Coronation Street fans are furious as Carla Connor-Swain prepares to close her beloved factory Underworld in upcoming scenes, after Idris Nazir's plan to sink her business appears to have succeeded.
Carla, who first gained majority ownership of Underworld when her husband Paul Connor died in 2007, recently admitted the factory was in decline but was doing all she could to keep things afloat, until the involvement of the dodgy Idris, who seems to be making things worse for the businesswoman.
Idris's sabotage plan unfolds
Last week in the ITV soap, filmed in Salford, Carla and Idris had a brief, non-dramatic clash over parking, which led Idris to tell his girlfriend, Leanne Battersby, that he had been eyeing up her business. When she suggested she couldn't see a time when Carla wouldn't be in charge of Underworld, the cogs began turning for Idris.
During Monday's (November 2) visit to Weatherfield, Idris overheard Carla talking to her wife, Lisa Connor-Swain, about an important meeting at the hotel. Later, during the meeting, Carla and Michael Bailey were pleased with how things were going, but when the client headed to the loo, Idris stopped him and told him Carla couldn't be trusted and wasn't the sort of person he should do business with.
His words seemed to work, as when the client returned to the table, Carla was taken aback by his new cautious attitude, and later she was told the deal wasn't going ahead. Afterwards, speaking to Lisa, Carla revealed she was going to have to sacrifice her workers' Christmas bonus if she were to keep the factory afloat.
Factory left in ruins
Knowing her struggles were only getting worse, in Tuesday's (November 3) visit to Weatherfield, Carla decided to take control of what's ahead by breaking the news to the devastated staff that she is struggling to make ends meet. But while she had her difficult conversation with her factory staff, Idris met up with Brody Michaelis at the rear of the factory and, handing him a lighter, told him he's got a job for him.
Viewers watched as Brody let himself into No.4 and stole foster mum Sally Metcalfe's set of factory keys, before heading over to Underworld and letting himself in, unaware that Leanne was watching him. Once inside, the teen grabbed a lighter and held it near the smoke alarm to activate the sprinkler system before making his escape through the back door.
It was Sally who raised the alarm to Carla, who rushed over to the factory. As water rushed out of the building, a devastated Carla headed inside, followed by Lisa, to find all her stock damaged and water flowing and dripping throughout the entire building. Lisa tried to comfort Carla, whose heart was breaking at the sight of what was happening to her livelihood.
Fans react to upcoming milestone
Corrie fans are already furious at the thought of Carla losing the factory, with new spoilers for next week's episodes revealing her plans to sell her company. They seem particularly upset that the sad storyline coincides with an upcoming milestone for the character, as December marks 20 years since Alison King made her debut as Carla.
@missmollybruton said: "There's no way in hell Carla is losing that factory in her 20th year AND before Christmas...there's just no way...I refuse to believe it!! There'll be something that'll save it surely." @swain___rooney commented: "Celebrating 20 years of carla connor by making her sell the factory is definitely a choice!!"
@TVMusings26 posted: "I don't trust these bloody soaps. If Carla loses her factory, I'm organising a response. She's not the only one this year who's lost their long term livelihood in soap world. I'm fuming in advance! #Corrie." @SwarlaDaily added: "Next week, Carla is forced to put Underworld up for sale. My heart breaks for her. She's given so much to that factory and it's heartbreaking to see her lose it #Swarla #Corrie."
