Coronation Street cast: New, leaving and returning characters
AS the year slowly draws to a close, soap bosses have plenty of twists and turns in store for Weatherfield residents.
And while some Coronation Street favourites bow out, new additions and returns are waltzing in with the promise of more drama.
Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) - leaving?
As her son Paul continues to struggle with motor neurone disease, Bernie Winter is facing her own turmoil which could lead her straight to prison.
ITV viewers will recall that Bernie was involved in the late Shelly Rossington's online scam and she was recently arrested for handling stolen goods.
And with Paul about to celebrate his last ever Christmas as he tries to cope with the fact he only has a handful of months left to live, the pressure is at an all-time high for the Winter-Brown clan.
Spoilers have recently confirmed that Bernie will most likely miss out on her son's last Christmas celebrations as she's due to appear in court for her sentencing.
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Viewers of the Manchester-based drama are expecting Bernie to do a runner in a last-ditch effort to be present for her son, making up for the time they spent apart.
But will actress Jane Hazlegrove really leave the cobbles?
Will she really be sent to prison?
Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) - leaving
After more than two decades on our screens, Peter Barlow star Chris Gascoyne is set to leave the cobbles later this year.
It is understood that he will be taking an extended break from life in Weatherfield but the door has been left open for his return.
He will be appearing in Corrie until the end of the year before departing at an undetermined date.
Earlier this year, Chris was cast in a stage production of Peter Pan as Captain Hook, a role he will be playing at the Alban Arena during the Christmas and New Year period.
On-screen, tension is building up for Peter as he became involved in Stephen Reid's serial killer storyline by selling off one of Rufus Donahue's belongings following his murder.
But, as mentioned above, things are coming to a head for Peter as he killed Stephen Reid.
The Weatherfield legend was arrested on suspicion of murder but will it really be his downfall?
A soap regular since 2016 after several on-off stints, Chris Gascoyne was cast in a stage production of Peter Pan as Captain Hook earlier this year.
He's due on stage at The Alban Arena over the Christmas and New Year period.
Crystal Hyde (Erin Austen) - returned
Ryan Connor got a huge surprise as Crystal Hyde returned to Corrie.
Actress Erin Austen was last seen in the Street in early 2023, following Ryan's acid attack.
Crystal made her debut in the show in March, 2023, flirting with Ryan and promising him a new job opportunity as a DJ in Ibiza.
But when she learned he had been badly disfigured during his acid attack, she wiped her hands clean of him and left the cobbles.
Daisy Midgeley was in charge of letting Ryan know what had happened but, as fans will remember, she impersonated Crystal to cheer him up.
Crystal was last heard of when Ryan found out she was comatose after a horrific accident, prompting him to realise he had been catfished.
Since then, Ryan forgave Daisy Midgeley and the pair allowed their romantic feelings to take over as they dragged each other to bed, despite her engagement to Daniel Osbourne.
Unfortunately for Daisy, Ryan could be moving on with Crystal as she decides to give him another chance.
Recent spoilers have confirmed that Crystal will consider leaving the cobbles again and she's ready to take Ryan along for the ride.
But will he follow her out of Weatherfield?
Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) - leaving
Paul will be killed off later this year after the character is diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
MND is a fatal, rapidly progressing disease that affects the brain and spinal cord, attacking the nerves that control movement so muscles no longer work, often impacting the patient's senses such as sight, sound and feeling.
The soap is working closely the MND Association on this storyline and will explore the impact of the diagnosis on Paul and his loved ones as his condition progresses.
Actor Peter Ash said: "Paul is completely blindsided by the diagnosis and he decides to keep it from his family and friends as he tries to come to terms with the news.
"I knew very little about MND before embarking on the storyline and I am hugely grateful to the MND Association for all their help and support.
"For any actor playing a role which examines a real life issue or condition there comes a huge sense of responsibility and we are aware that some people watching this storyline are experiencing it in reality, it is their life.
"Awareness and education are really important. I have learned so much even in the short time I have been involved in this storyline. We hope Paul’s journey can make people more aware of the symptoms and what it is like for someone to live with MND."
Courtney Vance (Stephanie Davis) - left
After a failed relationship with Summer Spellman, Aadi Alahan met the seductive Courtney Vance, the wife of successful entrepreneur Darren Vance.
While Darren was introduced as a new business partner for his father Dev, Courtney quickly became a new love interest for the lad.
Stephanie Davis took on the role in mid-July 2023 and arrived in the cobbles alongside Ryan Early, who portrayed Darren.
