Coronation Street Teases Michael Bailey’s Mystery Love Interest

“Coronation Street” is set to debut a new character, Michael Bailey, who will be portrayed by Ryan Russell. As he joins the sudser this summer, Michael is expected to have a mysterious love interest.

The Bailey family, Michael as well as his brother James (Nathan Graham) and parents Aggie (Lorna Laidlaw) and Edison (Trevor Michael Georges) are set to arrive in Weatherfield later this year. Another Bailey member, Michael’s sister Diana, will be introduced later this year, but before that, the family will be part of several storylines.

The Baileys will be moving into No. 3 after purchasing it from Norris Cole (Malcolm Hebden). The arrival of the Baileys will mark the first time that “Coronation Street” is having a black family in nearly 60 years. The family will also include an LGBTQ+ character who will be a part of a footballer homophobia storyline.

In a recent interview, Ryan revealed that “I think Michael has an eye for the ladies, but it’s a case where he’s not as confident as he initially makes out.”

“You see him mess up in his charm. He stumbles over himself, but I think he’s comfortable at laughing at himself. Michael knows he’s not the smoothest guy in the world but he can still charm someone over when given the opportunity.”

“There’s some love interests in there. When he’s locked onto someone, he pursues it and tries to get her,” he teases.

“Coronation Street” showrunner Lian MacLeod also teased that “Michael does set his sights on somebody early on. What I love about Michael is he comes over and tries to execute the smooth line, but fumbles it in a way that makes it all the more successful!”

“He fumbles the ball but somehow it’s so much better than if he’d given the smooth version. He’s just got a natural charm. People may think it’s the worst chat-up routine they’ve ever seen, but somehow they love him for that – it’s more endearing.”

He describes the new character as a cross between the likes of Steve McDonald, Del Boy and Hugh Grant’s character in “Four Weddings and a Funeral.”

On a similar note, the No. 3 house will get a makeover once the Baileys arrive in the Cobbles. MacLeod admitted that the changes made him feel “weirdly emotional.” No. 3 is an iconic set and they carefully thought about everything involving the revamp, per Digital Spy.

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