Corrie set move 'won't affect viewers'

Coronation Street's executive producer Kieran Roberts has reassured viewers that the confirmed move to a new studio will not affect the soap's output.

It was announced yesterday that the Weatherfield drama will relocate to a purpose-built 7.7acre set-up at the MediaCityUK complex in Salford Quays.

"Of course there will be a degree of sadness about leaving Quay Street and we'll be sad to say goodbye," Roberts told the Manchester Evening News. "But we have to look forward. If we just wallow in nostalgia, then we're not doing the right thing by the show and the right thing for our viewers."

The new set will look identical to the current one based at Granada Studios - however, the buildings on the street will now be constructed to scale.

Roberts continued: "Obviously we won't move over there until the new site is not just built but seriously road-tested. We will have a brand new, state-of-the-art bespoke facility, which is hugely exciting. But we'll move in such a way that there's no great interruption for the viewers.

"We don't want it to suddenly look and feel completely different. It's going to have the same Coronation Street that they know and love. I would certainly want to reassure viewers that it won't lose anything, and it will gain."

"We're not going to do it in such a way that the viewers will notice any changes that they're uncomfortable with," he stated. "Going full-scale will allow us certain opportunities whereby we may be able to dress more of the insides of the houses, for example. Currently we can only film in doorways on the lot and then obviously you have to move to the studio to do the interiors. That's something we could look at having more flexibility."

Roberts was unable to confirm if the new exterior set will allow viewers to see more of Weatherfield.

"We may add but we haven't gone into that level of detail," he said. "Over the years the site has organically grown. Once upon a time there was just houses on one side. Then we built on the other side. Then we added Victoria Street and Victoria Court beyond.

"So we may well look at that opportunity. That will be in the fine detail that we work through over the next 12 months or so."

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