Lauren went into early labour in recent Coronation Street scenes and her baby is fighting for his life. But as she revealed what name she’d picked, fans were sent into a frenzy.

Multiple Coronation Street viewers were left with their jaws dropped as they speculated an incest twist could be ahead for Joel Deering and Lauren Bolton.

The duty solicitor portrayed by former Hollyoaks star Calum Lill has been wreaking havoc in the ITV cobbles after bonding with wayward teen Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton), whom he eventually took advantage of and violated.

For months, DS Lisa Swain (Vicky Myers) was convinced Lauren had been killed, leading her to wrongfully accuse and arrest Roy Cropper (David Neilson). But Lauren eventually returned with a bombshell, telling Joel she was pregnant with his baby.

More recently, Lauren went into early labour, leading everybody in Weatherfield to find out she was still alive, despite the blood that had been found in her flat following her disappearance.

Betsy is blackmailing Joel over his behaviour with young girls but could he be set for an incest shock with Lauren?

During this Monday’s trip to the cobbles (August 5, 2024), Joel was able to meet his new-born son, with a blissfully unaware Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown) as Lauren decided to name her son Francis, in a tribute to her grandfather, prompting Joel to reveal his own grandfather had the same name.

This was enough for viewers to swarm over to X, otherwise known as Twitter, as they grew increasingly convinced that Joel and Lauren could be related.

“Corrie gone all weird, I wonder if Lauren and Joel are related then…”, one of them cringed just as another echoed: “Omg imagine joel and Lauren are related???”

A third added: “Am I being really dim or just not paying attention… was it supposed to just sound like Joel and Lauren were brother and Sister?” One fan of the Manchester-based programme continued: “Oh, Lord. Are we heading for an incest story? That’s all we need.”

Fans also begged Lauren not to leave Joel alone with her son, as they believe tragedy could ensue. In later scenes, things took a turn for Joel when Lisa Swain personally headed to the hospital to ask for a DNA test on her Lauren’s baby, in a bid to prove Nathan Curtis, who was once in prison for raping a teenaged Bethany Platt, was her tormentor.

A terrified Lauren refused, unable to reveal DS Swain got it all wrong and, in later scenes, the detective pleaded with Joel for help, asking for him to convince Lauren to change her mind and making a reference to her mischievous daughter.

Joel looked tense as he tried to throw her off his scent and with Betsy exerting pressure on him, certain she is able to send him down for good by exposing his creepy behaviour around teenage girls, walls appear to be closing in on the villain…