Corrie fans are both excited and worried as ITV confirms Gail Platt will reappear in a special Christmas episode – exactly one year after her disappearance.

Gail returns with a message from afar to her family, but according to leaks from the set, there will be a scene where Gail actually appears at the end of the episode, in a flashback that touches David’s heart.

A source from Radio Times revealed: “David will receive a gift from his mother, something that evokes memories of Kylie when she was alive.”

This scene is described as “extremely emotional, making the entire crew cry while filming.”

The already fragile Christmas atmosphere after the Corriedale incident is now further dampened by Gail – the iconic mother of the Platt family – returning, leading fans to admit: “Never seen a Christmas so sad yet so beautiful.”

Gail’s return also opens up the possibility that ITV is preparing for a generational shift: from Gail to David, and then from David to younger generations like Max or Lily. A kind of rewriting the Corrie legend in a way that inherits its legacy. But with Corrie, every emotional gift always comes with a price. And if anyone understands that better than anyone else – it’s David Platt.