Coronation Street’s over 70s are being WRITTEN OUT of the ITV soap over coronavirus pandemic as bosses ‘adhere to all government guidelines’
Coronation Street’s over 70s are being WRITTEN OUT over coronavirus pandemic as bosses ‘adhere to all government guidelines.’
The much-loved ITV soap has seven cast members who are over 70 and who have been advised to stay at home while writers work to remove them from plots going forward.
These include William Roache, 87 (who plays Ken Barlow), Sue Nicholls, 76 (Audrey Roberts), Barbara Knox, 86 (Rita Sullivan), Malcolm Hebden, 80 (Norris Cole), Maureen Lipman, 73 (Evelyn Plummer), Rula Lenska, 72 (Claudia Colby) and Paul Copley, 75 (Arthur Medwin).
AXED: Coronation Street’s over 70s are being WRITTEN OUT of the ITV soap over coronavirus pandemic (Pictured L-R: Sue Nichols, 76, William Roache, 87, and Rula Lenska, 72)
Some of them may still appear regularly until mid-May, in scenes that were filmed before the Covid-19 outbreak forced the government to implement draconian measures.
A Coronation Street spokeswoman told The Mirror: ‘With regards to over 70s we will be adhering to all government guidelines and following the appropriate steps.’
Other soaps could be set to follow, meaning that EastEnders’ senior cast members June Brown (Dot Cotton), Rudolph Walker (Patrick Trueman) and Laila Morse (Mo Slater) could be axed from the show.
Similarly, Emmerdale’s over 70s – Chris Chittell (Eric Pollard), Diane Sugden (Elizabeth Estensen), Patrick Mower (Rodney Blackstock) and Steve Halliwell (Zak Dingle) – could all face being written out of the soap.
Written out! Barbara Knox (who plays Rita Sullivan) is 86 years old (pictured right)
EastEnders has stopped filming with immediate effect, with a spokesperson confirming: ‘In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on EastEnders will be postponed until further notice.
“The decision was made after the latest government update. We will continue to follow the latest news and advice from the World Health Organisation and Public Health England.
“We have also taken the decision to reduce the amount of episodes we broadcast each week to two, so that we can ensure the audience can continue to enjoy EastEnders in their homes for as long as possible.”
Written out! Malcolm Hebden (who plays Norris Cole) is 80 years old (pictured left)
Written out! Maureen Lipman (who plays Evelyn) is 73 years old (pictured left)
ITV Studios creative director John Whiston previously confirmed that they would use Coronation Street and Emmerdale to remind viewers to wash their hands.
He said: ‘Because we script and shoot so far in advance we don’t generally reflect contemporary issues.
‘However we are going to use the soaps to remind people of important public health issues such as the need to wash their hands. We’ll try and do more such messages going forward.’
An unnamed Coronation Street cast member who went into self-isolation 10 days ago after returning from an affected country did not develop symptoms and has now returned to work.
Written out! Paul Copley (who plays Arthur Medwin) is 75 years old
Safe and well: An unnamed Coronation Street star who went into self-isolation 10 days ago after returning from an affected country did not develop symptoms and returned to work
An ITV spokesperson said on Tuesday: ‘Our priority is the wellbeing and safety of all our colleagues and everyone who works with us on our shows and across our production.
‘Clearly, along with everyone across the country, we are in a developing and dynamic situation with respect to the coronavirus, so we’re taking the appropriate steps.’
‘We’ve looked at our procedures and our established contingency plans and we’re confident that we’re able to continue with our filming schedule.
‘In terms of our colleagues, our aim is to do everything we can to support anyone affected. We’re keeping a close eye on the situation and putting our people first.’