LINDA Hancock’s return to Weatherfield creates increasing tension within the Winter-Brown clan next week.
Family drama kicks off in Coronation Street as Bernie Winter will get into a furious row with the character and it’s all about Joseph’s future.
Years since her last appearance in the cobbles, Linda (played by Jacqueline Leonard) makes a return to the Street to pay Chesney (Sam Aston), and more particularly her grandson Joseph Brown (William Flanagan) a visit.
But when she finds out about the boy’s kidnapping ordeal, Linda begins to dig and finds an overwhelmed father of five, struggling to keep his family in balance.
This is mostly due to the birth of quadruplets back in 2019, making the task of parenting a little more harrowing on the daily.
However, Linda’s return spells nothing good for Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove) and she’s not afraid to show it.
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When Linda calls at No.5 and offers to pay for Joseph to attend an activity club in scenes due to air next week, Bernie confides in her daughter Gemma (Dolly-Rose Campbell).
She tells her she doesn’t like Linda, despite her step-grandson‘s excitement to spend time with her.
This is perhaps due to the fact that Bernie was a witness to Linda being chatted up by Dev Alahan in the Rovers upon her arrival.
Later, Linda returns home with Joseph, only to be met with more pushback from Bernie who mentions that two of the quads have fallen ill.
Bernie finds it hard to keep her mistrust of Linda to herself and rails at her outside the Winter-Brown’s home.
Tensions further arise when Linda asks Joseph outright if he’d like to come live with her in Portugal, where she built a new life for herself.
Conflict only grows following this, prompting Linda’s estranged daughter Izzy (Cherylee Houston) to get involved.
Izzy confronts Linda and accuses her of trying to keep young Joseph away from his family as he chooses to live with his Granny Linda.
Bernie holds back no punches and, in a furious argument, she trades insults with Linda while Izzy’s friend Fergus Dunford (Toby Hadoke) tries to keep the peace in vain.
Joseph has already spent some of his youth in Portugal as his mother tragically died there following a car accident.
Linda had then allowed Chesney to take him away to Weatherfield.
In recent weeks, Joseph has been feeling increasingly unwanted as Chesney and Gemma focus most of their attention on their four toddlers.
Misjudging the situation, Joseph ran away from home, wreaking havoc in Weatherfield.
Although he was safely brought back home, Joseph is still feeling pushed to the side.
But will he really leave his father’s home to go and live with Linda?
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV at 7:30pm and 8:30pm.
