Coronation Street is rocked by a shocking murder mystery next week, after horrified Betsy Swain discovers a dead body. But who has been bumped off – and who is responsible? The speculation will run for weeks before we get any answers.

As the action flashes forward to a date in April, we see shaken Betsy being questioned by police, having stumbled upon a corpse. By the end of the episode, viewers will have a line-up of five potential murder victims, but we’ll have to wait another two months to find out which of them has met a tragic end – and who had reason to want them dead…

“This episode is something that’s been in the making for a really long time,” teases Corrie head honcho Kate Brooks. “It gives us a destination for all the big stories we have on the table, they all come together to become something much bigger.

“We’ll take an audience on a journey to find out who that body is and what happened. What’s the backstory? How did they get to that place?”

As the episode unfolds, the drama will alternate between present time and the fateful day in April when Betsy makes her grisly discovery. Viewers will need to pay careful attention as all the clues are laid out, because it turns out multiple Street residents have targets on their backs…

“I don’t think I’ve ever told a story that involves quite as many character groups as this,” reveals Kate. “A lot of those potential victims have created a lot of waves on the Street, and everyone’s affected by the story.

“There are so many twists and turns – just when we think the story is going in one direction, we absolutely do a U-turn and go in a completely different direction.”

“It’s something that will keep people on the edge of their seats,” she adds. “It will keep the viewers guessing until the very end. And don’t be fooled by what you think is happening, because that might not be the case!”

You’ll see from the pictures that Betsy looks dressed up for a formal occasion, maybe a big birthday party or a wedding. And why isn’t her mum, detective Lisa Swain, present while she’s being grilled about her grisly discovery? Could Lisa be involved in the investigation as a suspect?

The line-up of potential victims is a closely guarded secret until the episode airs, but it hasn’t escaped our notice that the locals have been notching up enemies left, right and centre over the past few weeks, so anything is possible…