Coronation Street star Calum Lill will return to the soap less than a year after his character, Joel Deering, was killed off.

The villain met a grisly end back in September as his scheming and malevolence finally caught up with him, with a months-long whodunit eventually revealing that Lauren Bolton – with the help of Max Turner – was responsible for his murder.

Despite the dramatic death plot, The Sun has reported that Lill is due to reprise his role as the villain in a brief stint, though the exact nature of the character’s surprise return is yet to be disclosed.

Coronation Street is yet to release an official comment.

Lill, who first played Joel in September 2023, previously shared that he felt “bittersweet” to be departing the soap, explaining: “I think it’s bittersweet for me. As an actor, it’s getting more and more juicy.

“But as soon as this comes to a climax, I leave this incredible place filled with so many people I’ve come to know and love – [they’ve] been some of my best friends over the last 18 months. I’m very excited to get to the end of the story, but it will be very bittersweet because it’s the most incredible place to work.”

Since his departure from Corrie, Lill has spent some time on the stage as he portrayed Fleshcreep in Bournemouth Pavilion’s production of Jack & the Beanstalk, with the show running from December 2024 to January 2025.

While Joel is set to make a return in some capacity, Lauren is in the thick of the drama in Weatherfield following her recent joyride with Betsy Swain, which saw her crash Tracy McDonald’s van after losing control.

Despite being behind the wheel without a license, Lauren initially found herself in the clear after Betsy took the blame when interrogated by the police. Despite her reprieve, Lauren wasn’t totally unscathed as a mystery individual knew that she was behind the wheel – who could it be?…