Get your T-shirts on to help free Weatherfield One
For Sally that would be the worst thing. Just the shame of it. That would be horrible for Sally Actress Sally Dynevor
GET ready to dust your Free The Weatherfield One T-shirts off because Coronation Street stalwart Sally Metcalfe could be facing a spell in prison thanks to some dodgy dealings.
The Mayor of Weatherfield, played by Sally Dynevor in the ITV1 soap, has been hit by a smear campaign by a conman trying to derail her political career.
Duncan Radfield, played by former Waterloo Road star Nicholas Gleaves, pins the blame on Sal after he’s charged with fraud and paints her as a crook who lured him into having an affair with her and forced him to steal £40,000 from the council’s charitable fund.
Spoiler photos have shown Underworld worker Sally turning up at the former Salford Magistrates’ Court building for trial scenes and actress Sally warned: “Get your T-shirts ready.
“For Sally, that would be the worst thing.
“Not only to have all her privileges taken away and locked in a room without your family, but just the shame of it.
“That would be horrible for Sally. Everybody on Coronation Street knows she’s gone to prison. Oh my god. She wouldn’t be able to walk down Corrie again with her head held high that’s for sure. And she’ll get really ribbed in Underworld when she goes back.”
On Monday, poor Sally literally feels like a clown when she’s arrested, while wearing a circus outfit, at the Speed Daal family day on suspicion of fraud, bribery and money laundering.
And her sister Gina Seddon hires Sally’s old school friend turned hot-shot solicitor Paula Cunliffe to represent her.
“It’s a great story, I’m really enjoying it,” she said.
“She doesn’t understand what’s going on because she did use this money she got from the council to give to a good charity – and she thought he was with this stroke victim charity he said he’d set up for his wife.
“He said if you give me the money we can buy all this equipment. It all unravels that he runs off with all the money. I do feel sorry for because she’s been very naive. I just can’t see a way out for her.”
Duncan, the father of model Olivia who became friends with her daughter Rosie before she left the cobbles in June, appeared in Sally’s life when he told how he was setting up a fund after his wife died from a stroke and he grilled her for her advice about a funding application to the council.
Corrie fans will be reminded of iconic scenes 20 years ago when the Free The Weatherfield One campaign for Deirdre Barlow was launched after she was found guilty of fraud and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
From T-shirts to car stickers, the campaign captured the nation’s imagination and reached the top when the then Prime Minister Tony Blair instructed his Home Secretary Jack Straw to intervene.
The Granada switchboards were jammed with calls over the gross miscarriage of justice brought about by conman Jon Lindsay, who pretended he was a pilot but really worked at a tie shop in the airport.
After a couple of months Deirdre was freed when a woman previously tricked by Jon came forward.