Her on-screen alter ego embarked on an affair with the seventeen-year-old, leaving viewers with their jaws dropped.
Once they were exposed, Courtney and Darren were headed for divorce and she moved in with Aadi.
However, the youngster was unable to provide for her and Courtney had to give up on the luxurious lifestyle she'd been accustomed to with Darren.
Aadi was heartbroken when Darren showed up to his home to grab Courtney's things and announced that she would be going back to him.
As The Sun revealed, the maneater was set to make her exit from Weatherfield after a short stint with bosses feeling like her storyline is complete.
Stephanie Davis revealed her huge and unexpected career move but the door has been left open for her to return to the cobbles.
Mason Radcliffe (Luca Toolan) - joined
Dylan Wilson has made a controversial friend in the Street as part of a bullying storyline.
Luca Toolan joined Coronation Street in September, 2023, taking on the role of Mason Radcliffe, and was introduced to viewers as Ruby Dobbs' bully.
After tormenting her alone, he recruited several others to help him bully her more.
In more recent scenes of the show, Mason caught the attention of Dylan and Liam Connor when the three of them skipped school together.
When he pressured them to smoke from a vape pen, Dylan felt sick but Liam had a severe asthma attack.
Mason ran off, leaving Dylan to call an ambulance for his pal.
Since then, Mason and his gang have been targeting Liam Connor with viewers predicting a tragic twist in the lad's bullying storyline.
Mason's bad behaviour is set to continue but what other sort of havoc will he wreak throughout the cobbles?
Bobby (Jack Carroll) - joining
Britain's Got Talent star Jack Carroll will be joining the program in upcoming months as the estranged son of Rob Donovan, Bobby.
According to Corrie boss Iain MacLeod, the new character will be at the core of some drama-packed scenes in Corrie as he will show up out of the blue shortly after Christmas.
Bobby's father Rob is serving a life sentence in prison for the murder of popular resident Tina McIntyre.
The new character was described as "a livewire chip off the old block, with the gift of the gab and an eye for the ladies."
But what will he have in store for Carla?
Damon Hay (Ciarán Griffiths) - returning
Introduced as Harvey Gaskell's brother in late 2022, Ciarán Griffiths aka stirred up trouble as soon as he arrived in the cobbles.
He ruffled many feathers and chased his own estranged son Jacob Hay out of Weatherfield after a dodgy deal gone wrong.
In early 2023, Damon took things to another level when he began an affair with Sarah Platt.
When her husband Adam Barlow found out, Damon feared for his life and escaped the cobbles as the solicitor recruited another criminal called Niall to help him get rid of Damon.
During his time away, Sarah Platt found out she was pregnant with Damon's baby but it all ended in devastation when she miscarried.
Iain MacLeod revealed that Damon would be returning to Weatherfield - what fresh trouble will he bring?
Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor) - returning
As if one villain wasn't enough, soap bosses have also lined-up an explosive comeback for Harvey Gaskell.
The gangster tormented many Weatherfield residents, including Leanne Battersby, whom he tried to murder.
Regular viewers will recall that Harvey accidentally killed off Sam Blakeman's mother and he was eventually thrown in prison for his crimes.
In recent Corrie scenes, Harvey received letters from Sam who was looking for answers for his mother's death.
Harvey was last seen as he handed a whopping amount of money to a struggling Nick Tilsley, unbeknownst to anybody in Coronation Street.
Nick was hopeful that, due to Harvey being in prison, their agreement would remain under wraps.
However, actor Will Mellor will be reprising his role as the treacherous Harvey Gaskell, meaning trouble is definitely ahead for Nick but also his other half, Leanne Battersby.
Dean Turnbull (Anthony Crank) - returning
Anthony Crank joined the Corrie line-up in early March, 2022, as Abi Webster's old friend and dealer, Dean Turnbull.
Abi spiralled out of control following her separation from Kevin Webster and Dean supplied her with drugs.
But she got her act back together following the surprise birth of her son Alfie.
Dean reappeared in the cobbles in the late summer of 2023 when Cassandra Plummer came back herself to Weatherfield with her mother Evelyn, after trying to get clean.
An explosive altercation broke out as Dean confronted Cassie over her dues to him and Michael Bailey intervened.
But viewers haven't seen the last of Dean Turnbull.
A source recently told The Sun: "The cobbles are going to be rocked by the return of nasty drug dealer Dean Turnbull."
"He's terrorised Abi Webster and Cassie Plummer before now and he's back to his old tricks.
"Fans will see him team up with another returning villain as he's wrapped up in Damon Hay's comeback and his war against his brother Harvey."
