Soaps Interview
Coronation Street's Oliver Farnworth: 'Gavin twist is fantastic'
By Daniel Kilkelly
Coronation Street delivered an unexpected twist at the end of Friday night's episodes (November 28) as newcomer 'Gavin Rodwell' was revealed to be an impostor.
Oliver Farnworth's character has stolen the identity of the real Gavin and has fooled Michael (Les Dennis) into believing that he is his long-lost son.
While some fans had no doubt guessed that 'Gavin' was up to no good, Corrie bosses managed to avoid any leaks of his big secret before transmission - allowing viewers to have an element of surprise while watching the episode.
Digital Spy caught up with Oliver this week to hear his reaction to the twist and learn who 'Gavin' really is…
How do you feel about this big twist involving your character?
"It's fantastic! Coming into a soap and playing a character like this one is great, because you really hit the ground running. It piques the audience's interest from early on and there's a hell of a lot of scope for where it could go.
"I'm also finding out things myself day by day as to what's happening with my character and what's going to happen next! It really is a storyline that's going to run and run."
When you were doing your early scenes with Les Dennis, did you always know you were playing an impostor?
"Yeah, I knew from the start that 'Gavin' was an impostor, but a lot of the details hadn't been decided upon even at that stage. I had the basic facts but that was all. That was exciting as well, though. It meant that I didn't know some of the details and that helped with the playing of those scenes, because at that point the audience knew nothing either!"
Can you tell us a bit about who your character really is?
"His real name is Andy! Andy is a friend of the real Gavin Rodwell and they share a flat together. The real Gavin has disappeared off and we learn in future episodes that he has messed Andy around quite a bit in the past. That's in terms of relationships, girls and things like that.
"Andy has lost his job, he's got bills mounting up and he's in debt. He's in a bit of a low point in his life at the moment, so when Michael's letter came through, he quite cheekily decided to pretend to be Gavin. Andy thought that Gavin owed him one and he could make a few quid out of it - but he soon falls quickly into Weatherfield life."
Does Andy have a firm plan?
"Absolutely not! Andy is free-wheeling and he's making it up as he goes along. He actually wants to get out of the situation pretty quickly. After a few days, he tries to get out but various things happen. He meets a girl, he's got a job and he's also quite indebted to Michael.
"There is the information about Michael's health that Andy really needs to pass on, so he's in a bit of a limbo. But there is no game plan and he's not particularly malicious or manipulative - he just falls into it."
Is it important to you that the viewers don't just see Andy as a bad guy?
"Absolutely. I liked the idea that there was this unsavoury element to him at first, but now it's been revealed who he really is, I would like the audience to side with him because he does have lots of very good qualities. Andy really doesn't mean any harm on anyone."
Compared to Michael and Gail, Audrey and David have seemed slightly less welcoming towards 'Gavin'! Should he be wary of them?
"I think so! At any given point, Andy's cover could be blown. With the immediate relationship he has with Michael and Gail, they don't want to see any negative side to his character at all. They've invested emotionally in him.
"As time goes on, some of the other characters will start to question things about 'Gavin'. Certain things don't add up in his stories, which makes people more cynical and sceptical. He's really got to be careful!"
Do you play any role in the Platt family's dramatic Christmas?
"I'm there all through it, really! I'm working in the Bistro quite a lot, including on Christmas Day. 'Gavin' is there as a support figure for Michael and he's on the sidelines for Gail as well.
"Because he's not fully invested in the family, and especially not David's side of things, Andy doesn't feel that it's something he can get personally involved in. It's another tangle that he should probably stay out of!"
How did you feel about being thrown straight in with such a well-known soap family?
"I was pretty nervous at first, but that just disappeared after ten minutes! After doing half a scene with them, I realised that everyone is fantastic at their job but really down to earth, helpful and really lovely. There's a great camaraderie there so I feel like I've fitted in really nicely."
Has your previous soap experience on Hollyoaks helped with joining Corrie?
"Definitely. I think people have the shock of their lives when they start on a soap with the speed of it and the way things move along. It also involves doing multi-camera techniques, following instructions and still trying to make the script believable and human. My past experience helped as I definitely knew what I was getting myself into!"
Even though he's slightly dodgy, would you like Andy to have a long-term future on the cobbles?
"Oh definitely! I really, really hope he does."
Hit play below to watch the reveal moment again:
Read more Coronation Street spoilers and news
Coronation Street continues on Monday (December 1) at 7.30pm on ITV.
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video - hit play below for gossip on two new Lucy discoveries in EastEnders, a new romance story in Coronation Street, a wedding day disaster in Emmerdale and a boxing match to remember in Hollyoaks.
