How soaps like Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks could explore coronavirus

It's an uncertain time for the soap industry at the moment for many reasons. Filming is paused with no end date in sight, hundreds of staff have been furloughed and there's a strong possibility of new episodes running out.

Aside from those concerns, another big question is how the soaps should address the pandemic once they're able to film new scenes. Here are some ways the soaps could react – with an expert view from a former soap boss who knows the genre inside out.

1. Ignore it completely

Once soaps are able to return to filming, their simplest option is to ignore the coronavirus pandemic completely and continue with their existing storyline plans. This would effectively put shows like Coronation Street and EastEnders in an alternate universe where the global outbreak never happened.

This possibility would naturally be tempting for the soap bosses, who already have a mountain to climb to get their programmes back on track. Shows like Coronation Street and Hollyoaks could get on with salvaging their anniversary plans – Corrie turns 60 in December, while Hollyoaks reaches 25 in October.

Hollyoaks also needs to rework its County Lines drug dealing story to ensure that the New Year flashforward scenes still make sense.

However, in a message on Twitter last month, former EastEnders scriptwriter Christopher Reason pointed out the downsides of ignoring coronavirus completely after the huge impact it's had globally. Can the soaps, which often promote their success with reflecting real issues, really avoid mentioning it?

"I have always found it fascinating when a soap opera becomes completely divorced from reality, as it must be in our current situation," Christopher tweeted. "Society is going to change completely. How can a show like EastEnders reflect that if it hasn't appeared in the storyline?"

2. Have an off-screen lockdown

If the soaps do run out of new episodes, another option is to use this time off air as an off-screen 'lockdown' period for the characters. Shows like Corrie and EastEnders could jump forward in time with their first episodes back, letting viewers know that their favourite characters were in lockdown during the downtime.

Storylines could then show how life on the cobbles and the Square has changed and how the characters then move forward in the subsequent weeks and months.

Coronation Street star Colson Smith, who plays Craig Tinker, recently speculated that the soap could reference the real-world situation in future episodes. However, show bosses haven't officially verified this and Digital Spy understands that Colson's comments were his own thoughts, rather than a confirmation of future plans.

Colson told ITV's Good Morning Britain: "We're all really looking forward to reading the scripts. And reading how we show the social distancing guidelines, and how we show what we've missed.

"It's an exciting time. We've got a great team of writers behind us and I'm sure they're all working away at the moment so that when we come back we've got everything right and we're ready."

However, one problem with referencing coronavirus on screen is that the gap between filming and transmission is usually six to eight weeks, making it incredibly difficult for the soaps to stay up-to-date in such a fast-moving situation.

This became apparent for Holby City last month when they recorded a last-minute reference to coronavirus for transmission on March 10. The show also promised another reference in the next episode two weeks later, but this was ultimately not shown as the situation had moved on so much.

Another topic to consider is the different audience expectations for each soap. Part of the appeal of a show like Hollyoaks is, arguably, escapism, while viewers might expect a hospital drama like Casualty or Holby City to reflect the real-life situation affecting the NHS.

3. Close the pubs

Current episodes of all soaps are showing characters in pubs and other public spaces as usual. ITV has been airing regular reminders to viewers that these scenes were filmed well before the government's current restrictions came into place.

In the longer term, the question for soap bosses is whether it's appropriate to show characters in the Rovers Return and the Queen Vic when real-life pubs are likely to be closed for the foreseeable future.

Viewers accept the pub scenes in the current episodes because their presence can't be helped, but would that goodwill still exist for episodes filmed after the restrictions came into place?

Some tabloid reports have suggested that Corrie will indeed close The Rovers when filming resumes, but the show has not confirmed this officially. Current plans are sure to be ever-changing in such a fast-moving situation.

Speaking about the pub speculation, a Corrie insider told Digital Spy today: "There have been lots of discussions of various scenarios. Any decisions will be taken once we know the government guidelines when we return to filming.

"We also need to bear in mind that anything we film is weeks in advance of transmission, so we need to be mindful of that. It will all depend on when we are allowed back."

4. Have the cast record from home

If the soaps do run out of new episodes, one slightly more ambitious suggestion to fill the gap is to have the cast record some scenes from home.

The cast of Hollyoaks have already been experimenting with this on a slightly more unofficial basis. The show's stars were asked to take one piece of costume home before filming stopped, allowing them to record some special videos in-character from home.

Currently these are online extras, rather than official canon. However, they're far from amateur – some cast have even been supplied with green screens to make it look like they're on certain sets.

EastEnders star Natalie Cassidy – who plays Sonia Fowler – recently suggested the idea of showing video calls between characters, although whether any of the soaps will be willing to explore this remains to be seen.