Tommy Orpington (Matt Milburn) - returning
Fans will undoubtedly be shocked to see Matt Milburn come back to Coronation Street as former Weatherfield County FC footballer Tommy Orpington.
When he first appeared in the cobbles, Tommy sought the help of Michelle Connor to organise his wedding.
His successful football career was halted after an accident in the Street and he was struck off from work for six months.
Tommy retired from playing in June, 2021, thus allowing James Bailey to be promoted to the number 9 in his place.
Soap bosses have decided to bring Tommy back as he's set to be involved in a new romance storyline with an established female character.
Who will it be?
Linda Hancock (Jacqueline Leonard) - returning
Joseph Brown will be reunited with his grandmother Linda in upcoming weeks.
Actress Jacqueline Leonard, who took on the role of Linda Hancock for the first time in 2015, will make a full-time return to the show as Joseph struggles.
But could she take him away from his father Chesney Brown?
"Joseph’s issues, which are on screen as we speak, culminate in him falling behind slightly at school", Iain MacLeod explained.
"Then Joseph’s fairy godmother turns up in the shape of Linda, his grandmother."
"She, as is her want, rides in and decides that she’s going to try and fix all this and starts throwing money at the situation, which puts Chesney and Gemma in this impossible quandary which is they feel that by accepting financial help from Linda, they’re seeding control of Joseph’s life a bit."
Conflict is definitely on the horizon as Chesney and Gemma Winter, Joseph's stepmother, will find it hard to see Linda throw her money around to help.
"They feel instinctively, ‘This our son and we should be making these decisions and it doesn’t feel right that Linda is wading in with her chequebook and saving the day.’ "
"But on the other side of it, they have to prioritise what’s right for Joseph, who is actually having a hard time and could do with the support. It’s a lot of fun in places, but we were trying to tell a very realistic story about family dynamics."
How will it play out?
Sarge Bailey (Ram John Holder) - joined
The Bailey family are set for turmoil as Ed's financial struggles continue.
But could one member of the large family bring some form of relief?
Former Desmond star Ram John Holder has been added to the show's line-up and he is due to be another prominent character in the cobbles.
The 89-year-old finally rocked up the cobbles as Sarge Bailey, who is none other than Ed and Ronnie's father.
"Ram has already been filming his scenes in Weatherfield, though viewers won’t get to see them for some months", the source claimed.
"It’s a substantial role for him to have been cast in, though it will come as second nature [as] he’s a seasoned star of multiple dramas - including soaps."
What will Sarge do once he gets to the Street?
Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins) - returning
The mother of Daisy Midgeley is making her way back to the cobbles albeit for a rather short stint.
Actress Amy was spotted leaving the soap’s Manchester based studios last month.
Soap insiders confirmed to The Sun that she IS returning - but just for one episode. "Amy's really popular in the cast so everyone was pleased to have her back.
"She'll be popping in and out of the soap occasionally."
Amy, who is the aunt of TV star Emily Atack, first strutted onto the Cobbles back in January to attend Daisy's wedding to Daniel Osbourne.
Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) - returning
While her on-screen mother Sarah Platt is recovering from her shocking miscarriage, Bethany Platt has been confirmed to return to Weatherfield in upcoming months.
Actress Lucy Fallon will reprise her role after three years of absence and left the show when her character moved away to London for a new career opportunity.
Her exit left a grieving Daniel Osbourne heartbroken but he has since moved on with Rovers barmaid Daisy Midgeley.
Bethany is said to be returning to the cobbles this winter with a source telling The Sun: "Bosses reached out to her a few weeks ago about the possibility of coming back, and told her everything they’d planned for Bethany if she agreed."
"She discussed it with her boyfriend, and family, because she’s a mum now with a baby."
"Once they’d talked about childcare, and how best to juggle it all, she was able to say she’d love to return."
What will it mean for Daniel and Daisy?
Lucy Fallon herself teased trouble ahead for the couple while speaking to The Sun in September.
"I'm interested to see what they'll do with Daniel, Daisy and Bethany. It's going to be exciting", she said.
What drama will she cause?
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Ange (Nicole Barber-Lane) - joining
Former Hollyoaks mainstay Nicole Barber-Lane is taking a trip over to the cobbles when she joins the soap later this month.
Nicole confirmed the news that she had landed a role on the ITV soap opera on Instagram.
Sharing two snaps of her on the famous Weatherfield set, she looked all ready to make her 'cameo' on the show.
Having previously teased fans about her latest TV venture, Nicole wrote online: "So if you guessed @coronationstreet you were right! Such a pleasure to do a little cameo.....[look] out for Ange in last week in September......"
