After his last appearance in March, Coronation Street star Will Mellor, who started the ITV serial opera three years ago as Harvey Gaskell, has hinted that he does not want to return to the character.
Will Mellor, a former cast member who made a brief comeback to Coronation Street earlier this year, has disclosed why he is not interested in taking on the role again.
The 48-year-old actor portrayed an imprisoned Harvey Gaskell in many episodes of the ITV serial series from January to March. It was his first appearance on Corrie since his absence the previous year, having previously made appearances in 2021 and 2022.
In a recent interview with the Mirror, Will discussed his thoughts on the potential of going back for another spell as drug lord Harvey. He discussed the popular TV program while highlighting his partnership with Smart Energy GB.
Speaking candidly about the role, Will said that the week-long special “Horror-Nation Street,” which aired in October 2021, was his first assignment on Corrie. His character Harvey, who had made his screen debut earlier in the year, killed Rachel Leskovac’s Natasha Blakeman in a case of mistaken identification because of a Halloween costume.
Harvey was eventually returned to prison after breaking out of jail before the murder. Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan), Natasha’s son, paid him a visit in 2022. This year, he went back, still incarcerated, for a narrative involving his brother Damon Hay (Ciarán Griffiths).
Will started out by telling us only last week, in response to the question of whether he would be willing to play the part again, “I don’t like to overdo things and when I first played Harvey it was going in for [the special].” And I believed that to be the conclusion.
“[Then] they said, ‘We want him to come back for a time,’ so I read the plot and saw that Sam wanted to know why he had killed his mother and why he had acted in that way. That piqued my attention much. It was like this strong person on the outside, and this little kid unpacks him and forces him to examine himself.”
Will continued, saying, “This kid really got under his skin.” Those scenes definitely piqued my curiosity, but I believe I’ve covered all the ground I need to, and sometimes you can take too much and keep going back. Additionally, it kind of undermines the plot and the character, and I don’t want to do that. It’s best to let things alone sometimes.”
In addition to discussing the possibility of joining rival serial opera Emmerdale, the actor told us he had “really enjoyed” portraying Harvey. Greater Manchester native Will added a playful aside, saying, “I was thinking [before I got the job that I was] probably the only Northerner never to do Corrie.”
In the interview, Will responded to a question about whether joining the show—which held great significance for his mother—was intimidating or not by saying, “I knew what I wanted to do with [Harvey].” It was more like checking off a box that I had never been able to, but I truly wanted to.” He continued: “Being a Northern actor and not doing [Corrie] – so it was really nice.”
Will’s conversation with us was made possible by Smart Energy GB, a company that educates individuals and small companies on the advantages of smart meters. It has teamed up with Energy Advice Helpline to launch a campaign to increase awareness in the UK amid worries over energy costs.
“I think everybody knows the energy prices [have] gone up and how people are struggling here and there,” he stated. Will continued by saying he has found it “very easy” to use a smart meter—a gadget that detects the amount of gas and electricity used and displays the cost to households.
“I can see where my budget is, I can see what we’re spending, and we can make accommodations to keep it within that,” he stated. It can be helpful, in my opinion, for those who are having financial difficulties paying their payments. so you can monitor it and won’t be taken aback by unexpected costs at the end of the month.”
Will continued: “I’ve got big bills [and] I used to bury my head in the sand and then see the bill at the end of the month and then I’d go mad.” He claimed that by being able to monitor the data, he is able to avoid “stressing” out every month and his family, which includes his two kids, can adjust as needed to deal with spikes in consumption.
The actor commented: “You can save energy here and there, and now the kids now actively turn things off and unplug things […] It can help you save, even if it’s a little bit, it all helps.” He said: “It’s something you can see. And when you can see it, you can make changes to make it better.”
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