Trick or Treat: Fri Oct 30, 2009 Corrie Episode Review

Written by Joe Turner, directed by Tony Prescott.

I apologise for the tardiness of this review, but my internet was down!

So, we take off where we left off: Tony Gordon collapsed against the Kabin in agony, his face illuminated by fireworks and sheer terror. Roy walks by and sees Tony, so he calls an ambulance and gets him taken to the hospital. In the hospital, Roy tries frantically to get hold of Maria, but to no avail. Right now, he's all Tony's got. Tony is in very critical condition, and the doctors don't think he'll make it through the night. Tony is not happy about that and verbally berates Roy to the rudest degree, then finally asks Roy to leave. Just as he does, the nurse tells him that Tony wants him back. Tony apologises, then when going under cardiac arrest, he confesses to Roy that he's the one who smoked out the bats. Oh, and the he killed Liam! Roy leaves the hospital and doesn't know what to make of this confession. Oh, boy. Talk about wrong place, wrong time.

Molly and Kev don't know what to do about their current predicament, but they do know that they are still in love and want to keep seeing each other, regardless of what Pam thinks. Kev comes up with a brilliant idea: tell Pam it's over, stay away from each other for a few weeks, then resume. It's shocking that he's not a captain of industry with that strategic mindset of his. Molly does as instructed, and lies to Pam about her and Kev breaking it off. Oh, Pammy, don't fall for it!

Well, this is bloody fantastic. Jake the builder walks into the Rovers with only a towel on, in hopes to even the playing field between he and Michelle. I'm surprised he didn't slip on the floor for all of Kelly and Julie's drool! Michelle agrees to dinner with him, as long as he keeps the towel on. Oh please, what a game of cat and mouse! At dinner, Michelle swans over the menu ordering the most expensive items, while Jake enjoys every minute of it. Jake guesses that she's suffered great loss, and then Michelle loses it and calls him creepy. Jake said it was just a guess, and he was sorry. More like he went to the Kabin and talked to Norris for all of 5 minutes about Michelle if you ask me! At the end of the night, Jake gets his wish, and a kiss or two from Michelle, and who knows what else!

Peter is adamant about not having Simon participate in Halloween, since it's "not English." Well neither is vodka, but that never stopped him before! He's really starting to sound a lot like Ken. Leanne thinks he's a killjoy, and decides to dress up as a ghost with Simon when Peter pops out for a bit, then when he comes back, they'll jump out and surprise him. Peter is on his way up, and Simon hides behind the door only for Peter to kick it open with arms full and crush Simon between the wall and the door! Poor Simon! He has to be taken to hospital to get some stitches for his forehead. Leanne feels terrible and apologizes profusely. Peter was furious with her at first, but realises later that it was just an accident.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Pam telling Molly that to be honest, she wishes she never saw her and Kev together and wishes she could have it wiped from her memory. All of us at Team Pam share that sentiment!
- The Jake the builder towel scene. He hasn't grown on me yet, but just watching Liz, Julie and Kelly (and Michelle) drool made me laugh!
- Jake playing video games with Ryan and Ben. Which begs the question - how old IS he? Did anyone else notice how Jake's voice sounds exactly like Graeme's?

LOWLIGHTS:
- Tony is really that ill? Should we be worried about his character? Maybe not now...but in the future? Sheesh.
- How rude Tony was to Roy! I know he's dying and all, but still. Those were harsh words. I hope the devil spanks him down there!
- Molly and Kev thinking they can outsmart Pam. Just you wait, Mr. Webster, just you wait.
- Michelle and Jake's date. I can't figure out who's more annoying.
- Poor Simon's head getting crushed in the door. Although, it was kinda funny! (Owww!) Why did he hide behind the door?

For those who enjoy the scenic route, check out the full review here, scene by scene.

Richard Hillman voted Corrie's nastiest villain

The latest poll on the Coronation Street blog was for fans to vote for the nastiest Corrie villian. 558 votes were cast and the villain voted top of the nasty heap was Richard Hillman with 37% of the vote, beating Tony Gordon and the rest of the nasties as follows:

1. Richard Hillman, 37%
2. Tony Gordon, 28%
3. Charlie Stubbs, 16%
4. Jez Quigley, 11%
5. Alan Bradley, 5%

Tina O'Brien in TV lesbian drama

Tina O'Brien, who played Coronation Street's Sarah Grimshaw, will turn up next on TV as a lesbian. Tina will soon film her role in a BBC Two drama about the wealthy landowner and diarist Anne Lister, played by Maxine Peake.

Describing the role, Tina said: "It's based on a true story about a woman who wrote all these diaries in code - they decoded them and found out she was a bit of a saucy lesbian and I play one of her love interests."

Tina is also soon to launch a new campaign for household appliances brand Indesit. More here.

Is Jake a mistake?

So, what do we make of Jake? I thought the way he was introduced to Coronation Street through Michelle's window with her in the buff was cheesy and rough. But it's early days, he could turn out to be a wonderful Corrie fella, who knows? But he hasn't started off well in our house. And as for Michelle? One minute she's reporting him to the police for harassment and the next she's inviting him in for some of her Mama Connor lovin'. Get a grip, girl.

State of the Street: October

How you could cheat on this face? Well, someone is and it's not pretty, is it? There's a lot of ugly in the street in October, including Rosie's panda face when she found out she'd been taken for all her dosh by Luke, Tony renouncing the devil all the while putting a hit on Carla who's returned with an ultimatum and Fiz making an unfortunate marraige.

Such was the State of the Street this month and you can read all about it here.

Vote for Corrie in Digital Spy's Soap Awards

Voting is now open in the Digital Spy Soap of the Year awards. Get your clicking finger ready and vote for your favourite soap here.

