Coronation Street ‘rules out’ major return after tragic death

Coronation Street appears to have ruled out a major return after Craig Tinker’s tragic death last week.

The police officer was brutally attacked with a bat by Mick Michaelis (Joe Layton), and died in hospital from his injuries.

While dealing with his own grief, Kirk Sutherland (Andrew Whyment) was left with the unenviable task of informing Beth Tinker of her son’s death.

Beth left Coronation Street last year after getting involved in dodgy dealings at the factory.

After being caught out by DC Kit Green (Jacob Roberts), she had no choice but to leave her life in Weatherfield behind.

Her exit came after actress Lisa George made the decision to leave the show to pursue other projects after a life-changing diagnosis of NAION – non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

Fans had previously wondered if Beth would return to the cobbles for Craig’s funeral – though tonight’s episode seemed to confirm that that wouldn’t be happening.

As some of the locals gathered in the Rovers to raise a glass to Craig, Kirk confirmed to Craig’s friends that Beth wanted to hold his funeral where she was living in Norfolk.

With countless friends wanting to be there for Craig’s send off, Nina Lucas (Mollie Gallagher) suggested hiring coaches to take everyone, though Kirk revealed that Beth wanted the funeral to just be family.

Instead, he and Chesney Brown (Sam Aston) came up with the idea to hold a memorial service and wake for Craig in Weatherfield, so his friends and neighbours could pay their respects.

Could Beth end up making the trip to Manchester to see how loved Craig was, or is the distant funeral a sign that she has cut ties with the city for good?