Coronation Street boss Iain MacLeod has revealed to the Mirror that a fan favourite will be killed off in the next few months which will send ripple effects down the cobbles
18:01, 16 Sep 2025Updated 18:05, 16 Sep 2025
Coronation Street legend to be axed by bosses after ‘dramatic twists’
A Coronation Street favourite is set for a brutal exit, the soap’s boss has teased. Speaking ahead of the ITV show’s 65th anniversary in December, Iain MacLeod hinted a big character is set for the chop as the show plans a series of huge episodes to mark the milestone.
Promising “shocking twists”, Iain said fans will be shocked with what he has in store. “The soap gods demand a sacrifice when you have an event of this kind,” Iain, executive producer for continuing drama at ITV, shared. “It’s going to be shocking. There will be lots of trauma, lots of drama, lots of twists.”
Teasing the drama will surround characters we’ve come to know and love, Iain said he’s not scared to be ruthless. “Sometimes the biggest and best exits are for characters that you care the most about.
Corrie boss Iain has hinted at some huge changes in the coming months(Image: Getty Images)
“There’s always that equation where you think, ‘If they were to go, the viewers will really care, but what damage will it do to the landscape of the show in terms of the ability to tell stories?
“It’s a big responsibility so we do agonise about it quite a lot and argue about it. Our story conferences are fiery places at times and this period of the show is no different.”
Corrie will mark its 65th anniversary in December. There have been few details revealed about what the soap has planned to mark to momentous occasion but what we can expect is drama.
Iain said that conferences at Corrie can be ‘fiery’ (Image: PA)
And some much-loved character will return. “There will be a few familiar faces coming back,” teased Iain. A huge episode for 2026 which will see the worlds of Corrie and Emmerdale come together in a momentous celebration of our soaps.
“All of it is feeding into this crossover episode we are doing in January,” explained Iain. “It’s going to get bigger and bigger. Things will peak in a big way.”
The show’s biggest names are set to take centre stage late this year. Corrie legends Bill Roache, Michael Le Vell and Sally Dynevor all recently signed new year-long contracts earlier this year to remain on the ITV soap and are expected to play a role in the big scenes.
Coronation Street actress Natalie Anderson, who plays Danielle Silverton on the ITV soap, has responded to a new romance twist involving newcomer Noah on the show
Coronation Street actress Natalie Anderson, who plays Danielle Silverton on the ITV soap, has responded to a new romance twist involving newcomer Noah(Image: ITV)
One Coronation Street star has reacted to a new twist involving two characters, which comes as a shock to some residents.
Spoilers for next weeks episodes of the ITV soap revealed that sinister character Noah strikes up a romance with Danielle Silverton in upcoming scenes. The romance is exposed next week to Danielle’s ex Theo Silverton, who shares a sad past with Noah.
Noah was revealed to have been involved when Theo was forced into conversion therapy years earlier. Theo, who only recently began to accept his sexuality and started a relationship with Todd Grimshaw, has struggled with the trauma of his past.
Things have turned nasty with wife Danielle who was heartbroken when Theo revealed he was leaving her for Todd, with their children also meddling to stop this from happening. So when Theo finds out Noah and Danielle are now an item, he does not take it very well.
One Coronation Street star has reacted to a new twist involving two characters(Image: ITV)
But is the relationship real, and does Noah have a sinister plan for Danielle amid his history with Theo and now his drama with Todd? Is Danielle using Noah to hurt Theo knowing what went down?
Speaking about the big twist and what’s ahead, Danielle actress Natalie Anderson revealed Noah’s real intentions for her character. She also teased whether Danielle was being genuine, and teased “messy” scenes ahead.
She shared: “Noah is so disappointed in Theo and his choice because he’s so devoutly religious. Noah is angry and thinks if you don’t want to take care of this amazing family, I will. He is stepping up to the plate, looking after Danielle and the children, keeping them in the faith, providing a happy, stable relationship.
“There’s an element of duty from Noah. He’s very cosy and getting his feet under the table. Its for him to keep the family unit together and make sure Danielle and the children are not questioning the faith as well.
“There’s an agenda for Noah to protect this family unit from this awfulness that is happening to her, and be the hero.” As for Danielle’s plans, she went on: “There’s two things happening. One is trying to show Theo what he’s missing with his family life, this is what he’s throwing away.
Spoilers for next weeks episodes of the ITV soap revealed that sinister character Noah strikes up a romance with Danielle Silverton(Image: ITV)
“And there might be an element of her trying to fill the void, Danielle and Theo were married for 19 years, that’s a huge amount of time. I’ve been with my husband 20 years and can’t even imagine him not being around. It’s a little bit of a rebound.”
Natalie added: “While she cares for Noah but is not completely committing wholeheartedly, she is kind of drawing this out a little bit. If there’s an opportunity to be around Theo, she will take it.
