Coronation Street to highlight struggle of disabled workers during the pandemic with Izzy Armstrong storyline
Writers and producers have been working with actress Cherylee Houston on the storyline for moths, and it will air onscreen next week.
Though restrictions are slowly being lifted and most of us have settled into a semblance of normality, the pandemic isn't over, especially for those who are still shielding.
Coronation Street's upcoming storyline surrounding Cherylee Houston's Izzy Armstrong is set to tackle the issue next week, with a storyline designed to highlight the hardships faced by disabled workers during the pandemic.
Viewers already had a glimpse at how Izzy is coping in the aftermath of the pandemic, with Underworld bosses Carla and Sarah coming up with a scheme to help Izzy work from home. But Izzy has been struggling with her workload behind-the-scenes, and things will come to a head next week.
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Houston herself has been shielding since last March, and will appear in the episode via video link scenes and some special filming in her own home, featuring her concerned neighbour Fergus, played by her partner Toby Hadoke.
Speaking of the upcoming storyline, she said: “I have been unbelievably fortunate that my employers enabled me to continue shielding after the official shielding guidance ended in March. I’ve been so supported by ITV, but I’m aware that many of my disabled peers who were previously shielding haven’t had that safety and have been forced to make the decision to earn money to survive whilst facing the real fear of death or serious illness through COVID."
She added: “There’s 14.1 million people in the UK, that’s 1 in 5 of us. We are employees, carers, front line workers, volunteers and a key part of every community. The pandemic has had an incredible impact on many disabled people due to social isolation, certain services being unavailable and a lack of understanding.
“There’s currently 4.4 million disabled workers in the UK. We experience almost double the unemployment statistics compared to our non disabled peers (mostly due to prejudice or lack of reasonable adjustments).”
Coronation Street Producer Iain MacLeod said: “We had to think outside the box in order to tell this story, devising new protocols and ways of scripting scenes that would allow Cherylee to film the scenes herself in her home. It certainly helped that her partner Toby is a fabulous actor!
"Despite all the technical challenges we had to overcome, this was a story that needed telling and I hope it will resonate with millions of people who have found themselves in a similar position to Izzy – and perhaps open the eyes of millions of others who had little awareness of the issues facing disabled people during COVID.”
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