{"id":146232,"date":"2025-09-18T22:47:14","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T22:47:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/146232\/"},"modified":"2025-09-18T22:47:14","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T22:47:14","slug":"itv-axes-coronation-street-star-as-a-sacrifice-ahead-of-emmerdale-crossover-episode-soaps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/146232\/","title":{"rendered":"ITV axes Coronation Street star as a \u2018sacrifice\u2019 ahead of Emmerdale crossover episode | Soaps"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"646\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_236918826-ca21.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23626393\" alt=\"Coronation Street logo in front of the street at night.\" decoding=\"sync\"\/><br \/>\n\t\t(Picture: ITV\/Michael Adams)<\/p>\n<p><a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tv-soaps\/coronation-street\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Coronation Street<\/a> is set to celebrate a milestone 65 years on our screens later this year, and boss <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/iain-macleod\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Iain MacLeod <\/a>has teased how the show plans to mark it \u2013 and it involves the brutal death of a major character.<\/p>\n<p>The Manchester-based soap first hit our screens in 1960, and it has been non-stop drama ever since!<\/p>\n<p>In the last year alone, residents of the cobbled street have faced kidnappings, shootings, car accidents, murders, affairs, illnesses and robberies, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/05\/03\/the-uk-soap-storylines-that-changed-our-lives-forever-23014223\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">just to name a few<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>So, it seems only fitting for a show legend to meet a grisly fate during this momentous anniversary episode.<\/p>\n<p>Though the 60th anniversary aired during the Covid-19 pandemic, complete with restrictions, there was still plenty of drama to be had, including a whodunnit after <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/adam-barlow\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Adam Barlow<\/a> (<a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/sam-robertson\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sam Robertson<\/a>) was attacked.<\/p>\n<p>It also saw <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2020\/12\/09\/coronation-street-spoilers-geoff-dies-after-terrifying-battle-with-yasmeen-13724275\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the highly anticipated demise of the evil Geoff Metcalfe<\/a>, who met his end falling off the roof into a garden full of chickens.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"363\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PRI_175344875-527a.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-24186415\" alt=\"Geoff clinging onto a roof in Corrie\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tGeoff Metcalfe fell from the roof in the 60th anniversary episode (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/PRI_17462269-b342-e1758097524757.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-24186420\" alt=\"Coronation Street residents crouch in the road looking at the fire from the tram crash\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tThe 50th anniversary was marked by an epic tram crash stunt and a live episode (Picture: ITV\/REX\/Shutterstock)<\/p>\n<p>And of course, no one can forget <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/10\/11\/relive-tram-crash-coronation-street-drops-hundreds-episodes-online-21776631\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the epic 50th anniversary live episode<\/a>, which saw a tram crash on the street, claiming the lives of Ashley Peacock and Molly Dobbs, and allowing John Stape to get away with the murder of Charlotte Hoyle \u2013 for a while, at least.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018The soap gods demand a sacrifice when you have an event of this kind,\u2019 Iain, who is the executive producer for continuing drama at <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/itv\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ITV<\/a>, told The Mirror.<\/p>\n<p>He continued to tease the 65th anniversary episodes by saying: \u2018It\u2019s going to be shocking. There will be lots of trauma, lots of drama, lots of twists.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Sometimes the biggest and best exits are for characters that you care the most about\u2026\u2019<\/p>\n<p>He went on to discuss <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2024\/11\/27\/coronation-streets-behind-the-scenes-secrets-revealed-22057067\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">how much deliberation goes into the planning<\/a> of these episodes, admitting that there are often disagreements among the production team.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"971\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/GettyImages-535064006.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-24186465\" alt=\"Iain MacLeod smiling on the red carpet at the British Soap Awards 2016\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tIain MacLeod spilled the tea (Picture: Jeff Spicer\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<p>\u2018There\u2019s always that equation where you think, \u201cIf they were to go, the viewers will really care, but what damage will it do to the landscape of the show in terms of the ability to tell stories?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It\u2019s a big responsibility so we do agonise about it quite a lot and argue about it. Our story conferences are fiery places at times and this period of the show is no different.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>It won\u2019t all be doom and gloom, though, as Iain has promised a return from \u2018a few familiar faces\u2019.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t the only big event Corrie is set to mark in the coming months, with <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/02\/04\/huge-coronation-street-and-emmerdale-changes-as-episodes-are-permanently-cut-22491626\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">huge schedule changes set to take effect<\/a> in the new year.