Coronation Street’s Rick Neelan could return from the dead a year after murder as actor Greg Wood is spotted at set

CORONATION Street's Rick Neelan may come back from the dead as actor Greg Wood is spotted on set.

His character was brutally murdered by Gary Windass last summer and his reign of terror as an evil loan shark finally came to an end, but will viewers see him make a miraculous return to screen very soon?

• Visit our Coronation Street page for the latest gossip
• Find all Coronation Street spoilers here

Things came to a head between Gary and Rick last July when he murdered the loan shark in self-defence after a brutal fight in the forest.

The Cobbles villain threatened to bring harm to Gary's then girlfriend Sarah and her family after months of torture.

Windass even used Bethany's car to drive back and hide the body.

Since then Gary has managed to hide his secret for over a year, but things started to unravel after Rick's daughter Kelly (Millie Gibson) first turned up in June 2019 and partner Laura Neelan (Kel Allen) turned earlier this year.

But now, actor Greg has sparked rumours Rick could make a shock return from the dead after fans spotted him at the soap's set in Manchester.

One fan told The Sun Online: "Greg was happy to stop and pose for pictures just steps away from the soap set's gate.

"He said he was happy to be busy and back to work after lockdown but wouldn't say what he was filming or if he'd be playing Rick again."

Coronation Street denied the character is returning to the soap, saying he wouldn't appear in flashbacks either.

Last June Kelly showed up to Rick's old office and found Gary there and demanded to know where her dad was.

Gary pretended to be a client of her father and that he had gone on the run, and this year he has since tried to take her under his wing.

Laura has been clashing with the scheming builder thinking he is an employee of her husband.

If Laura does discover what Gary’s done - she won’t run to the police and instead will use the information to blackmail Gary into funding her luxury and ill-gotten lifestyle.

Actress Kel Allen said: "This is Laura, she comes from such a seedy background herself that dealings with the police are probably trying to get rid of the police. 

"So for her god she’s underground, isn’t it, she’s earthy, she’d definitely be blackmailing Gary, I think she’d blackmail the hell out of him to get money, maybe just to buy herself some clothes for party nights and stuff."

Sarah Platt now knows Gary killed Rick and is now keeping his secret and refused to go to the police, and it seems like she had to sacrifice her marriage to Adam Barlow as a result, as he refused to stay with her if continues keeping her ex's secret.

Gary actor Mikey North revealed that the soap scrapped plans to have Rick Neelan's body discovered.

Soap bosses managed to rework the storylines due to filming restrictions because of the pandemic.

And now instead of a huge moment where Gary's murder victim's body is discovered - Rick will remain buried for some time to come.

Mikey said: "She was going to find him there digging up the body and put two and two together."