Corrie's quicksand story - find out where it was filmed

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog April 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Pic: Westmoreland Gazette

Back in April, The Coronation Street Blog posted spoiler pictures about the highly unusual Coronation Street story when Nick Tilsley is going to get stuck in quicksand, which we saw on our screens in Canada this week. You can read it all here.

And now, we can reveal where the filming took place. Members of the Coronation Street cast were spotted filming the dramatic quicksand storyline at Morecambe Bay.

The West Moreland Gazette has a picture which shows Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow) and Ben Price (Nick Tilsley) are pictured outside New Barns at Arnside, watching Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald), flying a drone during some down time during the shoot.

The photograph was taken by Westmorland Gazette reader Frank Ainscough, from Wigan.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Watch: The Secret of Soaps - video highlights

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog November 2015, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Our blogger Stevie attended this week's Royal Television Society event The Secret of Soaps. You can read his great blog post here.  

The event in London took the form of a  panel discussion and Q&A with Tina O'Brien (Sarah Platt), scriptwriter Debbie Oates, Producer Stuart Blackburn and MD of Continuing Drama at ITV John Whiston.

The RTS have uploaded the highlights from the evening to YouTube and you can watch these below. You can also read the RTS write-up from the event too.



Coronation Street writer Debbie Oates told the RTS what it takes to become a soap writer:

Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn revealed the production process behind making the hit British soap.



The RTS asked the masterminds behind Coronation Street what their favourite episode was from the much-loved show.






Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


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The Secret of Soaps: Cast and crew on how Corrie is created

(This post was originally posted by Stevie Dawson on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2015.)

Last night the Royal Television Society hosted 'The Secret of Soaps - The Story Behind the Stories' - a panel discussion and Q&A with Tina O'Brien (Sarah-Lou Platt), scriptwriter Debbie Oates, Producer Stuart Blackburn and MD of Continuing Drama at ITV John Whiston. Also in attendance, secretly sitting behind me was actress Sair Khan (Alya Nazir).

The idea of the event was to pull apart a typical episode of Coronation Street and discuss all the different cogs that make up the big Corrie machine. The cast and crew actually decided on the recent live episode - a not so typical one - as it was one they were particularly proud of, and of course Tina O'Brien's performance received much praise.

After watching a montage of the past year in Corrie, John Whiston kicked things off by reaffirming the show as one of "strong women and feckless men" (see my blog from Tuesday) and that he at ITV and all the writers remain true to Tony Warren's initial ideas. Stuart Blackburn picked up on a question by the host Paul Jackson on the longevity of Coronation Street and how storylines are concluded. He explained how once a particular story comes to its conclusion that is not necessarily the end of the story. As was seen with the fire at Carla's flat, the repercussions for different characters last far beyond the main event. Stuart also discussed the state the show was in when he took the reins as producer, and how he hopes to leave it when he finally moves on. He claimed despite his dislike of certain characters or storylines, the media speculation of cast 'culls' is always exaggerated and he preferred to work on the basis of evolution not revolution. 

The panel then touched on the beginning and end of a particular character's time on Coronation Street, Stuart and John both referring to the soap 'Gods'. Using David Platt as an example, they discussed his wayward character coming into adolescence and there was concern from some of the team that there was nowhere realistic for his character to go. So the soap Gods dictated that he was headed for either jail or death if he didn't change. Luckily for David, and Jack P Shepherd, they took him down the route of love which allowed him to grow up and change his priorities, and he became the central character we see today.

Debbie Oates then revealed a little secret regarding the demise of another character - Richard Hillman. She reminisced about being a young writer, attending Coronation Street story conferences for the first time. Back then it was more difficult for the younger, more junior writers to get heard around the table and put their ideas across, even more so if you were a woman. One particular conference was discussing the ongoing Hillman storyline and the team were struggling to agree on an end game for him and the Platts. Debbie, hidden among the primarily male writing team piped up with a question - "Is Richard the type of man who would take his own life and take the family with him?". No response. After struggling to get heard, a male colleague repeated the question on her behalf, and the team finally listened. The rest, of course, is history, although Debbie was never credited with the idea.

