CORONATION Street fans were left gripped after Claire Sweeney made an explosive debut tonight – causing chaos for Tyrone and Evelyn.
The former Brookside star plays Cassie, who turns out to be Evelyn Plummer’s daughter – and Tyrone Dobbs’ mum.
Cassie was first seen loitering around the street spying on Evelyn – played by Maureen Lipman – before a later scene showed Evelyn receiving a call from the hospital.
The conversation clearly shook the usually stoic and droll Evelyn, and it soon turned out to be because Cassie had been found unconscious on the street after an overdose.
Coronation Street viewers quickly learned that Evelyn had tried to help her daughter beat her drug problem on a number of occasions, most recently last Christmas.
Evelyn berated her daughter for overdosing again, before she got another shock when Cassie revealed she’d turned to pills after learning Evelyn was living with her grandson, Tyrone.
Cassie said: “That would mean he’s my son, you can imagine can’t you, my head was spinning, pretty much like yours is now.
“My baby, that you told me you’d left on the steps of some police station somewhere in Liverpool is all grown up and you’re both living together like some nice, happy family… well if that’s not enough to make someone want to go out and get off their heads I don’t know what would!”
The next few minutes of the scene featured a power house performance by Maureen, as Evelyn went through a range of emotions as she shared exchanges with Cassie.
Evelyn reminded her daughter she was 16 and on heroin when she had Tyrone, so she did what she thought was best for him, saying: “You know you would have destroyed him.”
She then warned her daughter to stay away from Tyrone, before shouting that he thinks his mum is dead.
Cassie was shocked as Evelyn tried to explain how last time she saw her daughter she was “a junkie about to go off to South Africa with your junkie boyfriend, so as far as I was concerned you were.”
As Evelyn went to leave, Cassie asked her mum for help to get clean, but Evelyn told her they had been there before and she always let her down.
She cried: “This time…this time…this time! Well….it’s not going to be different is it, because you know what’ll happen, I give you a chance and you’ll steal from me, then you’ll lie and then you’ll use then you’ll lie about using again.”
As her sobbing bubbled up, she said: “Look at me, I’m 77 and I don’t have the energy for this. I can’t do it, my heart won’t take it.”
Cassie told her she loved her, and Evelyn calmed herself before saying: “If you do, stay away, get some help, get some support, get clean but stay away from Tyrone, don’t mess up Tyrone’s life. Please.”
As Evelyn left the hospital room, Coronation Street viewers took to Twitter to discuss the bombshell news, and the two actresses’ performances.
One wrote: “It just shows how a good storyline in the hands of two great actresses can revive #corrie.”
Another added: “I’m usually strictly #EastEnders only but I’ve just hopped into #Corrie waiting for #BornWithoutTrace & Maureen Lipman & Claire Sweeney are bloody incredible!!”
A third tweeted: “This scene is the best they’ve had in #corrie for months; more of this.”
Meanwhile a fourth shared: “Didn’t recognise Claire Sweeney. What a powerfully acted and well written scene between her and Maureen Lipman.”
Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and is available on ITVX.
