Exits are teased but returns double in Coronation Street next week. It starts in the ITV soap with a hungover Simon Barlow who admits he remembers little about the previous day. With Leanne having left for a treat, Nick Tilsley and Toyah Battersby despair.
Nick finds himself explaining to Rowan Cunliffe how there was an incident involving Simon and he needs to speak to Leanne urgently, but Rowan’s dismissive which angers Nick. Rowan then suggests to Simon they chat as he knows what it's like to drift through life without direction.
Later, as Simon readies to leave for the retreat, Nick and Toyah do their best to talk him out of it. In desperation, Nick calls Peter. Toyah returns home to find Simon unpacking his bag, revealing that his dad Peter Barlow has offered him a job on the yacht.
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Meanwhile, Nina Lucas tells Stu Carpenter she’s concerned for imprisoned Roy Cropper as he won’t speak to anyone or leave his cell. When Roscoe, a fellow inmate, enters Roy’s cell, Roy is frightened and leaps up, sending his chess board flying. A bemused Roscoe then leaves him to it.
After finally getting through to him, Evelyn Plummer suggests to Roy they start a book club while he’s in prison. Roy’s pleased to have something to look forward to. But he soon gets a surprise when Griff Reynolds tells the guard it’s good to be back in Weatherfield nick!
Elsewhere, an emotional Bernie Winter confides in partner Dev Alahan that it would have been her son, Zodiac's, birthday today. As she sets off for Paul Foreman's feeding tube operation, Bernie finds her car being towed away. Spotting an unknown man nearby, and not knowing he's her son, Bernie’s convinced he’s to blame.
Bernie then calls at the police station with the intention of making a complaint. But when Craig and his colleagues emerge with a cake for Kit, the man from earlier, to wish him a happy 31st birthday, Bernie reels in shock.
Later at the hospital, Billy Mayhew's about to reverse his car into a disabled parking bay when suddenly another car swoops in. Kit flashes his ID and forces the driver to move.
With the act of kindness noted, once back at home, Billy and Paul tell Bernie about Kit, the police officer who came to their rescue but she's left quietly buoyed. Calling again at the station, she thanks Kit for the kindness he showed Paul, imploring him to give her a chance to explain her side of the story.
Meanwhile, Abi Webster switches on the TV to hear the presenter singing the praises of Corey Brent, the teen who killed her son Seb Franklin, and his football prowess. Abi watches in horror as her husband Kevin is forced to reveal that Corey is playing for his prison football team.
Having watched the documentary, painting Corey as a hero, Abi’s incandescent. Abi and Nina call at the offices for the TV company responsible for the documentary and barge their way into the producer’s office demanding answers. Later, as Nina and Abi check the Gazette website, they take comfort from the supportive comments and are pleased to see that a petition has been started demanding the documentary be scrapped.
But soon after, drug dealer Dean calls at the garage and tells Abi that he’s hit a bad patch and needs her help. Abi sends him packing as an eagle-eyed Cassie Plummer watches on. She's soon distracted, however, when in the office Tyrone Dobbs opens an email and horrified by its contents, he's forced to tell Abi he has some shocking news.
Abi’s horrified to see that the sex video has been uploaded to other websites. Cassie lets slip to Kevin how she saw Abi arguing with Dean the drug dealer shortly before the sex video was released and then overheard her arranging to meet him to hand over cash.
Abi then meets Dean and brandishing a wrench, accuses him of making the sex tape. Dean insists he has no idea what she’s talking about but a furious Abi doesn’t believe him. Kevin arrives just in time and orders Abi to drop the wrench. As Dean is taken in for police questioning, Abi learns four more videos have been uploaded. But as she studies the footage Abi realises it’s not actually her, they’re all deep fakes.
Also, Maria Windass confronts Gary over £10k missing from their bank account but he makes out that he had to buy a new boiler for the factory, Mary Taylor urges Bethany Platt to make up with her family and put the past with Nathan Curtis behind her and Carla Connor admits to Sarah Barlow that she misses Peter but when Simon shows her some pictures, Carla’s thrown to see one showing Peter with his arm around a woman.
