As always, Christmas is a busy time in soap land with murders, explosions, kidnappings and general misery served alongside turkey and Christmas pud, so let’s take a look at what Coronation Street has in store for us over Christmas.

Christmas Eve, 7.30pm

It’s Christmas Eve on Coronation Street and everyone is in high spirits. The factory girls are in party mood so Carla tells them to go home and come back in their glad rags for the Underworld Christmas party. Tony stays to get the party ready and finish off some last-minute wrapping but he’s surprised by a visit from a tipsy Jed demanding yet more cash in return for his silence.

Angered by the pensioner’s demands, Tony snaps and using the negligee he’s bought for Carla, he throttles him. As he stands over a motionless Jed on the floor of the factory, he panics realising that Carla and the factory girls will be on their way back at any time.

Spotting an empty storage hamper, he crams Jed’s lifeless body inside just in time. The next few hours are a nightmare for Tony as the drunken factory girls conga and dance around the hamper unaware of its grizly secret. Will Tony’s latest evil deed be discovered?

Rosie’s looking forward to celebrating her birthday and having her first legal drink in the Rovers. She’s planned a party at home but decides to cancel it and spend the evening with Gary Windass instead. Kevin and Sally are less than impressed when they return home and discover that she and Gary have polished off the champagne the family were going to open to celebrate her birthday.

Joe’s not feeling very festive having discovered that he’s been evicted from his flat. He confides in Kevin who advises him to tell Gail but Joe’s a proud man and doesn’t want to burden her with his problems.

At the Rovers, Michelle kisses Steve under the mistletoe but Steve tells Becky he would much rather be kissing her.

Christmas Day, one hour episode, 7pm

Christmas Day dawns in Weatherfield with everyone preparing for the day ahead. One man with more to do than most is Tony Gordon, who has the small matter of a body to dispose of before he can get down to celebrating. He tells Carla that there’s been a break in at one of the properties and so, excuses made, he heads for the factory but there’s a surprise awaiting him when he gets there…

Meanwhile preparations are under way for Christmas dinner at Emily and Norris’s but Emily’s not happy about starting without Jed whose bed hasn’t been slept in. Tony’s desperate to make sure it looks as though Jed has done a runner and sneaks into Emily’s house to remove his belongings. Will he manage to get everything out without being discovered?

Over at the Platts the day gets off to a good start when Joe surprises Gail with an expensive watch. Gail’s planned a party for later that day but as the Platts settle down for their Christmas dinner, they’re invaded by some early arrivals; the Windasses have the timings wrong and turn up with party food, forcing Gail to invite them to stay for Christmas dinner, much to Joe’s annoyance.

By the time the Websters arrive for the party, things have gone somewhat downhill and when Gary turns up, David and Kevin are seething. It isn’t long before the whole thing has descended into chaos, forcing Joe to walk out. Another typical Christmas Day at the Platts!.

Christmas is a time to spend with your loved ones and Steve’s desperate to get some time alone with Becky. He makes his excuses to get away from the Rovers and arranges to meet Becky at the cab office. She’s delighted to discover he’s decked the office out as a Christmas Grotto and they settle down to share a few snatched moments, unaware that Michelle is on her way over to find him…

Elsewhere, it’s a sad day for Maria who tells Fiz that she wants to go to the cemetery to visit Paul and Liam’s graves. She’s shocked when she arrives and finds that someone has beaten her to it and already laid flowers. She’s furious when she realises that they flowers are from Tony and Carla. Maria destroys them before returning to the Street to let Tony know exactly what she thinks of his gesture.

Things are a lot quieter at Roy’s where the dinner goes off without hitch, thanks to a last-minute donation and some help from Auntie Pam.

Boxing Day, 7.30pm & 8.30pm

Maria’s still seething and scared after her encounter with Tony and asks Fiz to go to the police station with her. Fiz explains that she hasn’t seen or heard anything that she could tell them, leaving Maria frustrated.

Still desperate to prove to everyone that Tony murdered Liam, Maria resorts to desperate measures and armed with a pot of paint, daubs the word ‘murderer’ across the factory walls. Has she gone too far this time?

Gail still hasn’t heard from Joe but he later turns up at the house with a bouquet of flowers by way of an apology for his behaviour. He promises her that he won’t do something like that again but still doesn’t come clean about being evicted.

Dev’s like a bear with a sore head when Amber asks him to make himself scarce so she can spend some time with Darryl. Amber realises the only way she’s going to get a love life is if she sorts out Dev’s first, so she immediately gets on the phone to Tara.

At the Brazilian Crunch class, Liz saves the day when the instructor fails to show up so all they need now is some music… Cue Lloyd.

Elsewhere, Emily’s sure that Jed’s returned as his bedroom door is closed and it was open yesterday. She soon discovers he – along with his belongings – have gone.

In the 8.30pm episode, Maria’s hysterical as the police try to speak to her about the graffiti and Audrey tries desperately to calm her down. Tony intervenes and tells the police that he doesn’t want to press charges.

Maria’s convinced that this proves he has a plan but Audrey and Fiz are worried about her and tell her it must stop. As Tony realises that the situation get any better until Maria’s out of the way, he suggests to Kirk and Fiz that they take her away from Weatherfield for a while and even offers to pay. Carla meanwhile is left confused by her husband’s behaviour.

Lloyd warns Steve that he’s playing with fire and that it won’t be long before people start to notice the sexual tension between him and Becky. Steve however is convinced that he can handle it. Later, Lloyd finds himself the centre of attention following the Brazilian Crunch class.

Tyrone’s pleased that Molly’s back at home but he’s got a stiff back from sleeping on the sofa. Molly offers to give him a massage but they’re soon interrupted by Auntie Pam.

Elsewhere, Dev and Tara realise they’ve been set up by Amber but Dev seizes the moment and offers Tara the flat above the corner shop.