Should Lewis stay or should he go?

(This post was originally posted by me on the Coronation Street Blog in April, 2010, reposted with permission.) Contains minor speculative spoiler.

Nigel Havers is playing the suave Lewis with aplomb and having a great time doing it. As with many actors, being on Coronation Street has been a dream come true and he'd love to have his contract extended! His contract currently goes until July (2010, about May 2011 in our timeline) so there's quite a bit of plot yet which means lots more story with Audrey and Rita so that's good. It's so nice to see them get their own story instead of being hangers on to someone else's storyline. With a rivalry between the two old friends brewing and the possibility that Lewis is just a con man out to fleece one or both of them, the next few months will be very enjoyable. What do you think? Could there be a way to keep Lewis on the screen longer?