A Coronation Street cast member is said to have signed a new contract with the ITV soap ahead of the show’s historic crossover episode with Emmerdale, leading the charge into the show’s upcoming year.
A Coronation Street cast member has reportedly signed a new contract which will see them remain on the show into next year. It’s been teased that it could mean they end up appearing in the crossover episode with Emmerdale.
Claire Sweeney, 54, has already been on the ITV soap for two years. The actor made her on-screen debut as Cassie Plummer in 2023, with the character introduced as the estranged mother of Tyrone Dobbs (played by Alan Halsall) and the daughter of Evelyn Plummer (Maureen Lipman). It’s now been reported that the former Brookside star recently signed a contract for Corrie to take her into next year. A source told the Sun: “Claire loves being on Corrie – it’s a dream job, so she was delighted to sign a new deal.”
There is also a chance that she’ll be in that, according to the source, adding, “With the big Emmerdale crossover coming in 2026.” Who wouldn’t want to be a part of soap history if they said it’s a great opportunity?
ITV announced the crossover episode earlier this month. It was revealed that the “unprecedented, one-off special episode” will launch its upcoming “power hour” of soaps, with the new schedule beginning in January next year.
Characters from Corrie and Emmerdale will unite for the first time in a “celebration of the soap genre,” according to the broadcaster. It has been referred to as a “mash-up” of the two communities.
The episode will be “self-contained,” according to ITV. However, it was made fun of that the crossover would “really affect” the characters and that it would leave them “linked forever as familiar faces depart and exciting new characters enter both soaps.”
Viewers will be able to choose which two characters from each soap to appear in a scene as an “extra treat” for them, according to the announcement at the time. The vote’s details have not yet been disclosed.
Following an earlier announcement that Corrie and Emmerdale’s air time would be cut from January 2014, the news came. Instead of the current six hours per week, fans will receive five hours total per week.
Emmerdale will be broadcast on Monday through Friday from 8 p.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Corrie will then air between 8:30 and 9:00 p.m. ITVX will continue to air episodes at 7 a.m. before going to the transmission that evening.
The new commissioning model is viewer-driven, according to ITV’s managing director of media and entertainment Kevin Lygo. We want to present their favorite soap to them in the most digestible way possible and we already offer viewers more choice than ever in terms of how they watch us on ITVX.
We think this is the right number of episodes for fans to fit into their viewing schedule to stay up to date with the shows in a world where there is so much competition for viewers’ time and attention and viewing habits continue to change. According to research findings, soap viewers are increasingly turning to the show for their slow-paced storytelling. 30 minute, streamable episodes better meet viewer expectations for resolution, payoff, and storyline pace.
“A sizable portion of our soaps’ audience still watches us via the schedule, despite increasing viewership on ITVX,” we know. Nobody else can produce 30 minute drama this skillfully, which is in the DNA of the soap genre. It produces a consistent soap power hour for the UK’s biggest soaps that is accessible in the linear schedule.
Instead of the current six, Kevin continued, “This new commissioning pattern will mean five hours of soap per week.” The people who work on the soaps team are aware of the impact this will have. We will work with our ITV Studios colleagues to make these changes happen, and we will do everything we can to help.
These modifications are motivated by pursuing our beliefs that will ensure these crucial programs’ long-term success. Additionally, they give ITV more room to invest in programming in a highly competitive market.
Source: Mirror
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