Coronation Street's Joel 'not really dead' as true identity of body in river 'exposed'

Coronation Street's Joel Deering is alive, fans have speculated, as they believe they've figured out the identity of the discovered corpse.

The villainous lawyer Joel (played by Calum Lill) vanished from the cobbles after his horrific crimes were exposed. Viewers will remember that Joel has a past of grooming and exploiting young women - including Lauren Bolton (portrayed by Cait Fitton), who he impregnated and then attempted to murder their unborn child, Frankie.

Despite being arrested last month, he was released on bail, with Joel seemingly escaping from Weatherfield. However, when his abandoned car was discovered, the police deduced that he had committed suicide.

But in a dramatic turn of events this week on the soap, it was unveiled that Joel was dead and had been murdered, igniting a thrilling whodunnit on the cobbles. In Monday's episode (October 14), three lads noticed a body floating on a riverbank. Corrupt policeman Kit (Jacob Roberts) later informed DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) that the body was Joel's, reports the Liverpool Echo.

The information was swiftly relayed to Joel's former partner, Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown), and previous victim, Lauren. Kit subsequently revealed to Lauren that the post-mortem showed that Joel was already dead before he ended up in the river, leading them to launch a murder investigation as he interrogated the young woman.

Soap fans have been left gobsmacked with the possibility of a colossal twist on the horizon, fervently debating that Joel might indeed still be drawing breath. Theorising wildly in online discussions, convinced viewers are certain they've pinpointed who the cadaver really isthe talk of the town on a Coronation Street Facebook fan page suggests Joel may harbour an unknown twin.

One such follower speculated: "How about a twin who he kills to stop people looking for him so he can kidnap Frankie, a thought." while others chimed in with similar hunches, pondering: "Funnily enough that thought passed my mind when people suggested he might not be dead. Would be a twist and explain DNA matching."

Adding fuel to the speculative fire, another viewer questioned Kit's honesty upon his encounter with the deceased: "Either that or Kit identified the body saying it was him but it isn't." Support for the twin theory swirled, as more piled on: "Wouldn't be surprised if he had a twin," and "Could Joel be a twin."

In another corner of cyberspace, a commenter on platform X boldly declared: "Kit is covering up. The body isn't Joel. He's falsified the ID paperwork. All part of a much bigger crime ring involving young girls. They've helped Joel escape. Bet he comes back at Christmas to steal Lauren's baby."

The guessing game didn't stop there; other armchair detectives were convinced they'd singled out the 'true' identity of the lifeless individual. Sharing their inklings, these fans posited that it could belong to Mason Radcliffe's (portrayed by Luca Toolan) sibling Logan (brought to life by Harry Lowbridge).

One sceptic shared their theory, remarking: "I don't think the body is Joel. I have a feeling it's Mason's brother. Kit is working for Joel, I don't trust Kit he is a bent copper. He's up to something," only to find agreement among the crowd, with another chiming in: "Same here."

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX