Soap dodges
IN July 2016, former Corrie star Shayne Ward revealed bosses wouldn’t let the cast sunbathe for continuity reasons. They were worried in case stars appeared pale in one scene and tanned in the next. Michelle Keegan also revealed she’d jetted to Dubai with husband Mark Wright before filming her death scenes as Tina Mcintyre. But despite wearing the highest factor sunscreen she ended up with a tan that needed to fade fast.
But Hollyoaks producers take a different approach to tans. According to an insider from the show’s make-up team, when a cast member is planning to go on holiday “they are gradually given a tan before they go, using fake tan, so that when they come back to film the continuity change is not as obvious”.
Corrie stars are reportedly not allowed to dye their hair or get a dramatic haircut unless it’s written into their storylines. When Samia Longchambon went from blonde to brunette while her character Maria Connor was in jail, fans picked up on it. Samia tweeted: “Well spotted... she’s been to the prison salon.”
The Eastenders Christmas schedule gives us a regular dose of festive misery – but it’s actually filmed in summer. Executive producer Jon Sen revealed that as it’s hard to get into the Yuletide mindset when it’s hot outside, the team do their planning in Christmas hats to “feel Christmassy”. Viewers have also spotted that Dot Cotton, played by June Brown, wore the same dress every December 25 since 1988 until she left the show this year.
In 1997, the Emmerdale set was moved away from the real village of Esholt to a purpose-built studio on the private Harewood Estate outside Leeds. Viewers were fooled into thinking that the village had been around much longer due to its weathered look.
But actually bricks and paving slabs leading up to houses were damaged by hand to give it that appearance. Set designers also spread yogurt and manure on walls to encourage moss and lichen to grow.
Although the wine in Corrie is fake, the main Emmerdale cast are allowed one alcoholic drink a day while filming. The beer in The Woolpack is supplied by the nearby Black Sheep Brewery. Extras don’t have to follow this one-drink limit.
Ellis Hollins, who plays Tom Cunningham in Hollyoaks, confessed that when the Mcqueen family joined the show in 2006 the cast were devastated. That’s because the swimming pool the actors could use in their leisure time was destroyed to make way for the Mcqueens’ home.