Corrie boss planning for ITV soap's child stars to be 'next Ant and Dec'

15 February 2023 , 17:14

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Corrie boss planning for ITV soap's child stars to be 'next Ant and Dec'

Coronation Street's boss is keen to make Hope and Sam the "next Ant and Dec".

Iain MacLeod is at the helm of the much-loved ITV soap, and during a chat on ITV's lunchtime show Loose Women today, he discussed his plans to develop Hope and Sam's characters. The children are played by young actors Isabella Flanagan and Jude Riordan.

Things have been quite tense for Hope and Sam separately as of late. Sam has been struggling after finding out that Damon, who he had befriended, was related to Harvey Gaskell, who is currently in prison for the murder of his mum.

Iain MacLeod appeared on Loose Women today (ITV)

Elsewhere, Hope has been struggling too as a journalist wrote a book about her evil father John Stape, and befriended the young girl through an online site in a bid to get information about her and her father.

However, Iain insists he has more positive storylines planned for the pair going forward.

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Answering viewers questions on Loose Women today, Iain shared of his plans for the two young actors: "With Hope and Sam, we are taking them as kind of our benchmark PJ and Duncan, or Ant and Dec. What if we can take these two kids who are, like, ten and grow them for a decade into this incredibly rich storied friendship so that's what we are hoping to do."

Hope has had a tough time of late (ITV)

However, he quipped that would only remain his plan if he could get to keep them on the Cobbles.

"Both of those actors are so talented so they both might be off to Hollywood when they are 14. If we can keep them then we are trying to PJ and Duncan them up," he explained of the two young actors.

Iain also confirmed Hope would become more like an 'ordinary' child in the coming months, and that the soap would be exploring a blossoming romance for the pair as they both get their first crushes.

Things haven't been any easier for Sam

Whilst things seem to be settling down for Hope and Sam, that is certainly not the case for Amy and Aaron.

New details have emerged about a non-consensual sex storyline between the duo, played by Elle Mulvaney and James Craven. The pair will share a drunken kiss one evening, before taking things to the bedroom.

At first, Amy seems keen on the pair taking things further but eventually tells him she feels sick and wants to stop. Aaron, meanwhile, continues with their intimate moment and rapes her in horrific scenes. The storyline will raise awareness of consent, as the next day, Amy remembers what happens when she wakes up but is met with Aaron saying they both wanted it.

*If you've been the victim of sexual assault, you can access help and resources via www.rapecrisis.org.uk or calling the national telephone helpline on 0808 802 9999.

Jasmine Allday