We can't say he didn't have it coming. After tormenting the Platt family for months and upsetting most of the other residents too, Coronation Street villain Callum Logan has finally met his maker following the shocking events of the soap's live episode.
In explosive scenes that soap fans won't forget in a hurry, Callum's old flame Kylie Platt dealt him a deadly blow to the head, killing him instantly. A grisly cover-up then began as Kylie and David hid his body in the manhole at Number 8.
With his eventful year-long stint as Callum now over, here's what actor Sean Ward has to say about his unexpected exit and what's to come next.
How did Corrie break the news to you that they were killing off Callum?
"I got called up to a meeting with Stuart Blackburn, the producer. I thought I was in trouble! Then as soon as I walked into the room, Stuart looked at me and said, 'I'm going to tell you straight away - I'm going to kill him!'"
That must have been a shock! How did you react?
"I was excited. Initially I didn't feel that upset. Just before the meeting I had started to think that they were maybe going to try and turn Callum good. I really didn't want that, because he's not got it in him to be good!
"I knew that realistically if he continued being as bad as he was at the time, then eventually he would have to go. I was realistic about it. That excites me as an actor, and it's important to stay true to the character."
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Did your feelings about leaving change as time went on?
"It's bittersweet. I'm going to be gutted to leave Corrie, but at the same time it's completely right for the character. As an actor that's the goal, that's what makes me happy."
Corrie didn't announce your exit. Do you think viewers will be shocked to see you go?
"I hope it was a big shock, I really do. You want viewers to have a reaction to it, so I hope they were shocked and that it was unexpected. Some people might be gutted to see the end of Callum, but some might be glad to see the back of him.
"Both are positive reactions to the character - it means he's made a mark. It's exciting for everyone involved, so we have all been excited and nervous about how everyone will react on the night."
As you were so excited, how hard was it to keep it all a secret?
"For me it was quite easy - I didn't tell anyone apart from my immediate family. Even though I had known a while that I would be leaving, I decided not to audition for other parts whilst still here as I didn't want to be seen. I didn't want to risk anybody knowing that I was leaving in case this led to people guessing Callum's fate! It also means I can now go into auditions as me, as a blank canvas, without Callum still knocking around!"
Callum was always very cocky! Did he ever consider that the Platt family would manage to outdo him?
"No, that was the furthest thing from his mind. Callum always thought he would have the upper hand, but during his last few weeks he really showed his true colours and his actions proved how much of a coward he really was. He seemed to have this obsession with manipulating women.
"But no, he never, ever imagined that they might win the fight because of the amount of fear he'd put in them all over the past year. Callum always thought he would have them in the palm of his hand. How wrong he was!"
We saw Callum have a tense showdown with Sarah. How far do you think he would have gone?
"I think at that point he was absolutely fuming and he lost control completely. The walls were closing in on him, as David and Kylie hadn't coughed up the cash that he needed and so he was slowly realising that he was going to be in deep trouble with Denton.
"At this point I think it began to dawn on him that he perhaps didn't have the power that he thought he did and that he was surrounded by strong women who were prepared to fight him to the death! And they did!"
Do you think he would have killed Sarah if Kylie hadn't come in?
"Yes, I think he probably could have done - but I don't think he would have done it there and then. He was always thinking fast, so he probably would have kidnapped her and used her as another pawn to get what he wanted. He's not a cold-blooded murderer, I don't think he had that in him. He definitely would have done something tactically first."
Why didn't you want the writers to turn Callum into a good guy? He might have stayed if that had happened!
"I loved playing Callum and I loved playing him the way he was. He was really bad. He could have found purpose through Max and become a good father, but I think he would have really struggled to get out of the path that he was on.
"As an actor I like to keep the character steeped in reality and I don't believe he could have had a huge transformation from the man he was. And I don't think he cared about Max or the Platts enough for them to make that change in him happen!"
What kind of responses have you seen to Callum? Did it change over time?
"When I first started, it was all about Callum's look. Now I get comments on my acting ability, which is what it's all about for me. Coming from a place before Corrie where I'd lost my confidence as an actor, it's amazing to receive those sorts of messages.
"The week before the live episode, I'd missed a couple of episodes on screen but my Twitter went mad with amazing comments. I wanted people to enjoy the storyline, react to Callum and believe in the character, so if I get people tweeting me saying they wanted to punch the television because of something Callum did, then that's great! It means I've done something right and that the audience have had a response to him."
You were also lucky enough to be really central to the show for the whole year you were on it!
"I never, ever expected that. It's been the craziest year of my life and also the best year of my life. I've learnt the most I've ever learnt and I've had to grow up a lot. I've waited a long time for this, so in a way I was ready for it, but in the same breath nothing can prepare you for being on Coronation Street and for playing the bad boy.
"To then be part of the live episode and go out in this way feels like I'm a part of making history, which is amazing and such an honour."
How did you prepare for your live fight scenes?
"We had a fight arranger to help us called Kate Waters, who was phenomenal. We wanted it to look messy and quite animalistic. Even though it had to be choreographed, it was a choreographed mess and we wanted to keep that element. I wanted it to look like a proper scrap - animalistic and a fight for life, which is what it was.
"We also did Coronation Street's first ever bite! It was a slap originally, but we changed it to a bite. It was more realistic - it was Sarah's sheer desperation to get away from Callum and it was feral and desperate. It was amazing to do as an actor, but as a human it was quite scary. I've been brought up by two women - my mum and my sister - so to then have to act this out, practically beating another woman up, goes against my nature. But it's exactly what Callum would do and it was so important to make it look realistic."
Then you had to play dead!
"That was so much fun! At the point where Callum was killed, his adrenaline and therefore my adrenaline was so high. He was at his angriest point, so to then go from that to playing dead in the click of a finger was somewhat difficult! It was the biggest challenge."
What kind of role would you like to play after Corrie?
"I'd love to play someone worlds apart from Callum. I would love to be seen as a born and bred Manchester character actor. I wouldn't be afraid to play anything that's thrown at me. I'd do dramas, films, independent films. I'd even love to try theatre, now I've done the live episode!"
Do you have any final words about your time as Callum?
"Thank you so much to Coronation Street for the opportunity they've given me to play Callum for this past year, and also thank you to ITV for allowing me to be part of their 60th birthday. ITV gave me my very first TV job years ago, Ireland at War, so it's been amazing to work for them again on such a massive show."
Read more Coronation Street spoilers and news
Coronation Street continues on Friday (September 25) at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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