Corrie criticised over cross coverup in church

Coronation Street bosses have been criticised for the decision to cover up a brass cross at a church's altar during the ITV soap's latest screen wedding for 'fear of causing offence'.

Filming of Molly (Vicky Binns) and Tyrone's (Alan Halsall) traditional English nuptials took place at St Mary's Church in Nether Alderley, Cheshire last month and the metal religious symbol was reportedly pushed behind a candelabra and artificial flowers by production staff.

Writing in his parish's magazine, the Rev James Milnes said: "How can people think it offensive to see a cross in a church, in the same way as you would normally see the Koran in a mosque or the Torah in a synagogue? That is the emblem of this faith.

"This has a resonance around the country. It plays into who we are as a nation because I do not think we have a clear idea as English people. We do not really know where we are going."

He added: "There is constant attrition to our way of life. You can't say this or you can't say that for fear of offending. Who can we possibly be offending?"

The 29-year-old vicar claimed that he was asked by Corrie staff to remove the brass cross during filming because 'they did not want to offend anyone' when the scenes aired.

Milnes went on: "The result was an obscuring of the offending article - the cross. Without the Cross there would be no Church. Our saviour opened wide his arms for us on the Cross and yet in 2008-09 the Church is compliant in obscuring it. They wanted to film a wedding in a quintessentially English church and then empty it of the very thing that makes it a church. I want us to say that obscuring the cross is a disgrace."

A Weatherfield spokesperson said: "We are looking into how and why this happened. As the Rev Milnes rightly says, we chose the church because the characters wanted a traditional religious church wedding. Covering up the cross was an error and we apologise for any upset."

Tyrone and Molly became the ITV soap's 73rd couple to tie the knot, despite Tyrone being falsely arrested on his way to the service.

> Click here to read our recent interview with Alan Halsall