If you're a big Coronation Street fan, it can't have escaped your attention that the soap has released a motherlode of exciting storyline announcements for 2019 this week.
Digital Spy was among a select group of media outlets who were present to hear new producer Iain MacLeod talk in-depth about his plans for the show.
Worried that you've missed a spoiler amid the streams of new information? Here, we're rounding up the biggest announcements all in one place.
1. Tragedy at Underworld
March 2019 will be a huge month for Corrie as the show airs a dramatic stunt at Underworld. The roof of the factory will collapse in a high-stakes storyline, causing devastation and destruction below.
Corrie's new producer Iain MacLeod has confirmed that one character will be killed off in the storyline, although the show is hoping to keep the unlucky individual's identity under wraps until the episode airs.
Iain said: "The scenes themselves are heartbreaking. I'm a softie anyway!"
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Asked whether the doomed character is someone the audience cares about, he replied: "I hope so – it's the only reason to do these things. The week itself is really heartbreaking and well written. There won't be a dry eye in the house when that goes out."
2. A whodunit mystery
While the Underworld incident seems like a freak accident at first, it soon becomes clear that one of the Corrie regulars is responsible for what's happened. This sparks a huge whodunit mystery which will play out in the first half of the year.
Iain explained: "It will at first appear to be an accident, but will then be revealed to be a mystery and it'll have been some kind of criminal enterprise that causes it all to fall down.
"It plays out over four or five months. The resolution of a whodunit is so fundamental to the enjoyment of a viewer, so we want to keep that under wraps."
3. A new villain on the cobbles
While the identity of the mystery factory destroyer is another closely-guarded secret, it has been confirmed that the character responsible has a very exciting future ahead in the show as Corrie's next big villain. And no, it's not Pat Phelan back from the dead.
"I won't tell you who it is– we're a long way off that yet," Iain shared. "What I have always liked about Corrie is the ability to have villains like Hillman and Phelan who come in and burn bright and also the more complicated, long range villain like Mike Baldwin – ruthless, self-serving and looking out for number one.
"We're designing a character in that latter type who can stay long term as an antagonistic person who's just messing up lives." The character in question is someone the audience already knows.
4. Carla suffers a breakdown
Corrie will once again be exploring mental health in early 2019 as Carla Connor suffers a breakdown in the aftermath of the Underworld roof collapse. The early weeks of the storyline see Carla wrongly get the blame for what's happened, as she's been working too hard and making mistakes in the build-up to the incident.
This paves the way for a rare special standalone episode of Corrie, showing the world from Carla's point of view as she becomes paranoid and delusional over the Street's residents being out to get her.
New boss Iain has already drawn comparisons to the special Ashley Thomas episode of Emmerdale, which received high praise during his stint as producer on the fellow ITV soap.
5. David and Nick go to war
Just when it looked like they'd resolved their differences, David and Nick will have a huge feud storyline playing out in 2019. The exact reasons behind why they fall out are being kept secret at this stage, but it looks like poor Gail could find herself with divided loyalties between her two sons.
Speaking about David and Nick's future, Iain warned: "A secret emerges after the New Year, which proves so corrosive that they end up hating each other more than they ever have.
"We're likening it to Cain and Abel – one of them isn’t going to kill the other, but they’ll come pretty close in how much they come to loathe each other. It starts in January and plays out over the next 12 months."
6. An unlikely arsonist
It may have been overshadowed slightly by news of Underworld crumbling, but 2019's other big stunt has also now been officially confirmed – a fire on Peter Barlow's new boat.
Carla buys the unexpected gift for Peter at New Year and he starts making plans to sail the Caribbean with his son Simon once it's been restored, although it sounds like they won't get any further than the local canal when it goes up in flames!
"The boat fire will cleverly tie in with the roof collapse story," Iain confirmed. "In how it's set up, the identity of the 'arsonist' is a bit of a surprise. It is very left field and is somebody who is having some troubles of their own.
