Mark Smalley is set to make his sixth appearance on Coronation Street, taking on a brand-new role that will feature in the ongoing prison conflict between Gary Windass (Mikey North) and prison officer Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield).
Smalley first appeared in Weatherfield in 2017 as Jimmy, an associate of serial killer Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre). He later returned as John the scaffolder in 2022, among other parts, bringing his total to five distinct characters before this latest casting.
Instagram Teasers and Cast Reactions
In August, Smalley shared a montage of clips from his time on the street on Instagram, writing: 'Just had the best day filming what will be my fooking 6th character over the years in the legendary Coronation Street.' He added: 'As always all the cast and crew were absolutely fantastic to work with. It really is always a pleasure. Watch this space for a very exciting storyline to unfold. Just wish my part was bigger because I'm missing it already. That's what she said.'
Yesterday, he posted a freeze-frame of his character alongside Ross in the prison, captioning it: 'Don't miss Coronation Street. There's a nasty bugger turns up in the clink…' William Teasdale, who plays Marco Rhodes, Gary's cellmate and one of Ross's favourite targets, commented 'Proper legend', to which Smalley replied: 'Cheers my mate, was great working with you on this. You're doing an incredible job.'
Violence Escalates in Prison Feud
The prison-based feud between Gary and Ross is set to escalate, with Mikey North teasing how violent things will become. He said: 'The amount of hours I've spent in makeup getting injuries put on! Gary's surely done the most fight scenes in the history of Coronation Street and he's probably about to add to it in some serious numbers.'
On Gary's time in prison, North said: 'It's obviously not Gary's first rodeo in prison – he's a seasoned professional at this rate! There's going to be lots coming up with Gary having to protect himself inside, so there's so much going on there.'
Ross has established himself as a loathsome character, with his toxic, misogynistic and homophobic views subtly influencing his son Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall), whom Ross is trying to re-mould into a 'real man'. With Gary, he takes a more direct approach, letting him know he is in charge and how dangerous crossing him could be.
'Gary finds it really strange and doesn't quite know what's going on,' North said. 'Ross' behaviour and some of the things he says are quite odd – Gary doesn't want to rebel against him too much too quickly because he thinks Ross might look after him in there, but Gary is definitely sceptical and taken aback.'
On the danger of crossing Ross, North added: 'The great thing about Gary is that he'll always do what he thinks is right without necessarily thinking about the consequences first, which is exactly why he's in this situation. So maybe he needs to start thinking six months ahead before jumping in.'
Yesterday, Ross continued his torment of Marco, resulting in him staying in his cell and missing his scheduled visit with Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby). Later, he took pleasure in floating the idea to Gary that he would see his wife, Maria Connor (Samia Longchambon), and Idris Nazir (Junade Khan) looking cosy in the Rovers.
