Coronation Street ‘on its knees’ as bosses ‘forced to make brutal cuts’ to keep costs down – with fan-favourite characters disappearing from screens

Coronation Street is reportedly ‘on its knees’ and fighting for survival, with the soap having to take drastic measures to stay on screen.

In the wake of a string of major characters leaving the beloved ITV show, it has been claimed that the soap has had to re-think its storylines and characters.

With a rise in production costs and a fall in advertising revenue, Coronation Street is having to sacrifice long-running characters to stay on screen, according to The Sun.

But while the show does all it can to secure its future, the drastic measures have allegedly left the cast deeply unhappy.

One difficult decision the broadcaster has been forced to take is to cut back on the number of appearances from long-running Cobbles residents.

An insider told the publication that that in years gone by, stars would receive a standard fee per episode, which meant for major characters, they could rack up a very lucrative pay cheque.

In previous seasons of the show, viewers would see the Rovers Return pub full of life with the whole cast crammed in, but with a fee just for appearing even in one scene, those days are long gone.

The cast reportedly loved those appearances and large pub scenes because they would still be paid whether they had any lines or not, but that’s no longer an option as ITV bosses look to cut costs wherever they can.

A source said: ‘The cast loved the days when lots of scenes were filmed in the Rovers because it didn’t matter if you had 10 scenes in an episode or just sat in the pub – you’d get paid the same

‘Playing a barmaid or the landlord was a dream gig and would guarantee you got paid a fortune because it didn’t matter if you just served someone in the background – you got paid for the episode.’

And with long-running characters now proving too expensive to include on the show, the soap is investing more of its time in to newer (and cheaper) characters to save money.

Characters such as Gail Platt and Ken Barlow have barely appeared in recent episodes.

Helen Worth, who celebrated 50 years on the cobbles at the end of last year and left on Christmas Day, was far from a familiar face in the run up to her explosive ending.

She only appeared in 26 out of 304 episodes and other fan-favourite characters have faced a similar face.

Kevin Webster, played by Mike Le Vell, only appeared 46 episodes despite having a major cancer scare storyline, while Ken Barlow (Bill Roache) starred in just 48.

Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) had just 29 outings and viewers only saw Fiz Dobbs (Jennie McAlpine) in 34 episodes.

Meanwhile Rita Tanner, played by Barbara Knox, 91, only starred in 15 episodes, despite starring in the soap as a main character since 1972.

Stars are increasingly being benched to save costs as their fee per episodes spiral out of control.

While many actors have remained quiet about the behind-the-scenes changes, one star who hasn’t is Sally Ann Matthews, who has been candid about her frustrations on social media.

Taking to Instagram Live in June, she said: ‘I chose to get on an aeroplane because I’m particularly quiet at work.

‘I’ve got, like, a million years off.’

Sally Ann continued: ‘So, I chose to go on an aeroplane and I chose to remember happier times.’

She said she has been to Cyprus twice in five weeks and is planning to go away again this Saturday.

The actress went on: ‘And then I’m going to go back to Cyprus, and do nowt, and at some point I might get a job and someone might employ me, potentially.

She went on to read fan queries, continuing: ‘”Have you left the street?” Hmm. Hang on, next question.

In response to the words from the star, fans commented: ‘I’m confused’;

‘Are you not on Corrie anymore. I feel like I’ve missed something or my memory blew up?????’.

The soap has reportedly changed drastically over the years and is a far cry form the steady income stream it used to be.

Instead, according to the publication, the cast are worried about being able to pay their bills.

They said: ‘It sounds ridiculous but some people, household names, watched for years by millions, are worrying about how they will pay their bills.’

And the extent of the cost-cutting can be seen in storylines too, with the Rovers shutting down in 2023.

The major plot line saw landlady Jenny Connor, played by Sally Ann Matthews, close the pub due to financial issues.

And while it provided a nail-biting story for viewers to follow, it also saved bosses a small fortune, according to the source.

ITV has also been looking for other creative ways to save money and started taking on brand deals and partnerships

Coronation Street has partnered with Sainsbury’s and Argos, with characters even buying new phones at Weatherfield’s EE shop.