Coronation Street is to air an episode which will star just four of the cast and focus on the secrets tearing the Barlow family apart.

The instalment of the ITV soap airing on October 29 will centre on Ken Barlow (William Roache), Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne), Daniel Osbourne (Rob Mallard) and Sinead Tinker (Katie McGlynn).

They are the only people who will feature, other than two actors playing a doctor and a nurse.

The action will all take place in Weatherfield General and the Barlows’ house and will focus on Daniel’s discovery of Sinead’s cervical cancer diagnosis.

Sinead has kept her diagnosis a secret but last week spilled the beans to Ken after bumping into him in the hospital.

On October 29, she is rushed to hospital after collapsing and Daniel discovers the truth.

He is shocked to find out that Ken knew and rushes off to confront him, when he is intercepted by Peter.

The half-brothers get into a serious discussion about their upbringing and Ken’s parenting – which he overhears.

Chris Gascoyne
Chris Gascoyne (Ian West/PA)

Roache said: “When Daniel does find out, Ken gets the full blast of all the pent-up resentment that Daniel has lurking because he was an absent father.

“It’s a great episode, drawing on their history and bringing all those things together. One of the things I love in Coronation Street is how it draws on its own history, in this case the history of Ken being a bad father.

“I love it when we’re working in the Barlows, I’m very fond of them all in real life, I’m really enjoying having a full house again. A few years ago there was just Ken, Tracy and Amy. Now there’s Tracy, Amy, Daniel, Adam, Peter, Simon, Steve and Sinead as well, there are so many stories to tell.”

Mallard said it was a “real vote of confidence” that Corrie bosses devoted an episode to the characters and the story.

Rob Mallard
Rob Mallard (Ian West/PA)

“It was like doing a play, we had a read-through and rehearsals,” he said.

“The pressure was on because in a normal episode they cut away to another storyline but this one is all on us. We had a great time filming it.

“It was like a workshop and to do those scenes in the Barlows’ with two established actors like Bill and Chris, it felt like doing an acting masterclass, I felt very lucky.

“It was something that made me take a sharp intake of breath, it was very challenging and I got to flex acting muscles that I don’t necessarily use every day.”

The episode will air at 8.30pm on Monday October 29.