Coronation Street hit by new blow after cast cull as freezing weather causes chaos
CORONATION Street has been dealt another blow as freezing temperatures and snow rocked the show’s set.
The long-running ITV soap has faced an exodus of departures amid declining ratings.
Fan-favourite star Helen Worth left Weatherfield after 50 years last month, while Sue Cleaver has also quit as Eileen Grimshaw.
Earlier this week The Sun revealed how Charlotte Jordan is leaving her role as Rovers barmaid Daisy Midgeley.
Colson Smith also told how he’s been sacked by execs after 14 years as Craig Tinker.
But now as Coronation Street bosses face a revolt from its remaining cast, they’ve had to fork out for snow gritters.
Heavy snowfall on the iconic cobbles in Manchester has resulted in the set being covered in a blanket of snow.
ITV execs have drafted in gritters to clear the snow and ice so that filming isn’t affected.
With episodes filmed six weeks in advance any remaining snow could prove difficult down the line in the editing suite.
An aerial snap from Thursday of the purpose-built set shows cars abandoned on the iconic street.
The Sun understands the weather has had no impact on Coronation Street’s filming schedule so far.
Manchester Airport closed both its runways on Thursday morning “due to significant levels of snow” but they were later reopened.
The Met Office have issued five weather warnings for ice across the UK with Brits bracing for more travel chaos and sub-zero conditions.
Meanwhile, mid-ranking and younger Corrie stars are fearing they face the chop to cut production costs.
A source said: “There’s a WhatsApp group which has been pinging with messages about concerns of where the axe will fall next.
“It’s a tough time on the soap and it’s filtering down.
“There is a feeling more people will be cut to save money and to keep the best paid stars like Bill Roache and Jack P Shepherd on board.”
History of the Coronation Street set
By Jake Penkethman, TV Reporter
1960-1968 – Whilst the Coronation Street set remained on Quay Street for 53 years, it actually had three separate studio sites. The first was an entirely indoor wooden set which was used for the first eight years of filming. This encompassed a replica of the Street built entirely indoors. The set was known to be awkward for actors to use and the houses brought to three quarter scale.
1968-1982 – In 1968, the addition of an outdoor set was created to adjoin the existing indoor set which was still used for filming right up until 1982. The set was used only when required with many of the show’s cast reportedly hating it and describing it as ‘the coldest place on Earth’.
1982-2013 – A brand new set was officially constructed in 1982 and was almost built fully to scale but still only permitted for one car to drive down the cobbled street. The house were purpose-built using reclaimed Salford brick in order to give it the most authentic feel possible. During these years, some of the show’s buildings were adapted to allow for both interior and exterior filming at the same time. These locations included Elliott’s Butchers, Barlow’s Buys, Prima Doner and Webster’s Autos. The final scenes to be recorded on this site occurred in December 2013. By early 2014, it began operating as a tourist attraction for around two years before ultimately being demolished and re-purposed in 2017.
2014-present – In early 2014, the show’s set moved to the TV hub of the North – MediaCityUK in nearby Salford Quays. It is now located a stone’s throw from major TV studio Dock 10 as well as the BBC’s base in the North – home to Blue Peter, Newsround, BBC Breakfast and BBC Sport. The new set was even bigger and built to 9/10 the scale of a real street and allowed for two card to be travelling down the road at opposite sides for the very first time. The site has even undergone major expansions during its 10 years. Just four years after opening in 2018, a brand new set extension was unveiled which introduced viewers to Victoria Gardens for the first time in its history. The Weatherfield North tram stop also became visible as did a series of shops which became used as part of product placement advertising deals. Brands to have been seen on the Street so far include a Co-Op, a Costa Coffee and a branch of Hay’s Travel. Four years later in 2022, another brand new set was unveiled, this time being the heavily mentioned Weatherfield Precinct. It became the first time in 62 years that the area had ever been seen on screens. It fearued a variety of shop fronts, a playground and a number of small flats which have begun to house more and more residents on the street in recent months.