Curly to return to Corrie?

Kevin Kennedy has confirmed his is in talks to reprise his role as Curly Watts in Coronation Street.

The 51-year-old actor starred in the soap as supermarket worker Curly for 20 years until 2003, and revealed on Twitter he has met with new executive producer Stuart Blackburn to discuss a potential comeback.

Kevin tweeted: "Thanks for your lovely messages, yes I had lunch with Stuart, Coro's producer but nothing is imminent or even definite."

Fans have already flooded the actor with excited messages about Curly's return.

During his time on the cobbles, Curly was part of a hilarious double act with supermarket manager Reg Holdsworth (Ken Morley).

He had a long-running on-off relationship with glamorous barmaid Raquel Wolstenhulme (Sarah Lancashire), before she left him to move to Kuala Lumpur, keeping their daughter a secret from him.

Curly then married policewoman Emma Taylor (Angela Lonsdale) and after having a son the couple moved to Newcastle to start a new life together. Curly revealed in 2010 spin-off DVD Coronation Street A Knight's Tale he and Emma had split up.

Kevin said last year: "It's no secret that I would love to come back to the Street, and it will probably happen at some point."

Patrick McLennan is a London-based journalist and documentary maker who has worked as a writer, sub-editor, digital editor and TV producer in the UK and New Zealand. His CV includes spells as a news producer at the BBC and TVNZ, as well as web editor for Time Inc UK. He has produced TV news and entertainment features on personalities as diverse as Nick Cave, Tom Hardy, Clive James, Jodie Marsh and Kevin Bacon and he co-produced and directed The Ponds, which has screened in UK cinemas, BBC Four and is currently available on Netflix.

An entertainment writer with a diverse taste in TV and film, he lists Seinfeld, The Sopranos, The Chase, The Thick of It and Detectorists among his favourite shows, but steers well clear of most sci-fi.