Coronation Street’s Sally Metcalfe will be released from prison after conman Duncan Radfield’s wife is found to be alive
CORONATION Street’s Sally Metcalfe is set to spend Christmas behind bars – but her New Year is looking a bit brighter.
I can reveal that the long-serving Cobbles character — jailed for four years for fraud, money laundering and bribery — will be freed in early 2019.
Sally will leave prison after husband Tim turns detective and discovers conman Duncan Radfield is behind the £40,000 scam.
It transpires that Duncan’s wife May is not dead but living in Costa Rica, and he tricked Sally into handing over the council charity money so that he could send it to Central America.
The storyline is eerily similar to that of real-life John Darwin, who in 2002 fooled police and his sons into thinking he had died in a canoeing accident before relocating to Panama with his wife.
A source said: “Corrie’s writers seem to have read up on John Darwin and written a similar story for the soap.
“Just like John’s fake death and eventual appearance in Panama, Duncan’s wife May ends up in somewhat similar circumstances.
“Tim rumbles Duncan’s plan and manages to clear Sally’s name.”
I’m told Sally, played by soap veteran Sally Dyvenor, shot scenes this week in the Rovers, spreading the news of her release. Hotpots all round.
READ ON FOR MORE OF ANDY HALLS' BIZARRE TV COLUMN
Sean's 'wife' No6
SEAN Bean has had more wives than most people have had hot dinners, so one more won’t hurt.
In Sky1’s Sally4Ever, the actor – currently on his fifth marriage – will play himself as the unlikely toyboy husband of character Eileen, played by Margot Edwards.
In the episode, starstruck Emma, played by Julia Davis, bumps into Sean and Eileen at a hotel and gives him a memory stick with her music on it, leaving her red-faced partner Sally (Catherine Shepherd) to apologise, pictured.
Sean, who starred as Ned Stark in Sky Atlantic’s Game of Thrones, joins a great line-up, including Joanna Scanlan and Mark Gatiss, for the sitcom. Hopefully he keeps his head in this drama.
must watch
WHAT? The Secret Life Of The Zoo, 8pm, Channel 4.
WHY? Meerkats Huskie and Beagle have a new baby, Junior, but keepers have to step in when he falls ill. Plus red panda Nima, who lost her partner last year, has a new mate.
bizbit
BBC Breakfast host Naga Munchetty apologised to viewers after TV screens went blank due to “technical problems”. The show went off air during a Parliament broadcast. Co-host Dan Walker said: “Did you pull the plug out?”
'Cheat' Steel in Bird bust-up
GEORGIA Steel and Sam Bird had a huge bust-up while filming ITV2’s Love Island Christmas special.
Sam confronted Georgia over claims she cheated on him with her ex, but it was met with denials.
most read in bizarre
A TV source said: “The big moment was them coming face-to-face again.
“Despite Sam seeing text messages on Georgia’s phone that proved she had stayed in her ex’s bed, she still denied being unfaithful.
“She tried to get her own back by saying Sam had made her miserable.”
soapbox
DOUG finds himself venting his frustration in EMMERDALE, while Vanessa finds herself distracted and Jacob makes an admission.
In CORONATION STREET, Toyah and Imran hide their rekindled passion from Leanne, and Fiz accepts that Hope needs professional help and then buries the hatchet with Evelyn.
Meanwhile, Sinead spots Ken handing money to Carla.
In NEIGHBOURS, Elly is the subject of unwanted romantic attention, while Aaron refuses to take a test for Huntington’s disease.