Next week on Coronation Street, Brody wants answers from Kit and Bernie, there’s a surprise return at Julie’s wake, and will Carla accept Lisa’s proposal?

1) Brody confronts Kit

As the street struggles to come to terms with the shocking events of last week, which saw long-term resident Craig (Colson Smith) lose his life in a brutal attack carried out by Mick (Joe Layton), Kit (Jacob Roberts) is left grappling with his own role in the tragedy and the secrets that were revealed.

Mick’s violent spiral was triggered by the revelation that his former best mate, Kit, could be the biological father of his son, Brody (Ryan Mulvey).

The uncertainty over Brody’s parentage is the result of a brief fling between Kit and Mick’s then-girlfriend Lou (Farrel Hegarty) while Mick was behind bars in his late teens.

Having been heavily drinking, Mick took his frustrations out on Craig by attacking him with a baseball bat.

Craig later succumbed to his injuries in hospital, whilst Lou was taken to A&E by Tim (Joe Duttine) after Mick had left her with a head wound during their earlier altercation.

Consumed by anger, Mick took Kit’s mother Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove) hostage in a twisted attempt to lure Kit into a final showdown.

Still bitter over Kit letting him take the fall for the teenage incident that derailed his military ambitions, the truth about Brody had pushed him over the edge. Kit was going to pay.

Although Mick briefly got the upper hand on Kit as they fought it out, the police arrived in the nick of time, allowing Kit to place Mick under arrest for Craig’s death.

Mick’s attempt to give himself an alibi, stating that he was with Brody all afternoon, was soon quashed when Lisa (Vicky Myers) revealed that Brody had actually been in a police cell all day for being drunk and disorderly.

Next week, Brody is left trying to deal with the fallout of his dad’s arrest, and tenses up as he listens to a message from him.

When Kit later returns to his Redbank flat, he’s shocked to find Brody smashing it up. Brody states that Mick has claimed he is innocent, and is being set up by Kit and the rest of the police.

“Obviously, he’s got all this hate towards Kit because, in Brody’s eyes, he sees him as the reason his family is falling apart after arresting his dad,” Ryan Mulvey recently told EverySoap and other press. “So he sees him as the villain in his story.”

“He 100% looks up to Mick — he’s his superhero. He loves him so much. His dad taught him how to be what he thinks a man is, growing up. He believes his dad wouldn’t kill someone.”

“But deep down, he also has this horrible feeling,” Ryan continues. “Even though his dad has great sides—he’s charismatic, strong, the head of the family—Brody’s also had a rough time with him.

“He was bullied by him as a kid, and told that anything soft or emotional wasn’t masculine. That’s why Brody is the way he is. He’s hard and doesn’t like letting people in.”

Kit calmly lays out the facts—the evidence paints a different picture, and Mick’s history of violence speaks for itself. Mick had even been holding the baseball bat with Craig’s blood still on it when he was arrested.

But Brody doesn’t take it well. In a flash of anger, he launches at Kit, slamming him into the wall.

As Sarah (Tina O’Brien) and Bernie arrive at Redbank, Brody bolts out of the building, his face hidden beneath a hoodie. But what will they find when they get inside?

2) Bernie stands up for Brody

Later in the week, Kit is fuming when Lisa tells him that Brody has been given an alibi for the break-in, by none other than Bernie!

Kit confronts Bernie and warns her that she’s left him in an impossible position. Either he has to tell Lisa that he was mistaken, or charge Bernie with perverting the course of justice.

Bernie speaks up for her newfound grandson by reminding Kit that Brody is family, leading Kit having to reveal to Sarah that he suspects Brody is his son.

Kit offers Brody a deal—he’ll drop the burglary charge if Brody agrees to stay on the straight and narrow. He doesn’t want to see him end up like Mick. But will Brody accept?

Later, Brody confronts Bernie, wanting to know why she stuck up for him. The last time the two encountered each other, Bernie had just caught Brody stealing from the corner shop, so it’s understandable that he’s confused as to why Bernie would provide him with an alibi.

Will Bernie reveal the truth about their family link?

“I think it would absolutely blow his mind,” Ryan states. “It’s great because of the complete differences between Mick and Kit, their jobs or the figures they are in society. He’s got so much hatred towards Kit because he’s seen him as the catalyst for why his family’s falling apart.”

“He’s not had the greatest relationship with his dad, or what a dad and son’s relationship should be.

“So Brody would think ‘Why on earth would I ever let myself open again to another father figure, when the person who is my father didn’t even show me that?’”

3) Lou deals with the fallout

Meanwhile, Lou and daughters Joanie (Savanna Pennington) and Shanice (Molly Kilduff) have sought refuge with Tim and Sally (Sally Dynevor) following Mick’s arrest. But the judgement that Lou feared quickly comes around when Maria (Samia Longchambon) sacks her from the salon.

Coming across Gary (Mikey North), Lou tells him that she’s sorry he got a beating from Mick, but admits it wasn’t exactly out of character—she’s been on the receiving end more times than she can count.

Gary, caught off guard by her honesty, ends up buying her a drink, feeling sorry for what she’s been through.

But when Maria then comes into the Rovers and finds the two in conversation, how will she react?

Over at the prison, we see that Mick has received a taste of his own medicine, as he lies on the floor of his cell, badly beaten.

On Friday, Kit tells Sarah that it’s Mick’s day in court and that he’s sure a guilty plea is on the cards. Visiting her husband, Lou is taken aback by the state Mick’s in—battered and bruised.

Mick wastes no time pointing the finger at Kit, claiming he orchestrated the assault and warned things would only get worse if he didn’t admit to the charges and plead guilty.

