Former Emmerdale executive producer Iain MacLeod has taken the reigns over at Coronation Street, following on from Kate Oates who has moved to EastEnders.
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Having a new boss take over is often a worrying time for fans who fear their favourite characters might be killed off as the newbie tries to make his or her own mark on the show.
But Iain has reassured Corrie fans that this won’t be the case, promising them he doesn’t have a ‘hit list’ of characters he’s planning to axe.
Speaking at a recent press event Iain explained that Corrie has some very clearcut DNA and that ‘only an idiot’ would attempt to mess with that.
He said: “I’m the custodian of that DNA and that tone, so, no, I don’t intend to do anything radically different.”
Iain – whose first episodes in charge are set to air over the Christmas period – added: “It will be, as it has always been on Corrie, an evolution.
“Corrie has done very well for nearly 60 years before I got here and it will hopefully continue to do extremely well for 60 years after I’ve gone.
“I haven’t got a hit list. I’m not going to be packing loads of people on to a bus that will… ‘Oh, it’s gone off a cliff, what a shame’.
“I think our viewers are very canny and they see that for what it is and it looks a bit cynical.”
Iain also revealed that his Christmas episodes would be very Christmassy, but would also have some heartbreak for viewers.
At the same press event, he said: “I know there is a history in soap where you try to do the Den and Angie divorce papers, but that’s not my preference as you sit down to digest your stuffing balls and sprouts!”
He added: “This year we will have some heartbreaking storylines and within that there will be a big shock at the end.
“There will be a big pay off from some of the scenes that hit screens over the next few weeks. In those episodes the seeds for the biggest Christmas storylines have been planted… I don’t want to give too much away though, so I can’t be any more specific!”
Last year Corrie’s Christmas episodes saw Billy Mayhew fall to what looked like his death after falling from a cliff-top.
Read more: Corrie fans devastated as Jack Webster makes a heartbreaking confession
Fans also watched as Adam Barlow attempted to take his own life after discovering that Billy was responsible for the death of his mother, Susan, fifteen years earlier.
Coronation Street airs on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm and 8.30pm on ITV.
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