Corriedale brought the worlds of Coronation Street and Emmerdale together for a one-night-only event.
Coronation Street and Emmerdale fans were treated to a special one-off episode on Monday night as the two soap worlds collided in Corriedale.
The hour-long crossover, which launched ITV’s new “soap power hour” scheduling shake-up, brought characters from Coronation Street and Emmerdale together, their lives forever changed by a devastating multi-vehicle crash.
In one particularly striking scene, Coronation Street’s Steve McDonald, played by Simon Gregson, was left completely stunned when he recognised Emmerdale’s Jai Sharma, portrayed by Chris Bisson.
As Steve made his way toward an ambulance, he spotted Jai stuck in the traffic caused by the crash. Shocked, Steve exclaimed: “No!” His partner, Cassie Plummer (played by Claire Sweeney), immediately asked: “You okay?”
Steve replied: “I just thought I saw someone I used to work with. It can’t be… Doesn’t matter.”
The clever scene was a wink to Chris Bisson’s soap past, as he had previously played a key character on Coronation Street.
Chris, 50, is best known for his role as Jai Sharma on Emmerdale, which he has played since 2009. Before joining the village, he portrayed Vikram Desai on Coronation Street from 1999 to 2002.
Vikram co-founded Street Cars alongside Steve McDonald. However, after getting involved in drug smuggling to cover his gambling debts, his partnership with Steve fell apart, and he ultimately left for Mumbai permanently.
Soap fans were quick to react to the reference to Chris’ Coronation Street history. One person tweeted on X (formerly Twitter): “Hilarious when Steve recognised Jai/Vikram – lol. Nice comedy moment! #Corriedale.”
Another wrote: “LOVED when Steve said he recognised Jai/Vikram, but wow, did that make me feel old! #Corriedale.” A third commented: “Best line in #Corriedale was Steve: ‘Thought I just saw someone I used to work with.’” Meanwhile, another viewer added with laughing emojis: “Steve McDonald ‘thought I saw someone I used to work with’ @ChrisBisson brilliant #Corriedale.”
Elsewhere, another soap fan joked: “Good job it was Liam who turned up and not Dr Sharma. That really would have blown Steve’s mind… #Corriedale.”
Actress Rebecca Sarker plays Manpreet Sharma on Emmerdale, a role she has held since 2018. However, Rebecca, 50, previously appeared on Coronation Street as Nita Desai from 1999 to 2000.
Nita was the daughter of the short-lived Corner Shop owner Ravi Desai and the older sister of Vikram. In 2000, she left the cobbles for Inverness to run her own shop.
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