How far in advance are Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale filmed?

23 March 2020, 13:44

How far in advance are Coronation Street and EastEnders filmed? Picture: ITV/BBC

How far in advance are EastEnders, Corrie and Emmerdale filmed? Find out everything...

As the UK government steps up their efforts to slow down the spread of Coronavirus, soapland has fallen victim to the restrictions.

EastEnders were the first to announce they were stopping filming, with a BBC spokesperson saying: “In light of the spread of Covid-19, after much consideration, it has been decided that filming on EastEnders will be postponed until further notice.”

The show will only be aired twice a week for the time being, while Coronation Street and Emmerdale have also confirmed that they are suspending filming from Monday 23 March.

Alya Nazir on Coronation Street. Picture: ITV

An ITV spokesperson said: “The health and well-being of the production teams, actors, crew and their families is of paramount importance to us and we now feel that the time has come to stop filming.”

But as the soap schedules are cut, how far in advance are Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale filmed? Find out everything…

How far in advance are Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale filmed?

Normally, the main soaps – Corrie, EastEnders and Emmerdale – film their episodes six to eight weeks in advance.

With the episode cuts, ITV and BBC are hoping to keep new episodes on air for as long as possible.

Where are Coronation Street, EastEnders and Emmerdale filmed?

Coronation Street is filmed at MediaCity in Salford, Manchester on a closed working set, while EastEnders is also filmed on a purpose built set at Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.

When it comes to Emmerdale, interior scenes have been filmed at The Leeds Studios since its first episode, while exterior scenes were previously filmed in Esholt, a real village, but are now shot at a purpose built set on the Harewood estate.