Coronation Street fans predict return for ICONIC killer after huge hint on screen

Coronation Street fans are calling for the return of Rob Donovan (Marc Baylis), now that his son Bobby (Jack Carroll) has arrived on the cobbles.

At the end of 2023, we saw Bobby's dramatic arrival on the scene when he introduced himself to his aunt, Carla (Alison King). This was a huge shock for Carla, who was forced to take Bobby in when his mum threw him out. Since Rob was in prison, there was nowhere else for him to go. 

Carla had to explain Rob's situation to Bobby, revealing that he murdered a woman named Tina McIntyre (Fool Me Once's Michelle Keegan) ten years ago. He pushed her off the builder's yard balcony and hit her with a metal pipe, bludgeoning her to death.

His motive was clear; he didn't want her exposing what he and his then-girlfriend, Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) had been up to after they had been selling stolen goods. 

Tina's death was one of the most shocking exits in Coronation Street, marking the end of star Michelle Keegan's role on the ITV soap after six years.

It seems trouble runs in the family, with Bobby already being a bad influence on Simon Barlow (Alex Bain), going off on an all-day bender with his mates, and being accused of getting special treatment because he's Peter's son. 

Now that Bobby is firmly on the scene and knows about Rob, fans want his dad to come back, with lots of them taking to Twitter to speculate that a shocking return could be on the cards for 2024.

Fans have rightly pointed out that there's "lots of talk" about Rob in the soap recently, and they don't think it's a coincidence, hoping this means that Coronation Street will be bringing back one of its most iconic characters...

But right now, it's too early to say whether Rob will manage to escape prison, or maybe even be released? He's still doing time at the moment, but there's a chance he and his son could cross paths in the future.

We'll just have to wait and see what happens!

Coronation Street airs on ITV1 and ITVX.