Overview
- The soap confirmed Jim McDonald’s death with an off-screen service, and characters gathered at the Rovers for a wake reportedly attended by 17 people.
- Two of Jim’s old army mates, Declan and Davey, appeared at the wake, played by Sean Kearns and Stephen Don.
- Conversations at the pub surfaced a decades-old affair tied to Jim, seeding a potential paternity twist involving those closest to the McDonald family.
- A mention of 1990s barmaid Samantha Failsworth prompted nostalgia and online speculation about her unseen presence at the funeral.
- Off-screen, actor Charlie Lawson said he had known of the exit since early September and discussed recent financial pressures, while Beverley Callard shared she is undergoing treatment for early-stage breast cancer.