Alison King reveals devastating decision that leaves Carla ‘gutted’ in Coronation Street

There are a few things that will always be true of Coronation Street’s Queen Carla Connor-Swain – she will always have a trauma looming around the corner, she will always exude powerhouse-esque sass, and every few years, she will have to battle tooth and well manicured nail to save Underworld.  

While in real life, the days of manual sewing machine equipped back street undergarment factories are waning, Carla’s knicker empire is a Street staple, and losing it would be akin to closing up Roy’s Rolls or missing out on our annual glimpse inside the Kabin. 

For whatever reason, there’s always a chain of moustache-twirling dodgy businessman looking to nab the business and this time, it’s the turn of dodgy Idris Nazir (Junade Khan).  

Sir, with all due respect (which is none), you have taken on the wrong fandom.  

But, as popular actress Ali King explains, he has managed to find Carla in a particular vulnerable situation.  

‘She’s trying her absolute best to keep a lid on how stressed she is so she doesn’t panic everyone. But with inflation, everything is tight. The orders haven’t been coming in, and they haven’t been winning the contracts they wanted. She’s keeping it under her hat, but they are really struggling. 

She’s been trying to be strong and deal with it on her own, but she’s had a lot coming at her. I think she’s taken her eye off the game a bit and hasn’t been as invested. We also haven’t had the full team together, Sarah’s been awaiting her trial. There’s been a lot of turmoil for everyone.’ 

Like a suit wearing shark, Idris is able to smell blood from a mile off, and is soon expressing his interest in Underworld, but Ali is insistent that handing over power to any kind of partner would be Carla’s last option.  

Ali continues: ‘Idris instantly rubbed her up the wrong way. Just the fact that he chimed in as if he knew anything about her, the way he speaks to her, and how he carries himself, everything about him annoys her right from the off. It was very abrupt, and there was almost literal hatred there from the start. 

‘Running it with someone else wouldn’t be her first choice, but if it’s her only option to keep everyone above water, she’d do it. What’s driving her to save it is the panic of having no plan B, not wanting to play second fiddle to Lisa, and feeling a massive responsibility toward her staff and being a role model for Betsy. But she does not want Idris involved at any cost.’ 

Idris will resort to any underhand means possible though – first scuppering a hopeful client meeting, and then triggering an incident that damages the factory, something which insurance won’t pay out on. 

‘Carla doesn’t know she’s underestimated Idris yet because she doesn’t realise he was behind it. Carla fights fire with fire and isn’t frightened of someone like him, but she underestimates just how nasty and manipulative he can be.  

‘Her instincts about bad people are usually spot on, but at the moment, he doesn’t scare her because she doesn’t know what lengths he will go to.’ 

Viewers are, as always, relieved that Carla has wife Lisa by her side. But proud Carla, despite Lisa having the best intentions, is being irked. 

‘Lisa is very literal, so she says things coming from a place of love, but it really rubs Carla the wrong way. Carla is learning to deal with that and understand what Lisa actually means, but she hated the thought of that.  

‘The factory is a huge part of Carla’s identity, it’s everything to her. It’s that or nothing. She lives very much in the present, and that fight-or-flight mode keeps her going.’ 

But there comes a crushing moment of reality when Carla has to admit to her team that there won’t be a Christmas bonus this year.  

‘She loves her workforce, they mean everything to her. They’re like her children, especially after giving her the most beautiful wedding. So having to let them down, especially financially right before Christmas, is absolutely devastating for her. She’s completely gutted.’ 

With sneaky Idris looming like a snake on an oil slick, Carla might have to accept her loss, and Ali admits she loves playing this more vulnerable side to the character. 

She reasons: ‘Bringing vulnerable Carla out of the box reminds everyone of who she really is. Every time she goes through a crisis like this, she comes back a bit more understanding and empathetic toward others, even if she still loses her temper along the way!’ 

Worst case scenario, thought, what does Ali think Carla would do post-factory? 

‘Her default seems to be helping Roy in the cafe, I would love that, she could live the dream running a cafe. But she likes the day to day cut and thrust of running the factory so it might not keep her satisfied for too long. She isn’t ready to slow down.’