Denise Osbourne returns!

Denise Black has sparked fresh speculation that she could be returning to Coronation Street as Daniel Osbourne's mum.

Rumours have been rife that Denise will return to her Corrie roots now she is no longer filming with Emmerdale, with even Rob Mallard - who plays Daniel - revealing that he's hopeful she'll be coming back.

Interestingly, Denise has pointed out on her website that she has two jobs currently in the pipeline, with the Coronation Street blog also reporting that this might mean she is on her way back to Weatherfield.

Denise wrote on her website: "What's coming up next? Rumours abound. Well, there are two exciting jobs in the pipeline but it's too early to broadcast. So watch this space..."
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Denise Osbourne [Denise Black] and Ken Barlow [William Roache] in Coronation Street
© ITV/REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
The show's boss Kate Oates recently revealed that some old faces could return as part of a big storyline coming up for the Barlows, but whether or not Denise is one of them remains to be seen.

"The Barlows are about to face some big challenges, but there'll be a few fun twists as well - and maybe one or more old faces returning," Kate said to Inside Soap.

"The whole family are huge personalities, and they will be front and centre in the coming weeks. There is a very long story coming up very soon for the Barlows."

Kate has also hinted at dark times ahead for the Barlows - and Ken in particular - teasing that his shortcomings as a father and grandfather will come back to haunt him this spring.

Digital Spy

"Started by Richie_lecturer". Now there's a name from the past. Whatever happened to him!?

Perhaps she could pop in to Audrey's and get her awful hair done. Mates Rates.

It's the news we have all been waiting for – Denise Osbourne is returning to Coronation Street.

Denise Black – who was last seen playing Joanie Wright in Emmerdale – has been dropping hints over the past few months that her character would be returning to the cobbles.

And it looks like it could finally be happening as new pap pictures show the actress filming with William Roache – who plays her former partner Ken Barlow.

Fans will remember that she played hairdresser Denise back in the '90s, as well as briefly reprising the role in 2007.

However, the character has become increasingly relevant in recent months after son Daniel (now played by Rob Mallard) returned to Weatherfield – where he claimed that Denise walked out on him as a child.

Recent scenes have actually seen Daniel's claims come under fire as he was questioned by the police over Denise's disappearance – leaving fans to wonder if their theories were true and he'd killed her.

Thankfully, it looks like that is not the case as these pictures appear to prove that Denise is alive and well, after Black was snapped filming with Roache in a flat in Davyhulme, Manchester.

Denise Osbourne and Ken Barlow with Daniel Osbourne in Coronation Street in 1996
As the images don't give much else away, fans will have to tune in to see how Denise's return comes about – but in the meantime, the news leaves us with even more questions over Ken's recent attack.
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Denise Black spotted back at Coronation Street
© MCPIX/MARK CAMPBELL
Pat Phelan has already been ruled out of the case, but several other suspects are still in the frame, with Denise's impending return only widening the mystery further.

Could Denise have been the one to push Ken? Where has she been? And what will her return mean for Daniel?


Digital Spy

back to help ken from daniel

Coronation Street producer Kate Oates has revealed her disappointment after Denise Osbourne's return to the show was spoiled in paparazzi pictures.

Denise Black was seen reprising her role as Ken's ex and Daniel's mum after a ten-year absence in Tuesday night's episode – and show bosses had hoped to pull off a huge surprise by bringing her back.

Although the character's return was never officially publicised by Corrie, Denise was pictured filming on location with co-star Bill Roache two months ago.

This meant that many fans won't have been fooled by red herrings in earlier scenes which suggested that Denise could have possibly been murdered by Daniel years earlier.

Speaking to Digital Spy and other media about the spoiler, Kate explained: "Obviously there were some paparazzi pictures of Denise arriving, which is always a little bit heartbreaking from my point of view. We had that scene with the rose bush where Ken put his spade in the ground.

"If you were looking at that fresh and you didn't know that there had been paparazzi pictures, you'd have had that feeling of: 'Is she under the rose bush?' That's what we wanted.

"That's an example of when my heart breaks slightly when I see paparazzi pictures, which I feel spoil the stories. But I'm hoping that the audience may have looked at that, and knowing how soaps work now, wondered whether she was just returning for a flashback."

Denise abandoned Daniel when he was just 15, and upcoming Corrie episodes will explore where she's been and why she left him.

Denise suffered a breakdown all those years ago and was too fearful to return once she made a full recovery, which meant that Daniel was left to fend for himself for years.

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Daniel and Denise Osbourne in Coronation Street
© ITV

Kate added: "Denise always intended to come back. When she walked out, there had been a build-up to it. She said to him, 'If I just had to go away for a bit, you know that I love you, don't you?'

"Daniel, who was a teenager, was asking, 'What are you talking about?' He was a teenager in the midst of his mother having a breakdown with no other support. So one day, Denise just walked out and didn't come back.

"There was a scene a few months ago where Daniel could remember vividly what Denise wore when she left. The police officer interviewing him expected him to be hazy on the detail, but he remembered it like it was yesterday because it was the last time he saw her.

"Denise always intended to come back. It was always a case of, 'Any day now, when I feel better, when I feel stronger, I will go back'. But she was always too afraid."

Kate also explained why Denise conveniently returned at the height of the 'Who Pushed Ken?' plot climax, insisting that it wasn't just a coincidence.

She confirmed: "Because the police are looking at Daniel as a suspect in the Ken story, it's made them more interested in what happened to Denise. Originally she was a missing person but there were other priorities, whereas now she's a more interesting missing person.

