Corrie’s 2024 ‘big villain’ revealed as soap alum ‘set to return’ after cobbles exit

Coronation Street could be set to welcome back a villain 23 years after his exit.

Phil Simmonds, played by Jack Deam, first rocked up the cobbles in 2000. But things quickly took a harrowing turn for the character.

In scenes that still churn the stomach, Phil raped Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor). The character, who committed the attack in an alleyway, took advantage of his victim, who couldn’t remember what had happened.

Phil then pretended to help Toyah find the perpetrator. At first, the cops thought it was Peter Barlow, who’d refused to partake in a DNA test.

However, when Phil went round to Toyah’s house for a visit, the way he shouted triggered a memory. And the popular character remembered exactly what had happened.

Terrified for her safety, she attempted to flee the house, but a sinister Phil attacked her. Luckily, Peter Barlow was on hand to tackle the monster.

Police subsequently discovered that his DNA matched that of the rapist. Phil was sent to Strangeways, where, after a long stint of denial, he confessed to his awful crime.

And in a shocking twist, 23 years on, it’s been revealed that Toyah buried a stillborn baby in the park after being raped. In emotional scenes this week, confesses to Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) revealing the baby’s father was Phil.

Now, with the new narrative in full swing, fans reckon the soap could see the return of Phil. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one person said: “I fear a return for Phil Simmonds is in the offering as well.” Another wrote: “I bet Phil Simmonds will be back as the big villain.”

AI tool Gemini has also echoed the thoughts of fans. Daily Star has quizzed one of the world’s most popular artificially intelligent “creative” tools Gemini, to see if Phil could make a comeback to the soap. The program responded that it is a “possibility” he could return following Toyah’s confession.

The system then listed a few reasons including an “unresolved storyline.” It said: “Toyah’s past trauma with Phil (her assault) remains unresolved. Bringing him back could provide closure or open a new chapter in her journey.”