Corriedale airs tomorrow (Yes, the day is finally here) at 8pm on ITV1
Ahead of tomorrow’s highly anticipated Corriedale special, the cast and creative minds behind Coronation Street and Emmerdale gathered to discuss the monumental task of bringing Britain’s two biggest soaps together.
For writer Owen Lloyd-Fox, seeing his words transition from the page to the screen was an emotional experience. ‘Oh my goodness, so exciting. It’s crazy being a writer because you do so much work on something on a continuing drama like this and then just pass it over’. He praised the final production, noting it was ‘so exciting to see what comes back’ and added that director Duncan Foster ‘absolutely smashed’ the execution.
The cast shared this sentiment, particularly Ryan Hawley (Robert Sugden), who revealed he ‘canceled’ his 40th birthday because he wanted to be part of the episode. ‘Having seen it, I’m immensely proud not just to be part of it but to be part of an incredible cast whom I thought every single person was just incredible. It’s amazing what we can do.’
When asked if he regularly watches himself back, he joked, ‘The fact that you’re asking me means that you know that I don’t particularly’. He added, ‘I don’t particularly enjoy the experience’.
For Robron fans, Owen explained: ‘The process is I’m a fan myself, and I thought I wouldn’t ever have the chance, being a Corrie writer now, so it was so exciting, and just being able to work out what to do with these characters that I love so much.’
The ‘Corriedale’ special features a dramatic crash that serves as the catalyst for the crossover. Sally Carman-Duttine (Abi Webster) described the experience of filming on location: ‘We’re literally running down this road and there are cars on fire and whatever else is going on.
It was just so exciting, and you got to play with all these brilliant actors, and everyone just pulled it out of the bag. To be a part of that is just a once-in-a-lifetime situation.’
While the actors were in the thick of the ‘melee,’ Natalie J. Robb (Moira Dingle) clarified that she ‘wasn’t really involved in any of the stunts’ herself, focusing instead on the ‘aftermath’ where her character was helping others.
Creative Director Iain MacLeod took a moment to praise the professional stunt team: ‘When normal people would run and hide and call their mum, they’re just in and professional with it.’ He assured fans that while the results were ‘spectacular,’ there were ‘no risks taken’ due to ‘incredibly tight control.’
While Owen joked he would have loved to write the crossover ‘forever’ so characters could ‘have affairs and do all the things that certain characters do together,’ the future of the shared universe remains grounded. Iain confirmed that while the shows now officially ‘exist in the same fictional universe,’ fans shouldn’t expect constant crossovers.
Catch up on ITVX, and for classic visits to Corrie, these episodes air weekdays on ITV3 as well as on YouTube.