Coronation Street's Mick star breaks silence as killer returns to cobbles

Daily Mirror

16-07-2025

Coronation Street's Joe Layton addressed fans who reached out to him following his dramatic return to the ITV soap as it was confirmed that his character, Mick Michaelis, would be leaving the cobbles
Coronation Street's Joe Layton has responded to the flood of messages he's received following his dramatic comeback to the cobbles, providing a lift amid news of his impending departure. Viewers of the ITV soap were under the impression that his character, Mick Michaelis, was securely locked up after being arrested for the savage murder of PC Craig Tinker back in May.
However, during Monday's (July 14) episode of Corrie, the killer was seen making a daring escape from Weatherfield Prison in an attempt to reunite with his family, reports the Manchester Evening News.
Mick was spotted crawling under a laundry van before later emerging onto the street, having been tipped off by Brody that Joanie was at Weatherfield High.
When Brody, who is helping him escape, informs Mick - who has crawled under a laundry van before later appearing on the street - he shows up at the school.
But Sally Metcalfe has already collected Joanie after the young girl is distressed by her peers' remarks about her parents, with Lou now also incarcerated for her assault on Gary Windass.
Daniel Osbourne and Mrs Crawshaw are then taken aback when they come face to face with Mick, who insists they hand over Joanie. Upon learning that Joanie has left, Mick locks the pair in the office and makes a run for it.
He soon heads for the street, where Sally is introducing Joanie to Underworld. With Kit now aware of Mick's escape, he's also on the chase and spots him heading towards the factory.
Bursting into the factory to rescue Joanie, Mick took Tim and Sarah Platt hostage in the office. Kit was hot on his heels, and tensions soared as Mick realised that Joanie had been sneaked onto the roof by Sally in a desperate escape attempt.
Sally could be seen attempting to soothe the young girl as pandemonium broke out below them, with Mick wounding Kit and leaving him in a critical condition as he pursued his quarry to the rooftop, where a terrified yet resolute Sally faced him down.
In her final stand against Mick, Sally vowed to take care of Joanie and Shanice, promising them a brighter future, just as Mick surrendered to the police.
Social media was abuzz with reactions, with heaps of praise being lavished on Joe's portrayal of Mick.
Taking to his own social platforms, Joe expressed his gratitude for an Inside Soap Awards nomination and encouraged fans to vote, posting: "Very grateful for this nomination and all the kind messages you've sent about Mick the ******. Vote all thinks @coronation street," along with a link to the 2025 voting page for the awards ceremony.
Joe's six-month tenure as Mick has earned him a nomination for Best Villain at the coveted awards.
Competing for the title are Corrie's Claire Sweeney (Cassie Plummer) and EastEnders' Jonny Freeman (Reiss Colwell) and Navin Chowdhry (Nish Panesar).
Also included in the category are Emmerdale's Ned Porteous (Joe Tate) and Oliver Farnworth (John Sugden), alongside Hollyoaks' Gemma Bissix (Clare Devine) and Jeremy Sheffield (Jeremy Blake).