NEW KID ON THE BLOCK Coronation Street quietly recast show star – and new actor has a connection to soap legend Tina O’Brien
CORONATION Street have quietly recast Bertie Osborne, the son of Daniel Osborne and the late Sinead Tinker.
The character has been played by twins Rufus and Elias Morgan Smith, with Rufus taking over full-time from 2020 onwards.
Eight-year-old Henry Duggan began filming back in January and his first scenes will air next week.
The child actor has been added to the soap’s cast list as his dad Daniel’s new mental health storyline kicks off.
Henry already has a connection to one of the show’s stars as he was taught at Tina O’Brien’s fame school, The Drama Mob.
She joined the ITV1 show back in 1999 as the iconic Sarah Platt, a role she carried out until 2008.
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After a seven-year-break, she returned in 2015 and has been at the centre of the drama since her comeback.
She opened her acting school back in 2013 in Manchester, alongside her best friend and business partner Esther Morgan.
The news comes after it was revealed that both Coronation Street and Emmerdale are set to be rocked by continuing schedule chaos.
With the World Cup only a few weeks away, both soaps are set to face constant upheaval.
Matches from the games will take priority slots which could mean the soaps are forced out of their usual slots altogether.
It is understood to have caused a headache backstage as the soaps scramble to work out when episodes can be aired.
The soap power hour has so far already faced significant disruption.
Last month, many episodes ended up being broadcast on the untraditional day of Sunday after a mid-week episode was dropped in favour of sporting coverage.
However, with World Cup matches also set to air on Sundays, this option looks set to be unlikely.