“On the one hand she wants to do the right thing by her kids, but the right thing for her would be for their dad to come home and she’s not going to give up on that.”
On what’s ahead, she said: “As you can imagine it does get messier and more heated. We fall into two camps between Danielle and Theo, and the children will be caught in the middle of that. It is difficult, and representative of a lot of families going through messy divorces.
“That’s been amazing to play and its not something I’ve done before, there’s a lot of figuring out what’s next and figuring out what’s best for the children. When it starts to become a legal thing, how nasty does that get?
“It’s one thing trying to sort it out between yourselves, but when it gets to that next level things becomes more weaponised. There are some calculating things coming up, I’m not sure the audience will still be on Danielle’s side after that!”
Warning: This article discusses spoilers for the twisty new horror film “Barbarian.” If you haven’t seen it yet, check out our nonspoilery review here and more with the cast and director here.
That one-word title looms large over “Barbarian,” one of the most delightfully twisted horror films of 2022, in which a woman named Tess (Georgina Campbell) stumbles into a nightmare when she finds her rental house already occupied by a stranger.
It’s a roller-coaster horror ride filled with suspense, scares, surprising laughs and some of the most delicious cinematic twists since last year’s “Malignant.”
What Tess discovers in the basement leads her into a labyrinth of unimaginable horrors — some closer than you might think. But who’s the real monster in filmmaker Zach Cregger’s Airbnb-of-horrors solo feature debut?
Bill Skarsgard stars in “Barbarian.”
(20th Century Studios)
The nice guy and the meet-cute from hell
At first, signs point to said handsome stranger, Keith (“It” star Bill Skarsgard, also an executive producer, cannily playing off his Pennywise persona), who turns up the charm to get Tess to lower her guard and spend the night, else brave the storm outside. After a few nice gestures and good conversation, she ignores her instincts and says yes — even as Cregger’s script and Skarsgard’s delivery create a sizzling ambiguity around Keith’s motivations.
“My only note to Bill [Skarsgard] was, ‘Don’t lean into creepy. Lean into nice,’” Cregger said. “The nicer you are and the more disarming and friendly and appealing and nonthreatening that you behave, the more the audience is going to be convinced that you’re bad.”
Inspired in part by security expert Gavin de Becker’s book “The Gift of Fear,” “Barbarian” conjures a minefield of misogynist red flags for its heroine to navigate even before she crosses paths with shouting local Andre (Jaymes Butler), sitcom actor AJ (Justin Long) and a violent tunnel dweller known as the Mother (played expressively by Matthew Patrick Davis).
“[Keith] insists on bringing her luggage in, he makes her tea that she said she didn’t want, he says, ‘Pretty name,’” said Cregger. “These are not appropriate things to be doing in this situation. But he’s not aware of it, because he thinks he’s being nice.”
Is there something more sinister about Keith that Tess can’t see? Does it have anything to do with the doors that open and close in the middle of the night? The question hangs in the air as Tess makes a series of chilling discoveries in the basement, where a hidden door leads to a shadowy hallway and a secret room where very bad things have clearly occurred.
Beyond lies yet another door leading to the subterranean lair of the film’s apparent titular monster — the volatile Mother.
A creepy basement, or bonus square footage? Hidden rooms lead to unexpected terrors in “Barbarian.”
(20th Century Studios)
The mother under the stairs
“She was described as being 7 feet tall, naked, her face looking like it was the product of inbreeding, and having an impossible strength,” said Davis, the 6-foot-8-inch actor and musician behind the most surprising character in “Barbarian.” He was cast after a Zoom audition in which he stripped to his underwear and mimicked biting the head off a rat with a pickle he found in his fridge.
“I was very aware that this could be funny in the right way or the wrong way,” Davis said of his “Barbarian” performance. “When you’re in it, you have no idea how it’s going to be perceived. You’re aware that it’s a big swing and that it is bonkers and that, you know, you’re sitting there naked in Bulgaria with boobs taped to your chest. Are people going to buy this?”
Before filming began last summer, he received advice from legendary creature performer Doug Jones, including the fine line between physical expression and nonverbal overacting and another handy pro tip: Get prescription creature contacts made, else risk biting it while chasing your co-stars through those dark tunnels.
You’re sitting there naked in Bulgaria with boobs taped to your chest. Are people going to buy this?
— “Barbarian” star Matthew Patrick Davis
But Mother’s backstory is also the film’s most tragic. To inform her emotional state, Davis studied profiles of feral children and adults, diving deep into “a dark, disturbing YouTube rabbit hole” of research. As he sat in a chair for three hours getting into prosthetics and makeup each day, he watched the videos to prepare.