But Nicole's role is expected to be a little bit more than a cameo in her role as Ange.
She will appear on the show for a slew of episodes in the final week of September as a rival cab owner to Steve McDondald.
It is thought that Ange is aiming to strike a deal with Kevin's garage, Webster's Auto's, which could prove for a sticky situation for the Weatherfield pals.
Nicole rose to fame on the Channel 4 rival in the role of Myra McQueen.
Myra first debuted in 2006 before sticking around on and off for 13 years.
Cassandra Plummer (Claire Sweeney) - joined
Evelyn Plummer (portrayed by Maureen Lipman) claimed her daughter Cassandra, aka Cassie, was dead.
But how will she explain her arrival in the cobbles to her grandson Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall)?
Brookside star Claire Sweeney joined the line-up as the mechanic's long-lost mother.
Speaking of her arrival, the actress said: "Even though I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed an amazingly varied career for nearly 40 years – being cast in Coronation Street is, to me, better than being cast in a Hollywood movie!"
"I’ve watched it all my life and can’t quite believe that I’ll now be stepping onto those famous cobbles myself."
"I was really nervous when I got the scripts to audition as this show means so much to me and my family and this is Corrie gold, I was beyond thrilled and very grateful when I got the call that Iain MacLeod is trusting me to play Tyrone’s Mum and work alongside one of my heroes, Dame Maureen Lipman."
Although Claire Sweeney and Maureen Lipman temporarily left the show, the pair are due to return according to recent spoilers.
Cassie will also be telling Tyrone she's his mother.
How will he react?
Fiz Dobbs (Jennie McAlpine) - returning
The year 2022 ended on a high note for Underworld machinist Fiz Stape as she FINALLY tied the knot with on-off flame Tyrone Dobbs.
But soap legend Jennie McAlpine had some great news of her own off-screen.
The actress recently announced she was expecting her third child with her husband Chris Farr.
"Alan [Halsall aka Tyrone Dobbs] was the first person I told", she told OK! Magazine.
"I was thinking, 'I might not be feeling brilliant and if you bring any butter near me I might feel sick'. We've been busy, so he's really looked after me – and the bosses."
"They all know and they're all really happy. We might have to start hiding Fiz behind a washing basket again!"
As of January, 2023, the Fiz star was six months pregnant and she left the cobbles in May, 2023.
Serial killer Stephen Reid sent the beloved machinist away to take the helm in Norwich but she will keep in touch with her family during her absence.
It is unknown how long Jennie will be stayibng away from the show but her on-screen alter ego is said to be working away from Weatherfield for six months.
This would mean Jennie McAlpine could potentially reprise her role at the end of this year.
Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce) - left
Corrie's latest resident serial killer will be bowing out of the ITV soap on Friday, October 13, 2023, in explosive scenes.
The businessman returned to Weatherfield last year as his mother Audrey Roberts struggled with her mental health in a devastating attempted suicide storyline.
But his devious quickly became clear as he grew increasingly desperate for extra cash.
In his quest for riches, Stephen claimed the lives of Leo and his father Teddy Thompkins.
He made a third victim in early 2023 when he killed Rufus Donahue.
As if murder wasn't enough, Stephen also committed a string of financial crimes and drugged Carla Connor with LSD, throwing her in a downward spiral and making her believe she was no longer fit to take charge of the Underworld factory.
Stephen then became engaged to Elaine Jones and Tim Metcalfe realised he was intending to scam her out of her money... and even kill her off.
In most recent scenes of the Manchester-based program, Stephen finally managed to get Jenny Connor's attention after growing secretly obsessed with her and the pair have been seen all loved-up.
But with Leo's body being found, Stephen's downfall is clearly well underway.
The serial killer's reign of terror is due to come to a brutal end with a live Q&A event in October, 2023, as mentioned above.
Fans can get their tickets to watch it all live at a "Coronation Street Experience" on ITV's website.
Todd Boyce celebrated his upcoming departure with his Corrie co-stars on September 13, 2023, with a leaving do at the Dockyard Pub in Manchester.
Stephen tried to flee the cobbles to go to Thailand but he realised his passport was missing when trying to book a ticket at the airport.
The criminal rushed back to Weatherfield to retrieve the document and confront his main suspect - Jenny Connor.
By this time, his secrets had been rapidly unfolding which led him to threaten Jenny's life and hold her hostage.
However, Peter Barlow saved the day and fatally mowed Stephen down with his cab.
Coronation Street airs every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8pm on ITV.