Coronation Street bosses are reportedly looking into bringing back iconic Weatherfield resident Bet Lynch after a 17-year absence from the cobbles.
Barmaid Bet, played by actress Julie Goodyear, made her Corrie debut back in 1966, starring on the show for nearly 30 years before making her exit in 1995 after dramatically losing her job at The Rovers and ending her friendship with Rita Sullivan.
She also returned for some special episodes between 2002 and 2003, but hasn't been seen since then.
But now show boss Iain MacLeod has hinted that the fan favourite could be returning, which will no doubt delight loyal viewers.
“Bet is an icon. The idea of bringing her back is talked about occasionally. As any Corrie viewer would say, she is up there in the pantheon of Corrie greats," he said.
"So it’s always tempting to bring her back."
Speaking to the Daily Star ahead of the show’s 60th (yes, 60th) anniversary this year, he continued, "We won’t be doing a live episode. It’s time to do something different. But it won’t be any less ambitious.”
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Alya has been planning to take her gran for a massage, but Geoff ruins their plans when he says Emma's not available to be his assistant at Tianna's birthday.
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Guilting Yasmeen into helping him out, Geoff has no sympathy when her claustrophobia makes rehearsing his crushed-in-a-box routine difficult.
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On stage at the party, Yasmeen panics inside the box and ruins the magic trick. Though Geoff paints on a smile for his audience, Yasmeen knows he is seething.
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The next day, Geoff doesn't hide his anger and tells Yasmeen she can make up to him by rehearsing with him. But when Yasmeen gets in the box, Geoff locks the door and heads to the pub!
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Tim calls at the house and lets a shaken Yasmeen out of the box. When Geoff arrives home he insists the box was left unlocked, by Yasmeen tells Tim that Geoff locked her in deliberately. Who will he believe?
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Later on, a concerned Eileen probes Cathy and Brian about Yasmeen's supposed drinking problem, wary that not everything adds up.
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Elsewhere, Maria breaks the news to Liam that she's lost the baby, but is hurt when Gary tells him that he'll still be getting a little brother or sister.
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After Maria tells Gary that he had been insensitive about the baby news, he's apologetic and tells her that he is determined to be with her with or without a baby.
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Roy becomes concerned for Nina when she comes into the café looking disheveled and Beth reveals she caught her going through the factory bins.
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When it becomes clear that Nina lost the flat weeks ago and has been sleeping rough, Roy is horrified and Nina finally accepts his offer for her to move in with him.
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Meanwhile, Bethany is struggling to make sense of her blossoming relationship with Daniel, and she's not having a great time of it at work, either.
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When Ray tells her he's got some potential investors, Bethany feels exploited and serves them the kids ice cream special. Ray is furious.
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Tim is still in the dog house with Sally and tries to win her back by playing their first dance song through the letterbox – but Sally's unmoved.
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Later on during Sally's research into Tim's divorce papers, she's caught off guard to find a mock up invitation to her own wedding. How will Tim worm his way out of this one?
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Rita is stunned when she receives a parcel containing Dennis's ashes, and a note to request that they be scattered over the sea at Blackpool.
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Shocked and saddened to hear of Dennis's death, Rita confides in Ken who agrees to go with her to Blackpool.
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But when Jenny gets wind of their plan, she organises a coach trip for everyone, convinced they could make a day of it.
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Amy, Audrey, Carla, Eileen, Emma, Evelyn, Gail, Jenny, Ken, Mary, Nina, Sean, Tracy, Sally, Yasmeen and Rita, clutching Dennis's urn, set off for Blackpool.
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Everyone piles into the bus and they set off for the coast. But tensions rise during the journey when it starts looking like they may not make it to their destination before nightfall.
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This hour long episode to celebrate the UK's longest running soap's 10,000th episode (!) will see lives changed and one long-term resident leave Weathefield for good.
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This week we will see Rita receive the ashes of her ex-husband, Dennis, and a request to scatter them at Blackpool Pier.
It's the first that any of the Weatherfield residents have heard of the death of their old friend (and foe). Jenny Connor suggests that some of the residents might like to be there to scatter the ashes, and organises a coach trip up to the Vegas of the North.
Despite the fanfare and excitement around the milestone episode, it’s been hinted that one long-running character will leave the cobbles for good as the Blackpool sojourn reaches it’s climax.