"That's partly another story where we will see relationships imploding – Peter and Carla will be more estranged than you've ever seen them. There's near death jeopardy in there so it's a really weird, interesting story – in terms of the identity of the 'arsonist', especially."
7. Killer Clayton returns
Kylie Platt's killer Clayton Hibbs may be behind bars where he belongs, but that doesn't mean that he isn't capable of causing trouble for Shona and David's relationship from afar.
Callum Harrison will be reprising his role as Clayton for a prison-based storyline, which sees him putting pressure on his mum Shona and ultimately sparking some big problems between her and David.
"We've got a story where Clayton will rear his ugly, criminal head!" Iain confirmed. "He throws a massive spanner in the works for David and he tries to embroil Shona in a plot to smuggle drugs into prison.
"It becomes a story about Shona and her son and throws into question David and Shona's relationship. Clayton has been locked up and it provides the biggest challenge to David and Shona's relationship since the Josh story."
8. Billy and Paul are the next big couple
We'd already told you that Gemma Winter's brother Paul Foreman would take a shine to Billy, but it sounds like it's not just a quick fling and they'll become a new long-term couple.
Paul has already appeared in Corrie this year as David Platt's cellmate, but the big twist when he reappears is that he's also Gemma's twin sibling.
Iain confirmed: "Gemma’s twin brother Paul is like a male Gemma, but with even fewer of the rough edges smoothed off. He’s a bit of a rough diamond.
"He’s sexually forward, as vicar Billy will discover early on. They’ll go on to be an interesting, sexy, dynamic couple – it’s an iteration of the vicar with the bad boy.
"He brings so much fun and trouble into Billy’s life in a really light-hearted way. All of the early stuff I’m seeing is packed with sexual tension – they look instantly sexy together."
9. Amy's pregnancy tests Steve and Tracy
Amy Barlow's teen pregnancy storyline has also now been officially confirmed. Iain has promised a mix of heartbreaking scenes and classic Corrie humour as Steve and Tracy come to terms with the big news about their 14-year-old daughter.
"The story becomes more than being just about a teenage pregnancy," he told us. "It becomes about family and Steve and Tracy's relationship – it forces them to instantly grow up and be parents for the first time in history.
"It’s really good – it gives a leading role to Elle Mulvaney, who deserves the chance to step up and do something a bit more grown up. I’m very much looking forward to that.
"It’s also really funny. Steve and Tracy dealing with a teenage pregnancy is not like a normal couple dealing with a teen pregnancy! There are scenes reminiscent of Peter Griffin in Family Guy – Steve goes fully postal at certain times.
"It's very funny, classic Steve with that Corrie heart. It's heartbreaking but ridiculous at the same time."
10. Kate and Rana's wedding plans get back on track
'Kana' may be over for now, but not for long as we'll see them reunite on New Year's Eve. When Rana sees Kate spending time with her ex-girlfriend Imogen, she realises how much she still loves her and declares her feelings.
In early 2019, we'll see Kate and Rana go full-steam ahead with their wedding plans – but not without a few more obstacles in the way.
Iain confirmed: "It's not a lengthy break, they get back together New Year's Eve, it's sweet and funny and there's some lovely stuff where Rana is getting drunk and drowning her sorrows, it's a bit Bridget Jonesy – warm, fun and the bit where they get back together is really romantic.
"All the Kanavores I hope will punch the air. I love that couple, I think they're very real and an aspirational same-sex couple. I'm looking forward to them getting back together."
He added: "In the New Year we've got wedding plans booked, dresses are chosen and a nice romantic story where Rana is making Kate's dream outfit behind the scenes without telling her.
"There's also a slightly troublesome, hopefully really funny, and chaotic presence that comes from Kate's past to slightly rain on their parade."
