Coronation Street has addressed Beth Tinker’s ongoing absence in her son Craig’s devastating death storyline.

Beth, who was played by Lisa George between 2011 and 2024, gets another mention tonight as the day of Craig’s funeral arrives.

Fans had been keeping an eye out for any possible returning characters after Craig tragically lost his life in the line of duty last month.

All becomes clear in Monday’s episode, which confirms that Craig’s funeral will take place off camera.

Beth’s ex-partner Kirk Sutherland sets off for the service with Peanut the dog, explaining that there’ll be a limited guest list otherwise.

Kirk’s sister Maria Connor offers to join him and provide moral support, but he replies: “Ta, sis. But Beth really wants to keep the funeral low-key. And I’ve got Peanut as my emotional support dog, so I’ll be okay.”

However, he soon adds: “I don’t know how I’m going to get through it. You know what I’m like – I cry at the drop of a hat, me. It’s just… I’m going to miss him so much. I really am.”

Kirk then promises to send Maria’s love to Beth. In a prior scene last month, Kirk had called Beth to break the upsetting news that her son had died.

Fortunately, Craig’s send-off won’t entirely take place off-camera. Wednesday’s (11 June) episode features a separate memorial event at the Bistro, which is attended by a larger number of family and friends from Weatherfield.

Colson Smith’s final scenes as Craig aired on 21 May, as his 14-year run in the role came to an end.

Speaking afterwards, Colson explained: “When I was called in for the chat with [Corrie producer] Kate Brooks, I’d already braced myself for what was about to happen. I have been in that building since I was 12 years old, so I know exactly how it works and that my time was up!

“I knew that Craig had backed himself into a corner that was going to be really hard to get out of, so I fully expected the chat to go that way.”

Coronation Street airs these scenes tonight at 8pm on ITV1. The episode is also streaming early now on ITVX.