Sir Ian McKellen ‘wants Coronation Street return’

Sir Ian McKellen reportedly wants to reprise his role in Coronation Street.

Antony Cotton – who plays Sean Tully on the ITV soap – said that his close friend has expressed an interest in returning to the cobbles as conman Mel.

Speaking about celebrity appearances in soaps, Cotton told journalists: “I think that Corrie has had the greatest cameo, which was from McKellen. His role wasn’t just a cameo and he was amazing.

“Ian did say to me, and I’m going to put this out there, ‘I think it’s about time that Mel Hutchwright maybe made a reappearance’.”

Reflecting on McKellen’s original three-week stint in 2005, he added: “It was a brilliant storyline. It was written especially for him and he was playing a scoundrel. It had a start, middle and an end, and it was with amazing characters – John Savident, Barbara Knox, Eileen Derbyshire and Malcolm Hebden. That was a very special cameo.”

Cotton said that while Coronation Street doesn’t really need cameo appearances, McKellen’s was “glorious” as it wasn’t “shoehorned in”.

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