Coronation Street have confirmed Emily Bishop will be returning to Weatherfield later this year.
Well, kind of.
The soap took to Twitter on Friday to announce that Emily – played by Corrie legend Eileen Derbyshire – will be seen on-screen in October, as part of Ken Barlow’s 80th birthday.
Sharing a sneak peek, they explained Emily will be sending a video message in to mark the occasion.
“This week we’re filming Ken’s 80th Birthday party and look who surprises him with a special video message – it’s Emily,” they wrote. “See it all on screen in October.”
This week we’re filming Ken’s 80th Birthday party and look who surprises him with a special video message – it’s Emily!
See it all on screen in October ❤️#Corrie #Ken #Emily #Exclusive #FirstLook #SneakPeek pic.twitter.com/Bhd4UovRgP
— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) August 9, 2019
Emily’s return comes more than three years after Eileen Derbyshire left the soap on a hiatus.
Derbyshire first played the role in 1961, before making a temporary exit in January 2016. At the time, Emily flew to Peru to do some charity work – and to reunite with her nephew, Spider.
She later returned to the UK (off-screen) with her former housemate Norris Cole and her nice, Freda Burgess.
Earlier this year, Corrie boss Iain MacLeod said they were in “talks fairly regularly” with Derbyshire about a possible return.
He said:
“We’re in talks fairly regularly with Eileen.
“At the moment there’s no plans for her to return, but… the door’s certainly not closed there.”
