CORONATION Street stars are BANNED from going on holiday if writers have major stories lined up for them – with zero exceptions.
Former storyliner Martin Sterling left the ITV soap earlier this year after 17 years of service, and has now shared some show secrets.
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He revealed that in the past he has been responsible for stopping some of the “biggest names on television” from getting the time off that they want.
However, Martin went on to insist that the ever-professional cast were always understanding about the decision.
He explained: “The thing that happens that people perhaps don’t realise is you also have cast holidays, ‘Can suchabody have this week’s holiday?’
“And you have to say, ‘No, they’re in a big story’… Am I really saying no to one of the biggest names on television, telling them that they can’t have a holiday?
“Of course the cast are entitled to holidays like everyone else and they don’t know if they’re going to be in a big story because they don’t know what’s coming up, I think they do understand.
“So we say to them ‘You can’t take certain weeks cause you’re gonna be really busy’, they do understand.”
Martin added to the Coronation Street Podcast that his favourite storyline was evil villain Pat Phelan – but finds the super-villains a tad “unrealistic”, and more day-to-day baddies like domestic abuser Geoff Metcalfe resonate with viewers better.
He shared: “Some of the villains like Pat Phelan, like Richard Hillman, they’re just slightly above reality.
“Richard Hillman pulling on the gloves was just a hoot but there was something about Geoff which actually is very real and the fact is that is happening to women in real life.”
The “most emotional” storyline of his career was Hayley Cropper’s death – with the famous 2010 live tram crash episode also one of his highlights.
