I've never been out with any of the cast of Coronation Street. We're all very close friends so it's very much a professional attitude.

Skype is a wonderful thing. The irony is that you never Skype when you're in the same country as someone.

I trust my mum with anything. If I have a problem, my mum is always the first person I go to.

I'm not really into gothic music, it's not really my type of scene but each to their own. I listen to pretty much anything.

I'm quite looking forward to the fact that people know me as Richard rather than Craig.

It still hasn't sunk in that I'm going to be in Coronation Street. Everything about the role is brilliant and I'm working with some great people.

I have really diverse tastes, which can be problematic sometimes, but it's good because it means I'm always listening to as much music as possible. I love listening to music, whatever genre it is.

I play piano and guitar and I do write my own stuff so to a certain extent I know what I want to do in regards to music. But I'm still finding out what kind of music is my favourite kind to listen to, never mind do myself so I've got a lot of time to find out myself and develop myself as an artist.

I've never really been star struck. I was a little bit taken aback when I was doing a chat show recently and I was sat in the make-up chair chatting to a guy say next to me but I couldn't look round and see who it was, it was only when I got up I realised it had been Bryan Adams I'd been talking to!

If I'd just been interested in record sales, I would have taken one of the deals I was offered after 'Soapstar Superstar,' made a quick covers album and probably had some success for five minutes. I decided that wasn't for me.

It was great as an actor to be given the story line I was given but I didn't expect Craig to stay so it was a lovely twist when I found out they'd decided to keep him.

The Goth character was a difficult thing to get my head round. I'm not really a fan of Goth music. I'm more a piano and guitar man - that's what I love.

You know, I was a kid when I went into 'Coronation Street' and I had an amazing time. I got some fantastic opportunities from Corrie and from 'Soapstar' and I'd never say they did anything other than help me.