Coronation Street is said to be working on ways to keep older characters on screen when filming resumes in a week's time.
The soap shut down filming in March as the UK entered a coronavirus lockdown but now has the green light to restart full production and has set a date of June 8 for it to begin.
Cast members aged 70 or over are deemed to be the most at-risk from COVID-19, however, and consequently will not be invited back on set for the foreseeable future.
Those affected by the restriction include 88-year-old Bill Roache (Ken Barlow), 86-year-old Barbara Knox (Rita Sullivan), 76-year-old Sue Nicholls (Audrey Roberts), 71-year-old David Neilson (Roy Cropper), 74-year-old Maureen Lipman (Evelyn Plummer) and 80-year-old part-timer Malcolm Hebden (Norris Cole).
According to The Mirror, Corrie producers are considering ways to feature the actors as they self-isolate at their homes, with the possibility that they could dial into the show in character via FaceTime or Zoom.
"Bosses know just how important these characters are to their millions of fans," a show source told the newspaper. "And who wouldn't love to see the likes of Ken, Evelyn and Roy taking part in a Zoom quiz night?
"Or Tracy calling her dad and telling him how much she misses him. There are good ways to do it, and that's what they're looking into at the moment."
ITV is also said to be working on contingency plans for how to incorporate the older cast into December's 60th anniversary celebrations should they be unable to safely return to set.
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