A former Coronation Street star has thrilled fans as he shared details of his return to the cobbles after three years away from the ITV soap.
Renowned soap writer Jonathan Harvey walked back along the cobbles of Coronation Street after he had been prevented from doing so in recent years due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Liverpool-born Harvey has written numerous scripts for the long-running drama, contributing to over 300 episodes over the years.
Although he has continued to write for Coronation Street in recent years, it was only recently that he was able to physically return to the set.
Posting a snap in sunny Manchester as he stood in the middle of the road with the Rovers Return behind him, Harvey could be seen bundled up in a puffer jacket and woolly hat as he smiled for the snap.
“Back on the cobbles for the first time in 3 years!” he captioned the sweet post.
His fans were overjoyed in the replies section on Twitter, with one writing: “Love it when Jonathan Harvey writes the Corrie scripts!”
Another echoed: “Hallelujah. Let’s hope this means a return to realistic character-based storylines.”
“Brilliant news,” someone else gushed, while another penned: “Awesome, let’s have some comedy in these storylines!”
First agreeing to write for the show in 2004, Harvey helped to shape Todd Grimshaw’s coming out storyline as he became the soap’s first openly gay character.
While Harvey initially rejected Granada Television’s offer to write for the soap as ‘beneath him’ he soon came around as he recognised the opportunity as a gay man to raise the issue of sexuality among viewers.
The playwright confessed to The Times: “I was offered Coronation Street a few times but always said no. I thought it was beneath me, to be honest.
“But it’s really nice to be writing for something that you know is going to be on screen.”
He added that some Corrie actors are ‘not so good’, adding: “You quickly learn who says your lines correctly and who doesn’t.”
It comes after Corrie fans have suggested a major shake-up to the ITV soap after an Emmerdale soap writer quit after six years.
Sharon Marshall announced that she would be leaving her job as a writer on the rival ITV soap Emmerdale after a long stint penning scripts for the Dales drama.
The 51-year-old, known as the Queen of Soaps, also regularly appears on This Morning to fill fans in on all the soap spoilers and what viewers can expect on each of the long-running dramas.
Yet, she has now shared with fans the news that she will be moving onto other projects.
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV.
