YES, of course, this was an April Fools day yarn.
THERE has been some doubt over what to do with the former-Coronation Street set at ITV's Old Granada Studios once the tours cease later this year.
Fred Elliot will join Curly Watts, Janice Battersby and the ginger cat from the credits in Abu Dhabi
The site of the former set and current Coronation Street tours (reviewed here) was bought back in 2013 in a joint venture between Manchester City and Allied London - the developers behind Manchester city centre's Spinningfields district - when ITV moved production to Salford Quays.
In October 2014 Allied London put forward their £1bn St John's regeneration masterplan to the City Council which included up to 3000 residential units, 600,000 sq ft of workspace, 400,000 sq ft of leisure space, two hotels and three arts and cultural buildings.
With building work on St John's set to begin this year, it seemed the former-Coronation Street set - home to the world's longest running soap from 1982 to 2014 - was doomed.
Now Confidential understands it's been handed a lifeline - from 3500 miles away, no less.
The Abu Dhabi United Group - the UAE private equity company which owns Manchester City FC - intend to purchase the entire Coronation Street tour set and ship it to the Middle East where it will function as a Manc Museum.
Sheikh Mansour is said to be a huge fan of the showSince the Abu Dhabi Group's purchase of Man City for in 2008, public interest in all things Mancunian has grown exponentially, with up to 65% of UAE's population (some 5m people) now tuning in regularly to the soap. It is hoped the new museum - to be erected in the city's new space-age Yas Mall shopping centre - will give Abu Dhabi residents a taste of how it feels to be melodramatic, downtrodden and Manc.
The new museum - to be given a twelve million Dirham spruce-up (roughly £2.2m) - will feature former washed-up Corrie actors in order to maintain authenticity and pull the punters. John Savident, who played popular Weatherfield butcher Fred Elliot, will join Curly Watts (Kevin Kennedy), Janice Battersby (Vicky Entwistle), and the ginger cat from the credits in Abu Dhabi.
John Savident will return to the role of Fred ElliotSavident said: "I can't wait to become part of the Weatherfield family again, even if there is only me, Kev, Vic and that little ginger shitbag cat. Yes, we're 3500 miles away in temperatures up to 40°C temperatures, but wherever The Rovers and Prima Doner are, that's home enough for us, plus they've given me an island shaped like a pork chop... so can't complain, I say I can't complain."
"I just hope these Abu Dhabians enjoy one of Elliot's famous blood sausages... hold on... do they eat sausage? Bugger."
The Coronation Street Tour will move to Abu Dhabi later this year.
