Coronation Street winter 2023 preview and spoilers

So, what is on Coronation Street's agenda as we edge closer to 2024?

Read on as we delve into the executive producer's chat with RadioTimes.com and other press.

Coronation Street Winter preview 2023/2024

Peter and Carla reach a crossroads

Now that Peter has been cleared of any wrongdoing in Stephen's death, the question remains: just how will Peter depart? Well, although he'll be haunted by his actions, you can rest assured that he won't be relapsing.

"We were very clear when we started this chapter of the story that we didn't want him to fall off the wagon again, so you won't see that. We thought it was important that he, as a transplant recipient, didn't drink again, because we were worried about the messaging around that.

"But that does not mean that he won't profoundly struggle psychologically with his demons."

Sadly, Peter will have to be torn from wife Carla (Alison King) somehow. But, promises MacLeod, fans can look forward to some special scenes between the couple first.

"It all builds up to this really, I think, incredibly surprising Christmas Day episode, and then there's a huge two-hander between the two of them [on Boxing Day].

"[It's] a kind of greatest hits compilation for those of you that have been big fans of Peter and Carla since the start, that picks over every single detail of who they are, what they've been as a couple, what they want for their futures, what happiness looks like for them.
"And as we know, it's building towards an exit for Peter, which is really brilliant and bittersweet and feels like Corrie at its very best."

Newcomer Bobby turns Aunt Carla's life upside down

Carla won't have time to recover after Peter is gone, as her nephew Bobby arrives to cause chaos!

Shedding more light on the newcomer, MacLeod tells us: "He's Rob Donovan's son that Carla didn't know existed, and here he is suddenly causing all kinds of trouble for Carla with immediate effect, and basically what we wanted from the character and from Jack was a kind of gobby little troublemaker with a heart of gold.

"I think there's a really brilliant synergy between the performer and the character, and he's going to be a massive ball of energy for us and loads of fun, and just tip Carla's life upside down in lots of very interesting ways.

"And as a kind of slightly more long range tease, he's going to end up, surprisingly, in the centre of probably our biggest story next year as well, which I can't say too much about now..."

Daniel's dark side returns amid affair reveal

"I honestly don't know who I'm rooting for, in a really good way, I think," admits MacLeod when asked about this love triangle.

"I've got very divided loyalties. But suffice to say obviously it ends up in a right pickle, and Daisy's feelings for Ryan can't go undiscovered by Daniel forever. There's lots of really tense sequences where Daniel's starting to put the pieces together.

"We see a slight revisiting of some of Daniel's darkness - not quite to the extent of him pushing anyone down the stairs this time.

"But actually, Daniel, what we do know about him is that when pushed into an emotional corner, there's a switch that goes. He is capable of doing some fairly underhand and fairly classically dark things. So we'll see flashes of that as the story unfolds, and some excellent soapy manipulations on his part to try and distance Ryan from Daisy as quickly and as far apart as possible. But in the end, it all comes crashing down."
In the aftermath, Daisy is left wondering if she really wants Ryan. But then a fourth party emerges...

Bethany is back as Daisy's new rival

Lucy Fallon's beloved character is about to find herself involved in Daniel's romantic mess, promises MacLeod.

"In the middle of this really volatile cocktail arrives Bethany, who's obviously got lots of history with Daniel, and that very much sharpens Daisy's focus in terms of how she feels about Daniel. Suddenly this guy that she may have been starting to move away from - possibly by force of will - suddenly there's a romantic threat on the cards.

"That recalibrates how [Daisy] feels about the whole enterprise, and it's a really brilliant, classic soap story, I think.

"[Bethany is] a slightly different proposition now from when we last saw her, which is to say there's been a number of years that have elapsed, she's grown up quite a lot, she's had the beginnings of a successful journalism career in London, and she turns back up and [is] instantly very much a foe for Daisy, but they're very evenly matched now.

"Bethany might once have seemed slightly like a younger woman or a girl. She's very much more a woman now, more on Daisy's level.

"And actually, much like Bobby, Jack Carroll's character, she will also find herself in the centre of this huge story that we've got next year. It's really exciting stuff and the performances in this character group are just off the charts."

Bernie risks missing Paul's last Christmas

As Paul Foreman's (Peter Ash) journey with Motor Neurone Disease continues towards a heartbreaking conclusion, MacLeod reveals that Paul's mum Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) will risk missing her son's last Christmas.

"The catastrophe arises from Bernie and her historical involvement with Shelly's slightly dubious online scamming, and it puts her in a massive amount of legal hot water - to the extent that there's every likelihood that she's not going to be present for what will be Paul's last Christmas.

"So it's kind of classic Winter-Brown schemes and scamming, and Bernie's very much being Bernie through it all. But it's overlayed with this really poignant knowledge - they don't talk about it a lot because, again, in reality you might not, because it's too heartbreaking to consider.

