Owen Armstrong
| Owen Armstrong | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | |||||||||
| Coronation Street character | |||||||||
| Portrayed by | Ian Puleston-Davies | ||||||||
| Duration | 2010–15 | ||||||||
| First appearance |
Episode 7357 9 June 2010 | ||||||||
| Last appearance |
Episode 8618 15 April 2015 | ||||||||
| Introduced by | Kim Crowther | ||||||||
| Classification | Former; regular | ||||||||
| Profile | |||||||||
| Occupation |
Builder Businessman (2010–14) | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Owen Armstrong is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Ian Puleston-Davies. He made his first on-screen appearance on 9 June 2010.
In November 2014, Puleston-Davies quit the show. Owen departed on 15 April 2015.
Storylines
Owen arrives to visit his daughter Izzy Armstrong (Cherylee Houston) but she is reluctant to have any involvement with him. He apologizes to Izzy for his past mistakes and agrees to give her her independence. Local builder, Bill Webster (Peter Armitage) is angry when Owen secures a building contract but Bill is soon persuaded to sell the builder's yard to Owen and he moves into the flat above with younger daughter Katy (Georgia May Foote). Owen dates his administrator Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) but is also attracted to Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard). He kisses Liz and Sean Tully (Anthony Cotton) tells Eileen the truth.
Owen forbids Katy to date Chesney Brown (Sam Aston) but they later convince him that they are serious about committing to one another. Liz's ex-husband, Jim (Charles Dawson) disapproves of Owen and Liz's relationship and Owen realizes that Liz has feelings for Jim, so he breaks up with her. When Gary attacks Owen after suffering from PTSD, he tries to ruin his relationship with Izzy. When Eileen's insurance company refuses to pay the costs to repair her damaged roof, she blames Owen. He informs her full roof survey should have been done. Eileen steals a £10,000 cheque that Carla Connor (Alison King) has written for Owen. He feels guilty and offers to repair Eileen's roof. Owen's bank card is rejected and he realizes that his money has been stolen. Eileen and Julie Carp (Katy Cavanagh) steal documents proving Owen has committed tax evasion. When Owen threatens to call the police, she blackmails him with the documents but Owen steals Jason's keys and reclaims the documents before reporting Eileen to the police. Following her arrest, Izzy convinces him to drop the charges. Owen has further reservations over Katy and Chesney's relationship when Katy becomes pregnant. She eventually manages to convince him to support her decision and Chesney buys number 5 Coronation Street with his sister Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine). Katy then moves in with Chesney, Fiz and Fiz's daughter Hope. Owen buys number 6 Coronation Street so that his friend, Anna Windass (Debbie Rush), will have a secure home for her adoptive daughter, Faye Windass (Ellie Leach). Faye takes a dislike to Owen and tries to stop him and Anna becoming romantically involved. Anna decides to avoid Owen's advances, wanting to respect Faye's opinion. However, they later begin a relationship and following Faye's constant pranks and attitude, Owen smacks her across the legs. Anna refuses to speak to Owen but after some time apart and an intervention from Gary, they reconcile and Faye accepts Owen, with him moving in with the two.
Following a miscarriage, Izzy is desperate to have a baby. Owen pays Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) to act as surrogate and also lets him stay at his flat for free. When Tina gives birth to a little boy who Gary and Izzy name Jake, she decides to keep him. Owen evicts Tina from the flat and demands she return the money he paid her. After realizing that Jake is better off with Gary and Izzy, she hands him back but they still let her visit him.
Owen has a run in with a non-paying customer, Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre) and takes his £20,000 motorbike, locking it up until he pays his bill. He later returns with business propositions for Owen. Anna and Gary become concerned that Phelan will con them but Katy convinces Owen to move forward with the plan. Owen invests £80,000 into the deal while Anna remains insistent that Phelan is a conman. Owen and Katy turn positive that they will receive a 20% stake of a block of ten posh flats if they complete the deal. After losing everything, Owen and his family are forced to move into 19a Rosamund Street.
Owen's ex-wife, Linda Hancock, arrives and wants to see her daughters. It is revealed that Owen lied about why she left as she had an affair and when he found out, he threw her out and refused her access to their daughters. Linda bonds with Izzy and Katy, much to Owen's annoyance. Linda later admits that she still has feelings for Owen and invites him to join her and Katy in Portugal, which he declines. This puts a strain on Owen's relationship with Anna.
After discovering that Faye has had a baby and concealed the pregnancy, Owen lashes out at Craig Tinker as he and many other people suspected that he is the father. Faye is persuaded to reveal who the father really is to clear Craig's name. Realizing that his relationship with Anna is over for good, Owen cannot live in Weatherfield without her, so he decides to go and live in Scotland after visiting Katy and Joseph in Portugal. Owen and Anna share an emotional farewell, as Owen leaves.
