Leanne takes a huge risk in Coronation Street that could cost her dearly

Let’s face it. Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) hasn’t exact got her thinking cap on in Coronation Street right now.

If she did, she might notice that her new fella Idris Nazir (Junade Khan) is not the charming cheeky chappy he seems.

In fact, he’s bad to the bone.

Not even in a hot way. In a slum lord way. In a ‘my dodgy flat full of black mould gave Abi Webster’s (Sally Carman) son Alfie (Carter and Oakley Razak Townsend), severe breathing difficulties, so I had my little teen minion  Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey) threaten the old landlord’ kind of way.

Leanne’s barely noticed the sea of red flags so far, which is kind of understandably given her track record with utter cads such as her alcoholic ex husband Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne), or Nick Tilsley (Ben Price), who famously did the dirty with Leanne’s sister Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor).

She’s also had a lot on her plate recently.

Her adopted son Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) was bullied to the point of psychotic breakdown by paedophile Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon). Finally, she’s met a nice fella who treat her right and isn’t afraid to splash the cash. So it’s understandable that she would fail to hear the giant alarm bells the audience does every time Idris saunters into the Rovers.

However, that may be about to change.

Ruthless Idris is looking to add Speed Daal, the curry house where Leanne works, to his property empire. Problem is, Speed Daal is owned by Alya Nazir (Sair Khan), Idris’ cousin…

… or should that be his niece?

That’s right. During tense negotiations for Speed Daal, Idris dropped the bombshell that he is the product of an affair between his mother and Sharif, the philandering ex-husband of Alya’s gran Yasmeen (Shelley King). More importantly, that makes him the half brother of Alya’s dearly departed dad Kal (Jimmi Mistry)… Leanne’s late boyfriend.

Cue Corrie sad trombone.

Actually, Leanne took this revelation surprisingly well, to her credit,highly amused by the realisation that she has now slept with two brothers. They’re not Pokemon, Lee. You don’t have to catch them all.

All the recent drama has thrown Alya off her game working for her boyfriend Adam Barlow’s (Sam Robertson) legal firm and prompted her decision to sell. All Idris has to do is find £50k for her share of Speed Daal.

That’s his mission in next week’s trip to the Cobbles. Leanne offers to lend him 5k, which he happily accepts – but that’s that a drop in the ocean.

Does he take out a loan? Raid his piggy bank? Win the pub quid down the Rovers? He still needs 15k.

Of course not. He hosts a poker game in Speed Daal, invites dodgy car-dealing gangster Fiona Morley (Sara Poyzer), and ropes Ollie into taking her on at the table in returnfor a cut of the winnings. Idris of course is going to cheat, feeding Ollie instructions the whole TIME.

Cheating at poker with a gangster is not a good idea, but even less so a police officer. So it’s bad news when Cobbles Copper Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) decides to join the game.

Then Fiona insists on doubling the stakes. Eep

It’s a serious gamble on Idris’s part, but not as risky as when Leanne finds out that he used Ollie as a pawn against a deadly crime boss just to win enough money to buy a curry house.

But the real gamble is Leanne’s, as by trusting Idris, she’s a decision to get in bed with the devil.

No, not like that. (Old news).

After his poker game gone awry, Idris is in the Dog House the following day as a frosty Leanne makes it clear that he’s not welcome in her restaurant.

As Leanne strides away, Idris hurries after her. Leanne rounds on Idris for gambling with her money,but he points out that he cheated and her money was never at risk.

But is that enough to earn her forgiveness?