together at last
Coronation Street and Emmerdale announce huge ‘crossover’ special episode in UK soap first
The history-making episode will send long-lasting shockwaves through both soaps
CORONATION Street and Emmerdale are joining forces for the very first time in an epic crossover episode.
Both soaps will be side-by-side for an unmissable stunt that will have consequences for the residents of both the Dales and Weatherfield.
4
4
The soap first, which will be broadcast in January 2026, teases that characters from both shows will depart and exciting new faces will join as the cast from each of the long-running ITV programmes come face-to-face for the first time.
The hour-long episode is to mark the start of the new 'soap power hour' - a schedule change taking hold from early next year.
Emmerdale and Corrie will each broadcast a 30-minute episode every-day back-to-back as part of the new programming changes with the huge stunt set to kickstart it all.
ITV tease that the one-off mash-up will have "everlasting consequences for everyone involved" and will rock Weatherfield and the Dales forever.
Read More on ITV soaps
Both shows producers, scriptwriters and production teams have worked together to create the record-breaking episode with the impact then being felt as both programmes return to their own hubs for months to come.
Bosses from both shows also say that whilst the soaps will only be seen on-screen together for the one episode, the communities will be forever linked as a result of the as-yet undisclosed stunt.
There will also be an interactive twist for fans to determine one part of the episode.
A vote will be opened allowing soap fans to choose which Emmerdale and Coronation Street character will share a carefully-written scene together as part of the episode.
Most read in Soaps
Details of this initiative will be launched next month via Coronation Street and Emmerdale’s Instagram, Facebook and TikTok accounts.
The schedule change sees both soaps lose one episode a week amid dwindling ratings.
Coronation Street's battered and bloodied Craig left unconscious on the cobbles after a vicious attack
Both programme currently enjoy six outings a week but this will be down to just five following the epic stunt episode.
Emmerdale will air at 8pm followed by new episodes of Corrie at 8:30pm.
The programmes will continue to upload their episodes to ITVX at 7am each morning.
The soaps are known for their innovative stunts with Emmerdale screening an epic limo crash on a frozen lake earlier this year.
Their 2016 Hotten Bypass car crash also received acclaim.
Corrie's biggest stunt in recent times is it's 2010 tram crash as part of the 50th anniversary which saw a tram career onto the street.
Read More on The Sun
In a live episode, the residents were left dealing with the fallout as the tram remained smashed up across one half of the famous cobbles.
Biggest soap stunts
Soaps are no stranger to dramatic stunts in the storylines. Not only do these moments create a spectacle for viewers, they also fundamentally change characters' lives.
Here is a look at some of the biggest soap stunts from over the years.
CORONATION STREET
- Tram crash (2010): The ITV soap marked its 50th anniversary with a intense tram crash - and live episode to boot. Overall, the crash and its effects were broadcast across a week in December 2010. Its resulting chaos saw regular characters Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold) and Molly Dobbs (Vicky Binns) die.
- Richard Hillman tries to kill the Platts (2003): Of all the men unlucky-in-love Gail tied the knot with, Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) is probably the one she regrets most in hindsight. In 2003, murderer Richard tried to kill his step-family: first by gassing them with car fumes and then driving Gail (Helen Worth), Sarah (Tina O'Brien), David (Jack P. Shepherd) and Bethany (Amy and Emily Walton) into a canal.
EASTENDERS
- Queen Vic fire (2010): In September 2010, EastEnders bid farewell to matriarch Peggy Mitchell (Barbara Windsor) as a permanent fixture on the soap - she returned as a guest before the character's death in 2016. In the build-up to her initial exit, Peggy had trapped crack cocaine-addicted son Phil (Steve McFadden) in the Queen Vic. However, he escaped and set the boozer on fire.
- Bus crash (2017): In April 2017, a total of 11 Albert Square residents had their lives at risk in a terrifying bus crash. The stunt saw a double decker bus - the 764 to Barking - lose control and crash through the Albert Square market before hitting a low-level bridge. Notable passengers at the time included Denise Fox (Diane Parish) and Louise Mitchell (Tilly Keeper).
EMMERDALE
- James Barton's death (2016): Interestingly about James' (Bill Ward) death was that it came in a spiral of events. After wife Emma (Gillian Kearney) locked James up in a jealous rage, he escaped and they tussled on a bridge over the bypass. Emma pushed him and James fell into traffic, in turn causing a 12-vehicle pile up, As well as James dying, key characters including Ashley Thomas (John Middleton) and Rhona Goskirk (Zoe Henry) were injured.
4
4
Topics