‘Coronation Street’ will reignite its rivalry with ‘EastEnders’ by ripping off one of its most famous lines.
The ITV soap is set to feature new Rovers Return landlord Peter Barlow saying "Get out of my pub" – a phrase made famous by Queen Vic landlady Peggy Mitchell (Dame Barbara Windsor) in the the BBC programme – during an upcoming scene with Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson).
An insider told The Sun newspaper: "’Corrie’ has cheekily made the line its own by giving it northern welly.
"It sounds quite different because of the Manchester accent but it will ring a bell with fans … and will definitely ruffle feathers in the Beeb script-writing room."
Peter, a recovering alcoholic played by actor Chris Gascoyne, is currently living out his long-held ambition of running a pub.
But soap boss Kate Oates has promised that the storyline won’t be conventional.
She said: "I don’t want to play out another alcoholic storyline with Peter so our challenge is to find a way of exploring his faults in different ways."
Meanwhile, it was recently reported that new ‘EastEnders’ boss John Yorke has lifted a ban on the show’s cast appearing in pantomimes.
Historically, soap stars have turned to money-spinning productions as a means of boosting their earnings and John has apparently decided to lift the ban on the ‘EastEnders’ cast accepting such roles in a bid to improve the mood on set.
A source said: "John has made it his mission to meet with disgruntled stars and find out what has gone wrong. He had a mountain to climb with some of them – but he’s really had an effect and people are already much happier.
"His aim was to get some of the big names back onside and secure their futures – and his plan is working."