SCOTTISH actor John Michie is contemplating the end of his time on Coronation Street

as bad boy Karl Munro.

"It's a mixture of elation, sadness, feeling emotional and thinking how quickly these two years have gone," he says.

He joined the ITV soap in summer 2011 when Stella Price, played by Michelle Collins,

took over as landlady of the Rovers Return.

Michie, 56, plays her long-term boyfriend Karl, a lazy layabout with an eye for the ladies, who

has been sponging off Stella and making her life difficult.

"I said to the new producer when I arrived, 'Please, I know Karl has to go but I hope it's not strung out for too long. I'd rather have a short, sharp, quick ending'," says Michie.

"Because sometimes I think stories are strung out and people begin to lose interest."

There is certainly no danger of that. He has managed to win back Stella after his fling with barmaid Sunita Alahan. But only by starting a fire at the pub which killed firefighter Toni Griffiths and left Sunita in a coma.

Karl emerged the hero by rescuing Stella and she agreed to marry him. Meanwhile, he decided to finish off Sunita, just in case she woke up and exposed him for what he really is.

Michie is adamant Karl is not your typical Corrie villain, but

he admits becoming a killer has been exciting.

"It was good to go down that route, without being a crazy serial killer. Let's face it, you don't get many of them in suburban Britain," he says, laughing.

Karl has appeared to be getting away with murder for some time, but as his wedding day approaches, he is beginning to sink into the swamp of lies he has created.

Dev Alahan and Jason Grimshaw's suspicions have been aroused following Karl's shock confession that it was he who set fire to Jason's van. And then there's young Craig.

The poor lad told Karl he believed he (Craig) was responsible for causing the fire. To keep any sort of investigation at bay, Karl pays him to keep quiet - which is fine until Craig's mother accuses him of stealing and Craig reveals where the money came from.

Unable to cope with his mother on top of Karl's threats ringing in his ears, Craig goes on the run, only for the police to turn up at Karl's door to question him about the disappearance.

Panic-stricken, Karl sets out to find Craig. But will he be able to convince the tormented boy to keep quiet, or does Karl kill again to keep his secret uncovered?

"Karl's become quite dangerous and he is a massive gambler," says Michie. "His head is swimming and racing all over the place."

Struggling to keep it together and with Dev arriving at the wedding having uncovered proof of Karl's guilt, will he achieve the dream he has risked everything for and get away to Spain with Stella? Or will the police come calling as the net closes in?

Viewers only have to wait

a short while longer to find out as Karl bows out on September 13.

Michie is the first to admit fans' reactions to him have changed. "People always used to have

a laugh with me about what

a likeable scally Karl was," he says. "Now he's a killer a lot of people say 'I really don't like

you in Corrie!'"

But what has surprised him

is that some of his female fans seem to like him

even more.

"Strangely, a lot of women seem to really like Karl, even though he has murdered his lover and been unfaithful to his wife. They say, 'Oh I love Karl, even though he's bad.' Women love a bad boy - but

a murderer?"

After playing detective Robbie Ross in STV drama Taggart for

12 years, Michie admits to being nervous when he signed up to Corrie, which is on three nights

a week.

"I worried about it, coming straight out of Taggart where we would shoot five of six pages a day and here you can shoot anything up to 30! It does move along quickly, but I am used to the pace now and I enjoy it."

Michie lives in London with partner Carol and their three kids Sam, Louella and Daisy, but has been renting a flat in Manchester during his time on Corrie and seeing his family at weekends.

"I'm very used to moving around, I don't mind it at all," he says. And he is moving on quickly to Holby City, which, luckily for Michie, is filmed in London.

After a family holiday in Spain he is straight back to work as neurosurgeon Guy Self in the BBC medical drama.

"It is a complete change - from scally to surgeon!" he chuckles.

After all those murders in Taggart, he insists he has never been squeamish about blood.

But he admits: "I have never done medical drama before but

I have a few medics in the family. One of my friends has arranged for me to go and see an operation. So I have loads of people to talk to - but not much time."

Michie always knew he would only be on the Street cobbles for two years. "My brief was 'We want you to come in here and shake the place up. It will be affairs - you will be a drinking, gambling scoundrel.' I didn't actually know he was going to become a killer," he says.

He has certainly left his mark on the famous street. His highlight? "Burning down the Rovers. That's pretty special, isn't it? To burn down the iconic pub!"

l Coronation Street, tonight, 7.30pm.