The moment I heard that Father Ted, EastEnders and various other big shows’ legend Pauline McLynn was to be Coronation Street’s latest matriarch, my heart soared.
What a casting! And, now as Maggie Driscoll snatches the helm of the Rovers Return from daughter-in-law Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley), she has already proven a force to be reckoned with.
Shaping up to be a battleaxe in the form of past icons like Blanche Hunt, Pauline was quick to point out that her alter-ego does befriend people and is fiercely protective of her family – but yes, she was going to cause a bit of mayhem!
And the Mrs Doyle actress told Metro that this may come to a head at Christmas time, with show boss Kate Brooks promising that the new clan would be at the centre of the festive frolics.
‘Obviously, there are family dynamics – in every family there are,’ she reflected, after admitting to still being ‘bewildered’ to be cast in the national institution that is Coronation Street.
‘And maybe at some stage the carpet will be pulled from under everyone’s feet and they’ll go “Oh! Oh really?”
‘She’s fiercely loyal and protective of her family. There’ll be things happening over Christmas where you think, “Oh come on, that’s very bad behaviour at the very least!’
‘My family will probably say, “Is that your mother Sheila you’re playing there?” The older she got, the more she’d push boundaries – and I’ve got a bit of that in me too.
‘Maggie likes to throw in the most outrageous things just to see how far she can go. But often that line has been long passed!’
Honestly, sign me up to all of this juicy drama, I am invested. I was lucky enough to grab some time alone chatting to Pauline recently, and she spoke so warmly of joining the show and was, as you may expect, the most amiable and generous of communicators – being very humble when I called her a TV legend. Which, as we all will agree, she is.
She admitted to being astonished that she hasn’t gone for Corrie before, as the fit seemed so right for her.
‘I didn’t see this one coming down the line,’ she admitted. ‘I’m not one of those actors who has goals – or even ambition, really, if I’m honest. I tend to stagger from one thing to the next, depending on who wants me.
‘So this was huge. It was like, “What? Wait! Who? Say that again. Coronation Street are interested?”
‘It turns out that one of my agents in London – who I always thought was quite highbrow in a nice way – keeps surprising me with what she loves. She’s a soap fan, which you wouldn’t necessarily expect.
‘I’ve seen her bookshelves, and her reading material wouldn’t lead you to think that. But she’s a huge Corrie fan and had been in conversation with the casting directors.
‘The role of the casting director is crucial, and Corrie’s casting is sensational. And the dynamics with all of the other characters is just great.’
The rivalry between Maggie and Eva over both the pub and who has Ben’s (Aaron McCusker’s) best interests at heart, is set to be fierce – although Pauline reflected that in a different life, they’d probably be friends due to their similar natures in many ways.
‘In another life Eva and Maggie would get on like a house on fire – if it weren’t for Eva being with one of Maggie’s beloved sons! She has two sons – I haven’t met the other one yet, but I know he exists!
‘Depending on what story needs to be told, we may meet him, we may not. But that’s the brilliant thing about Corrie: families, communities, all the politics of it.
‘Watching that first episode, seeing how all the stories intertwine in a community, I thought, ‘This is so great. I hope we’ve pulled our socks up enough to fit right in.’ It’s a real privilege to be allowed to tell these stories.
‘It just feels incredible! I didn’t even realise at the time, but after day one I thought, this is great – I’m part of a group. We never had to discuss what the dynamic was; it was just there from the start. We felt like a family right away. That’s such a nicer way to join a long-running series.’
