Coronation Street fans were in floods of tears over the recent devastating loss of Cerberus the greyhound. But hearts are set to melt next week as viewers meet a new lead role in the ITV soap.
Adorable pooch Freddie is the pawfect addition to the cobbles, fimed in Trafford, after soap watchers were left distraught by the sudden death of Evelyn Plummer's faithful companion. Cerberus after he gobbled up an Eccles cake Roy had accidentally dropped behind the counter in his cafe.
Freddie bounds into Roy's life after he heads off to visit a local bat roost with his friend Melvyn, and sadly Melvyn takes a funny turn. Roy returns to the café clutching Freddie and explains to Shona Platt and niece Nina Lucas how his pal ended up in hospital and there was nobody to look after the dog.
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Clearly exhausted, Roy later admits to Shona that Freddie kept him up all night with his barking. Roy confides in Evelyn that Melvyn died and he’s inherited Freddie on a permanent basis. When Roy reveals that he’s dropped Freddie at the dogs’ home, Evelyn is horrified.
However, he has a change of heart and he announces that Freddie will be returning to live with him on a permanent basis. Evelyn reckons he’s made the right decision.
In February actor David Neilson, who plays Roy, teased about his new 'furry friend' to replace co-star Mollie Gallagher, who plays Nina, while she was showcasing her skating talents on the ITV skating contest Dancing On Ice.
David was in the audience to to cheer on Mollie during Props Week on the show, and Dancing On Ice host Holly Willoughby asked if David had ever had a mishap involving a prop.
He replied: "Quite recently while Mollie has been doing this I've got a little friend to take her place while shes here." He added: "I can't say much because she's not on screen yet but I had this little thing on my hand and it left a little mess."
Freddie will also follow in the pawprints of other much-loved Corrie dogs including Chesney Brown's Schmeichel the Great Dane, named after Manchester United and Manchester City goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel, and the Barlow family's beloved border terrier Eccles who had to be put to sleep in 2020. Schmeichel, who famously climbed into Les Battersby and Cilla Brown's bath, causing it to plunge through the floor and into the room below, died after having liver cancer in 2012.
Last month the usually stoic character Evelyn cried as she wrapped her boy in a blanket and said goodbye as he was put to sleep, and actress Maureen Lipman was also in tears for real as she filmed the scenes following her own devastating loss.
"Thank you for being the best boy, the prince of Weatherfield," Evelyn said about her 'greatest companion' as the vet administered the injection. There was an outpouring of grief on Twitter as the nation mourned along with her. Maureen, who has played Tyrone Dobbs' battleaxe gran Evelyn since 2018, says the story reawakened painful memories for her as last year her 16-year-old dog Diva had to be put down.
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