Ken and co stand up to evil Ray
In this fight, only a fool would bet on the bulldozer…
The residents of the Street mount a daring protest to save the community this week – as a bulldozer moves in to demolish their homes! Having bought up one side of the cobbles, dodgy businessman Ray plans to knock it all down and replace it with a luxury development that will earn him big bucks. However, what he hasn’t banked on is the plucky locals rallying together, and doing everything in their power to halt him in his tracks… “Abi wants to protect this community, as much as the Street,” explains Sally Carman, who plays the protest ringleader. “This is the first time in Abi’s life that she has finally been able to lay down some roots and feel accepted and loved. It’s also the first time she has settled in anywhere, so she can’t quite believe her luck. She is very protective over that.”
A losing battle?
Determined to stop Ray from demolishing half the Street, Abi and co apply to have the brewery recognised as a listed building, therefore preventing it from being knocked down. But Kevin lets slip their plan to his sister Debbie – little realising that she’s in cahoots with Ray!
“Abi has suspicions about Debbie, but she hasn’t shared them with Kevin yet,” says Michael Le Vell, who plays him.
“If he finds out that Debbie had anything to do with him losing his garage, Kevin would be mortified, because she’s family. He’d disown her!”
Debbie’s information gives Ray the upper hand – and he moves his bulldozers in straight away, before the residents can stop him! The locals are aghast as they watch heavy machinery heading towards the brewery, and the group realises that they are going to have to take drastic action – and fast…
“The residents are very fearful at this point,” Sally tells us. “They are a working-class community, and although they really do want to be hopeful, people with money tend to win these things. Life has shown them time and time again that things don’t work out.”
“They are trying to fight Ray as much as they can,” adds Michael. “Yet most think they can’t fight the inevitable – at the end of the day, money talks. Ray has cash and the residents don’t. They won’t go down
without a fight, but they feel it’s a fight they’re destined to lose.”
Strength in numbers
However, this is one bunch of determined protesters – and soon, a gang including Ken, Dev, Roy and Evelyn has set up camp in front of the brewery, where they start a rousing chorus of “We shall not be moved”…
After a night of standing united in their fight, the group believe they’ve halted Ray’s progress. So imagine their horror when he turns up with a long-arm digger.
The protesters are appalled, and Kevin quickly phones the council to try to hurry along the brewery application. As
Ray arrives to dismantle the camp, Ken takes a stand and leaps in the path of the bulldozer – while impulsive Abi jumps in the cab of the digger…
“Abi is the sort of person who, when she’s backed into a corner, will come out fighting,” declares Sally. “So once she sees that digger, her instincts are fight or flight, and she goes in for the fight. She is giving it a big ‘I’ll show them!’, and she does, although it isn’t the best thing to do!
“Once you get Abi on side, she will be loyal to the death,” adds the star. “The Street is bricks and mortar – but for her, it’s more about what she has found there, and that is the people who respect and love her. And she loves them too, so she is protecting that.”
Crash and burn?
However, disaster strikes when Abi loses control of the vehicle, and it smashes into a nearby electricity substation – knocking out all the power in the area! So will that help to destroy
“Abi is capable of bringing down Ray…”
Ray’s plans? Or has Abi just made a huge mistake?
“It always goes wrong!” chuckles Sally. “Abi is flinging the digger around, and wipes out the electricity on the whole Street! That’s when she thinks, ‘Oh yeah, these things always tend to end like this!’. As much as the locals appreciate Abi’s enthusiasm and passion, they are wary of her instinct, and yet again have been proven right. This doesn’t help the cause, and everyone realises Abi has made things much harder. There’s a feeling that things are out of control at that point.”
Meanwhile, Kevin wonders how Ray keeps managing to stay one step ahead of their plans – but is the penny about to drop regarding his sister’s involvement? One thing’s for sure, Abi is not about to let her sleazy ex win this fight.
“Abi is capable of bringing down Ray,” insists Sal. “Even if it’s in a really clumsy way that maybe knocks down a few people who get caught in her plans! Abi is driven by the same sort of energy as Ray – but she uses her powers for good…”
So have the residents done enough to save their beloved Coronation Street? Or will it be little more than a pile of rubble as the week comes to a close?