The panel continued to focus on the Platt 'dynasty', how Sarah-Lou had been born on the show and now had a daughter of her own, something very strange for all concerned and a fact which made most of the room feel very old. Tina O'Brien described her discussions about returning to the show, and how it should have been much sooner, but the small matter of having a baby got in the way. She was asked about what she was expecting on her return in terms of workload and storylines. She didn't know what to expect, but she knew it would either be a very low key, short term thing, or the opposite, and we have seen on our screens that the latter is the case.

Tina also shared with us her experiences during the live episode, describing the adrenaline and pressure as quite enjoyable. She said that having those intense scenes with Callum Logan (Sean Ward) involving high emotion and choreography, was much preferable to having more normal scenes with a series of scripted lines, as the physical strain of the fight scenes allowed them to cover up any nerves they may have had. Once one scene had finished during the live episode, Tina admitted to doing a few star jumps, asking the crew how the rest of the episode was going, and trying to keep her eyes watering for the next scene. She also shared that Paula Lane, who plays Kylie, stood with a real spanner (the murder weapon) held stretched out in front of her between scenes so that her arms were tired when they started filming again, all to add to what was a brilliant series of scenes.

Moving on from the Platts, Stuart and Debbie went back to their thoughts on the future of Corrie and the potential stars of that future. Referring to the recent history of the Barlows, they praised young actress Elle Mulvany, likening Amy to Blanche and pondering what will happen to the character in the years to come. This took Stuart back to the forward planning element of his job, where even though they only work on episodes a few months ahead, he's always thinking in the much longer term.

Debbie also touched on how the past can sometimes dictate future stories even when the old story has come to it's final conclusion. They described how during a story meeting some time ago, the shooting of Ernie Bishop came up in conversation. Debbie realised it was roughly the time for the gunman to be released from prison, and it was decided to make a story out of it, even all those years later. It was also mentioned that this element of such a long running programme can also trip them up, as was highlighted on the Coronation Street blog, when a line in a script suggested it had been forgotten that Kevin Webster had had a baby that had died. The archivists come in useful in these types of situation but there is noone specifically employed to look how new storylines can be linked to old ones. 

At the end of the discussion, the audience were given the opportunity to ask the panel some questions. They revealed some interesting thought processes and unknown facts regarding certain storylines and characters:

- Carla Connor (Ali King) has always been a popular character according to polling, but she was failing to reach that iconic recognition and Corrie bosses were curious as to why this was. After much discussion, it was decided that even with the most gripping storylines, Carla was missing a more human, emotional side, and this is why it was decided that she would gravitate toward Roy and Hayley - partly to give Carla another dimension. They felt the character deserved that progression.

- "If the scene is about what the scene is about, you've written a crap scene" - a quote from Debbie Oates. We had watched a clip from the live episode where Roy and Carla were discussing his fears on 'moving on' from Hayley's death. They discuss trains, paddling, journeys. It's beautiful and shows the intricacies of not being to too blatant with the text. Here's that scene.

- Tina talked us through her live scene with Callum and how the fight itself, where they should stand, how it would play out, was not written with stage directions. A choreographer came in and talked through the scene with the actors, and they choroeographed it all themselves. Debbie added that she never likes to write stage directions for things like fights. In fact she likes to write 'they all fight' in the script then go to the pub, hilariously adding that she wished she'd written the script for Titanic - 'The Titanic sinks...' - pub time.

- In the original script for the end of the live episode, written by Debbie, a camera on a large crane was planned to rise above the whole of the street revealing each of the live scenes across the set. It was wishful thinking for Debbie, the idea was too difficult to put into practice and the shot would have revealed half of Salford's Media City in the background.

- Stuart Blackburn took issue with the idea (as stated on the RTS website) that 'Corrie is the richest training ground for budding writers, directors, designers and producers'. Stuart said this is rubbish and that all the great talent goes to Corrie once it has been established. He stressed how difficult it is to become a Corrie writer and suggested anybody who wants to send in their CV, better have a pretty hefty list of credits to their name.

Our blogger Stevie Dawson at the event!

I believe the event was filmed so I will try and get hold of a link to the video soon. You can also see a Twitter feed of quotes and updates from the event here.

The RTS have a review and article about the event - you can read it here.

@StevieDawson 

Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.


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Corrie's senior writer: "We had no choice but to kill Hayley off"

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog December 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

There's a good interview on Yahoo News by Nermin Oomer who speaks to Martin Sterling, Coronation Street’s senior storyliner about the decision to kill off Hayley Cropper.

