Coronation Street is gearing up to air an emotional surprise for David Platt as a soap legend returns to the cobbles for Christmas.

It was previously confirmed that Gail Chadwick will make an appearance one year after she left Weatherfield. Actor Helen Worth reprises the role of Gail for a cameo, sharing a festive message to her loved ones – and it’s a particularly “emotional” one for her son David, who is also celebrating his birthday.

Weighing in on Gail’s huge Corrie return, David star Jack P Shepherd revealed the message affects his character deeply.

“She pops up and makes a bit of a guest appearance, which is nice and lovely,” Shepherd said (via The Sun).

“She pops up and she’s sending a Christmas message to the Platts,” he continued.

“And obviously it’s David’s birthday, so she’s saying that.”

He added: “It kind of gets David, I think he’s a bit emotional about it.”

Shepherd touched upon David’s love-hate relationship with his mum Gail, saying: “Because it’s his mum and he has this weird relationship with his mum doesn’t he. It’s sort of like this love to hate.”

Meanwhile, David has been announced as one of the Corrie characters crossing over in ITV’s big Corriedale episode.

Airing on 5 January at 8pm, the one-hour special will see a bunch of Weatherfield and Emmerdale residents involved in a multi-vehicle pile-up.

David and his wife Shona, played by Julia Goulding, are among the Corrie characters caught in the chaos, with Goulding previously revealing: ” I did my own stunt, which was really fun. Obviously we had a fantastic stunt team. There’s quite a lot going on with fire and things!”