Viewers unsure if engagement is storyline twist or elaborate sting operation.
Coronation Street’s resident drug-slinger and garage arson enthusiast, Dean Turnbull portrayed by Anthony Crank has announced his engagement to long-term partner Craig Lomax, presumably to distract from the nation’s steadily crumbling infrastructure.
In an Instagram post that was described by one follower as “heartwarming, if mildly sinister,” the couple revealed matching engagement rings that resemble something Indiana Jones would keep in a lead-lined vault. The chunky gold bands feature a square blue stone, known in occult circles as “the signal to run.”
The caption “@craig_lomax ❤️ 31/12/2016 – ????” has led to widespread speculation that the wedding may be either a romantic affair or the final scene of a gritty ITV Christmas special involving a surprise hostage situation at a registry office.
Crank, 51, is best known for his role as Dean Turnbull, the sort of man who’d offer you a lift, then steal your car halfway through. Since his debut in 2022, Dean has become a fan favourite for anyone who’s ever thought, “What if Phil Mitchell had less impulse control and more recreational pyromania?”
Before bringing menace to Weatherfield, Crank’s career included presenting T4 for approximately 13 minutes in 2005, and playing a character named Kenneth on Hollyoaks in 2023 a man so forgettable even Wikipedia has given up.
Craig Lomax, meanwhile, remains a private individual, which has only fuelled conspiracy theories that he might be part of MI5, an undercover Coronation Street script editor, or a hologram designed to test Crank’s ability to commit.
The engagement has been met with cautious optimism, with one Coronation Street fan commenting, “It’s nice he’s found love, but I’m keeping my keys in my pocket just in case.”
ITV producers have yet to confirm whether Crank will return to Coronation Street, although sources suggest he may make a surprise appearance in the next Christmas episode, disguised as a tree.