"But it's overlayed with this tragic last Christmas for Paul, and the possibility that the family might not actually get to be together for this one last festive moment."

"The challenge with the storyline we're doing with Paul is, obviously there's this inevitable, medical progression," he adds.

"We're taking great care to show that in as much detail as we can, but you always need story to have on top of that. So we're always very keen to keep that family busy so that the medical story's always going on, but they, like we all have to do when we're ill, have to contend with catastrophes that have nothing to do with the illness at all.

"Also, there's a really fascinating exploration of their history, as well. So, what we've tried to do is make it bittersweet and realistic as far as we could, and a kind of fitting, funny, but fairly poignant last Christmas for Paul, with that fantastic family at the centre of it all."

For information and support on all aspects of motor neurone disease, visit the MND Association's website or call the charity on 0808 802 6262.

Linda divides Chesney and Gemma over Joseph

Jacqueline Leonard is back as Linda Hancock, just as her grandson Joseph Brown (William Flanagan) is set to go through a tough time. But Linda's decision to take over causes problems within the family.

"Joseph's issues culminate in him falling behind slightly at school, and then Joseph's Fairy Godmother turns up in the shape of Linda, his grandmother. And 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 like by accepting financial help from Linda, they're kind of ceding control of Joseph's life a bit.

"But on the other side of it, they have to prioritise what's right for Joseph, who is actually having a hard time at the moment and probably could do with the support.

"It's going to be a long-runner for us, and I suppose the tease that I might give you is that we are taking the very original story played with Ken Barlow as our inspiration. So inspiration from this dates right back to 1960 in terms of what happens next, and it's all catalysed by Linda's arrival."

Inspired by vintage Ken (William Roache)? We can't wait to see where this leads...

Adam and Harvey join forces against Damon

Damon Hay (Ciarán Griffiths) will indeed be back in the new year after a long screen absence, and he's missed a lot where lover Sarah Barlow (Tina O'Brien) is concerned.

But despite her marriage to Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) being over, there will be fireworks when he gets involved.

"[Damon] comes back with a kind of two-pronged plan. The first of them is that he wants to get revenge on Adam, and the second is that he wants Sarah back, because he feels like she's the one, and he will essentially have to contend with the fact that these two plans might not be compatible.

"Like, can he have his revenge and also have Sarah? The answer might well be no, so which one is he going to choose?

"Damon's revenge may start to take a backseat to his feelings for Sarah. But just in case you thought that that was going to be smooth running from now or plain sailing from there, Adam can't stand the idea that this guy's back and has got designs on Sarah.
"He decides in his mind that to protect Sarah, he might want rid of Damon, so as Damon's calming down, Adam's going in the other direction, and his plans to rid himself of Damon will see him pay a little visit to Damon's half-brother Harvey, because he's no fan of Damon's either - and they might form this unholy alliance..."

Another Bailey arrives as Ed takes desperate action

The casting of Ed (Trevor Michael Georges) and Ronnie Bailey's (Vinta Morgan) father Sarge was announced earlier this year, and he'll be played by Ram John Holder. Sarge is set to be the key to Ed's foray into gambling, MacLeod tells us.

"Ed's gambling so far is something that's existed in backstory, but we thought, actually, there's a huge unexplored storyline there for us, and Ed's gambling was it. But the addition of the dad was an effort to try and contextualise a bit about what's made Ed what he is.

"He's also a massive dose of good fun across the episodes where he arrives, because he's a kind of incorrigible, cheeky, banter-filled pain in the neck, depending on your perspective. Him and Ronnie are two peas in a pod, whereas the same behaviour rubs Ed up the wrong way, and we'll start to understand why that might have driven Ed in this direction."

Ed will soon make a decision that changes everything, the producer reveals. "Ed's problems are spiralling and mounting, and it culminates in him hitting rock bottom shortly before Christmas. In an effort to keep the wolves from the door, he's forced to do something extremely upsetting, let's say, for him, and commit what he would see as a really awful betrayal.

"Ed will feel like he's let himself down in the worst conceivable way. I think, from a viewer point of view, they'll find it very sad. This is a desperate man. Obviously, inevitably, it stays a secret for [some] time, but then there's an explosive storyline that deals with the family discovering what it is that he's done."

Tommy Orpington finds romance

Fans of Weatherfield County football legend Tommy can rejoice, as Matt Milburn is back playing the character for a big new story. And there's romance ahead for Tommy and one mystery lady...

"He, since leaving football, has made some bad business investments, and not the least of which was opening a Tommy Orpington themed gourmet burger restaurant, which has been established on-screen," teases MacLeod.

"Anyway, they've all gone belly up, his wife has left him, and he's now had to return to the trade he had when he was a non-league footballer, which is painter and decorator. And you'd think given all that he'd be quite miserable, but he's not at all.

