Coronation Street: Richard Hillman is back from the dead to haunt Gail!

Gail Rodwell is to get a shock later this year on Coronation Street when her serial killer husband Richard Hillman comes back from the dead - via a psychic medium.

Detectorists star Sophie Thompson has been cast as quirky medium Rosemary, who meets Audrey when she visits her salon and convinces her she has been contacted by her late husband Alf.

Gail is dismissive of Rosemary and her ‘gift’ and warns Audrey to be careful, but it isn’t long before Rosemary says she is getting messages from Gail’s dead husbands.

Thompson - who also played the unstable Stella Crawford on EastEnders - will first appear on screen in mid March when Corrie fans will see Gail become keen to find out just what her late husbands, including Richard want to tell her.

A Corrie spokesperson said: “Sophie is a superb actress and perfect for the role of Rosemary, we are excited she is joining the cast and working alongside Helen [Worth] and Sue [Nicholls]. Gail and Audrey are convinced she is getting messages from Alf and Gail’s husbands. It remains to be seen if she is all she claims to be.”

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's drama on Coronation Street below

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