Mel B
Mel B, poses for photographers as she arrives for the European premiere of The Hunger Games. REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Things are about to get a bit spicy in Weatherfield at Christmas after it was announced that former Spice Girl Mel B is to make another guest appearance on ITV's Coronation Street.

The X Factor judge is due to be on our screens on the award-winning soap on December 19 as part of ITV's charity appeal, Text Santa hosted by Phillip Schofield.

Although producers are keeping tight-lipped about the details of her role, it has been suggested that the feisty mother-of-three will play a character completely different from herself.

"It will be Mel — but not as we have seen her before. It is fair to say there will be a lot of walking along the cobbles," an insider told the Sun. "Mel has always loved Corrie. [Her first appearance in 1993] was one of her first tastes of showbiz and she jumped at the chance of appearing in it again."

She first appeared on the show back in 1993 as a shop assistant Amy Nelson before catapulting to fame with the Spice Girls a year later.

She follows in the footsteps of other famous names that have turned up in Weatherfield.

In 2013, fellow X Factor judge Cheryl Fernandez-Versini, tunred up the heat when she starred alongside Michelle Keegan's murdered barmaid Tina McIntyre.

Joan Collin played herself in a 1997 Viva Las Vegas special, Peter Kay strutted his stuff as barmaid Shelly's date in 2004, and HRH Prince Charles even enjoyed a neat whisky in The Rovers during a special episode in December 2000.

Mel is expected to start shooting scenes next week.

Meanwhile, show bosses have revealed that a live episode will be broadcast in September 2015 to mark the show's 60th anniversary.

"We've a reputation to uphold after the success of the tram crash and I'm going to enjoy working with the storyliners and writers as we plot stories for our live episode in 2015," executive producer Stuart Blackburn said.

"We'll be doing all we can to eclipse what's gone before."