Coronation Street reveals how they filmed THAT kiss between Tyrone and Alina

Behind the scenes Alina and Tyrone kiss Coronation Street
Behind the scenes Alina and Tyrone kiss Coronation Street

Coronation Street bosses spill the beans on how they filmed Tyrone and Alina kissing while sticking to social distancing rules.

Coronation Street has aired a shock kiss between Tyrone Dobbs and Alina Pop... but fans may be wondering how they filmed the moment while keeping two metres apart.

Coronation Street insiders have revealed that the secret behind filming was using 'kissing doubles'.

Behind the scenes Alina and Tyrone kiss Coronation Street

Despite seeing them kiss on screen tonight, in reality Tyrone and Alina didn't go near one another... (Picture: ITV)

Fans were left shocked when the pair shared a forbidden kiss on the bench at Victoria Gardens tonight.

More: Coronation Street star Ruxandra Porojnicu: ‘Moving to the UK was daunting, but the only way to make it big’

Camera magic

But with actors now having to stay two metres apart, Coronation Street brought in a real life couple to film the scene.

So while we might have watched Alina and Tyrone kiss, actors Alan Halsall and Ruxandra Porojnicu weren't seated on the bench together.

Behind the scenes Alina and Tyrone kiss Coronation Street

The actors had to film the scene separately and then it was edited to make it look like they were sitting next to one another (Picture: ITV)

The two actors were shot having the conversation separately which was later edited together to give the illusion they were next to each other. 

Kissing doubles 

A Coronation Street insider revealed: "To make sure the actors had the correct eye line the design department taped a pair of sunglasses onto a telescopic radio aerial so the on-screen lovers could give the impression of looking into each other's eyes."

Real life couple, Alex and Hannah, were then called in to kiss for real as the camera pulled back to see the couple in a clinch on the bench."

Behind the scenes Alina and Tyrone kiss Coronation Street

Alex and Hannah were the real life couple who stood in as 'kissing doubles' for Tyrone and Alina (Picture: ITV)

Coronation Street extra Alex Mulvaney, who stood in as Tyrone for the kiss, said: “My agent said that Coronation Street needed extras who were in a support bubble and they knew Hannah had dark hair like Alina’s.

"Hannah was nervous at first, but she is a big Coronation Street fan."

Creating chemistry

Producer Iain MacLeod added: "For the most part, our brilliant writers, cast and crew have cleverly worked around the inability of our characters to get within two metres of each other.

Behind the scenes Alina and Tyrone kiss Coronation Street

A lot of planning went into the scene that saw Tyrone and Alina kiss... (Picture: ITV)

"But it just felt wrong to tell a story of an illicit liaison, where someone betrays their partner based on lust and sexual attraction, only for us not to see any of the chemistry and closeness, hence the smoke and mirrors here!"

Coronation Street airs on Mondays and Wednesdays 7.30pm and 8.30pm with an hour long episode at 7.30 on Fridays on ITV - see our TV Guide for full listings.

Claire Crick
Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch

Claire is Assistant Managing Editor at What To Watch and has been a journalist for over 15 years, writing about everything from soaps and TV to beauty, entertainment, and even the Royal Family. After starting her career at a soap magazine, she ended up staying for 13 years, and over that time she’s pulled pints in the Rovers Return, sung karaoke in the Emmerdale village hall, taken a stroll around Albert Square, and visited Summer Bay Surf Club in sunny Australia. 


After learning some tricks of the trade at websites Digital Spy, Entertainment Daily, and Woman & Home, Claire landed a role at What’s On TV and whattowatch.com writing about all things TV and film, with a particular love for Aussie soaps, Strictly Come Dancing and Bake Off


She’s interviewed everyone from June Brown — AKA Dot Cotton — to Michelle Keegan, swapped cooking tips with baking legend Mary Berry backstage at the NTAs, and danced the night away with soap stars at countless awards bashes. There’s not a lot she doesn’t know about soaps and TV and can be very handy when a soapy question comes up in a pub quiz! 


As well as all things soap-related, Claire also loves running, spa breaks, days out with her kids, and getting lost in a good book.