Coronation Street spoilers follow from Friday’s episode (6 February), which is available to watch now on ITVX and YouTube but hasn’t yet aired on ITV1.
Coronation Street’s Debbie Webster receives her prison sentence tonight – and it’s devastating news for the Weatherfield favourite. As Debbie appears in court to face the music over the Corriedale crash, she’s distraught to realise that she’ll be behind bars for years rather than months.
Friday’s episode follows the emotional day of Debbie’s sentencing hearing, after her recent decision to take the blame for the multi-car collision that brought Coronation Street and Emmerdale together in the recent soap crossover.
Carl was drink-driving when he and Debbie crashed, but Debbie has risked everything to protect her secret son.
In the latest scenes, Debbie’s husband Ronnie Bailey supports her in court – alongside Kevin Webster, Abi Webster and Ryan Connor. Sadly for Debbie, there’s no sign of Carl despite the huge sacrifice that she’s making for him.
ITV
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Summing up the case, the judge starts off on a hopeful note by addressing Debbie’s previously clean driving record, her admission of guilt and the extenuating circumstances involving her vascular dementia diagnosis.
However, he adds: “In my judgement, this case is so serious that only an immediate custodial sentence is appropriate.
“Therefore, I arrive at a sentence of four years. After a reduction for plea, the sentence is lowered to two years and eight months.”
Debbie is beside herself as she’s led away to begin her sentence, without a proper chance to say goodbye to her family. But is she really going to prison for nearly three years, or will a soap twist see her walk free sooner?
ITV
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All we know for now is that next week’s episodes see Debbie come face-to-face with Lou Michaelis behind bars, as Farrel Hegarty reprises the role for a guest stint.
“[Debbie’s] going to need her mates more than ever,” Coronation Street producer Kate Brooks recently teased. “Glenda, Christina, Bernie and Sally really rally and get her through these darker moments, as she braces herself for a future that is looking quite uncertain at the minute.
“Obviously, getting sent to prison is a terrible thing. Getting sent to prison if you’ve got early-onset dementia must be a terrifying prospect. So she’s struggling with all these emotions.”
Coronation Street airs on weeknights at 8.30pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
For exclusive soap star interviews, gossip, spoilers and theories every week, don’t miss the Soap Scoop podcast from Inside Soap magazine. The latest episode delves into next week’s soap spoilers, from Robert’s feud with Joe in Emmerdale, to Carl’s dangerous new plan in Coronation Street.