Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street boss Iain MacLeod has previewed Jacob Hay's surprise romance plot.
After reappearing in Weatherfield two months ago, Jack James Ryan's dodgy character is now on the road to redemption, with Amy Barlow in his sights.
Describing Ryan as a "fantastically good actor", MacLeod recently told Digital Spy and other media why he decided to bring him back into the fold.
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"He feels very Coronation Street and he's got funny bones. He's got a really good way with the comedy and feels very authentic as well.
"Sometimes when you import a 'bad guy' or 'criminal' into a show like ours, it doesn't quite have the ring of authenticity, but that was never the case with him," he explained.
"We also really liked the idea of pairing Jacob up with somebody who is historically quite well behaved and wouldn't say boo to a goose. That's Amy Barlow! We thought: 'How would Tracy and Steve react to Amy suddenly ending up in a romantic relationship with possibly the most unsuitable boyfriend they've ever heard of?'"
Apparently, her parents will attempt to prize their daughter away from Jacob by "cutting her off financially" and "freezing her out", but that "makes things worse and worse, to comedy effect; in the end" as "they have to bite the bullet and try to get along with this lad".
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He obviously manages to charm Amy, so how exactly has Jacob changed?
"[He's] trying to redeem himself. We discover things about how he arrived into the drug gang which will reframe people's view of him and make you see him in a slightly different light," revealed MacLeod.
"It's about him trying to put the past behind him rehabilitate himself. He'll make amends where necessary to people like Leanne and Simon.
"Jacob did some heinous things, but he's mature enough to realise that he's got some amends to make. So it's a nice story about redemption that's got a nice rom-com at the start of it. It's Meet the Parents done Coronation Street style."
Jacob as Greg Focker? We can buy into that.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7.30pm on ITV.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
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Reporter, Digital Spy
Dan is a freelance entertainment journalist. Beginning his writing career in 2014, Dan's work first graced the pages of cult publications Starburst magazine and Little White Lies before moving onto Total Film, Digital Spy, NME and Yahoo Entertainment.
In the film and TV universe, he kneels at the altar of Jim Carrey, Daniel Plainview, Mike Ehrmantraut and Paulie Walnuts.