<\/p>\n<p>Following audience research, bosses have concluded that 30 minute episodes attracted higher audience figures throughout 2024, and as a result, a new broadcast pattern will be adopted from January.<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"338\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_238537392-927a.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-24007920\" alt=\"The Coronation Street Rovers Return pub and Emmerdale's Woolpack\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tCorrie and Emmerdale are set to air a crossover episode (Picture: Metro\/Michael Adams\/ITV)<\/p>\n<p>This means that Emmerdale will air Monday to Friday from 8pm, with Coronation Street following on the same days at 8:30pm in what has been dubbed as a \u2018soap power hour.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Consequently, both soaps are\u00a0cutting one episode per week.<\/p>\n<p>To mark this change, <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/05\/13\/coronation-street-and-emmerdale-to-crossover-for-first-time-ever-in-history-making-episode-23076254\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">the soaps are coming together for a major crossover episode<\/a>, which will see characters from both soaps interacting for the first time.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018All of it is feeding into this crossover episode we are doing in January,\u2019 Iain said of the events of the 65th anniversary episodes.<\/p>\n<p>He continued to the publication: \u2018It\u2019s going to get bigger and bigger. Things will peak in a big way.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/SEI_138343132-7513-e1754295612859.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23772295\" alt=\"Jenny Connor standing outside of the Rovers pub in Coronation Street.\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tSally Ann Matthews announced her upcoming exit as Jenny Connor earlier this year (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n<p>\t\t<img width=\"646\" height=\"521\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/01_08_coro_todd_theo_billy_03-9f27.jpg\" class=\"article-image wp-image-23684788\" alt=\"Theo and Billy talking in the hallway in Corrie\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\/><br \/>\n\t\tDaniel Brocklebank is also set to leave his role as Billy Mayhew (Picture: ITV)<\/p>\n<p>Fans are already speculating which characters could be set to face the swinging axe, with many fearing for their favourites.<\/p>\n<p>Several big names have already <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/08\/23\/full-list-coronation-street-cast-returns-arrivals-exits-2025-23966245\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">announced their upcoming exits<\/a> from the show, including <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/daniel-brocklebank\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Daniel Brocklebank<\/a> and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/sally-ann-matthews\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sally Ann Matthews<\/a>, who play <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/billy-mayhew\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Billy Mayhew<\/a> and <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" data-track=\"inline-tag-auto-link_article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/tag\/jenny-connor\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jenny Connor<\/a> respectively.<\/p>\n<p>Could either of these characters fall victim to whatever grisly fate the 65th anniversary has in store, or will we be blindsided by someone completely unexpected?<\/p>\n<p>Anything is possible in the world of soap!<\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/09\/18\/coronation-streets-kym-marsh-shares-heartbreaking-post-18-months-tragic-loss-24197493\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Coronation Street\u2019s Kym Marsh shares heartbreaking post 18 months on from tragic loss<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/09\/18\/emmerdale-star-reveals-worst-ever-audition-saw-rejected-major-uk-show-24195912\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Emmerdale star reveals \u2018worst ever\u2019 audition which saw him rejected by major UK show<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"metro-more-link\">Arrow<br \/>\nMORE: <a data-ico=\"hyperlink-article\" href=\"https:\/\/metro.co.uk\/2025\/09\/18\/eastenders-rita-simons-walked-aisle-iconic-pop-star-marries-fellow-actor-24195851\/?ico=more_text_links\" class=\"\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">EastEnders\u2019 Rita Simons walked down the aisle by iconic pop star as she marries fellow actor<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"metro-button share-bar-comments\" data-vars-position=\"bottom\" href=\"#metro-comments-container\"><br \/>\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tComments<br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\tThe Soaps Newsletter \u2013 Weekly<\/p>\n<p>Sign up for exclusive spoilers and interviews, handpicked by our Soaps Editor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(Picture: ITV\/Michael Adams) Coronation Street is set to celebrate a milestone 65 years on our screens later this&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":146233,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[2525,96,67349,347,1609,12414,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-146232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-coronation-street","tag-entertainment","tag-iain-macleod","tag-itv","tag-soaps","tag-soaps-showbiz","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=146232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/146232\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/146233"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=146232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=146232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=146232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}