CORONATION Street cast and crew fear they and fellow ITV soap Emmerdale will look outdated and like poor relations now BBC1’s EastEnders is back on air.
The ITV soaps made Covid-19 part of their storylines, with a socially distanced cast and one-way signs in shops.
EastEnders, meanwhile, used TV technology, perspex screens, clever editing and actors’ real-life partners to ensure the finished episodes bore no signs of the pandemic when screened post-lockdown.
An ITV source said: “Everyone backstage is miffed because they think both Corrie and Emmerdale are going to look really dated now Enders is back.
“They thought Enders would follow their lead with the social distancing measures but Enders kept their cards close to their chest and then announced all the unique steps they are taking to make it look good on screen.
“So whereas Corrie and Enders bosses ruled out perspex screens early on — so there’s no kissing or sex scenes and everyone is clearly two metres apart — they are now looking at copying the idea so they don’t look low-rent compared to Enders.
“But obviously it’s going to take a while before fans see the difference on screen, as they have already filmed so much.
“The feeling is they are going to look like the poor relation for a few weeks. That hasn’t gone down well because apparently a few crew tried to encourage the use of perspex screens but were knocked back.”
All three soaps had stopped filming for several weeks due to Covid-19 and reduced the number of episodes screened weekly. But the BBC ran out, so the Albert Square soap had been off air since June.
What EastEnders bosses are calling the 35-year-old soap’s second series limped in on Monday with just over three million watching.
All the perspex screens in the world can’t make up for weak storylines . . .