"There's a comment in one script where Denise explains that someone called her work asking questions about her. Then she drove past and saw the flat was up for sale and realised it was now or never. So it's not just a coincidence that she's come in on that day. Although I'm never adverse to a coincidence!"

Digital Spy

She's back! Coronation Street reintroduced the character of Denise Osbourne on Tuesday night (May 30) as she arrived back at the flat she used to share with her son Daniel.

Denise abandoned Daniel when he was just 15, leaving him to fend for himself and setting him on a troubled path which still affects him to this day.

Fortunately, Denise is now back to support Daniel just as he's in the midst of a tragic breakdown, following his confession that he was responsible for Ken's brutal attack.

Will Denise be able to make amends with her son after her years of absence? Denise Black, who plays her, recently spoke to Digital Spy and other media at a Coronation Street press day and revealed all.

How long have you known you were coming back to Corrie for?

"Not as long as people think! The public were talking about it before I even knew myself. I've never been in the eye of the media in that way, where people were talking about my destiny. I thought: 'Wow, what do they know that I don't?!' But here I am!"

When you left Emmerdale as Joanie Dingle, did you know then you were heading back to Corrie?

"No, absolutely not. That was where the public started speculating and saying: 'Oh, she's died on there because she's going to Corrie'. I was out of work, so even I was interested to know whether it was true!"

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What was the main appeal of coming back?

"I'd worked with Coronation Street's producer Kate Oates before when we were both at Emmerdale and I think Denise is an interesting character. Although it was quite challenging grappling with the idea that she'd abandoned her son. That's not an easy one, and look at the toll it's taken on Daniel.

"But that's really good for an actor to work with. You need these flaws, because they open dramatic doors. Also, if you're a soap character, you need to sometimes be in the wrong!"

How did you prepare for coming back?

"I had to go back and watch Denise Osbourne from the early '90s, which is very strange because that was a long time ago and that's a different me. I could hardly recognise myself and thought: 'God I'm hot, what happened?!' The experience of life is so different, too. Obviously I've gained a lot of experience in the interim years.

"Although I haven't done the long haul that Bill Roache has done, I personally think that to devote your life to a show in the same way he has done brings a richness to the show. The public have known Ken forever, haven't they? That's an extraordinary thing to do and I'm really proud to be a part of it."

We've heard that you even brought a prop back with you...

"You only get the script really last minute, but I saw there was a trinket box mentioned. I had the ring that Denise Osbourne wore in 1992 as I'd taken it away with me, so I put it in there. I also put in a little gift that we were given on the 35th anniversary of Coronation Street."

How did you build up a chemistry with your on-screen son Rob Mallard, who plays Daniel?

"I hung out with him and stayed on his sofa. We ran lines – and now I know what he looks like first thing in the morning! (Laughs.)

"The ways that we approach acting are quite similar, as we both worry ourselves into a kind of obsession. It worked, so we spent time running lines together.

"A big part of being in a soap is being able to keep up to speed, learn that script and get it inside you. That's why I think I would have been terrified and not been able to take this job if I'd not had Emmerdale before and survived."

Will Denise be rekindling her romance with Ken?

"Well, he's looking good, isn't he? But Ken is furious with Denise at first..."

Can we expect the writers to explore where Denise has been?

"Yes. The way that I work is that I invent a backstory and then change it every time I get a fact in the script which is at odds with it. You think: 'Okay, I'll drop that bit!'

"I also thought about shows like Long Lost Family, where often the child has to let the parent off the hook because the parent can never forgive themselves, having done this dreadful thing and abandoned someone.

"So I had to think about how Denise felt about that and I said to Kate, 'Give me very strong direction, because then I can play it with conviction'. Denise ran away and she was having a breakdown. I had to get my head around how Daniel was not hauled in by the social services, so I invented all that so it fitted.

"I also thought about why Denise didn't come back when she got better. I decided that was fear. She genuinely thought Daniel would be better off without her and she still feels that now. She has very low self-esteem."

What kind of woman is Denise now?

"She's flawed. The brief that I was given when I first came in was that she speaks her mind. So she's front-footed and she's not always right, which is very important. I think she's a bit Marmite and you either love her or you hate her. If you look at the fact that Denise has abandoned her son, she's desperate to be a good woman and get it right this time.

"If you look at the timeline, the last time that we saw Denise ten years ago was just three years before she abandoned Daniel. She was not in a great state then. She came back and pitched to Ken that they should raise the boy together and he said, 'No thanks!'

"So that pieced together quite well for me. She had a low opinion of herself and that was the beginning of a breakdown. Also, it's difficult raising a child on your own."

Is there a light at the end of the tunnel for Denise?

"The moment you've completely sewn somebody up, that's the end of their usefulness, so I see it more as a cycle. Yes I'd love her to have some happy times in her life, and I'd love for Daniel to repair himself so he's not in such danger. I would love to see Daniel not to need to self-harm anymore."

What actually brought Denise back at this point?

"Denise always had the key because she always intended to come back. She's only been in the country recently because she's been on the run, but she drove past and she saw the house was up for sale."

Can you say how long you're back for?

"No! (Laughs.)"

House for sale? I mean how was the mortgage paid all these years and who put it on sale. Obviously it would have been in her name. It all does not make sense at all. How on earth can a 15 year old keep himself afloat in a property for years without any money?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by swmc66

House for sale? I mean how was the mortgage paid all these years and who put it on sale. Obviously it would have been in her name. It all does not make sense at all. How on earth can a 15 year old keep himself afloat in a property for years without any money?

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Think Daniel said she sent him some on a regular basis, if I remember rightly, when he first arrived

I think once Daniel was reintroduced and Denise left Emmerdale, it was assumed she was returning