50 Years Of Corrie In 50 Days – 1998

Day 38 of our 50 day countdown of Coronation Street - written by blogger Sunny Jim.

With two failed marriages and a third husband dead, Deirdre Rachid hadn’t had much luck in the love stakes over the years. So, when she was on a girl’s night out with Liz McDonald and she met a handsome, courteous and dashing pilot called Jon Lindsay who seemed interested in her, she thought her luck had changed. He lavished extravagant gifts on her, in a way that she’d never experienced before and she soon became besotted with this straightforward charmer. But all was not as it seemed as by chance Ken saw him working in a tie shop at Manchester Airport.

When Deirdre confronted him Jon told her that he’d only deceived her to try to impress her and she believed him as they continued to live the high life, which he paid for with for with forged credit cards. She gave him five thousand pounds to use as a deposit on a home for them and when he proposed she was over the moon. They bought a luxury house in Didsbury but joy soon turned to sadness as on Christmas Day she found out that rather than being away on business trips, Jon was still living with his wife and children.

After confronting Jon over the fact that he was married, she refused to believe he still loved her and set about trying to recover the money she’d given him. Using a credit card he’d given her she started to withdraw money from their joint account only to be arrested as the account was in the name of a Captain Jenkins. She told the police all about Jon but they refused to believe her as he had disappeared. When Jon eventually turned up he portrayed himself as an innocent accessory to the deception and told the police that Deirdre had been the mastermind behind it all. Unfortunately for Deirdre, the jury believed him and Deirdre was sentenced to 18 months in prison and Jon got away with a suspended sentence.

Back on the Street the residents were shocked by the verdict and despite their differences, Ken and Mike got together with Emily to prove Deirdre’s innocence and campaign for her release. In the meantime, Deirdre was stuck sharing a cell with gobby Jackie Dobbs who tried to show her the ropes of prison life but her constant assertions of innocence annoyed inmates and warders alike and she was sedated. Eventually Ken and Mike’s tireless investigations into Jon’s life bore fruit when another woman who had been tricked by him came forward and after spending three weeks in gaol, Deirdre was released.

The other big story of the year was the introduction of transsexual Hayley Patterson and her subsequent romance with Roy Cropper. Hayley started working at Firman’s Freezers and whilst slightly gauche she had a very sweet nature. Though initially portrayed as rather creepy and sinister, Roy had developed into a nice, quirky but harmless character who was a bit of an outsider. Roy and Hayley were attracted to each other though because of their shyness some matchmaking of the pair had to be undertaken by Alma Baldwin before they got together. The courtship ended suddenly when Hayley broke the news that she was a transsexual and confused, Roy refused to have anything to do with her anymore. Further intervention was required from Alma to make him understand that if he really cared for Hayley, then nothing else mattered. Hayley was delighted when Roy flew out to Amsterdam, where she’d gone for her final operation to become a woman, tracked her down and asked her to return to Weatherfield with him.

Also in 1998: Nicky Tilsley and Leanne Battersby elope to Gretna Green and get married; Anne Malone freezes to death; Des Barnes and Natalie Horrocks marry; Des Barnes is killed; Gary and Judy Mallett have twins; Emily Bishop protests up a tree with Spider Nugent; Jim McDonald ends up in a wheelchair; Sally Webster has an affair with Greg Kelly; Zoe Tattersall joins the Cult of Nirab.