A dramatic week in Weatherfield lies ahead.
Away from the cobbles of Coronation Street, Sarah Platt (Tina O’Brien) has a tense confrontation with fellow prisoner Kacey, who wants her to involve ex-boyfriend Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) in a personal matter.
He’s having troubles of his own, as Sarah’s unruly son Harry (Joshua Leavy) is a cause for concern, and the Metcalfes (Sally Dynevor and Tim Metcalfe) have issues with their new foster daughter Lucy Parkinson (Anya Dewin).
Elsewhere, Idris Nazir (Junade Khan) causes chaos when he hosts an illegal poker night to try and collate the funds to buy Speed Daal, and a mysterious newcomer with a connection to Bernie and Dev Winter-Alahan (Jane Hazlegrove and Jimmi Harkishin) arrives on their doorstep.
Celeste, played by Frances Barber, is spotted by Todd Grimshaw (Gareth Pierce). The two have another run-in when she reappears on the doorstep of the undertakers, asking to organise a funeral over a drink in the Rovers.
What is her game?
Plus, there’s some big news for Nina Lucas (Mollie Gallagher) as she prepares for a new life away from Salford.
Here’s what’s happening in the episodes of Coronation Street airing between Monday 17 and Friday 21 August.
10 Coronation Street spoilers for next week
1. Sarah Platt is terrorised by a fellow inmate
Todd returns from his trip to Thailand to find that Sarah has sent him a visiting order from prison. During their reunion, he reassures her that she’s a good friend and insists that he will always love her.
Sarah then admits that she ended things with Kit because she wanted to protect his career.
Her prison ordeal takes a darker turn when fellow inmate Kacey (Emma Matthews) arrives at her cell in tears. She explains that her son has been arrested on suspicion of armed robbery, and begs Sarah to approach Kit in the hope that he can help. Sarah makes it clear that she and Kit are over and there is nothing she can do.
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Kacey responds by dealing a menacing threat.
Alarmed by what has happened, Sarah phones Todd from prison and tells him about the threats. Todd urges her to reconsider and speak to Kit himself, warning that if she refuses, he will approach him on her behalf.
Back on the street, Todd tracks Kit down and explains that Sarah wants to see him. He claims that although she refused to say what the matter is, he insists that it is important.
Kit subsequently visits Sarah, who explains that she desperately needs his help. He points out that getting involved with Kacey’s son could cost him his job, reminding her that she ended their relationship precisely because she wanted to prevent that from happening.
But Kacey’s intimidation soon escalates, with her threats becoming physical. She leaves Sarah with a chilling warning: if anything happens to her son, she will be held responsible.
2. Kit Green struggles to care for Harry Platt
Adam Barlow (Sam Robertson) manages to persuade a bad-tempered Harry to attend his Little Big Shotz drama group, by suggesting that he could take the lead role in Bugsy Malone. While the plan gets Harry through the door, Kit is left feeling as though he has failed as a father.
During the session, Harry loses his temper and breaks Jake Windass’s (Bobby Bradshaw) headphones after being taunted about Sarah. Glenda Shuttleworth (Jodie Prenger) attempts to get through to Kit, but when she cannot reach him, Adam steps in and returns Harry to Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon).
Adam then gives Kit a stern dressing-down over what he sees as a lack of responsibility. He then calls Sarah in prison and makes his concerns clear, telling her that Harry needs stability and that Kit has been proving unreliable.
Later, Adam and Bethany approach Kit with a suggestion. They propose that the youngster stays with him for the remainder of the school holidays, arguing that everyone needs to share the responsibility.
Adam later takes Harry to the holiday club, where a woman named Lottie introduces herself. She explains that she has recently moved to the area and that her son will soon be starting at Bessie Street Juniors.
3. Lucy Parkinson struggles to adapt to life without her mum and dad
Shona Platt (Julia Goulding) suggests that she and Sally meet for lunch, hoping the occasion will give Lily Platt (Grace Ashcroft-Gardner) and Lucy an opportunity to make amends after their earlier altercation.
During the meal, Lily hands Lucy a heartfelt letter of apology. She also opens up about losing her own mum Kylie, explaining that she understands some of what Lucy is going through.
Sally is touched by the exchange and gives Lucy a hug, suggesting that the girls could eventually become best friends.
Later, Sally and Tim reassure Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey) that his sisters Joanie and Shanice (Savanna Pennington and Molly Kilduff) will visit their mum as soon as they return from Spain. But Lucy is left increasingly bitter, desperately wishing she could see her own father Richie (Nathan Sussex).
When the teen asks if she can at least speak to him on the phone, Tim refuses. Hurt and angry, Lucy lashes out before refusing to join the family for tea.
With the situation becoming increasingly difficult, Sally and Tim admit that they may be completely out of their depth. Tim then breaks some difficult news to Sally – social services have been in touch, and Lucy is due to meet her new foster parents the following day.
The following day, when Tim accidentally sends a pan crashing onto the floor, Lucy is startled by the noise and immediately retreats into the garden. He follows her outside and tries to offer reassurances, insisting that this is her home just as much as it is anyone else’s.
