Coronation Street has dropped an early hint that Leanne Battersby could be linked to the upcoming Platt family fire.
Show bosses appeared to be sowing seeds for the future in Friday’s episode (January 24) as Leanne’s sister Toyah Habeeb and ex-fiancé Nick Tilsley were left questioning what she was capable of.
The latest trouble kicked off after Leanne attended court to face the music after her recent attempt to frame Toyah for fraud.
Leanne was let off with a community order rather than a custodial sentence. Even though Toyah had kindly driven her sister to the courthouse when she couldn’t get a taxi to come in time, bitter Leanne continued to push her away afterwards.
Tracy McDonald also stirred things up by reminding Leanne that Toyah had “stolen” her man and her flat, containing many of her belongings.
Taking this on board, Leanne made her way into the flat to cause some more trouble. She was outraged to find confirmation of a family holiday that Nick had booked for himself, Toyah and Sam.
Leanne reacted spitefully by placing Nick and Toyah’s passports into the toaster, switching on the device and walking out. Nick and Toyah returned home to find that a small fire had broken out and their passports had been destroyed.
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The petty act was a step too far for Nick and Toyah, who pointed out the danger of Leanne’s actions and the possibility that Sam could have been hurt if he’d returned home from school early.
Leanne protested that she didn’t like having her “nose rubbed in it”, but Nick replied: “So what, you thought it’d be a good idea to burn something that would start a massive fire that could kill someone? What is wrong with you?”
As even Leanne realised that things had gone too far, she tried to put an end to the battles by signing over her share of the Bistro to Nick. She then warned that she wanted nothing more to do with him and Toyah.
However, with a separate blaze set to rage through David and Shona Platt’s home next month, these more minor scenes with the toaster fire may be no coincidence.
With Leanne now known for increasingly reckless acts of revenge, could she find herself in the frame over next month’s house fire if the Platts look for someone to blame? Could Nick and Toyah even be inside David’s home as the flames spread?
Coronation Street‘s cast and crew filmed the Platt fire scenes on night shoots late last year. Residents who live close to the set were warned to expect noise disturbance from loud explosions and fire effects created as part of the storyline.
Show producer Kate Brooks later teased: “David is trying to protect his family and keep Harvey and his goons at bay. He is struggling to navigate that and struggling to pay back this big debt he has. He’s struggling to protect his family.
“It all comes to a massive head in early February, when we play a massive stunt that has huge consequences for David. So in trying to protect everyone and do the right thing, he ends up losing quite a few things that he holds dear.”
