A former ‘Coronation Street’ director thinks soap writers will have to alter their romantic storylines when filming resumes.
Lee Salisbury – who has also worked on ‘EastEnders’, ‘Emmerdale’ and ‘Hollyoaks’ – explained how the shows will need to find fresh ideas to keep things rolling after production was halted back in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He told RadioTimes.com: "People need soaps in their lives, so the sooner they can get back the better.
"But they won’t be able to get back to normal yet – obviously a lot of soaps rely on that family community spirit, so it will be weird without the big pub scenes but I don’t think you can film those yet.
"And obviously there will be no kissing scenes which is bizarre. And everyone is going to be a stone heavier after lockdown!"
Lee added while the cast and crews for the soaps are keen to "get back", it has to be done in the right way with bosses looking at a possible return to work next month.
The main concern will be the safety of those on set, and the director pointed out that the health crisis itself will also need to be addressed in the scripts.
He said: "Soaps have been a staple in people’s lockdown lives, they make us feel a bit normal, so I know everyone is really eager to get back, but they want to do it in the right way.
"I would think a lot of the soaps will cover the lockdown period as a storyline and have scenes with just one or two people in.
"It’s easier for soaps, which are about real life, but I’m really interested to see how dramas like Line of Duty cope with it when they come back."
Soaps director on changes writers will have to make during pandemic
