Coronation Street stars are jumping like rats from a sinking ship as morale on the ITV show reaches an "all-time low", it has been claimed.
Katie McGlynn - whose character Sinead Tinker has only just recovered from cervical cancer - announced her shock departure yesterday, just 24 hours after castmate Faye Brookes (Kate Connor) confirmed she's leaving, taking the total exits for 2019 to six.
According to The Sun , no-one has been 'particularly happy' since boss Kate Oates' sudden departure after complaints about 'dark' storylines.
“There are lots of scheduling issues and the workload has become very difficult to manage with six episodes a week," a source said.
Coronation Street's Sinead Tinker to die after star Katie McGlynn confirms exit?
“There are now lots of unhappy people who are jumping ship but many of them are ‘putting a spin on it’ publicly because they don’t want to upset their mates left trying to save the show.
“It’s not a great time to work on the show.”
And fans are pointing the finger firmly at newcomer Iain McLeod, who was drafted in from Emmerdale to reignite comedy the soap was once famed for.
"Well done Iain McLeod you sure have ruined Corrie," tweeted one, who joined many in their anger over the show's decision to kill of Rana Nazir (Bhavna Limbachia) on her wedding day to Kate Connor.
Coronation Street's Katie McGlynn becomes sixth star to leave this year amid 'crisis'
"Sir did you ever ask yourself why all these actors want to leave?" the fan continued.
"My wife and I have been fans of Coronation Street from as long as we can remember, but we feel the writers are now concentrating on competing with EastEnders rather than the programme itself," a fan told Mirror Online.
"More and more nastiness and violence is taking the place of the comedy. (Which is becoming a bit silly too) All too many sensational goings on. Too far-fetched now and we are losing interest completely. This is probably why people are leaving."
Under Iain's reign at Emmerdale, 10 stars quit in one year including Gemma Atkinson, Adam Thomas and Jonathan Wrather.
Speaking at the time, an insider told The Sun executive producer Iain had been nicknamed 'Donald Trump' by cast and producers "because of his cut-throat attitude and the way he’s keen to focus on new signings, not long-standing cast members."
“Pasha Bocarie, who played Rakesh, made no secret that he quit the show over an unenjoyable change and it seems as though other stars are following suit and also leaving because of the change," a source alleged.
Mirror Online has contacted Coronation Street for comment.
