Coronation Street sign up Birds Of A Feather and EastEnders star for new Joel Deering plot – amid cast exit
CORONATION Street bosses have signed up a Birds of a Feather and EastEnders star for a guest appearance.
The ailing ITV soap has cast the soap and sitcom star as Lauren Bolton’s murder trial approaches.
Samuel James has been cast as the head of the prosecution against Lauren, who is charged with murdering twisted solicitor Joel.
Fans will see Samuel play solicitor Steven Poyser during the dramatic courtroom scenes.
A source said: “Samuel will appear on screen for a number of episodes in a guest role as Lauren’s fate is finally revealed.”
It comes after a number of fan-favourite Corrie stars have quit the cobbles in recent week.
Yesterday The Sun revealed how Shelley King had quit the cobbles after 11 years.
Samuel previously starred in Birds of a Feather, playing the role of Garth Stubbs when it was revived in 2014.
He took over from Matt Willis who didn’t return for the sitcom’s reboot.
The actor has also had a number of appearances in EastEnders over the last decade.
He was first introduced on screen in 2011 as Phil Mitchell’s lawyer Jimmie Broome on and off for a year.
Samuel returned to Albert Square briefly in the same role in 2017.
The 47-year-old’s other acting credits include BBC medical drama Casualty, where he played Russ Golden in 2007 and returned again in 2012 for two further episodes.
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.