As the worlds of two iconic soaps prepare to collide in Corriedale, we caught up with a true veteran of the Dales. Chris Chittell, who holds the title of the longest-serving Emmerdale cast member, shares his thoughts on the upcoming drama.
When asked to describe the “Corriedale” crossover in just three words, Chris offered a teaser: ‘Watch, wait and see’.
While he remained tight-lipped about the specifics of the 2026 storyline, he hinted that his character, Eric Pollard, hasn’t changed his ways. ‘My character has been questionable for many, many years,’ he remarks. ‘And truth has never been his forte. So I can’t start lying now’.
Having been a central figure in some of the show’s most historic moments, Chris’ perspective on the new crossover is particularly telling. When comparing this event to his past work on the show, his assessment was blunt: ‘This is extreme’.
He warns fans that they will need to prepare themselves for what’s coming: ‘I think you’re just going to have to bite the bullet and… watch’.
The Long-Awaited Collision
The “Corriedale” event is a crossover that Chris feels has been a long time coming for both shows. ‘It’s something that I thought might have happened a few years ago,’ he admitted.
Despite the scale of the event, the actor noted that the filming process keeps much of the mystery alive even for the cast. ‘You have to understand, we only see our little bits of what we need to do,’ he explained. ‘So I don’t know what anybody else is doing’.
Coronation Street Cast
- Alison King as Carla Connor
- Amy Cudden as Becky Swain
- Claire Sweeney as Cassie Plummer
- Daniel Brocklebank as Billy Mayhew
- Gareth Pierce as Todd Grimshaw
- Harriet Bibby as Summer Spellman
- Jack P Shepherd as David Platt
- Jacob Roberts as Kit Green
- James Cartwright as Theo Silverton
- Jason Callender as James Bailey
- Joe Duttine as Tim Metcalfe
- Jonathan Howard as Carl Webster
- Julia Goulding as Shona Platt
- Kate Ford as Tracy McDonald
- Michael Le Vell as Kevin Webster
- Olivia Frances-Brown as Jodie
- Sally Carman-Duttine as Abi Webster
- Simon Gregson as Steve McDonald
- Sue Devaney as Debbie Webster
- Sydney Martin as Betsy Swain
- Tanisha Gorey as Asha Alahan
- Tina O’Brien as Sarah Platt
- Vicky Myers as Lisa Swain
- Vinta Morgan as Ronnie Bailey
- William Roache as Ken Barlow
Emmerdale Cast
- Christopher Bisson as Jai Sharma
- Christopher Chittell as Eric Pollard
- Danny Miller as Aaron Dingle
- Emma Atkins as Charity Dingle
- Isabel Hodgins as Victoria Sugden
- Jeff Hordley as Cain Dingle
- Joe Absolom as Ray Walters
- Joe-Warren Plant as Jacob Gallagher
- Jonny McPherson as Liam Cavanagh
- Katie Hill as Sarah Sugden
- Lawrence Robb as Mackenzie Boyd
- Lucy Pargeter as Chas Dingle
- Natalie J Robb as Moira Dingle
- Ned Porteous as Joe Tate
- Oliver Farnworth as John Sugden
- Ryan Hawley as Robert Sugden
Catch up on Corrie and Emmerdale at ITVX