“It opened me up to the reality of the lives of people that have been deeply abused, raised in cages, raised like animals, kept in the dark and never spoken to in their formative years,” he said. “It allowed me to have empathy for this character. This is not just a scary character for scariness’ sake. If you’ve seen the movie, you know that she’s a victim.”
“I think that she’s the most empathetic character in the movie. She has never had a chance,” echoes Cregger, who also credits Davis with inspiring him to write certain gestures into Mother’s well-worn maternity VHS tape, which come full circle in the film’s bittersweet final scene. “And Matthew plays it with such tenderness.”
The sins of the father
After introducing Mother, the textbook horror movie monster we expect, Cregger challenges us throughout the film to reconsider who the actual barbarian of the story is. First seen in a Reagan-era flashback, Frank (Richard Brake, who starred recently in Amazon’s “Bingo Hell” and killed Bruce Wayne’s parents in “Batman Begins”) is her inverse — an average suburban family man on the outside and a true monster within.
Borrowing from serial killer films “Angst” (1983) and “Elephant” (both Gus Van Sant’s 2003 feature and the 1983 Alan Clark short of the same name), Cregger builds unease as the camera follows Frank to the store, where he stocks up on a suspicious grocery list, and as he stalks a young woman to her home.
It is revealed that he has kidnapped, raped and impregnated several women in the secret chambers beneath his house without repercussions for decades, and that Mother is the daughter of another of his victims, born into miserable captivity.
But it’s telling that it’s not Tess who learns Frank’s horrible truth in the film. Instead, it’s AJ (Long, playing deftly against type) whoruns from Mother to a section of the tunnels where even she dares not follow.
Justin Long stars as AJ, the owner of the rental house, in “Barbarian.”
(20th Century Studios)
Enter the Hollywood actor
Introduced cruising carefree down Pacific Coast Highway singing along to Donovan’s “Riki Tiki Tavi,” the narcissistic Hollywood star has recently stepped into his own version of a nightmare: an accusation of sexual assault that threatens to unravel his successful career.
“Because I’m an actor, and I know the world of actors very well, I was writing from an amalgam of people in my life,” Cregger said of conceiving the character of AJ. “I was trying to think of, ‘What’s this guy’s horror movie?’ Before he gets into the real horror movie — what’s the horror movie that he thinks he’s in? The collapse of your career and reputation due to your own bad behavior. This guy thinks his world is ending.”
AJ, who at first appears to be a ridiculous comedic figure, is revealed to be arguably the scariest character in the film. In Detroit to liquidate his rental home to cover his impending legal fees, he is the embodiment of male privilege and casual misogyny, his puffed-up bravado masking an inherent cowardice and refusal to take accountability for his actions. (Although not explicitly addressed in the film, Cregger says he deliberately wrote the men of “Barbarian” to be white males.)
When AJ discovers the ailing Frank and judges him by his brutal crimes, the audience is invited to wonder: Just how different is he from the monster staring back at him?
Frank, at least, seems to know he can’t escape what he’s done. AJ’s brief moment of clarity reverts to gaslighting self-preservation as he commits one final heinous act, attempting to hide his true nature behind a well-practiced nice guy veneer — a quality Long borrowed from watching men deliver empty apologies on “The Bachelorette.”
“There’s a glimmer of accountability,” said Long, “and I just love that Zach refuses to take the conventional way out.”
As for Tess, it’s her innate sense of empathy — the one that repeatedly sends her toward danger to help others, at her own peril — that helps her understand Mother before she sets them both free. “She’s someone that is used to traumatic situations and is able to understand how to survive in this situation,” said Campbell. “By the end of the film, I feel like she gets her own agency and is able to get out of the pattern she found herself in again and again and again.”
Emmerdale favourites James Hooton and Karen Blick, who play Sam and Lydia Dingle on the ITV soap, told The Mirror their hopes for future plots amid recent exits
18:30, 05 Jun 2025Updated 18:39, 05 Jun 2025
One Emmerdale favourite confessed his fears about being axed from the ITV soap(Image: ITV)
One Emmerdale favourite confessed his fears about being axed from the ITV soap after more than two decades in the role.
The star confessed he hoped to stay on the show for years to come, grateful for his job in the Dales. Sam Dingle actor James Hooton admitted his only hope for the coming weeks and months is to “not be axed”, with his co-star Karen Blick adding she too hoped to go nowhere.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror at the British Soap Awards 2025, James and co-star Karen teased what was ahead and spoke about the soap’s big twists. They also gave us their verdict on the big Nate Robinson murder twist, killer John and the return of Robert Sugden.
But with characters having left the show in recent months, with some cast members axed and others quitting the soap, the Lydia and Sam stars revealed they were going nowhere if it’s their choice. They told us how they hoped to stay in their roles and “not be axed”, following departures including Leyla Harding, Suzy Merton, Amy Wyatt, Amelia Spencer and Nate.
