Coronation Street airs dark Rob Donovan twist in ITVX release
Warning: major spoilers for Monday 13th January's episode available on ITVX.
*Warning: Contains spoilers for Monday's Coronation Street episode (13th January 2025), currently available to stream on ITVX.*
There was a fresh shock in store alongside Rob Donovan's (Marc Baylis) unexpected return to Coronation Street in the latest instalment of the ITV soap.
With Rob's sister Carla Connor (Alison King) currently in hospital in need of another kidney transplant, his son Bobby Crawford (Jack Carroll) put a plan into action.
Determined to persuade Rob to get tested as a donor, Bobby returned to the prison, while Carla's other nephew, Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott), visited her and tried to boost her spirits ahead of a procedure that would allow her to have dialysis at home.
But while Ryan realised that Bobby had lied to him about his whereabouts, Bobby was back at the prison, where Rob informed him that he had done some soul-searching, and he now wanted to help Carla.
The problem was, Rob knew full well that Carla would not be willing to accept this.
The day took a dramatic turn when fellow prisoner Matty Radcliffe (Harry Lowbridge), jailed after his part in murdering younger brother Mason (Luca Toolan), pulled out a knife and grabbed a prison guard.
Matty threatened her life, angry over his own visitor being a no-show. But when Rob stepped in to calm the situation, Matty redirected his attention towards Bobby.
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Back at the hospital, Carla's partner, DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) found out about the hostage situation, forcing Ryan to reveal that Bobby was likely in danger at the prison.
Rob continued to appeal to Matty that, like him, he can find peace and support through God. As the tense stand-off escalated, Rob pinned Matty against the wall, allowing staff to put a stop to the chaos.
Bobby later told Carla that Rob had saved his life, that his dad had changed and that he was offering up his kidney. Carla refused to believe that Rob was genuine, and certainly didn't want his kidney!
Meanwhile, as Matty headed into isolation, Rob remarked that the lad had put on a great performance earlier, revealing to viewers that the hostage drama had been staged and that Rob was the mastermind. What's his game plan?
Read more:
- 8 Coronation Street characters who should have a huge 2025 – from Jenny Connor to Todd Grimshaw
- Coronation Street airs distressing aftermath of Mason Radcliffe's murder in ITVX edition
- Coronation Street's Luca Toolan on Mason's shock death and importance of knife crime story
- Coronation Street 2025 preview: 12 spoilers for the year ahead
- Coronation Street star confirms she's quit amid spate of exits
- Coronation Street's Colson Smith breaks silence on when he was told about Craig Tinker's axing
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Authors
Laura Denby is a Freelance Soaps writer covering all the latest news in the Dales, Cobbles and East End for Radio Times. She's a soaps nerd with a love for comedy drama, and has also written for Digital Spy, Metro UK and Yahoo UK.