CORRIE ON Coronation Street fan favourite bags new deal after 25 years at centre of some of soap’s ‘biggest storylines’
CORRIE bosses have been tying up lots of Weatherfield favourites recently and I can reveal another big name staying on the cobbles.
Samia Longchambon, who has played Maria Connor for 25 years, has just signed another contract.
She is the latest star to put pen to paper as the show secures a core of veteran actors to take the ITV soap into its next chapter.
Bill Roache signed a new deal recently, as revealed by The Sun, meaning he will play Ken Barlow past his 94th birthday.
While Sally Dynevor and Michael Le Vell, Sally and Kevin Webster, have too penned new 12-month deals.
It will reassure fans that big names won’t be killed off in the upcoming Corriedale special.
READ MORE ON SOAPS
It sees the worlds of Emmerdale and Weatherfield collide and multiple deaths have been confirmed, including Corrie vicar Billy, played by Daniel Brocklebank.
A source said: “Samia as Maria has been at the centre of some of the show’s biggest storylines and there’s so much more to come.
“It shows the intent of bosses to tie-up their big names. They know fans’ favourites are ratings winners.”
The special will air on ITV on Monday at 8pm
JULIA BRADBURY is back with another epic travel show, with the much-loved presenter exploring Antarctica on the journey of a lifetime.
Three-part ITV documentary Wonders Of The Frozen South will transport viewers to the very edge of the planet as Julia ventures from the tip of South America to the Falkland Islands, taking in the remote island of South Georgia before crossing the Antarctic Ocean.
Along the way, she encounters stunning landscapes and extraordinary wildlife.
She gets up close to millions of penguins, camps overnight in Antarctica and travels to isolated bays to witness seals on the ice and mighty humpback whales.
Julia’s previous shows have seen her explore Britain, Ireland and the Greek Islands.
I’m sure her new project in colder climes will be as warmly received.
PRIVACY ALIEN TO GRAEME
CRICKET legend Graeme Swann‘s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins experience was out of this world.
So much so, he actually thought he saw a UFO during a late night toilet trip.
He recalled: “One night, I went out for a poo and saw a red light moving. I genuinely thought I’d seen a UFO.
“I stared at it for five minutes before realising it was about three metres away – one of the cameras watching me take a s***.
“The amount of times I tried to sneak off for a fart and realised I was staring straight into a lens.”
I don’t want to hear any more about the unidentified objects in those loos . . .
Gladiator star Phantom, real name Toby Olubi, said one unnamed star refused to use the grim toilets.
“That is another form of torture in itself,” he said.
Watch how famous faces, including Love Island’s Dani Dyer and Gabby Allen get on when the new Channel 4 series launches on Sunday at 9pm.
JACK ON CAMP RULES
THERE were lots of things strictly off the cards on this year’s I’m A Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here! as execs sought to ensure contestants stayed in line.
Running through the dos and don’ts of the camp, Jack Osbourne explained: “They gave a list – no racist remarks, no sexist remarks . . .
“Like the ‘Don’t be a d***’ talk.”
Revealing the extensive list on his Trying Not To Die podcast, he also told how bosses clamped down on, ahem, self- pleasure, too.
He added: “My response to them was, ‘So that means someone must have been jerking off in the jungle at some point and you guys caught them’. They were like, ‘Oh, absolutely’.”
Oo-er, I wonder who that could have been . . .
STRANGER Things helped Netflix to its best Christmas viewing figures ever. The final series came to an end this week, with the show watched by 34.5million.
Although the numbers for the last episode are not yet available, it is looking like it is set to smash records for the streamer.