Coronation Street boss on Pat Phelan's "demise" - "His downfall is very much to do with Eileen"

"2018 is going to see the demise of Phelan," Oates said. "Connor [McIntyre] is so up for this challenge. He’s so excited about it and he’s playing it brilliantly. "What I like about Phelan’s downfall is that it’s very much to do with Eileen. It’s to do with her realising who she’s married. It’s to do with Nicola and that child. You’ve got the high drama balanced out with the emotional family domestic drama, which is when I think Corrie is at its best.”

Pat Phelan's reign of terror has seen him kill off Andy Carver, Vinny Ashford and Luke Britton, while last week's episodes saw him ensure that Anna Windass was sent to prison for a crime she didn't commit.

In a recent survey of more than 4000 RadioTimes.com readers, 94 per cent said that they were ready for the bad guy builder to get his comeuppance. And it seems that they won't have to wait long to get their wish as Phelan bows out in dramatic style.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kHmQUVVRB8

"There'll be a few twists and turns - we have some stunts coming up, which will be exciting," the Corrie producer added.

Speaking to RT last year about fan reaction to his character, Connor McIntyre said: “They’re very cool. They get it. And there’s a certain sense of ownership about it – if you’re a Corrie fan, you enjoy your villain. Knowing full well that he’ll inevitably get his comeuppance. It’s a very moral universe – and quite right too."

You can watch a 60-second rundown of next week's drama on Coronation Street below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33WRCoMF-DM

And visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers.