Coronation Street has put four potential perpetrators in the picture after Adam Barlow was attacked during the show’s dramatic 60th anniversary storyline.
During the final moments of the hour-long special marking the end of the week of celebrations, a mystery attacker came into the bistro and struck Adam (Sam Robertson) from behind.
Recent months have seen him make a number of enemies on the cobbles, cheating on his estranged wife Sarah (Tina O’Brien) and sleeping with his uncle Peter’s partner Carla Connor (Alison King), driving Peter (Chris Gascoyne) to sink into alcoholism once again.
Tension has also been rising between Adam and Gary Windass (Mikey North), his wife Sarah’s former partner, positioning Gary as a potential guilty party.
Sarah could also be the attacker. Adam broke her heart by sleeping with a string of women while separated, including Carla.
But the attacker might also be Carla herself. She greatly regrets the night she spent with Adam and begged him to keep it a secret from Peter but, despite this, Adam came clean.
Peter, however, was last seen slumped in the street holding a brick and whiskey bottle, potentially plotting an attack on his nephew.
In the coming weeks, Coronation Street will follow events as Adam is treated in hospital and the police work to identify a suspect.
Coronation Street debuted on ITV on December 9 1960, the creation of Salford-born writer Tony Warren.
Since then, the soap has aired more than 10,000 episodes and has seen 57 births, 146 deaths and 132 weddings.
In September 2010, Coronation Street was recognised as the world’s longest-running soap and was listed in the Guinness World Records.