Later, Lou returns from court and tells Brody that his dad entered a not guilty plea. Brody’s over the moon—but Lou can’t bring herself to reveal that Mick will have a price to pay…

4) Accusations overshadow Julie’s farewell

Elsewhere, emotions are running high in the Grimshaw household as final preparations are made for Julie’s (Katy Cavanagh-Jupe) funeral.

Eileen (Sue Cleaver) found herself under a cloud of suspicion after Julie’s partner Brian (Peter Gunn) discovered an empty packet of her prescription painkillers in Julie’s belongings, raising uncomfortable questions about whether she played a role in her sister’s passing.

Things only got worse when George (Tony Maudsley) attempted to carry out the embalming before an autopsy could be completed, a move that not only hinted at his own doubts but also raised red flags with the police.

Next week, Eileen hears confirmation that the drugs found in Julie’s system were indeed the painkillers that were prescribed to herself, and not Julie.

As she relays the news to George and Brian, Brian makes an offhand comment that hits a nerve, prompting Eileen to ban him from the funeral altogether.

George finds himself stuck in the middle, unsure how to help Eileen and increasingly out of his depth.

As the mourners gather on Friday, Eileen passes Brian a letter from Julie. After reading its contents, Brian challenges Eileen over Julie’s life insurance policy—one that names her as the sole beneficiary and has never been mentioned.

Eileen insists she only learned of it after Julie’s passing. But when Tracy (Kate Ford) throws around accusations of foul play, suggesting Eileen had a hand in Julie’s death for financial gain, Eileen loses it.

In the fallout, she lashes out at George, blaming him for the chaos overshadowing her sister’s final goodbye.

5) A surprise guest interrupts George’s big moment

A short time later, the group takes part in one of Julie’s games—sharing their dreams. When George reveals that his dream is to marry Eileen, she’s taken completely by surprise.

Realising that George is serious, Eileen struggles to answer. But before she can respond, a familiar face enters the pub…

“The rover returns,” he states, and Eileen is shocked to realise that it’s her eldest son, Jason (Ryan Thomas)!

Eileen is ecstatic to welcome Jason home, leaving George’s question awkwardly hanging in the air as he awaits a response.

Ryan Thomas’s return to the show after nine years has been widely publicised, having been convinced to return by Sue Cleaver in the run-up to her departure.

“It was a mix of nostalgia and gratitude for what the show has done for me,” Ryan said of his return “When they told me Eileen was leaving, it felt right to be a part of that storyline for her and revisit where it all started.”

Having announced his retirement from acting in 2021, Ryan admits he was nervous to step back on set.

“It was a bit of a shock to the system at first. I even went on YouTube to rewatch old scenes and got nervous,” he explains. “But it became the norm again very quickly. Everything about the script made it easy for me.”

“There are the little golden nuggets of mother and son, you know, the flirty banter he has with the ladies and the fact that the friendship he has with Steve McDonald is still there. And of course he and his brother winding each other up.”

But with Jason having spent nearly a decade in Thailand, what has brought him back to the considerably less tropical climes of Weatherfield?

“He’s struggling for money, his girlfriend left him, and he needs his mum,” Ryan laughs. “He says he’s come back for Eileen, but he really needs a cuddle and his safety net.”

“Jason is still that happy-go-lucky, lovable guy,” Ryan continues. “He makes it up as he goes along, has a loving heart, and is all about family. And he certainly hasn’t changed when it comes to women, straight away he is taking someone back home with him and getting himself into hot water with his brother!”

6) Ronnie takes a shady job

Meanwhile, Debbie (Sue Devaney) is rattled when ex-fiancé Ronnie (Vinta Morgan) introduces her to Fiona, an old flame. He insists he and Fiona are now just mates, but Debbie’s clearly not buying it as she pretends she couldn’t care less.

When her phone rings, Debbie seizes the moment, letting Ronnie believe she’s seeing someone new.

Carl (Jonathan Howard) later warns Ronnie to stay away, claiming Debbie wants nothing more to do with him and has banned him from the hotel.

Tempers flare as the two men face off.

Later in the week, Fiona lines up a concerning job for Ronnie—offloading a stolen car. He meets with a potential buyer and launches into his slick sales routine. But when the man mentions he’s recently lost his wife, Ronnie falters. His conscience kicking in, Ronnie backs out, leaving the buyer confused.

Later, as Ronnie calls Fiona and pretends the buyer walked away, the passenger door swings open—and Carl climbs in, demanding an explanation.

7) What’s Carl up to?

Later, Abi’s (Sally Carman-Duttine) not impressed when she finds out Kevin (Michael Le Vell) has hired Carl at the garage.

When the pair are eventually out of the way and Carl is alone, he makes a call to Fiona and quietly takes delivery of a dodgy car.

It’s clear that Carl has ulterior motives in taking a job at his brother’s garage… but what has he got planned?

8) Will Carla say yes?

Also next week, after a long weekend of anticipation, Swarla fans will finally get to see how Carla (Alison King) responds to Lisa’s shock proposal.

After a harrowing day at work following Craig’s death, Lisa broke down in Carla’s arms as she returned home.

Later, reflecting on how people always assume there’s more time than there really is, Lisa turned to Carla in a sudden, heartfelt moment as she decided to live for the moment.

“Marry me,” she said to a stunned Carla.

As we return to the scene, Carla cannot help but wonder whether Lisa really meant what she said, perhaps wondering whether she was speaking in the heat of the moment following her traumatic day.

Will Lisa stand by her proposal? And if so, what will Carla’s answer be…?

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