Claire Sweeney joins the cast of Coronation Street! Scouse actress admits she is ‘extremely excited’ to land the role of Tyrone Dobbs’ mother Cassie in the ITV soap
- Claire starts filming next week and her first appearance will air on June 28
Claire Sweeney joins the cast of Coronation Street.
Brookside icon and West End star Claire will play Cassie, the mother of Weatherfield mechanic Tyrone Dobbs.
The Scouse actress, 52, has admitted she is ‘extremely excited and very grateful’ to land the role in the ITV soap.
Claire starts filming next week and her first appearance will air on June 28.
On taking part in Coronation Street, Claire said: ‘While I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed an amazingly varied career for almost 40 years, casting in Coronation Street is better for me than casting in a Hollywood movie!
“I’ve watched it all my life and can’t believe I’m about to step on those famous cobblestones myself.
“I was really nervous when I got the scripts to audition as this show means so much to me and my family and this is Corrie gold. I was beyond excited and very grateful when I got the call that Iain MacLeod trusts me to play Tyrone’s. Mom and team up with one of my heroes, Dame Maureen Lipman.
“Cassie is a character sure to impress – I just hope audiences enjoy watching her as much as I enjoy playing her!”
Tyrone, (Alan Halsall) has been told by his grandmother Evelyn Plummer (Dame Maureen Lipman) that her daughter and his biological mother Cassie are dead.
So when Cassie turns up out of nowhere on the cobblestones in June, Evelyn faces a real dilemma: she must decide whether to tell Tyrone straight about her lies.
Tyrone grew up believing his mother was Jackie Dobbs, played by Margi Clarke, but in 2018 research into his ancestry brought him into contact with Evelyn for the first time and uncovered evidence that Evelyn’s daughter Cassandra was his birth mother.
Evelyn did not trust Cassandra to take good care of him due to her drug use and had left Tyrone at a police station in 1982, where he was found by Jackie who raised him as her own.
Now Tyrone faces more heartbreak as secrets and lies from his past threaten to destroy his relationship with his grandmother and he must find a new relationship with his mother.
Coronation Street Producer Iain MacLeod said: ‘Claire wowed us in her audition and the scenes with her, Tyrone and Evelyn will be thrilling. Her arrival marks the beginning of a tumultuous time for Tyrone and the family and her impact will be felt across the street in the weeks and months that follow.”
Liverpool-born Claire was first known for her portrayal of Lindsey Corkill in the scuse soap Brookside, for which she won Best Dramatic Scene at the British Soap Awards.
The actress went on to build a hugely successful stage career, including playing Roxy Hart in Chicago’s West End, starring in the world tour of the musical revue Fosse and taking on the role of Miss Adelaide in the West End production of Guys and Dolls. before touring the UK in the same production alongside Patrick Swayze.
She was Paulette in Legally Blonde’s first UK tour; The Musical and Velma Von-Tussle in Hairspray’s UK tour and most recently led the cast of Dolly Parton’s musical 9to5 as Violet.
Her TV credits also include Benidorm, Scarborough, Candy Candy Cabs and Clocking Off.
In addition to her acting career, Claire is also an accomplished presenter who hosted a 60 minute makeover as well as BBC One’s Here Comes the Sun and co-hosted ITV’s Chef v Britain with Gino D’Campo as well as co-hosted Loose for several years Women. .