Happy days! Soon we should all be able to enjoy Betty’s hotpot, or a pint of lager at The Rovers Return, as Corrie bosses plan to turn the soap opera pub into a nationwide chain.

Dawn Airey, ITV’s managing director, said: “We are absolutely looking to exploit all our brands in a far more commercial and efficient way.

“A huge amount of value lies in big ITV brands like Coronation Street and finding more creative and imaginative ways of exploiting those brands.”