Coronation Street spoilers follow.
Coronation Street director David Kester has shared new details of Stephen Reid's final week.
The ITV show is marking Super Soap Week by airing a dramatic final storyline for Stephen, as the residents of Weatherfield band together to stop him from fleeing the country.
This week's episodes see Stephen get caught out at last, as his sinister crimes are exposed. Stephen then tries to jet off away from the UK before the police have a chance to catch up with him.
Kester, who directed the full week, told Digital Spy and other media: "It's just one story throughout the whole week. That's really unusual and not something that we normally do.
Related: Coronation Street's Stephen Reid storyline nearly went on for six months longer
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"For Super Soap Week, it's also quite unusual that it's not centred around one massive stunt or a whole sequence of stunts. Actually, I think that's the week's biggest strength – it's all about the characters.
"One thing I'd always say about stunts is that I've done my fair share of explosions, crashes, fires and things blowing up, but they're normally over in about 20 seconds.
"What's great about Stephen Reid is that he goes on throughout all of the episodes. He's like Terminator! He's devious. You think that DS Swain has just got to nail him, but then he'll find a twist and he'll find a way out. That makes the jeopardy go on for much longer, which is a lot more interesting."
Kester also spoke about the importance of showing the whole Weatherfield community come together as they respond to the Stephen crisis.
Related: Coronation Street teases Stephen Reid's exit week in 38 new spoiler pictures
He said: "It's great because every character reacts in a different way. You've got Jenny's betrayal and heartbreak. You've then got a character like Tim, who tries to deal with it in a certain way.
"Carla's doing everything she can to hold it together and bang Stephen to rights, because she wants justice. She's trying to protect her business but DS Swain says: 'Don't do anything, he's a flight risk'.
"So how do we make that dramatic? Peter Barlow, because you know he's a loose cannon and he's going to do something. He's going to be the one to potentially alert Stephen that everyone's onto him.
"There's also the humour of the Platts – they're just gold because they stay in character. They're not just there to serve the plot, and they do it brilliantly.
"It was great because everyone's reaction was different."
Check out more of our Coronation Street coverage:
- Coronation Street star Todd Boyce breaks silence on Stephen Reid exit story
- Coronation Street boss promises huge aftermath to Stephen Reid's exit
- Coronation Street teases Stephen Reid's exit week in 38 new spoiler pictures
- Coronation Street star Ryan Russell on Michael's devastating mistake in Stephen story
- Coronation Street star Alison King on Carla's shock Stephen discoveries
- Coronation Street star Sally Dynevor explains shock death fears in Stephen story
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and streams on ITVX.
Read more Coronation Street spoilers on our dedicated homepage
