Coronation Street star Amy Robbins, who plays Christina Boyd in the long-running ITV soap, confessed the cast were "terrified" when they heard Father Ted legend Pauline McLynn was joining the show as Maggie Driscoll.
The iconic Irish star made her cobbles debut on 27 October 2025 playing the interfering mother of Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker) and the mother-in-law of returning favourite Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley).
Cast reaction to new arrival
Speaking exclusively to Express.co.uk on the red carpet at the recent NTAs, Amy stood beside Pauline and co-star Jodie Prenger as she made the confession.
"When we heard that Pauline McLynn is coming to the cast, we were terrified. Because she is so funny."
A stunned Pauline exclaimed: "Oh, stop it!" quipping, "And let's face it, I'm not funny in real life."
Praise for the soap
Heaping praise on her new colleagues, Pauline added: "It's the most wonderful, positive place where I work. I know you know you expect that everyone's going to say that, but that's genuinely true.
"It's also because whatever way they've cast this, some of the most wretched people in the whole world are working there, and they're my tribe. And here are two of them. Here's two of them tonight," she joked.
Although she is almost a year in the soap, Pauline's character has not yet become part of the on-screen "gang" of female friends, which often sees Jodie and Amy's characters enjoying raucous scenes with other beloved characters.
Amy admitted: "The thing about those scenes is that the laughter that you see, that's real. That is completely real.
"The only thing that isn't real is the alcohol content of the prosecco that we're drinking.
"But we normally have such fun that I feel quite drunk by the end of the day," she laughed as Jodie agreed.
Legacy of strong women
The trio is just the latest part of the Street's legacy of casting strong women - something they are all very proud of.
Pauline joked: "I say to the men, we're only being this brilliant so that you will reach your full potential as a character, or even as a human being, you know."
Meanwhile, Amy reflected: "I watched a documentary the other night called Three Salons at the Seaside, and it was a documentary set in Blackpool back in the 80s, and women characters haven't changed.
"Speak your mind, talk about what's on your mind, talk about death a lot, take the Mickey out of each other. Perfect," she smiled.
While Amy was smiling and happy off-screen, her on-screen alter ego has been struggling in recent weeks after learning that her daughter Rachel, whom she gave away at 18 years old after having her with a former employer, was killed.
Rachel's husband Richie Parkinson (Nathan Sussex), who is Tim Metcalfe's cousin, is currently in prison as the prime suspect.
The murder also left behind Rachel's teenage daughter, Lucy Parkinson (Anya Dewin), who has been living with Tim and Sally Metcalfe on the cobbles. Christina has quietly realised that Lucy is actually her long-lost granddaughter and has struggled with being in such close proximity to the teen.
