star Carl Webster is a newcomer to the cobbles as Kevin's estranged brother, but he's about to make major waves. Although he's come to Weatherfield to offer support to Kevin as he battles testicular cancer, he could be about to rip his life apart thanks to his "animalistic attraction" to his partner Abi (Sally Carman).
Carl actor Jonathan Howard has shared the shocking betrayal and simmering resentment that Carl is harbouring for Kevin behind the scenes, which will start spilling over in upcoming episodes. Is he able to fight his feelings for Abi, or could the pair embark on a full-blown affair behind cancer-stricken Kev's back? "Carl is very impulsive - he thinks with his trousers," Jonathan confessed, before letting slip that he'll lean in for a kiss with Abi when he calls in at Number 13 and finds her home alone.
"It's just this animalistic reaction to being attracted to someone, and I think the tug of war for Carl has been having these feelings of lust for Abby, but then constantly balancing it with 'I'm visiting my brother and he's got cancer,'" he explained.
As there's a 20-year age gap between the brothers, with Carl being a tiny baby when Kevin, played by Michael Le Vell, was starting his adult life on the cobbles, there's not as much closeness and loyalty between them as viewers might expect - and Kevin had never visited Carl when he was living in Germany.
Opening up on his character's inner turmoil, he shared: "I do feel a little resentment about being left behind in some ways. [Kevin's] not been as present in Carl's life growing up as [his sister] Debbie [played by Sue Devaney] was, for example.
"There's a feeling of not really owing him too much. Yes, he's my brother on paper, and I love him as a brother, but he's not been a brother that has been a part of my daily life."
"I think that's slight justification for why he doesn't put Kevin at the forefront of every decision."
Carl has just found out about sister Debbie's suspected dementia when he calls round and is faced with his ultimate crush, Abi; while feeling "vulnerable" and "mixed up", he leans in to kiss her - but she swiftly "pulls away".
Jonathan confirmed that his character isn't a "narcissist" or "sociopath" who's devoid of feelings, but that his feelings for his brother's lover are soon to intensify to dangerous heights.
He teased that Carl left Germany after getting into "trouble" over there - and that he might not stick around in Weatherfield either, if his desires for Abi are uncovered and Pandora's Box is opened.
"If he's gonna wreck this marriage," Jonathan warned, "then, it's because he's really fallen for her."
- and tune into tonight at 8pm on ITV.
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