Rotter’s return
Corrie Tracy goes to killer in hiding after he escapes
CORONATION Street fans were shocked when killer Rob Donovan returned last night, two years after being sent to prison.
Viewers saw Rob hiding in a disused gym with his lover Tracy Barlow – and his return is thanks to a police mix-up.
Rob, who is supposed to be serving 25 years in prison for the murder of barmaid Tina McIntyre, last appeared on the soap in January last year.
Actor Marc Baylis, who plays Rob, told the Mirror: “It’s not that Rob has hired a pneumatic drill, gone through the prison walls and sprinted for his life.
“It’s not planned. An incident occurs which does involve the police. There’s a crash and he seizes the opportunity.”
It turns out that Rob has been secretly seeing his lover Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) for several weeks off screen.
On his character’s troubled romance with Tracy, Marc said: “It’s not the easiest of scenarios they’re in and what we’re trying to do is tell the love story. It is doomed. It’s a horrible scenario.
URGENCY
“A lot has occurred over the last 18 months and he was very angry and bitter at that point about the two women he loved most, one being the sibling [Carla Connor], one being the love of his life [Tracy] – together they were responsible for him being sentenced to prison. The anger that was underneath that storyline is a very different Rob to what we see now.”
“It’s a do-or-die situation that he’s in. There’s a sense of urgency there. He’s changing his mind all the time.”
It is thought Marc has been back on set for several months, meaning his character could be on screen for most of 2017. But Marc was tight-lipped how long Rob would be on the Street.
“I’m still here now, but not permanently. Because of the relationship I’ve had with the show I do know anything is kind of possible in soap land.
“The possibilities are endless, as far as I’m concerned, with Rob’s future.”