Voting closes on Sunday December 6th.

Man With Ladder: Thu Oct 29, 2009 Corrie Episode Review

Written by John Kerr.

Rosie's still suffering from stupidity-related-depression, after she's realised that her money won't get recovered. She begs Tony to help her track down Luke, but all Tony can do is offer her the PA job back. Rosie refuses out of spite then Tony offers the the job to Sally instead. Sally is mystified at the offer, but takes him up on it. This just angers Rosie even more, since Sally should be caring about her feelings, not a job! That Rosie!

Molly hasn't been able to talk to Kev all day and is clearly frustrated. When stocking the shelves at Dev's, she drops a bottle of Ketchup and it shatters on the floor making an ugly mess. Pam walks in and surveys the spill and says: "If that's blood - I hope it's Kevin's." Zing! Oh, there will be blood, my dear. Molly remarks that Pam's lucky it's not her blood for going off on Kevin the way she did the other day. Pam asks her exactly when she's planning on telling Tyrone about her affair but Molly tells her to back off her affairs. Literally. Later, Kev comes into Dev's and tells Molly they have to talk. I'll give you three guesses for what he's going to say, and the first two don't count.

Hayley and Roy are back from their trip in Romania, and the trip has spurned Roy's interest in bat conservation once again. He tells Pam all about the council meeting, to which she says sounds fascinating. He invites her to join them, but she declines saying she was only being polite. Haha, I loved the awkward silence after wards. Team Pam is alive and well!

Michelle's in a fit over Jake the builder, especially when she sees him peering into her window again. She's had enough and has decided to make it a police matter. The police arrive and she tells them that Jake has forced himself on her, and has been harassing her. Jake admits to the police that he kissed her, because he couldn't help himself. The police want Michelle to boil it down to an unfortunate misunderstanding, and Michelle reluctantly agrees. However, the second she does, Jake lurches forward for another kiss, prompting him to be taken away by the police after all! He just doesn't learn. Michelle later complains about him, but it's clear she's enjoying the attention.

Ashley has FINALLY gone for his vasectomy. It's about time. How long did we have to follow this storyline involving Ashley's genitalia? And to think that they were considering pushing the envelope with a storyline regarding menopause. Honestly!

Maria's set off for Cyprus, but can't be without Tony for what seems like even a minute. The second she gets to Cyprus she trots down to the local cyber-cafe and gets on web-cam with Tony. Can nothing keep these two apart? We'll soon see about that. Tony has taken a shine to Ozzy and took him to work with him so that Ozzy wouldn't be alone when the fireworks went off. Only, when Tony leaves Underworld at night with Ozzy, he gets some chest pains and a dizzy spell, then collapses next to the Kabin, just managing to squeak out "Maarrriiiaa" from his tightened larynx. Will anyone be able to help him?

HIGHLIGHTS:
- When Jake the builder is amazed that Ryan is Michelle's son and figures he must be adopted or something. Err...something like that actually.
- Tony taking Ozzy to work to comfort him from the fireworks. I'm not a Tony fan, but that's enough to melt this cold, cold heart.
- How Sally usurps Rosie's old PA position without a second thought! Go Sally! Rosie didn't deserve first refusal.
- Pam asking if the "blood" (ketchup) on the floor was Kevin's. Zing!
- Michelle tells Ryan and Ben about her "encounter" with Jake the other day and Ryan remarks that it sounds like a dodgy porno! I couldn't have said it better myself! That's exactly what it was like.
- Graeme's "advice" to Michelle that she's a "red-hot mama with a body that just won't quit."

LOWLIGHTS:
- Rosie rattling on about how she got a 3 grand handbag stolen in a club! How irresponsible can she get?
- Kelly eating the last chocolate cookie out of Julie's grasp yelling "sucker" with her mouth full of the crumbs. Wow, I never thought the factory girls were mature before, but when did they turn into primary school children?
- Michelle pretending not to like Jake's advances. Who does she think she's kidding? Herself only.
- Ashley and Claire's boring vasectomy storyline. If he didn't get that snip by this episode, I was going to go down there and do it myself goddamnit. Not really, but you know.

For those who enjoy a more scenic route, check out the full scene-by-scene review here.

Canadians can win a trip to the Street

This competition was so popular last year that Nestle and CBC are holding it again. The contest, only open to Canadian residents, could win you a trip for two to Manchester for six nights including a tour of Granada Studios' Coronation Street set. There will be three trips to be won and there are two ways to enter.

Between October 31 and December 31, 2009, a "secret" word will be displayed on the screen during the Corrie broadcast. Go to the website and enter the word for a chance to win. You can see the full rules there as well, after October 31.

How else can you win? If you have a UPC bar code from a Quality Street product, you can enter that and you'll get 3 bonus entries and if you have both the UPC code *and* the secret word, you get 5 bonus entries. Remember, Canadian residents only and the contest starts tomorrow! Check the website above for full rules.

Corrie's Fab-Tash-tic Photo Friday

Making no excuses for yet another picture of Kevin Webster's most excellent moustache in this week's Coronation Street Fab Photo Friday. Have a look at another of Kev's tash pictures here and more fab photos here.

UTV Continuity Man on Coronation Street

For those of us who don't live in Northern Ireland, we don't get to see Julian Simmons on telly and it's a real shame. The man is a hoot. He's the continuity announcer for UTV and he clearly loves his Corrie. Have a look at some of his best bits via the wonder of YouTube here.

Also, check out his entertainment blog.

Meet Corrie faves in Poundland on Hallowe'en

Poundland are opening two new stores on Hallowe'en, this Saturday October 31st, and they've lined up some Coronation Street favourites to do the Hallowe'en honours.