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Oliver Farnworth's character has stolen the identity of the real Gavin and has fooled Michael (Les Dennis) into believing that he is his long-lost son.
© ITV
Oliver Farnworth
While some fans had no doubt guessed that 'Gavin' was up to no good, Corrie bosses managed to avoid any leaks of his big secret before transmission - allowing viewers to have an element of surprise while watching the episode.
Digital Spy caught up with Oliver this week to hear his reaction to the twist and learn who 'Gavin' really is…
How do you feel about this big twist involving your character?
"It's fantastic! Coming into a soap and playing a character like this one is great, because you really hit the ground running. It piques the audience's interest from early on and there's a hell of a lot of scope for where it could go.
"I'm also finding out things myself day by day as to what's happening with my character and what's going to happen next! It really is a storyline that's going to run and run."
When you were doing your early scenes with Les Dennis, did you always know you were playing an impostor?
"Yeah, I knew from the start that 'Gavin' was an impostor, but a lot of the details hadn't been decided upon even at that stage. I had the basic facts but that was all. That was exciting as well, though. It meant that I didn't know some of the details and that helped with the playing of those scenes, because at that point the audience knew nothing either!"
© ITV
Oliver as 'Gavin'
Can you tell us a bit about who your character really is?
"His real name is Andy! Andy is a friend of the real Gavin Rodwell and they share a flat together. The real Gavin has disappeared off and we learn in future episodes that he has messed Andy around quite a bit in the past. That's in terms of relationships, girls and things like that.
"Andy has lost his job, he's got bills mounting up and he's in debt. He's in a bit of a low point in his life at the moment, so when Michael's letter came through, he quite cheekily decided to pretend to be Gavin. Andy thought that Gavin owed him one and he could make a few quid out of it - but he soon falls quickly into Weatherfield life."
Does Andy have a firm plan?
"Absolutely not! Andy is free-wheeling and he's making it up as he goes along. He actually wants to get out of the situation pretty quickly. After a few days, he tries to get out but various things happen. He meets a girl, he's got a job and he's also quite indebted to Michael.
"There is the information about Michael's health that Andy really needs to pass on, so he's in a bit of a limbo. But there is no game plan and he's not particularly malicious or manipulative - he just falls into it."
Is it important to you that the viewers don't just see Andy as a bad guy?
"Absolutely. I liked the idea that there was this unsavoury element to him at first, but now it's been revealed who he really is, I would like the audience to side with him because he does have lots of very good qualities. Andy really doesn't mean any harm on anyone."
Compared to Michael and Gail, Audrey and David have seemed slightly less welcoming towards 'Gavin'! Should he be wary of them?
"I think so! At any given point, Andy's cover could be blown. With the immediate relationship he has with Michael and Gail, they don't want to see any negative side to his character at all. They've invested emotionally in him.
"As time goes on, some of the other characters will start to question things about 'Gavin'. Certain things don't add up in his stories, which makes people more cynical and sceptical. He's really got to be careful!"
© ITV
Andy with his new love interest Steph
Do you play any role in the Platt family's dramatic Christmas?
"I'm there all through it, really! I'm working in the Bistro quite a lot, including on Christmas Day. 'Gavin' is there as a support figure for Michael and he's on the sidelines for Gail as well.
"Because he's not fully invested in the family, and especially not David's side of things, Andy doesn't feel that it's something he can get personally involved in. It's another tangle that he should probably stay out of!"
How did you feel about being thrown straight in with such a well-known soap family?
"I was pretty nervous at first, but that just disappeared after ten minutes! After doing half a scene with them, I realised that everyone is fantastic at their job but really down to earth, helpful and really lovely. There's a great camaraderie there so I feel like I've fitted in really nicely."
Has your previous soap experience on Hollyoaks helped with joining Corrie?
"Definitely. I think people have the shock of their lives when they start on a soap with the speed of it and the way things move along. It also involves doing multi-camera techniques, following instructions and still trying to make the script believable and human. My past experience helped as I definitely knew what I was getting myself into!"
Even though he's slightly dodgy, would you like Andy to have a long-term future on the cobbles?
"Oh definitely! I really, really hope he does."
Hit play below to watch the reveal moment again:
Read more Coronation Street spoilers and news
Coronation Street continues on Monday (December 1) at 7.30pm on ITV.
Digital Spy Soap Scoop video - hit play below for gossip on two new Lucy discoveries in EastEnders, a new romance story in Coronation Street, a wedding day disaster in Emmerdale and a boxing match to remember in Hollyoaks.
