'Coronation Street' is set to mark its 50th birthday in style tonight with an hour-long live episode. The characters on the street are dealing with the aftermath of the devastating tram crash which happened on Monday night.
Warning: Spoiler Alert!
During the live episode there will be two further deaths of well-loved characters following the death last night of Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold). The character died after he was crushed by falling debris in the ruins of the Joinery Bar. It is still unclear if the characters of Nick Tilsley and Peter Barlow will survive in the same ruin.
Arnold is leaving the show after 14 years on the street and following the show on the official website he said "I'd just like to say thank you for all the support I've had over the years - everyone's been great. Thanks for all your letters.
"And thanks for watching - I just hope the programme keeps going and does as well as it's always done, which I'm sure it will. So thanks very much and I hope to see you soon!".
The show will be broadcast live for the first time in ten years but they have also recorded a run-through to play in case of any last minute hitches.
Producer Phil Collinson said: "We are pre-recording the dress rehearsal so we have something to switch over to in the event of something terrible happening technically.
"We won't need to do that - we didn't need to do it before."
Producers have also taken precautions in case troublemakers try to sabotage the episode with Collinson saying "We've got massive security around the site and the police are helping us out. We need that because it's a significant event. But we're not worried. This will be one of the hardest places on earth to get into."
Soap star Antony Cotton, who plays Sean Tully, has said he will speak the first line of the show.
The live episode will feature more than 60 scenes with John Stape (Graham Hawley) will be the character seen most during the episode.