Andy Whyment (Kirk Sutherland) will be opening the new Poundland in The Bow Street Mall in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. And Katherine Kelly (Becky McDonald) will open the new Poundland in the St Elli centre, Llanelli.

The fun starts in each Poundland store at 10am on Saturday October 31st.

For more information visit http://www.poundland.com/, the Poundland blog http://www.poundlandblog.com/ and Twitter http://twitter.com/PoundlandParrot

Archive photos from the Coronation Street set

If you fancy having a look at some pictures from 1985 showing the rebuild of the Coronation Street set, then have a look here.

This is a picture of a smug, selfish head

It was a Daran Little written episode and, to paraphrase, "it is marvellous in our eyes". Daran always writes really good stuff and this was more of the same. Our blogger Yoork is Captain of Team Pam and most of the people watching last night probably are too, me included! If she were the subject of a grand, Biblical painting, she'd be Salome with the head of Kevin Webster on a plate, such was the result of her tearing several strips off him with the oily hands. She had him bang to rights, and really nailed it. Middle aged, bored, looking for spice. Molly flirts with him and he jumps in with both feet so she, young, bored and looking for spice, jumps in after him. As much as they keep saying they love each other, Molly thinks naively it's all going to work out and they'll be together forever.

I'm watching and thinking, 'Kevin, you know damn well you're never going to leave Sally'. If he had his druthers, he'd never tell Sally. You can tell by the way he accused her of telling Pam on purpose to force the issue. He's all talk and empty promises and Molly's going to wear it when it blows up, far more than Kevin if it's true that she's going to end up pregnant in a cliche, yet classic soap "Who's the Daddy" plot. Not that she has my sympathy. If you will remember, she's the one that started it all with a flirt or two which is typical Molly. She didn't take it seriously until he did and he certainly did, and did all the subsequent chasing but I wonder if, when it comes out, Kevin will blame it on her?

Sneak preview of next week's Corrie, Nov 2-6

Without any piffle, here's the storyline for the week ahead on Coronation Street, all wrapped up nicely in 50 words or less.

Week of Monday 2 November to Friday 6 November

Will Roy tell Maria the truth about Tony?, Dev and Jake have a stand off, Simon’s granddad arrives, Jesse and Julie have a secret rendevous, Sally takes control at Underworld, David brings Zoe home, Freda moves in with Emily, Norris interviews Horace and Joe proposes.

The full weekly preview, with pictures, is right here on Corrie.net

Missed last week's Corrie?
Catch up with the Coronation Street weekly updates.

Steve McDonald gurn of the week, Oct 29 09

It's Thursday and that means only one thing... time for the Steve McDonald gurn of the week. Thanks go to Coronation Street fan Martin for sending in these fab Stevie McGurns.

If you've captured a good Corrie Steve gurn and want to share it via the blog, do email it in.

To see more gurnage from Stevie McGurn, have a look here, there's loads. Some good, some bad and some really very funny.

Wrong Side of 40: Wed Oct 28, 2009 Corrie Episode Review

Written by Daran Little, directed by Tony Prescott.

Might I say before I start this review, that I was caught a little bit by surprise of this extra Wednesday episode! Also, what an episode. I don't remember the last time only a one half-hour episode was so action-packed.

Trouble in paradise still as Tyrone is still grovelling to Molly about something that he didn't do, that never happened - cheating on her with Minnie. Auntie Pam is in the picture now and tells Molly that she needs to end this affair. She doesn't get very far with Molly so she goes to Kevin. She confronts Kevin about the affair and chastises him for basically being an oily old man with his hands all over Molly before she's even out of her wedding dress. She then tells him that she knows guys like him - on the wrong side of 40, stuck in a rut, etc - basically summing Kevin up. She threatens Kevin that if he doesn't stay away from Molly that she'll make his whole world come toppling down on his smug, selfish head. Wow! I'm SO loving Auntie Pam right now. Anyone else on Team Pam? Kev later accuses Molly of telling Pam on purpose because she wants to 'out' them. Molly thought that it wasn't a big deal, since they were to be together in the end anyway. Kev sets her straight and tells her it's not a game, and people will get hurt, so she needs to get real. Wow. As Sally would say, "it'll all end in tears."

Michelle's a woman-on-the-prowl fawning around inappropriately in her negligee in front of Ben, who doesn't mind one bit. He's not the only one of that opinion this episode either. The new builder comes and is climbing up a ladder to get to the roof whilst Michelle is taking a bubble bath listening to Fleetwood Mac. Should I be worried about how much Michelle and I have in common? Moving on, the builder loses control of the ladder and ends up holding onto Michelle's window for dear life. Michelle comes to his rescue and loses her towel in the process giving us - what I think might be - the most nudity I've ever seen on Corrie! Builder-boy Jake is all over Michelle and even has the gall to kiss her before he leaves telling her she knows where to find him if she wants more. He's a bit shy, no? Also, when this happened, was anyone thinking, "Bill wouldn't have slipped on the ladder." Mmm hmm.

Norris is having a terrible time with Joan a.k.a. Speak-No-Evil in the shop and has already started making up a sign advertising for the position again when Rita calls from holiday. Norris is more than delighted to hear from her. Whoever fills that position will have some mighty large shoes to fill.

