Coronation Street stars can be denied permission to go on holiday if their characters are involved in a major upcoming storyline.
Martin Sterling who was a storyliner for the ITV show for 17 years, recently explained that a part of his role meant factoring in holiday requests.
Speaking to the Conversation Street podcast, the screenwriter admitted that cast members were sometimes told they could not take time off during an important storyline.
However, he also added that most of the cast were understanding of why the decisions had to be made.
“The thing that happens that people perhaps don’t realise is you also have cast holidays, ‘Can suchabody have this week’s holiday?” he said on the podcast.
(Image: PA)
“And you have to say, ‘No, they’re in a big story.'”
Sterling added: “‘Am I really saying no to one of the biggest names on television, telling them that they can’t have a holiday?”
The former Corrie writer also pointed out that the cast are of course entitled to holidays – and they are understanding of their commitment to each storyline.
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He continued: “Of course the cast are entitled to holidays like everyone else and they don’t know if they’re going to be in a big story because they don’t know what’s coming up, I think they do understand.”
“So we say to them ‘You can’t take certain weeks cause you’re gonna be really busy’, they do understand.”
Martin was a staple screenwriter for the show for almost two decades before he announced his departure earlier this year.
Among the secrets that he recently dished out about the show, the writer also added that his favourite story line was centred on villain Pat Phelan. However, some super villains he also suggested felt a little ‘unrealistic’.
He went on: “Some of the villains like Pat Phelan, like Richard Hillman, they’re just slightly above reality.
“Richard Hillman pulling on the gloves was just a hoot but there was something about Geoff which actually is very real and the fact is that is happening to women in real life.”
Martin started working on the show as a writer and storyline in 2004 and has spearheaded some of the soap’s most iconic storylines throughout the last 17 years.
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Originally from https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/coronation-streets-cast-banned-taking-24139015