2021 isn’t a year that Coronation Street's Fiz Stape and Tyrone Dobbs are likely to forget. Back in April, Tyrone left his partner shell-shocked by walking out on her and their daughters Hope and Ruby for twenty-something beautician, Alina Pop.
Ty and Alina’s relationship has since bitten the dust, and the mechanic has realised that his heart lies at number nine. But Fiz has moved on and has a new man in her life, Phill.
As Christmas approaches, can Tyrone make her see that they belong together? Or, is a festive reunion one wish that Santa just can’t fulfill?
Corrie stars Alan Halsall and Jennie McAlpine reveal all...
How would you sum up 2021 for Fiz and Tyrone, and where are their heads at this Christmas?
Jennie: Their split was a total shock to her, because she thought everything was fine. She has cracked on, but I don’t think Fiz would necessarily think she has done a good job, given Hope’s behaviour, and she has had a lot of help from Evelyn.
At Christmas, she is in a pretty good place. This wasn’t her plan, but she’s trying to make the best of things. She’s got lovely Phill - and his not so lovely mother - and she’s trying to co-parent with Tyrone. It’s not what she wanted, but she has learnt “I’m okay, I can do this.”
Alan: Tyrone thought he was making all the right decisions, and it turned out he was making all the wrong ones. He thought the grass was greener and it wasn’t, and it was mistake after mistake. So it’s been a real lesson for Tyrone this year.
At Christmas, his situation is the opposite to Fiz’s. She is finding a bit of stability, and it’s Tyrone’s world that’s rocked, because he realises what he wants, and what he had. All he wants is to be part of Fiz and the girls’ lives again on a full time basis. He sees them a lot and he’s round at the house, and it’s so close but so far.
Is Tyrone still in love with Fiz?
Alan: I think so, yes. I’m not trying to give him a free pass here, but people can get complacent with their life partner, and something comes along and they think “That’s what I’m missing in my life.” And then actually, when that core stuff is taken away, they realise that’s the biggest thing in their life. Tyrone isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer. He thought life could be better and more fun, and then realised that those aren’t the things he wants.
And is Fiz still in love with Tyrone?
Jennie: Yes, I think she is. This time last year, she was totally happy and had what she wanted. It hit her like a 10 tonne truck when Tyrone said he didn’t want that, so she is trying to build a new life. But if there was a magic wand and she could go back to last Christmas, she’d do it. She does want him back, but not as the man he is now. She wants the Tyrone that she had before all the stuff with Alina happened.
There’s Phill in the mix now. What are Fiz’s feelings for him?
Jennie: He’s dependable, he seems grown up, and he’s not got any ties. He treats her nicely and he’s kind. Maybe there’s a little bit of her going into the relationship with her head rather than her heart, and that’s why the kinks show when it comes to his mother.
Fiz and Tyrone end up spending Christmas Day together - how come?
Jennie: Well the plan is for Fiz, Phill and the girls to go away to a log cabin, but the girls say to Fiz, “We’d rather be here, with all of you.” So she turns up on Christmas morning when Tyrone and Evelyn think they’re going to be on their own and says “Surprise!”
Alan: Tyrone does initially read a bit more into that, because he sees Fiz and the girls and thinks “This is the Christmas I wanted,” and then, of course, Phill turns up and that’s a little sticking point - well, a six feet, four inch sticking point!
We hear Tyrone ends up kissing Fiz...
Alan: Yes, he feels that there is a ‘moment,’ so why not take the chance? But it’s Corrie, so it might not go to plan! If he could ask for one thing for Christmas, it would be to turn back time and go back to Christmas 2020 and carry on knowing what he knows now and being the family guy that he wants to be.
It’s six years since Tyrone proposed to Fiz at the cobbles’ ‘Lapland.’ Did you ever imagine then that they would end up going their separate ways?
Jennie: Gosh, I definitely never imagined then that they would split up. That was Fiz’s dream come true; I think it was the same for both of them. She had a rubbish time growing up with a rubbish mother and trying to look after Chesney. The family unit they had - even when the nana came in - was just perfect for Fiz.
Alan: That’s the beauty of soap operas isn’t it? You don’t see it coming, but it always slaps you in the face. I just can’t believe it’s six years ago. You never know, we might get there next Christmas!
If Fiz and Tyrone don’t reunite this Christmas, what do you think the odds are of it happening next year?
Jennie: Hmm, anything can happen, but I don’t know that I’d put my house on it. Maybe I’d put a fiver on, each way!
Alan: That is what Tyrone would want, but it all falls in the lap of the writers. There are so many similarities with Fiz and Tyrone in terms of their childhoods and them wanting a family, and there’s so much history. When Kirsty died, it was Fiz who was there for Tyrone, and when Phill’s mum Mimi is mean to her, Tyrone is there for Fiz. The great thing with Coronation Street is we can revert back to that history. Whether we can make more history, going forward, who knows?
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV - see our TV Guide for full listings. You can also catch up on episodes on ITV Hub now.