Natalie told The Guardian: "Thankfully – because EastEnders records ahead – our episodes are still airing. But if this goes on for a long time we'll have to get creative. Maybe we can put something out there ourselves – video conversations between characters maybe?"

5. Do more standalone episodes

Once soaps do resume production, social distancing measures are likely to still be in place. Aussie soap Neighbours has already started filming again, with very strict guidelines to protect cast and crew. This includes limited numbers of cast in each scene and camera trickery used to make the characters appear physically closer.

One way to get around the reduction in large group scenes could be to show more standalone episodes, showing Soapland's popular families at home.

If the producers do choose to reflect the real-world situation, this could fit pretty well, showing the likes of the Barlows, Mitchells and Dingles spending more time at home just like everyone is in the real world.

An expert view

This week, Digital Spy caught up with former Hollyoaks and The Bill producer Paul Marquess – now showrunner of BBC One drama London Kills – for an insider's perspective on the current situation and how the soaps could work to approach it.

Paul gave us a fascinating insight into the task ahead for the hard-working teams behind the soaps.

How can soaps reflect coronavirus?

"I think the soaps are going to come off air at some point. I don't know that for sure, but if this situation carries on, they're surely going to run out of new episodes. So one massive question is: if you're working on the episode that the soap comes back with, do you mention what has happened? All of the soaps have got health centres and doctors in. So if you see a doctor or a GP, do they mention it or not?

"You also have to ask yourself what your role is in the psyche of the nation. Are you here to entertain the audience and make them feel better, or are you here to reflect what's actually happening in the world? I think there's a very delicate balance between not ignoring what people are going through, but not wallowing in it at the same time.

"If I was in the executive producer's chair on a soap at the moment, my instant reaction would be to explore storylines like love triangles and romance. Those would be difficult to shoot from a practical perspective, but not impossible.

"I would say you need to acknowledge that people have been through something – or are still going through something – but with as light a touch as you can get away with.

"You can tell big, emotional stories about your touchstone characters that aren't necessarily about the pandemic, but they touch on what people may be feeling in the pandemic – whether that's claustrophobia, feeling cooped up, feeling trapped in a relationship, and wondering whether the grass is greener on the other side.

"I think I would also lay off the social issues for a bit, because there's no issue bigger than this. I'd focus on the personal and the emotional storylines instead.

"One problem is that there's always a lag of six to eight weeks between filming and transmission. So if you come back on air with scenes showing the characters coming out of lockdown and the country is going back into lockdown again, that would pose a problem.

"If you were lightning fast, the closest you could get would be three weeks to get something filmed, edited, dubbed and put on the TV. So I think you'd want to be a little bit vague about the exact details. If you're too specific, even if you're three weeks out, you're probably going to get it wrong.

"You don't want to reflect what the audience are going through but then end up making a mess of it. That's why I think it should be more about what we're feeling, rather than the specific details of what's happening.

"I wouldn't want to do a story about there not being enough PPE available, for example, because the chances of getting that right at the right moment would be so small.

"What could be more effective is telling stories about people trying to do their best in difficult circumstances. You can perhaps be a little bit more metaphorical about it."

Should pubs like the Rovers Return close, even though they're important for stories and characters crossing over?

"If you had to close the Rovers Return down for six months, you would and people would still carry on watching the show.

"Characters would still meet in the Street, rather than the pub. They'd stand two metres apart and I think that'd be alright. I don't think the Rovers Return can be open if the nation's pubs are shut, as it would look odd.

"I think you wouldn't listen to what the characters were saying, you'd be saying: 'That pub should be shut!'"

Is it worth exploring filming from home, for video calls between the characters?

"I think that's okay for a gimmick. It might be an interesting experiment. But we tune in for the soaps to be the soaps.

"You can record a radio soap like The Archers from home, but I don't think you can do that with TV.

"You could do some two-hander episodes, though. I think the audience wouldn't mind stopping and having a good look at how their favourite characters are feeling at the moment.

"You could do a different two-hander in each house – that'd be interesting and I know the scriptwriters would love to explore that."

Do Casualty and Holby City have a bigger responsibility to explore coronavirus?

"I think they do, but I really don't envy them because it's going to be hard. It's very difficult because they will have scripts and storylines already planned. I think you probably need to put those to one side, then do something that addresses the issue before you start again.

"I think they can't get away with not doing anything. Just a couple of scenes saying 'that pandemic was hard work' wouldn't be enough. I think we need to know what happened to their characters and how they feel about it, and see some of it if we can."

The information in this story is accurate as of the publication date. While we are attempting to keep our content as up-to-date as possible, the situation surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to develop rapidly, so it's possible that some information and recommendations may have changed since publishing. For any concerns and latest advice, visit the World Health Organisation. If you're in the UK, the National Health Service can also provide useful information and support, while US users can contact the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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