Corrie villain has the devil of a job

A notorious television soap villain is taking evil to a whole new level - after landing the part of the Devil.

Graeme Hawley, 37, who was John Stape in Coronation Street, is to play Satan in York's Mystery Plays this summer.

The actor was nominated for Villain Of The Year in the 2009 and 2011 British Soap Awards for his role as Stape.

He was at the centre of a number of major story lines in Corrie, involving kidnap, manslaughter and murder.

Now Hawley will take on an even more devilish role in the outdoor spectacular in York's Museum Gardens, reports the York Press.

Joint artistic directors Damian Cruden and Paul Burbridge said they were delighted he would be joining the cast.

"Graeme is a popular TV face and is of course well known by audiences of Coronation Street as villain John Stape," they said.

"He also has a fine theatrical acting CV, he's Northern, he has the perfect balance of experience and we're very happy that he's chosen to work with us over the summer."

Hawley will star opposite Ferdinand Kingsley, 24, the son of film star Sir Ben Kingsley, who will play both God and Jesus in the plays.