All About Manchester - Gray O'Brien

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Scottish actor Gray O'Brien has become a household name as villainous businessman Tony Gordon in Coronation Street. This month, he takes evil up a notch to play Abanazar in Aladdin - the Christmas pantomime at the Opera House. Sophia Cruz talks to an actor who is famously good at being bad.

Fifteen years ago, a young Gray O'Brien made his panto debut in Scotland as Aladdin. That was before he became the soap star that everyone loves to hate by playing womaniser Billy Davies in River City and then murderer Tony Gordon in Coronation Street - a role for which he won the Villain of the Year title at the 2009 British Soap Awards earlier this year.

Not surprisingly, when panto producers First Family Entertainment were casting for this year's Aladdin at the Opera House, O'Brien was their first choice to play the baddie - a role that he was happy to accept.

"I was offered other parts further away, but the reason I chose Manchester is because I've been so welcome up here and the last few years have been lovely, so I'm looking forward to it," he says. "Manchester is where I know, it's where I live, so it seems to make sense."

Asked whether he enjoys playing bad guys, he sounds slightly indignant. "I like to play interesting characters, and I think Tony particularly is quite a complex character and not just a classic Coronation Street villain, whatever that is.

"Certainly there is a classic villain in panto because there has to be a baddie. So certainly Abanazar is bad, but Billy Davies in River City and Tony Gordon in Coronation Street are completely different characters."

Still, he must be a little bit worried that he is being typecast as a villain, right? Wrong, according to the actor. "It's the first time I've ever played a villain, so I can hardly be typecast as one," he protests. "In the past I always played nice put-upon guys; fathers and family men, doctors... Casting directors would never see me as a villain. And then Coronation Street took a chance with Tony Gordon, but even with that, they didn't know he was going to be the villain. They said he's got a bit of a dark side to him, so I think we developed the villainous aspect of the character."

Tony Gordon is certainly a very popular character, not least because he is a bit of a heart-throb, and he will be missed by many when he leaves the Street. "I think there's a charm to Tony," says O'Brien. "He's quite an interesting character. You know deep down you really shouldn't like him; there's not a great deal to like about him. Yet the women like him because he seems to try and do the right thing, and the men like him as well, because if your fiancée is messing around behind your back, then of course you want to go and have the guy killed." OK then.

If Tony Gordon has a saving grace, the same cannot be said for Abanazar, who is evil through and through. At the time of writing, O'Brien has not seen the script yet, but his character will be trying to thwart young Aladdin's plans to win the heart of the beautiful princess, and he expects to get abuse from the audience. "For the baddie, boos and hisses are the same as cheers and applause; if you don't get that, then you're not doing your job. So I expect them to boo and hiss me as long as they possibly can."

The look of the panto baddie alone should secure him a few boos. O'Brien in full costume as Abanazar (complete with dramatic eye makeup) has been adorning many a billboard in Manchester city centre since March (he says he has only noticed one of the posters and this journalist does not have the heart to correct him). "I took some stick from my work colleagues, but I think everyone is used to it being there now," he says, and adds that he is looking forward to putting on that costume again for the show.

Featuring a lavish set and costumes, exuberant song and dance routines, a funny script and a happy ending, Aladdin promises to abracadabra all your worries away - at least for a couple of hours. Even O'Brien does not resist being drawn into a world of make-believe for a moment, as he contemplates what he would ask of a genie. "I'll tell you what I would really like. I'd love a house on a really, really sunny beach, so I could open my door and walk into the sea," he says and then pauses for a long moment. "On a more realistic level, I'd just like to continue being a good dad."

O'Brien won't get much of a chance to be a good dad to his nine-year-old son Conor this Christmas. He will be working every day except Christmas Day, and although Conor is looking forward to seeing his dad on stage, he will not get to spend much quality time with him. "I've worked solidly for the last seven and a half years and I'm genuinely looking forward to having a bit of a rest next year," says O'Brien. "I think I'll move up to Scotland for a while."

But for the next few weeks he remains in Manchester, doing what he does best - making audiences love him and hate him in equal measures.

Aladdin runs from Dec 5, 2009 to Jan 3, 2010 at the Opera House. Tickets cost £9.50 - £23.50 and you can book by calling 0844 847 2295.

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Scottish actor Gray O'Brien has become a household name as villainous businessman Tony Gordon in Coronation Street. This month, he takes evil up a notch to play Abanazar in Aladdin - the Christmas pantomime at the Opera House. Sophia Cruz talks to an actor who is famously good at being bad.