Coronation Street fans have called out a missed opportunity in one of the episodes leading up the Corriedale crossover, wondering why one specific Emmerdale character didn't appear in Friday's (2 January) episode of ITV's other soap.
Both soaps have been sowing the seeds for the crossover with plenty of references to the other, most notably with the build-up to Debbie Webster and Ronnie Bailey's wedding.
Belle Dingle served as the wedding planner for the celebration, and mentioned having to deal with "diva" Debbie and her demands for the big day, including having a choir.
The wedding took place on Friday, the last Corrie episode before the crossover (and ITV's new soap schedule), with the choir in attendance providing some heartwarming moments, as the singers were from a real-life dementia choir.
However, Belle was nowhere to be seen at the wedding.
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"Wedding planners are usually in attendance at the weddings they've planned, even if just beforehand... So, it's just weird to me that she wasn't there," one fan wrote on Reddit.
"I would've loved to have seen it! I thought they might introduce some of the crossover characters a bit earlier than Corriedale so it felt more natural," said another. "This would've been a great way to lead us into it."
Over on X, one fan said: "a little Belle cameo at the wedding would have been fun", while another wrote: "Surely, if Belle was the wedding planner for Debbie and Ronnie she'd be at the wedding making sure things ran smoothly".
"Belle Dingle gets 0 star review for wedding planner. No sign of her," one viewer joked.
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Even the crossover's writer Owen Lloyd-Fox thinks that the one episode isn't enough, stating that he begged ITV soap boss Iain MacLeod for a movie-length version or a week's worth of crossover.
"What a brilliant sandbox. I don't like that phrase, but what a brilliant world to play in, that you can bring these characters together," he said.
Corriedale airs on ITV1 at 8pm and will be available to stream on ITVX and YouTube.
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