Martin says: “It’s the first time in my entire career here that I actually did have tears in my eyes."

Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays Hayley Cropper, gave the Corrie team a year’s notice about her intention to leave the show.

“We don’t normally have so much notice to do an exit story,” says Martin. “It gave us the luxury of planning a long term story but with Roy and Hayley it presented its own challenges as they are a unique couple. They’re like swans – they mated for life; a couple you could never break up. So in a way it was a very easy decision to kill Hayley off as actually there was no other option.”

Martin has nothing but praise for Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson, who play Hayley and Roy.

“They’re superb. This storyline has just shown how brilliant they are. They take your breath away sometimes. There is a poignancy at Christmas as Roy and Hayley have possibly the best Christmas ever tinged with a knowledge it’s also going to be their last. But after that we do start to get into the end game and it’s done with great sensitivity. It’s absolutely brilliant and once Hayley’s left the show Roy has a new journey to embark on.

That’s the start of a new story – a new chapter for Roy."

Read the full interview here.



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Coronation Street Blog interviews the Corrie Casting Director

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog December 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Janet Hampson is a Casting Director on Coronation Street and has very kindly given us an insight into her role on our favourite show. 

You can check out Janet's website here.

Q: What does a Casting Director actually do?
It varies from show to show, but in essence you use your knowledge of who is out there, and the show’s requirements to suggest and bring in actors to meet the producer and director.  Sometimes I make a direct approach to an agent when a show wants a specific person, and then it’s up to me to sell the show (if it’s a brand new one for example) and help to persuade the talent to join the cast. Finally, and usually, we negotiate contracts.

Q: Can you explain your background and how you got into the casting profession and into casting for Coronation Street?
I originally trained and worked as an actor for eight years before moving into production. After a stint directing in Radio Drama I found myself producing comedies for E4 and BBC3. As I started on very low budget pilots I was usually responsible for several things including casting. Finally one of the non tx pilots I cast (Lunch Monkeys for BBC 3) was commissioned, I cast the series and never looked back.

Q: What are the main things you look for when casting for Coronation Street in particular?
Coronation Street has a very clear identity, and a very loyal audience. So one of the important things to get right with new cast joining the show is the ‘fit’ with our existing cast.  It’s a hard thing to explain, but we take a lot of time to find people with the right feel. It goes without saying that we are looking for talented actors who enhance the show, who bring their own particular skills and – hopefully – who also love the show.

Q: Is a Coronation Street casting purely your decision or is there a team who decides? Who has the final say?
Some roles are cast by the Casting Director in conjunction with one of our lovely team of directors.  However when we are casting a new long term character the process starts with an initial search and early auditions with the casting department, and goes on to screentests with our cast, on set. The screentests are then edited and circulated to our senior producers and Creative Directors for that final decision.  As Coronation Street is a fast moving show, I’m pleased to say that those final decisions never drag on.

Q: Are there any casting decisions on Coronation Street you feel particularly proud of or fond of and have there been any casting decisions you feel just weren’t right for the show?
I’m pretty new to the show but there are some new characters coming on screen I’m very excited about.

Q: What unique challenges and opportunities does casting for Coronation Street have as the longest running drama series in the world?
The unique opportunities casting Coronation Street brings are easy: we have a fantastic team of writers and a wonderful production team that turn the scripts to TV gold. As ITV’s flagship show we have a huge share of the audience and so we also offer a chance to be seen by that audience.  The challenge is to cast every part with the same care as the long term regulars.  We cast every week, and I’m always on the lookout for strong actors new to the show.  If someone catches our eye, they can find themselves being asked back quite quickly.

Q: We know that Sophie’s new girlfriend has been cast to an unknown actress. Is there anything you can tell us about this please e.g. the process, the outcome?
The process was the same as for all our new regulars, we write a character breakdown and this goes out on Spotlight.  We sift through those submitted and invite our chosen actors in for an initial audition in the office.  We make a selection from this to show to our producer Stuart Blackburn, and we then discuss who to bring in for a screentest. The new character you refer to is played by a young  unknown actress, Amy Kelly.  She’d come to the attention of an agent who thought she’d be great for the role – and she is.

Q: Are there any new Corrie characters being cast that you can tease fans with at the moment?
Well I’m looking forward to seeing Amy as the character you’ve just referred to – not long now.

