Coronation Street writers having to re-write scenes after star self-isolates due to coronavirus fears

Coronation Street

Coronation Street writers are having to re-write some scenes after one of the soap stars had to self-isolate due to coronavirus fears.

The Coronation Street actor, who remained anonymous, decided to take precautionary measures after returning from their holiday. They received full support from ITV for this decision.

After returning from holiday, the soap star decided to do it whilst investigations were carried out into the country they’d just visited.

A spokeswoman for the soap said, "The Coronation Street cast member referred to in reports this morning has been advised by health professionals that they are not required to self isolate, following this advice they will be returning to work when they are next scheduled to film.

"The initial personal decision was taken as a precautionary measure."

Another source revealed that the character’s absence will only affect a small number of scenes and no current major storylines will be changed.

Coronation Street

Credit: Getty Images

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But Coronation Street bosses had to re-write two scenes to accommodate the fact their character was briefly gone from the series.

It seems it has caused minimum disruption to the popular soap, with one source telling The Mirror, “The actor spoke to health professionals after coming back home.

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"They aren’t displaying any symptoms but were advised to self-isolate as a precautionary measure because of where they had been.

"We film six to eight weeks in advance so there has been room for manoeuvre. We’ve only had to write them out of a couple of scenes, while others can be shifted to the future."

Following advice, the actor will now return to filming when next scheduled as normal and does not have any symptoms associated with the virus.

The Department of Health has confirmed that 163 people in the UK now have coronavirus, with London being the worst hit area.

Lucy Buglass
Digital Writer

Lucy Buglass is a Digital Writer for What's on TV, Goodto.com, and Woman&Home. After finishing her degree in Film Studies at Oxford Brookes University she moved to London to begin her career. She's passionate about entertainment and spends most of her free time watching Netflix series, BBC dramas, or going to the cinema to catch the latest film releases.