There’s a massive shock for the residents of Coronation Street as show boss Kate Brooks has confirmed the return of murderer Rob Donovan, with Marc Baylis reprising the role for an extended stint in 2025.
The character, who was incarcerated after killing Tina McIntyre in 2014, will return to the life of half-sister Carla Connor (Alison King), throwing her whole world – and her cosy new relationship with Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) – into chaos.
As the new year gets underway, Carla will be hoping for a bit of a quieter time following a turbulent year and then a hospitalisation with sepsis.
But Corrie bosses have other ideas! Confirming in the same breath that Carla and Lisa’s relationship will be a prominent focus of the year ahead, producer Kate Brooks warned that Rob will throw the cat amongst the pigeons.
And not just for this pair either – we also know that he is the father of Bobby Crawford (Jack Carroll), which will leave a lot to unpack too!
Kate also told Metro that Lisa’s daughter Betsy (Sydney Martin) would also have a significant role to play, but was more coy over what exactly brings Rob back – and whether he is as reformed as he wants us all to think.
‘There are other familiar faces coming back in 2025 which I will not disclose, but a few people will be returning to the street to cause their own forms of chaos!’ she assured us.
‘First up is Rob. We last left Rob languishing in prison. He made mistakes. He comes back to the show and we think he might be a reformed character who has seen the error of his ways, but whether that’s the case or not, I don’t know!
‘He definitely comes back and causes a lot of trouble for Carla and Lisa. Just when Carla and Lisa think it’s safe to sit down and watch Netflix together, Rob Donovan comes along and scuppers all of that.
‘So, it’s a big story for them and a big story for Rob with lots of twists and turns. It’s a big story for Betsy as well, who is fabulous and will be right at the centre of that.’
Explaining the inspiration behind revisiting the storyline, she enthused: ‘I love Rob and Carla. I love tapping into their history together, and we really explore that through this story. There are so many twists and turns along the way, it’s really exciting. It’s going to be eventful for Carla and Lisa…
‘It’s not just a couple of episodes – it’s a good chunk.’
She added: ‘What I like about this story in particular is that Carla and Lisa are finally together and united, everyone knows about them and they’re moving on with their lives, and then this drops on them, and they’re like, “How did that happen? Are we not meant to be relaxing and enjoying being with each other?”
‘So, it’s a real test for their relationship in the early stages, but a good test!’
So, while it seems like it will be quite the challenge, the signs point to them being more united than divided, and coming out of it all stronger – which should be hopeful news to the many Swarla fans out there.
It seems that Kate has been ruffling things up a fair bit since commencing her tenure – particularly with cast changes, which will include the eventual departure of Sue Devaney’s Debbie Webster, as previously revealed by Metro.
‘There are a few exits this year, and some unexpected ones that will send shockwaves,’ Kate teased. ‘People might not expect the exits, but there are a few!’
So we’ve dealt with returns and exits – what about newcomers?
‘We’ve got some great characters coming in! They are Mick and Lou. They’re coming to live at the back of Chesney, on Maudsley Street, across the ginnell. They are livewires, they are ruffians, they are going to cause a lot of damage and a lot of chaos.
‘There is a link to Chesney initially, but they are coming to stir up a lot of trouble, and open up the floodgates and unpack the past of one of our big characters, which is Kit.
‘They are shaking things up. They’re neighbours from hell! I wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of them – especially Mick! They are coming to cause some chaos on the street, and they will leave a trail of devastation…
‘And we’ve got Carl Webster coming into the show, who is Debbie and Kevin’s brother, to build up that Webster clan. We’ve got big stories coming up for Debbie and Kevin. It’s about building that clan up. For me, the Websters, Barlows and Platts are the big clans.’
