Corrie boss explains recasting policy

Coronation Street series editor Louise Sutton has admitted that she feels "a responsibility" when recasting young actors.

The serial recently replaced Amber Chadwick with Elle Mulvaney for the part of Amy Barlow.

Sutton told Radio Times: "When a child actor starts very young, you never know how they're going to turn out. When you're casting a 3 or 4-year-old, you really just ask yourself, 'Can they walk, can they talk and do they look the part?'

"But there comes a point when you're trying to tell stories featuring a young actor that are just too much for a child under 6. The brilliant Alex Bain, who plays Simon Barlow, is 8, but he plays a 6-year-old."

She continued: "It would be really odd if the character changed from one scene to the next, but as long as the character is off screen for a bit, it's weird for a couple of weeks and then it's accepted.

"Personally, I feel a responsibility not just for the child actor's career but also for their self-worth. It can be seen as rejection at an emotionally precarious time in their lives."