Following Friday night’s dramatic climax following the murder of Joel Deering, Coronation Street fans were treated to a special live reaction show – but it didn’t quite go to plan

Coronation Street fans were left furious with ITV after they couldn’t access the soap’s much-awaited live episode last night (Friday, November 15).

The street has been in disarray since Joel Deering was brutally killed, but it all came to a head when an astonishing turn of events saw the killer unmasked. Weatherfield bosses put on a special live show after the episode which revealed Lauren Bolton was the culprit behind solicitor Joel’s death.

Joel, played by Calum Lill, was about to kill Max Turner, when stunned viewers saw Lauren hit him with a rock. After the dramatic scenes aired, ITVX ran the special, which included exclusive interviews with the cast, as well as the reaction to Joel’s killer’s reveal.

Hosted by This Morning’s Queen of Soaps Sharon Marshall, Coronation Street Live – Killer on the Cobbles aired direct from Weatherfield. But fans were livid when they struggled to watch it due to technical difficulties.

Joel’s final moments were revealed on Friday night

Sharing their anger on X, fans furiously vented on the social media site. One said: “So I’m in Scotland, the live thing wasn’t working on itvx , wasn’t showing on STV player on the telly, but it’s on the STV app on my phone. If that helps anyone.” Another asked: “Is anyone watching the live show on itvx – I just get a blank screen,” while a third echoed: “Is anyone else having issues with the live streaming on ITVX.” Someone else fumed: “I really hope I can watch this live thing on catch up because my itvx app isn’t f***ing working.”

The murderer was revealed on the Manchester-based soap in a series of chilling flashbacks from the night of Joel’s death. As we saw where each suspect was and what happened in Joel’s final moments, we uncovered it was Lauren Bolton who dealt the fatal blow that killed him. Lauren, who had been groomed and later attacked by Joel earlier this year, took her revenge and whacked him over the head with a brick.

The attack killed him, but Lauren wasn’t alone as her partner Max Turner was on hand to cover her tracks. Max chucked Joel’s body over the bridge and into the river, wanting to make his death appear as a suicide.

Coronation Street fans witnessed Joel’s dramatic demise

Speaking to The Mirror ahead of the episode, Calum Lill, who played Joel, said his character “deserved” the gruesome end. He said: “I found out maybe a couple of months before shooting it that it was going to be Lauren, but also that there were going to be so many twists and turns along the way. I was like: ‘This is going to be good! If we’re trying to piece it all together, hopefully the audience are going to get the same effect’ – which seems to be that they’re enjoying it and trying to piece it together.”

He went on: “When I found out it was Lauren, soap justice is definitely a thing and I think that’s the best justice he could have got. He didn’t deliberately try to kill her but he attacked her viciously and nearly killed her. For it to come full circle and for him to get his comeuppance from the person that he attacked, when she was vulnerable and defenceless, I think it’s what he deserves.”