RITA Sullivan, Ken Barlow and Audrey Roberts are household names for millions around the country - and the borough of Blackburn with Darwen may well be one of the last places you’d expect to see them.

Yet the Coronation Street stars along with an army of crew descended upon the small rural village of Ryal Fold, Tockholes last week, to film special scenes for the show's 10,000th episode.

Owners of country pub The Royal Arms, Robin and Ruth Tillbrook, said they were contacted around nine weeks ago after their cosy venue was pinpointed as a potential location for filming.

Speaking to the Lancashire Telegraph, Mr Tillbrook said: “We were initially contacted and asked how we felt about filming taking place outside of the pub and in the carpark.

“But when the producers and crew arrived for a meeting, they decided that they loved the pub.

"A couple of days later we got a phone call from them, saying that they had been discussing the possibility of filming some scenes inside the pub."

Mr and Mrs Tillbrook, who brought the pub back in April, said the interest in their venue was the 'icing on the cake of a wonderful year.'

Mr Tilbrook said: "We had to keep it very quiet and close the pub for a couple of days.

"It was an incredibly surreal experience having household names inside the pub - but they were all so lovely and welcoming.”

Mr Tillbrook added that the visit from cast and crew has been the talk of the village since they left last week.

He said: “Since we revealed that the pub had been used for filming the response has been fantastic.

“Our locals have been coming in and wanting to hear all about it - like where they were sat and what they were doing.

“It was really incredible to be inside the pub and to get a little behind-the-scene glimpse of how it all works.

“We’re really excited to see our little pub on the big screen in the new year!”

The episode is expected to air during the first week of February.