Carl only appeared in Weatherfield for the first time in April, having only ever been mentioned by name in the ITV soap

Carl Webster in Coronation Street
Cooronation Street star Jonathan Howard has revealed that Carl Webster is up against ‘dangerous people’ as he hides a secret from his loved ones.

Back in April, Carl appeared in Weatherfield for the first time, having only ever been mentioned by name in the ITV soap, after a minor collision in Frescho’s car park with Abi Wester, who he didn’t know is his sister-in-law.

He quickly took a shine to the mechanic, despite her anger, and even hitting him in the face. Carl asked Abi out for a drink, but she refused as she reminded him she was married and her husband was undergoing cancer treatment.

There was clearly a spark between the pair, but they went their separate ways. Later, Abi was shocked to see Carl arrive at the Bistro, with Kevin and Debbie excited to see their little brother.

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Carl and Abi have since struggled to stay away from one another, with the latter trying to keep her distance as Kevin underwent treatment for cancer.

But as fans of the ITV soap know, Kevin is now lying about his health, telling his worried wife that while the cancer hasn’t spread, it’s not responding to treatment and he needs more.

Spoilers, however, for upcoming episodes have seemingly hinted that Carla has discovered what Kevin is hiding. It stars when Debbie clocks Carla with a split lip and bruises. Realising he’s in some kind of trouble, she asks how much he needs.

Meanwhile, Abi reveals she plans to accompany her husband Kevin to his chemo, Tyrone Dobbs tries to stall her. As Kevin sneaks out he’s intrigued to spot Carl and Fiona deep in conversation in the ginnel.

Carl tells Fiona about a flash motor he’s working on and how if she steals it within the next hour, they can split the profit. When Kevin sees Fiona speeding away in the car, he attempts to run after her but becomes unwell.

A passing Glenda Shuttleworth insists on taking him to hospital, where Kevin tells Carl it was a false emergency and he’s fine. But as Kevin reveals that he saw him in cahoots with the woman who stole the car, Carl retorts they’ve both got some explaining to do as he spoke to the doctor and knows he’s been lying about his cancer.

Abi and Carla have struggled to stay away from each other(Image: ITV)
Asked how Carl is dealing with hiding his own secret, with it seemingly linked to owing a large debt, Jonathan shared: “I think it’s a big, big stress factor for him. They are dangerous people that he owes money to

“He’s come to Weatherfield, supposedly to see how his brother’s getting on with his cancer diagnosis, but I think it’s also good timing that he’s able to make a quick escape from Germany and try and get away from these bad guys that he owes money to.

“I don’t think he ever thought that they would follow him to England to try and get this money from them and I think the fact that they start to show up is a big point of concern for him.”

While he’s willing to go as far as sort of dodgy MOTs, Jonathan was quizzed on how far he thinks Carl would be willing to go, despite how it might impact his family, to try and get these people off his back.

“I don’t think Carl has got an evil streak,” he said. “I don’t think he ever is going to want to kill, or to physically hurt people. But, absolutely, I think he’s going to take advantage of any situation that he gets put in. He knows his sister has got money.

“And he could do with some of that money. He’s going to try and pay his debts off in any way he can. As long as he doesn’t hurt people. He’s prepared to sort of be slightly on the wrong side of the law.”

With four months under his belt in the role of Carl, Jonathan was also questioned over whether he likes his own character, despite his misdemeanours.

“I do like Carl. I think he’s playful and cheeky. I don’t think he’s evil,” he said. “He’s selfish and he’s a bit of a wheeler-dealer. He’s going to take advantage of a situation to make some money, to get the girl to fancy him, or do what he needs to do to help his situation.

“I’m hoping that people will find him quite lovable. Cheeky, fun, but just with a little bit of an edge. And I do like the slightly skewed moral compass. I would have a beer with him, I’d probably keep my wallet away from him!”

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