Cub reporter Daniel Osbourne could be getting more than he bargained for when he investigates crazed kidnapper Pat Phelan, Rob Mallard has revealed.
Rookie reporter Daniel Osbourne has no idea what he’s getting himself into when he starts questioning Pat Phelan about the Calcutta Road property scam. Coronation Street’s Rob Mallard has revealed all to Soaplife...
What’s the story?
Hungry for a meaty story, new Weatherfield Gazette journalist Daniel Osbourne can’t help but take the bait when Yasmeen Nazir unwittingingly gives him a lead about Pat Phelan’s role in the flats’ scam. “Daniel goes to question Phelan, who dismisses Daniel when it’s just the two of them but then when other people around he can’t help enough – these two sides to Phelan immediately makes Daniel think there’s something else going on here,” Rob Mallard has told Soaplife. Daniel should be very, very careful...
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Rob Mallard reveals all to Soaplife
Soaplife: Phelan mentions Anna when Daniel questions him – what does Daniel make of this?
Rob Mallard: “Immediately the plot thickens. Obviously, Daniel has expected many Street residents to be connected to the scam but not to what extent. Until this point, he’s regarded Phelan as an opportunist who’s tried to take money off people.”
S: Why doesn’t Daniel take Anna’s advice when she tells him to steer clear of Phelan?
RM: “Because it seems such a dramatic statement to Daniel. At first Daniel thinks it’s more about personal gripes and that she's throwing mud at Phelan. Daniel doesn't realise how much danger he actually is in with Phelan.”
S: How much danger is he in?
RM: “You know when there is a fly that just won’t stop? It’s like that relationship at the minute, Phelan is the waterhog and Daniel is the little bluebottle that keeps flying around his head. Inevitably he is something that needs to be swotted.”
S: At what point does Phelan realise that Daniel is a real threat to him?
RM: “Anna puts Daniel onto Todd who gives him certain information. Daniel ends up visiting a nursing home in pursuit of his story and this lights a fire beneath Phelan. Until that point Phelan just thinks Daniel is a student and doesn’t take him seriously but when Daniel goes to the nursing home, Phelan panics – and that’s never good news.”
S: What has Daniel and Phelan’s relationship been like prior to this?
RM: “The interaction they’ve had in the past is finding Ken at the bottom of the stairs. Daniel was guilty in that scenario and Phelan’s response was to be suspicious of Daniel. They’ve underestimated each other and it will be interesting to see if they realise just how clever the other one is.”
S: Sounds like you think Daniel and Phelan are similar in some ways.
RM: “They’re both social manipulators who are incredibly calculating. Both have learned how to avoid subjects, for example Daniel avoiding talking about his home life and the whereabouts of his mum. Daniel is very good at recognising if a conversation is about to expose him and is able to push it in a different direction. Phelan is brilliant at that as well.”
Coronation Street, ITV
