Coronation Street fans experienced a moment of deja vu when they spotted Idris Nazir—played by Junade Khan—in classic episodes of the ITV soap, despite the character only recently debuting in Weatherfield in May 2026.
Idris Nazir's Debut and Storyline
Idris Nazir made his first appearance in May, striding into Speed Daal and confronting two troublesome customers, supporting waiter Brody and co-owner Leanne Battersby. Alya Nazir rushed over to embrace her cousin, but later, Brody caught Idris threatening someone for money. Idris soon took Brody under his wing and began a romance with Leanne, despite Alya's warnings about his reputation. At the end of last week, Abi Webster discovered Idris was her landlord who had ignored her calls for months.
Classic Corrie Sighting
Viewers were shocked to learn that Junade Khan had previously appeared on Coronation Street in September 2008, playing Saj, a short-term boyfriend of Rosie Webster, for two episodes. This old appearance recently aired on Classic Corrie on ITV3 and ITVX, sparking discussions on Reddit. User abigailbird posted a screengrab from the Rovers Return, writing: "I spotted him a few episodes ago and said to myself, 'That looks like Idris'. Now he's popped up again, had to Google, and it is him. Played Rosie's short term boyfriend in 2008."
Fans reacted with surprise. Wooden-Kangaroo-2314 replied: "Good catch!" Haggisboy commented: "Honestly did a double take because of the noted actors who've put time in on Corrie." Every_Psychology9 added: "I knew it was him! When I saw him chatting to Kevin the other day I was hit with a massive Deja vu moment and I googled him. And there it was…Idris was Saj."
Future Storylines
Junade Khan has teased that Idris will lead Leanne back to her "dark side" as their romance develops. Speaking to Inside Soap, he said: "There are a few secrets coming. And a bit of violence, maybe. More developments with Idris and Leanne, and Idris will probably bring out the dark side in Leanne a little bit."
