Next week on Coronation Street, viewers will enter one of the most tense and emotional weeks of the year.

Shuttleworth & Sons Funeral Home becomes the center of attention when a funeral is held with great solemnity, but instead of the solemn atmosphere as everyone expected, the whole Weatherfield neighborhood is caught in a whirlwind of chaos and mystery.

The reason? A legendary character on Corrie – someone viewers have known for many years – is suddenly replaced at the most important moment.

The scene opens with the sound of a hearse echoing through the quiet space.

Todd Grimshaw and George Shuttleworth, as usual, have prepared everything very carefully. But just looking at Todd’s confused eyes, the audience can feel that something is wrong. When the coffin is brought in, everyone expects the person who will preside over the funeral will be a familiar character. But instead, a completely new face appeared — a “temporarily appointed” representative. The room fell silent, and many people began to whisper, trying to understand what was happening.

The already heavy atmosphere of the funeral became even more chaotic when Billy Mayhew entered and stopped at the door. His eyes looked as if he had witnessed something unacceptable. Billy, who had been the spiritual support of the whole neighborhood, could hardly believe that the person he had served and accompanied for many years was not present in his usual position. The front row also stirred. Some residents began to turn to each other and whisper: “Where is that person?”, “Were they forced to retire?”, “Is there some scandal behind the scenes?”

While everyone tried to keep calm, Sarah Platt was the one who could not hide her indignation. She stood up and questioned George directly on the spot, causing the atmosphere in the funeral home to explode. George — normally so calm — lost control for the first time, fumbled and avoided answering. That moment made everyone believe even more that there was something big behind this replacement.

On Weatherfield social media, a series of short videos of the funeral were leaked: from the moment the replacement stepped onto the podium, to Billy’s surprised expression and Sarah’s jump. Real-life audiences also quickly created countless theories: did the legendary character leave voluntarily? Or was he forced to leave the show? Or is he holding some secret that the producers cannot reveal?

At the end of part 1, the audience still does not know the final truth, but one thing is clear: the seemingly solemn funeral has become the catalyst for the biggest drama series in Weatherfield in the past months. And the absence of that “legend” will open up a series of untold stories.