Coronation Street fans believe they've cracked the mystery of Mason Radcliffe's elder brother's identity. Mason, portrayed by Luca Toolan, recently made a battered and bruised return to Weatherfield following a prison sentence.
Bill Fellows' character, Stu Carpenter, has since taken the young man under his wing, offering him employment at Speed Daal and a place to live.
The troubled teenager has confided in Stu about his violent home life, revealing that one of his brothers is abusive towards him.
Mason also hinted that one of his brothers is incarcerated, while another was present at his court trial. However, he has yet to reveal the identities of all his siblings.
Yet, Corrie fans believe they have identified his violent brother as Joel Deering, played by Calum Lill.
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Joel, a notorious villain, was behind the disappearance of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) after causing distress to the financially struggling teenager and fathering her newborn child, reports the Liverpool Echo.
The lawyer has kept his son hidden from his fiancee Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown), who is gradually becoming suspicious of Joel's strange behaviour.
In the meantime, Mason has formed a friendship with Betsy (Sydney Martin), the daughter of DS Swain (Vicky Myers). The police officer has been probing into the circumstances surrounding Lauren's abuse and even insisted on a DNA test for her baby.
In a risky move, Betsy has decided to confront Joel, a character known for his violence, in an attempt to extort £1,000 from him. She boldly called him out on his predatory behaviour, even going as far as to label him a "perv" before attempting to blackmail him
Enraged, Joel dragged Betsy into an alley, where he menacingly threatened her. Questions are now being raised by Coronation Street enthusiasts: Could there be a familial link between Joel and Mason?
Is Mason manipulating Betsy to get back at his aggressive sibling? Devoted fans of the soap are abuzz with theories.
On a Facebook fan page dedicated to Coronation Street, one viewer posted: "Mason disclosed that he once lived with his brother and was often bullied."
"He became homeless around the time Joel let Lauren stay in his apartment. Could Joel be Mason's brother?".
Another agreed, saying: "This could be right", while someone else weighed in: "They look alike."
One excited fan expressed their anticipation: "Oohh what a surprise that would be", and another paralleled the sentiment with: "I think so."
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday on ITV1 and ITVX
