HE'S DANGEROUS! COVER STORY
By Nick Cannon
Sally Webster had better watch her back, as madman Greg Kelly's got plans for her and the girls.....
When Greg Kelly first propped up the Rovers' bar last April, he was a real cool customer--sophisticated, worldly, a budding businessman, and with devilish good looks to boot. But a year in soap opera can bring lot of changes, and the man is now as popular in Weatherfield as a stale chip butty.
After a time away brooding and scheming, we've seen him return to get revenge on the person he despises most, Mike Baldwin. But this week events turn against him when he's betrayed by his blackmailing sidekick, Julia Stone. Like a cornered dog he starts snarling and lashing out big time. Always sly though, he can see one last chance of persuading Mike to give in to his demands. On Friday, he slopes up to ex-girlfriend Sally Webster's back door, only to be greeted by her innocent little daughter, Sophie. "Hi, I'm your Uncle Greg...give us a cuddle," he says, with as much sincerity as a Gwyneth Paltrow Oscar speech. While we're all at home, yelling, "Don't do it!" at the telly, Sophie lets him in. Although unarmed, considering his past violent outbursts he's definitely dangerous, and Sally and the girls soon find themselves at his mercy. He then makes his demands clear to Mike over the phone. Pay up, or else....
So how safe with the Websters be at the hands of a man who makes a habit of flipping his lid? Or will market trader Danny come to their rescue? Will Mike be forced to pay off Greg, or will he do the right thing and inform the police? This option would undoubtedly bring the whole sorry saga of Mike's involvement with Julia to light, and put his marriage to Alma on the rocks. Mr Kelly has stirred a hornet's nest and the story will unfold to a dramatic conclusion on Sunday.
"It all gets under way when his partners-in-crime relationship with Julia breaks down, says Stephen Billington, the 29-year-old actor who plays Greg. "She gets fed up with the whole idea of tormenting Mike and has had enough of Greg's obsession. The only way he can think of getting more money out of Mike is to use Sally and girls as bait. He won't necessarily want to hurt them, but because of the past Sally knows they're in danger." Stephen has his own ideas on what has made Greg so nasty and unhinged. "He feels that his life has been ruined, especially by Baldwin, and also by Sally. He was well on his way to success in business but that all got screwed up when she opened her mouth and Baldin put him out of business. As a result, he lost his relationship, which I guess he didn't care very much about, lost his home, his car and living, and went through some kind of breakdown. So he's now obsessed with Mike Baldwin, and desperately needs money if he's to get his life going again."
Stephen is enjoying his time back in the soap he left five months ago, when he took part in some of the most terrifying scenes The Street has ever seen, including the attack on poor Sally on New Year's Eve. He says he's looking forward to working with Sally Whittaker (who plays Sally) again in equally dramatic circumstances. It may sound strange but we really enjoy acting out those disturbing scenes and both felt it was the best work we'd done together. You get a great buzz from acting in really energetic and demanding scenes--but we can joke about them when the cameras stop rolling." This time around, Rosie and Sophie are caught up in the drama. It is going to be scary for the young actresses who play them, something that Stephen is very much aware of. "Greg is seriously going over the edge and obviously it's got to be realistic. There are some quite aggressive scenes, and the girls have got to look frightened, but we don't want them to actually be scared. It's knowing where to draw the line. We'll probably have to sit down with them to explain it all beforehand and reassure them. I know Sally is very good at this."
Stephen is still as popular as ever with many women viewers, who write in with adoring fan mail all the time, even after Greg turned vicious. "I won't comment on the psychological implications of this, but I do find it quite strange," he says. I meet lots of people who actually like the character and watch the show with bated breath whenever he's on. I think viewers think I provoke a reaction." One of his biggest fans is Debbie Burton from Alaska, who set up the Stephen Billington Homepage on the World Wide Web. "Bizarre, isn't it?" says Stephen. "I never imagined people would have heard of me in such a far-flung place. I'm very flattered."
Despite all this female attention, Stephen still doesn't share his life with anyone special. "I'm not actively looking, but I'm always open to offers. I last had my heart broken about four years ago." He's also approaching 30, which he says he's not worried about. "In fact I'm looking forward to the big party next December. I'm very happy with what I've achieved so far--I can't say I have any regrets."
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