Hold onto your hats – this Corrie storyline is frightful.

Fred Elliot is to return to the Street in a haunted boater.

The popular butcher will possess new boy on the chopping block Graeme Proctor whenever he dons the famous topper.

The manifestation becomes clear when Graeme starts using Fred’s catchphrase: “I say.”

Fred’s son, Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold) thinks he’s seen a ghost when he first sees Graeme (Craig Gazey) in the boater. When he asks where he found the hat, Graeme replies: “From that rack, I say, from that rack in the back.”

Ashley assumes Graeme is making a slightly unpalatable joke but Graeme seems unaware of the change in himself.

When Ashley demands Graeme tells him about the weather, without the hat he says: “Nice weather we’re having.” But boatered up, his response is: “Nice weather we’re having, I say, nice weather.”

A Corrie insider told The Sun: “This storyline will be absolutely hilarious. The character of Graeme is proving to be one of our funniest and this will be laughs all the way.

“We’ve even talked about having the hat exorcised, which would be fantastic telly.”

Fred, played by John Savident, departed the Street for the great butcher’s shop in the sky in 2006.