'Coronation Street' fans excited by news of new family on the street

It’s taken a while, but Coronation Street is finally getting its first black family – and soap fans are excited.

They took to Twitter following the announcement this morning to express their delight.

“This is AMAZING news. It’s been WAY too long since Corrie had a whole new family,” wrote one fan in the comments section of ITV’s announcement on Twitter.

While another said “Not had a new family on the street in ages so this is exciting.”

Coronation Street devotees were quick to identify the familiar faces playing the new additions. Ryan Russell, who is known to many from his time on CBeebies, is joining as eldest son, Michael Bailey. CBeebies themselves posted to wish their departing star good luck.

Doctors watchers also spotted Lorna Laidlaw among the new faces. She played Mrs Tembe on the daytime soap for eight years.

“And about time too. It’s Mrs Tembe from Doctors,” was one happy comment.

Read more: The Baileys to be first black family introduced on Coronation Street

But there was some surprise from some soap watchers that it’s taken ITV so long to introduce its first black family on the street.

The Baileys will move into number 3 Coronation Street, which they have apparently bought from Norris, who is currently in Peru with Emily Bishop.

Fans were concerned that the sale of the house, which Norris and Emily lived in, will mean that neither Corrie veteran will be returning. Malcolm Hebden, who plays Norris, took leave from the soap in 2017 due to ill health.

Corrie producer Iain MacLeod reiterated today that they “hoped” Hebden would return.

He said: “Norris is not leaving the show, we just thought that given the circumstances that we find ourselves in, it made sense to put a family in number three.

“It’s certainly not the end of Norris.

“Emily I’m in talks with fairly regularly, or we are as production, with Eileen, but at the moment there’s no plans for her to return. But again, the door is certainly not closed there.

“Definitely in Norris’s case the hope on my part, and I think on his, is that we can bring him back in for good.”

Read more: Not the end of Norris, says Coronation Street producer

The Baileys will arrive on our screens this June.