Coronation Street 2026 preview: 10 spoilers for the year ahead from Swarla wedding bells to Jodie's secret

The world’s longest-running soap opera has already made history in 2026 thanks to Coronation Street’s epic crossover with stablemate Emmerdale, but that’s just the start of a year that promises to be packed full of dramatic moments for the residents of Weatherfield.

As we recover from the events of Corriedale, there's a lot to take in, but we've got everything you need to know.

ITV described the crossover episode as "self-contained, but the consequences of the high-stakes drama will have repercussions for both communities and see them linked forever as familiar faces depart and exciting new characters arrive into both soaps."

Well, it's certainly done that!

So, get ready for RadioTimes.com’s unmissable preview of what’s in store as Corrie’s executive producer Kate Brooks talks us through the top 10 biggest storylines of the year ahead.

Coronation Street 2026 preview: 10 spoilers for the year ahead from Swarla wedding bells to Jodie's secret

1. Swarla spring wedding joy - so Carla Connor and Lisa Swain WILL reunite

“Now Carla Connor and Lisa Swain have dealt with Becky Swain, whose true colours have been revealed for all to see, Swarla will start to make their way back to each other. Obviously, there’s a lot to get past, but their love for each other never faltered throughout Becky’s manipulation.

"They were engaged, so wedding bells are certainly ringing in the not-too-distant future, and they’ll get their happy ever after, and the chance to be free from the drama that surrounded Becky. It’s going to be a romantic spring for Carla and Lisa, which will make many people smile!"

2. Evil Theo Silverton exposed as abuse of Todd Grimshaw continues...

“Theo Silverton sank to a new low when he allowed Billy Mayhew to die. Going forward, it’s a very complicated place that Todd Grimshaw finds himself in. He was ready to leave Theo after reluctantly confiding in Billy, but going into 2026, he doesn’t feel he has the strength to go through with it.

"If he hadn’t spoken to Billy about the abuse, maybe he’d still be alive? That’s what Theo homes in on, even though he’s ravaged by guilt. In his own warped, unhinged way, Theo justifies what he did as being necessary to keep hold of Todd, who he genuinely loves.

"To mask his guilt, Theo makes himself a pillar of support to Billy’s loved ones and becomes more manipulative. This relationship is a hard watch at times as it’s an important story to tell, but we can’t sustain this forever. Todd will start to realise maybe all is not what it seems, as will others around him…”

3. Shona Platt’s secret sister Jodie brings the drama and secrets

“We now know the mysterious lady with the tattoo from Corriedale is Jodie, Shona Platt’s estranged sister. This younger sibling has been mentioned previously, so we felt the time was right to bring her in and unpack Shona’s backstory. Jodie is complicated and comes with a lot of baggage. The sisterly relationship is quite fraught; there’s some deep resentment, but they have a strong bond.

"I think the audience will enjoy Jodie’s sense of mischief and unravelling who she is and what she wants. She’ll bring an awful lot of drama to the Platt household.

"Shona and David Platt have also got baby Harper to look after as well so they’re being dragged from pillar to post.

"We’ll also reveal Jodie’s link to Emmerdale’s Graham Foster and why she was running for her life, which is a big story that takes us into spring and summer."

4. Debbie Webster takes the rap for Carl over Billy Mayhew's death

“We’ve got a long way to go with Debbie Webster’s dementia story, but the drama that unfolded in Corriedale has put her in a precarious situation where she’s determined to take the rap for Carl Webster’s dangerous driving. She’s confused and wants to face her punishment, which could lend itself to a prison sentence, a terrifying prospect if you’re in the early stages of dementia.

"Her family is falling apart, Carl and Kevin Webster have never been so splintered, and she’s trying to protect them all. Debbie will need her gal pals, so Glenda Shuttleworth, Christina Boyd, Bernie Winter-Alahan and Sally Metcalfe rally to get her through darker moments as Debbie braces herself for an uncertain future.

"She should be on her honeymoon, instead she’s facing the wrath of the community, who believe she is culpable for Billy’s death.”

