Virgin Media has announced the special episode will premiere on Monday, January 5.

For the first time, the residents of Weatherfield in Coronation Street and the Yorkshire Dales in Emmerdale will share the screen in an action-packed episode.

Producers say the crossover promises explosive drama, nail-biting twists, and unforgettable character interactions.

A trailer for the special reveals a multi-vehicle crash on a rural road, with the scene featuring an explosion, with the words “two worlds collide” splashed on the screen.

Characters caught up in the drama include Corrie’s Billy Mayhew, Lisa and Becky Swain and their daughter Betsy, Kit Green, James Bailey, Asha Alahan, Tracy Barlow, Carla Connor, Shona and David Platt and Emmerdale’s Liam Cavanagh, Cain and Aaron Dingle, Sarah Sugden, Charity Dingle, Jacob Gallagher and Joe Tate.

Emmerdale’s Christmas Day episode revealed the return of John Sugden, who is plotting his revenge against Robert Sugden, another character set to feature in this one-off special.

Photos released ahead of the episode airing show the inside various cars before the crash, including Billy Mayhew’s, Becky Swain’s while driving Lisa and Betsy and Kit’s while driving Carla.

In another photo in the aftermath of the crash, Becky and her passengers are seen unconscious, with Lisa and Betsy showing injuries.

The characters are currently swept up in a kidnapping storyline with Lisa’s former wife, Becky, holding Carla hostage in her apartment.

Carla and Kit are also shown running past an upturned vehicle in another image.

In the trailer, Kit is then seen taking control of the situation whilst Carla tries to calm someone down.

Injured Shona and David Platt are tended to at the roadside by Emmerdale paramedic Jacob Gallagher, whilst Corrie’s own trainee paramedic Asha Alahan shares the screen with Cain Dingle as she tries to help more casualties.

This new one-off episode will mark the launch of the new Soap Power Hour schedule, which will bring Irish viewers Emmerdale at 8pm followed by Coronation Street at 8.30pm every weekday.

More scheduling changes in the New Year will include weekday airings of American sitcom Friends on Virgin Media One.