Will Mellor confirmed for return to Coronation Street as killer Harvey Gaskell

Talking to RadioTimes.com and other press about what's coming up in Coronation Street, producer Iain MacLeod confirmed that fans will be greeted in the new year by not only returning Damon Hay (Ciarán Griffiths), but also with villain and drug lord Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor).

The last we saw of Harvey was back in 2022, when the killer was confronted by his victim's young son Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan).

Of course, Harvey shot and killed Sam's mum, Natasha (Rachel Leskovac), thinking she was Leanne Battersby.

Well, although Sam certainly gave Harvey a stern talking to in previous scenes, it looks as though the villain is set to make a return to our screens in upcoming episodes.

MacLeod explained the upcoming storylines, which start off with Damon returning to the cobbles, intent on winning Sarah Barlow (Tina O'Brien) back.

He said: "It kicks off almost in the first moment of the new year. [We're] revisiting the unfinished business between Adam, Sarah and Damon.

"So, we arrive in the new year, Adam and Sarah are rubbing along okay. They're trying to amicably co-parent Harry as per their agreement when they split up, and it's going alright, and then suddenly, wallop, Adam finds himself in this nightmare situation, all at the hands of Damon - who's unexpectedly come back.

"He was obviously, as you may remember, run out of town by Adam, and in our minds has been somewhere away from Coronation Street plotting his revenge, and it arrives as a fairly blunt force on the first episode of the new year.

"The story then becomes a kind of a triangle, where we also imagine Damon has been spending his intervening months pining for Sarah. I felt there [were] really intense feelings between those two and really natural chemistry and connection, and he comes back with a kind of two-pronged plan.

"The first of them is that he wants to get revenge on Adam, and the second is that he wants Sarah back, because he feels like she's the one - and he will essentially have to contend with the fact that these two plans might not be compatible. Like, can he have his revenge and also have Sarah? The answer might well be no, so which one is he going to choose?"

Speaking about what more fans can expect, MacLeod said: "It's a brilliant, exciting, high-octane story, I love those characters. They always feel really glossy and really naturally at home in this kind of big Coronation Street storyline.

"As it shakes down, Damon's revenge may start to take a backseat to his feelings for Sarah. But, just in case you thought that that was going to be smooth running from now or plain sailing from there, Adam can't stand the idea that this guy's back and has got his eyes on Sarah, who is, at this point, still his wife - although they are going through a divorce.

"He decides in his mind that, to protect Sarah, he might want rid of Damon, so as Damon's calming down, Adam's going in the other direction, and his plans to rid himself of Damon will see him pay a little visit to Damon's half-brother Harvey, because he's no fan of Damon's either - and they might form this unholy alliance."

So, just how will Harvey become connected in this wider plot? Well, it's only set to get more sinister, it seems.

MacLeod revealed: "They have a shared problem in the form of Damon, and think they can help each other in that regard. It's got fantastic actors in it, as all our stories do; the storyline is packed full of twists and turns and excitement.

"Dare I say it in this day and age, but it's quite sexy, as well. I think that it's got lots of intensity and passion and a whirlwind romance for Damon and Sarah."

Mellor has more recently been seen on Strictly Come Dancing 2022, where he performed alongside professional dance partner Nancy Xu and was voted off of the show one week before the final.

As for Corrie, it won't just be romance and plain-sailing for Damon and Sarah in the new year, oh no.

As MacLeod says: "I should also point out, Sarah's family are certainly no fan of her new love interest Damon, given what they know of his backstory.

"So, there's lots of really funny Meet the Parents type stuff, where Sarah brings him to a family meal and he has to sit there and try and play nice with Gail and Audrey and David, [which] gives us yet more of those brilliant Platt family summit scenes that we all love.

"So it kicks off in a kind of massive, explosive way in the first episode of the year."

If you thought Corrie couldn't get better – just you wait until the new year.

Read more:

• Coronation Street cast: who is leaving, returning to and joining the soap?
• Coronation Street's Alison King opens up on Chris Gascoyne exit
• Coronation Street casts 90s sitcom star as Ed and Ronnie Bailey's dad
• Coronation Street’s Stephen haunts victims as Tim suffers flashbacks and Michael’s sacked
• Corrie’s Channique Sterling-Brown: “Dee-Dee is unapologetically Black”
• Coronation Street almost stuck the Stephen Reid landing
  

Coronation Street airs weeknights on ITV. Check out more of our Soaps coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.

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