Less than two years after waving the Corrie cobbles behind, Chris Gascoyne takes on a fresh opportunity in a new Channel 5 drama, appearing alongside a star-studded cast.
Jill Halfpenny throws an entire street into chaos in The Feud , when her character’s simple home renovation spirals into a neighbourhood war – and Chris Gascoyne has finally turned a leaf from his decades on Coronation Street.
The actor, 57, is taking on a cryptic role in the Channel 5 thriller, where he comes head to head with Rupert Penry-Jones, who found him intimidating beyond measure on set.
“Chris is a very good actor, because he’s not like that at all in real life,” Rupert says, “He’s one of the loveliest people and a joy to work with. We had a lot of fun and in the evenings we used to play pool in the pub. Those scenes were funny because I’m quite a bit taller than him but he still managed to intimidate the hell out of me.
Ray Fearon, who has known Chris since his pre-fame days, was delighted to be reunited with the former soap star. “I knew Chris before Corrie and he’s great,” Ray says. “What’s funny is I’ve never seen him as a scary guy but in one scene we have an altercation and I thought, ‘He’s threatening me!’ He’s dangerous in this series.”
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Jill Halfpenny fronts the new program, as she gets embroiled in a full-blown neighbourhood row. But the actress knows how to keep things civil. “I do have a WhatsApp group, and ours mainly consists of bin talk,” she says. “We live in a Victorian flat, and the bins are always blowing over. There’s constant debate about who puts the rubbish back in.”
In the six-part series, former Coronation Street and EastEnders star Jill, 49, plays Emma, who looks to have a perfect life on Shelbury Drive with her husband John and their daughter Beth. But all is not as it seems.
“Emma and John are trying to fix a fault in their relationship,” Rupert, 54, says. “They had planned to move, but Emma decides to stay and renovate instead.” However, John has his own reasons for wanting to leave. “He’s in deeper trouble than he lets on and is desperate to escape,” Rupert teases.
Despite their issues, Emma and John get along well with their neighbours – Sonia (Amy Nuttall) and Alan (Ray Fearon), and Derek (James Fleet) and Barbara (Tessa Peake-Jones). Until they announce their kitchen extension.
Objections start flying and tensions rise as Emma’s dream turns into an obsession. “She’s like a steamroller,” Jill says of her character. “There are so many reasons not to have an extension; she doesn’t have the money or a good builder and the neighbours hate it.”
Before long, local WhatsApp groups turn hostile and things take a sinister turn. “The series opens with the house covered in blood,” Rupert reveals. “You don’t know how things got to that point.”
Reuniting for The Feud was effortless for Jill and Rupert, who had previously starred in The Drowning . The series also meant reconnecting with old friends. “I worked with Amy on Liar – it was lovely seeing her again,” Jill says.
Meanwhile, Rupert enjoyed working with Ray and James. “Ray and I were in the RSC together 20 years ago and James and I did Charlotte Gray ,” he says. “After 30 years in this business, you’ve usually worked with everyone.”
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