‘Coronation Street’ bosses won’t be scrapping many storylines due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The ITV soap – which is broadcasting on a reduced schedule – has halted filming during the ongoing health crisis, but producer Lindsay Williams has assured viewers that a team of story, script and production staff are still working hard at home.
Taking to the official ‘Coronation Street’ blog, she wrote: "We are currently looking at the best way to start filming again whenever lockdown is lifted and luckily been able to keep so many of the brilliant stories we were planning to play over this year, so we’re really excited about what’s to come."
Lindsay revealed the cast and crew even managed to get some last minute scenes shot before the UK went into lockdown.
She added: "On the last Friday before we halted production we actually shot 7 scenes in just a few hours with some amazing work by the cast who had learned the scenes a few hours earlier.
"It really went to the wire but we managed to get everything we could possibly shoot finished and edited in record time.
"I think everyone left the building feeling really proud and privileged to be part of ‘ Team Corrie.’ "
Her comments come after it was revealed both ‘Corrie’ and ‘Emmerdale’ have put 500 members of staff on furlough due to the pandemic.
The two shows have ach placed around 250 members of staff on the scheme, which will see the government pay 80 per cent of their wages, and their workplace has the option to top it up to 100 per cent.
Furloughed staff members – said to include script editors and storyliners – are thought to be set to receive their "full ITV salary".
An ITV Studios spokeswoman said: "Because the soaps have shut down, members of the crew have been notified that their roles are being furloughed in line with the government’s scheme for those who can’t work during the coronavirus crisis."
Coronation Street bosses won’t scrap many storylines when filming restarts
