Coronation Street Battersby legend's return 'confirmed' nearly two decades after exit

Coronation Street fans are convinced that a soap legend is set to return to the cobbles

Coronation Street has hinted at the comeback of a soap icon - 17 years after their surprising departure from the cobbles.

Les Battersby, portrayed by Bruce Jones, first made his appearance on the soap in 1997, alongside his wife Janice (Vicky Entwistle), his daughter Leanne (Jane Danson) and stepdaughter Toyah (Georgia Taylor). Undeniably, he caused quite a stir on the famous cobbles with his intimidating and scheming behaviour.

However, Les also added a dash of humour to the long-standing ITV soap. Following the notorious split between Janice and Les due to Janice falling for Dennie Stringer (Charles Dale), Les found a new love interest in Cilla Brown (Wendi Peters).

He was also known for his confrontations with characters like Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) and Mick Hopwood (Ian Gain). But in 2007, actor Bruce exited the show.

Reports suggested that Bruce's departure was due to allegations of him getting intoxicated with an undercover journalist, leaking future storylines, and making inappropriate remarks, as per the Mirror. However, it appears a return might be in store for the TV veteran, reports the Liverpool Echo.

Currently in the soap, his daughter Leanne has been through a tumultuous few months. Not only was she embroiled in a distressing cult storyline, but her fiance Nick (Ben Price) was unfaithful to her with Toyah.

Nick's infidelity with Toyah came to light after Leanne became deeply involved with the dubious "self-help" group, The Institute. Although Leanne has left the cult and was initially heartbroken upon discovering Nick and Toyah's affair, she has since forgiven Toyah, and they continue to share a home.

However, in the episode aired on Friday (October 18), Leanne informed Toyah of her decision to move out and live by herself, which meant Toyah needed to find a new place to stay. During this significant moment, Leanne hinted at the possibility of her father Les's return to the show.

While they were packing, Toyah questioned Leanne about her recent contact with Les, to which Leanne responded: "Yeah, I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago. He was drunk obviously, and he expected me to summarise what had been happening in my life since the last time we spoke."

She continued, mentioning Les's whereabouts: "I could hardly hear him anyway. He was at some wrestling show." Hinting at Les's potential return, Leanne added: "He said about meeting up for a drink, but when I messaged back, he didn't reply."

Earlier in the year, actor Bruce Jones, who plays Les, surprised fans with his unexpected venture into wrestling. Discussing his dramatic career shift with The Guardian, Bruce explained that what began as a cameo for his character evolved into something more substantial. He recounted: "So, they were like: 'You don't mind getting knocked about in the ring a bit, do you?"

Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX