Coronation Street executive producer Kate Brooks has revealed that the impending return of Rob Donovan (Marc Bayliss) to the show will "cause a lot of trouble" for his half-sister Carla (Alison King) and her new girlfriend Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers).
Rob has not been seen on the soap since 2017, three years after he was jailed for the murder of Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan), but makes a comeback in next week's episodes when his son Bobby (Jack Carroll) visits him behind bars to inform him that Carla needs a kidney transplant.
Speaking to press recently, Brooks revealed that the storyline will pave the way for Rob to make a longer return to the soap, which will cause headaches for Carla and drive a wedge in her new relationship with copper Lisa.
"There are some things that are going to cause problems for Carla and Lisa, and one very big one in particular," she said, in quotes carried by The Mirror. "There is a big one... a big Rob Donovan return!
"There are other familiar faces coming back in 2025 which I will not disclose, but a few people will be returning to the Street to cause their own forms of chaos.
"First up is Rob. We last left Rob languishing in prison. He made mistakes. He comes back to the show and we think he might be a reformed character who has seen the error of his ways, but whether that's the case or not, I don't know! He definitely comes back and causes a lot of trouble for Carla and Lisa.
"Just when Carla and Lisa think it's safe to sit down and watch Netflix, Rob Donovan comes along and scuppers all of that. So, it's a big story for them and a big story for Rob. Lots of twists and turns. It's a big story for Betsy (Sydney Martin) as well, who is fabulous and will be right at the centre of that."
She continued: "I love Rob and Carla. I love tapping into their history together, and we really explore that through this story. There's so many twists and turns along the way, it's really exciting. It's going to be eventful for Carla and Lisa.
"It's not just a couple of episodes – it's a good chunk. He killed Tina, but we can get over that. Michelle's fine on Netflix! It's really exciting, and what I like about this story in particular is that Carla and Lisa are finally together and united.
"Everyone knows about them and they're moving on with their lives, and then this drops on them, and they're like, 'How did that happen? Are we not meant to be relaxing and enjoying being with each other?' So, it's a real test for their relationship in the early stages, but a good test."
Coronation Street continues Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7am on ITVX and at 8pm on ITV1.
Neil Wilkes
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