Coronation Street icon confirms it’s ‘not the end’ for controversial family after exit

The Michaelis family may have left the cobbles of Coronation Street, but we may not have seen the last of them, according to writer Jan McVerry.

Jan has worked on some major storylines during her time on the cobbles, as both a writer and storyliner. She has penned some standout episodes over the years, including the 60th anniversary and the recent return of Becky Swain (Amy Cudden).

Speaking on the Stateside Street podcast, Jan reflected on the Michaelis family’s story arc, and explained how the writers knew in advance that it would come to an end in a relatively short period of time.

Lou and Mick Michaelis (Farrel Hegarty and Joe Layton) arrived on screen earlier this year and instantly proved to be the neighbours from hell.

Mick’s vendetta against Kit Green (Jacob Roberts) ended in dramatic scenes after he beat Craig Tinker to death and held Bernie Winter (Jane Hazlegrove) hostage.

After he was sent to prison for his crimes, Lou also got in trouble when she attacked Gary Windass (Mikey North), leaving him hospitalised.

With both parents in prison, the Michaelis kids were put into foster care, with Sally and Tim Metcalfe (Sally Dynevor and Joe Duttine) stepping up to care for them.

Speaking about their explosive arrival on the street, Jan said: ‘We brought in the Michaelis family, him and Lou, [it was] very explosive, hit the ground running. 

‘The viewers hated them, but they brought a lot of drama with them and they’ve left us a great legacy with Brody (Ryan Mulvey).’

She went on to explain why the characters left so soon, revealing that it was down to actor Joe Layton having other commitments.

‘Our hands were tied with Mick who I thought was a really, really good actor because he had another job to go to,’ Jan explained.

‘He had some theatre work to go to, unfortunately for us, so we knew there was a ticking clock and at this point we were going to have to release the actor.

‘Sometimes that’s really helpful, because you know that you’re going to crank up the pace of the story and it’s going to end there – and it’s very helpful to know that you’ve got something to work towards.

‘Personally, I was also gutted because I thought he was such a good actor.’

Despite this story having been brought to a close, Jan teased that there will be more to come for the Michaelis clan.

‘It’s not the end of the family. We are going to hear from them again,’ she said.

What will bring them back to our screens, and will it be a more permanent return?