Casting
In January 2010, it was announced that actor Ian Puleston-Davies had joined the cast of Coronation Street as Owen, the psychotic father of Izzy (Cherylee Houston).[1] Coronation Street producer, Kim Crowther called Puleston-Davies a "wonderful actor" and added that she had "really high hopes" for him.[1] He signed an initial six-month contract.[2] Coronation Street producers approached Puleston-Davies about appearing in the show after they saw him star in the play, Everybody Loves A Winner in 2009.[2] Puleston-Davies met with producers, who created the role of Owen especially for him.[2] He began filming his scenes in February.[1] Owen was originally given the surname of Butterfield, but this was later changed to Armstrong.[3] Georgia May Foote was later cast as Owen's other daughter, Katy.[4]
Development
Characterisation
Coronation Street describes Owen as "tough-but-tender".[5] Crowther described him as "a bit controlling" having brought up Izzy and Katy alone.[1] Sue Crawford of the Daily Mirror described him as a "tough-talking businessman" and "over-protective".[2] In an interview with the Daily Mirror, Puleston-Davies called Owen a "loveable rogue", stating: "He has an edge and I'm happy to report he turns out to be a player."[2] During an interview with media entertainment website Digital Spy, Coronation Street's new producer, Phil Collinson explained that Owen is "quite a dark, brooding character" who would "set the cat among the pigeons".[6] Collinson added that Owen is a "very different bad boy" and potentially dangerous.[6] In December 2010, Puleston-Davies defended Owen's violent nature and manipulative ways, saying, "He's not an evil man with an axe, or a hammer! Everything he does has reasoning behind it. He's got morals - but they're his own morals. Don't write Owen off - he's not an out-and-out bad guy... honest!"[7]
Storyline development
Owen meets Liz McDonald (Beverly Callard) and the pair embark on an "unlikely relationship".[1] The Daily Mirror said that Liz and Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) both fall "head over heels" for his cheeky charm. Puleston-Davies told the Daily Mirror that Owen likes Liz, but causes competition between her and Eileen and plays them off against each other.[2] In September 2010, The Sun reported that Liz's ex-husband, Jim McDonald (Charles Lawson) would return and fight for Liz's affections.[8] Owen finds himself on the receiving end of Jim's "acid tongue" after Liz shows her feelings towards him. Jim becomes jealous of Owen and Liz and causes problems between them.[8] The newspaper said "These tactics might have worked with [Liz's] ex-husband Vernon Tomlin (Ian Reddington) but they won't work with Owen, and he gets his builder mates to duff him up. He's left in a really bad way."[8] When asked about Owen and Liz's relationship in an interview with Digital Spy, Callard admitted that Liz can be "so stupid".[9] She said "Liz thinks he's great, but of course the viewers know different. They're just beginning to see another side of him. Liz is completely unaware of that. She's so stupid sometimes!"[9]
Eileen later discovers that Liz is really the object of Owen's affections.[10] Of this, Cleaver said that Eileen is a "very bad judge of character" and would seek her revenge on Owen.[10] In January 2011, Eileen steals a £10,000 cheque from Owen whilst balancing his books.[11] Eileen steals the cheque in order to pay for the repairs to her damaged roof. Speaking to soap opera reporting magazine Inside Soap about the plot, Cleaver explained: "Eileen's petrified because she knows what a nasty piece of work Owen is - and, at the end of the day, she's broken the law. Owen isn't a pussycat like Lloyd and Steve - he doesn't take prisoners. I think Eileen's right to be afraid!"[11] Cleaver later told soap opera reporting magazine Soaplife that Eileen thinks Owen "won't miss the money".[12] When Eileen pays the cheque into the bank she knows she has made a mistake and decides to pay it back.[12] Cleaver said Eileen feels guilty because Owen is being nice to her and repairing her roof.[12] Owen's bank card is then rejected, even though Carla Connor (Alison King) has told him that she paid Eileen the £10,000 she owed. Cleaver said Eileen is terrified when Owen tells her he knows she has stolen the money and threatens to go to the police.[12] Cleaver added: "[Eileen's half-sister] Julie [Carp] (Katy Cavanagh) points out Eileen's got far more on Owen than he's got on her. But Eileen's scared."[12]
Departure
On 17 November 2014, it was announced that Puleston-Davies had quit the show.[13] Speaking of his departure, Puleston-Davies said "Next year I will have been playing Owen Armstrong for five years and it felt like a good point to move on and take some time to focus on new projects. "I have returned to my other passion of writing and in 2015 hope to put on a new play. I have had a fantastic time at Coronation Street and made some great friends. I certainly would never rule out returning to the role of Owen at some point in the future if I was asked."[13]
Reception
Crawford said that Puleston-Davies had made a "big impact" since joining Coronation Street.[2] Cleaver described Owen as "a nasty piece of work" and "not the sort of man you want to cross".[12]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 Green, Kris (29 January 2010). "Corrie casts new lover for Liz McDonald". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Crawford, Sue (23 July 2010). "New Corrie star Ian Puleston-Davies describes struggle with OCD on TV set". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ↑ Green, Kris (13 April 2010). "'Coronation Street' family given new surname". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ↑ Kilkelly, Daniel (9 June 2010). "Corrie role for former 'Grange Hill' star". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ↑ Green, Kris (23 January 2010). "Disabled regular for 'Coronation Street'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- ↑ Sperling, Daniel (26 December 2010). "Puleston-Davies: 'I'm no Corrie villain'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- 1 2 3 Millar, Paul (18 September 2010). "Jim McDonald savagely beaten in Corrie". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- 1 2 Love, Ryan (1 October 2010). "Liz and Jim McDonald are "never boring"". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 30 May 2011.
- 1 2 Love, Ryan (15 September 2010). "Corrie's Eileen 'will seek her revenge'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- 1 2 Kilkelly, Daniel (12 January 2011). "Sue Cleaver: 'Eileen should fear Owen'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Love, Ryan (21 January 2011). "Cleaver: 'Owen is a nasty piece of work'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi UK. Retrieved 28 May 2011.
- 1 2 Harris, Jamie; Kilkelly, Daniel (17 November 2014). "Corrie's Ian Puleston-Davies to leave after 4 years as Owen Armstrong". Digital Spy. Hearst Magazines UK. Retrieved 17 November 2014.