Coronation Street left viewers scratching their heads last night (Wednesday, February 4) as Debbie dropped a huge bombshell on Carl – revealing she’s his real mum, not Elaine.
Fans were quick to hit out at the storyline though, insisting it ‘rewrites history’ and doesn’t sit with what they remember of the Webster family.
Debbie’s huge confession to Carl in Coronation Street
The drama kicked off with Ronnie pulling Carl aside for a serious chat, worried about Debbie’s wellbeing behind bars. Feeling guilty for framing her over the crash, Carl promised he’d set things right – though that promise hit a sudden dead-end before he could reach the police station.
When he finally came clean to Debbie about being behind the wheel, she calmly admitted she’d already known and had been covering for him all along. Then came the twist. She’s actually his mum.
Debbie explained she’d fallen pregnant at 17 after a one-night fling, and Elaine had kindly stepped in to raise Carl, giving Debbie the chance to avoid the hardships of teen motherhood. Elaine and her partner Bill had supposedly decided to raise Carl together, sparing Debbie from parental responsibilities.
But Carl wasn’t having any of it. He lashed out at Debbie, blaming her for the turmoil in his life and insisting he’d always felt invisible to Elaine. In a harsh final blow, he told her he hoped prison was exactly where she deserved to be.
Fans slam storyline for rewriting Webster family history
The revelation didn’t sit well with Coronation Street’s dedicated viewers, who were quick to point out inconsistencies. Debbie claimed Bill and Elaine raised Carl as their own, but long-time fans know the timeline doesn’t quite add up.
Bill and Elaine had split, and Elaine moved on with a new partner. Bill later returned to the Street and had romances with Audrey and Maureen, making it hard to see how he could have co-parented Carl with Elaine in the middle of all that. Surely he wouldn’t have left Carl with someone who wasn’t his actual mum?
One fan wrote: “Bill and Elaine split up, hence his return to Corrie. Odd then that Elaine, and her new partner, kept custody of the child she apparently disliked. Oh writers, don’t underestimate the memories of your viewers.”
Another added: “Bill left Elaine and came to live with Audrey and left Carl with her knowing she wasn’t his mother. Sometimes the writers just get it so wrong.”
A third asked: “So when exactly did Bill have the time to fit this dad stuff in, when he was back here on Coronation Street messing around with Audrey et al?”
With loyal viewers pointing out the gaping plot holes, it seems Coronation Street’s latest twist might be one of the most controversial Webster storylines in years.