Q: Do you cast for extras too and how can people become extras, do they have to go through an agency for example?
My colleague Joanne Moss casts all our background artists and yes, they do all come via agencies.

Q: What advice would you have for other people interested in entering the profession e.g. where do they start?
The usual way is to start as an assistant to an established casting director, though of course I didn’t.  It goes without saying that you need an interest in actors and can spot talent.  It helps if you like people, have a good head for business and some charm, but it is a role you can make progress in if you have a talent for it.

Q:And finally, we all love Fat Brenda, the best Corrie character that we’ve never seen.  If you were casting for the role, who would be your top three favourite choices for that role?
Fat Brenda is an enigma and should remain that way I think.  We all have our own impression of Fat Brenda, don’t we? 



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Interview with Coronation Street Story Associate, Furquan Akhtar

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Photograph of Furquan by Ben Stokes
http://ben-stokes.co.uk

It's time to meet Furquan Akhtar who is one of the Story Associates on Coronation Street.

In an exclusive interview here on the Coronation Street Blog, we asked Furquan about his job and what it was like to shape the stories on our favourite soap.  So, here we go....

Can you explain your job please - how long you've been doing it and how you got the job, what your experience was before joining ITV?
I’ve worked at the show for over three years now and it was my first job in TV. I started as a Trainee and I’ve been fortunate enough to work in several different departments from production to archiving. I landed a more permanent job as an Editorial Assistant and was promoted this year to Story Associate. Being a Story Associate involves pitching stories, writing to tight deadlines and putting in long hours!

How is your job different to being a script writer?
Storylining is about creating the arcs for a story. The story has to have an arc across each scene, each episode and each block. We build this from what's pitched by the script writers and editorial team at story conference. We then take the pitches and talk them through. Then we see how they can play across the next three weeks.  We write the "beats" and help choreograph the story but it's only the first step of the process. It's up to our brilliant writers and Script Editing team to shape the storylines we give them into actual episodes. They have the final say and most importantly they create the fantastic dialogue Corrie is famous for.

Look out for Furquan's name in the credits next time you watch Corrie!

Is being a Scriptwriter the "next step" for a Story Associate? Is that what you're aiming for yourself?
It's not the natural next step although it's a great jumping off point. Storyliners have gone on to write, script edit and produce. Some of the most prolific and successful writers in the country have had a stint in the Corrie story at one point in their career so it's definitely an exciting place to be. I hope to write in the future but at the moment I'm very happy with one of the most exciting day jobs in tele.

Can you describe a typical week at work?
Haha! In a short answer, no. That's what's great about it. From one week to the next you’re submerged in the wonderful world of Weatherfield. We work in three-week cycles, which spans three week's worth of story. The first week involves conference and story talk through. In week two we go away and write and then the producer gives you a storyline edit. You have to turn that around and then the Story Editor compiles them into episodes, which we'll work on again. This way you have had a hand in every story that plays on screen. 

Were you a Corrie fan before joining the show? If yes, how did that feel 'crossing over' to working and writing and helping to shape events and characters?
Oh definitely! Can you come from Manchester and not be? I have grown up with Corrie. It's the backdrop to many households and it definitely was in mine when I was growing up. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call to work at Corrie and I genuinely still feel excited walking on the cobbles.

Do you ever get star struck with the cast members?
I did when I first started.  The first cast member I met was Julie Hesmondhalgh and she set the bar really high! She's so lovely that she gives Hayley Cropper a run for her money. I've also had the privilege to meet a lot of the Corrie legends. It was an absolute privilege to cross paths with Bill Tarmey and Betty Driver.

Who are your favourite characters to write for?  Who would you have loved to have written for?
I should give a really diplomatic answer shouldn't I? I think the one thing that Corrie is brilliant at is family units. There are so many rich family units to choose from at the minute and each one brings a different joy with it. From the past - I think the Duckworths would have been an absolute riot to write for.

What advice would you give to anyone interested in working for a soap?
I was given two bits of advice. The first is quite obvious - persistence. It's such a difficult job market and I graduated in a recession so I know exactly what it's like. You just have to keep knocking on doors and trying. The second is a bit more obscure - tea. I was told that tea is a commodity. It's served me quite well. If you meet people for a tea or coffee and talk about your work or what you want to do - you instantly have a connection and a contact. You'd be surprised how many people are willing to do that.

