ITV Coronation Street filming secrets revealed: From what they REALLY drink in the Rovers Return to cold meals for cast
IF you’ve ever watched Coronation Street and saw a character knock back a beer in the Rovers or tuck into a meal at the Viaduct and wondered if it’s real, then look no further.
The Sun Online can exclusively reveal that the majority of food and drink you see on the ITV soap isn’t what it seems.
When it comes to the Viaduct restaurant all of the fresh ingredients that’s on display, such as onions and potatoes in the kitchen, are plastic.
But sometimes the food is real and characters will need to consume a meal during a scene.
In that case the food is typically prepared in the show’s canteen where the cast and crew all eat.
Unfortunately for the cast though, once it makes it to set and the cameras are rolling the dish is either lukewarm or cold.
A show insider told The Sun Online: “It’s always ideal if nobody eats any food seen on screen otherwise it’s a continuity issue if they have to reshoot something.”
When it comes to Roy Copper’s cafe, fittingly called Roy’s Rolls, the food on display at the glass counter is fake.
This means the sandwiches and famous bacon butty the likes of Tyrone Dobbs orders on the way to work is inedible.
If you’re a die-hard Coronation Street fan, we have some bad news to share with you – Betty’s famous hotpot isn’t real.
But a character will often order the renowned dish in the Rovers and if that happens, the crew grab food from the show’s canteen and throw potatoes on top.
When it comes to the alcohol, fans will know Carla Connor enjoys a glass of red wine now and again, while Steve and the lads have their pints at the bar.
However, what the characters drink is certainly not booze – when it comes to wine, this is replicated with grape juice.
The beer – which was once actually real – is now substituted with a very weak shandy/Kaliber and lemonade mix that we’re told is very sweet.
“Originally it was real beer before it was realised that the cast were trying their hardest to finish off their pints during each scene,” joked a Corrie insider.
If you see a character enjoy a vodka, it’s just water, and if serial killer Stephen orders a whiskey then actor Todd Boyce is just chugging apple juice.
All the bottled beverages are just filled with water, and as for the ice in these drinks – they’re plastic see-through cubes.
So the next time Jenny serves up a round in the Rovers Return, just remember it’s likely squash, lemonade or simply water.
Coronation Street airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
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