Soapland is in a bit of a quandary at the moment, having been interrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. Slowly but surely, however, the shows we know and love are getting back on track.
With Coronation Street set to resume production in June, and Emmerdale already a week into its new filming schedule, ITV's boss of continuing drama has spoken out about the unique challenges both soaps are facing – and how they'll overcome them.
Speaking at an ITV Powerbank event, John Whiston revealed how both Corrie and Emmerdale's cast and crew have "turned on a sixpence" to alter the on-set experience, taking everything from plot lines to props into account.
Related: Emmerdale will stay on air after returning to filming - but with one big change
"People want us to reflect the world but not slavishly, as that would be quite dull," Whiston explained (via Broadcast). "While our families will be keeping within their households and possibly extending into social bubbles, there will still be lots happening."
Talking about the escapism that soaps provide their viewers, he insisted that our visits to Weatherfield and the Dales will continue to be a "point of escape" for audiences.
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"Our parallel world in which people shag, kill, are mean and tender to each other must go on," he continued. "[But] there has always been a kindness underpinning Corrie and Emmerdale, and that is coming to the fore now."
Related: Coronation Street star Andrew Whyment gives update on show's return to filming
Hinting at the kind of impact the government's current guidance on social distancing will have on how characters interact with each other on screen, the ITV boss said soaps may have to revisit the 1930s.
"We may have to go back to the way in which these things were filmed in 1930s Hollywood – with candles blown out and doors shutting at bedtime to ensure the cast are socially-distancing," he said. "It may be a more polite world for a while."
As well as keeping on top of the issues posed by sharing props and continuity within the cast (especially when it comes to actors' new lockdown hair), Whiston also admitted that the whole atmosphere of the soap set has had to change.
"Our spaces have been deliberately designed to be open plan to encourage communication," he explained. "We are now having to turn them into anti-social spaces with screens and shields."
There's compromise, sure, but if anything's worth it, it's soaps.
Coronation Street currently airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm on ITV. Emmerdale airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, half an hour earlier at 7pm.
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