Coronation Street star teases more than one murder

One harm case in Coronation Street’s much anticipated Whodunnit week already had fans glued to their screens. But TWO harm cases? Surely, there won’t be double death on the Cobbles? Actress Pauline McLynn, who plays dangerous landlady Maggie Driscoll, begs to differ…

Corrie is already spoiling us. Five of their biggest villains are at the top of their diabolical game, and all five could very easily be the body that Betsy Swain (Sydney Martin) discovers at Swarla’s wedding in the soap’s most ambitious Whodunnit to date.

Among the rogues gallery are aggressive abuser Theo Silverton (James Cartwright), bunny-boiling baddie Jodie Ramsey (Olivia Frances-Brown), and cheating truth-allergic love-rat Carl Webster (Jonathan Howard). Also on the list is predatory child groomer Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon) and the grandmother of the underage boy she groomed, Maggie Driscoll.

A Coronation Street harm case promo shows Megan Walsh, Jodie Ramsey, Carl Webster, Theo Silverton and Maggie Driscoll all dressed in black

It could be anyone…

Out of all the wrong’uns in this rogues’ gallery, Maggie has the shortest list would-be attackers waiting to do her in.

Her son Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker) may be furious at his mum for hiding the fact that is real dad was Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson) all these years. But that may change should he discover that his dear old Ma pushed Alan – the man that he thought was his father – down the stairs.

Maggie nuked her relationship with Ben thanks to her baby-daddy bombshell

Maggie doesn’t have the best relationship with her grandson Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale) right now either since she’s been actively keeping him away from Megan. The poor lad’s still brainwashed by his abuser. But enough to harm his grandma? Doubtful.

Then of course, there’s Megan herself.

It would be easier to list who’s NOT got a reason to want the child abusing athletics coach gone, since both the Driscolls and the Barlows are baying for her downfall. But Maggie’s already had a run-in with the monstrous Miss Walsh before when she tracked her down to her new flat and warned her to stay away from Will. When Megan wouldn’t listen, Maggie shoved a pregnant Megan, who claimed she lost the baby because of the attack… when in fact she got a secret termination.

Since Maggie is a very plausible threat to her life, it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Megan will harm her in self defence.

Maggie Driscoll holding Megan Walsh up against the wall during a confrontation in Coronation Street.

Maggie has been close to seriously hurting Megan before.

Is it possible that Maggie will suffer a grisly fate this week. Actress Pauline McLynn certainly thinks so. During a recent chat with Metro, she revealed that the character was designed to die while sharing her thoughts about Maggie’s spot on the harm case list.

‘It’s nearly the biggest compliment I’ve been paid for a long time! I’m not interested in nice people. I far prefer to be a villain. I will say this, when I joined the show, I was told that the plan for the character was to write her out dramatically. So we shall see!’

The actress went on to tease Maggie’s grim demise, suggesting she ‘seems very gone’.

‘I do seem very gone at the end of the week. Assume nothing. You might be being fed one thing which is true, but it could be more than one. It’s also brilliantly clear that any one of the five could be responsible, whether or not they’ve harmed the person you believe to be gone or not. It’s brilliantly seeded in. There is a justice in Coronation Street, if you do a crime, you have to pay the price.’

Will talks to Megan alone on the street

Pauline’s prediction could very well come true, especially if tonight’s episode is anything to go by.

After escaping from a botched kidnapping by Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley), Leanne (Jane Danson) and Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor), Megan is nursing an injury when she finds herself face to face with Maggie…. on a high ledge, where either woman could easily fall to her death.

Has Maggie met her match? Pauline McLynn gives us the details.

‘I’m not convinced she’s scared of Megan, but she may indeed have met her match. I had some time off recently and I spent time in Dublin. People thought ‘oh Maggie’s going to be fun!’ But now she’s a weapon. And I think Megan is a weapon. They recognise one another.’

‘Unlike sharks, they’ve decided to not swim around each other. Megan crossed the line, she’s tried to hurt one of Maggie’s boys, and this is whatever justice is given to her – possibly by Maggie or other people. In a recurring drama, this is justice.’

But Megan’s escaped justice before, and she’s got her own card to play against Maggie.

In tonight’s episode, she overhears the short-tempered landlady talking with Will’s mum Melanie (Cindy Humphrey), who kept in contact with Maggie’s other son Finlay. Therefore, she knows how Maggie shoved her husband Alan to his death all those years ago… and now, so does Megan.

Maggie talks to Melanie outside the Rovers

Melanie reveals Maggie’s darkest secret… unaware that Megan’s listening. (Picture: ITV)

Tonight, when Maggie arrives for a showdown, Megan plays her trump card and tries to blackmail Maggie into staying away with a recording on her phone as-good-as admitting to causing her husband’s death.

Unfortunately for Megan, she does the blackmailing in the worst possible place – a flight of stairs, just like the one Maggie pushed Alan down. Pauline McLynn reflects on the irony and what it promises.

‘It was a tragic accident when Maggie’s husband fell so tragically down the stairs and died’. She laughs. ‘The line had been put in you know I can, I’ve done it before. At this stage, I don’t mind if people do think it’s a harm case. She’s so far pushed to the edge, why not. We haven’t seen whether I do push her down the stairs!’

Maggie confronts Megan.

Is Maggie going to harm Megan?

‘She’s capable of anything.’ Pauline insists. ‘Which is great. I think there is so much joy in being let loose on a story and such great storytelling. You’re in for such a treat for the week and beyond. It gives you the joy in being able to just go for it. As long as you can ground it in some empathy or reason why people are doing what they’re doing, I believe you are allowed to luxuriate in the decisions you’ve made, or deal with them.

‘One dodgy decision, you have to keep covering that up. In that way, I think Maggie has reached the point where she is capable of anything. She’ll worry later about how to deal with the fallout. That’s a brilliant and liberating place to be.’

Who will die this week?

Maggie

Megan

Both

Someone else…

Is this the end for Maggie? Pauline’s giving nothing away, but it certainly sounds like goodbye as she reflects on her time on the Cobbles and her feelings about being involved in the Whodunnit.