There are plenty of goodbyes coming to Coronation Street, with odious Joel Deering (Calum Lill) first on the chopping block.
A whodunit is triggered when the fallen lawyer’s body is discovered and police quickly established that he has been murdered. And some people are looking awfully shifty.
And it’s actually Debbie Webster (Sue Devaney) who finds alarm bells ringing when she learns someone close to her is lying.
Another upcoming exit is that of Stu Carpenter (Bill Fellows), with Corrie confirming his final storyline as he makes an announcement to Yasmeen Nazir (Shelley King).
And the most prominent of all is that of Gail Platt (Helen Worth). With her family shocked to see a For Sale sign go up, David (Jack P Shepherd) is worried about what his mum is getting herself into.
Also worried is his sister Sarah (Tina O’Brien) now that Damon’s money has gone missing…
Monday October 14
Craig and Kit study CCTV from a train station car park and see Joel and then his dad around a locker. Kit interviews Gus and demands some answers.
On a riverbank, three lads spot a body floating in the water. Craig approaches Lisa and Kit and announces that they’ve found Joel’s body. Kit steels himself to break the news to Dee Dee and Lauren at the hospital. Lisa breaks the news to people in the Rovers.
A murder investigation is now underway (Picture: ITV)
Kit calls back at the hospital and tells Lauren that the post mortem revealed that Joel was dead before he entered the river so they’re now looking at a murder investigation.
Kit questions Lauren about where she was on the night of Joel’s death, the 27th September. Dee-Dee tells Ed and Ronnie that Joel was murdered.
Daniel explains to Sarah how Bethany has got it into her head that he won’t want to be with her now she has a stoma bag. When Jenny reveals that Bethany dumped Daniel, Daisy sets off to the hospital, determined to put Bethany straight.
Stu is angry with Yasmeen when Mason reveals the special worker has found him somewhere to live. Stu tells Yasmeen he is thinking of moving to Germany to be with Eliza and Dom.
At No.9, Fiz tells Tyrone that Hope’s too poorly to return to school and she’s taking the day off to look after her. Tyrone reckons Hope’s brought it on herself by vaping. Dr Gaddas confirms that Hope has a chest infection and her vaping will certainly have played a part.
Sarah accuses Adam of stealing Damon’s money from the lock-up. Adam assures her he had nothing to do with it, nor did Daniel and the most likely suspect is Damon’s cousin who went to check on it.
In the Bistro, Nick tells David that the police called and Rowan is pleading not guilty to blackmail and fraud so it will have to go to trial. When Sam sees Nick flirting with a customer he interferes and tells the customer Nick is engaged.
At No.8, Jesse tells David how he’s rented a flat in Oakhill but is expecting a financial windfall.
Wednesday October 16
Kit reveals to Lisa that Joel died from two blows to the head, inflicted by a heavy weapon, most likely a crowbar. Lisa is shocked to discover from Yasmeen that she threw Mason out because he had a crowbar.
Betsy is intrigued when her mum tells her to stay away from Mason. Betsy warns Mason that the police are onto him. Behind the factory, Mason disposes of the crowbar in a bin but is caught in the act by Kit. Dee-Dee explains to Ronnie that the police believe Joel was attacked with a crowbar.
Sam prepares a romantic meal at the flat to try and get Leanne and Nick back together but disaster strikes when he uses a sharp knife to try and open some oysters. Sam calls on Asha at No.7 and shows her a gash he’s made in his hand.
Asha takes a woozy Sam to hospital to have stitches. How will Nick and Leanne react when they discover his plans to get them together have resulted in him being injured?
While examining his finances to work out how to buy No.8, David’s guarded as Jesse offers to lend a hand and reveals he’s taking Gail on a trip to Whitby. As Sarah and David reckon he’s acting strangely, the conversation is cut by the arrival of an estate agent putting up a For Sale sign.
When Adam lets slip that Jesse may have overheard him and Daniel discussing Damon’s hidden loot, Sarah becomes adamant that Jesse took it and asks David to help her prove it.
Gemma tells Chesney she doesn’t want Joseph to go on the school skiing trip. Realising she fears for his safety after losing Paul, Chesney reassures her.
A troubled Joseph tells Chesney he doesn’t want to go and cause her stress. At the hospital, a doctor informs Lauren and Max that Frankie’s doing well enough to be discharged next month.
Bobby promises Lauren that he and Max will be around to help her with Frankie. Bobby admits to Max that his feelings for Lauren are unchanged and he longs to be with her.
Friday October 18
Ronnie rumbles Debbie’s plan for a surprise party to mark his 55th birthday. But his good mood falters when Kit and a colleague arrive to question him and Ed.
Ronnie insists he was home alone the night Joel went missing, while Ed claims he was at No.3 with Dee-Dee and Michael. Ronnie explains he last used the sat-nav when he and Michael helped Joel move out of his flat ages ago. At the party Michael reveals they actually drove to Joel’s flat in his car that time, Debbie realises Ronnie lied to her.
Declaring he wants to get to know Gail’s kids, Jesse treats David, Sarah and Nick to lunch in the Rovers. After being quizzed on his finances and revealing he’s expecting cash from the sale of his marital home, David advises Sarah to forget about Damon’s missing money.
When Jesse hurries out of the pub, Sarah follows him to Victoria Gardens.
Leanne tells Toyah that both of them should move out of the flat to help Nick and Sam. She tells Toyah she has rented the salon flat but Toyah should find her own place.
Encountering Lauren at the bar, Nick asks how she found sleeping on the sofa at No.8 the other week. Bobby finds Max and Lauren in the Rovers, Max makes a swift exit, and Bobby queries why they’ve been acting so shifty.
When Lauren also beats a hasty retreat, Bobby. Jenny suggests to Chesney that Gemma might like to come back to work but Chesney firmly insists that it’s too soon.
