It was a wholesome moment as the soaps collided for the first time
22:23, 05 Jan 2026Updated 22:23, 05 Jan 2026
Viewers were loving the wholesome scene(Image: ITV)
Corriedale viewers were loving the moment when Ken Barlow and Eric Pollard interacted amid the devastation of the prior scenes.
While Coronation Street and Emmerdale have had a full 2025 of drama, fireworks, grand reveals and exits, the ITV soaps decided to kick off the new year with something special.
Corriedale was announced last year, and viewers have been waiting months for the highly-anticipated crossover to finally air on their screens. Forty cast members made up of beloved characters from either side of the Pennines appeared in the hour-long, one-off special.
Prior to the crossover, both soaps aired a 30-minute episode to tease the drama of what was to come in the major event. Over in Emmerdale, Aaron Dingle got into the car with ex-husband John Sugden who had returned to win the former back from Robert Sugden.
However, John’s hopes and dreams of them rekindling their love were soon dashed when Aaron pointed the gun at him and attempted to force him to hand himself in to the police.
As John drove dangerously down country roads, Aaron held the gun firmly telling him to go to the police. John, meanwhile, took his hands off the wheel to taunt him before they were blinded by headlights from an oncoming car.
Also in the Dales, Mack was driving recklessly with a heavily pregnant Charity Dingle as he was determined to stop Sarah and Jacob from going to the airport without learning the truth behind the pregnancy.
Over in Corrie, Kit Green found Carla Connor after she’d been held hostage by Becky Swain who was currently driving Lisa and Betsy to Hull ready to catch a ferry and depart to Spain as a family.
Lisa unexpectedly received a call from Carla and demanded Becky to stop driving, however, the credits rolled just as Betsy screamed from the backseat.
As Corriedale started, viewers witnessed the head-on collision between John’s car and Becky’s. It wasn’t long until Carla and Kit caught up to them and rushed to help.
It was then a multiple-car pile-up as Mack crashed the car, and Corrie’s Billy Mayhew crashed a minibus full of guests from Debbie Webster’s wedding as Carla motioned for him to stop.
The legendary duo interacted for the first time(Image: ITV)
With the residents of both soaps gathered in the hospital, a wholesome scene between Ken Barlow and Eric Pollard made viewers nights as they attempted to get a free snack out of the vending machine.
They were then helped by Charity who whacked the machine much to their delight. On X (formerly known as Twitter), @s0phxx_ wrote: “Ken & Pollard this we needed to see”.
@brewguy_ added: “WoW Eric Pollard and Ken Barlow Legends Together” as @guylambertuk pleaded: “Ken Barlow and Eric Pollard spin-off please!”
@foxmwriter echoed: “Also special mention for Ken and Pollard having a wholesome moment between two long-serving soap legends”, and @kaaaaatie_x penned: “I can’t explain it, but Pollard and Ken together are making me emotional”.