Coronation Street will reveal the prime suspect in Lauren Bolton’s blackmail story over the course of the next week.

Lauren has found herself in the thick of the drama in Weatherfield following her joyride with Betsy Swain, which saw the pair – though mostly Betsy – steal Tracy McDonald’s florist van in an act of revenge.

Feeling remorseful that she got Lauren involved, Betsy took the blame after Lauren crashed the vehicle. Despite being out of immediate danger, Lauren soon found herself in another spot of bother after a mystery individual threatened to expose the truth that Lauren was the one behind the wheel.

After confiding in Bobby, Lauren received the most dangerous message yet as she was sent a photo of the incident, with next week’s scenes beginning as Lauren tells Bobby that she hasn’t received any further messages.

Fearing that the blackmailer may be biding their time, Lauren attempts to get her mind off things by looking at some flats, though she rebuffs Bobby’s offer of company as she elects to view properties on her own.

She is, however, gobsmacked by some of the prices on display, and resolves to promptly find a job. Aadi offers to put a good word in for her at Freshco, a gesture that she expresses gratitude for.

Her mood quickly darkens, however, when the blackmailer demands that she send them £200 – failure to comply would result in the incriminating photograph being sent to the police. Not knowing what to do, she contacts Betsy.

Betsy suspects that Bobby may indeed be the blackmailer, using the situation as a way to get closer to her. They attempt to call his bluff by leaving some fake cash – is the innocent Bobby really behind the text messages?…

“Lauren and Betsy aren’t entirely sure whether to take the blackmail threats seriously or not – they’re not going to give away any cash until they know more,” said an insider for the ITV soap.

“They don’t want to believe that it could be Bobby, but their plan is a clever way to test the theory. Has Bobby turned nasty in his pursuit of Lauren?”