Next week on Coronation Street, Carl and Kevinâs feud reaches a terrifying stand-off, Maria closes in on Gary and Sarah, and is Betsy planning to leave Weatherfield?
Note:Â There will be hour-long episodes of Corrie on Monday and Tuesday, and a half-hour episode on Friday. There are no episodes on Wednesday or Thursday.
1) Nick looks for blame following Samâs ordeal
Nick (Ben Price) is left terrified for Sam (Jude Riordan) next week, after his son was admitted to hospital amid growing fears for his mental health
By the end of last week, Samâs hallucinations had reached their most dangerous point yet.
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For weeks, a version of Roy (David Neilson) in Samâs head had been warning him not to trust anyone, pushing him to see Will (Lucas Hodgson-Wale) as a threat and urging him to take control before Will could hurt him.
Believing his life was in danger, Sam fled from Will in last nightâs episode and locked himself inside the cafĂ©, where he was faced with both the real Roy and the version of Roy that existed only in his mind.
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Unable to separate the two, Sam lashed out at the real Roy and hit him over the head with a stool before running away. He remained missing overnight, leaving Nick terrified as the police searched for him.
When Sam was found by Carla (Alison King) the next day, he was still deeply confused and suspicious of those trying to help him. Nick was forced to lie to Sam in order to get him to Weatherfield General, meeting Toyah (Georgia Taylor) and Leanne (Jane Danson) there tried to reassure Sam that they only wanted to help.
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As Sam was led inside, he begged Nick not to do this, convinced he was going to be locked up.
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As the week begins, Nick waits anxiously for news on Sam and struggles to cope with the scale of whatâs happened. Looking for someone to blame, he turns on Ben (Aaron McCusker) and Eva (Catherine Tyldesley), arguing that the Will and Megan (Beth Nixon) situation is the cause of Samâs problems. ITV
ITV
Ben and Eva are already dealing with their own worries around Will, but Eva tries to reassure Ben that they donât need Samâs help for the court case. She insists that Will will be able to get through it himself.
Later in the week, Nick is forced to confront just how badly Sam has been suffering. Horrified by what he learns, he lashes out at Ben again, blaming him for failing to spot Meganâs crimes sooner and leaving Sam to suffer the consequences.
As Samâs family continue to rally around him, thereâs a small sign of progress when Sam tells Nick that heâd like to see Roy.
2) Maria closes in on Gary and Sarahâs secret
Maria (Samia Longchambon) grows increasingly suspicious of Gary (Mikey North) next week, as his secretive behaviour with Sarah (Tina OâBrien) becomes harder to ignore.
Gary has already come under police pressure over Theoâs (James Cartwright) murder, with Kit (Jacob Roberts) convinced he knows more than heâs letting on. Maria has backed Garyâs alibi for the night Theo died, but his anxious behaviourâand his private conversations with Sarahâhave left her unsettled.
Last week, viewers saw a flashback showing Gary standing at the top of the scaffolding with a pipe in his hand, looking down at Theoâs body below, confirming his presence at the scene of the crime.
Though itâs yet to be uncovered as evidence, Gary was also later caught in the background of one of Sally (Sally Dynevor) and Timâs (Joe Duttine) photos, walking away from Theo and Toddâs (Gareth Pierce) flat.
With Summer (Harriet Bibby) now released after Tyrone (Alan Halsall) came forward as a witness, Gary knows the focus could soon shift back to him.
As the week begins, Maria spots Gary sharing a hug with Sarah, just as he insists that they need to delete all of their messages.
The moment leaves Maria suspicious, and she continues to wonder whether thereâs something going on between them.
Later, Maria opens up to Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) and Izzy (Cherylee Houston) about her fears, admitting that she now suspects Gary is having an affair with Sarah.
Concerned, Todd then confronts Sarah with what Maria believes, forcing her to face how much attention her closeness to Gary is attracting. With Maria already watching them carefully, will Sarah tell Todd the truth about whatâs really going on?
Later in the week, Maria tells Gary that they need to talk. Masking his unease, Gary suggests they meet for a curry later, but Maria remains far from reassured.
The next day, Gary reveals that heâs booked a surprise holiday for the whole family, citing it as the reason heâs been so secretive lately. Izzy, Jake (Bobby Bradshaw) and Liam (Charlie Wrenshall) are thrilled by the news, but Maria is suspicious of Garyâs timing
Again confiding in Izzy, Maria believes that Gary has only arranged the holiday to ease his guilt. She knows something is going on between him and Sarah, and is determined to prove it!
3) Is Carl heading for a final showdown with Kevin?
Carl (Jonathan Howard) brings a fresh crisis to the garage next week, as the truth about his role in Kevinâs (Michael Le Vell) car sabotage finally lands in the wrong hands.
Last week, Tyrone was forced to come clean to Fiz about what really happened on the night of Theoâs murder. He admitted that heâd found Carl tampering with the brakes on Kevinâs car, filmed it on his phone, then accidentally knocked the jack holding the car upâleaving Carl crushed underneath.
Although Carl later realised Tyrone was responsible for his injuries, Tyrone warned him that the video still proved heâd been targeting Kevinâs car. With both men holding dangerous secrets over each other, the two were at a stalemate.
Next week, Kevin makes it clear that he has no intention of helping Carl move on. When he receives a letter from another garage asking for a reference, Kevin bitterly tells Carl he can forget it.
Carl then takes a call from Fiona (Sara Poyzer), who offers him more dodgy work, leaving him facing another temptation and his attempt at a fresh start beginning to falter.
âHe does try to turn it down,â Jonathan Howard tells us. âBut then he gets offered so much money to do it, and itâs a quick easy job for him, that he thinks it will give him a bit of a buffer to start his new life.
âBut as with everything else he does it doesnât go quite to plan. He gets himself in trouble with everything that heâs ever tried to do.â
Later, Kevin is looking at Tyroneâs phone when he accidentally comes across the video of Carl sabotaging his brakes. Furious, Kevin storms over to confront him, making it clear that he now knows exactly what Carl did.
The confrontation quickly escalates when Tyrone and Ronnie (Vinta Morgan) hurry over after hearing the commotion. Kevin is furious to realise they both already knew about Carlâs crime, and Ronnie soon locks everyone in the garage in an attempt to force them into finally burying the hatchet, for Debbieâs (Sue Devaney) sake.
Kevin refuses, and as his anger boils over, he picks up a wrench and moves towards Carl. Cornered, Carl reaches for the package he collected from Fionaâand pulls out a gun!
âItâs a knee jerk reaction from Carl to pull out the gun,â Jonathan explains. âHeâs nervously sort of pointing it, just to keep Kevin at bay. Everyone is obviously shocked that Carl has got a gun in his hand, and what the heck is Carl doing with this gun? Heâs at the point of desperation.â
The discovery leaves the men trapped in a dangerous stand-off. Ronnie tries to stop things going any further, but Kevin is convinced the weapon isnât real and takes hold of it himself, pointing it towards Carl.
When Ronnie attempts to get the gun away from him, the struggle leads to a shot being fired.
Has anyone been hit?
4) Debbieâs friends bring Spain to Weatherfield
Elsewhere on the cobbles, Debbie is treated to a change of scenery next week, after her friends decide that she could still do with a taste of Spainâeven if the real trip is no longer going ahead.
Last week, Christina (Amy Robbins), Glenda (Jodie Prenger) and Sally revealed that they were taking Debbie away on holiday to Spain. Though touched, Debbie was uncomfortable with the idea, worried that her dementia would leave the others having to look after her.
With Debbie not on board, the rest of the girls decided they didnât want to head away without her, and a new plan started to form.
As the week begins, Sally, Glenda and Christina are ready for their getaway and gather with their cases packed. A message from Ronnie confirms that everything is in place, with the women still planning to give Debbie a Spanish-themed escape, even if it may not be quite the trip she expected.
The following morning, at the Chariot Square Hotel, Sally, Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove), Glenda and Christina are dealing with the aftermath of a lively night.
Debbie tries to get hold of Ronnie, but Christina is quick to cut off her own ringing phone before it can interrupt the mood.
Glenda insists theyâre supposed to be enjoying themselves and tells everyone to switch their phones off, determined to keep Debbieâs âgetawayâ free from distractions.
5) Brody finds some unlikely saviours
Meanwhile, Brody (Ryan Mulvey) finds himself caught up in danger, with Debbieâs getaway unexpectedly putting the Weatherfield women in the right place at the right time.
The trouble begins when Brody heads to the Rovers with Dylan (Liam McCheyne) and Betsy (Sydney Martin), only for Sean (Antony Cotton) to refuse to serve them, knowing that Brody is underage.
The teenagers move on to the precinct instead, but their evening quickly takes a worrying turn when a lad (Elliot Whitehead) approaches them and demands the cans theyâve bought.
With the scally and his mates closing in, Brody tells Dylan and Betsy to get away while he runs off in the opposite direction, drawing the lads after him
Brodyâs escape route brings him into the path of Debbie, Sally, Bernie, Glenda and Christina, who are still in the middle of their getaway. The women step in to protect him and send the lads packing, turning themselves into Brodyâs unlikely rescuers.
Back in the Rovers, Dev (Jimmi Harkishin) and Tim discuss the fact that they still havenât heard anything from their wives, with their messages going unanswered.
As the men start to panic over where the women have got to, will Brody be the one to explain whatâs really been going on?
6) Debbieâs fears boil over
After the alarming events at the garage, Carl finds himself under threat again when Fiona makes it clear that heâs only got a week to do as she saysâor his life wonât be worth living.
Debbie overhears the exchange and is furious, demanding answers from Carl as she realises he still hasnât escaped Fionaâs hold.
By Friday, the situation is still weighing heavily on Debbie. She wakes from a horrible nightmare, leaving her shaken before she heads into another difficult day at the hotel.
Her stress only builds when Tracy (Kate Ford) clashes with her over a flower order. As the confusion grows, Tracy blames Debbieâs dementia, leaving Debbie under even more pressure while she tries to keep control of the day.
The hotel is hosting a gender reveal party, but Debbie accidentally ruins the surprise when she lets slip to the expectant parents that the baby is a boy, having seen it on the balloon order.
Ryan (Ryan Prescott) tries to smooth things over, but the situation takes a much more distressing turn when the reveal balloon is popped.
Already on edge, Debbie mistakes the sound for gunfire and is left terrified in front of the party guests!
7) Kit makes a big decision about Sarah
Kit starts to think seriously about his future with Sarah next week, blissfully unaware of Mariaâs suspicions about her and Gary.
Although Sarah has had a difficult few months, Kit is looking ahead and decides to confide in Bethany (Lucy Fallon) about what heâs considering. He admits that heâs thinking of asking Sarah to marry him, leaving Bethany to take in the unexpected news.
