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Quitting the cobbles

Les Dennis to leave Coronation Street – but will Michael Rodwell burn to death or the door left open?

The actor will quit the cobbles in a 'dramatic end' to his stint on the soap

Les Dennis is leaving Corrie after two years

LES Dennis' stint on Coronation Street will come to a "DRAMATIC END" at the end of this year - but producers are keeping quiet about whether his character will be killed off for good.

The TV funnyman has played burglar-turned-taxi driver Michael Rodwell on the hit ITV soap since 2014.

Les Dennis is leaving Corrie after two years
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Les Dennis is leaving Corrie after two yearsCredit: ITV

Yet despite saying the role had been a "dream come true" he has revealed he will quit at the end of this year.

His departure might well tie in with Corrie bosses' plans for a "huge explosion" which The Sun exclusively revealed will kill off at least one more character.

Talking of leaving the cobbles Les, whose character hooked up with both Gail Platt (Helen Worth) and Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) said: "As a lifelong fan of the show, playing Michael Rodwell in Coronation Street has been a dream come true.

The actor and comedian has played the role of Michael Rodwell
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The actor and comedian has played the role of Michael Rodwell

"Becoming part of the ITV Coronation Street family has been a wonderful experience and my decision to leave was a hard one.

“Earlier this year, thanks to Coronation Street giving me a sabbatical from the show, I was thrilled to be able to produce and star in a sell-out production of Alan Bleasdale's Down the Dock Road at The Royal Court Liverpool.
"I always knew that the time would come when I would want the freedom to do more projects, and now feels like the right time.
“The talented team of writers and producers have come up with a very dramatic exit for Michael on the show which will be exciting to film.

"I’ll treasure the two and a half years I have been part of such an iconic show and move on with very fond memories, so many lovely friends and colleagues and an ambition achieved."

Les' character saw him switch from criminal to kind-hearted taxi driver
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Les' character saw him switch from criminal to kind-hearted taxi driverCredit: ITV
 During his two years on the soap, burglar Michael first set eyes on Corrie stalwart Gail.
He wooed the mum-of-two - the victim of the crime - after she took pity on him when he revealed himself as a softie.
Yet their romance turned sour when he discovered Gail had lied to him about Andy (Oliver Farnworth) who had been pretending to be his son.
Yet then his good man image switched when he shared a special moment with Gail's enemy Eileen.
Yesterday, The Sun revealed a huge explosion was set to rock the street later this year just days after show favourite Kylie Platt (Paula Lane) was killed off.
The scenes being drawn up will involve a “huge explosion” and a roaring fire that will have the cast scrambling for their lives.
A new drama is set to rock Coronation Street
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A new drama is set to rock Coronation StreetCredit: ITV

A source said: “This is going to be up there with some of the best scenes in Corrie history.

“Characters are going to be crawling through flames to escape, and there’s talk of killing at least one character.

“The plans being put together are huge and Kate bringing in Tony shows that it’s going to be far from a straightforward one.

“Tony is considered one of the big guns of directing because he’s great with complicated and intense storylines.

“Kate also loves a big stunt.

“She was behind the helicopter crash on Emmerdale which killed off Ruby Haswell.

“It’s going to be carnage."

Michael, played by Les, could come to his end in Corrie's dramatic explosion
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Michael, played by Les, could come to his end in Corrie's dramatic explosionCredit: Getty Images - FilmMagic
Talking of Les' exit, Coronation Street producer Kate Oates said: “We’re very sad to see Les leave Coronation Street as he’s an enormously popular and talented actor. He’s brought warmth, wit and integrity to the character of Michael.
"We have worked on giving him a great story to ensure a fantastic and dramatic end to his time on the Street. I can't wait to see it unfold!  He will be very much missed and we wish him many successes with his new ventures."

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