Coronation Street is shaking things up for its Christmas Day episode.
The ITV soap, commemorating 64 years of festive drama this year, has become a household fixture during the holiday season. Audiences have been treated to everything from jaw-dropping deaths and heart-wrenching cancer announcements to mind-blowing stunts and unexpected comebacks.
It's hardly ever a calm Christmas in Weatherfield, and Kate Brook, the shows new boss, hints that things are set to be as tumultuous as ever. Chatting with Plymouth Live, Kate dished out that the festivities are shaping up to be "very fun" and "really lively", but she also dropped a bombshell warning that "lots of bombshells are dropped".
There's buzz around Gail Platt's (played by Helen Worth) potential wedding to Jesse Chadwick (played by John Thomson). However, Kate teased: "Whether she goes through with that or not, I cannot tell anything.", reports Plymouth Live.
Gail's portrayer, Helen Worth, announced her departure from the soap earlier this year after a staggering half-century run, with her exit scenes set to grace the screens over Christmas. But it's not a Corrie Christmas without some drama. Kate teased more, revealing: "There are lots of betrayals and lots of secrets are exposed."
But theres one major shift on the cards and it might just leave fans reeling. This year brought a new treat for soap lovers, with both Coronation Street and Emmerdale dropping their fresh episodes on ITVX bright and early at 7am each morning, well before the traditional evening showing on ITV1.
However, eager beavers wanting to feast their eyes on the festive episode of Corrie at 7am on Christmas Day will be left hanging. In a schedule shake-up, the soap will not hit the airwaves until its regular slot in the evening.
Diving deeper into the details of the Coronation Street special, Kate Oates spilled that viewers can brace for "it will feel very kind of classic Corrie with a bit of a twist". She delved further, saying: "We are all in need of a bit of escapism at the minute. And we've had quite a dark and brilliant, few months on the cobbles. Christmas for us, is all about us trying to tap into the family dynamics of the Platts, what makes people tick."
Coronation Street airs Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX
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