NICK Tilsley makes a breakthrough with son Sam Blakeman next week in Coronation Street.
The youngster – played by Jude Riordan in the ITV soap – stopped talking after his mum Natasha died in October.
The salon owner was shot by evil drug lord Harvey Gaskell by mistake and later died in hospital.
Since then, Sam has struggled to come to terms with his loss.
His dad Nick has tried his best to encourage him to talk, but nothing has worked.
The restaurant owner decides to leave Sam with Mary Taylor in the cafe while they chess.
The youngster sees Hope Stape play with a walkie-talkie, and he hopes that Sam will want to play with the toy and start talking.
But it doesn’t work.
As they leave Mary asks if Sam wants to return for another game about chess and he politely nods.
Later on in the week when Nick watches his son play, he’s left feeling hopeful that Sam will start to talk again when he’s ready.
Things start to look up when Mary gives Sam some tip tips to win a game.
The youngster agrees to play against his dad in the Bistro and Nick is left over the moon when Sam speaks to him for the first time in two months.
- Coronation Street airs on ITV
