Next week on Coronation Street, Carla Connor-Swain (Alison King) is set to clash with Idris Nazir (Junade Khan) after he shows an interest in adding her beloved Underworld to his property empire. The unscrupulous businessman, who has manipulated, charmed and bullied his way around Weatherfield since arriving in a flashy car, may have met his match.
Idris's history of ruthless dealings
Idris has already made a mark on the street. He pressured his cousin Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) into handing him majority share control of Speed Daal by revealing he is actually her uncle – a family secret that Alya's gran Yasmeen Nazir (Shelley King) had always kept under wraps. He also let a property to Abi Webster (Sally Carman-Duttine) that resulted in her son being hospitalised due to black mould, and instead of taking accountability, had his associate Brody Michaelis (Ryan Mulvey) kidnap and threaten the landlord.
He has also put Ollie Driscoll (Raphael Akuwudike) at risk to win a poker game with a gangster, and his latest venture involves trying to strongarm Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) and Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) into selling the Bistro at a discount price by destroying their business with dodgy reviews.
Carla warns Idris off
Carla and Idris don't get off on the right foot when she chews him out for parking too close to her car. Idris turns on the charm, but Lisa (Vicky Myers) senses that Carla doesn't like him. That doesn't deter Idris, who tells Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) that with the Bistro deal off the table, he might focus on buying the factory instead. Leanne warns him that Carla will never sell up.
In the factory, Carla confides in Lisa that the latest sales figures are terrible. When Lisa points out that they can live off her police salary if necessary, it's a real blow to Carla that she's struggling to provide for her family.
Rebrand suggestion backfires
In the Rovers, Idris hears the pair talking about the factory problems and interrupts, suggesting that Carla should rebrand the business. This goes down badly with Carla, who sends the smooth-talker away. As Idris slinks off, Lisa's amused, but it looks like Carla's made an enemy.
