The executive producer behind ITV's biggest soaps has admitted to feeling the pressure ahead of a groundbreaking television event. Iain MacLeod, the boss of both Coronation Street and Emmerdale, has confessed that a planned, last-minute alteration to the highly anticipated crossover episode, Corriedale, is making him profoundly nervous.
The High-Stakes Fan Vote
Set to air on Monday 5 January at 8PM on ITV1 and ITVX, the blockbuster hour-long special will see characters from both iconic soaps collide in a storyline centred on a deadly crash stunt. However, it is an unprecedented interactive element that is causing MacLeod sleepless nights. In a unique move, viewers have been given the power to vote for one additional scene to be inserted into the finished episode.
The process has been whittled down to four potential duos, each featuring one character from Weatherfield and one from the Dales. The online poll will close just 15 minutes before the episode's transmission, leaving the production team with extremely little time to prepare the chosen scene for broadcast.
The Four Contending Pairings
MacLeod revealed the four pairings that fans can choose from, each scene already filmed and ready to go. The options are:
- Roy Cropper and Nicola King – dubbed the 'Cafe Supremos'.
- Kirk Sutherland and Sam Dingle – a meeting actor James Houghton humorously described as 'the meeting of two brain cells'.
- Carla Connor and Charity Dingle – a pairing MacLeod predicts will generate 'a lot of noise' if selected.
- Tracy Barlow and Ross Barton – described as 'two appallingly flirtatious people unable to avoid flirting with each other'.
A Race Against the Clock
Explaining the nerve-wracking logistics, MacLeod stated he will be in the transmission suite on the night, urgently instructing his team to 'play that one' based on the poll's result. "I'm already feeling a little sweaty about that to be honest," he admitted to The Mirror and other press. The exact point in the episode where the fan-chosen scene will slot in remains a closely guarded secret, though MacLeod confirmed the narrative was designed with a specific juncture in mind for its inclusion.
While only one pairing's scene will make the final cut for the Monday night broadcast, MacLeod offered hope to fans, suggesting that all four scenes may be released for viewing at a later date. The ultimate decision, however, rests entirely with the audience, marking a bold and risky experiment in live television production.
From January, Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX, followed by Coronation Street at 8:30pm. The fate of the Corriedale crossover's final piece now lies in the hands of the viewers.
