Coronation Street Christmas storyline ‘confirmed’ as star hints at big return
When it comes to making an immediate impact, Coronation Street’s newest wrong’un, Richie Parkinson, played by truly iconic soap baddie, Nathan Sussex, has nailed it.
Emerging as the cousin of the absolutely adorable Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine), the two quickly set about re-bonding after a quiet period with a booze-fuelled boys night, leaving before Tim’s wife, Sally (Sally Dynevor) even returned home and discovered they’d got absolutely tanked.
Richie was back quickly, though, after returning home and being kicked out by his wife, Rachel, who was furious that, not only had he not returned home, he’d not told her where he was or what he was doing.
Though obviously unimpressed, Sally agreed to let Richie crash on the sofa again, and the following day he told Tim of his plan to head over to Liverpool and stay with a friend there.
Our Tim decided to encourage him to return home to Rachel and work on their damaged relationship, a decision he’s regretted ever since he made it.
After Richie went home, Tim discovered his wallet stuffed between the couch cushions and drove it over to his house, being rocked to the core when he discovered his cousin in a blood-splattered shirt, before finding his wife’s dead body in the back room.
A lot to pack into your first two weeks on the cobbles, right?!
Nathan Sussex himself has spoken of his sheer joy at finally becoming a part of the Coronation Street legacy after a long and varied acting career.
‘To be there, like doing a job there, walking down these famous cobbles, honestly, it really gets to you,’ he told BBC Wales.
‘Corrie means so much to so many people. It is a national institution. We’ve all grown up on it at some point in our lives.’
…and after that, he hinted that his alter-ego’s murderous plotline could form part of Corrie’s 2026 Christmas offering!
‘When you get a job like this, they kind of tell you the story arc, but, of course, because it’s a new storyline, I only know stuff up until a certain period.
‘I’ve been kind of given sort of a brief that this is what could happen, but I don’t know myself. All I know is it’s quite a big Christmas hook, and you know the dream, I would love to be in Coronation Street on Christmas Day.
‘While you’re tucking into your Ferrero Rochers or your Roses, yes, I’ll be on your screens. I don’t know. Perhaps. Isn’t that the dream?’
With the soaps known to explode numerous stories and go all out for the festive period, Nathan is quite right: to be a centrepiece of the festive output would be enormous, but with several viewers presuming that we’d seen the last of Richie following his arrest for murder, does this mean the story still has quite a way to go?
With Richie in prison and Rachel, well, dead, Tim and Sally have taken in their daughter Lucy (Anya Dewin), who witnessed the violent crime and has been left a traumatised and emotionally damaged time bomb as a result.
Absolutely desperate to see her dad, Tim and Sally have been forced to say no to her requests at the advice of social services, and as time goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that Lucy might be too much for the fan favourite couple to handle.
With Nathan hinting that the plot is set to run all the way to Christmas, does that also guarantee Lucy will feature heavily over the next four months? What twists and turns will come as the Metcalfes navigate this terrifying new territory?
You’ll have to wait and see, won’t you?!
