Coronation Street star Joe Duttine has spoken about his shocking Christmas Day storyline for the first time.
The actor's character Tim Metcalfe will be taking centre stage in the show's hour-long festive episode this year, as he heads to the prison visiting room and tells his wife Sally that he's cheated on her.
Tim makes a devastating mistake just before Christmas, as he makes a move on his sister-in-law Gina Seddon (Connie Hyde) after a drunken festive party.
When Tim wakes up the next morning, he can't remember what happened – but his daughter Faye is quick to let him know that she spotted him in bed with Gina.
The cabbie massively regrets his actions and decides that honesty is the best policy, so he visits Sally on Christmas Day and comes clean.
Discussing the big festive storyline, Joe explained: "Tim is utterly devastated that he has done something like this. He can't believe it. There will be a lovely little scene with Faye where he breaks down about it.
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"The thing about Sally and Tim is that they're monogamous – they love each other and are loyal to each other. They don't go off and have affairs – there are other things they can do with those characters. So he's utterly devastated to think that he has cheated on his wife, as mad as she is!"
Joe continued: "Sophie finds out what happened and she's really not happy with Tim – not happy at all.
"Tim then goes to see his wife in prison on Christmas Day, so you have to suspend belief a bit because I don't know if you can do that! But he can't keep a lie, so he just throws caution to the wind and goes to tell her on Christmas Day.
"I don't think Tim expects Sally to forgive him. It's pretty unforgivable, isn't it? I think Tim just feels that he owes Sally the truth. In reality, I don't know how a family would overcome a man sleeping with his wife's sister."
However, asked whether Tim really has gone all the way by sleeping with Gina, Joe teased: "We don't know..."
Fans can also expect a tense Christmas dinner for the Metcalfes, especially as Duncan Radfield has thrown another spanner in the works by telling Sophie that Gina is in love with Tim.
When Sophie brings this up during the family gathering, Gina has to come clean about her secret meetings with Duncan and the extent of her feelings for Tim.
Joe added: "It's a very eventful Christmas Day in the Metcalfe house, so I think it's going to be good viewing. It's not the happiest house on Christmas Day."
Coronation Street airs an hour-long festive episode on Christmas Day at 8.15pm on ITV.
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