ITV is reportedly preparing to give significant pay rises to stars of Coronation Street and Emmerdale, following demands from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) regarding their employment status.
According to reports, many actors on the two soaps are currently paid as freelancers, meaning ITV has not been covering their national insurance contributions or holiday pay. HMRC is now insisting that these performers be reclassified as staff, which would require the broadcaster to provide these benefits.
Actors thought to be affected include Coronation Street's Tina O'Brien (Sarah Barlow), Colson Smith (Craig Tinker) and Sair Khan (Alya Nazir), as well as Emmerdale's Matthew Wolfenden (David Metcalfe) and Lucy Pargeter (Chas Dingle). A source told The Sun: 'When this kicks in, everyone impacted is going to be pushing for the best possible deal to guarantee themselves a big salary, which might lead to serious pay rises.'
The move follows a similar situation at the BBC, and is expected to give soap stars more freedom to work on other projects, as their current contracts restrict them from doing so. If ITV does not adopt the new structure, it may struggle to retain cast members.
In related news, ITV chief executive Dame Carolyn McCall took a 20 per cent pay cut for seven months during the Covid-19 pandemic, reducing her basic salary from £923,000 to £833,000. Her total pay for 2020 was £1.1 million, down from £3.1 million in 2019.
