Coronation Street bosses have confirmed the future of the beloved pub The Rovers Return – but warned fans things will never be the same again.
Last month, fans of the ITV soap will remember the heart of the soap was forced to close after Jenny Connor found herself strapped for cash and struggling to keep the business afloat. Things soon went from bad to worse when cobbles killer Stephen Reid broke into the pub to hide from the police and retrieve his passport for his extravagant getaway plan.
In an epic showdown, the Canadian killer held his former girlfriend prisoner with a broken bottle to her throat before he left the pub. But the evil entrepreneur met his grisly end when he was run over by Peter Barlow just moments before he could get into his getaway car.
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Since then, the pub has remained closed for business, with the windows bordered up waiting for the next owner to come along and breathe fresh life into it again. Now, producer Iain MacLeod has warned loyal viewers that the future won’t be bright for the pub as he teased its return in the new year.
As the ITV boss teased the gripping storylines fans can expect from the soap in 2024, he revealed that the Rovers will find its new owner in a matter of months. He told us: “The tease would be that we don’t want it shut for that long because it’s almost like a character in its own right, the Rovers.
“So closing it felt almost like a death. It's almost as big a deal for me really as any of the other people that might have met their sticky end at the hands of Stephen Reid. The idea that the pub is bordered up was horrifying and even walking up the lot and seeing that, it’s like a dagger to the heart.
The producer went on to warn that the pub’s reopening would be constructed on a “shaky foundation” after one eager pub owners does whatever it takes to secure the prized keys. He went on: “It’s not going to stay closed for that long, in fact it reopens on New Year’s Eve I think. But the interesting thing about it is the circumstances of it becoming open again are all tied up with Stephen’s legacy.
“Somebody will do something that is at best naughty and at worst slightly criminal to get their hands on the keys to the pub and reopen it. So it will reopen but the reopening of it will be based on this slightly shaky foundation of a criminal act, shall we say?
“So the viewers will be wondering, ‘Okay, so the pub is open but what disaster will befall the person that’s allowed that to happen?’ because it’s all based on this misdeed that they’ve committed towards the end of the year.” Iain went on to explain that there would be a few subtle changes to the beloved pub.
He explained: “We didn’t want it to just reopen again and it was like nothing had ever happened. We wanted it to reopen with this buried bomb underneath it that we will explode later in the year. It’s not going to look radically different either.
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“I don’t know about you, but I think certain sets – I'm not saying they should never change – but I'd certainly feel like I don’t want it to be modernised and gastro pub-ified or turned onto a chain pub. So much like I feel weirdly protective of Deirdre’s wallpaper in number one, I do [for the Rovers.]
“I feel like the Rover’s décor is going to be updated a touch but for the most part, I really like the look and feel of it at the moment. So it’s going to reopen looking quite similar, but the circumstances of its ownership are going to be much more fraught.”
Fans have gone out of their mind speculating over who the new owner could be, with popular suggestions including businesswoman Courtney Vance, Gemma Winter and Peter Barlow. Viewers will need to stay tuned to see which character will use some underhand tactics to become the next owner in the new year.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV1 from 8pm or catch up on ITVX.
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