EXCLUSIVE: Coronation Street’s Sally Dynevor REVEALS PLANS to AXE actors from the soap

A Coronation Street favourite has revealed that cast members could find out within weeks whether they are being axed from the long-running ITV soap – as she admitted actors are given very little notice about their future.

Sally Dynevor, who has played Sally Metcalfe for almost 40 years, explained that, while cast members are contracted differently, even the most established stars may only be contracted for a year at a time, meaning no one is immune from the risk of being written out.

The actress, 62, spoke candidly about the process, admitting she and her colleagues felt they live with the constant uncertainty that comes with soap life.

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‘I’m only contracted for a year at a time – for all of us, we all get a year,’ she told hosts David Walliams and Matt Lucas.

‘You always think this is the year they’re going to get rid of me. None of us are indispensable – there’s always other people and other stories to be told.’

Sally explained that she and the other longer-serving cast members tend to find out between November and January if they will be asked to stay for another year.

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The actress, who has played Sally Metcalfe for almost 40 years, explained that even the most established stars are only contracted for a year at a time

‘Mine is the end of January,’ she said, adding that she had once chosen to leave temporarily to work in theatre.

‘I did leave one year, I went off to do a play. It was great, I loved that. I took six months or something.’

Her revelations come at a pivotal moment for ITV’s flagship dramas. Coronation Street and Emmerdale are set to undergo major changes in 2025 as the network navigates a widely reported financial squeeze and declining advertising revenue.

In January, the two soaps will join forces for a dramatic crossover storyline that producers say will shock audiences.

Executive producer Iain MacLeod has already confirmed that a beloved character will be killed off in the special episode.

He told the Mirror: ‘The soap gods demand a sacrifice when you have an event of this kind. It’s going to be shocking.

‘There will be lots of trauma, lots of drama, lots of twists. Sometimes the biggest and best exits are for characters that you care the most about.

‘There’s always that equation where you think, “If they were to go, the viewers will really care, but what damage will it do to the landscape of the show in terms of the ability to tell stories?”‘

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Sally, 62, spoke candidly about the process, admitting she and her colleagues live with the constant uncertainty that comes with soap life

+6
View gallery

Sally explained that she and the other longer-serving cast members tend to find out between November and January if they will be asked to stay for another year

+6
View gallery

Coronation Street and Emmerdale are set to undergo major changes in 2025 as the network navigates a widely reported financial squeeze and declining advertising revenue

MacLeod also revealed that familiar faces from Weatherfield’s past will be making a return in the build-up to the crossover.

‘All of it is feeding into this crossover episode we are doing in January,’ he said. ‘It’s going to get bigger and bigger. Things will peak in a big way.’

The one-off special will also pave the way for a new broadcast format, with both Coronation Street and Emmerdale losing an episode each week.

From next year, the soaps will air half-hour editions every weekday in an hour-long slot between 8 and 9pm.