Dangerous Greg Kelly has been busy blackmailing his old boss Mike Baldwin in Coronation Street. But now he has another target in his sights--former lover Sally Webster....
Like many a thwarted villain, Greg Kelly has returned to the scene of his crime with vengeance on his mind. He's made Mike Baldwin sweat over compromising photos in a crude blackmail attempt. Now he's about to turn on the other person he blames for his downfall--his ex-lover and business partner Sally Webster.
She was saved by Nick Tilsley when Greg almost throttled her, then fled, on New Year's Day, "I felt disappointed Greg left the way he did," says actor Stephen Billington. "I wasn't entirely surprised when I received a call asking me to return. I was only too delighted to be given the chance to finish what Greg had started..."
When the young wheeler-dealer arrived on the Street last spring he managed to charm both dizzy hair-dresser Maxine and young mum Sally before showing his true violent, manipulative self. Lately he's expertly persuaded Julia Stone to get lingerie boss Mike into bed. "He feels Mike has completely ruined him and is bent on revenge. He can't see he was due to get his comeupance because of the way he treated people and he truly believes Mike was responsible for his whole world falling apart," says Stephen.
"Greg was out of control when he beat up Sally, but he has got a grip on himself again--he has that frighteningly cold, clinical control. You only have to look at the way he persuaded Julia to prostitute herself on his behalf to know he is back to his best--or should that be worst?"
So far, Stephen believes, his character has shown only a small part of his power. "He's the sort of person to bear grudges and, without doubt, he holds Sally equally responsible for what happened to him. He can lose control under pressure and I think he could have killed Sally if he hadn't been stopped. He's certainly capable of it. This man can be a real monster. He thinks Sally hurt him and he will want to get even for that."
Some viewers felt Greg's attack on Sally on New Year's Day was far too graphic for peak-time TV--but Stephen disagrees.
"Granada was fully justified in showing the scenes. They weren't nice, but the public know this kind of thing does, unfortunately, go on in homes all over the country. Coronation Street didn't show anything explicit. It wasn't gruesome for the sake of it. In fact, it was handled very responsibly and we even reshot some scenes because they were thought to be too violent."
For Stephen, who's 32, it was a chance to ditch the smooth, lover-boy image that he'd been landed with since he was cast as the stud in Jilly Cooper's The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous on ITV.
"I think it's great that I'm being built up as this evil man--show me an actor who doesn't like playing the villain! You're not allowed to act like a git in real life because there are too many social constraints on you. So it's nice to play someone who behaves like he does and doesn't care who gets hurt. There has even been the odd time I've been given some grief for Greg's actions."
"Recently, when I made a personal appearance at a nightclub, the DJ spent the whole evening hyping up the crowd in a very negative way. By the time I appeared on stage, they were almost calling for my head and I got a lot of verbal abuse."
"If that wasn't enough, it turned out he'd also organised some sort of competition where the winner got to throw custard pies at me!"
Stephen, who's single and lives alone, admits he hasn't enjoyed the personal probing that goes with being a top soap celebrity.
"I've found it very hard to deal with, it's been horrible. There have been times when I've felt like I was between being hounded and almost blackmailed into revealing things about myself and that has been the most unpleasant aspect."
"I haven't taken well to fame and have found the whole thing uncomfortable. I'm a very private person and haven't been able to get used to not being able to be myself when I go out. It's come as a real shock to my system."
The public reaction to Greg has come as a bit of a shock, too. "The response to him has been supportive--which to me is a bit scary and a bit odd. Given what we've seen of him so far, it seems he will stop at nothing to get what he wants."
"Just how far he will go is anyone's guess. But one thing is certain--Greg Kelly is not the sort of person to lie down and play dead."
| THE STEPHEN FILE |
| Birthdate 10 December 1966 |
| Image Street charmer turned raving nutter |
| Big break Spotted by a model agent while waiting tables |
| Biggest accolade Being tipped as the new Hugh Grant |
| Biggest exposure The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous--In which his character was chased naked up a tree by two baying Dobermans |
| Favourite Coronation Street scene "The most memorable was when Greg first hit Sally. I felt as though I was starting to understand what type of man Greg is." |
| Most embarrassing moment "When the cast performed a Seventies medley for Children In Need. I sang dressed as John Travolta and was shaking like a leaf!" |
| Main vice "I smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day and I'm desperately trying to give up." |
| Worst job "A television commercial for German chocolate. I had to eat chocolate all day long and felt totally sick." |
| Biggest gripe "I hate to see what we're doing to our planet. I'm a member of Greenpeace and try to help in my own way." |
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