He’s a little bit cheeky, he’s got oodles of charm and he is deeply in love with one Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) – yep, Ben Driscoll is settling in well to life in Coronation Street.
And it’s a case of sixth time lucky for Shameless and Hope Street star Aaron McCusker – who has been dying to land a role in the soap, having auditioned for no less than five other characters.
It may seem like Corrie casting directors were mad in their decisions to overlook this actor for so long, but it was more a case of they wanted to hold out for the right character to come along.
And here he is, already building relationships and causing a bit of mischief as family man Ben.
‘I got very excited because I’ve auditioned for Corrie before, this was my sixth time!’ he told Metro.
‘It wasn’t always for a lead role, I think the last time was 14 episodes. My agent said, “It didn’t go your way, they really, really loved you but they want you for something bigger.” And they were true to their word. When they phoned me with this and I knew it was to be landlord of the Rovers, it doesn’t get much bigger than that!
‘It was brilliant because I’ve got a wife and three kids and I’ve been away doing plays. The last job I was doing I went nine weeks without seeing my wife and kids. So I was chuffed that I was going to be in basically a full time job, just to be able to say I’m home and I’m staying home and I can drive in to work. I’m over the moon. It still hasn’t really hit me yet, actually.’
One thing that makes Ben unique is that so far, he hasn’t come in with any shady or villainous secrets, he genuinely is in love with Eva and they’re a solid couple building foundations on the Street, Aaron explained.
And we can expect some classic Corrie comedy coming up too, especially when Ben crosses paths with David Platt (Jack P Shepherd).
‘Jack reached out and he was nice and he really made an effort. He’s very funny and he has a gorgeous smile as well. We have a lovely episode.
‘And Steve and Tim – there’s been a couple of scenes in the Rovers, I can see Ben, Steve and Tim getting on quite well.
‘I’d love to have a friendship with Roy! I’ve done one scene in Roy’s Rolls and that was as exciting as being in the Rovers.
‘We’ll just see where it goes and where they take him. I know what I’ve done so far and the storylines are really good. It’s been so busy but that’s the way I like it.’
It won’t all be plain sailing, however, as Aaron predicts that there will surely be tougher times down the line for his alter-ego.
‘I’ve been given certain storylines that are coming up that I can’t talk about,’ he said, coyly. ‘He’s a good dad. He’s got every reason to be stuck between his mum and Eva because he loves them both dearly and there’s nothing worse than being stuck between that.
‘He can see that Maggie doesn’t treat her very well but he’s scared to step in because she was a single mum and she brought him up. What can he do? Deep down he wishes she wouldn’t speak to her like that and wishes she’d go away every now and again.
‘I don’t know how he’s going to cope with it, I don’t know what way it’s going to go, but I can see difficult times ahead.’
He added, while also alluding to an ex-wife out there who could make an appearance: ‘I think the kids keep him sane. I’ve got a lovely relationship on screen and off screen with Raph [Akuwudike], who plays my oldest.
‘Me and him have some lovely moments. I think if he didn’t have those kids… It should be him keeping his kids on the straight and narrow but I think we might see THEM keeping HIM on the straight and narrow!’
One of the biggest treats for Aaron (and the audience!) is having TV icon Pauline McLynn cast as troublesome mum Maggie. While they both were in Shameless, they never really crossed paths on camera.
‘I was over the moon because, even though me and Pauline were in Shameless together, I never did anything with Pauline so she was just another face in the corridor to me, even though I was a big Father Ted fan,’ he said with a grin.
‘I phoned Kate [Brooks] and said I’d heard the role of my mum had been cast. She told me it was Pauline McGlynn and I got her number from the actor I did the self tape with, who was really close with her. I left her a message and she phoned me straight away, and we just chatted and chatted for a couple of hours.
‘I adore her, I love the woman to bits. Although she is hilarious. She goes, “What age are you?” and I said I was 46. She said, “I had you when I was f*****g 12!”
‘It’s amazing, you’re just looking around at all these really talented actors and genuinely lovely people. You can see why it’s such a well-oiled machine – the crew, the cast, it’s brilliant.’
