JAMES Bailey gets catapulted back into the spotlight this week after a heart attack.
But the Coronation Street footballer won’t be the only one to go through turmoil this week. Get the lowdown on all the drama.
James Bailey is taken to hospital this week
The footballer suffers a heart attack while playing a game of footy
But will he make it?
1. James suffers a heart attack
The Weatherfield county footballer (played by Nathan Graham) has has a successful career on the field but his world comes crashing down this week.
Coming up, The Rovers landlady Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews) asks him to train the pub’s charity football team, knowing the Flying Horse are looking for revenge.
Ready for a new challenge, James eagerly accepts and puts the Rovers team through their paces.
When a misunderstanding prompts Tim Metcalfe (Joe Duttine) to walk out, James has no other choice but to step in for him, unaware that his health could pay the price of his involvement.
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The match later kicks off, while Tim calms down over at Aggie Bailey’s house for a quick brew and the nurse’s youngest son gives the game his all.
When the Flying Horse take the lead with only minutes remaining, James manages to put the Rovers in front – but he suddenly collapses.
A mortified Ed rushes across the pitch, frantically calling an ambulance, as James’ older brother Michael performs CPR.
Luckily, James survives his heart attack but he’s not quite out of the woods.
In later scenes, he’s told his attack was caused by a condition called cardiomyopathy and doctors have decided to fit him with an ICD to prevent any further attacks.
James is wheeled away to theatre, leaving his mother Aggie broken.
How will he cope with his condition?
Not everybody is convinced Stu Carpenter is innocent
2. Stu is attacked
Meanwhile, although Yasmeen Nazir and her family are trying to help him clear his name, Stu Carpenter continues to be hassled due to his past in prison.
The former homeless man played by Bill Fellows spent 27 years behind bars, accused of murdering his former lover Charlie.
But his innocence later came to light and the Nazirs have been fighting to prove he has done nothing wrong.
Unfortunately, not everyone is convinced Stu Carpenter is innocent.
This leads to Speed Daal losing many customers as Zeedan (portrayed by Qasim Akhtar) will notice.
Coming up, Zeedan surveys the empty bookings diary, worrying that Speed Daal may have to pay for Stu’s name being cleared.
Matters go from bad to worse for Stu when he heads home as two lads harass him in the cobbles.
The youngster brand him a murderer and the situation escalates.
Later on, Roy Cropper (David Neilson) tells Zeedan about the attack on Stu.
Can Stu ever catch a break?
Stephen Reid gets visit from his wife this week
3. Stephen’s wife shows up
After being taken out of his mother Audrey Roberts’ will and trying to seduce Jenny Connor, Stephen Reid grows desperate for cash.
But the businessman played by Todd Boyce sees his financial issues come to light again when his wife appears out of the blue and in the cobbles.
Coming up next week, Stephen gets told by his niece Sarah Platt (portrayed by Tina O’Brien) that she’s arranged a meeting with a couple of potential investors.
Stephen’s wife Gabrielle makes her arrival in Weatherfield, demanding the 200,000 euros back that he stole from her company.
To make her intentions clear, she also warns him she’ll be going to the police if he refuses to pay her back.
In previous episodes of the long-running drama, Stephen was seen make a payment under his wife’s name.
This leads him to make a move on his mother’s finances.
Audrey catches her son getting up to no good
4. … and he takes desperate action
Knowing he won’t have access to his mother’s fortune, Stephen is still adamant on getting his hand on the cash.
Stephen lets himself into No.8 and takes out the trust fund papers, which would give him control over his mother’s finances, practising the hairdresser’s signature.
But Audrey (Sue Nicholls) is set to walk in on him doing so.
Will she finally realise what he’s up to?
Spider Nugent is ready to do anything to keep Toyah Battersby out of trouble
5. Spider makes a confession
Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) is facing serious legal trouble after she was accused of purposely crashing her car and murdering her mate husband Imran Habeeb.
However, while her trial is fast approaching and her reputation in the cobbles has somewhat deteriorated, Toyah has kept busy, most notably by getting involved in several Weatherfield protests.
Coming up, she even tries to take a closer look at shady businessman Nadeem Atallah’s practices as tensions arise on the Street for another protest.
But things escalate when the police arrive and Craig Tinker (played by Colson Smith) urges protestors to disperse.
Craig gets hurts when Griff pulls out a bottle and hurls it, hitting the police officer on the head.
Griff gets arrested while Toyah is caught up in the scuffle.
Meanwhile, Spider Nugent (played by returning actor Martin Hancock) is well aware of what Toyah is doing but the eco-warrior is more concerned about her than anything else.
In later scenes, he gives Toyah a stern warning and reminds her that her trial is looming.
With that in mind, Spider suggests she could be protesting too much and that it’s best for her not to be as involved.
Spider begs Toyah to cut ties with Griff altogether and makes a shock confession by revealing he’s in love with her and that his marriage is over.
The exchange escalates into a kiss on the balcony and they agree to keep their relationship under wraps until after Toyah’s trial.
Little do they know that a furious Saira Habeeb (Kim Vithana) is staring up at them.
As mentioned above, Toyah has been accused of killing Imran and the late solicitor’s mother is convinced of her guilt.
Saira will be approaching Toyah in the street this week to accuse her of murdering Imran to be with her new boyfriend.
This prompts Griff to suggest they should teach the grieving mother a lesson by letting the tyres down on her gas-guzzling car – which only proves Spider that Toyah will only get herself into trouble with him.
Later on, Griff even throws in the idea of torching Saira’s car with the help of a petrol canister.
Will Toyah listen to Spider’s advice?
Ken Barlow reconnects with Wendy Crozier but Tracy won’t be happy about it
6. Tracy gets a shock
Wendy (portrayed by Roberta Kerr) made her Corrie debut in 1989 as Ken Barlow’s (William Roache) mistress.
This heated affair led to Ken’s first divorce from his then-wife Deirdre, who passed away in 2015, but not after rekindling her romance with the Weatherfield stalwart.
Meanwhile, Tracy (Kate Ford) can only remember too well the pain Ken’s affair caused her mother.
This leads her to be hostile towards Wendy this week as she spots her with her stepfather.
This week, Ken and Wendy rehearse their audition scene for a play in the cobbles but the florist walks in.
To make matters worse, she steps into No.1 just in time to hear Wendy delivering the line “just as I love you.”
Not one to keep her thoughts to herself, as harsh as they may be, an acid-tongued Tracy rails at Wendy for canoodling with Ken.
Sam Blakeman is trying hard to make some friends
7. Sam struggles
Elsewhere in Coronation Street, Sam Blakeman (Jude Riordan) is trying to make some friends as he does a class presentation about chess, one of his main passions.
But later on, a boy named Owen tells him how much he enjoyed the presentation and asks him to teach him how to play the game, without meaning a word of it.
Sam is oblivious to Owen’s sarcasm and agrees.
Hope Stape (Isabella Flanagan) then suggests that Sam makes out he loves gaming and invites Jack and Liam round after school.
However, when they embark on a football computer game, he’s disappointed to notice it doesn’t require any skill or strategy.
Liam and Jack look at him in disbelief and when he tries to make conversation with them, it’s clear Sam finds it difficult.
He’s even quick to change the subject when they question him about the letters he writes.
Sam is then determined to impress Jalena, showing up at her party sporting a football top and a pair of trainers – but she leaves him crushed by asserting she has no interest in football.
In fact, Jalena was eager to ask him they meet up for a game of chess but she decides to invite John instead.
What will Sam do?
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays on ITV.
