[Scarlett.]

Coronation Street Art Director Rosie Mullins-Hoyle explains how she and the design team created the new look Rovers Return...

“The redesign of the Rovers was a massive challenge, firstly because it was the first time in 25 years that the set had come out of stage 1. It is an iconic set, perhaps the most famous in the country, so there is a lot of pressure to get it right and do it justice.

I was given a brief from Producer Stuart Blackburn that the pub needed to feel like the Rovers - it needed to keep its character, the changes needed to be subtle and people had to notice new things about it after seeing a few episodes. Stella had made a conscious effort to try to make it feel like the same pub. In the back room she has picked out the the same wallpaper she had before as this is her home and she wants it to feel like it did.

"The pub needed to feel like the Rovers - it needed to keep its character..."

The work took approximately six weeks and a team of three painters, four chippys, an upholster, construction manager, setting team of four, a dressing team of four, two production buyers, a graphic designer and myself. Every aspect of it was carefully thought out down to the detail.

The wallpaper was bought in bulk in case it discontinues as it potentially needs to last us for the next 50 years! A couple of gallons of paint were used. All of the wallpapers were tested on camera prior to filming to see how they looked under studio lights and we checked that we were technically able to shoot with them.

Stuart wanted it to feel like it had been kitted out with items from a pub that had shut down. I sourced a stained glass bay window online from a pub in Birmingham that had been knocked down. This was then used to create the glass partitions in between the booths. Additional reclaimed stained glass was sourced and used in the back bar optics which were redesigned. Both the seating and the new back bar have an art deco detail to them adding to the theme that these have come from another old pub and are continuing their life in the Rovers.

"I must have looked through hundreds of samples to get the perfect one..."

When picking the upholstery I must have looked through hundreds of samples to get the perfect one - a traditional gold fabric with repeat flower pattern which colours tied in with the Rovers wallpaper. Once selected it then underwent flame tests to check it was suitable for use on a set. The curtain fabric was sourced from a local company that provided us with upholstery and curtain fabric for the last Rovers redesign.

The dressings were all sourced with the original Rovers in mind and with us not wanting it to look shiny and new. The Buyers sourced across the country to get every detail right - old Salford prints, brassware, hot plates, old pub stools and tables, pictures, establishing a pub poser table and a new juke box.

Look out for the Rovers continuing to change in its first for weeks on screen and then subtly in time as it gets its life back. For instance the back room with vintage beer posters and day to day life and memorabilia that will be added to over the years. We have just added a hand painted 'Rovers Return' dartboard. All of these details add to the character and history of the Rovers Return Inn."



These are the first pictures of Coronation Street’s Rovers Return restored to it’s full glory.

It’s been more than two months since an explosive fire ripped through Britain’s most famous pub, causing the deaths of two people and leaving a scorched out shell where the boozer once stood.

But from the flames emerges a new refurbished Rovers, and on Sunday 26th May the pub will re-open it’s doors to the residents of Coronation Street.

It’s a re-opening which landlady Stella has been dreaming about for months. But in true soap style the opening night isn’t without its dramas, as barmaid Tina goes into shock premature labour.

Michelle Keegan, who plays Tina, said: “She’s not due for another two months and she’s scared. Tina doesn’t understand why the baby’s coming so early, she’s only 7 months gone and she’s only a 21 year old girl so she is very frightened.”

As Tina’s raced to hospital the rest of the residents get into the spirit of the evening, but some are still emotionally scarred from the events of the fire on that fateful night.

Arsonist Karl, who was responsible for Sunita's death, is enduring his own personal battle with his conscience as he fights to keep his crime uncovered.

Michelle Collins, who plays Stella, said: “Stella is thrilled to be back, but then of course nothing ever runs smoothly in soapland. What with Tina going into labour, Dev still niggling away to her about whether Sunita really started the fire and Karl’s increasingly erratic behaviour... it does put a bit of a dampener on things for her.”

The Rovers may have had a facelift but the secrets and lies hidden there remain.