We asked James what he was hoping for coming up on the show, to which he replied: “To not get axed!” Karen then added: “That we are still there, that’ll be lovely.
Emmerdale favourites James Hooton and Karen Blick, who play Sam and Lydia Dingle on the ITV soap(Image: Mike Marsland/WireImage)
“It’s a great job. I love working together [with James], it’s an absolute joy to be in the Dingles, it’s a great family. There’s no joy better than being in The Woolpack with all the Dingles or being in the village on a lovely sunny day. It’s joyous.”
James added: “Even in the winter, you still have a good laugh.” Karen responded: “It’s a joy of a job.” Karen is also hoping for more scenes between Lydia and Kim Tate, after they created a friendship onscreen and offscreen.
She said: “I love them together, and I love working with Claire King. She’s fantastic and I’ve learned so much from her. We have a cup of tea and we put the world to rights. She’s a soap icon and it’s a pleasure to work with her.”
With there being so many soap twists recently, from murder and returns to exits and storyline bombshells, the pair hinted to us that there could be more big moments on the way. Karen said: “There is always a twist, there’s always something which is what keeps you guessing.
James and co-star Karen teased what was ahead and spoke about the soap’s big twists(Image: ITV)
“It keeps you viewing because you want to know what’s round the corner and what’s the next thing. The crossover sounds so exciting, I’d love to be involved. Me and James said that.”
James shared of his hopes: “Sam and Lydia in Roy’s Rolls,” to which Karen said: “I’d love that, and maybe a scene with Mary. Lydia and Mary having a lovely conversation.” James went on: “Wouldn’t it be nice but we have no power, so can you make it happen?”
We also discussed Robert’s return and the possible Robron reunion, with Karen referencing John Sugden being married to Aaron Dingle and saying: “It’s tricky, it’s not straightforward.”
As for Nate’s killer, the pair joked it could be an animal behind it just like when rapist Craig was murdered by a horse, Ice. Karen said: “Maybe a horse did it, or a cow,” with James joking: “What if it was a stray wombat over from Australia.”
EastEnders actress Kitty Castledine has teased what’s ahead for Penny Branning, with her co-star Jacqueline Jossa hinting at a love triangle with Harry Mitchell
There could be a big love triangle on EastEnders, with one star teasing things could get awkward for Penny Branning.
The actress playing her, Kitty Castledine, has confessed huge storylines are on the way, hinting the soap was about to get “better and better”. With that, her co-star Jacqueline Jossa hinted Kitty’s character Penny would be caught up in a love triangle.
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror at the British Soap Awards, Kitty addressed whether Penny and Harry Mitchell would give romance another go. But amid another character possibly also getting involved, it seems a triangle is on the cards.
As we asked Kitty and Jacqueline about the Penny and Harry romance, both appeared to confirm the storyline would be revisited. It’s then that Jacqueline told us: “I can sense a little triangle coming. I say no more.”
Pressed for who the other character was who might be involved with Harry, both stars declined to reveal all. But when asked if romance could be on the cards, Kitty told us: “It’s EastEnders so probably!”
There could be a big love triangle on EastEnders, with one star teasing things could get awkward(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
We also got Kitty’s take on Nicola Mitchell amid her villainous ways. But the actress isn’t put off from having Penny go head-to-head in scenes with Harry’s mother, after recent drama in Walford.
In fact, Kitty confessed that while it might not be the best idea for Penny to dabble with the Mitchells, she thinks conflict between the women would be “great”. Jacqueline confessed she’d love to see Penny in with the family, battling with Nicola over Harry – while it wouldn’t exactly end well given what happened to Harry’s ex Shireen.
Kitty told us of wanting to work more with Nicola actress Laura Doddington: “Scenes with Nicola could be great. The thing is, they butt heads because they are quite similar. They’ve got similar attitudes.”
Ready for the action, Jacqueline added: “I think we would want to see it. I’d wanna see it.” As for what’s coming up on the BBC soap as a new Executive Producer takes over, Kitty teased there would good things to come.
Kitty addressed whether Penny and Harry Mitchell would give romance another go(Image: BBC/Jack Barnes/Kieron McCarron)
She shared: “The show is in a good place, and it is only going to get better from here.” Jacqueline also teased big returns on the way amid rumours that Max and Oscar Branning will be back.
Jacqueline told us: “I’ve heard some rumbles. I heard Kate Oates’ source say maybe there are gonna be some returns and for me that excites me, whoever it is.” While she did not give away who was coming back, she seemed to give away it’s more than one character.
The actress also hinted there were massive plots on the way, teasing where the show will be at in six months time. She teased: “I’m a massive fan of the show. I am so excited for [what’s happening], cut to 6 months time, where the show will be [in six months time]. It excites me. You don’t know but we know, it’s very exciting.”
