Coronation Street fans have made a huge U-turn on Carl Webster after he was questioned over the recent attack on Eva Price.
Viewers of the ITV soap, filmed in Salford, saw the pub landlady fall ill last week. She was left alone with her partner, Ben Driscoll, taking their daughter, Susie Price, to an audition, and her mother-in-law, Maggie Driscoll, on a trip back to Ireland.
Carla Connor-Swain encouraged Eva to close the Rovers for the rest of the day so she could recover, as she coughed from behind the bar. After Carl helped her tidy up, Eva went down to the cellar to fetch boxes of crisps when she heard a noise upstairs.
Sam's role in the attack
When she returned upstairs, she found her nephew, Sam, looking for his missing phone, earlier confiscated by his dad, Nick Tilsley. As Eva caught him by surprise, a panicked Sam tried to get away and knocked her down the cellar steps. Instead of getting help, he stood over her lifeless body.
He eventually realised she was alive but rushed out, and it was Glenda Shuttleworth who found Eva in a state and called emergency services. Eva has since been recovering in hospital, with questions asked after money went missing from the pub, leading police to think the attack was connected.
Debbie's statement against Carl
While fans know Sam was responsible, a confused Debbie Webster remembered seeing Eva and panicking without raising the alarm. This week, Debbie visited DC Kit Green, admitting she found Carl's wallet stuffed with cash after he helped Eva tidy up at the pub.
During Wednesday's episode (September 30), Carl was in high spirits as he prepared for work at Street Cars. His mood shifted when Kit arrived to question him over Eva's attack, and he realised Debbie had given a statement against him.
Carl protested his innocence and, back home, packed his bags. Debbie pleaded with him to stay, but her son showed his cold-hearted side, railing at his mum for thinking he could leave Eva for dead. Debbie's husband, Ronnie Bailey, suggested it wasn't the first time Carl had shown such behaviour, having previously left Tyrone Dobbs after a hit-and-run.
Fans feel sorry for Carl
Despite this, Corrie fans were left feeling sorry for Carl, played by Lancashire-born actor Jonathan Howard, making a U-turn on their feelings about the character.
@ivanarainova99 said: "Ronnie started to going on my nerves because he is too harsh about Carl it’s not fair now." @jwsm_2 commented: "Happy Eva figured out it was Sam who pushed her. Haven't liked what Carl did in the past but he's been trying to change his life around he didn't deserve to be accused without any evidence."
@nicolie444 wrote: "I feel bad for Carl, he is trying to do better. Sam needs to own up." @scottm9000 posted: "You made me start liking Carl after all his hijinks. Well done #Corrie." @moonstarfem added: "Not me feeling sorry for Carl now… #corrie."
