Coronation Street fans were left divided after another villainous newcomer arrived on Tuesday night amid a whole host of other dark storylines already running on the soap20:49, 26 May 2026Coronation Street fans were left divided after another villainous newcomer arrived on Tuesday night. Over the last few years, the soap has been through various format changes and introduced numerous antagonists such as Theo Silverton, whose murder is at the centre of the latest whodunnit, paedophile Megan Walsh, mysterious thief Jodie Ramsey and conman Carl Webster to name but a few.‌In the latest episode of the world's longest-running TV soap, viewers met Idris Nazir, who isplayed by Junade Khan and is the cousin of established character Alya Nazir (Sair Khan) and impressed Leanne Battersby at the Bistro when he dealt with some trouble-making customers, having zoomed onto the cobbles in a posh car earlier that day. Later on, Alya was singing his praises to partner Adam in the Rovers but he was having none of it.‌He said: "He probably set the whole thing up. I'm a Scotsman. I know a class A blag-piper when I see one," but Alya insisted: "You couldn't be more wrong. You couldn't be more wrong. Idris invented rise and grind. He grew up with nothing, literally. And now he's smashing it, why shouldn't he be proud?"‌READ MORE: Coronation Street star Calum Lill becomes a dad and shares cute name and first pictureREAD MORE: Coronation Street fans 'rumble' what's wrong with Sarah Platt in 'baby twist'But what Alya hadn't seen was, when he arrived, he was arguing with a rough lad called Damo about debts that needed settling and drove off with his trainers, leaving him to walk round in his socks. Later on, Idris had Damo by the scruff of the neck in the ginnel as he demanded cash. Damon said: " I've been ringing round, trying to lend the cash. Just give me til Friday, my sister gets paid."Eventually, Idris said: "Tomorrow, five o'clock, weasel head." The whole thing was witnessed by teenager Brody Michaelis, who was more taken with Idris' posh car, and Idris told him he could be driving one himself if he "mixed in the wrong circles." When Brody asked if he was a gangster, Idris said: " No, no, no, no. I pay my taxes, and I pay my zakat to the poor and the needy. I like to sleep at night.‌"I'm very fond of Alya. And her dad was good to me. Grandfather. And Weatherfield is a rough diamond. . I mean, there's potential here. I like it. I think I could make a difference." Brody then suggested they team up together some time, and smiled to himself as Idris drove off.Despite the character still being shrouded in mystery, fans were divided when it became apparent that another antagonist had been introduced onto the backstreet.‌Taking to Reddit, one said: "Just what Corrie needs. Idris is another bully. Were the writers thinking viewers would be like "Oooh, he's so handsome and tough." Absolutely not. One more mean person on the street. No positive storylines to balance out all the negative."Another said: "there is not one speck of joy on the show, I don't know how much more I can take," whilst a third said: "This is exactly the problem. Even the children on the show are depressed and having mental issues."A fourth raged: "They had a whole thing about having too many villians..And after lowering some the villian numbers down (and toning down the few left w maggie and jodie not doing sm recently) They decided that instead of developing the stories theyve got going on already....theyd add a random newbie villian?" whilst a fifth wrote: "A man who worked his way from nothing to become a spiteful bully. Inspiring."‌However, others were more encouraging about the newcomer, and one said: "it’s been one day… let’s give it time," and another said: "I thought he was okay wasn't he? He got those guys to pay for spoiling JJ's trainers," whilst a third said he was a "great looking guy" and they were willing to give him a chance.Earlier this year, Sally Ann Matthews, who played Jenny Bradley on and off from 1986 until 2025, told The Mirrorthat audience research was apparently behind the show's decision to focus on dark storylines but had never met anyone in real life who actually approved of them.She said: "We, as a cast, have been having these conversations for three or four years, and the crew - their family and people in the street, saying they don’t watch it anymore. They said ‘Oh it’s all about the police, I don’t know who anybody is.’‌“But all the research was coming back saying audiences want spoilers, non-linear storytelling, they watch true crime dramas on Netflix, so they want a lot of crime. So, apparently all these stories are all being led by audience opinion but I’m yet to meet a single audience member that feels that way.” It’s not just about looking back with rose-tinted glasses. The thing about soaps was about knowing those characters, knowing how they would react in a certain situation. Now, stories aren’t character-led.“If I wanted to watch a police drama, I’d watch Line of Duty. If I wanted to watch a hospital drama, I’d watch ER! I really think the soap genre should stick to its USP!"Coronation Street airs Monday to Friday at 8:30pm on ITV1 and is available to stream from 7am on ITV X.Article continues below* Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads