Frank is a man who, possibly, could be so bad that he would be great for Charity! And when they realise this they immediately get in trouble!
Crooked Frank Clayton has tried hard to stay on the straight and narrow, but he’s failed. Charity needs money for Sarah’s cancer treatment and railroads Frank into helping her pull off a scam at Home Farm.
“Frank is a master con man and swindler,” Michael Praed explained to Soaplife. “There is a part of him that feels tremendously excited and invigorated by returning to his old ways.”
Why does Frank go back to his crooked ways? “Charity [Emma Atkins] blackmails him into it, but it is also for the greater good – she needs money for her granddaughter Sarah’s treatment. That makes Frank feel as if he is a soldier going into war.”
What can you tell us about this scam with Charity? “They know that Home Farm is empty and arrange to meet a jeweller there. They pretend to be a rich couple who want to buy diamonds, then Charity steals some gems. That’s when things start to go downhill.”
How does Frank feel about a partnership with Charity? “He is a bit wary of her as he doesn’t know what to expect. He has pulled scams like this all his life and knows you don’t want an unknown quantity on such a job.”
So will he do another scam with her? “I think he would be wary of her as she is duplicitous and would do anything to achieve her own goals, even if that meant landing him in it.”
But they do kiss… “It’s one of those things. A bolt out of the blue. At the time, it feels right.”
So will there be romance with Charity? Or Megan? “The women appeal to different parts of his psyche. Megan [Gaynor Faye] is probably more right for Frank as she is not liable to get him put in prison any time soon, but Charity appeals to his devilish side.”
What’s in store for Frank? “A lot I hope. The bigger the better!”
Emmerdale, ITV
