The cast and crew of Coronation Street are said to be ‘furious’ as they face a new blow following budget cuts earlier this year – after the team were also forced to dip into their own pockets
The Corrie crew and cast are said to be left seething after being hard hit by recent budget cuts, sparking quite the drama off-screen. The iconic ITV show, which has been tightening its belt on costs this year, is facing fresh backlash for reportedly making their own team pay out of pocket for their summer celebration.
Indeed, as early as January, eyebrows were raised when less filming took place at the beloved Rovers Return pub in an attempt to be more cost-effective.
It’s been a year of shake-ups for the Weatherfield regulars with familiar faces like Colson Smith (Craig Tinker) and Charlotte Jordan (Daisy Midgeley) bidding farewell to the cobbles.
Adding insult to injury, it appears that everyone involved will need to chip in ÂŁ22 each to fund their summer party – not to mention splashing extra cash for their drinks, a detail that hasn’t gone unnoticed and certainly hasn’t lifted spirits.
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A source venting to The Sun shared: “It’s been a difficult few months and people were really looking forward to the party, but it puts a bit of a dampener on things that they have to pay”, reports the Mirror, which has reached out to both Coronation Street and ITV for comments.
They added: “It might not be a lot to some of the bigger known stars but for some staff it is. The fact that drinks aren’t included is a real blow too. People aren’t really that surprised though considering the constant budget cuts.”
This news follows the announcement a few months ago that the soap would be reducing its weekly airtime from six to five hours.
However, it’s not just Coronation Street facing a cut in hours; Emmerdale will also be following suit.
The change is scheduled to take effect at the start of 2026. From January, viewers can look forward to a soap ‘power hour’, with Emmerdale airing for half an hour each day at 8pm.
Immediately following at 8.30pm, Coronation Street will return to its daily half-hour slot, bringing more drama from the Cobbles.
But there’s a silver lining for fans of both soaps come January. For the first time ever, they’ll unite for a unique, one-off special episode to kick off the broadcaster’s new power hour.
This unprecedented crossover, a first in British soap history, will see characters from both soaps come together in a grand celebration of the genre.
