Soap Star Caroline Patterson Swaps Walford For Weatherfield

Mar 23 2008 By Steve Hendry

WHEN Caroline Paterson was asked to play a policewoman in Coronation Street, the first thing she did was ask TV detective David Hayman for advice.

The former EastEnders and River City actress spoke to her friend - who has played Chief Superintendent Mike Walker in Trial And Retribution for more than 10 years - after being hired to fight crime in Weatherfield.

Her character is investigating Gail Platt's (Helen Worth) tumble down the stairs after being pushed by dastardly son David (Jack P. Shepherd).

But the Scots star admitted she needed some pointers to play DC Weller because she usually plays characters on the wrong side of the law.

She said: "Nobody's ever asked me to play a policewoman before - I'm always the junkie or a criminal.

"As soon as they asked me to be a detective I was like, 'OK, I'll do it.'

"I asked David Hayman about it and said, 'How can you do this 20 questions thing? Do you not get bored always asking the questions?'

"But he says there is a knack to it and told me to try this and that.

"I don't know if I could do it long term but it was a great experience.

"It was just so funny to be on the right side of the law."

Caroline, 42, enjoyed her return to soap - although it reminded her how tough working on serial drama is.

She spent five years in Albert Square as dowdy Ruth Fowler, who married HIV positive Mark, played by Todd Carty.

Their highs and many lows included fostering a daughter but having to return her to her natural mother and Ruth having an affair with Mark's cousin Conor Flaherty (Sean Gleeson).

Caroline also appeared in River City in 2004 as - true to form - drug addict and prostitute Patricia Cullen, mother of Zoe (Laura McMonagle) and Nicki (Jayd Johnson).

She spent fourweeks filming Coronation Street in Manchester and first appeared on screen last week when Gail was found unconscious after being shoved by David, who was furious she had encouraged his girlfriend to have an abortion.

The wayward teenager claims he has no idea what happened to his mum.

This week, Gail returns home in a wheelchair suffering from memory loss - and her scheming son is trying to make sure she does not remember anything.

But suspicious DC Wellard is probing around aiming to discover the truth.

Caroline said: "Did I get any memories of being in a big soap? Oh yes.

"One of the actors said, 'Oh God I've got 16 scenes today.' I remember that.

"Some days on EastEnders were never ending. You never stop talking.

"The sets are all the same really so it brought back memories of the Fowlers.

"But the people on Coronation Street were very chilled, which surprised me.

"When I did EastEnders sometimes it would be really pressured.

"I didn't feel that at all on Corrie. They have a very relaxed way about them. The people were great.

"I don't know if it's that northern thing but they were all very warm and welcoming.

"It was brilliant because I was a wee bit anxious."

But much as she enjoyed her stint on Corrie, Caroline has no plans to return to soap full-time - even though some of her old co-stars are making a comeback. Sid Owen and Patsy Palmer - better known as gullible mechanic Ricky Butcher and his gobby ex-wife Bianca - are on the way back to Walford.

Caroline - who lives in London with partner Claudio Carnovale and children Louis, 10, and Ruby, six - said: "Ricky and Bianca are back and I think that's great.

"They are a great couple and it was a shame they left in the first place. They'll be right back into it in no time at all.

"I would find it really hard to do it again. Maybe it's because I've got two kids now. When I was in it I didn't have any.

"I'd have to get nannies and all that sort of thing and I don't know if I want to do that.

"I prefer to dip in. If you stay somewhere too long you can lose that zip.

"Four or five years in a soap full-time was more than enough." Caroline will soon be seen in an upcoming episode of daytime soap Doctors and has appeared in The Bill, Spooks and the hard-hitting drama Rehab.

But the actress - who founded Scots theatre group Raindog with ex-boyfriend Robert Carlyle - has also carved out a career as a director.

She won a Scottish Bafta in 2000 for her work on BBC Scotland's clubbing drama Tinsel Town and was behind the camera for hit internet drama Jcn16. She now plans to shoot a feature film in Scotland.

She said: "I'm hoping to come up in the summer and myself and Stuart Davids, co-director at Raindog, are hoping to direct our first full budget feature.

"We've got David Hayman on board and we'll find out at the end of March whether all our funding bodies say yes.

"It's really exciting but I'mtoo cynical to believe it's going to happen until I'm in Glasgow shouting action.

"We've always wanted to make a full-length feature.

"It's a state-of-the-nation piece with young, unknown kids in it, which is why it's difficult to find commercial funding.

"It will be fantastic - but I'm so busy at the moment it's hard to see past next week never mind the summer."