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CORRIE’S sensational 50th *anniversary “bloodbath” tram crash storyline will include a LIVE *episode, The People can reveal.
Bosses want the show depicting the carnage seconds after the tram plummets off a viaduct to be the soap’s most *dramatic and *memorable ever.
Scenes will show popular Street *characters lying dead or fighting for their lives amid utter devastation.
An insider said: “The cast were told about the live episode at an on-set *meeting on Monday. Producer Phil Collinson told them it was going to be the biggest TV achievement ever. And he made it crystal clear he wanted no mistakes. He said no one had ever attempted anything as daring as this before. Actors were given the choice to opt out, but got the feeling that to do so would create an extremely bad impression.
“And with all the uncertainty about who is being killed off, the pressure is on. No one wants to bail out of the live episode when their jobs might be at stake.”
The People told last week how Corrie legend Bill Tarmey – lovable layabout Jack Duckworth – is the first big name to emerge as a victim of the tram crashing off the viaduct over the cobbled street.
The crash will also claim a host of Street favourites with boss Collinson – dubbed CULLinson – telling stars: “None of you are safe.” The plotline will be played out over a week-long series of episodes in early December, culminating in the live 50th birthday show on December 9.
Collinson, 42, is going for maximum drama. Bosses want to bring in real police, fire and ambulance staff and vehicles for authenticity. Our source said: “There’s a real buzz around the live episode.
“Everyone wants things to go off *without a single ****-up – no messed-up line or *moving dead body.”
Coronation Street had a live ITV *episode on December 8, 2000, as part of the show’s 40th anniversary.
Rival soap EastEnders went live for its 25th birthday earlier this year, pulling in more than 16million viewers.
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THE last time Corrie fans saw actor Brian Capron he was driving to his watery death in a Weatherfield canal as psycho Richard Hillman.
Eyes of a killer ... Richard Hillman
Granada Television
But TV Biz can reveal soap bosses have lured the actor back to play his evil alter ego's BROTHER for a Christmas spin-off DVD.
A Street source said: "Capron back from the dead will shock millions of fans.
"He's back playing his brother and, with his distinctive looks, he must be a twin."
Secret
Brian, 63, will be joined by a string of current stars for the 50th anniversary special.
And Corrie's comedy legends Ken Morley (Reg Holdsworth) and Kevin Kennedy (Curly Watts) are also set to appear.
The source added: "The plot lines are absolutely top secret and only a handful of people know about the project."
More than 19million viewers tuned in to see Hillman - nicknamed Tricky Dicky - confess to murdering hairdresser Maxine Peacock and almost killing Emily Bishop and his ex-wife Patricia in 2003.
And nearly 20million saw him drive into the canal in a failed bid to kill the Platts, whom he tied up in the car.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz0w4GYwZzM
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Coronation Street will go ahead with a live episode to celebrate its 50th anniversary, a report claims.
Producer Phil Collinson - who previously confirmed that discussions over a live transmission were taking place - allegedly shared the news with the soap's cast last week during an on-set meeting.
According to The People, live scenes will show bodies lying on the cobbles following the devastating tram crash which will be the main storyline in December.
Sources say that Collinson wants the special instalment to be "the biggest TV achievement ever" due to the challenging nature of the planned scenes.
A source said: "There's a real buzz around the live episode. Everyone wants things to go off without a single ****-up - no messed-up line or moving dead body."
Coronation Street previously went live for its 40th birthday ten years ago. Meanwhile, BBC soap EastEnders had a live broadcast for its 25th anniversary back in February.
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Kym Marsh has admitted that she hopes rumours that she will survive the upcoming Coronation Street tram crash are true.
Last month, Corrie producer Phil Collinson confirmed that the dramatic scenes will air during a week of episodes celebrating the soap's 50th anniversary.
"Apparently a 'Corrie insider' has said that both Michelle Keegan's character Tina McIntyre and mine will be spared in the tram crash, because our producer Phil Collinson sees us as 'the glamour' of the show!" Marsh wrote in her New column.
"If it's true, that's great - and very flattering! I don't see myself as glamorous, but Michelle Keegan certainly is."
The actress, who plays Michelle Connor, added that the cast are still unsure if they will survive the accident.
