Sally plays dirty as her trial begins in Coronation Street
Sally Dynevor says her alter ego goes to drastic lengths to clear her name
The trial of the century gets underway in Coronation Street next week when Sally Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor) is in the dock charged with fraud, framed by corrupt businessman Duncan Radfield (Nicholas Gleaves).
Weatherfield's former mayor has been behind bars for weeks since accidentally incriminating herself in the pre-hearing, and on Wednesday 21 November she faces the first day of courtroom action. Husband Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) and sister Gina Seddon (Connie Hyde) are nowhere to be seen, with Sal unaware her other half came to her volatile sibling's aid when a date ended in disaster the previous day, which led to Tim's arrest.
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Eventually they turn up, but Duncan's blinding turn in the dock leads Gina to secretly confront the poisonous professional later in the week to try and catch him out - only to be dazzled by his deceitful claims he really was having a fling with Sal and that she's the one in the wrong… With Gina's feelings for Tim clouding her judgment, and Duncan convincing everyone he's innocent, has Sally lost any hope of freedom? Corrie stalwart Sally Dynevor teases next week's courtroom drama for her character:
How has Sally been coping in prison leading up her trial?
She hates it in there! To have lost the respect of being the mayor has been a nightmare, but what's keeping her going is knowing she is innocent and believing she will get out. Sally believes in the British justice system, she’s a law-abiding and honest citizen and feels once people hear her side of the story, it will all be fine! While she's in there she has been fighting for prisoners' rights - she wants to try and make it a better place by introducing yoga and meditation. It's a lovely idea but quite naive!
Abi is jailed and becomes Sally's cellmate, what impact does that have?
On the street Abi and Sally were never close, but it is great to have a friendly face in there. Abi has been in prison before, she knows how it all works so she helps her out. Sally would usually look down her nose at Abi, but in prison those barriers are gone and some of her prejudices have been lost. It turns out Abi is in fact a really lovely person who has just had a bad time!
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How would Sally react if she knew Gina was falling for Tim while she was banged up?
She would be shocked Gina could take advantage of such a desperate situation. Fiz’s realisation about Gina’s feelings causes her to tell Geoff, who warns Tim to watch himself - this spurs Gina to panic and then try to throw Tim off the scent by starting online dating, which is how she comes into contact with Duncan next week. Which could go one way or the other!
Should Sally be worried about Gina meeting up with Duncan?
Possibly. She may think that Gina could get to the bottom of everything, but you just don’t know what you are going to get with her! Gina claims she is trying to get Sally free, but Duncan is very clever and is starting to make everyone believe his lies. Also, considering Gina's feelings for Tim, making him believe the worst about Sally works in her favour, which would be devastating for Sally if she knew what was happening!
How does Sally react on the first day of the trail when there is no sign of Gina and Tim?
At first she is really worried, and when they finally walk in it’s a relief - but Tim looks dishevelled and this upsets her. For Sally it’s important that Tim looks pristine because the gallery is judging her and her family.
What's going through Sally's head when Duncan takes the stand?
It’s a terrible moment because everything he says is a lie. Duncan makes a passionate speech about how he hadn’t had an affair with another woman before Sally, and brings up her kiss with Kevin the night before she married Tim. It’s absolutely devastating.
Does Sally believe she could be found guilty at this point?
The situation looks bad, but Sally is more worried that Tim might be thinking she actually had an affair. When Sally speaks in the dock she says how much she loves her husband, and realises her marriage as well as her freedom is now at stake.
What is the twist in court that gives Sally hope?
Duncan mentions a specific date where something incriminating was meant to have happened and Sally initially couldn't remember where she was, but it was actually her birthday and she suddenly recalls visiting Jack in hospital. It was a terrible time for the family after Jack's sepsis and there was so much going on - no wonder she couldn’t remember at first.
As it could take a while to get hospital CCTV, Sophie suggests Sally tries to delay the trial - what does she do?
Sophie tells Sally over the phone they only need a few days to get the footage they need, and Sally goes back to her cell and tells Abi that she needs to delay the trial - and Abi comes up with a plan…
How far is Sally prepared to go to clear her name?
When Sophie points out Sally has done everything by the book and been honest, yet it’s not getting her anywhere, taking matters into her own hands might be the only thing to stop her being locked up for the rest of her life. That's the moment it dawns on her how important it is to delay the trial.
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