'Corrie' bosses bank on more viewers with drastic changes

'Coronation Street' is to unveil a host of new characters.

Bosses of the ITV1 soap have decided to make drastic changes to the show when it moves to a new £30m set in Salford next year and it is hoped the shake-up will keep viewers gripped.

Stars of the series - including Kym Marsh and Michelle Keegan - have already been informed of the plans and have been told new families will be joining Weatherfield soon.

A show source said: "The producers plan to bring Rosamund Street and Viaduct Street into things a bit more.

"Those streets have always been on the outskirts - people are referred to as coming from there but you never see much of them.

"Now they're going to become home for a lot of new faces who will hopefully be just as popular with viewers as the rest of the cast."

The source added to The Sun newspaper: "The feeling is that we need fresh characters to spin the action about."

The show will see a huge amount of change over the next few months as it relocates from its current base in central Manchester to a new set near Salford's MediaCity.

However there have already been a series of set-backs and the move has been delayed by up to six months due to building problems.

ITV confirmed there will only be a "slight" delay saying: "Construction of the main building and the 'Coronation Street' lot continues uninterrupted as does production."