Coronation Street has finally confirmed what brings Spider Nugent crawling back to the cobbles. It was announced back in April that Martin Hancock would be reprising the role of the character 19 years after his exit on the ITV soap.
The actor played Emily Bishop's eco-warrior nephew between 1997 and 2003 and is probably best remembered for being the on/off boyfriend of Toyah, played by Georgia Taylor. The pair left Weatherfield to start afresh together in London before splitting. Viewers last heard that Spider had fled to Peru while Toyah returned to the cobbles in 2016.
But next week, Corrie viewers will see Spider back in Weatherfield for the first time in nearly two decades. The legendary character returns during Toyah's protest against waste incineration and comes just weeks after the councillor's husband Imran Habeeb died in a car crash.
READ MORE: ITV Coronation Street's Martin Hancock says former on-screen girlfriend sparked Spider's return
The character is currently on bail after pleading not guilty when she was arrested for murder. But after initially being surprised by his return, Corrie viewers will see the pair catch up and reminisce. But when Toyah breaks down about Imran’s death, she then invites Spider to stay over.
Explaining what happens, Martin told press including the Manchester Evening News: "The story is that Toyah has a protest with the council - about the recycling and them not meeting up to their responsibilities. Toyah puts a call out to the activist community and Spider answers the call. I think he was around, he happened to hear about it and went anyway.
"He clambers through a crowd of people and just jumps into a bin wagon that Toyah is sitting in, he's next to her and says 'Whatcha - long time no see' very cheerily like he's never been away. I thought it was just what Spider would be like. Toyah asks him what he’s doing there - and he says he's still around and still in the [protesting] game."
Speaking about being back filming on the long-running soap, Martin told us that he was 'extremely nervous' before adding: "I did have sleepless nights and I was very nervous. My first day back was for orientation as it's a new studio, and the first person I bumped into was one of our assistant directors, who was my first when I started originally on the show.
"The first cast members I met were Georgia and Jane [Danson - who plays Leanne]. That was just brilliant. It was like a huge warm blanket of love thrown over me. It was lovely. I was near the dressing rooms and saw some of the older cast members, the years just rolled back!"
But the big question is, is there still unfinished business between Spider and Toyah? "Whenever they've parted ways, it's always been with love in their hearts and kind words - they've always been friends," Martin said. "Spider thinks the world of Toyah and she’s the same as Spider, they've always been that way. They are a partnership and a partnership for life."
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