Corriedale’s Owen Lloyd-Fox has revealed his one regret while writing the groundbreaking crossover. The self-contained episode, which airs tomorrow night, will see the two soap worlds collide, with consequences that will continue long after the big event.

The crossover promises a smorgasbord of dramatic soap tropes, including secret reveals, potential deaths and a life-changing stunt. For Lloyd-Fox, his biggest challenge was condensing all the chaos into just one hour.

 

 

Speaking at a recent Corriedale press screening, Lloyd-Fox shared his desire to write a more lengthy version of the story, to explore the unique dynamics between the different characters.

“I think the hardest thing was I wanted it to be… well, I was begging Iain [MacLeod, ITV soap boss] for a movie length version!” he told Digital Spy and other media.

“Or I wanted it to be a week-long, because what a brilliant sandbox. I don’t like that phrase, but what a brilliant world to play in, that you can bring these characters together.”

The writer addressed the interactive element of the crossover, which will allow fans to choose their dream on-screen duo. Four character pairings were shortlisted and their scenes were written and filmed, with fans being able to pick which scene will air during the episode.

“I loved being asked to do those extra [fan vote] scenes for those characters together, because in my head, I’m a fan as well as a writer,” said Lloyd-Fox. “In my head, I’ve thought, what would happen if Tracy [Barlow] meets Ross [Barton], or there was a load of different combinations of characters that I would want together.”

“So, the hardest thing was just fitting everything in. I would have loved to have written it forever, because I want these brilliant characters to sit down and have a chat and just to be in the pub and have a chat and feel each other out and have affairs and do all the things the characters do together.”

The interactive vote opened on 1 January and will close just 15 minutes before the episode airs at 8pm. The pairings include Roy Cropper and Nicola King, Kirk Sutherland and Sam Dingle, Carla Connor and Charity Dingle, and Ross Barton and Tracy Barlow.