Coronation Street fans were left confused and ‘scratching their heads’ after newcomer Aunty Rani made her debut, as many were convinced they’d seen the actress before
Coronation Street viewers were left puzzled after Aunty Rani made her first appearance, with many certain they’d spotted the actress elsewhere.
The character, portrayed by Josephine Lloyd-Welcome, arrived in Weatherfield this week, in time for nephew Dev Alahan’s (Jimmi Harkishin) nuptials to Bernie Winter, played by Jane Hazlegrove, who recently amazed fans with her real age.
As viewers will remember, Dev and Bernie became engaged earlier this year following several years of courtship, and shortly after returning from India, Dev recently learnt that his Aunty Rani would be presenting him with £25k as a wedding present.
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Bernie and Dev’s son Aadi (Adam Hussain) – who is leaving the soap this year – subsequently devised a scheme – without informing Dev – to settle the corner shop’s commercial debts using Rani’s monetary gift earmarked for the wedding.
Matters took a dramatic twist for Bernie and Aadi, however, when Aunty Rani appeared in Friday’s episode (August 1) and it’s evident she wishes to see precisely how her money’s been utilised, throwing Bernie and Aadi into a state of alarm, reports the Daily Star.
Whilst some viewers welcomed the introduction of Aunty Rani, others were distracted by where they might have spotted the actress previously.
On a Coronation Street Facebook fan page, one person commented: “I’m liking Aunty Rani so far, but I really recognise the actress from somewhere.” Someone else replied: “Yes same here.”
The puzzle didn’t persist long, as a fan quickly realised Josephine’s familiarity stemmed from her previous role on legendary sitcom Only Fools and Horses, noting: “She played the doctor in Only Fools!” Another fan exclaimed: “I knew I recognised her!”.
Someone else wrote on X: “Good to see that the doc on #Corrie from a few years back has morphed into Dev’s aunt! and wasn’t she the doc from Only Fools too? ?”.
Josephine featured in Only Fools and Horses back in 1989, taking on the role of the Trotter family’s G. P.
The star has also made multiple appearances on Coronation Street previously, portraying Dr. Patel in 2004, 2008 and 2009. She additionally played a completely different character, Raveena Bhatia, during a four-episode run on the programme in 2012.
Joseph’s additional television work encompasses Doctor Who, Casualty and Not Going Out.