Ian Puleston-Davies is set to reprise his role as Owen Armstrong in Coronation Street, and fans have expressed their excitement at the news.
The actor, who played the perpetually angry Owen for years, will return to Weatherfield to look after his family following recent events involving his grandson Jake (Bobby Bradshaw), who is moving back in with mum Izzy (Cherylee Houston) after dad Gary Windass (Mikey North) was imprisoned.
Owen's Return and Storyline
Speaking about his comeback, Ian Puleston-Davies said: 'I can't wait to pick up where I left off ten years ago! It's brilliant to be back and to get stuck into a cracking storyline. Owen's back and he's still angry!'
Coronation Street Producer Kate Brooks added: 'We're thrilled that Ian is back, and Owen brings a ton of drama. As he joins forces with an unlikely alliance, he wreaks havoc on the Street, and his relationship with Gary is severely put to the test, needless to say, there's never a dull moment when Owen's around.'
Fan Reactions
Fans took to social media to share their delight. Kim Naylor wrote on the Metro Soaps Facebook page: 'DECENT character coming back for a change.' Dylan Blackman agreed, calling it 'Really good news! Great character!' while Elizabeth Park added: 'Absolutely outstanding actor -some good news at last'.
Denise Berrow Peters commented: 'Oh brill, I loved him in Corrie, great news', and Dave Reid said: 'I might start watching corrie again, i liked his character. Although I havent watched it in about 8 yrs'.
On X/Twitter, @Izzy1728047 posted: 'Corrie has been brilliant the last few weeks. Really good & now Owen Armstrong is coming back 👏 best soap ✨ #Corrie'. @StuartBeckMP theorised about a potential crossover: 'I hope there will be overlap with Owen Armstrong and the stuff that's going on with Ross. They're both heavily masculine gruff older men and it would be interesting for Corrie to demonstrate the toxic masculinity that Ross is displaying by using Owen as a positive alternative'.
Owen's History in Weatherfield
Owen first arrived in Weatherfield in 2010 alongside his daughter Katy (Georgie May Foote) to reconcile with his older daughter Izzy, clashing with Gary almost immediately. He bought the local builder's yard and became a local businessman, before a messy love triangle with Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) and Eileen Grimshaw (Sue Cleaver) ended when he caught Eileen stealing money from his business.
He later took guardianship of Katy's son Joseph after she suffered post-natal depression, formed a relationship with Anna Windass (Debbie Rush), and employed Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) as a surrogate for Izzy. His exit came during the Pat Phelan (Connor McIntyre) storyline, when Phelan conned him into investing £80,000 in a non-existent housing development, leaving him bankrupt and heading for a fresh start in Scotland.
