Coronation Street actor Joe Duttine, who plays Tim Metcalfe, says he has been shocked by the saucy one-liners he and screen wife Sally Dynevor have been given as part of their latest storyline.
Earlier this year, Coronation Street cabbie Tim underwent heart surgery, and was advised to avoid strenuous activity until he had fully recovered, prompting him and Sally to literally count down the days until they could resume their saucy sex life.
When D-Day arrived, however, Tim, to his horror, was unable to 'perform,' prompting Sally to try and spice things up with some role play. Tim, alas, has continued to struggle with impotence, and number 4 Coronation Street remains a nookie-free zone.
The storyline has given Corrie’s scriptwriters the chance to throw in some cheeky double entendres, which Joe admits have left him in stitches.
“I’ve been belly laughing when I’ve had some of those scripts,’ Joe tells us. “I’ve been texting the writers, saying ‘Thankyou so much’ because there are some corking one-liners that I thought you’d never get away with in soap.
“I like that they’re pushing boundaries a little bit, and we’re not so politically conscious all the time. If people get offended, they can go and have another cup of tea.”
Opening up about the particular lines that have left him gobsmacked, Joe adds, “The sequence where Sally was talking about going to Australia, and Tim said he can’t wait to get down under — I thought ‘Oh my god, are we allowed to say that?’ But we did!
“And then we had Tim saying that he was going to be rocket man, like Elton John and then saying ‘Er no, not Elton John.’ I thought that was funny.
“I thought ‘Are people going to be offended by that?’ But no, they’re not. I think we think people are going to be offended more than they are.
“And we’re talking about a bloke here that works on a street in Salford. He’s not always going to be checking his Ps and Qs.”
Tim and Sally have become renowned for their active sex life, and with Sally keen to get things back on track, she has urged her husband to visit the doctor.
In this Friday’s episode of Coronation Street, Tim finally agrees to see Dr. Gaddas, and turns down his wife’s offer to accompany him.
But he gets cold feet at the last minute, and then lies to Sally that the GP said his condition is normal after major surgery, and he just needs to relax.
“This is a massive thing for Tim to have to talk about, so I understand why he’s so quiet about it,” says Joe.
“A lot of blokes are terrible about going to the doctors — you feel as though you’re wasting their time, or they’re not going to take you seriously.
“It is something that we generally put off a lot, and I think Tim is like that.”
Asked what it will take for Tim to finally seek medical help, he adds, “I think we’ll see him getting a lot closer to Sally and start to face his problem, and being a bit more honest with himself.
“I think that something really lovely will grow from it, hopefully… excuse the pun!”
Coronation Street airs hour-long episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8 pm on ITV — see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITV Hub.
