Curly Watts to make Corrie comeback?

The Mirror reports that the character of Norman ‘Curly’ Watts could soon be making a return to Coronation Street.

The soap’s new producer Stuart Blackburn is apparently keen to bring Curly – portrayed by Kevin Kennedy – back in a bid to restore the show’s roots.

“Curly is an absolute Street legend. He was ­involved in some brilliant storylines. There have been murmurings that he may be in line for a comeback for years, but now it looks like the time has come. He recently had a dinner meeting with Stuart Blackburn and it was ­extremely positive.

 

“Stuart has a real sense of the history of Corrie and has a great deal of affection for some of the older characters. Curly Watts certainly fits into that bracket.

 

“They sat down and discussed old ­storylines and all the new directions they could take the character. Stuart will now speak to the rest of the production crew and when they have their next forward planning meeting they will work out potential plots. If that all goes well they will get him back in and start filming.” – Coronation Street Source

Astronomy enthusiast Curly first appeared on the cobbles in 1983 and storylines over the years included numerous failed relationships and a double act with Reg Holdsworth (Ken Morley), his boss at Bettabuys supermarket. Curly tied the knot with Racquel Wolstenhulme (Sarah Lancashire) in 1995 but the marriage ended in heartache when she left him for a new life in Kuala Lumpur.

He later married policewoman Emma Taylor (Angela Lonsdale) but their relationship was put to the test when she committed perjury for a colleague. They reconciled and left the Street together for a new life in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 2003.

Curly later appeared in spin-off DVD A Knight’s Tale in 2010 in which he revealed that his marriage to Emma was over.

Kennedy has frequently expressed an interest in reprising his role.