Coronation Street's villainous character Joel Deering, portrayed by Calum Lill, recently vanished from the scene, leading to police speculation of a possible suicide.
However, Monday night brought a shocking revelation as it was confirmed that Joel had been murdered, igniting a thrilling murder mystery on the cobbles.
In the latest episode, PC Craig Tinker, played by Colson Smith, and Kit Green, played by Jacob Roberts, scrutinised CCTV footage from a train station car park, spotting Joel and his father Gus near a locker. Later, Kit interrogated Gus, demanding answers about his missing son's location, where he confessed to hiding money with plans to lease a property away from Weatherfield following the exposure of his crimes.
The plot took a chilling turn when three boys discovered a body floating on a riverbank. Craig subsequently informed Kit and DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) that they had located Joel's body.
The grim news was swiftly relayed to Joel's former partner, Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown), and previous victim, Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton), reports the Liverpool Echo.
Kit later revealed to Lauren that the post-mortem indicated Joel was already dead before entering the river, shifting their focus to a murder investigation as he questioned the young woman. Concurrently, Dee-Dee informed her father, Ed, and Uncle Ronnie about Joel's murder, causing the suspicious pair to become instantly anxious.
Taking to Twitter, now X, viewers were quick to come up with wild theories as some soap watchers insisted that Joel isn't really dead and will return in an explosive twist.
One person said: "Nah it’s not Joel he will be back at Christmas. It’s probably Mason's brother killed by Mason that’s found wrongly ID as Joel #Corrie", a different account put: "The body is not Joel #corrie", another wrote: "Joel won’t be dead. Not a dramatic enough exit. #corrie" while a different account added: "So Tinks we know it's Joel with no formal identification? #Corrie." (sic)
Elsewhere, a different soap watcher speculated: "Betcha Joel isn't actually dead #corrie", a different account put: "Meh, im still not convinced he is dead. It is corrie after all", another wrote: "Probably isn't even Joel. Someone else's body with his ID on it. He was in water after all, wouldn't have been recognisable. How they even get an ID so fast #Corrie" while a different account added: "#Corrie I reckon that's not Joel's body. Mistaken identity!" (sic)
Coronation Street continues on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on both ITV and ITV X.
