Newcomer Ben Driscoll showed that he is more than just Eva’s partner in tonight’s Coronation Street (Thursday, October 30), as it was revealed he has a dark side.
Upon discovering his son Ollie had been involved in a mix-up over dodgy MOTs, Ben threatened Carl.
Could Ben be joining Becky Swain as a new villain on the Corrie block?
Ben threatened Carl (Credit: ITV)
Ben threatened Carl in Coronation Street
Ben only arrived on the Cobbles during Monday’s episode, but he’s already making a big mark.
In Thursday’s episode (30 October), Ben and Eva continued to get settled at the Rovers. As Eva and Maggie clashed over who is in charge, Ben pointed out that Eva is the landlady, while his mum Maggie is more of a silent partner. But perhaps, the real boss is Ben…
When Ben’s son Ollie came in, he was quickly followed by Dee-Dee, who told him the police had dropped his case. Ben immediately wanted to know what was going on. Ollie tried to pretend it was nothing, but Dee-Dee mentioned Ollie’s accident and the dodgy MOT on the car.
Kevin overheard the exchange and quickly outed his brother Carl for being involved in the fraudulent MOT business. Kevin and Carl were ordered to take their argument outside, which they did – resulting in Kevin grabbing a wrench from the garage and hitting Carl over the head with it.
Ben arrived to see Carl bleeding and told Kev to let Carl go as he’s not worth going to prison and losing his kids over.
Later on, Ollie became worried about his dad’s whereabouts. He then caught sight of a battered Carl and was worried his dad had been the culprit. Ben convinced him he was innocent. But, he wasn’t quite truthful when he claimed they were here for a fresh start.
Ben headed back out and this time he did threaten Carl. He grabbed him, pushed him against a wall and said: “I’m here to give you a warning. I don’t like you, OK? You stay away from my family. Or it won’t be a couple of stitches you need. I’ll put you in hospital, understand?”
How dark is Ben’s past? (Credit: ITV/ Comp CSI)
Here’s whether Ben could rival Becky Swain as Corrie’s newest villain
Following his threat to Carl, Ben bumped into his mum. She didn’t seem at all shocked by what she had just witnessed.
As she linked arms with her son, Maggie said: “If I remember, back in the day, he’d be on his hands and knees by now picking up his teeth.”
Before Ben and his family arrived on the cobbles, it was revealed that they’d be coming with ‘a suitcase full of secrets.’ It seems Ben’s secret is that he’s not as nice as he makes out…
With Maggie’s revelation that her son used to knock people’s teeth out, and Ollie being concerned that his dad had beaten up Carl, Ben clearly has a violent past.
Meanwhile, Becky recently arrived in Coronation Street after pretending to be dead for years. While she has Lisa and Betsy convinced that she was an innocent party, viewers know that Becky has been working with fellow corrupt cop Costello.
Becky has also been secretly plotting to tear Lisa and Carla apart and move back to Spain.
But now, it looks as though there’s new rival villain on the Street. Who will cause the most destruction?
Am I Being Unreasonable? series 2: Plot, cast and recap after series 1's killer ending
Am I Being Unreasonable? returns with series 2 this week, and you're not being at ALL unreasonable if you decide to binge watch it all in one sitting.
Described as a "twisted comedy thriller about obsessive friendship and maternal paranoia", the first series was watched by millions in 2022.
And it's felt like a looooong wait for series 2. Here's everything you need to know about the return of Am I Being Unreasonable?, including plot, cast, start date, filming locations, and what happened at the end of series 1.
Dustin Demri-Burns, Lenny Rush, and Daisy May Cooper in Am I Being Unreasonable? series 2 (Credit: BBC/Boffola Pictures/Lara Cornell)
What's the plot of Am I Being Unreasonable? series 2?
Like series 1, the sequel is "a brilliantly warped tale about how lives can unravel", starring Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli, who also co-created and co-wrote it.
Season two carries on straight from the aftermath of the memorial service where the affair between chaotic mum Nic and her deceased brother-in-law was revealed...
Beginning where series one left off, mid-panic attack, series two ponders whether Nic got away with murder... And the answer is quite possibly.
The synopsis from BBC One tells us: "Kicked out of the family home for brotherly love - loving the wrong brother - Nic is reduced to sharing a caravan with her not so trustworthy best friend Jen.
"Nic's husband Dan has taken up roller-blading to channel his mid-life crisis. Shunned at the school gates and cast as the witch at the school re-enactment, Nic is experiencing hallucinations. Or is someone playing tricks on her?"
Plus, the bigger secret of how Nic's secret affair actually ended still looms... And a revelation shocks the family and sends Nic spiralling into panic. Have her worst fears come true? Is everything unravelling?
Speaking on The One Show, Daisy May Cooper said: "I wrote it and I don't know how to describe it. It's crazy, there's a lot of twists and turns. And I hope it's funny.
"My character is a bit thick, and Lenny plays my son who is a lot brighter. He is more of a parent."
How many episodes is it? When's the start date?
Am I Being Unreasonable? series 2 is six episodes of half an hour each. All are currently available on BBC iPlayer.
If you want to watch week by week, the series starts on Wednesday, February 05, 2025 at 9.30pm on BBC One. In fact, it's straight after Motherland spin-off Amandaland.