What's your Top 3 favourite things about your job?
1) The people. If you look at how many cast members have been interviewed over the years - they always say that Corrie is a family. I'll be honest I thought that was luvvie nonsense before I worked here. I will eat humble pie and say that - I've made some friends for life here.
2) The Show. No one's bigger than the show. It's taken on a life of its own and it's a testament to Tony Warren's idea all those decades ago.
3) Storytelling. My nephew asked me what I do and I told him - I write stories. His eyes lit up. It's absolute privilege to get paid to do write stories for characters you love for a show that's a national treasure.

And finally, what's your favourite seat on the bus?
Without a doubt it's at the top, at the front and on the right. So it feels like you're driving it.

You can find out more about Furquan here and follow him on twitter @furquan



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Blog Exclusive! Stunt secrets of Corrie car crash

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Here we go with another Coronation Street Blog exclusive.

We have a fab interview with Matt Owens from Rapid Fire Cover, Television and Event Fire Safety Specialists. Matt was the chap in charge of setting the Rovers Return on fire earlier this year and now he’s back to cause car crash carnage on Coronation Street.  Just try saying that with a mouthful of Deirdre's stuffed marrow!

Not content with setting the Rovers Return on fire a few weeks ago, Rapid Fire Cover are smashing up two of our favourite Corrie characters and putting one of them in a coma after a nasty car crash next week.

Q: Who’s driving the truck and the Nick’s Bistro van – are they stunt doubles, specially trained drivers for this sort of thing?
A: Both the truck and Nick’s van are driven by trained stunt drivers under the direction and supervision of the stunt co-ordinator. They are wearing the same costume etc. so that from a distance it looks like the actors that are driving.

Q: At what point do you stop the action with the actors and put the stunt drivers in? 
A: The stunt drivers are bought in for anything that may require precision driving or something that is deemed high risk. In general, the actors don't do the stunts, although the one shot where the van goes in to a spin is with a stunt driver at the wheel and Jack in the passenger seat. This sequence was rehearsed prior to Jack been put in the van. At the point of the lorry crashing in to the van, there were two dummies dressed the same as the actors inside as obviously the potential for the stunt to go wrong at this point is extremely high. Once the vehicles have stopped, been checked over and made safe, the actors will have been into make-up and are then carefully put inside the damaged vehicles as if they were there all along!

Q: Did you have to do more than one ‘take’ with the crash to get it filmed from different angles?
A: After the vehicles had been involved in the stunt, they were visibly damaged. This limits the amount of takes we can do but can also add pressure to the cast and crew to get it right first time. Extra cameras were bought in to capture the action from different angles and to ensure that the stunt was completed in one take. Like with anything, the more times you do something, you increase the likelihood of something going wrong. This is also the same for the scenes where we are cutting the vehicle up during the rescue, after we have taken a door off or cut away at the roof, it is very difficult to put it back together, we can’t just blue tack them back on!

Q: Obviously the stunt doubles and actors’ safety is paramount, but what about the vehicles, don’t they get smashed up all the time? Do you have mechanics who have to knock all the dents out after the shoot? What happens?

A: The vehicles are bought specifically for the stunt and prepared accordingly. We actually had two Bistro vans, one that was driveable and one that had been adapted for the stunt. Parts of the interior and airbag had been removed to reduce the risk to the stunt drivers and actors.  The battery was changed with a dry cell battery and the fuel tank had been replaced with a much smaller one to reduce the risk of fire. The driver’s side had also been reinforced so that the van did not crumple inwards upon impact and the lorry also had an extra bull bar fitted to protect the stunt driver that was inside. The vehicles are usually scrapped when they have been finished with as they would be unsafe to put back on the road. I don’t think there is much call for convertible vans anyway!

Q:  When the Rovers burned down, it seemed like there were lots of people on the set watching and being there for safety reasons. Were there just as many on the shoot for the car crash?
A: There were not as many people on standby for this as it wasn't deemed as high risk as the Rovers fire sequences, although it obviously posed its own risks. We had five firefighters and a fire appliance on standby carrying hydraulic cutting gear, backed up with battery operated cutting gear, plus a full inventory of rescue equipment.  An ambulance crew were also on standby incase we needed to get a stunt driver or anyone else for that matter into immediate medical care.

