Carla Connor
To many in Weatherfield, Carla is public enemy number one. We spoke to Alison King about what's in store for Mrs Connor...
FIRST LOOK:
With her plans to outsource the factory exposed, there are those who believe she deliberately wanted to force the premises to be shutdown.
Others are left wondering if her desire to chase profits led her to ignore the warning signs of a damaged roof, putting off repairs and placing her staff at risk. Viewers know she asked Gary to ignore the need for a full repair and patch up the roof as cheaply as possible.
Does this make Carla the prime suspect?
As she starts to unravel, her guilt lying heavy, she’s certainly a key suspect in the eyes of the law as she’s quickly brought in for questioning.
Will Carla lie to the police about what she knew about the state of the roof or will she crumble under the pressure and confess all?
Alison King Interview
In the weeks before the factory collapse how aware is Carla about the extent of the work that needs doing on the roof?
Gary is saying that the whole roof needs replacing but Carla can’t afford to shut the factory at the minute so she asks him to do a temporary repair job instead. In fairness she does ask him if it is going to fall down imminently and he says no but the work does need doing.
Why hasn’t Carla agreed to getting the work done?
To keep the factory running she needs to get the current order done. In her mind she is going to get the order completed and then if there is any way possible to keep the factory clear after that, but with production continuing somewhere else so she can keep the workers in a job, then she’ll do it.
Is Carla making this decision selfishly?
She is thinking of herself but she is also thinking of everyone else, if the factory goes under everyone is going to be out of a job. She thinks it will all be okay in the end, she is thinking about the bigger picture - keeping the factory afloat, earning some money to get the work done but not having to lay people off.
She does think long and hard but she keeps it from Nick, she thinks he is devious and she knows he doesn’t have any spare cash, so typical Carla she is trying to sort it all herself. She cares about her staff, they are her family and she is trying to do the best thing but the worst thing happens.
Carla has closed the factory for the day, does this look suspicious when it collapses?
Closing the factory does look as though she is perhaps aware of how bad the roof was, but has she gone as far as getting someone to sabotage it? She certainly blames herself when it happens but is that just guilt or does she know more?
We see Carla go after Peter as he leaves to go sailing, does she want to get back together with Peter?
I think deep down that is what she wants and needs. On Kate and Rana’s wedding day Johnny comes to tell her that Peter is leaving and it really hits her that he is leaving today, he has a new boat and maybe Abi might be going with him. She has been internalising it all and suddenly it hits her hard that he is going and he will be going away without her. Everything she has told him to do he is doing, maybe with someone else, maybe not.
As she is sitting with the guys just before the wedding they persuade her to go and find him and at the very least say goodbye, even if she doesn’t know quite how she feels until she gets there.
It is a little bit of an exciting prospect for her, it is like that scene at the end of the movie where the guy runs back to the heroine, in her head she is imagining that moment. But is it too late for that?
How does Carla feel when she then returns to the Street and discovers what has happened at the factory?
It’s just too much, she sees what has happened and goes into meltdown. It is the final thing for her, the straw that finally breaks the camel’s back after everything she has gone through. More people are going to suffer and she believes it is because of her actions, everything has come tumbling down again and the worst thing ever has happened.
She totally believes she is responsible for the accident because she didn’t get the roof fixed.
Does she stay around to face the music?
No, she goes back to Roy’s almost to try and hide and pretend none of it has happened. Then she hears that someone has died and she goes into herself.
Does Carla then become the villain of the piece?
She blames herself, she believes she is the person to blame and so do other people, including the investigators!
Is this the worst thing that has happened to Carla?
It is the breaking point, and she has a complete breakdown, it is cumulative of all the life trauma that has happened to her. She is that strong person who has carried on for too long and not asked for help or dealt with anything properly - her upbringing, finding her father, the rape, losing the baby, the disastrous relationships, the death of Aidan. She is at snapping point.
How is it playing that storyline?
It is difficult and I want to get it right so I am doing some research about how it manifests itself and how paranoia can set it. Everybody is against her but it would be tenfold in her mind because of her mental health.
This is just the start of it for Carla and it will be interesting to see what sort of woman she is when she eventually comes out the other side. She is paying for what happened at the factory whether it was actually her fault or not.
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