Coronation Street’s Andrew Whyment reveals soap will be forced off air if lockdown rules continue
17 April 2020, 10:21
Andrew Whyment has revealed when Coronation Street has to return to avoid running out of episodes.
Last month, Coronation Street bosses revealed they would be cutting down the number of episodes airing to ensure it stays on air as long as possible.
With the government putting social distancing rules in place to keep us safe, ITV was forced to close down their sets, meaning no new episodes can be filmed.
And now actor Andrew Whyment - who plays Kirk Sutherland - has revealed when the soap has to return to avoid running out of episodes.
Speaking about the future of Corrie, Andrew, 39, said on United Podcast: “I think we’ve got until the beginning of July in the can.
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“So we need to get back hopefully by the middle of June with a bit of luck, otherwise it’s going to go off air.”
He continued: “A lot of the airlines have announced they’re going to start flying again mid-June, so I’m presuming if that’s going to happen then hopefully we should be able to get back to work with a bit of luck, so fingers crossed.”
Coronation Street and Emmerdale usually film about six weeks in advance.
This comes after ITV announced they would be making some changes to both Corrie and Emmerdale.
Adam Hussain is joining Coronation Street as Dev's son Aadi Alahan
In a statement, bosses told us at Heart.co.uk: "We’ve been doing our best to carry on filming, whilst adhering to the Government’s latest health guidelines, to ensure we’ve episodes of both soaps airing on ITV until at least the early summer.
"However, the health and well-being of the production teams, actors, crew and their families is of paramount importance to us and we now feel that the time has come to stop filming. We’d like to thank our viewers for their support and hope they continue to enjoy both soaps in the coming months."
Read More: Coronation Street’s Simon Gregson reveals coronavirus battle and admits he feels 'awful'
Corrie dropped to three episodes per week, with all of its 8.30pm episodes axed and it now airs at 7.30pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.
Meanwhile, Andy previously revealed bosses had to come up with "rewrites and changes" after some stars went into coronavirus self-isolation before lockdown.
Sharing a photo with his wife Nichola Willis on Instagram, he wrote: "So ready for a drink tonight been a tough week at work with rewrites and changes with some cast members having to self isolate.
"I just want to say I’m so proud of everyone @coronationstreet the way people have mucked in this week has been incredible and shows how much love there is for the show.
"It’s a mad situation we all find ourselves in but we’ll get through this, stay safe everyone ❤️❤️❤️."
Now Read: Coronation Street recasts the role of Aadi Alahan after Zennon Ditchet left the soap
