Coronation Street is set for even more drama as actor Jonathan Howard teases racier scenes and fiery confrontations for his character Carl Webster.
The actor, who joined ITV’s long-running soap earlier this year, has quickly become a central figure thanks to Carl’s tangled love life and ruthless behaviour. Viewers have watched Carl embark on a torrid affair with his brother Kevin’s wife, Abi, only to later discover he was also secretly sleeping with James behind Abi’s back.
Jonathan’s definitely made waves during his time in Walford, and it seems he has no plans to slow down in the near future!
Jonathan told The Sun at the Inside Soap Awards 2025 that fans can expect plenty more scandal before Carl’s lies catch up with him.
‘A lot more sex, Carl is definitely going to have a lot more sex, he’s going to enjoy himself,’ he said. ‘His impulsiveness and selfishness is going to catch up with him for sure. He’s going to have some confrontations to face the effect of the causes he has made.’
The 36-year-old actor revealed that the number of intimate scenes has become something of a running gag on set.
‘It’s becoming a running joke with the crew, every time I’m in that hotel room, the crew are like ‘who have you got today?’,’ Johnathan laughed. ‘It’s obviously fun, it’s fun to explore that side of my sexuality and that intimacy that you get to have. They’ll be more sexy scenes.’
Howard, who has previously appeared in Downton Abbey and Thor: The Dark World, admitted the risqué storyline has sparked a strong reaction from fans.
‘Lots of great reaction, it definitely gets a reaction,” he told The Sun, adding: “In the world of soap, the key is to surprise the audience that have seen everything. To have little twists about bisexuality, the reaction we got on Gogglebox and Loose Women, it’s great. To surprise the audience in the soap world, is the aim of the game.’
Carl’s definitely part of Corrie’s long line of bad boys, but there’s something different about him. Where someone like Peter Barlow used charm to get out of trouble, and Pat Phelan went full dark side, Carl’s more complicated. His bisexuality adds a fresh angle we don’t see often in soaps, and he uses his relationships with both men and women to get what he wants, which has fans hooked.
Since arriving in Weatherfield, Carl has left chaos in his wake. Tracy Barlow briefly enjoyed a fling with him before turning to blackmail when she uncovered his affair with Abi. In retaliation, Carl showed his darker side by paying someone to vandalise Tracy’s florist.
More recently, viewers watched as Carl torched a car after knocking down Tyrone, leaving him unable to walk. In another manipulative twist, Carl even used his sister Debbie’s dementia to throw suspicion off his secret affair.
Despite these antics, Jonathan insists his character isn’t truly evil.
‘I don’t think he’s sinister, I think he’s desperate. I think he’s selfish. In the moment, he’s thinking of ways to save his skin and obviously those decisions aren’t necessarily the most moral or good decisions.’
“I wouldn’t say he’s bad or evil or going to be a murderer. He’s just a guy that’s made bad decisions and he’s trying to save his skin.”
Still, the actor admits that Carl’s time is running out.
‘I don’t think he’s going to keep getting away with the stuff he’s doing. I think Carl is going to cross my brother’s path, and I think all hell is going to break loose. It’s all going to come to fruition.’
With over 10,000 episodes since it’s first broadcast in 1960, Coronation Street remains the world’s longest-running TV soap opera, and storylines like Carl’s prove it still knows how to shock and entertain audiences 65 years later.
