Coronation Street has signed up actor Andrew Lewis, known for his ten-year role as Dr Paul Rose on BBC's Holby City, to join the ITV soap in a new storyline. According to The Sun, Lewis will appear in Weatherfield as Gavin Fairholme, a character interested in purchasing half of the restaurant Speed Daal.
Plot details and character introduction
Spoilers for upcoming episodes reveal that Alya Nazir (Sair Khan), who co-owns the restaurant with Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson), will show Gavin around with the intention of selling her share. However, newcomer Idris Nazir, who initially posed as Alya's long-lost cousin before revealing he is her uncle, watches closely and begins to threaten Gavin, wanting to buy the restaurant himself.
Idris has been causing trouble since his arrival, and Leanne, who has recently started a relationship with him, remains unaware of his darker side. Coronation Street typically films six to eight weeks in advance, and Lewis sparked speculation about his casting with a cryptic Instagram post from Media City, where the show is produced. He wrote: "Wow! Thanks Manchester that was such fun – a fabulous and welcoming city and a few days filming. We look forward to coming back SOON"
Background on the actors
Andrew Lewis has also appeared in EastEnders, adding to his soap credentials. Meanwhile, the actor playing Idris, Junade Khan, made his Corrie debut in 2008 as Saj, a short-term boyfriend of Rosie Webster. Before his return, he appeared in Game of Thrones, Hollyoaks, and Waking the Dead, but also worked as a bus driver for eight years, nearly giving up acting.
Junade told The Mirror: "I’d been a bus driver for eight years, doing little pieces of acting and it got to the point that I’d done so many self-tapes that I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I’ve got faith, I go to church and I pray and I always believe. But, if I’m honest, even my faith was getting a bit weak. I started to think that maybe this was it. I sent my agent an email last year saying I’d quit, but he told me that he believed in me and to just keep going. If it wasn’t for him, I would definitely have given up."
He also auditioned for the part of Imran Habeeb, which went to Charlie de Melo, and recalled his disappointment: "I was really gutted that I didn’t get it. I was working in a call centre at the time; I absolutely hated it. I’d wake up in the morning literally feeling physically sick and I was desperate for a way out. My wife was pregnant and I thought the Coronation Street job was going to sort us out. I even bought a Coronation Street magnet and put it on my fridge. It was only after I did my screen test for Idris that I remembered the magnet and it all came flooding back. It was like a full-circle moment, as if it was meant to be."
The Mirror has contacted ITV for comment. Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 and ITV X.
