50 Years Of Corrie In 50 Days – 1990

Day 30 of our 50 day countdown of Coronation Street - written by blogger Sunny Jim.

For thirty years the cast had rehearsed in large rooms with tape on the floors marking out their homes but in 1990, Coronation Street was given exclusive use of its own studio called Stage One allowing rehearsals to be done on the actual set that the scenes would be filmed on. Rather than sets being erected for filming and then being dismantled so that other filming could be carried out, sets for places like the Rovers, shops and café could be kept up permanently with house interiors erected as required. The Coronation Street cast also got their own dressing rooms, make-up facilities, costume areas and Green Room.

With the expansion to three episodes a week the previous year this all helped in dealing with the increased workload and tighter schedules. More characters were needed too and the erection of houses, shops and flats on the even side of the Street gave the production team the space to expand the cast and to move some existing characters from off-street residences onto the actual Street. The first characters to set up on the other side of the Street were Des and Steph Barnes. Steph’s father, who had built the new houses, sold no.6 to them at cost price and they moved in on their wedding day. They were labelled by some as ‘yuppies’ but they were really just working class people who had a bit of cash, Des was a bookies clerk and Steph a shop assistant. At their housewarming, Steph got Kevin Webster drunk and shaved off his moustache, thus winning a bet with Des who was forced to drink in the Rovers without his trousers.

Rita Fairclough closed the Kabin on Rosamund Street relocating it to one of the new premises on Coronation Street and moved out of no. 7 and into the flat above the new shop. Jenny Bradley swiftly moved in her friend Flick Khan and her younger sister, Joanne who became the centre of attraction for Steve and Andy McDonald. Steve won the battle for Joanne’s heart but his father, Jim, didn’t approve so they stole Jim’s motorbike and ran away to the Lake District together. The romance was short-lived and Joanne soon returned to the Street after having to take a badly paid job in a hotel. Liz went to fetch Steve home and threatened to leave Jim if he laid on finger on their wayward son.

Also in 1990: Rosie Webster and David Platt born; Deirdre divorces Ken; Ken sells the Recorder; Alec tracks down estranged daughter and hits it off with his granddaughter Vicky; Curly Watts and Kimberley Taylor get engaged; Alma moves in with Mike but he takes up with Jackie Ingram; Jack Duckworth buys Vera an Alsatian called Boomer; Percy Sugden lies about his age to get a job as a lollipop man.