Coronation Street has had its fair share of sinister male villains – and now it seems they could be bringing over Emmerdale’s to Weatherfield too!
It’s no secret that there is a much hyped crossover episode coming at the start of 2026 to kick off ITV’s new soap hour scheduling pattern, and it will feature a blend of characters and storylines from both of the flagship shows.
Now, a clue in a recent episode of Corrie appears to have confirmed that murderous John Sugden (Oliver Farnworth) will play a heavy role in proceedings, with a missing poster of the character spotted quite visibly in the police station set.
This is bound to be more than just an Easter Egg for fans – John appearing in this way surely indicates that the place he may end up looming while on the run will be Britain’s most famous cobbled street.
Emmerdale viewers saw John evade justice after using his knowledge of Anthony’s murder to blackmail Caleb Miligan (William Ash) into helping him make a break for it.
He’s a dangerous man, having killed Nate Robinson, left Mack Boyd (Lawrence Robb) to what he assumed would be his death, and also throwing the so-called love of his life, Aaron Dingle (Danny Miller), from a cliff.
And now it seems the residents of Corrie should also watch their backs with a killer potentially in their midst.
There’s still plenty to play out before the crossover episode – right now, Robert is torn between soulmate Aaron and unhinged prison hubby Kev (Chris Coghill) – but those fearing the end of John had seen him get away with his crimes can breathe a sigh of relief that there is certainly more to come.
I’m also waiting to see if anyone in Corrie’s endlessly busy copshop clocks the poster and comments on how much that perp looks like that guy, Andy Carver.
Recently, actors such as Ryan Hawley, Lisa Riley, and Eden Taylor-Draper have teased big drama for the crossover episode, while Vicky Myers – Weatherfield’s very own DS Lisa Swain – appeared to give away to Metro that she is filming in Leeds.
Here at Metro Soaps, we have a number of running theories on who could be doing what, and it’s the same for fans too, who can’t wait to see what unfolds.
Speaking to us at the Cure Usher Ball, Corrie boss Kate Brooks promised big things, saying: ‘It will be unmissable, that’s all I’m going to say! It’s very exciting. A lot of hard work has gone into making it brilliant!’
From January, Corrie and Emmerdale will both lose half an hour of weekly output, with a nightly soap hour on ITV airing half-hour episodes of each.
The crossover episode – which is expected to feature a big stunt and the potential death of characters – will be the catalyst to mark the big change.
Speaking about the new schedule and the reasoning behind it, ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment, Kevin Lygo, said: ‘The new commissioning pattern is viewer-led.
‘We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX, and we want to present their favourite soap to them in the most digestible way.
‘In a world where there is so much competition for viewers’ time and attention, and viewing habits continue to change, we believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows.’