Coronation Street filmed whole episodes hours before lockdown so soap can stay on air as long as possible, boss reveals

CORONATION Street filmed whole episodes hours before lockdown so the soap can stay on air for as long as possible. The ITV soap cut down the amount of episodes it airs a week from six to three due to the country-wide lockdown halting filming. But fans shouldn’t worry about the soap running out of the […]

CORONATION Street filmed whole episodes hours before lockdown so the soap can stay on air for as long as possible.

The ITV soap cut down the amount of episodes it airs a week from six to three due to the country-wide lockdown halting filming.

But fans shouldn’t worry about the soap running out of the episode running out, as they managed to fit in as much filming as they could while it was still possible.

Writing for fan site Coronation Street Blog, Story Producer Lindsay Williams said once they knew what was happening with coronavirus pandemic, it was “all hands to the pump”.

“Writers rewriting scenes at a moment’s notice, producers making split second decisions, crew running around trying to get everything set up to shoot as fast as possible and our amazing cast and directors filming quicker than they have ever before and all in a way that kept everyone as safe as possible,” Lindsay wrote.

“On the last Friday before we halted production we actually shot 7 scenes in just a few hours with some amazing work by the cast who had learned the scenes a few hours earlier.

“It really went to the wire but we managed to get everything we could possibly shoot finished and edited in record time.

“I think everyone left the building feeling really proud and privileged to be a part of Team Corrie.”

The soap originally aired six episodes a week in half-hour double bills on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

Now it is only airing single billed episodes on those days.

Story producer Lindsay also revealed that the explosive scenes with Yasmeen, David and Gemma will be filmed once the lockdown is over.

It’s been quite a traumatic week on the cobbles. Eccles the dog had to be put down, Gemma left her four babies on the bus, and Yasmeen learnt more about her abuser/boyfriend Geoff’s murky past.

But writers have been working away on their scenes while working from home during the lockdown.