Coronation Street: Beloved character to be killed off amid plans for 65th anniversary and Emmerdale crossover
A Corrie boss has revealed that a beloved character is set to meet their end as the ITV soap looks ahead to two huge milestones.
Executive producer Iain MacLeod spoke to The Mirror and revealed that plans were already underway to axe an iconic character from the street as Coronation Street gears up to celebrate its 65th anniversary in December. The show will also celebrate another milestone in 2026 with the first ever crossover episode with Emmerdale, helping to launch ITV’s new soap power hour.
He told the outlet: “The soap gods demand a sacrifice when you have an event of this kind. It’s going to be shocking. There will be lots of trauma, lots of drama, lots of twists.”
While the identity of the axed character has not yet been revealed, MacLeod teased that it is a character close to the heart of fans and that the prospect has even left the producers “arguing” in the writers’ room. He said: “Sometimes the biggest and best exits are for characters that you care the most about.
“There’s always that equation where you think, ‘If they were to go, the viewers will really care, but what damage will it do to the landscape of the show in terms of the ability to tell stories? It’s a big responsibility so we do agonise about it quite a lot and argue about it. Our story conferences are fiery places at times and this period of the show is no different.”
MacLeod added: “All of it is feeding into this crossover episode we are doing in January. It’s going to get bigger and bigger. Things will peak in a big way.”
The crossover episode is set to see faces depart, as well as the arrival of new characters. The special event will see characters from both Emmerdale and Coronation Street interact with each other in a self-contained story before each soap sets up in a new time slot in the ITV schedule.
From January 2026, Emmerdale will air at 8pm while Coronation Street will air at 8.30pm in a shake-up for the soap schedule. Each soap will air 30 minute episodes every weeknight on ITV1 and STV.