Maria's getting ready for her trip to Cyprus and has Kirk over. Tony tells Kirk that he's looking forward to getting closer with his future brother-in-law. Kirk asks Tony what his policy is on hiring family. Oh, Kirk. When alone, Kirk tells Tony that he believes that Maria's recent happiness has been due to Tony, and he's thankful for it. Tony tells Kirk that he's never loved anyone more than he loves Maria. I don't believe it. Sorry, I don't. I know he cares for her, but I think Tony is in love with love, and that's all. I think his relationship with Maria is some kind of atonement, as though he's trying to 'be' Liam, instead of love her as Tony. I believe he cares for her, don't get me wrong. I just don't believe he's "in love." Later, Tony complains to Maria about having some pains. Could this be foreshadowing? Although, he always looks pained to me.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- The guilty, shamed look on Kev's face when Auntie Pam lays into him!
- Auntie Pam laying into Molly, and especially Kev! I'm the new official captain of Team Pam!
- Michelle fawning around in her negligee. She's so inappropriate, but it's so entertaining! Then she tells her son that the priorities of a normal teenage boy should be to get drunk on lager, and compete to lose their virginity. Mother of the year.
-A good looking builder just dropping through Michelle's window. It's like he came down from heaven, and it's raining men. This never happens to me.
- Norris insulting the Kabin customers in the community then gossiping about them to Joan later, explaining that they're a very tight-knit community. I like these little ironies that Little injects in his episodes.
- Norris figuring there's more sincerity in soft-centres than in nuts and pralines. I'll keep that in mind next time someone buys me chocolates.
- Norris tells Tyrone about Hayley and Roy's trip to Romania, calling it "one of those Dracula Countries." Exactly how many Dracula Countries are there?! He then reckons that Hayley just got used to being turned into a woman, she doesn't need to be turned into a vampire as well. Yes, he went there.

LOWLIGHTS:
- Molly truly believing that her and Kevin are "in love" and they're going to be together. This will be a hard lesson learned in the subject of disappointment.
- Kev accusing Molly of telling Pam about them on purpose, then for her to "get real", aka to shut up! What a cad!

For those who enjoy the scenic route, check out the full review scene-by-scene here.

Video: Behind the scenes at Corrie ladder stunt

There's a behind-the-scenes video of Jake falling off his ladder, which they've now showing on the official ITV Corrie site. The video shows how Coronation Street set up the stunt as they filmed new fella Jake falling off his ladder outside Michelle’s window.

Have a look at it here.

Audrey Roberts' dress for sale

If you want to win Audrey Roberts' dress from Coronation Street, you'll have to be quick. At the time of blogging, there was only 2 hours left on the auction. It's being sold in aid of the animal charity PDSA.

Bid for it here.

We want more of Corrie's Kelly on the telly

She's been on Coronation Street since 2004 but has been kept on the back burner for far too long. This fan demands more of Kelly Crabtree in Corrie. She's a wonderful actress and a truly glam woman, but as Kelly Crabtree, actress Tupele Dorgu's not had much more to do over the years than nick other women's boyfriends and fight with barmcake Becky. Let's find out more about Kelly, we don't even know where she lives. In short, she's got screen presence that demands more. So come on Corrie, let's have more Kelly on the telly.

Don't forget - extra episode of Corrie tonight

Don't forget that there's an extra helping of Coronation Street tonight at 7.30pm.

Ex-Corrie hairdresser gets her own TV chat show

Angela Griffin, who played Coronation Street crimper Fiona Middleton, is getting her own chat show on Sky TV. The show is called 'Angela & Friends' and will feature a daily lifestyle club looking at books, films, health and beauty and fashion as well as the latest showbiz news. It starts Monday 9 November on Sky 1.

If you're a fan, you might like to join their Facebook group.

Johnny Briggs wants Mike Baldwin's twin on Corrie

In a shameless bit of self-publicity, Johnny Briggs says he could return to Coronation Street as Mike Baldwin's twin brother. He says: “It worked in Dallas where he came out of the shower as someone else. I would do something like that, definitely.”

Well, you can't blame the fella for trying.

Baby bump for Becky?

There's a spoiler today that reveals that Mrs. Becky McDonald is going to discover that she's pregnant at New Year's. She doesn't tell Steve straight away because she's not sure she's happy about it. With her history and gene pool, she figures any baby of hers has an uphill battle but she does confide in Hayley. I think she should be more concerned by her smoking habit. Becky on hormones and having to quit nicotine cold turkey? That's a pretty frightening image! She won't be the only one either, as we've already heard. Molly will also find out she's pregnant but won't know if Tyrone or Kevin is the father.

David Neilson talks about Roy Cropper

There's a lot of publicity out this week surrounding the release of Romanian Holiday (which you can win) and with that view, David Neilson gives a rare interview to The Mirror. It's a nice, long article with lots about David and his acting history and lots about how he views Roy Cropper. To answer a long standing question, yes, he sees and acts Roy Cropper as a man who has Asperger's Syndrome but it's not mentioned in the show because he feels a label would not help Roy's character any. There's loads more so just pop over and have a read!

Corrie supports New Children's Hospital Appeal

Tupele Dorgu and Antony Cotton, Corrie's Kelly and Sean, got their glad rags on to attend a recent star-studded “money can’t buy” auction.

Funds were raised at the charity ball for The New Children’s Hospital Appeal to provide facilities in addition to the medical care provided by the NHS.

Coronation Street Weekly Update, October 26 09

Come in and shut that door tight behind you, let’s lock out the world and it’s just us two. Never mind her from number seven, don’t let her in if she knocks. It’s just thee and me, a freshly brewed pot of tea and a right good Coronation Street catch up. And so, without any further ado, here we go with this week’s Coronation Street update.

It’s all aboard the love boat this week as sailor Joe sets sail and hits the high seas. Well, no, he doesn’t. He takes what looks like a pan scrubber to the old, manky wreck (that’s the boat, not Gail) and despite Norris coming out to tell him to turn down the noise and we clearly see Norris unplugging the sander thing, Joe carries on regardless. Gail’s not best pleased about this boat lark but soon cheers up when Joe tells her it could be worth a mint when it’s done. Mind you, you could tell Gail that the fella who drives the Weatherfield Explorer is Simon Cowell and she’d believe you.

