CORONATION Street star Marc Baylis fears fans’ wrath after dramatic scenes
last night saw his character Rob Donovan leave gutsy barmaid Tina McIntyre
for dead.
Tina had become one of Weatherfield’s best loved characters after more than
six years on the cobbles.
But ex-con Rob furiously hurled the heartbroken brunette from the builders’
yard balcony after she threatened to expose his dodgy dealings AND
ruin his pregnant sister Carla’s marriage.
![Description: FROM ITV STRICT EMBARGO - No Use Before 0001hrs Tuesday 27 June 2014 Coronation Street Tuesday 27 June 2014 STRICT EMBARGO 00.01 TUESDAY MAY 27TH ITV RELEASES FIRST PICS OF TINA MCINTYRE AFTER FALL FROM BUILDERS YARD Coronation Street barmaid Tina McIntyre lies motionless on the cobbles after plunging from the balcony of the builderâs yard flat following a dramatic showdown. Millions of viewers will see the bolshy brunette given some home truths by one of four possible suspects before she crashes to the street below. The identity of the mystery assailant has had the whole nation guessing and the killer will finally be unmasked in the episode to be screened tonight (Tues May 27th) at 9pm. But the story doesnât end there - viewers will be shocked by a dramatic twist on Wednesday night. And in the coming weeks the police will start the hunt for the killer - but will they get the right person? Four potential endings have been screened for the past week on ITV.com putting Peter Barlow, Carla Barlow, Rob Donovan and Tracy Barlow all in the frame. And with the killer revealed tonight fans can watch how the episodes were filmed with a behind the scenes special on www.itv.com/coronationstreet at 9.30pm - including scenes where Michelle Keegan cried real tears she was so terrified filming the fall stunt. Photographer - Joseph Scanlon Picture contact: david.crook@itv.com on 0161 952 6214 This photograph is (C) ITV Plc and can only be reproduced for editorial purposes directly in connection with the programme or event mentioned above, or ITV plc. Once made available by ITV plc Picture Desk, this photograph can be reproduced once only up until the transmission [TX] date and no reproduction fee will be charged. Any subsequent usage may incur a fee. This photograph must not be manipulated [excluding basic cropping] in a manner which alters the visual appearance of the person photographed deemed detrimental or inappropriate by ITV plc Picture Desk. This photograph must not be syndicated to any other company, publication or website, or permanently archived, without the express written permission of ITV Plc Picture Desk. Full Terms and conditions are available on the website www.itvpictures.com](http://mcb777.site/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1986976.main_image.jpg?strip=all)
Marc told TV Biz: “I think I will swim into work across the canal so no one
can see me!
“I will just have to take all the flack — and all the eggs — on the chin. Or I
will have to find new techniques to hide away.”
TV Biz revealed last year that Tina, played by Michelle Keegan, was to be
killed off in an explosive storyline but the murderer’s identity had been
kept firmly under wraps.
Marc admits feeling “massively relieved” now the secret is out.
For months he had been bundled to filming locations in various DISGUISES
so fans wouldn’t rumble his key role in the plot.
He said: “We had been talking about the storyline since October. It has been a
lot of hard work keeping my lips tightly sealed.”
But this week, as Tina fights for her life in intensive care, viewers won’t
see Rob arrested for the attack.
Instead Tina’s lover, Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) — who wed Rob’s sister
Carla in December — is questioned at the cop shop. And the police get more
than a little help finding their prime suspect.
Marc told TV Biz: “Rob is not a stupid man so he knows where to point the
finger, where to play the innocent and where to play different cards that
will protect him and cast shadows on to other characters.”
However, Rob didn’t plan Tina’s death and the strain of staging a break-in at
her flat and appearing normal soon takes its toll on him. At all costs, he
is determined to look after his pregnant sister Carla.
Marc said: “This is the beginning of a massive new chapter for Rob so there
are a lot of changes.
“The psychological effects of him not planning for this to happen are massive
on him.
“It was an accident. When he went into the flat his motive wasn’t to kill
Tina.”
And while Marc obviously doesn’t agree with Rob’s actions, he understands what
motivates the bad boy.
He explained: “At the end of the day, Rob is trying to protect his family,
trying to protect his sister Carla from finding out about this affair.
“There was a lot of things this could have been for Rob but the last thing he
expected was to have a murder on his hands. From a character point of view,
that makes my job a little easier because the event happens as an accident.
I can respond to that.
“There are a lot of twists afterwards. It pulls him closer to his roots. Rob
becomes slightly more family-orientated. It is not just, ‘He is a killer
now’.
“We see how he deals with it psychologically. There is a lot of good stuff and
a lot of good twists.”
Marc reckons Rob will do everything he can to prevent getting caught as,
before the murder, he was the happiest he’s ever been with his new business
and his wedding to Tracy Barlow coming up.
He said: “From a personal point of view, this is probably the happiest Rob has
ever been, especially in adulthood.”
Rob first appeared on the cobbles in July 2012 after serving time in jail for
taking part in an armed robbery to help his mum sort out her debts. Marc
said: “The first time Rob was in prison it was through an incident he was
doing to support his mother. He is doing this to protect his sister. It is
history repeating itself.”
However much Marc likes playing Rob, all Corrie killers get caught eventually
— and Marc admits he’s dreading being written out of the soap.
He said: “There is always going to be a bit or trepidation… from an acting
point of view this is the longest job I have ever had in 15 years so it is a
privilege to have had this opportunity and these experiences no matter how
much longer it lasts — depending on how the storyline plays out.”
It might be the beginning of the end for Weatherfield’s local cash converter
but Marc has no regrets.
He said: “Ultimately it is a privilege to be given a storyline like this. We
have about 60 regular characters right now. To be the one picked to be a
massive part of this storyline is a privilege.”
And as Rob was at his happiest just before topping Tina, Marc the actor is at
his happiest now. And a lot of that is down to working with Kate Ford, who
plays his fiancée Tracy.
Fans have compared the duo to infamous outlaws Bonnie and Clyde and Marc is
thrilled. He said: “That’s something we discussed within the workplace so if
that is coming across, then great.”
And he hopes the popular pairing continues.
He said: “Rob realises Tracy doesn’t mean some of her barbed-tongue comments.
“So that is why he will be like, ‘Shut up Tracy’.
“Rob is with her because he has seen the other side of her that the audience
hasn’t necessarily seen.
“In their quiet times she has a loving side with him and it is a genuine
relationship and that’s why it works.
“We love working together.”