Ross Wilkes (Ian Burfield) escalates his toxic behaviour on Coronation Street, forcing young Dorin (Henry Nye Meller) into boxing against his will. The sinister ex-squaddie, who has already caused havoc in the Dobbs family, now targets Tyrone's young son in upcoming scenes.
Ross's dark history on the cobbles
Ross's arrival on the Street was marked by disturbing revelations. He slept with Tyrone Dobbs' (Alan Halsall) mum Cassie Plummer (Claire Sweeney) when she was underage, exploiting her homelessness and heroin addiction. Tyrone was the product of that night, and Ross showed no remorse, blaming Cassie and hurling sexist insults at her.
When Hope Stape (Isabella Flanagan) and Ruby Dobbs (Billie Naylor) arranged a reunion between Tyrone and his long-lost father, Ross played the doting dad. But his nice guy act didn't fool Cassie, who tried to spike his smoothie to make him fail a drug test and lose his prison job. Ross outsmarted her, tricking his girlfriend Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) into drinking the poisoned drink instead.
Fiz's suspicions grow
After Tyrone disowned his mum, Cassie left Weatherfield broken-hearted. Ross offered her a lift, then drove off with a terrified Cassie in the passenger seat, suggesting he may have murdered her. Nobody suspects Ross yet, but Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) doesn't trust him, especially after finding Cassie's treasured family photograph in his wallet. Though Ross spun an excuse Tyrone swallowed, Fiz remained privately suspicious.
Now Ross's toxic masculinity is set to affect little Dorin, son of Tyrone and his ex-girlfriend Alina Pop (Ruxandra Porojnicu), left at the Dobbs' door while his mum cared for her ailing mother in Romania. Fiz has taken Dorin on like her own son, so she won't be happy to discover Ross is putting him in harm's way.
Boxing gym confrontation
Friday's episode saw Ross invite Tyrone to a local boxing gym, insisting they take Dorin along. Returning home, Ross suggested they go every week but was annoyed when Tyrone turned him down.
Next week, Ross calls at the garage showing Tyrone the boxing gloves he's bought for Dorin, saying it'll help him bond with his grandson. Later, Ross forces Dorin to box, and when the boy doesn't like it, Ross turns on Tyrone and drags him up for an impromptu fight instead. Neither enjoys it, and this is clearly just the start of something far worse.