"We're all still very much in the dark about that storyline and probably will be for a long time to come, but we're all hoping we're not the ones who perish in the crash," she said.
Marsh previously backed the decision to keep the plot details secret.
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^ I hope she dont but she will
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THE new boss of Corrie is worried about losing the plot.
So worried in fact that Phil Collinson is having the set of the ITV1 soap scanned for BUGS.
The no-nonsense producer - who has struck fear into the actors since arriving a few months ago - splashed out THOUSANDS to bring in a team to sweep for bugging devices.
The aim is to catch those he believes are leaking top secret storylines in the build-up to the show's 50th anniversary special. As well as on-the-spot checks and questioning, a secure unit is in the pipeline for the Green Room where scripts will only be accessible through a locked door.
Last night Collinson said: "I'm determined to discover who is leaking scripts. We're deploying unprecedented security measures to clamp down on these breaches."
...but there are 2 stories he couldn't hide
ONE: Tearaway David Platt will be charged with trying to MURDER a love rival.
When Corrie cops arrest David (Jack Shepherd) for mowing down Graeme (Craig Gazey) they warn he'll rot in jail if his victim dies.
A source said: "Viewers will think he's really done it this time - and he could be on his way out of the soap."
TWO: Corrie's biggest bed-hoppers are to share a steamy romance, we can also reveal.
Sex-mad Rosie Webster (Helen Flanagan) and horny Jason Grimshaw (Ryan Thomas) have finally been brought together by scriptwriters.
Our insider said: "The romance starts in a few weeks."
NOTW
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The Kabin and the Corner Shop will reportedly be destroyed in Coronation Street's upcoming tram crash.
The Street's new bar The Joinery will also be damaged after a tram plunges off the viaduct in scenes planned by special-effects experts, according to the Sunday Mirror.
A source said: "It will be total carnage and the scenes will make incredible viewing. The producers want to make it the most dramatic episode Coronation Street has ever shown and they are pulling out all the stops. The Kabin and the Corner Shop will both be destroyed along with the bar.
"The producers haven't yet decided which characters will be inside so everyone feels like an axe is dangling over their head. There are rumours that up to a dozen stars could be killed off. It's going to be a bloodbath."
Producer Phil Collinson will also apparently use the crash to introduce new characters to the soap.
The source added: "There is a feeling among the top brass that Coronation Street needs to come into the 21st century a bit more. They want the show to look a lot different next year."
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CELEBS will be tested on their Corrie knowledge in a 50th anniversary quiz.
Two panels will do battle in the ITV1 Christmas show.
A source said: "Stars will be desperate to get on it."
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz0wk2IP9O8
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TUDOR thought it - surly Norris Cole looks fed-up with bloody Mary Taylor at a medieval banquet.
She tricks him into attending the historic weekend organised by Street legend Reg Holdsworth for a 50th anniversary Corrie DVD.
It's jester bit of fun, Norris.
Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage...#ixzz0wk3FIinm
:rotfl: :D
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Phil Collinson has admitted that he wants the upcoming tram crash to attract - and keep - new Coronation Street viewers.
The producer, who took over the show this year, told the Guardian that he has "huge ambition" for the 50th anniversary plot.
"It'll be Coronation Street like you've never seen it: more spectacular - and more expensive - than it's ever been," he told the paper.
Collinson revealed that he wanted to ensure viewers didn't just tune in from December 6 for the special week of real-time episodes.
"No one has sat me down and had the conversation that starts, 'Our demographic is older and we need younger viewers …' The show is in really good health and it does good viewing figures," he said.
"People haven't got used to Thursdays yet so we need to look at how to make them feel more important, but all the conversations have been about what we do between now and December and how we make sure people don't turn on for the anniversary week and then turn off again the week after."
He continued: "We're steaming towards December with five or six really big stories and when Monday hits and the week pans out, the tram crash will have sent off all those stories in completely different directions so that the people who have come to it will feel the need to stay on."
The former Doctor Who producer recently defended himself against claims that he was "polishing up his hatchet" when he took over Corrie.
"When Coronation Street is at its best, it's like a Lowry painting," he said. "There's a bit going on here, a bit going on there, a bit going on somewhere else. You try and pull as many of your cast into as many stories as you can and that's when it feels great. I want to do big seven-page scenes in the Rovers that go from character to character. I also want the pace to pick up."
