Children in Need 2021: watch Janine Butcher and Steve McDonald on ‘First Dates’

Sketch is the first crossover between soaps ‘Eastenders’ and ‘Coronation Street’

Eastenders and Coronation Street have come together for a special sketch for Children in Need 2021.

Starring Simon Gregson and Charlie Brooks as Steve McDonald and Janine Butcher respectively, the two soap favourites go out together on a date.

In a further crossover twist, they attend the First Dates restaurant and their Maitre’D is Fred Sireix from the hit Channel 4 show.

In the sketch, Steve tells Janine that he owns his own taxi firm, much to the latter's delight.

They also make reference to the similarities between the two characters such as them both being closely associated with the pubs of their respective shows and cab drivers.

Steve and Janine also discuss their respective romantic histories which are memorably complicated. Janine then nearly chokes on her drink after Steve reveals that he’s been married seven times. In reply Steve quips that he’s not afraid of the divorce courts.

Things then take a turn for the worse after Steve unintentionally insults Janine and he ends up getting replaced on the date by Emmerdale’s Eric Pollard.

The sketch was written by Daran Little who has worked on both soaps as well as Made in Chelsea and The Only Way is Essex.

Community care: Simon Gregson as Steve McDonald in 'Coronation Street' (ITV)

Both Gregson and Brooks are two of the longest serving soap actors in the UK. Gregson has been a staple of the Coronation Street cast since 1989 while Brooks made her first appearance in Walford in 1999.