4. Richie Parkinson asks Tim Metcalfe to lie to the police
Tim receives a visiting order from Richie, and during their meeting, he makes an urgent request. He wants his cousin to support his version of events and claim that he acted in self-defence, insisting that it is his only chance of avoiding a prison sentence.
Richie is furious when Tim refuses, and reminds him that without his intervention, he would’ve never gone home to his wife Rachel in the first place.
What will Tim do?
5. Idris Nazir hosts an illegal poker night at Speed Daal
Adam advises Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) not to accept Idris’s offer and instead hold firm until she gets the full amount she wants for her share of Speed Daal. She subsequently makes her position crystal clear to her uncle – she expects £50,000 for her share, and he can either meet her asking price or walk away.
Later, Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) joins Idris for a game of chess at the restaurant. When Ollie (Raphael Akuwudike) happens to mention that he was once a keen poker player, he suddenly appears to have an idea.
Idris later admits that finding the additional £15,000 needed to meet Alya’s asking price is proving difficult. Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) offers to lend him £5,000, seemingly providing a solution.
However, he then books Speed Daal for a private event and enlists Ollie and Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton) to help. He explains that he is organising a poker night, but stresses that neither Alya nor Leanne can find out about it.
Idris takes Ollie aside and lays out his plan – he will provide him with the money to play, ensure that the odds are heavily in his favour, and give him a share of whatever he wins. Little do they realise, Lauren has overheard and warns him to stay out of it.
Brody has already let Kit in on the secret, and he later turns up himself, persuading a reluctant Idris to let him join the game.
One of the other players is dodgy Fiona Morley (Sara Poyzer), who insists that the stakes should be doubled.
The poker game gets underway as Idris watches proceedings closely. Behind the bar, meanwhile, Brody secretly helps himself to a series of drinks.
One by one, the players drop out until only Fiona and Ollie remain. He ultimately walks away with the victory, leaving Fiona furious and Idris visibly relieved.
The next day, Idris confronts Brody over the stolen drinks, which leads to Leanne learning the truth. She’s furious to hear that Ollie won using the money she had lent her boyfriend, and makes it clear he’s no longer welcome at Speed Daal.
As Leanne walks away, Idris hurries after her and points out that he cheated during the game, meaning her money was never actually at risk.
Later, Fiona calls into the street food eatery and is stunned when she discovers that the man who beat her at poker is actually the restaurant’s chef.
6. George Shuttleworth and Christina Boyd suffer another setback
George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) and Christina Boyd (Amy Robbins) are excitedly preparing for their trip to Somerset, where they plan to visit George’s cousins.
However, their plans are thrown into jeopardy when Todd lets slip that Christina’s been on yet another spending spree. George is furious and tells her that she is no longer welcome to accompany him.
Upset, Christina joins Todd, James Bailey (Jason Callender) and Sean Tully (Antony Cotton) for a night out at the Rovers. But she soon admits that she cannot bring herself to socialise while she remains so worried about her partner and leaves the group.
Later in the week, when Todd reveals that he is heading to the gay village, Christina decides that she wants to come along after all.
7. Mysterious newcomer Celeste arrives on the cobbles
Glenda notices a mysterious woman – Celeste – knocking at the door of No. 7. She explains that Dev and Bernie are away, prompting her to leave.
Later, as Todd prepares to lock up the undertakers, Celeste approaches him. She explains that she wants to make arrangements for a funeral and suggests they discuss everything over a drink.
The following day, arriving at the Rovers with her driver Fraser, she begins going through the arrangements with Todd – and stuns him by revealing the funeral is actually for herself.
Celeste tells Todd that she has only six weeks left to live and wants to ensure every detail of her Dolly Parton-themed service funeral is perfect.
But what did she want with Dev and Bernie?
8. Glenda Shuttleworth has eyes for Celeste’s driver, Fraser
At the Rovers, Glenda quickly takes a liking to Fraser and invites him for a drink. Celeste drags him away, but Glenda is delighted when he gives her his number and agrees to meet her for a date the following day.
Later, Glenda, Mary Taylor (Patti Clare) and Christina become increasingly concerned about Todd’s behaviour since his return from Thailand. They pull him up on his heavy drinking, with Glenda warning him that if he continues treating his friends badly, he could soon find himself without any friends at all.
Celeste returns to the undertakers the following day and drops a bombshell, by admitting that Fraser is gay. Todd is clearly intrigued by the revelation and soon begins plotting his revenge on Glenda.
9. Will Driscoll receives some bad news
Will Driscoll (Lucas Hodgson-Wale) finally tells his family the results of his GCSEs, admitting that he managed to scrape a couple of passes but failed the rest.
Ben Driscoll (Aaron McCusker) is quick to reassure his son, telling him that the family are proud of him for sitting the exams at all, particularly given everything Megan Walsh (Beth Nixon) did to him.
10. Nina Lucas prepares to wave goodbye to Weatherfield
After returning from Whitby, Nina admits to uncle Roy Cropper (David Neilson) that she is convinced she ruined her interview at the art gallery.
However, her fears soon prove to be unfounded. To her surprise, she gets a message offering her the job!
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Coronation Street airs weeknights at 8:30pm on ITV1 or can be streamed from 7am on ITVX.
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