Coronation Street horror as string of stars face axe and boss warns fans of 'shockwaves'
Coronation Street producer Kate Brooks has revealed that fans of the soap should expect some more familiar faces to leave the cobbles, following the departure of Helen Worth’s character Gail on Christmas Day. While Kate has not said who will face the chop, she has said there will be “shockwaves” for viewers.
"There are a few exits this year, and some unexpected ones that will send shockwaves. People might not expect the exits, but there are a few," Kate told The Sun. However, Kate also added that there would be returns for some characters and also new additions to the cast.
Villain Rob Donovan is set to return, with actor Marc Baylis already filming scenes for the soap. Rob was last seen in prison, but Kate says: "He made mistakes. He comes back to the show and we think he might be a reformed character who has seen the error of his ways, but whether that’s the case or not, I don’t know! He definitely comes back and causes a lot of trouble for Carla and Lisa.”
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She promises “lots of twists and turns” to their storyline, and also a new face that will nonetheless be familiar to longstanding Corrie fans. Carl Webster, the brother of Kevin and Debbie, has been mentioned but never seen before, and he will arrive to add to the Webster clan just as brother Kevin battles testicular cancer.
There will also be a new family moving into Weatherfield, as well as a devastating house fire to come in the next few months.
Meanwhile, fans are divided over how Gail Platt finally left Coronation Street on Christmas Day. With actress Helen Worth announcing her departure earlier this year after 50 years on the soap, there had been much speculation about how her character would be written out. In the end, she got a happy ending, tying the knot with Jesse Chadwick (John Thomson), who becomes her sixth husband. It was actually Gail’s seventh wedding, for those who are counting, as she married first husband Brian Tilsley twice.
After a terrifying dream where her deceased serial killer ex-husband Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) tried to sabotage her wedding, Gail realised she wanted nothing more than to become Mrs Chadwick and start afresh in France, so the couple married and left the street for a final time. Some fans loved the sweet ending, with one writing: "Watched todays episode of #Corrie and you will need tissues as its Gail's final episode. Helen Worth has been incredible to watch as Gail Platt,” while another added: "A brilliant Christmas episode of #Corrie tonight."
Not everyone was thrilled with her exit storyline, however. One disgruntled fan took to X, formerly Twitter, to vent: "@itvcorrie pretty poor show today," adding, "Felt like Gail was a background character in her own exit storyline. Pairing her off with that a gormless extra she shared no chemistry with was a disgrace to a character of 50 years #corrie."
Another viewer wrote: "They've messed up this Gail exit storyline so bad...Helen Worth is "worth" so much more after 50 years... #corrie @itvcorrie." A third chimed in with: "Watching Gail's last episode of Corrie and it was a joke minus Richard Hillmans cameo. It was the equivalent of leaving a Job and them not bothering getting you a gift. Surely it needs revamped? #Coronationstreet #Corrie."