Over at Underworld, Rosie comes to terms with losing all her cash. And when I say ‘come to terms’ I mean she locks herself in the factory office and cries her mascara all over her face. She expects Tony to find the missing money and Luke but Tony tells Miss Rosie to get her solicitor on to it pronto because Tony’s got more pressing matters on his mind.

Yes, Tony’s in turmoil 'cos Carla’s returned. I wonder how long Corrie had to wait for a storm in a graveyard before they filmed the return of the Dark Lady? Or did the skies open and the graves threaten as soon as she walked back on set? Or was there a fella with a watering can and sheet of metal up in the trees waiting for the Director to call “Action!”? Who knows. But, she’s back and I know this storyline is really popular, I know, but I don’t like it because I’m not a Carla fan. It’s all: “Ooh Tony, I know you murdered Liam” and then it’s like: “Ooh Carla, but I’m marrying Maria and I have Liam’s baby and I’m tall, dark and handsome with a dodgy eye and what are you doing back?” and so on. I mean, I’m glad she’s back because Tony will be outed, the story will conclude and all will be well in Weatherfield, I just hate the upcoming weeks of what I know will be filled with lots of “Ooh Tony” and “Ooh Carla” and Maria crying on Mammy Connor’s best Irish linen, as surely she will.

Anyway, for those who are enjoying this story and want to know what happened, here it is: Tony called Jimmy the hit man and asked him to kill Carla. Jimmy went to Carla’s flat and tried to kill her but Miss Scarlett thwacked Professor Plum with a candlestick in the living room and thought she’d killed Jimmy but he was still alive. However, Tony told Carla that Jimmy was dead, covered him with a blankie so she wouldn’t see him still breathing, and advised her to leave for LA quick sharp, which she did.


Down at the Kabin, Norris takes on another new assistant. This one’s called Joan and after the talkative Sheila Wheeler, Joan’s a bit quiet. In fact, she’s stony silent. Norris is reaching desperation point and needs a conversation with someone, anyone, even Kirk, that’s how desperate he is, but Kirk isn’t. Anyone else notice how much Joan looked like Liz’s Vernon?

And finally this week, good old Aunty Pam spots Molly and Kev kissing in the truck and has a word with her niece who at first denies all. But there’s not much you can put past Aunty Pam, bearer of talking Faberge eggs and ham past its prime. She knows Molly’s having an affair with Kev Webster and tells her to tell Tyrone. Mend it or end it, our Mol.

And that’s just about that for this week.

Coronation Street writers this week were Martin Allen, Chris Fewtrell, Simon Crowther, Peter Whalley and Stephen Russell. Find out more about the Coronation Street writing team.

Find out more about the Coronation Street Weekly Updates

Glenda Young
--
Blogging away merrily at http://flamingnora.blogspot.com/

Video: Watch Tony's confession to Roy

Watch Tony Gordon as he confesses to Roy Cropper that he killed Liam Connor. It's all on the ITV Corrie site here.

Imperial Leather launches Corrie soap soap

Yet another brand has signed up to help celebrate Coronation Street's 50th birthday next year. In addition to all the Corrie toys and games that you can now buy via the official Corrie shop, Imperial Leather are launching a soap soap. Now there's something to get into an, er, lather about.

Is anyone reading this planning to buy any of this stuff when it hits the shops? I'd love to know your views. I guess most of it would make great stocking fillers from Santa.

Silence is Golden: Mon Oct 26, 2009 Corrie Episode Review

Written by Peter Whalley (7.30pm) and Stephen Russell (8.30pm)

Michelle notices water damage on the ceiling of her kebab shop flat and tells Dev to sort it. Michelle ends up having Bill Webster come by to do an estimate. Bill gives his estimate to Dev, and Dev thinks the estimate is cheeky, so finds someone else who can do it faster and cheaper, insulting Bill. There's one customer that won't be returning to Dev's shop. To add to it, Michelle agrees to have Ben stay with her and Ryan temporarily since Ben's parents have gone to care for a sick grandparent and he needs a place to stay. We know how this will turn out.

Barry and Helen are finally off, but not without extending a Christmas invite to Tony and Maria. Maria tells them that she's already promised the next trip to her parents in Cyprus. Maria tells Tony that they need to talk to Carla, since they are engaged, and Carla and he are still married. Tony tells her to leave it to him, but Maria asks Leanne for Carla's number anyway. Tony finds out about this from Leanne (typical), and begs Maria not to call Carla. He also buys Maria a huge engagement rock and some plane tickets to Cyprus to get her mind off Carla. Maria's going ahead, and Tony will meet her there later. What's he planning now?

Norris is having a tough go with new shop assistant Joan. He's doing his best to get her to strike up some small talk but Joan is insistent on her mother's sage advice, "only speak when you have something worth saying." Norris goes deaf from the silence and later complains to Audrey and Emily that Joan is, "utterly and totally" silent. You'd think after Sheila Wheeler, silence would be golden!

Molly and Kev devise new lies so that they can meet up together. Molly has told everyone that her father has the flu, and therefore needs time to see him. Molly and Kev are off on their rendezvous and when they return, Pam sees them snogging in the truck. Pam later tells Molly that she's called Diggory, and he's not sick. She soon tells Molly that she saw her and Kevin kissing in his truck, and she knows what she saw. Molly tells her that she's not having an affair - her and Kevin are in love. Pam tells her that she needs to tell Tyrone about it, or break it off. Troubles, troubles.

Meanwhile, Minnie has been overtly flirting with Tyrone when asking him to get her car fixed. Is she only pouring on the charm for a discount, or does she have a thing for our Tyrone? Molly better watch out, she could lose a good thing.

