In the aftermath, an injured Imran was the first to regain consciousness. As scaffolding fell on top of the vehicle at an alarming rate, Imran called for an ambulance, pleading with them to hurry as Toyah wasn’t moving and they were both still in danger.
Managing to free himself from the car, Imran rushed over to Toyah as she began to stir, pulling her out of the wreckage. Terrified that she wasn’t going to survive, Imran cradled her in his arms, telling her how sorry he was and pledging to be a better man.
Thankfully for Toyah, an ambulance arrived and it was confirmed she was going to be okay. Friend and local policeman Craig Tinker (Colson Smith) arrived at the scene, supporting Imran and exclaiming amazement that he and Toyah were OK. But just as Imran was demanding to travel to the hospital beside his wife, he suddenly collapsed.
As an emotional Craig watched on, paramedics tried to revive Imran, who had suffered a cardiac arrest. But ultimately, he was pronounced dead. As Toyah began to recuperate, she was broken to hear that Imran didn’t make it – and the police had questions for her, Abi and Kevin (Michael Le Vell) over the car.
It was a powerful final performance from actor Charlie de Melo, who has played Imran since 2017 – and here he reveals how he feels about saying farewell to Corrie, as well as filming his exit storyline.
“It’s a strange feeling because, specifically the final week itself, where a lot of effort had been put into it to get it sorted out and a lot of different departments were pulling together to make sure that the scale of it was as big as it feasibly could be.
“So there was a real impending burden on my – well I felt like there was anyway, there may not have been, but it felt like: ‘Oh no I’ve got to get this right, oh no!’”
He adds that he also wanted to honour the remainder of the story arc, and co-star Georgia Taylor. “So the fact that it seemed to go well, and the fact that Georgia was happy with it – because I think this might be a question you’re asking me later – but because it dovetails so much into what she’s going to be doing moving forwards, the fact that she was happy with it, it meant a lot.
“But it also meant that, by the end of that final week, it was just a sort of sense of relief that I didn’t bring the show into disrepute. I don’t think I’ve done all of those other departments that worked so hard, I don’t think I’ve done them dirty.”
Asked how he feels about being killed off, the star says he’s sad that it means his time working with so many people is at a permanent end. “What it does mean is I have come to terms with the fact that chances are I’ll never work with Georgia again, I’ll never work with Millie [Gibson] again, I’ll never work with Jane [Danson] again or Ben [Price] again, or any of these wonderful actors that I’ve had the joy of working with in such close proximity and with such frequency.
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“To realise that I’m not having that ever again – that is something.“
But talking over the initial ideas for his exit, de Melo notes that Imran’s fate made the most sense, and allows the storyline to progress. “He could leave and take the son with him, but then you’re left with another childless Abi, it’s like you can’t do that. You could leave with Abi, but then obviously Sally Carman’s not going to go anyway. They’d be fools to let her go.
“So, the only other option was to bump him off. Being told in, not in a matter-of-fact way, but [in a] this is what the story needs way, I was like: ‘Well, OK, there it is then. This is what the story needs then,’ that’s all I would ever want. It’s additive to what the next story is.”
Coronation Street continues tomorrow at the earlier time of 7:30pm, as the soap airs the aftermath of Imran’s death.
Visit our dedicated Coronation Street page for all the latest news, interviews and spoilers. If you’re looking for more to watch check out our TV Guide.
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