What will happen to John Stape? (Spoiler)

(This post was originally posted by Seapenguin on the Coronation Street Blog in March, 2010, reposted to this blog with permission.)

There's a speculation of a possible upcoming storyline near the end of the first paragraph.

The Stapester's getting a lot of stick at the moment, but he's one of my favourite Corrie characters so I'm going to leap to his defence. Okay so he's been a bit of a plank at times, not to mention a criminal, but hey, he's done his time and he wants to turn his life around. That's why he went for the job as an adult education teacher. Yes, he lied to the education authorities as well as to himself about the CRB check, but I don't think he's deep down evil (not like sleaze-meister Grandad George - and where's he disappeared to, lately? up to no good in Berkshire, I reckon.). Stape wasn't planning to kidnap any more pupils - he's been and done that, and well and truly learned the error of his ways. But those CRB checks are very unforgiving. He's not going to get back into teaching again, ever - unless gets desperate and steals someone else's identity, School of Rock style - which is a possible upcoming storyline. Personally I really hope he doesn't go down that route and end up inside again.

No, there must be other solutions for John. But what on earth ARE they? Okay, Roy's Rolls isn't a bad job, but the pay must be terrible not to mention the leccy/soap powder bills he must run up, getting the pong of chip fat and bacon and sausage barms out of his clothes. But that's the least of his worries. What about his long term future? Will he turn into a "Ken", pottering away on the Weatherfield Gazette, polishing his leather elbow patches and tinkering with a novel that will never see the light of day? I hope not. I think the Stapester deserves better.

By the way - I notice that there is an author called John Stape, who wrote, among other things, a biography of Joseph Conrad. I wonder if that's where the idea for the character's name came from?