Coronation Street viewers will now see a warning before episodes featuring Hayley Cropper.
The beloved transgender Corrie character was played by Julie Hesmondhalgh.
She appeared on the cobbles for 16 years and is known as one of the most iconic soap characters ever.
ITV’s sister channel, ITV3, regularly airs older episodes of the soap.
Coronation Street: ITV issues Hayley Cropper warning
Society’s views regarding trans people have shifted in recent years, thankfully. As a result, ITV has now placed a disclaimer before episodes featuring Hayley air.
The episodes featuring Hayley briefly warn viewers, saying: “Today’s classic Corrie includes transgender comments and opinions of the time that viewers may now find offensive.”
Actress Annie Wallace, who was the first-ever trans actress to play a character on a British soap, spotted the change.
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She wrote on Twitter: “Thank you, @ITV for preceding some of the current #ClassicCorrie episodes featuring Roy and Hayley with this alert. #timeschange.”
Hayley remained on the show for 16 years.
However, her time on the street came to an end in 2014. Hayley discovered she had pancreatic cancer and passed away following a long battle.
Hayley first stepped onto the cobbles in 1998. While on the soap, she fell in love with bumbling icon Roy Cropper.
Her character helped raise awareness regarding transgender issues in society and helped to shift attitudes in a positive direction.
She remains beloved too, and Julie recently admitted she’s begged to return.
ITV warns viewers
Meanwhile, it’s not the first time ITV has warned viewers of potentially offensive and outdated content.
Numerous shows on Britbox, the service ITV co-owns with the BBC, have also followed suit.
A spokesman for BritBox told The Sun: “Programming on the service that contains potentially sensitive language or attitudes of their era has carried appropriate warnings since our launch in 2019.”
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Another Corrie episode, this time from 1968, features Stan and Holda Ogden eating out at a Chinese restaurant where they describe the cuisine as “foreign”.
A warning reads: “Stan and Hilda’s Big Night Out and Stan takes Hilda to a Chinese restaurant. However, she doesn’t quite get the meal she expected. With language from an era which some viewers may find offensive.”
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