Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod has revealed killer Stephen Reid will begin to target Carla Connor in upcoming episodes, leading to shocking scenes.
Stephen is said to take aim at Carla and will set out to destroy her, in a bid to steal the factory after she belittles him repeatedly.
Carla will push Stephen too far it seems and he wants payback, leading to something Iain says fans will not be able to predict.
No one is safe in Weatherfield it seems, as Iain claimed everyone needed to watch their backs - and he could strike again.
Speaking to The Mirror and other press, soap boss Iain revealed fans would not see coming what Stephen does to the factory boss.
He also hinted huge scenes ahead for the killer, and said that Carla would get caught up in his lies - amid fears Stephen could kill again.
Iain said: "Everyone should be worried. The whole cast is worried. Needless to say no bodies ever stay buried for long, so he encounters some fairly serious jeopardy in the form of Leo's dad Teddy, who turns up and has the whiff of suspicion around Stephen and thinks he might have something to do with Leo's disappearance.
"Of course we know what Stephen did the last time he was backed into a corner, so to what lengths will he go to rid himself of this new threat? [He becomes] increasingly desperate across the next 12 months or so, there is lots and lots to come.
"He sees his first step back on the ladder to the top of the international rag trade as getting the gig in Underworld, and then trying to topple the current queen of the pile Carla. There's this really good psychological warfare which begins with those two and of course it's all freighted with the knowledge on our part that we know he's killed someone.
"So when Carla is in there belittling him and making him make tea, undercutting him in front of clients, she's just unwittingly poking this hornet's nest and obviously at some point all the hornets do come out, but not probably in the way you will expect.
"If anyone predicts what Stephen does to Carla I will eat my hat. Honestly his plan is so out there and dark I'd be incredibly surprised if anyone spots it coming over the hill."
Iain went on: "[Carla and Peter's] story will centre on her war with Stephen. Peter's role in that is being deeply concerned about his wife's history with mental health problems.
"He will be put offside by trying to be overprotective in situations and trying to fight her battles for her, trying to intervene in unhelpful ways. They are bubbling along nicely but it's in readiness for this story later on.
"Carla suddenly finds herself thrusted into Stephen’s crosshairs and in a certain amount of danger as a result of that, so that will be the thing that brings them back together again."
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITV X.
