The ‘Coronation Street’ set has been closed down after Storm Doris battered the streets of Manchester.
Filming for the long-running soap has been thrown into chaos after winds of up to 80mph hit the UK on Thursday (23.02.17) from across the Atlantic and, after an hour or so of persevering through the strong gales and heavy rain, producers made the wise decision to pull the plug on rehearsals until they can resume tomorrow.
And it seems the decision to go home went down well with the cast as Samia Longchambon, who plays Maria Connor, was thrilled that she could spend the rest of the day cuddled up on the sofa.
The brunette beauty – who has children Freya, eight, and 17-month-old son Yves – wrote on Twitter: "#stormdoris putting a stop to cobble filming @itvcorrie this morning. Back home for snugs, sofa n a film with my monkeys (sic)."
And she wasn’t the only one who dashed back home to hide from the strong winds and heavy rain as Dolly-Rose Campbell, who plays mouthy kebab shop worker Gemma on the soap, advised her fans to "batten down the hatches and drink plenty of tea" while they wait for the storm to pass.
This isn’t the first time the weather has affected filming as the stars were said to be fuming over the summer last year when bosses banned them from sunbathing in 30-degreee heat because they were worried some members of the cast would have a summer glow in scenes being shot for the autumn.
A source said at the time "There was no getting sunburnt for the ‘Corrie’ cast. How would they explain they were all tanned and glowing and then if in the next scene it was pouring with rain? Some of the cast members were extremely disappointed that they were all missing out on the hottest day of the year."
And one person who was struggling with the strict soap rules was Shayne Ward – who portrays factory boss Aidan Connor – as he joked he was limited to just 30 seconds of vitamin D.
He said at the time: "Thirty seconds of sun for me. Continuity rules."
However, the cast weren’t stripped of all the summer fun as bosses reportedly brought in an ice cream van to keep them and the hard-working camera crew cool in between takes.
Storm Doris shuts down Coronation Street set