5. Flash-forward murder mystery to lead into the summer

“There’s a special episode in mid-February with a little flash-forward. I know this was done recently on another show, but the idea has been in the making for a long time and gives us a destination for some big stories to come together and be involved in something even bigger.

"During the flash forward scene, set a few months into the future, one of our characters has found a dead body on the street – we don’t know who it is, but there will be five potential victims, and we take the audience on a journey to figure out who’s dead and what happened.

"It’s very intricate, but essentially it’s a ‘who is it?’ which leads to a ‘who done it?’ It becomes very thriller-esque as we go into the summer and will involve an awful lot of characters; the whole community is impacted. It will keep you guessing until the very end!”

6. Megan Walsh's evil grooming revealed

“Megan Walsh’s grooming of teenager Will Driscoll is ongoing, and we want to be as truthful as possible. Sam Blakeman will end up getting embroiled in it all when he potentially gets wind that something is amiss. We’ll see the lengths Megan will go to in order to manipulate Sam and keep him quiet, which will be massively detrimental to Sam’s well-being. Eva Price is in the mix and will be naturally furious when this comes to light, then you’ve got Leanne Battersby and Toyah Habeeb, three very strong, fiery sisters whose boys have been manipulated by someone they considered to be their friend. It will be explosive and a struggle for the family to navigate. How do they overcome these hurdles and protect their children?”

7. Tim Metcalfe's trauma triggered

“Will and Megan’s story also involves Tim Metcalfe, who starts to realise that what went on with Trina when he was younger wasn’t right or acceptable. Up until this point, Tim has been quite dismissive about it and not fully realised the extent of what happened. He didn’t feel tarnished; he thought sleeping with an older woman was every young lad’s dream – we want to take Tim and the audience on a similar journey at the same time. Seeing how young and vulnerable Will is makes Tim recognise the truth of his own situation.

"Through the course of the story, we’ll delve into the friendship between Tim, Steve McDonald and Ben Driscoll. The subject matter is incredibly serious, but there’s lightness to be had with that dynamic, as fellas being daft and talking nonsense around a dart board is as important as the strong female friendships we have.”

8. Maggie Driscoll's secret Barlow connection revealed

“On the subject of the Driscolls, there’s loads more to come with this family, particularly Maggie Driscoll. We know what she is capable of when it comes to protecting her lads at all costs, and that she’s hiding other secrets. Eagle-eyed viewers might have spotted something in the scene when we saw Maggie at the Barlow house – she looked into the cabinet, and her reaction suggested she saw something that made her feel slightly on edge. We will reveal more on that in the upcoming months, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

9. Bernie Winter-Alahan in turmoil

“Bernie watched her son Paul die from MND, which was horrific; now she has to come to terms with son-in-law Billy’s death. Bernie wants to take care of people and be their rock; as a result of that, she’s buried a lot of grief. We rarely see her lose it or burst into tears; she is the strength of that whole family, so we wanted to explore what would happen as she struggles with another loss and how that grief manifests.

"She’s been struggling for a long time, and when it eventually erupts, there are consequences. It’s a really muddy, murky story which shows another side of the character we’ve not seen yet.

"This will be a test for Bernie and Dev Alahan, who are a very strong couple, and Roy Cropper is embroiled in that story as well. It’s a big start to 2026 for Bernie."

10. More experimental episodes

“As well as the flash forward, we will have more episodes in 2026 that break the usual soap format. I think they’re a really interesting way of telling stories. When the plot affords it, or lends itself to taking a more abstract and slightly less conventional approach, then we embrace it.

"We have a great team that works hard to ensure everything still feels very story-driven, which is the key to the success of those special or non-linear episodes. Todd and Theo’s behind-closed-doors episode couldn’t have been more ‘kitchen sink drama’ than being in somebody’s living room watching them live their lives.

"Whether we’re shooting through the lens of a camera or not, it allowed us to explore and take our time but in a fresh way, and that’s what we’ll continue to do going forward. We need to keep abreast of the competition and stay relevant, fresh and new, while never losing the DNA that makes Corrie so brilliant."

Read more:

• 5 Coronation Street spoilers next week: Carl Webster convinces Debbie she caused Billy Mayhew's death
• Coronation Street cast: who is leaving, returning to and joining the soap?

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