11. Peter faces his final decision over Carla
The 'will they / won't they?' saga of Peter and Carla's relationship won't be resolved at New Year as originally expected. Instead, we'll see Peter stepping up to support Carla after her upcoming breakdown – leaving him with divided loyalties as he has plenty of other commitments on his hands.
"Peter will be torn between his loyalties to his son, himself, his own dreams for the future – and his love for Carla," Iain teased.
"Carla and Peter make a mature decision on New Year's Eve that maybe their relationship is going to be forever doomed to fail and they'll make it work just as friends. But then the factory collapse tips Carla's life into its lowest ever ebb.
"Peter reaches a fork in the road. He has to choose between his son, his future and whether he sticks around and helps Carla out of this hole that she's dug for herself.
"I'll leave you to guess which choice he makes, but obviously it will put him at massive odds with his family."
12. Sinead's future is undecided
Corrie fans have been desperate to know whether pregnant Sinead Tinker will survive her battle against cancer, but it turns out that even the producers aren't sure yet. The long-running storyline doesn't have a definitive ending right now, leaving Katie McGlynn's future in the role uncertain.
Iain would only say: "I have an open mind about it. There's a beautiful story to tell with an optimistic ending but equally, a very truthful story to tell where it doesn't work out."
13. Norris returns briefly
Norris Cole, everyone's favourite busybody, has been absent from our screens this year after Malcolm Hebden sadly suffered a heart attack in real life. We'll see him back on our screens briefly in early 2019 and show bosses hope that it'll eventually lead to a permanent return.
"He's back for a short stint in a little sort of cameo return in the hope we can have him back permanently in the future," Iain revealed.
"He's on that list of Emily Bishops of characters who are so Corrie that the show doesn't feel correct without them in there. Soap characters come and go – but I am reading bits in the scripts where I know Norris would have something to say.
"His return story is pleasantly silly and revisits his relationship with Mary in a meaningful way. I hope Malcolm likes it, he's not read the script yet."
14. A familiar face returns
Show bosses aren't planning any big-name, explosive comebacks just now, but it has been confirmed that the health and safety inspector who oversees the investigation into the Underworld disaster will be someone familiar to the audience.
Longer-term, the writers are also considering whether to bring in a character who's connected to the McDonald family as part of an upcoming plot.
Iain said: "There was a pitch at conference for someone broadly part of the McDonalds picture to return. I'm still on the fence on that one. It would be a cameo to facilitate another story.
"It's not Jim, though he has been mentioned. It's not a McDonald per se just someone connected to the clan. We have such a good cast and brilliant families – if I went round trying to add people lacking, there isn't anyone really. I'm very much about focusing on the characters we've got."
15. Gemma's big storyline
There are big plans for Gemma in 2019 – not only will she be accidentally teaching the F-word to Chesney's innocent son Joseph, she'll also be taking centre stage in a second mystery storyline.
"I do love that character and I think she's at her best when she's at the middle of everything causing trouble," Iain enthused.
"There is another big story on the table for her that will play out over the next 12 months, where it's fun, enormous, ludicrous and brilliant and will play to all of the actor's strengths. It will see her doing something that is quite central to the show over the next 12 months or so."
16. Another new addition for Victoria Street
Corrie will be continuing to add new locations to its Victoria Street set next year, as David and Nick open their very own barber shop. (This is before they decide they hate each other's guts, obvs.)
The new enterprise doesn't mean the end of Audrey's salon, but it does mean the end of Ken going there for his haircuts. Who can blame him, after the mess Audrey made of his head the other week?
"One of the key things that has changed in Manchester is vape shops and barbers and it felt like having a hipster barbers totally plays into David and Nick's idea of themselves as upwardly mobile young gentlemen," Iain said.
"It's also a place for our young cast to go in and drink beer but characters like Ken and Roy would also go in, thinking it was an Edwardian throwback.
"I want somewhere where you have Roy and Adam in adjacent chairs, shooting the breeze."
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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