Coronation Street star Will Mellor on Harvey's murder plan as he escapes from prison

Coronation Street villain Harvey Gaskell is making a dramatic return to the cobbles for Super Soap Week.

Monday night's double bill (October 18) sees Harvey deliberately injure himself in jail as he wants an opportunity to flee and exact revenge against the Battersby sisters. Harvey then makes an audacious escape from a prison van, allowing him to head back to the Street for payback.

Harvey will come face-to-face with Leanne (Jane Danson) again, but with a deadly storm and sinkhole in the mix, it's anyone's guess what may happen.

Will Mellor, who plays Harvey, recently chatted to Digital Spy and other media about what's to come.

When you left the show, did you know it wasn't the end of Harvey?

"Honestly, at the time I didn't know. When I read the character, I really enjoyed it but then thought: 'I've been caught a bit quick here!'

"Harvey was arrested a bit too soon and more devilment needed to come out of the character. I was a bit gutted actually! There was more I could've done, but because of COVID, I was limited on what we could shoot.

"When I got the call about Super Soap Week and Corrie wanting to bring Harvey back for it, I said '100%' as it sounded exactly what I wanted to do with it and something to get my teeth into.

"These big weeks go above and beyond what Corrie is usually about. They push the boat a little bit more and I'm always up for that. I'm buzzing and glad I came back. You'll see Harvey has a lot more to offer."

Did the prospect of stunts excite you?

"It did, but be careful what you wish for! I love all that and want it to be real, to look scary and go for it. You can't cheapen it. They're spending a lot of money, the budget's up, there's special effects, and it's all in torrential rainfall!

"At the beginning they said Harvey is a bit like Robert De Niro in Cape Fear, with rain and menacing looks. I loved the idea but when you film in torrential rain on night shoots for 12 hours, wow it was tough!

"Everyone was saying 'it's going to look great' while me and Jane Danson were shaking constantly in the freezing cold, soaking wet! But it looks great and that's what's important."

ITV

What can you tell us about Harvey's escape from prison?

"Harvey is under a lot of pressure in prison, as lots of people are after him. His appeal has been messed up and he's been told that it's because of Toyah, so knows it's a Battersby involved again. It feels like the family are doing it on purpose to him, even though they're not.

"Harvey needs to get out as there are people after him. He's head of a big drugs gang and there are other rival gangs in prison he might have offended or robbed from before. He wants to get out and has a guy on the inside.

"Going to hospital is a chance of getting out, as you could possibly break out of the prison van or something like that.

"There's unfinished business with Leanne and Sharon. One of the last things Sharon did was wave at him and now she's taken over his empire. Harvey has a lot of Ts to cross and Is to dot and he wants to finish his business. Then hopefully leave the country, that's the plan."

How does Harvey make the plan work?

"He's prepared to do anything. Whatever it takes at that time. If anyone's going down, it ain't him and he'll be the last man standing at all costs. For him to get out of jail, he has to find a way of getting to hospital, something you can't fake. He does something that is desperate, but is willing to do whatever it takes to get in that van and find a way to get out."

Has Harvey come to kill Leanne and Toyah?

"He's come to finish them off, there's no doubt in my mind. Sharon, Leanne and Toyah especially are on his list and anybody else who was involved.

"He's got a period of time to do his business then get on a plane. That's his plan, but things don't always go to plan which makes him more frustrated. The way he gets out of the van isn't planned, so everything goes wrong from the start. That winds him up even more.

"Harvey goes from nought to 100, cocky to fuming and angry. 'I hate it when birds get away from me – and you're not going anywhere' is one of his lines. If he's coming for you, he doesn't like people getting away. He sees it as a personal challenge if they try.

"There's the threat of what else he could do. He could kill you but what could he do before that? I tried to put that sense of threat to Leanne in our scenes."

harvey gaskell and leanne battersby in coronation street

ITV

Is Harvey's life in jeopardy too?

"From the moment in the van, his life is in jeopardy. When he gets to the street, who's prepared for a sink hole? The storm causes problems. He's a tough nut but hard to keep down. When you think he's down, think again."

What was it like to film with closer contact?

"It made all the difference. It's more of a threat when you can get up close. I do lots of shouting, but try not to do too much as it weakens the character. It can be scary if you get close and can whisper instead.

"You don't know what is going through Harvey's mind at any moment, and he likes to play with the emotions. He's got Leanne terrified in a corner. He's a narcissist and enjoys it when he has someone cornered.

"We had COVID bubbles. Me and Jane were both tested and knew we were alright, so we could get close. As soon as Harvey gets hold of Leanne, it's quite nasty.

"It's Corrie and pre-watershed, but we wanted to push it within our limits. We wanted the audience to feel it's a special week and not be tame."

Prison breaks usually don't end well for soap villains. Could it be the end of Harvey?

"It's hard to say without giving anything away. If I say yes I'll be back, it means he survives. If I don't, people will think he dies! I'd say just watch it and go along for the ride because it's a really bumpy one.

"You see every side of him and how far he's willing to go to get away and cause as much damage as he can."

ITV

Have you had any real-life hate for playing Harvey?

"I want to go down as a good Corrie baddie. 'He was properly horrible!' means I did my job. Usually I'm playing comedy roles or detectives or whatever. This is a different style for me, which is why I wanted to do it.

"People shout 'leave Leanne and Simon alone' or 'have you got owt, not selling drugs round here are you?'. It's tongue in cheek. They ask what I'm doing out of prison and I say 'day release, good behaviour, keep your mouth shut' and they apologise! I nip into character and play along with it, they love it!

"If I hadn't done other stuff I would've got more stick, but people believe the character and know there's a difference between Harvey and me."

Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm.