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Aaron McCusker and Pauline McLynn are feeling the pressure as they join Corrie as the new Rovers Return landlord Ben and his mum Maggie

- WORDS: CHARLOTTE TUTTON

Newcomers Maggie and Ben Driscoll made their dramatic debut on Coronation Street this week after taking over at the Rovers Return, joining returning character Eva Price.

With Weatherfield’s new faces sparking chaos from the get-go, Pauline McLynn, who plays “mother-in-law from hell” Maggie, confesses she was stunned when the cobbles came calling. “I was bewildered,” says Pauline, who became a household name as housekeeper Mrs Doyle in Father Ted. “I'm not one of those actors who has goals or even ambitions. I tend to stagger from one thing to the next depending on who wants me. This was huge.”

Pauline, 63, has never auditioned for the soap before, which can’t be said for costar Aaron McCusker, who's taken on the role of fun landlord Ben. “This was my sixth time,” he shares. “It wasn't always for a lead role, but they said they wanted me for something bigger, and they were true to their word. It doesn't get much bigger than the landlord of the Rovers.”