Mel's real fiction revealed

Corrie author Mel Hutchwright is unmasked for the fake he really is - but not before he fleeces locals out of 6,000.

10:20 13 May 2005

Corrie author Mel Hutchwright is unmasked for the fake he really is - but not before he fleeces locals out of 6,000.

The dodgy writer, played by Lord of the Rings star Ian McKellen, persuades the Weatherfield book club to stump up the cash to help him publish his new book.

He is about to flee with the money when suspicious Ken, played by William Roache, finally blows his cover, retrieves the cash and sends him packing.

Mel arrived on the scene pretending to be author of bodice ripping Hard Grinding, which has got the Street's pulse racing.

The only person to suspect his true identity is Ken - but he is silenced by the book club, who lap up Mel's stories and treat him like royalty, giving him free board and lodging.

When Mel says he is having trouble finding a publisher for his latest work of fiction, Norris, played by Malcolm Hebden, comes up with a plan.

He persuades his friends to stump up a whopping 6,000 to publish the book themselves, which they hand to the delighted Mel at a book club meeting.

All set to take the next bus out of Weatherfield, Mel is only stopped when Ken reveals that his latest novel is actually a long forgotten book from the library.

And when it turns out that Mel did not even write Hard Grinding, the book club take back their money and force the conman to flee in disgrace.