Coronation Street first appeared on British screens on 9 December 1960. Sixty years later, millions are still tuning to watch the drama unfolding across the cobbled streets of Weatherfield.
Salford’s flagship soap screened its 10,000th episode in 2020 – but showrunners have been unable to truly revel in the achievement due to a challenging few months.
Corrie was temporarily taken off air when the pandemic hit, with shooting paused until “extensive protocols” were introduced.
Some cast members temporarily stepped aside for health and safety reasons, whilst storylines featuring coronavirus were written into the show.
After a difficult year, showrunners were still keen to commemorate the incredible landmark – 60 years on tele – in some way. And now ITV has unveiled an official 60th anniversary photograph.
The photo – which features the first seven and most recent seven of current regular cast members – is a combination of individual portraits.
COVID regulations prevented the cast from uniting as one – meaning ITV staff had to draw on photoshop skills and digitally squeeze the stars together.
14 performers appear in the photo, including:
Hilda Ogden’s iconic ducks have also been added to the image.
Celebrities have been queuing up to wish Coronation Street a happy 60th – including the likes of Sir Cliff Richard, Clint Boon, and This Morning anchors Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby.