Soap watchers reacted in disbelief as Coronation Street favourite Brian Packham reached for a packet of cigarettes in Monday night's episode. Viewers were amazed to see the staid former headteacher lighting up a sneaky ciggy with his cousin Isabella.
His pal Mary Taylor was furious when she spotted the pair puffing away on the cobbles and marched over to stamp them out. Mary reminded Brian that he doesn't smoke, but he protested in the comical scene: "I used to be a 40 a day man."
Fans hadn't seen smoking scenes for years, with one pointing out that the last character they remember with a cigarette in hand was Underworld worker Vicky Jefferies, played by Kerri Quinn from 2018 to 2019. Iconic Rovers Return landlady Bet Lynch is the street's most famous smoker and was seen on screen through the 70s, 80s and 90s with a cigarette in hand. Over 26 years she smoked 569,400 cigarettes.
