Coronation Street viewers predict major show change – as show legend announces exit after 11 years
CORONATION Street viewers predict major show change – as show legend announces exit after 11 years.
As yet another cast member quits the soap, viewers are worried that part of the iconic ITV set could be gone forever.
We previously revealed that Coronation Street veteran Shelley King, 69, has become the latest star to leave the soap.
She has played Yasmeen Metcalfe on the cobbles for the past 11 years and has now finished filming her final scenes.
The actress will appear for the last time in March, though it’s not clear how she’ll exit Weatherfield.
However, soap fans are worried that this will mean that her restaurant, Speed Daal will close down.
In the soap, her partner Stu (Bill Fellows) left the street to set up a new life in Germany.
Once Yasmeen makes her exit, and with her granddaughter Alya (Sair Khan) busy with her law career, nobody will seemingly be available to run the establishment.
A number of viewers took to X – formerly known as Twitter – as they wondered about the future of the fictional Indian restaurant.
One viewer asked: “With Yasmeen leaving does this mean Speed Daal’s shutting?”
A second stated: “Another one going at Corrie then. Yasmeen was brilliant during the Geoff storyline but she’s another one that it feels like they don’t know what to do with any more.”
While a third posted: “So Yasmeen is leaving #corrie too. As someone who has been calling for a MASSIVE cast cull, I’m absolutely fine with this.”
Adding: “She was great in the Geoff era, but that was a long time ago. This departure will open up interesting story opportunities for other characters.”
This comes after we reported that the cast were barred from the Rovers Return.
As the soap desperately battles against ITV’s cash crisis, the number of established characters in scenes taking place in the iconic Rovers Return pub has been dramatically slashed.
Every time a character appears on-screen, they are due a per-episode fee, no matter how many scenes they were in.
Corrie cash crisis: shock exits for 2025
ITV bosses are locked in a battle to save the cash-strapped soap.
This means that a number of stars have either been axed from or have abandoned the long-running serial drama.
Colson Smith – Craig Tinker
The character of Craig Tinker has been axed by bosses after 14 years. After he was told of the news in Autumn 2024, Colson Smith confirmed that would be written out of the show with scenes to air later this year. Craig’s on-screen mum, Beth Tinker, also left the show in the summer when actress Lisa George was written out from the role.
Sue Cleaver – Eileen Grimshaw
After 25 years playing Eileen Grimshaw, former I’m A Celebrity campmate Sue Cleaver will quit the show. The Sun on Sunday reported in January that she’s already begun to film her exit scenes. However the character will not be killed off in case Sue opts to make a return in the future.
Luca Toolan – Mason Radcliffe
Bosses decided to axe the teenage character after just 16 months after he first joined the show. Recent scenes saw Mason stabbed by his criminal brothers after his pal Dylan brought a knife in an attempt to defend him.
Sue Devaney – Debbie Webster
In November 2024, we revealed that Debbie Webster is set to be killed off after 40 years on the cobbles. The character will die as part of a heartbreaking long-running dementia storyline.
Charlotte Jordan – Daisy Midgeley
The actress became the fifth star to leave Coronation Street in just one month. We revealed that she will bow out of the ITV soap later this year after four years on-screen. Charlotte told sources that she’s hungry to see what other opportunities await.
Shelley King – Yasmeen Metcalfe
The actress has played Yasmeen Metcalfe on the cobbles for the past 11 years and we revealed in January that she finished filming her final scenes. This follows the departure of her on-screen partner Stu Carpenter.
Only a few years ago, you would see all the community in the pub – even if they didn’t speak, which could mount up for actors on lucrative deals.
A show insider revealed: “The cast loved the days when lots of scenes were filmed in the Rovers because it didn’t matter if you had 10 scenes in an episode or just sat in the pub – you’d get paid the same
“Playing a barmaid or the landlord was a dream gig and would guarantee you got paid a fortune because it didn’t matter if you just served someone in the background – you got paid for the episode.
“The bar staff obviously had to be in all Rovers scenes, so it was a great earner for them. But those days are now long gone – it’s just too expensive.”
With Yasmeen leaving does this mean Speed Daal’s shutting?
Coronation Street viewer
In 2023, the Rovers was shut – ironically due to financial problems faced by landlady Jenny Connor (Sally Ann Matthews).
However, the plot covertly saved bosses a small fortune and was part of a secret cost-cutting drive by bosses.
Matthews recently went public on social media to call out the fact that she’s barely being used on the show.
She exclaimed, “You’re not going to be seeing Jenny for quite a long while,” adding, “So that’s that.”
Coronation Street continues on ITV1 and is available to stream on ITVX.