Coronation Street star Tina O'Brien breaks silence on Sarah and Damon reunion
Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street's Sarah Barlow will have a busy start to 2024 as she deals with two surprise returns.
As January arrives, Sarah discovers that her daughter Bethany Platt and her ex-lover Damon Hay are both back in Weatherfield.
Bethany is returning home to be back with the Platts after nearly four years away in London, but there'll be tension from the start as Sarah soon shocks her family by reuniting with bad boy Damon.
Tina O'Brien, who plays Sarah, recently caught up with Digital Spy and other press to chat about the new storylines.
Bethany and Damon are both returning at New Year. Is Sarah prepared for the trouble they're both going to bring?
"I think if Sarah knows Bethany well enough, she knows that there's probably going to be drama following very closely behind her. She's over the moon that Bethany is back. She's not expecting to see her, and it's a complete surprise.
"In the first episodes, Bethany doesn't tell Sarah certain things about Daniel, so I think Sarah feels quite put out. She doesn't really know what's going on properly.
"For me personally, working with Lucy Fallon again has just been such a joy."
Sarah isn't expecting Damon back either, is she?
"No, Damon's return comes completely out of the blue. If Sarah is honest, there's some unfinished business there. She has feelings for him, which she doesn't quite understand.
"There's going to be a big mix of emotions, especially because Adam seems to be thawing towards her. Sarah had always thought: 'Well, Adam is divorcing me and that door is closed'. But over New Year, Adam seems to be showing that he might still have feelings for Sarah, so she's in a very confused place."
Are you enjoying having so much drama to work on?
"To be honest, I feel I've won the lottery when it comes to my job, I really do. I absolutely love working with the people that I love.
"With Ciarán [Griffiths, who plays Damon] being back as well, I've just not stopped laughing. He's probably more mischievous in real life than his character, which is saying something — in a really nice way! He just brings a lot of good energy to set and makes it really good fun to work on.
"Sam [Robertson, who plays Adam] is always a dream to work with. He takes it really seriously and knows what he's doing. Because we've worked together for so long, we've got a really good understanding and a good shorthand. And then there's Lucy. I love her, and it's amazing to have her back."
Why are Sarah and Adam growing closer again at New Year?
"They've still got a really good relationship because of Harry, and Adam is incredibly hands-on. On New Year's Eve, Adam drops Harry off, and Sarah's all dressed up, ready to go out. Sarah doesn't want him to know that she's actually meeting Carla — so she doesn't tell the truth, but she doesn't lie about it either.
"Then, Adam does the same. Each of them are insinuating that they've got a date and they end up in the Bistro. Both of them get stood up by people: Carla for Sarah and Daniel for Adam. So Adam says: 'Why don't we just have a drink together?'"
Does Sarah hope they can save their marriage?
"I think so. Sarah still loves Adam. She assumed it was over because of the way that she'd behaved. She knows there's no coming back from all of the things that she did. She crossed several lines. She knows how much she hurt him and betrayed his trust. So, I think she assumed that was just done.
"When Adam shows some interest towards her again, it's a surprise because she hadn't assumed they could go there again. I definitely don't think that door is closed, but when you throw Damon in the mix, I don't know what Sarah is going to do!"
What is Sarah's initial reaction to seeing Damon again?
"Sarah is angry and she's hurt. Even though she knows that Damon left because of Adam, she feels a bit abandoned by him after everything that she went through. She feels very much like she was on her own with it, even though she brought it on herself. The person that she would have liked to confide in wasn't there for her. Sarah felt quite hurt by that."
Damon starts trying to draw in Sarah again. Why does she struggle to resist him?
"Damon has got this way of getting under her skin. He is very clever at using cheeky banter and humour to disarm Sarah. She knows that she shouldn't, but she is absolutely addicted to it."
Can you see them working as a couple?
"Sarah has history with bad boys. Callum was the biggest mistake of her life! You'd think that she'd see Damon and warning bells would go off. I mean, I want to have a word with her!
"I think if Damon does turn over a new leaf, and he does turn 100% straight, then maybe Sarah should think about it. But knowing Damon, and knowing the temptation to slip into his old ways and deal with people that maybe he shouldn't deal with, is he someone that Sarah should ever get mixed up with? Probably not!
"Long-term, it's a very bad idea. But with the chemistry that she feels towards him, I'm not sure whether she's thinking straight."
Do you think Sarah should be with Adam or Damon?
"I don't think I can answer that question without annoying one of them! I would probably say neither [is] right for her. Bring in a new man!
"If all the stuff hadn't happened with Adam, then I would have said him, but I don't know if they would ever get past the hurt and betrayal. Damon, ultimately, in the long term, could be very bad news and dangerous for her."
What will Bethany make of Sarah's relationship choices?
"I'm not sure Bethany will like Damon. She'll be quite outspoken about the fact that Damon is probably bad news. However, when she gets to know him. I wonder if Bethany might end up being charmed by Damon. Back in the day, Bethany had a thing for Callum when Sarah was going out with him, so you never know.
"We've already filmed a little bit where Sarah's family are quite understandably concerned and outspoken about her relationship with Damon. She's just in a bit of a haze, I think."
Are you glad there'll be a full Platt family again?
"If I find out I've got a couple of Platt scenes, they're my favourite scenes in the world to play. There's a dynamic between the group of us that it's just so beautiful to be a part of. You've got such different characters. There's David's sarcasm and his little put-downs. Sarah's always trying to be the best child, and the rest of the family are rolling [their] eyes at her.
"We also get on really well when we're not filming, which is nice. The scenes when we were doing the Stephen storyline were great. Obviously, it was so serious and so awful, but seeing the Platts together with little funny moments was just the best."
Do you find it hard to keep a straight face when you're doing serious scenes with them?
"It's very, very difficult to keep a straight face! I'd say Jack Shepherd is probably your number one offender. If I've got scenes with Jack after 4pm, I cannot keep [a] straight face. So if we've got lines, I can't even look him in the eye, but he gets it because he just makes me laugh too much.
"But Helen Worth is the cheeky one — she'll get you laughing! She's a bit of a dark horse. She looks really sensible and behaving herself, but she's the one that will make everybody corpse!"
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
You Might Also Like
