SPOILER ALERT: Coronation Street introduces its first black family for exciting new storyline

Coronation Street has cast its first black family, with the Baileys moving to the street later this year.

The Baileys - made up of father Edison (Trevor Michael Georges), mother Aggie (Lorna Laidlaw) and sons Michael (Ryan Russell) and James (Nathan Graham) - are due to move into number three after buying the house from Norris.

But not only are they the first family of colour to grace the cobbles - their storyline will also tackle homosexuality in football as 19-year-old James is due to come out as gay in an upcoming storyline.

Producer Iain MacLeod told ITV he was "really excited" to introduce the new family and was confident the audience would love them.

"They're funny, warm and will pull together through thick and thin as we play out the stories we've got lined up for them," he said.

"The four actors we've cast are all individually brilliant but together they have a truly incredible chemistry. I can't wait for them to hit the screen!"

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"The north-west and Great Britain as a whole is a big melting pot of people from different backgrounds and ethnicities and the more representative we can make Corrie of Manchester and Britain the better really."

"It was a no-brainer, but I mean, as with anything on Coronation Street, it was the characters that came first and [the Baileys] were just instantly likeable."

However the announcement has been met with questions as to why it's taken the show, which has been on air for 59 years, so long to introduce a black family.

Although the show has cast individual black characters, the Baileys are the first black family to be brought in all together.