Corrie stars 'complain of exhaustion'

Coronation Street's stars are struggling to cope with the show's filming schedules, according to a report.

The ITV1 soap's cast and crew have been busy producing Liam Connor's (Rob James-Collier) murder and funeral scenes in recent weeks, which is said to have resulted in late-night and weekend shoots.

One unnamed cast member is quoted by the Daily Star Sunday as saying: "Because it's seen as a privilege to work on Corrie, I really think they squeeze everything out of you. Don't get me wrong, it's a wonderful show but the schedules are so intense and have been pretty relentless recently."

An insider added: "It's been really, really tiring recently. Last Friday some weren't finishing until gone 10.30pm. A lot of the actors are saying they're permanently knackered and aren't looking forward to the run-up to Christmas. Traditionally the festive period is the busiest of them all, to allow everyone to have a break for a few days."

The mystery surrounding Liam's death is expected to be one of the year's biggest plots. Factory boss Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien) will be among the suspects as police investigate the murder.