He's made his debut on-screen back in October 2021 but a lot is still unknown about Stu Carpenter in Coronation Street. That, however, starts to change this week when viewers of the ITV soap will see him come face-to-face with his daughter.
They'll see the former homeless character furious with Yasmeen for interfering when he discovers that she has found daughter Bridget’'s address. But when Kelly urges him to try and make contact with Bridget, Stu decides to give it a try. But he's left crushed when he arrives and knocks on the door but she panics and orders him to leave.
Stu begs her to hear him out and assures her that he never hurt anyone. Stu apologises to Yasmeen for snapping and says it was the wrong address - but what is he hiding? Later in the week Glen, an old friend of Stu's, calls into Speed Daal and he's delighted to see him.
READ MORE: Helen Flanagan reunites with ITV Coronation Street co-stars after teasing acting comeback
Glen admits he’s hungry but short of money. Yasmeen pretends not to notice as Stu takes a £20 note from his pocket and places it in the till. Yasmeen compliments Stu on his kindness. When Stu suggests that they sell all the restaurant leftovers at a knockdown price to people in need, Yasmeen thinks it’s a wonderful idea. Stu calls a meeting with Dev, Billy, Chesney, Nina and Yasmeen to discuss their leftover food plans.
Speaking about Stu's past being explored, Bill Fellows, who plays him, told the Manchester Evening News that he thought it was 'great' when he was told about the introduction of the new characters and said it was 'curious' to see who they would bring in to play his on-screen relatives and what they'd look like.
"The actresses who play the parts are great," Bill said. "They're nice people and are really good." As for exploring his character's past, Bill said: "I love that. It was always a possibility but you have to be in it [the soap], be part of a story and eventually... So Iain [MacLeod, Corrie producer] called me and told me what my past was and I went, 'woah!'
"That was my reaction. It was very unexpected. Well, I knew something was coming because we talked about it but it was unexpected to the level, like a life-changing level, of his person and his past was much bigger than I had envisaged."
On how much he did know beforehand, Bill admitted: "Not massive amounts. I knew he was homeless but I didn't know why and in the early scripts when I was doing the screen test, for example, I knew something about it that I really liked."
Describing Stu in his own words, Bill, who has starred in the likes of Ted Lasso and London's Burning, said: "I think he's a really complicated human being but a lot of people are like that as well. It's not unusual in that way but I think my fundamental feeling about him is that ultimately, he has been a bit of a jack the lad in the past, almost like a normal blokey bloke.
"But deep down, when it comes to it, he will do the right thing. He will try to do the right thing but it's not easy sometimes." He referenced how when viewers were first introduced to Stu, when he inadvertently saved the vital piece of evidence which showed that Corey Brent was guilty of the murder of Seb Franklin months earlier in May 2021, he was initially reluctant to go to the police when accosted by Nina Lucas and Asha Alahan.
"In the end, he thought this is the right thing to do. So he tries to do the right thing but he also gets himself in a mess sometimes.." He added: "He's not perfect, none of us are. And that's what I like about him," Bill added.
As for whether he was a fan of Corrie before he got the role of Stu, Bill honestly admitted: "I wouldn't say I was a fan because I wasn't watching it that much but all my sisters, all my family, when I was with them they always watch it so I knew what was going on because of them."
He added: "It's connected with me all my life. I was brought up in a street exactly like Coronation Street. When I first walked on set I was amazed at how brilliant it was. The back alley, everything. It was fantastic." And he also has another similarity to Stu which is that his dad was in the Navy, just like his character.
READ NEXT:
- Former ITV Corrie star Lucy Fallon shows off new look with glowing loved-up appearance alongside boyfriend
- ITV Coronation Street star Tanisha Gorey looks gorgeous as she stuns fans with summer snap
- ITV Coronation Street fans make shock Gary Windass prediction amid Kelly's cellar escape error
- ITV Coronation Street's Jude Riordan looks adorable on last day after being left 'chuffed' over career news
- ITV Coronation Street's Hope Stape star poses with lookalike Emmerdale actress sister as they celebrate career announcement
