Corrie actor Connor McIntyre reveals what’s going on inside Phelan’s evil mind…

In one of the biggest Coronation Street twists of the past few years, viewers were flabbergasted to learn that Evil Phelan didn't actually bump off Andy Carver after all - but had been keeping him hostage in a basement...

Eagle-eyed Corrie viewers may have noticed Phelan acting a bit strangely recently - well, even more strange than usual.

He's had random cuts and bruises and has been off for long periods of time who knows where, which have not gone unnoticed by Nicola and Eileen.

But it was all revealed in a SHOCKING twist that he's actually been keeping Andy Carver hostage.

UNDERGROUND.

With only a RAT for company.

Bleh.

Of course, Connor McIntyre, who plays Phelan, has known all about his dodgy dealings for the past few months, and has now revealed what exactly has been going on inside his head.

He started off by discussing how he personally felt once he found out: "Well, how fantastic, was my first thought. How great, because it had been left in the air. Is he dead, isn't he dead? It's a question that's been raised on social media quite regularly."

Whilst viewers see Phelan as the resident villain, Connor is of the opinion that he's not actually all bad: "He doesn't want to kill anybody I don't think. There's a certain pathology required, isn't there, to keep somebody locked up in a cellar.

"I do think that if he could turn back the clock he would like to have had a normal life. People ask me a lot, in fact it's the question I get asked the most - does he love Eileen? Some say he does, others say he's just after a roof. It's fifty-fifty.

"But these scenes that are playing out now, you see the real relationship between him and Eileen. It's quite complementary actually, because he's the kind of character that gets things done, the kind of character that Eileen would love, except for the other dimensions.

"He and Eileen fell in love and you might have said it was very practical, but look what it has become. It's a very respectful and loving thing, and he has to lie to her, and I think if he could take it back, he would do it in a heartbeat.

"Ok he's a bit bonkers too but nonetheless, there's this strange, twisted morality. Go to church, then do terrible things. There's a tussle going on and he needs to resolve it. And then there are things that happen that really bring out the darker angels of his nature, because we see him trying to work out a bit of a compromise."

WATCH: Nicola Sees a Glimpse of Phelan's True Self - Coronation Street

When asked whether he thought Phelan was a full-on baddie, he said: "We'll see about that and I'm sure eventually that will be true, but it's very interesting. I've never thought about this before but it's actually the characters on the street that have helped to ameliorate this character.

"In another time he would've been a solid member of that community. I don't believe that is something he has ever had had in his life."

Connor went onto say that Andy and Phelan now have a strange dynamic: "Now, it transpires that this is the only real relationship that Pat Phelan has got. This is the one person in the world that sees Pat Phelan in every shade and colour that he is.

"The unordinary nature of this relationship, in fact, in many ways is a closer, more intimate relationship, apart from physically, than with Eileen, because everywhere else he goes, he's got other faces, he's got masks. Here, we get to see him for him.

"Let's get this straight, the further we go with this character, the more we realise that he is suffering with narcissistic personality disorder. This is a guy whose relationships are all about power. He's not a well man, he's a sick puppy in many ways, so what's the next step?

"He's been caring for him. Somebody needs Pat Phelan everyday, so this is real power isn't it. And someone he can vent all his frustrations of the day to, which you will see, and then very tender moments where there's a real intimacy."

Connor added that he had loved all the sneaking around with the storyline: "It was absolutely brilliant! It's wonderful. All the subterfuge is great because it's entirely in keeping with what we're doing. I've never seen security like that: decoys, ninjas, everything. It has been great fun.

"Phelan is a great character to play but this is on another level. The responses have been amazing to Phelan's random injuries because people go, 'Have I missed an episode? Where did that come from?'

"I loved the speculation about the fact that in real life I had got a black eye so they just had to incorporate it into filming. And then the random shopping bags from Freshcos that never turned up at Eileen's? So just really clever stuff and when that penny drops, it's the payoff.

"I've got to say that the writers and storyliners have done a fantastic job at creating this layered character. Now we get to hear and see for the first time, Pat Phelan, out of the box and what he can be, which prepares the road for what is coming."

But Connor - what IS coming?! Will he bump off Andy? Will Andy bump HIM off?! We literally can't wait to see where this goes...

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