Coronation Street bosses were left scrambling to rewrite upcoming episodes after veteran star Joe Duttine suffered a painful accident while on a skiing holiday. The actor, who has played fan-favourite Tim Metcalfe since 2013, was reportedly left with a broken rib after crashing into a tree during his trip.

The Ski Mishap That Shook Weatherfield

The incident came to light during a recent episode of the On The Sofa podcast, hosted by Corrie’s own Colson Smith, Jack P. Shepherd, and Ben Price. Colson casually recalled, “Joe Duttine broke his rib skiing, didn’t he?” prompting a shocked Jack to exclaim, “Oh yeah, he went into the tree! The ski tree!”

According to the trio, Coronation Street producers had to act fast to explain Joe’s injury on-screen without drawing attention to it. To cover for his recovery time and avoid confusion among viewers, writers cleverly scripted a similar accident for his character Tim — a fall from a ladder while window cleaning.

Colson explained, “He came back and there was this amended script that he’d fallen off his ladder window cleaning.”

Keeping Tim’s Story on Track

Rather than put production on hold, the creative team managed to weave the storyline change seamlessly into the show. It’s not the first time injuries have forced last-minute rewrites in Weatherfield — Ben Price, who plays Nick Tilsley, also revealed that his own real-life mishap once caused chaos for the production team. “Do you not remember when I had a big plaster on my head and they took it out in post?” he laughed.

Thankfully, Duttine’s injury wasn’t serious enough to keep him off-screen for long, and he has since returned to filming as Tim continues to navigate dramatic family tensions and his complex relationship with Sally (Sally Dynevor).

Behind-the-Scenes Pressure Amid Soap Crossover

The timing couldn’t have been worse for Corrie bosses, who are currently juggling one of the most ambitious storylines in the soap’s history — a crossover special with Emmerdale. The upcoming episodes will bring characters from both worlds together in what ITV has dubbed the “soaps power hour,” marking a first for the network.

A press release teased that the crossover will focus heavily on Lisa Swain, whose life has spiraled out of control following the shocking return of her supposedly dead wife, Becky. Meanwhile, over in the Dales, Aaron Dingle faces chaos as Robert Sugden’s secret prison husband resurfaces.

ITV promises the event will deliver “a milestone moment in soap history” and reveal the darker side of familiar faces.

A Lucky Escape for Joe

While Joe Duttine’s ski injury caused a flurry of last-minute rewrites, fans are relieved that the actor made a speedy recovery. With Tim Metcalfe’s ladder fall now written into the show, producers managed to turn an off-screen accident into another slice of believable Coronation Street drama.

As for Joe, he’s back on his feet — and thankfully, far from any more trees.