Coronation Street: Live

Coronation Street is going LIVE for a special episode in celebration of ITV's 60th Anniversary.

Speaking today at the Salford Media Festival, ITV’s Director of Television Peter Fincham will confirm Coronation Street is to broadcast a live episode in 2015 from its new production base in Trafford, Manchester.

The special episode will be filmed at Coronation Street's state-of-the-art production facility in MediaCityUK, on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal and will mark ITV’s 60 years on air.

Cast, crew and writers have received the news this morning (19 November) ahead of the announcement. The live episode will broadcast in September 2015 and will ensure viewers are tantalised by storylines reaching a dramatic climax.

"We’re delighted to be marking ITV’s 60th anniversary with a live episode from Coronation Street’s brilliant new studios and set," said Executive Producer Kieran Roberts.

"We’re immensely proud of our new home and it’s been the most amazing first year of production.

"The cast, writers, and production team are exhilarated by the prospect of a live broadcast as the programme’s 50th anniversary episode was received so brilliantly by the audience,” he added.

Coronation Street Producer Stuart Blackburn, who produced Emmerdale’s live special to celebrate the drama’s 40th anniversary in 2012, will mastermind Coronation Street’s live episode whilst continuing to oversee the soap.

His production team will pre-record episodes across the summer of 2015 which will dovetail into the live episode in September.

“It’s an honour to be at the helm as Coronation Street goes live once more,” said Stuart.

“We’ve a reputation to uphold after the success of the tram crash and I’m going to enjoy working with the storyliners and writers as we plot stories for our live episode in 2015.

We’ll be doing all we can to eclipse what’s gone before,” said Stuart.