Co-creators and writers Daisy May Cooper and Selin Hizli as Nic and Jen (Credit: BBC/Boffola Pictures/Lookout Point/James Pardon)
Am I Being Unreasonable? series 1 recap: What happened at the end?
Series 1 came to an unexpectedly shocking conclusion in September 2022, when audiences learned what really happened between Nic and Alex that fateful night on the train.
Viewers will know that the binge-worthy first series saw Nic grieving a loss she couldn't share with anyone. Only her son Ollie kept her going. However, when Jen arrived in town with her son Harry, Nic found a kindred spirit and soon Nic's dark secret started to bubble over.
During the course of series 1, we discovered that Jen possibly had a history of obsessive behaviour, and wasn't quite as successful as she claimed to be. More disturbing revelations came later, when Nic found out that her son Ollie had deliberately killed the family cat Mr Meowgi by putting him in the drier... Has Nic raised her son Ollie to follow in her murky footsteps?
But the real bombshell was what had happened with Nic and Dan's brother Alex. All we knew was that the two were having an affair, and flashbacks showed them playfully messing around on a station platform before she boarded a train.
Horrifyingly, Alex then got his coat stuck in the train door and was pulled along the platform until another train came past and hit him, killing him instantly.
Is Nic a murderer?
But is that what REALLY happened, or had Nic's mind been playing tricks on her? A flashback in the closing scenes of series 1 saw Alex telling Nic he was staying with his wife and they were having a baby.
He told her he was not in love with Nic and never had been. In fact, the only reason he had ever been with her had been as a punishment to his brother Dan, who he secretly hated.
In anger, Nic then pulled Alex's coat into the door, trapping him and sealing his fate - and, of course, making her a murderer. And one more twist revealed the shocking act had been witnessed by two teenagers.
The brilliant Lenny Rush as cat-killer Ollie (Credit: BBC/Boffola Pictures/Lara Cornell)
Where is it filmed?
Am I Being Unreasonable? series 2, like series 1, was filmed in Bristol and around the West Country, including Wookey in Somerset.
The main set was built at the Bottle Yard Studio in Bristol. The production also shot in locations around the Cotswolds and the main character's house in Uffington, where they shot both interior and exterior scenes, sometimes cutting between the studio and location interiors in the same scene.
Was Daisy May Cooper pregnant during filming?
Yes, eagle-eyed viewers may notice that Daisy May Cooper had quite the baby bump while filming Am I Being Unreasonable? series 2 in 2024.
In fact, the baby's unexpected arrival delayed filming. Speaking on The One Show, she said: "Halfway through filming I suddenly got bad pains. I was heavily pregnant. I ended up having to go to the hospital. I had my son seven weeks early in the middle of filming which was insane and absolutely terrifying."
Daisy has three children, including her youngest Benji, born in June 2024 with her partner Anthony Huggins. She is also mother to Pip, five, and three-year-old son Jack with her ex-husband Will Weston.
Actress Juliet Cowan returns as Viv in series 2 (Credit: BBC/Boffola Pictures/Lara Cornell)
Who's in the cast of series 2 of Am I Being Unreasonable?
Co-creator and co-writer Daisy May Cooper, 38, stars as Nic in the cast of series 2. Of course, Daisy is best known for playing Kerry in the self-penned comedy This Country.
Selin Hizli, who also created and wrote the series, plays Jen. Grantchester fans might know her best as Margaret Ward, a role she played from 2016 to 2017.
The brilliant Lenny Rush - who was also sitting his GCSE's while filming - plays Nic's son Ollie. He hosts Children in Need, and played Morgan in Dodger, and Morris Gibbons in Doctor Who.
He quite rightly won a BAFTA for best male comedy performance for his role, as well as two Royal Television Society Awards.
Slow Horses star Dustin Demri-Burns reprises his role as Dan, opposite Daddy Issues' David Fynn as Alex, Back to Life's Juliet Cowan as Viv, and Smoggie Queens's Phil Dunning as Gavin.
Call the Midwife's Georgie Glen returns as Mrs. Baggot, Poldark's Beatie Edney plays Carol, and The Split's Amanda Wilkin stars as Suzie.
Helen Ann Bauer, Marek Larwood, and Karla Crome also return.
Who guest stars in 2025?
American stand-up and actor Chelsea Peretti, known for her role in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, joins the cast of series 2.
King Gary star Tom Davis appears as an unhinged taxi driver when Nic goes on the run, while comedian Jamali Maddix stars as a hotel receptionist.
Former Corrie star Denise Black guest stars as eccentric, hard-drinking Daphne, while British rapper and poet Kojey Radical also pops up in an episode.
And last but by no means least, Daisy May's brother Charlie Cooper will portray Jurgeon. It's the first onscreen reunion with his sis since their BAFTA-winning comedy series This Country.
Daisy May says: "We've got my brother turning up because he needs the money. I really wanted him to play a character with a mullet and wearing a shell suit.
"He’s meant to be Dutch in it, but his Dutch accent was so bad I had to write in that he’s not actually Dutch because he kept dropping it. So Kerry and Kurtan [from This Country] are coming back!"
Am I Being Unreasonable? series 2 is available to watch as a boxset in BBC iPlayer, and airs from Wednesday, February 05, 2025 at 9.30pm.
