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“Coronation Street” and “Emmerdale” are currently on hiatus after their productions have been temporarily shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic. Even though these soaps have ceased to film new episodes, the casts will still receive three months’ worth of pay.
Casts Get Financial Security
“Coronation Street and Emmerdale have reached an agreement with Equity to provide financial security for regular cast members for the next three months,” a “Coronation Street” spokesperson told The Sun Online.
“The specific details of this agreement will remain private as this is a contractual matter,” the spokesperson continued.
For those who didn’t know, casts are paid in annual salary. Plus, they also receive bonuses for each episode where they appear in. Most soap veterans like Jack P Shepherd, who plays the loveable rogue David Platt, earn as much as £200,000 annually while new cast members receive around £100,000.
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“This is a very fair and consistent deal which treats everyone equally, and is in recognition of the fact we’ll need to hit the ground running once filming safely recommences,” a source said.
Contracts Will Be Honoured Despite The Production Shutdown
Another insider revealed that the casts have been informed that they would be taken care of and their contracts would be honored regardless of the number of episodes they do or don’t appear in during the shutdown.
“Obviously if someone has an agreement to appear in 100 episodes but they only get to act in 50 during because of the break this would have a massive impact on their earning power so the cast members are relieved that ITV will honor the payments,” the insider continued.
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Equity also managed to secure financial support for stars who are working in continuing shows like “Holby,” “Casualty,” “Eastenders,” “Doctors,” “River City,” “Pobol y Cwm,” and “Hollyoaks.”
Equity’s Head of Recorded Media, John Barclay said, “By securing financial protection for artists now, we go some way towards safeguarding a vibrant future for the industry when this crisis is behind us and production can resume.