In the upcoming festive episode of Coronation Street, the focus turns decidedly darker as the usual Christmas cheer gives way to tension, exposed secrets and emotional upheaval. Actress Jodie Prenger, who plays the spirited and bold character Glenda Shuttleworth, has revealed that this year’s holiday storyline will deliver on both nostalgia and raw drama. With family dynamics at a breaking point, ghosts of past mistakes, and new alliances forming in fire and fickleness, the cobbles have never looked more unpredictable.

Glenda’s arc this season is deeply entwined with a newly-arrived family on the street whose intentions are anything but welcoming. Through Glenda’s eyes, we see the arrival of the Michaelis family stirring unrest: they’re described as “live-wires and ruffians” who provoke suspicion and conflict almost as soon as their boots hit the pavement. Glenda, used to being part of the quirky but tight-knit community, senses something off and begins to question the motives behind their smooth manners. As the Christmas period approaches, this new family’s disruptive influence becomes the catalyst for secrets to be leaked, loyalties to be tested and long-held truths to implode.

While the façade of festive joy is set up with gift-giving, decorations and good intentions, the real action lies behind closed doors. Glenda overhears hushed conversations, notices furtive glances and begins to suspect that some of her friends and neighbours are hiding more than just the odd secret. In one scene Glenda is seen cleaning up at the bar late at night, only to spot a suspicious exchange between two of the newcomers and a known local with a shady past. Her instincts flare and her sense of protection kicks in: not only for herself but for the world she’s come to love. The viewer feels her tension build as she balances a desire for welcoming new faces with a sharp growing fear that danger is looming.

Meanwhile, the show doesn’t limit the drama to newcomers only. Long-standing families on the street are pulled into the chaos as old wounds surface and new betrayals emerge. One storyline centres around a hidden relationship, weeks in the making, that threatens a marriage and risks the social fabric of the community. Another shows a family fraying under the weight of financial blame, miscommunication and resentment: gifts meant to bring joy become tokens of guilt, and a Christmas dinner becomes the tipping point for confession and confrontation. Glenda finds herself caught in the middle, perhaps trying to be the voice of reason, while also being pulled into the emotional vortex.

The festive special is also designed to serve as a turning point for some characters. For Glenda, it’s more than just surviving the antics of newcomers—it’s about asserting her place, her voice and her right not to be sidelined. She begins to stand up, not just as the fun-loving barmaid returning from cruise ships, but as someone who cares deeply for her community and will not accept a takeover or underhand workings. That transformation is mirrored in her interactions: from playful banter behind the Rovers Return bar to sharp, questioning conversation in the corridor of the funeral business, Glenda is evolving and the viewers will see her strength shine through.

In the end, the episode is crafted to leave viewers with their breath caught. As the lights twinkle and the carols play, we’re led into a Christmas dinner scene laden with tension: the new family seated beside the old guard, smiles masking suspicion, and glances that linger a beat too long. Glenda clears her throat, raises her glass to propose a toast, but the moment freezes as someone stands to speak—revealing a secret nobody saw coming. The camera pans to faces: shock, betrayal, a tear, a turning away. The festive soundtrack fades out and viewers realise that this Christmas on the cobbles is anything but peaceful.

What makes this story resonate is the layering of tradition and disruption: Christmas in Weatherfield has always been warm and familiar, but this year it’s subverted. The decorations still hang, the mince pies are still served, but the underlying current is one of displacement, uncertainty and shifting power. Through Glenda and her fight to maintain connection and community, the show asks whether any of the characters will come through unscathed—and whether the cobbles will ever feel the same again.

By the time the festive dust settles, Glenda will have learned a lot: about trust, about standing up, about change. And so will the audience, who will be left wondering which relationships are salvageable and which have been broken beyond repair. It’s a Christmas special that promises more than crackers and carols—it’s about revelation, reckoning and the resilience of the human heart in the face of disruption.