Coronation Street Blog: Coronation Street reveals plans to restart filming

Coronation Street is in the "final stages" of working on plans for the soap to filming since it was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A spokeswoman for ITV said: "We are in the final stages of working with others across the industry on a return to production protocol and we are in active discussions with government on this .. (the) health and wellbeing of our people and those who work with us has always been our highest priority and remains so as we look to restart production".

It's also been rumoured that due to social distancing when ITV does return to work, cast members will have to do their own hair and make up. Could be fun trying to spot which ones do this and are better at the art than others!

Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod said last week that coronavirus will feature in future episodes of the soap but will not "dominate" the soap's storylines.

And last month ITV director of television Kevin Lygo said that soaps could return to screens with older cast members absent. Speaking at the Edinburgh Television Festival, he said: "We won't go back in shooting until we are convinced it is safe, we don't want to put any of our staff, our cast and our crew, at risk.

"Some people who are in a dangerous zone, by age or health reasons, they won't be there, I'm sure, for a time. I don't want Ken Barlow (played by William Roache, 88, in Coronation Street) to get sick on my watch. We will be very careful and mindful about that sort of thing."

The update on a possible return to filming comes after Mr Lygo said that Coronation Street will run out of episodes after June.

Glenda Young

Author of gritty, family saga novels with Headline