ITV Soap Universe! Coronation Street and Emmerdale come together for historic crossover episode
ITV has announced that its' two soaps 'Coronation Street' and 'Emmerdale' are coming together for a special one-off episode which will see characters from both shows interact.
'Coronation Street' and 'Emmerdale' are joining forces for a historic one-off episode which will bring the characters from ITV's soaps together.
The broadcaster has announced the unique special to launch the broadcaster’s new power hour of soap which begins on ITV1 and STV in January 2026.
For the first time in British soap history, the hour-long episode will see characters from both soaps come together in a celebration of the genre.
The producers, scriptwriters and production teams have conceived an ingenious way of linking the two universes, but with characters then returning to the soaps they are renowned for inhabiting in Manchester and Yorkshire.
Viewers will see the communities from both dramas interact in a self-contained story which will see familiar faces depart and exciting new characters arrive into both 'Corrie' and 'Emmerdale'.
In the wake of the special, each soap will then return to its new normal pattern of transmission - 30 minutes each evening - 'Emmerdale' episodes at 8pm, and 'Coronation Street' episodes at 8.30pm on ITV1 and STV.
Episodes will continue to be made available to stream on ITVX and STV Player before transmission that evening.
Viewers are also being given the power to decide which two characters, one from each soap, they would like to see meet and interact in a scene.
Details of this initiative will be launched next month via the official 'Coronation Street' and 'Emmerdale’ Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok accounts with viewers then able to influence the content of our two pre-eminent soaps.
ITV's new schedule comes in the wake of research insights that show 30-minute episodes attracted higher audiences in 2024, and deliver more digestible instalments of continuing drama that better fits with changing viewer habits.
'Coronation Street' and 'Emmerdale' are the UK’s biggest soaps with a combined weekly reach of over 8 million viewers.
Announcing the new soap power hour back in February 2025, ITV's Managing Director of Media and Entertainment Kevin Lygo said: "The new commissioning pattern is viewer-led. We already give more choice than ever to viewers on how they watch us through ITVX and we want to present their favourite soap to them, in the most digestible way.
“In a world where there is so much competition for viewers' time and attention, and viewing habits continue to change, we believe this is the right amount of episodes that fans can fit into their viewing schedule, to keep up to date with the shows.
“Research insights also show us that soap viewers are increasingly looking to the soaps for their pacey storytelling. Streaming-friendly, 30 minute episodes better provide the opportunity to meet viewer expectations for storyline pace, pay-off and resolution.
“Whilst viewing is growing on ITVX, we know a significant proportion of our soaps’ audience still watch us via the schedule. This new pattern is in the DNA of the soap genre - nobody else does 30 minute drama this successfully.
“It creates a soap power hour that's consistent, and easy to find in the linear schedule, for the UK’s biggest soaps."