"He's very accepting of his lot - [he] actually finds the act of painting or decorating quite zen, because no one's telling him what to do. So he's in a good place when we find him, but as I noted before, he's now single, and there will be one of our female characters that needs some decorating done, not a euphemism!

"So, yes, there's basically a story that evolves where this attractive, successful historically, man arrives into one of our female character's lives and upsets the apple cart in fairly spectacular fashion, shall we say."

Danger for Evelyn and Cassie

This mother and daughter will find themselves embroiled in another dramatic story, and they end up in serious danger!

"It ends up, actually, in quite serious territory," hints MacLeod. "But to start with, Evelyn makes herself a bit of an enemy in the shape of a fella that she sees mistreating his dog. It goes from there to a situation that ends up with court appearances and trips to the hospital, and really quite serious danger for both Evelyn and Cassie.

"We thought it's an opportunity to do a couple of things. Number one: see Maureen being strident and brilliant and kicking behinds and taking names, but also a chance to explore more of her relationship with Cassie. So it's an opportunity to explore their dynamic as they find themselves on the same team for the most part in this story.

"Cassie, as is her preference, takes things too far, which causes some serious strife for Evelyn, so that threatens to set their relationship back again. But by the end of it all, they've achieved a new kind of level of equilibrium, a new understanding of each other, and to some extent, got to know each other as grown-ups for the first time."

Amy's drastic measures lead her to Aadi

As she come to terms with her rape ordeal at the hands of Aaron Sandford (James Craven), Amy Barlow (Elle Mulvaney) will find herself taking action in the interest of justice, MacLeod reveals.

"Essentially, we wanted to keep the sense bubbling along that Amy, despite outward appearances, is profoundly affected by what happened, as she will be for the rest of her life.

"So she will find herself driven to some fairly extreme lengths, in what she sees as an attempt to right some wrongs, and she feels like she's acting in an entirely justified way, but it will fall to one of her friends to basically pull her back from the brink before she criminalises herself, essentially, in pursuit of what she believes to be a just outcome."

Along the way, Amy is set to explore her feelings for pal Aadi Alahan (Adam Hussain). "This really, really long range love story that we're hoping to tell with [Amy and Aadi] is just going to really engage the audience.

"This really big, dramatic sequence with the two of them, that I think is on screen in November, is a huge staging post in fostering this ongoing closeness with them and throwing them into the midst of a crisis, and they have to collaborate to escape from the crisis.

"They come out the other side with a totally different assessment of their feelings for each other. It's very emotionally complex, it's very dramatic, stomach-churningly totally realistic, I think, troublingly very close to events that can and do happen in the real world."
If you have been affected by the topics raised in Amy's story, you can find help and support by visiting The Schools Consent Project and Rape Crisis, and by calling Rape Crisis's 23/7 support line on 0808 500 2222.

Underhanded tactics reopens The Rovers

Someone will restore order on the cobbles by reviving our beloved Rovers Return - but they may come to regret the way they go about it!

"The tease would be: We don't want it shut for that long, thanks, because it's almost a character in its own right, the Rovers. So closing has felt almost like a death, I think, almost as big of a deal for me, really, as any of the people that might have met their sticky end at the hands of Stephen Reid. The idea that the pub's boarded up was horrifying, and even walking up the lot and seeing that, it's like a dagger to the heart.

"So, it's not going to stay closed for that long. In fact, it reopens on New Year's Eve, I think. But the interesting thing about it is that the circumstances of it becoming open again are all tied up with Stephen's legacy. And somebody will do something that is, at best, naughty, at worst slightly criminal, to get their hands on the keys to the pub and reopen it.

"So it will reopen, but it'll be kind of based on this slightly shaky foundation of a criminal act, shall we say. So, I suppose the viewers will be left wondering, well, okay, so the pub's open, but what disaster will befall the person that's allowed that to happen? Because it's all based on this misdeed that they've committed towards the end of the year..."

A brief encounter for Todd

If you've been hoping to see more of Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce), there's an intriguing, albeit brief, chance of romance for him.

"There's a dalliance, shall we say, but it arrives at quite a poor time, and the person with whom he has the connection is probably not ideal, in terms of the situation, that Todd meets them in.

"But at this time, [it's] only a little test drive of his relationship with this person, it's not very long-running, but we thought if we like what we see, it might come onto long-running later on.

"The other thing to say about Todd is, I love his dynamic with George, I just think that double act is absolutely fantastic, and I'm also loving his uncharacteristically compassionate role in the Paul story.

"Historically, Todd's incredibly selfish, but I've loved seeing a slightly more compassionate, selfless side to him in the Paul story. I think Todd's got so many ingredients in his life at the moment that a long-running love story might get in the way slightly. So yes, there's a short term little fling with some unfortunate consequences for a few people involved. And then longer term, we'll see."

Coronation Street airs weeknights on ITV. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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