Q:  What sort of safety procedures did you have to put in place before, during and after a scene like this car crash?
A: As for every stunt we are involved in, everything is risk assessed and discussed months in advance. Whilst we understand there is a need for the desired footage, there cannot be a compromise to anybody's safety. Prior to the stunt taking place, all of the cast and crew are briefed on how the stunt will be carried out. Everything is checked thoroughly and rehearsed a couple of times to ensure that everyone is aware of what is going on and to establish safe areas where cast, crew, cameras and sound equipment can and cannot be located, as I have said previously, we only get one shot at this. During the stunt we are fully kitted up and on standby, so that we are available at a moment’s notice should the stunt goes wrong. Rapid Fire only employ serving firefighters, so we are obviously well rehearsed. Once the stunt has been carried out, with the stunt coordinator, we will firstly ensure that the stunt driver or actor are ok and have not sustained any injuries and then we will check the vehicles over and make sure they are safe and do not pose a risk.

Q:  Ooh, it sounds exciting!  Is there anything else you'd like to share?
A: Jack P Shepard (David Platt) is one of the funniest people I have had the pleasure of working with and Ben Price (Nick Tilsley) makes an amazing cup of tea!

Q:  Oh go on, give us some gossip from the set.
A: I have applied for the vacancy coming up at Weatherfield Fire Station,  my interview is next week, remember you heard it here first.... EXCLUSIVE!

I'm sorry if I have spoiled the illusion for any one! I think I may have given all of the trade secrets away here. Don't try this at home kids!



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Behind the scenes at Corrie cliff-top cliff-hanger

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog June 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

This week in Coronation Street, David learned the truth about Kylie's baby. He plans on suicide but settles on revenge.  Anyway, while he's contemplating ending his life, on Wednesday 19 June, the scenes we'll see of David on a cliff-top were filmed at Tegg's Nose.

Cheshire Today reports that Corrie filmed at Tegg’s Nose Country Park, near Macclesfield.

The hill at Tegg’s Nose proved to be the ideal spot for the film crew, who spent the day with Cheshire East Council’s ranger service to ensure filming went smoothly.



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Why Coronation Street has magical moving walls

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog April 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Here on the Coronation Street Blog, regular readers will know we bring you spoilers. We bring you news. We bring you behind-the-scenes views of walls being made.  Heck, yes. There's no stopping us!

But these just aren't any old walls. They're replacement walls, made from glass fibre mouldings by Harviglass-Fibre of Cheshire. 

And if you're wondering why Corrie would have new walls made, Harviglass-Fibre were asked by ITV to create the new walls when filming switched to High Definition cameras. The original walls had been in use for many years and were beginning to show too much wear and tear on screen.

Now, close your eyes now if you don't want the magic spoiled - and don't read on!

Harvigass-Fibre told me today how these walls work when filming. 

They said: "Basically there is a row of terraced houses with a brick wall at either end. Due to the size of the yards they couldn’t fit cast & crew in a normal size yard, so they have 3 walls which slide up & down the row to create false walls (hope I’ve not spoiled the illusion!).

"We went down to site where we manufactured a mould to replicate the brick pattern of the side of Dev’s shop as it had the exact brick pattern they wanted to produce. Once this was manufactured we returned to our premises with the mould where we then manufactured timber frames to the correct size of the wall before mounting the GRP Skins onto them. They were then delivered to site where they were specialist painted by ITV to match the surrounding brickwork.They were supplied as flat skins which the ITV team fixed to the scaffolding type system you see in the pictures before again applying their specialist paint."

So there you have it. Check out Harviglass-Fibre's website and there are more images of their Corrie walls here. br>
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Video: Watch how Coronation Street is made

There's a wonderful interactive map of Coronation Street online at ITV Media website. Although it's not quite correct, it's still worth a look.

And within that map there's a short video called Journey of an episode.  It's all about how an episode of Coronation Street is made, from the writing team meeting through to set design and make up.

There are interviews with some of the Corrie cast including Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald) and Jennie McAlpine (Fiz Stape). It's well worth a look and as it's publicly available on an open URL you can watch it below. Hope you enjoy watching it as much as I have.



(Yes, it's available to watch outside the UK!)

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