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Michelle being thankful she only rents the flat when she sees the water damage. Has she ever owned a place? Haha.
- Barry and Helen are gone! Drinks all round!
- Joan driving Norris mad with her silence. I thought these were funny scenes. Someone like Norris is never satisfied.
- Minnie drives a Mini. Cheesy, but cute. I want a Mini!
- Seeing Tyrone smile for a while when Minnie was flirting with him. I'm sure he's just starved for attention he didn't care that she was doing it for a discount. Actually, he was probably unawares.
- Pam coming straight out to Molly about what she saw, and what she thinks she should do. You go girl!

LOWLIGHTS:
- Dev refusing Bill's estimate. He at least could have haggled with him if he thought it was unfair. Way to drive away local business - make enemies of local businessmen!
- Helen reckoning that Cyprus would be too hot for a baby. Maria has to remind her that there are babies in Cyprus. And have been for many, many, many years. That woman!
- Weasly Leanne getting in the middle of Tony and Maria's affairs concerning Carla. It's none of her business!
- Tony interrupting Maria at the salon for another one of his "emergencies." He's so bloody pompous and self-centered it drives me mad. He acts as though he owns Weatherfield, just play and pause as he pleases.
- Slimy little Molly and all her lies.

For those who enjoy the scenic route, check out the full episode review scene by scene here.

Coronation Street Spoiler: Norris meets Horace

Next Friday night on Coronation Street, Norris is going to interview yet another assistant to help in The Kabin.

Having had no luck with Sheila Wheeler because she talked too much or with Joan, because she didn't talk enough, Norris decides he needs to interview someone else. And that's when Norris meets Horace and the similarities don't end with their ryhming names. Horace Steel turns out to be a very scary clone of Norris Cole!

Horace is played by actor Robert Maxfield, pictured. It says here that Robert has been in Corrie before as Maurice Pond in 2007. And his IMDB entry says he's also appeared in Corrie as "Julian" from 1986-2007 and as a pianist in 1987.

Corrie scriptwriter is proud of Hayley Cropper

Damon Rochefort, one of the Coronation Street scriptwriters, says he's proud that the show has created characters like Hayley Cropper, who became the first transsexual character to appear in a British soap in 1998.

Damon told the Independent: "Julie does an amazing job and gets a lot of support from the transgender community – lots of quite moving letters," he says. He was also pleased by the decision last year to portray Ted Page, Gail Platt's dad, as a gay man who had left his wife and never seen his own grandchildren.

The interview forms part of an article about stereotyping of gay culture and will be discussed at the Screenwriters' Festival this week.

First pictures of Nigel Havers in Corrie

Here he is in all his glory, Nigel Havers' first pictures from the official Corrie site. And with not one, but two, glamorous ladies on his arms too. The lady on the left is Rula Lenska who's joining Corrie in a one-off episode, ensuring that the fragrant Mrs Roberts doesn't hog all the good, older men.

Corrie's Aunty Pam becomes hospice ambassador

St Ann’s hospice in Manchester have welcomed Kate Anthony as their Ambassador. Kate, who plays Coronation Street's Aunty Pam visited St Ann’s Hospice at the weekend, to see the impressive organisation behind the scenes and was delighted when she was also asked to become an Ambassador for the Greater Manchester based charity.

Last year Kate led 3200 walkers from Manchester Central (G-Mex) through Manchester’s streets at midnight to raise money for St Ann's Hospice, which looks after 3,000 people every year and she will once again don her jogging suit and trainers to front next year’s event on 2nd July 2010.

See also: Corrie's Aunty Pam answers questions from fans

WIN! Corrie's Romanian Holiday DVD

How exciting is this? We have three copies of the brand-new Coronation Street Romanian Holiday DVD to give away in a very special competition. The feature-length film's been written by Corrie scriptwriters Simon Crowther and Chris Fewtrell.

To be in with a chance to win of one of these three DVDs, answer the two following questions correctly and send in your answers to me by email no later than 5pm on Monday November 2nd, 2009.

Note: You must be a UK resident to enter.

Q1: Which ex-Corrie character's wedding are Roy and Hayley Cropper invited to attend in Romania?
Q2: What is the capital city of Romania?

Corrie weekly awards, Oct. 19 - 23

King of the World award. Aren't Pam and Bill just the cutest?

Poetic Justice award goes to Rosie Webster. No explanation needed.

I need new underwear award. Tony. Did you see his face when the phone rang and it turned out to be Carla?

Buy me some fire extinguisher. The last boat we had on the Street (Des Barnes') went up in flames. What are the odds?

Cheeky mare award. Helen Connor. Potential backup godfather Kirk is at least a blood relation. Ryan isn't, technically, nor is he the uncle, he's the cousin.

Lines of the week
Gail on seeing the boat: "Sometimes, just sometimes, you need to sit down!" and "If it's a good investment and it keeps Joe out of business..."

Sean to Kelly: "Like I'd listen to someone with the dress sense of a drag queen with cataracts!"

Luke: "Never mix business with pleasure. It'll always end in tears." Rosie: "Well, not always, look at us." (case in point)

Carla on her return: "What's the matter, Tony? You scared?" (see award, above!)

Tony: "I renounced the devil this afternoon and God smiled on me."

I likely won't be awarding for a few weeks as I'm on me holidays and my Corrie watching will have to be saved until I get back.

Borrowed Time: Fri Oct 23, 2009 Corrie Episode Review

Written by Chris Fewtrell (7:30) and Simon Crowther (8:30), directed by Duncan Foster.

Baby Liam's christening finally goes off, no thanks to Tony's constant interruptions to answer his phone under the ruse of "trouble at work." Does this mean the Connor's have to return to the land of Beggorah and Bejesus? Thank goodness! The day might be over for the Connor's, but not for Mr. Gordon.

