Thousands of extras in TV shows such as EastEnders and Coronation Street face being axed as broadcasters scrap them to try and keep sets Covid safe.
Many have been forced to find jobs elsewhere stacking supermarket shelves or volunteering with the NHS and other key services as they wait to see whether they will return to TV.
ITV, BBC, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have all joined forces to produce new guidelines and called for as few people on set as possible.
Ty Hurley, from Essex, told MailOnline: ‘It’s a distressing time for a lot of people and realistically, supporting artists are going to be the last people called back to work in the TV world.’
The 53-year-old, whose credits include EastEnders, Holby City, Call The Midwife and Belgravia, said: ‘I may be forced to look for different work altogether. It feels like I’m starting all over again.’
Extras in TV shows such as Eastenders and Coronation Street face being axed permanently as all bystanders are scrapped under social distancing rules. Pictured: David Clayton dressed as a police officer on the set of EastEnders
Many have turned to filling supermarket shelves or volunteering with the NHS and other key services as they wait to see whether they will return to TV. Pictured: Ty Hurley playing a security guard with character Ric Griffin in Holby City
ITV, BBC, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5 have all joined forces to produce new guidelines for the resumption of long running TV shows. Pictured: Tina Louise Owens and her husband John Alan Roberts (right) on the set of Supernova with Colin Firth
Filming on the big soaps was suspended for weeks due to Covid with EastEnders taken off air for the first time in 35 years in mid-June.
Principal actors have returned to the set but it is not expected to be back on TV until the late summer with shorter, 20 minute episodes.
Coronation Street has halved the number of episodes it is showing after filming was interrupted for 11 weeks.
Now, crowded street scenes and faces filling restaurant and transport backgrounds are expected to stay off our screens.
Tony Gerrard, from Ray Knight Casting which has 3,500 supporting artists on its books, said Covid has had a devastating impact on those who play extras.
He told Mail Online: ‘Business literally stopped overnight, like someone had turned the tap off.
‘As filming gets going again, it will be very gradual with just the principal actors to begin with, using clever camera angles.
‘I honestly don’t know how crowd shots are going to be filmed safely at this stage. Studios tend to be quite small.’
Mr Gerrard, whose agency supplies extras to shows like EastEnders, Holby City and Call The Midwife, said he and six other staff members had been furloughed at the start of lockdown, but supporting artists tend to be self-employed.
Tony Gerrard, from Ray Knight Casting which has 3,500 supporting artists on its books, said Covid has had a devastating impact on those who play extras. David Clayton (above with Peter Kay) provides police props and supporting artists to shows such as Doctors and EastEnders
When lockdown hit, Mr Clayton (above in Hollyoaks) was forced to adapt his business in order to survive in the ‘new normal’: ‘We’ve had a small booking come in, but we’re looking at other avenues, such as renting out one of our offices’
He ended up making PPE masks: ‘My partner is a seamstress, so she taught me how to make masks and gowns using fabric donations that we donated to Pinderfields Hospital. It wasn’t huge numbers, but we tried to use our skills as best we can’
‘It’s very tough for them at the moment,’ he added.
David Clayton, from Wakefield, provides police props and supporting artists to shows such as Doctors, EastEnders, Ackley Bridge and Spooks.
When lockdown hit, the 49-year-old was forced to adapt his business in order to survive and ended up making PPE masks.
‘My partner is a seamstress, so she taught me how to make masks and gowns using fabric donations that we donated to Pinderfields Hospital. It wasn’t huge numbers, but we tried to use our skills as best we can.
‘Government grants initially helped with rate payments, but now we’re down to the last of our savings with rent and utility bills due.
‘We’ve had a small booking come in, and we’re contacting all the productions we usually work with, but we’re looking at other avenues, such as renting out one of our offices.
‘I’m optimistic, but we’re not out of the woods yet, especially with fresh Covid outbreaks in Wakefield and Leicester.’
Tina Louise Owens and her husband John Alan Roberts, who live in North Wales, have been hit doubly hard.
‘We both rely on supporting artist work as our main source of income, so it’s been a blow,’ said Ms Owens.
Tina Louise Owens (pictured with Danny Boyle during filming of Yesterday) and her husband John Alan Roberts, who live in North Wales, have been hit doubly hard. ‘We both rely on supporting artist work as our main source of income, so it’s been a blow,’ she said
The couple have spent the last four years working as extras and sidelined their antique business to focus on it. Ms Owens said: ‘All our jobs were cancelled at the start of lockdown, so there’s been no money coming in’
The pair, both 48, fell into the entertainment industry four years ago when they responded to an advert for supporting artists on the Oscar-nominated film, The Phantom Thread, staring Daniel Day-Lewis.
Since then, the couple has steadily built up their on-screen credits, which include regular stints on Hollyoaks and Emmerdale, as well as Gentleman Jack and Netflix series, The English Game.
‘The work really took off for us both last year, and we were making a comfortable living, so we sidelined our antiques business to focus on it.
‘All our jobs were cancelled at the start of lockdown, so there’s been no money coming in.’
The couple applied for shelf-stacking at local supermarkets and delivery driver jobs, but were told the work had been taken by existing staff on zero-hours contracts.
Ms Owens signed up as an NHS volunteer and now that some productions are getting back on set, the couple has had the odd work enquiry.
‘I think it helps that John and I are in the same household, but we haven’t had any bookings as yet.’
Dean Mitchell, who first appeared on Silent Witness in 1995, spent much of lockdown volunteering and working as a supermarket delivery driver but found the work affected the grant the Government would have given him if he’d stayed at home.
Dean Mitchell, appeared on Silent Witness in 1995, spent much of lockdown volunteering and working as a supermarket delivery driver
Ian Smith, who’s 67, has been an extra for 20 years with regular slots on Coronation Street and Holby City, as well as The Crown, the Harry Potter franchise and several James Bond films. Pictured: Smith passes judgement on Coronation Street
Ty Hurley, (back right), said : ‘It’s a distressing time for a lot of people and realistically, supporting artists are going to be the last people called back to work in the TV world’. Hurley with ‘Kat Slater’ on EastEnders
Ian Smith, who’s 67, has been an extra for 20 years with regular slots on Coronation Street and Holby City, as well as The Crown, the Harry Potter franchise and several James Bond films.
He set up a Facebook group for supporting artists in response to Covid-19 which attracted more than 600 members.
‘I noticed a few people had to take on delivery driving jobs or working in supermarkets to make ends meet. A lot of people are struggling. It’s a worrying time for everyone.
‘We’ve been looking at what’s happening on the Neighbours set in Australia, and they’re not using any background artists, or where they are, they’re using crew.
‘They’re trimming production back to the bare minimum so they can social distance. I don’t think I’ll be back on Corrie in the near future.’