Corrie's Bernie to be caught out after huge mistake over Joseph

Coronation Street spoilers follow.

Coronation Street's Bernie Winter will be caught out next week as the murky situation surrounding Joseph Brown's return home after his disappearance causes her to make a big mistake.

Joseph (William Flanagan) recently ran away from home after being bullied at school over his family's financial situation, although it soon transpired that his cousin Hope Stape (Isabella Flanagan) was actually helping him to hide in her attic next door.

A friend of Bernie's, Clint Stubbins (Fergus O'Donnell), spotted Joseph and Hope outside and bribed them both to stay quiet about the true circumstances of Joseph's disappearance so that he could claim the £30,000 reward offered to anyone who helped find Joseph.

ITV

ITV

Later this week, Bernie (Jane Hazlegrove) finds out the truth about what Clint has done but, rather than call the police, she decides to strike a deal with Clint to split the reward money, as she knows how badly her family needs a cash injection.

The situation becomes even more complicated next week when Hope's mum Fiz Stape (Jennie McAlpine) discovers her enormous stash of sweets. To prevent Fiz from becoming suspicious, Bernie has a word with Hope and warns her to keep quiet about the deal with Clint and to stay away from Joseph.

Worried Bernie has a similar conversation with Joseph, urging him not to spend the money that Clint bribed him with to avoid arousing suspicion.

paul foreman, bernie winter and dev alahan in coronation street

ITV

Later on, Bernie slips Joseph the video game that he wants, making him promise not to show his parents. But there's trouble in store when Evelyn Plummer (Maureen Lipman) finds the game and becomes convinced that Joseph must have stolen it.

Desperate Bernie is forced to lie and claims that she bought it for Joseph after Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) gave her a pay rise, which only ignites Evelyn's fury even more.

When Dev questions Bernie about her fictional pay rise, Bernie claims that she made the story up so that Joseph's dad Chesney Brown (Sam Aston) wouldn't feel bad about someone else buying gifts for his family. But while Dev believes her explanation, Evelyn remains unconvinced.

bernie, police, evelyn, chesney, dev, coronation street

ITV

Bernie vehemently denies that she had anything to do with Joseph's disappearance but Evelyn isn't buying any of it and she calls the police.

Feeling cornered, Bernie breaks down and admits everything to the police – leading both her and Chesney to be hauled in for questioning over what really happened with Joseph.

Later in the week, Bernie assures her son Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) that everything she has done was with the best of intentions. She believes that her only hope now is for Joseph to tell the truth about what happened when he was away from home – but will he come clean?

ITV

ITV

Corrie producer Iain MacLeod recently told Digital Spy and other media that Bernie's decision may have had good intentions but it will "ultimately cause the whole family to be brought into disrepute".

"Bernie's decision jeopardises burgeoning friendships and it makes the whole of the street really look sideways at the wider Winter-Brown family," he said. "The choice she makes is very relatable but it transpires to be a terrible decision."

Coronation Street airs these scenes in the week commencing Monday, January 24 on ITV.