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Executive producer Kate Brooks lifts the lid on the explosive turn of events that will see one character killed off during a special flash-forward episode.
‘There’s a special episode coming up mid-February and in that episode we’re doing a bit of a flash-forward ep. I know it’s been done recently on another show but this is something that’s been in the making for a really long time. The big stories we have on the table, it gives us a destination for those big stories to all come together and be involved in a much bigger storyline.’
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https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/cor...ie-2026-story/
Coronation Street is planning an emotional new storyline for Bernie Winter-Alahan following the shocking death of Billy Mayhew. Show bosses are taking the caring character in an unexpected new direction this year, after she was rocked by the recent Corriedale tragedy.
The ITV soap has already explored a tough time for Bernie, as her beloved son Paul Foreman died in September 2024, with his Motor Neurone Disease (MND) story reaching a heartbreaking conclusion. Paul's husband Billy had also become hugely important to Bernie over the years, so his sudden death will understandably hit her hard.
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In a new interview, Coronation Street's producer Kate Brooks explained: "Bernie's such a fun character, but she's really stoic and she's watched her son die, which was horrific. Now she's having to come to terms with the fact that Billy has also died.
"The thing with Bernie is that she wants to take care of people. She's people's rock, but as a result of that, she's buried a lot of grief. If you cast your mind back to when Paul died, it was very rare that we saw Bernie lose it, or burst into tears.
"She was strong for everyone, she's the strength of that whole family. So we wanted to explore what would happen if she had to deal with another really tragic death ? and how that grief manifests."
Corrie fans saw a glimpse of Bernie's devastation earlier this week, as she decided to close up Roy's Rolls early when she couldn't face the day at work. However, she did reluctantly serve surgeon Vincent Harper when he persistently paid two trips to the caf? that day.
"We take Bernie on a really interesting journey as she struggles," Brooks continued. "It gets to the point where, because it's been bubbling for such a long time, it eventually erupts.
"When it does, there are consequences for Bernie. It's not as straightforward as Dev sweeping in and making sure that everything's okay. It's a really muddy, murky story that we take her on. I think it just again explores another side of Bernie that we've not seen yet."
The show's producer left fans with hope that Bernie and Dev's relationship can ultimately survive the turmoil to come.
She said: "Obviously it's going to be a test for Bernie and Dev, but it's a test that they are a really strong couple, and no matter what we throw at them, they can overcome because they love each other. They absolutely adore each other.
"It's a big story for Bernie, and certainly Roy's embroiled in that story as well. It's a really interesting one to keep an eye on, because it's going to be quite a big start of the year for Bernie."
Billy was killed after driving the wedding minibus which crashed in the Corriedale special. Although Theo Silverton had a chance to save the much-loved vicar, the villain chose to protect his own dark secrets by leaving Billy to die.
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https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/cor...cial-episodes/
Coronation Street's producer Kate Brooks has defended the show's increase in "special episodes" which stray from the traditional soap format. Corrie and fellow ITV soap Emmerdale have both been experimenting with their styles in recent years, sparking fan debate over whether the shows should stick to their roots.
Late last year, Corrie was praised for a powerful "behind closed doors" episode which explored Todd Grimshaw's domestic abuse ordeal through the lens of various in-universe cameras, including CCTV and police bodycams. A special flashback episode also explored a dark secret from Maggie Driscoll's past.
Looking ahead, the show will play with time again next month ? as specially-filmed flashforward scenes tease a mystery death with five possible victims. However, some fans have argued online that the "special episodes" are becoming too frequent.
In a new interview, Brooks was asked whether the show has even more experimental episodes coming up beyond the flashforward.
"I probably won't be able to talk about them, but yes we do," Brooks replied. "We do have episodes that feel special and different. They break the usual formula of soap and I think they're a really interesting way of telling the story.
"We have a lot of episodes a year. We have a lot of our 'traditional format' episodes to appease the more traditional viewers. So I think when the story affords it, or when it lends itself to taking a more abstract and slightly less conventional approach, then we embrace it and we do it really well.
"We have a great team around us who work really hard to ensure that whilst the episode might feel different, it still feels very story-driven."
She continued: "If you take the recent Todd and Theo episode as an example, you can't get more 'kitchen sink drama' than being in somebody's living room watching them live their lives. That's taking it right back to day dot.
"What we'll continue to do going forward, is taking these big storylines that we have and try and tell them in fresh and innovative ways. Initially, people might not always love it, but I think it's a risk that we should take.
"We continue to take it, because we need to keep abreast of the competition. We need to make sure that we stay relevant, fresh and new. So yes, there'll be more of those types of episodes coming up."
Another big Corrie change is the show's scheduling pattern. From this week onwards, the show will air every weeknight at 8.30pm for 30 minutes. This is five episodes per week, while the previous hour-long editions created the equivalent of six weekly .
Brooks added: "The difference with the hour longs is that it's an hour of drama to film, so you need every beat and every scene to feel interesting and move the story forward. When you're doing that three times a week, that's quite a lot to sustain.
"So I think the episodes will now naturally feel pacier. We're able to play slightly more lighter textual stories, because it's a couple of scenes, as opposed to four or five or six scenes over the course of an episode.
"There will definitely be more of a spread of characters as well, because we're able to dip in and out of people's stories and not be constrained by hour-long episodes.
"So, whilst the storytelling and the storylines that are currently running are not going to massively change, what will change is that the episodes will feel way more pacier ? and will feel like how soap should really be."
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" Another big Corrie change is the show's scheduling pattern. From this week onwards, the show will air every weeknight at 8.30pm for 30 minutes. This is five episodes per week, while the previous hour-long editions created the equivalent of six weekly .
Brooks added: "The difference with the hour longs is that it's an hour of drama to film, so you need every beat and every scene to feel interesting and move the story forward. When you're doing that three times a week, that's quite a lot to sustain.
"So I think the episodes will now naturally feel pacier. We're able to play slightly more lighter textual stories, because it's a couple of scenes, as opposed to four or five or six scenes over the course of an episode.
"There will definitely be more of a spread of characters as well, because we're able to dip in and out of people's stories and not be constrained by hour-long episodes.
"So, whilst the storytelling and the storylines that are currently running are not going to massively change, what will change is that the episodes will feel way more pacier ? and will feel like how soap should really be."
What a load of rubbish! It just sounds like they are trying to brainwash viewers. I just find the episodes too short now, and more times a week, which is a nuisance.
