RIDING off into the sunset with her one true love, Martin Platt, Coronation Street bosses felt sure that fans would be thrilled by Gail’s final farewell.
After 50 years on the cobbles, Helen Worth would wave goodbye by reuniting with former co-star Sean Wilson for one last hoorah.
But, after a real-life twist worthy of a soap opera, her send-off is now in tatters.
The Sun revealed at the weekend that Sean had been sensationally axed and Gail’s exit plot would now be rewritten.
Bosses declined to offer any explanation, merely insisting that Sean has “stepped down for personal reasons”.
Instead, Gail will now have a romance plot with John Thomson’s character, Jesse Chadwick.
It’s left fans in uproar — but that’s nothing new, as Corrie has been in crisis for months now.
The ITV soap has seen three bosses in as many months, leaving viewers with whiplash as plots twist and turn.
Sources have told how cast members have no clear direction and many are furious over dwindling budgets impacting their pay.
Fans have also turned off over a string of grim, miserable storylines.
Corrie’s downfall began last September when, after many fallow years, rival soap EastEnders swept the board at the National -Television Award, lifting the gongs for best serial drama, serial drama performance and rising star.
Corrie left empty-handed.
The Weatherfield soap also failed to pick up ANY nominations at May’s Bafta TV awards.
EastEnders and Emmerdale made the final cut — while BBC One’s Casualty took home the best soap and continuing drama honour.
Past big Corrie wins at 2022’s Bafta TV awards and the 2021 NTAs felt like a long time ago.
Then, for the first time in decades, Coronation Street’s Christmas Day episode failed to make the top ten most-watched shows.
Corrie has always been one of ITV’s biggest shows on the 25th, and not even making the top ten was embarrassing
Soap source
Just 2.6million tuned in — down from nearly eight million on 2013.
A soap source said: “Soaps fall in and out of favour with viewers, so losing out on votes in the 2023 NTAs was a worry, but not one that bosses paid too much attention to.
“After all, EastEnders had been on a so-called slump for years before its recent resurgence.
“But Christmas Day was when warning bells really rang.
“Corrie has always been one of ITV’s biggest shows on the 25th, and not even making the top ten was embarrassing, to say the least.
“When fellow ITV soap Emmerdale also failed to make the charts, too, it became shameful.”
It was no surprise to anyone in the know, then, when January brought about a reshuffle at the top.
Iain Macleod, who had been executive producer since 2018, was promoted to oversee Corrie and Emmerdale.
Macleod’s wife Verity, who had been his deputy, stepped in as acting lead whilst bosses struggled to recruit a replacement, reportedly because potential candidates did not relish a “Macleod sandwich” between the two.
Eventually, it was announced that Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks had accepted the job.
However, while a new boss usually brings major changes to a soap, in this case Iain is still overseeing the show — much to the annoyance of fans, who are growing increasingly uneasy with his tenure.
The source added: “The feeling is that Kate won’t have a free hand to do what’s needed to improve the show while Iain is still there.
“Under Iain, the once fun-filled, jovial northern soap has become grimmer. Fans have hated the over-reliance of gangster plots and misery porn. Gangster Harvey Gaskell gunning down Natasha Blakeman after forcing Leanne Battersby into a life of drug dealing was too far.
“Now Leanne’s in a cult and the soap isn’t recognisable anymore.”
Recent plots do not seem to be getting any more popular.
There was outrage over Toyah Battersby’s horrific storyline from April, which revealed she had had a secret baby after she was raped in 2001, then buried the stillborn in a local park.
Vicky Entwistle, who played Toyah’s mum Janice in the soap, slammed it on Twitter, writing: “Who knew [that] digging up dead babies would become the highlight of ITV’s tea time slot!!!”
Fans joined her, with one writing: “This Toyah story is absolutely repulsive. It’s like they’re actively trying to make this soap as repellent as possible.”
A second said: “It may very well be Corrie’s worst concept. How obsessed with trauma do you have to be to retcon a woman to have a baby with a rapist AND reveal the baby died?”
Toyah, played by Georgia Taylor, is at the centre of another storyline that has left a bad taste in viewers’ mouths as she embarks on an affair with sister Leanne’s fella, Nick Tilsley.
Elsewhere, much-loved character Roy Cropper (David Nielson) was wrongly accused of Lauren Bolton’s murder and sent to prison.
Sick groomer Nathan Curtis made a shock return and came face to face with his abuse victim, Bethany Platt
And two once-comedic characters, Gemma and Chesney Brown, have had endless drudgery and poverty storylines.
There is perhaps little wonder that ratings have reflected the demise.
Coronation Street reeled in over 7million viewers as recently as 2019.
But, like all long-standing programmes, it has seen a gradual slump as viewing habits change.
However, in April it still commanded ratings which nudged 5million. This week, they were closer to 3million.
The impact is now being felt by the cast, who are being forced to supplement their incomes due to a loophole in their contracts.
Actors working on the ITV soap are paid per episode, with each contracted for a minimum number.
But now it has been claimed that bosses are resting characters by writing “extended breaks” into the script, which means some of the 80-strong actors receive only their minimum contracted amount.
Sally Ann Matthews, who plays Rovers Return landlady Jenny Bradley, discussed her hopes “someone would employ her” on an Instagram live after being forced to take a break.
Corrie veteran Sue Nicholls, who has played Audrey Roberts since 1979, has made just 11 appearances this year.
Brian Packham is the owner of The Kabin, but actor Peter Gunn, who took the role in 2010, has been in only eight episodes in 2024.
And icon Barbara Knox has just ten episodes under her belt this year, while Helen Worth has made eight.
It’s a really desperate situation and some (actors) are struggling to support themselves, let alone a family
Corrie Insider
Others, including Kate Ford, Harriett Bibby, Sue Cleaver and Sally Carmen are either on breaks or about to head off.
A Corrie insider said: “A lot aren’t getting much more than minimum wage because they’re not getting the episodes.
“It’s a really desperate situation and some are struggling to support themselves, let alone a family. If they want to do anything on social media to make extra income, it has to be approved by bosses. Not everyone wants to take the risk of doing a reality show to keep the wolf from the door, but some are having to.
“Bosses have relaxed the rules on taking on other work, but only because they were forced. It was meant to soften the blow of the cuts, but the reality is it hasn’t.”
ITV has said it “does not comment on contractual matters”.
But all in all, it paints a grim picture for what was once Britain’s biggest soap.
In April, ITV drama boss John Whiston defended the channel’s hallmark show.
He said: “Coronation Street is, and always has been, a mixture of characters you love, earthy humour and stories that matter.
“The show is proud to explore important, contemporary issues . . . and audience research shows viewers appreciate these stories and believe we deal with them in an engaging but responsible way. That is why Coronation Street continues to be the most-watched soap on British TV.”
While that’s true — for now — the chaos beyond the cobbles is threatening to overshadow even the most raucous of rows in the Rovers.
Bosses will need to knuckle down to ensure they give Helen Worth the send-off she deserves — and hope it brings a happy ending for them all.
