DURING HIS MOST RECENT
STINT ON
What Stephen had to say about returning to Coronation Street:
"It's great to be back on the Street. Believe it or not, Greg is a great favourite with the audiences." (Sunday Mirror Online, 2 May 1999)
"Greg's not wicked, he's just a damaged person", he says, "He has led a life with very little love - none from his mother, none from his stepfather, and nothing from his really father Les Battersby. Greg needs to make his mark. When he thought he'd proved himself as a successful businessman, he felt that Mike and Sally snatched it all from him." For good looking Stephen, Greg Kelly's explosive return has brought mixed reaction from Street fans. "Generally people seem to like Greg. That could be because I try not to play him as an out-and-out baddie. However, evil he seems, he's still a human being. But a couple of old women have bashed me with brollies," he laughs. [What's On TV, 8 - 14 May 1999)
"Coronation Street approached me towards the end of January but I wasnt' particularly impressed with what was originally offered," he explains. "Then they came back with a better storyline and I suggested ideas as well. I was impressed with how they dealt with it, so I said yes. I really enjoy playing Greg. One of the reasons I took the job in the first place is that he was a dark character. I'd cut my teeth on playing nice romantic people and was getting type-cast. So playing a villian was fantastic. It's great to play a character who behaves in a way you can't in your real life. It's quite a release." (Woman's Own, May 1999)
"Greg is determined to hurt Mike," explains Stephen Billington, the 31 year old actor who plays him. "In Greg's eyes, Mike is the main architect of his downfall and he's going to make him pay. Greg is highly unstable. Two weeks ago, he lashed out and set his ex-lover Sally's van on fire because he was upset at the market stall's success. Greg is feeling dangerously jealous and this week resorts to spying on Sally when he sees her chatting with stall-holder Danny." [What's On TV, 8 - 14 May 1999)
"As far as he's concerned, Sally and Mike ruined his life" says Stephen Billington, who plays the charmer turned blackmailer. "They made him destitute. I think he's had had some kind of breakdown. He flipped out, he's on his uppers and resents them all for it. The blackmail's also tied in to the fact that he needs money. There's another possible business deal that he can get involved in but he needs money to invest in it. So he's trying to get it from Mike." (Woman's Own, May 1999)
"Greg wasn't always bad. He was always incredibly ambitious and could be ruthless, but he wasn't this bad", says Stephen. "The partnership with Sally was his first real chance. He wasn't accepted by his step family so he needed to prove himself to himself and his one chance was ruined. It's changed him severely. He wants to punish Mike and Sally as much as he can and he thinks he's going to get away with it. But Sally and Mike arent' the only people he'll hurt to get what he wants. He's got something on Julia too" reveals Stephen. "He knows something about her which he's blackmailing her with but I think she's pretty fond of him. He's using her with not much regard for her feelings". (Woman's Own, May 1999)