Earlier, Jimmy had met Tony at the church and Tony had strong-armed him into "dealing with" (read: killing) Carla, or he'd give the police Jimmy's name to get a lighter sentence. Jimmy doesn't want to have anything to do with it, but he had to submit to save his skin. Jimmy goes to the factory to do the deal, but Carla leaves almost immediately thinking Tony was late to meet her. He follows her to the flat and waits until she falls asleep. He buzzes up and enters the flat because Carla thinks he's Tony finally there to settle the paperwork over the factory. It's only too soon before Carla realises that it's Jimmy. Tony suddenly feels guilty and changes his mind about having Jimmy kill Carla and rushes over. He interrupts them in a scuffle and distracts Jimmy giving Carla the opportunity to bonk him over the head with a candlestick, knocking him out cold. Tony lies and tells Carla that the blow had killed Jimmy and tells her that he'll take care of the mess as long as she agrees to keep silent and go on with her life and leave him alone. Carla is in a corner, since she could be an accessory to Liam's murder if she calls the police, so she agrees and leaves taking a taxi to the airport. Tony figures that since he renounced the devil earlier that afternoon, god was smiling on him. Ugh.

Joe's still working on his boat, much to Norris' chagrin. Gail tells Norris that he can stuff it and deal with the noise since she's had to deal with the sound of his paper delivery truck arriving every day at 4am for god-knows-how-long. You go girl! Norris has a lot on his plate, including interviewing, "stern" Joan. Norris thinks she's worth the hire, since the bond of paper she's had her CV printed on is good quality. That's something I'll have to remember for my next interview: heavy paper gets the worm.

Now, on our favorite subject: Molls and Kev. In the Rover's for Molly's birthday Sally notices Molly's necklace (the one Kev gave her that he bought on holiday), as does everyone else. Sally tells her that there was one identical to it she saw when they were on holiday, one Kev was too cheap to buy it for her. Molly tells everyone that she bought it as a birthday gift to herself. Later, Moll and Kev talk alone in the Rover's about the fact that it'll be harder for them to meet now that she's got that "ball and chain." Is she talking about the home gym or Tyrone himself? Maybe both. Oh, this will never end, will it?

HIGHLIGHTS:
- Roy coming by to see the boat, and to inform everyone of his upcoming trip to Transylvania (DVD plug anyone???). He doesn't want to give into the folklore of vampires, but in case it's true he's comforted by the fact that vampires only like young maidens, so he'll be in the clear. He and Hayley both, eh? Heh heh.
- At the christening, Kirk telling Audrey that at his christening the Vicar dropped him straight on his head. That explains so much.
- Carla fighting back against her assailant!!! Always put up a fight!
- Carla telling Tony to, "go to hell" and Tony responding, "maybe I will." Haha. But you just renounced the devil?
- Tony reminding Jimmy, after Jimmy disapproves of his lifestyle, that "history was written by winners." Oh, he's even got evil-guy one-liners down!

LOWLIGHTS:
- Tony pompously answering his phone in the middle of the christening? Yes, I know it was an emergency, but it was bloody rude! I can't stand it when people do that! Argh.
- Tony's evil, evil, evil ways. Blackmailing Jimmy into killing Carla, then changing his mind, then blackmailing Carla with Jimmy's assumed "death." Oh, he's pure evil, but he's bloody great to watch!
- Carla deciding it'd be a good idea to meet Tony in the dark, empty factory. Didn't she learn her lesson after what happened to her last time she met Tony in a dark, empty factory? I thought she was supposed to be clever.
- Why did Jimmy wait for Carla to go to sleep before awakening her again to kill her? When he was waiting for her to fall asleep I was for sure we'd be in for a pillow-smothering or something.
- Joe looking like the bad guy that they killed but just wouldn't go away in that horror movie, "I Know What You Did Last Summer" in his raincoat. You know, the guy that just. wouldn't. go. away.
- Yuck. Molls and Kev again.

For those who enjoy the scenic route, check out the full review scene-by-scene here.

Street Style: Maria Connor's Bow Back Coat

Alrighty! I was hesitant to do YET another Street Style feature on the lovely Maria Connor, but I was completely overwhelmed by your requests to find the coat she has been wearing for the past week, and notably, at the christening.

The coat we are talking about is a navy blue, bow-back trench coat. Well, folks, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that I've found the coat! It is available at TopShop, right under our noses this whole time. (1 - Click here) However, the bad news is that this coat is completely sold out! It seems our loyal Coronation Street Blog fans aren't the only ones who enjoyed this coat! There is even a "short" version of this coat, meaning that it's not long, and sits at the waist. (2 - Click here) The short version is also completely sold out!

The only option left right now is the tall, bow-back trench coat in STONE colour, (3- Click here) but there are only sizes 8 and 10 left, and that's as of TODAY. So if you're interested, jump on it!

I've also found some alternatives as well. If you're more interested in a navy trench with a flared skirt, then TopShop has another (4 - Click here) that's just darling and something that I believe our Maria would also wear.

If you're keen on the bow, then I've found that Asos also sells a bow-back coat. This, however is not a trench, it is a wool coat, and it is not in blue, but purple. (5 - Click here) I think this coat is the cutest thing, and could also see Maria wearing something like this when the weather is warmer.

I hope this edition of Street Style has put your searches to rest! It seems that our Maria Connor has the "midas touch" when it comes to the items in her wardrobe! I too loved this coat!

Is there anything you've ever seen on the Street that you'd like to have, but don't know where you can find something similar? Are you interested in any particular character's personal or decorating style?
For any Street Style requests, send me a line!

