Tracy is to find herself under threat next week when she unwittingly buys some knock-off stock. After challenging the supplier, things turn nasty and Tracy is cornered, only to be rescued at the last minute by Tony (Terence Maynard).

Advertisement

But Tracy is unaware that Tony has masterminded the confrontation with the aim of finally getting his hands on the business. So will Tracy succumb and go into partnership with Tony? Actress Kate Ford has the latest on the drama at Barlow's Buys:

Tracy's willing to have an affair with Tony - so why is she so against going into business with him?
I don’t think she really likes him - she fancies him but I don’t think she actually likes him. She also knows that he’s dodgy and Rob’s legacy was that they should run Barlow's Buys legitametly and she feels it’s going against Rob if she doesn’t run it as a proper business. She wants to do right by Rob. She fancies Tony and she’s enjoying having a fling but she doesn’t fancy him. It’s just sex.

Is Barlow's Buys on the point of going under?
Barlow's Buys is on the brink and that’s the only reason she goes into business with Tony - she can’t afford not to. She literally has no other option. Also, unbeknown to Tracy, Tony’s playing games and doing everything he can to undermine the business. Tony arranges for the shop to be trashed, so all the stock is ruined. He also tries to make her feel vulnerable. When she goes to claim for the damage on her insurance, she realises that her direct debits have failed, so she isn’t insured. So that’s it - it’s over for her, unless she agress to take Tony on board, which of course was all part of his plan.

Tracy buys some dodgy stock - how does she feel when Tony tells her the stuff is 'hot'?
Obviously she doesn’t know that Tony is behind it - he’s set the whole thing up. As far as she’s aware, she has a shop full of stolen goods and she’s mortified. She can’t afford to have the police on her doorstep, so she rings the guy she bought it from and tells him to come back and get his dodgy stuff off her premises. But he turns nasty and pins her up against the wall - that’s the point when Tony conveniently comes in the shop and beats him up. It’s all part of the act to make her feel like she’s safe with Tony around and that she can trust him, but it’s all a set up.

More like this

Tracy (Kate Ford) comes under attack at Barlow's Buys, but it's the devious Tony (Terence Maynard) who's actually behind everything

What does she think when Tony comes in - does she think that he can be her protector?
She can kind of see through Tony - she is a big girl and she can look after herself. It’s more about the money and the fact that she can’t cope witout him financially. She hasn’t got a penny left to her name at this point. She doesn’t think of Tony as her saviour, it’s all about the money.

The next day, Todd discovers there's been a break-in at the shop - what state is Barlow's Buys in?
It’s wrecked, everything is broken, all the decent stock is gone and she’s only left with the rubbish. There’s paint all over the walls - it’s a real mess.

Does Tracy have any suspicions about who is to blame?
No, not at all. She just think it’s people stealing stuff, she doesn’t have any suspicions that Tony’s behind it.

What does Tony say to her to convince her to become a partner?
He doesn’t have to do much to convince her - she’s just so desperate for money. At first, she says she’d rather burn the place down than go into business with him. But when she thinks about it, she realises that she doesn’t have an option. He wants 50/50, but she says she wants 70/30 and they agree and shake on it. She’s not prepared to be equal partners - this is her business and she wants the upper hand. She still wants to be the main contact for Barlows Buys.

Is there nobody else who can help her financially - Ken, for instance?
No, she’s asked her dad, she’s asked Steve, no one can help her, no one’s got any money. Ken does say that he really would help her if he could.

Tony's ruthless - how will Tracy manage to keep control of the business if he wants her out?
Tracy can be pretty ruthless herself so maybe she’ll have to play Tony at his own game. But I think she’s going to have her work cut out though this time.

She does of course have an ace up her sleeve - if Tony doesn't do what she wants, she can always tell Liz he's playing away. Is this what she intends to do?
At the moment, she’s not bothered about revenge, but if someone gets on the wrong side of her then maybe. She doesn’t see the point in doing it right now, but she definitely would have no problem revealing it in the future if she needed to...

Tracy will end up going into partnership with Tony after Barlow's Buys is trashed and stock is taken

Advertisement

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's episodes of Coronation Street below:

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement