Coronation Street fans to discover Maggie Driscoll truth as flashback details confirmed

Viewers of the ITV soap will learn more about the new character, played by Father Ted icon Pauline McLynn

Maggie Driscoll in Coronation Street(Image: ITV)

Coronation Street fans will discover what Maggie Driscoll is hiding about her past as details of an upcoming flashback have been confirmed.

It was only in October that viewers of the ITV soap were introduced to the new character, played by Father Ted icon Pauline McLynn, as she was revealed as the new owner of the Rovers Return – despite a returning Eva Price being the new landlady.

As played out on screen, Eva returned to Weatherfield after seven years and was quickly presented the beloved boozer by her partner, Ben Driscoll, who surprised her by revealing she was the new landlady having bought the pub from Carla Connor.

They wasted no time in settling into the pub and welcoming all the regulars with a huge opening party. But it was the arrival of Ben’s mum, Maggie, that ruffled feathers, as she delivered some shocking news for Eva – that she is, in fact, the landlady after Ben had to ask her for financial help.

They’ve since been trying to make the Rovers the hub of Weatherfield, all while hiding secrets and difficult relationships behind-the-scenes.

It’s now been revealed that in early December, a special flashback episode will focus on Maggie’s birthday and viewers will see tensions flaring in the Rovers and learn there’s more to this family dynamic than meets the eye.

The flashback episode, set to air on Monday, December 8, will provide viewers with a glimpse of Maggie’s earlier life and how the matriarchal mother-in-law from hell came to be.

Viewers will get a glimpse into Maggie’s younger years in a flashback episode(Image: ITV)

Eva’s made her dislike of Maggie quite clear, and with the feelings seemingly mutual, the audience will be left wondering if Eva needs to watch her back. The question is, however, what is Maggie really capable of?

Speaking about Maggie’s birthday, Pauline revealed: “It is going to be a very big birthday. She’s 65, which is a nod to the show’s anniversary [on December 9, 2025]. The whole birthday thing is kind of a ‘Happy Birthday to the show’ element too.

“When it comes to events, Maggie, we discover, is like anybody who’s the head of the family, as she sees it. You put on your game face every day, you go out, and you do what you have to; you put on a performance, I think. What we”ll find out during the birthday is we get to know a little bit more of the personal Maggie, whether she likes it or not.”

Teasing the flashback, the actress continued: “As all the merriment is going on around her, she remembers when they were growing up—she has two sons, one lives in America. We finally find out a bit more about her husband. For me, it was just the most magical, strange thing ever because there is a flashback scene that you see through Maggie’s eyes, and I got to meet the younger me.”

She continued: “It’s actually very moving when you see what happens in the flashback because it shows the difficulty of being a young mother. I won’t say whether she was happy or unhappy in the marriage; you can decide for yourself, because there’s no slant on it, it’s just presented as what happened.

“It’s intriguing, and it’s one of those things that you know when you see it, that this will have repercussions somewhere, somehow. It could be way down the line. We don’t know, so yo’ll be waiting for somebody to say, ‘Can I just ask you…’ and then it’ll just take one question to unlock a whole load of things. It could even be a question from her son, Ben. It’s obviously something they don’t talk about.”