Coronation Street fans warm to killer Rob Donovan

Marc Baylis feared he’d be hounded in the streets after being unveiled as a Corrie killer.

The affable actor plays Rob Donovan, who pushed Michelle Keegan’s Tina off a balcony then finished her off as she lay on the cobbles.

Instead of being a hate figure, he says he’s had good feedback and even some saucy fan requests.

“The public reaction has been really positive,” confides Marc.

“Everybody has been very kind about the storyline and have said they’re enjoying watching it unfold. There’s been a lot of pity for Rob, actually.

“What he did to Tina came out of the blue and I don’t think people thought Rob was a bad guy before then. It’s a shock as they’d been warming to Rob.”

It looked as if Rob may get away with it but Ken’s determination to get Peter a lawyer throws everything up in the air again. And Peter’s decision to plead not guilty is a hammer blow to Rob.

“It’s the worst thing he could possibly hear,” explains Marc. “He thought everything was going to plan but suddenly that turns full circle. All of the work he’s done to get Peter sent down has been undone by Ken. Rob’s going to have to start from scratch.”

With things unravelling, could Rob kill again?

“I’d like to think it was a one-off through desperate measures,” adds Marc.

“He wasn’t aware of what was going on when he killed Tina as it happened so quickly. Once you’ve done that, who knows if that switch can flick again.”