Slaughter on the Street

There is a major cull on its way to Coronation Street as outgoing producer Tony Wood leaves his mark on the soap.

11:42 20 September 2005

There is a major cull on its way to Coronation Street as outgoing producer Tony Wood leaves his mark on the soap.

According to the Sun newspaper, four Weatherfield characters are on their way out of the ITV series, with shaven-headed Janice Battersby the biggest character facing the axe.

She will be joined by car mechanic Nathan Harding, played by Ray Fearon, and Sunita Alahan, played by Shobna Gulati, who looks set to depart after finally settling down to have a child with Dev following a series of disastrous love interests.

And one of the dappy factory twins, Jessie, played by Nailah Cumberbatch, could also be on her way, despite having only joined the soap recently.

The news of the drastic killing off of so many characters may come as a shock to fans, but it is all due to the imminent arrival of new producer Steve Frost, known as the Ice Man.

He is keen to ensure the salary bill is down by the time he arrives on the scene and current incumbent Wood is set to do his bidding, with the removal of Vicky Entwistle's popular character Janice perhaps the biggest gamble.

"It'll be slaughter on the Street," a Corrie insider told the Sun.

"The entire cast will be looking over their shoulders. It's about saving money and making space for new and cheaper characters.

"People like Vicky and Shobna will be getting six figure salaries. Replacing them with newcomers can halve that wage bill."