'Coronation Street' will air a plot that echoes the real-life Canoe Man-style UK insurance scam, according to reports.
The Sun claims that debt-ridden Joe McIntyre (Reece Dinsdale) will plan to fake his own death on a boating holiday, in a similar vein to John Darwin's fake death while canoeing.
But unlike Darwin, Joe will die when his scam goes wrong.
The kitchen fitter will reportedly resort to desperate measures when debt collectors threaten to harm his daughter Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan).
Joe will go on trip to the Lake District for the launch of his renovated boat Gail Force, but as he jumps off his vessel, he will be knocked unconscious by the sail pole, the newspaper reports.
A source told The Sun: "It's a copycat storyline of Darwin's insurance scam.
"Corrie bosses have decided that Joe will meet a watery end. He decides to fake his own death to avoid his crippling debt problems and leave wife Gail with the proceeds from his life insurance."
Fraudster John Darwin faked his own death while out canoeing before turning up alive five years later in December 2007. He and his wife Anne have since been sentenced to more than six years imprisonment.
A Corrie spokeswoman would not comment on the reported storyline.