Character Study: Kevin John Webster

Now that Kevin Webster is "gracing" our screens in a scandalous adultery storyline, it must be time to look back on Kevin's quarter of a century on Coronation Street. From bog standard mechanic to business owner, from newlywed to divorced-widowed-remarried, Kevin has been through the mill. He's had affairs, he's lived through Sally's affairs, he's a dad and has experienced the grief of losing a child and a wife tragically. Through it all, he remains one of the favourites on the Street though this latest affair is tarnishing his halo somewhat. We figure Kevin will survive it, though. To read all about Kevin John Webster, see the long version here.

Video: Roy and Hayley on ITV's This Morning

Fans of Coronation Street's Roy and Hayley can view David Neilson and Julie Hesmondhalgh on ITV's This Morning programme where they talk about their new Romanian adventure. Click here to view.

Sorry, Canadian and overseas fans, this is an ITV video which means only people in the UK can view it. It's a real shame, I know, as many overseas fans would love to watch the itv.com videos too.

Shock proposal for Gail Platt

Will Gail Platt become Mrs Gail Potter-Tilsley-Platt-Hillman-McIntrye? Well, the official Corrie site seems to think she might. Joe proposes on his boat to Gail and the lady with the daft hair... my guess is that she says YES!

Corrie's Fab Photo Friday, October 23 2009

A lovely photo of Rita and Mavis in their hey-day. Come back to Coronation Street soon, Rita, we miss you.
Have a look at more Fab Corrie Photos here.

Going Nowhere: Thu Oct 22, 2009 Corrie Episode Review

Written by Martin Allen, directed by Duncan Foster.

Tony is about as stressed-out as I've ever seen a person look, and with good reason. He's got Carla's threat looming over his head as he tries to make the decision whether or not to stay in Weatherfield and face the consequences, or to leave. Adding to his stress is the fact that he's just realized that Luke Strong has flown the coop with Rosie's money. It's not easy being evil. Tony finally gets himself to the church on time for baby Liam's funeral only for Carla to meet him there and threaten to run into the church and tell everyone the truth about Liam's death. Tony manages to persuade her to meet him at the factory later where he'll sign over his share to the factory and leave town for good. Only we know Tony never goes down without a fight and gets on the phone promptly to Jimmy to let him know that Carla's back. Uh-oh.

Rosie's still understandably upset about losing her money and comes to the realization that Luke was only using her for her money. If you thought she was a rich b*tch before, then she's even worse when she's poor! She's down-right nasty to everyone. Sometimes she's unbearable to watch. Kevin thinks that Luke taking her money was a blessing in disguise since Stape's money has been nothing but trouble.

Gail has gotten up from her sit-down and tries to make sense of Joe and the boat. Gail reminds Joe that he's broke. He's also in debt to some very bad people. Who needs kneecaps when you've got a boat, right Joe? Joe informs her that he hopes to make a good profit on the boat. This turns Gail's frown upside-down and now she's buying into the fantasy. Anchors away!

Norris receives an interviewee for the shop assistant position. A rather stern lady by the name of Joan. I don't know what she's like yet, but from what I can tell she's nothing like that Sheila Wheeler, which can only be a good thing!

Finally, it's Molly's birthday and Jack and Connie come bearing a gift - it's a new pocketbook. Tyrone surprises Molly with her "real" gift - a home gym! That way, she can spend more time at home with him, and less time at the "gym." Kevin and Molly exchange troubled glances. Looks like they'll have to find another alibi for they're little motel romps. How will they ever get past Tyrone?
HIGHLIGHTS:

- Emily sees the boat and asks if someone's planning a trip. Joe answers, "yes, I am." Emily just nods in wonder, then walks away. I thought it was a little funny, as though she wasn't expecting that answer.
- The severely mascara-stained tears streaming down Rosie's face. Tears of a clown.
- Kev trying to persuade Rosie to come out of the office, but Rosie adamantly telling them she's not "going anywhere." I'll say!!!
- Kev figuring Rosie losing her money is a blessing in disguise since it's been trouble from the start. Yes!
- Gail and how quickly money changed her opinion on Joe's boat project! Haha, that Gail. As Audrey would say, "oh, I give up!"

LOWLIGHTS:

- Stupid, vain, b*tchy Rosie. First sobbing about her stupidity and making everyone else suffer for it, then being rude to her sister who's trying to comfort her, then expecting Tony to be able to get her money back for her. How could he do that???
- Mammy Connor thinking that Ryan is more entitled to be stand-in godfather over Kirk. On what planet? That woman drives me bonkers. When is she leaving?
- Evil Tony trying to persuade Carla to let Maria have her christening in peace, since it's Liam's - the man she loved - child. He even spills some crocodile tears. Ugh!
- Tina and her uber-fake tan! I've not mentioned it before, but it's getting even worse! Is there such thing as a tanning addiction? She's a pretty girl, I don't know why she feels the need to over-bronze. Besides, she lives in England. The sun rarely shines. She's anglo-saxon. The jig is up! That goes for David and Janice too.
- Molly being ungrateful about Tyrone's sweet and thoughtful birthday gift for her, just because it interferes with her adultery. When will this affair end? Can anyone stop the madness?!


For those who enjoy the scenic route, check out the full review scene-by-scene here.

What do you think of Carla Gordon?

There's no ignoring her, that's for sure. But Alison King, who plays Carla Gordon, says that fans admire Carla on Corrie. I don't agree. Now then, I don't admire her for one minute and I never have. I'm a little scared of her and her presence on Coronation Street lends a dark side which intrigues me, but as for admiring, no. But never mind me, what do you think about Carla Gordon and are you glad she's back?

And is she (could anyone ever be?) the new Elsie Tanner?