{"id":42498,"date":"2023-12-25T20:30:14","date_gmt":"2023-12-25T19:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.radiotimes.com\/?p=1949225"},"modified":"2023-12-25T20:50:54","modified_gmt":"2023-12-25T19:50:54","slug":"is-tracy-barlow-set-for-an-affair-with-coronation-street-icon","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/rss_feed\/is-tracy-barlow-set-for-an-affair-with-coronation-street-icon\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Tracy Barlow set for an affair with Coronation Street icon?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Tommy Orpington has arrived. <\/p>

By Helen Daly\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Monday, 25 December 2023 at 19:30 PM<\/p>

\n\n

It was largely a very Merry Christmas on Coronation Street<\/a>, as most of the residents of Weatherfield joined their loved ones for a quiet time.<\/p>\n

But one was stressed out a little more than others \u2013 Tracy Barlow (Kate Ford) had to cook for many more Barlows than she thought, and with Ken\u2019s declaration that it would be alcohol free, it\u2019s safe to say she was unhappy.<\/p>\n

Tracy skipped away to the florist for a moment of quiet, where she ended up opening a bottle of wine she\u2019d got for Mary and started drinking it.<\/p>\n

As she settled into the quiet, a man entered the shop, despite the fact they were closed.<\/p>\n

The well-dressed man told her his name was Tommy Orpington (Matt Milburn) \u2013 not that Tracy knew who he was from Adam.<\/p>\n

Nevertheless, the pair shared a nice interaction, if not a little flirty from Tommy\u2019s part.<\/p>\n

\"Coronation\n<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>\n<\/div>
Coronation Street\u2019s Tommy Orpington.<\/span><\/figcaption> ITV<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

If only Tracy knew she\u2019d just met the great Tommy Orpington!<\/p>\n

Earlier in the year, Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod told press including RadioTimes.com<\/a> that Tommy would return for Christmas Day after the end of his footballing career.<\/p>\n

MacLeod said: \u201cYou\u2019ll see Tommy again on Christmas Day! Since leaving football, he has made some bad business investments, including opening a Tommy Orpington-themed gourmet burger restaurant. They\u2019ve all gone belly up!<\/p>\n

\u201cTommy\u2019s wife has left him \u2013 and he\u2019s now had to return to the trade he had when he was a non-league footballer, which is painter and decorator. You\u2019d think, given all that, it\u2019d be quite miserable \u2013 but he\u2019s not at all.<\/p>

\u201cTommy actually finds the act of painting and decorating quite zen because no-one\u2019s telling him what to do. He hasn\u2019t got the gaffer screaming at him \u2013 he can just whip out his paint and his roller and stick his ear buds in, and he finds it quite meditative.\u201d<\/p>\n

MacLeod divulged Tommy\u2019s return would also cause trouble for one relationship, with a female catching his eye.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s in a good place where we find him. There might be one of our female characters that needs some decorating done.<\/p>\n

\u201cA story evolves where this attractive, historically successful man arrives into one of our female character\u2019s lives and upsets the apple cart in fairly spectacular fashion,\u201d the producer said.<\/p>\n

Is this Tracy? And what would die-hard Weatherfield County fan Steve say?<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/strong><\/p>\n