gary rushes out of the pub and into the Winter Wonderland, where the locals are gathering to celebrate Christmas. As Gary screams for people to hide, Derek is close behind him.
“Gary is willing to die and take a bullet for everyone!” insists Mikey. “He knows it is his fault, and he feels as if he doesn’t have anything to lose. He’s lost so much already – including Sarah – that if it all ends here, then that’s fine by him. Gary feels strangely invincible! It was a lot of fun to film these scenes.”
As Derek staggers after Gary with his finger on the trigger, the crowd dives for cover – including pregnant Maria, horrified
Michael, and the terrified Platt family. Unfortunately for the innocent bystanders, Gary and Derek’s feud could mean the end for any of them, as more shots ring out.
“I loved filming these scenes,” enthuses Mikey. “Especially with Gary and Derek on the helter skelter. It’s difficult trying to give a good performance at four in the morning!
“Seriously, though, it was a lot of fun,” adds the actor. “We had stunt coordinators and fight scenes, and loads of cast members were involved in it all.”
It’s clear that Derek’s revenge will make for gripping viewing on Christmas Day.
But one person who won’t be glued to the telly will be Mikey himself.
“My family will be watching, that’s for sure,” he assures us. “But while I used to watch myself all the time, I do it much less now. I find it really hard to judge my own performance, so I’ll leave that to others!”
Gary’s prepared to do all that he can to save people!”