Malcolm Hebden expected to be able to use his own northern accent when he was interviewed for ‘Coronation Street’ – only to be cast as a Spanish character first time around.
The 79-year-old actor initially landed the role of Mavis Riley’s (Thelma Barlow) Spanish boyfriend Carlos when he first joined the ITV soap in 1974, which meant he couldn’t use his Burnley twang.
Speaking on ‘Coronation Street at Christmas’, he says: "I remember coming for the interview and I thought, ‘Ah, ‘Coronation Street’, I can use my own Burnley accent now,’ but he was from Spain.
"In the local paper the headline was, ‘Ole, Old Spanish Eyes Comes From Burnley,’ which rather blew my cover.’ "
Malcolm’s comments come as he watched an old clip of himself as Carlos, and he joked it was "cruel" to see such footage when he had more follicles.
He quipped: "I think it’s cruel to show me those images now … I had hair."
Malcolm returned to the cobbles briefly earlier this month for the first time since 2017, when he suffered a massive heart attack which left him in a three-week-long coma.
And in February, his co-star Dolly-Rose Campbell admitted the actor – who took time off from the ITV soap last year to recover – is "really well".
She said: "He looks great. He is looking really healthy. He’s really well."
‘Corrie’ boss Iain MacLeod confirmed late last year that Malcolm will be making a Weatherfield return.
He said: "He’s back for a short stint in a little sort of cameo return in the hope we can have him back permanently in the future.
"He’s on that list of Emily Bishops of characters who are so Corrie that the show doesn’t feel correct without them in there.
"Soap characters come and go – but I am reading bits in the scripts where I know Norris would have something to say."
Iain also admitted the plot is "pleasantly silly".
He said: "His return story is pleasantly silly and revisits his relationship with Mary in a meaningful way. I hope Malcolm likes it, he’s not read the script yet."
‘Coronation Street at Christmas’ airs on Friday (20.12.19) at 8.30pm on ITV.
Malcolm Hebden expected to use northern accent during Corrie debut
