Coronation Street's Joel Deering to 'target next victim' in sinister twist
Coronation Street's Joel Deering, portrayed by Calum Lill, seems to have his sights set on a new target in Weatherfield, and it's not Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon).
Last month, fans were left fuming when they discovered that the lawyer was the one who harmed missing teenager Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton).
However, the locals of Weatherfield are under the impression that the returning villain Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper) is to blame after he was taken into custody. Meanwhile, Joel remains unnoticed and appears to have identified his next teenage victim.
Official teasers for the ITV soap reveal that DS Swain's (Vicky Myers) daughter Betsy begins her work experience at the Underworld factory. Carla Connor (Alison King) and Fiz Dobbs (Jennie McAlpine) are quickly impressed with her abilities.
Carla later finds Betsy texting and takes away her phone, but who could be the mystery person on the other end?, reports the Express.
At present, Joel is engaged to fellow lawyer Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown), who is oblivious to his wicked side. However, Hope Stape (Isabella Flanagan) might be the only one able to connect Joel to Lauren.
After cleaning his car, Hope found a red necklace under his seat, which she decided to return to him. As she hurriedly walked away, Joel appeared rattled as he recalled what he had done to Lauren.
In a flashback scene, viewers saw Joel restraining Lauren in her flat and assaulting her with furniture.
Coronation Street enthusiasts are on the edge of their seats as they speculate that Joel could be holding Lauren hostage, given her body hasn't been found yet. The plot thickens with Joel now dangerously involving the daughter of the detective who led Lauren's case.
Calum Lill, who portrays Joel, spilled the beans on his character's precarious situation: "I think he's trying to work out how many loose ends there could be and how to deal with them.
"He knows the ins and outs of the legal system but is aware that any small slip-up could lead to his downfall. Obviously as a defence solicitor, he knows how to play the game and knows that there is reasonable doubt and that he needs to cancel out anything that could be tied down to him."
As Joel's anxiety mounts, so does the risk of making a fatal mistake.
Calum added, "You can see that in him getting more and more anxious that the slightest thing could bring his world crumbling down around him, you know, even just the fact that he slept with Lauren."
This alone could destroy his career and relationship, not to mention the murder charges. "That's a breach of trust alone and will be enough to end his career and relationship plus murder on top of that, his life would be over you know."
Joel's life hangs in the balance as he juggles his job, fiancee, and liberty.
"Everything that he values in his life, his job, his fiance, his freedom? So the stakes couldn't be higher. But when he panics, the more chance there is of something going wrong."
Coronation Street continues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV from 8pm
