'Coronation Street' bosses ban stars from taking holidays if they are involved in a major storyline.
Corrie's Rovers Return
Former 'Corrie' storyliner Martin Sterling - who departed the cobbles earlier this year after 17 years - has lifted the lid on some of the secrets of Soapland, including producers having to say no to actors if they request a break during a huge plot - and there are no exceptions.
He said: "The thing that happens that people perhaps don’t realise is you also have cast holidays, 'Can suchabody have this week’s holiday?'
"And you have to say, 'No, they’re in a big story.'
"'Am I really saying no to one of the biggest names on television, telling them that they can’t have a holiday?' "
Despite the no-nonsense approach, Martin insists the cast members "understand" that it is part of the job to be available while filming a huge storyline.
Speaking on the 'Conversation Street' podcast, he added: "Of course the cast are entitled to holidays like everyone else and they don’t know if they’re going to be in a big story because they don’t know what’s coming up, I think they do understand.
"So we say to them, 'You can’t take certain weeks cause you’re gonna be really busy,' they do understand.' "
This comes after 'Corrie' story editor Amy Coombs recently admitted cobbles and 'Emmerdale' bosses are "constantly in conversations" about their storylines to ensure their plots don't clash.
She said: "The thing with all soaps is that eventually we are all going to cover the same ground. We have to keep our finger on the pulse in terms of seeing what the other soaps are doing so we know what to avoid.
"We are constantly in conversations with 'Emmerdale' about the stories they want to play and stories we want to play."