Cosy crimes and gritty sagas by Corrie Blog editor Glenda, published by Headline. Click pic below!

Tuesday, 5 July 2011

Elsie Tanner's lasting legacy on Coronation Street

In Seanie's blog post this week about Dennis Tanner - Yay or Nay - he posted an interesting fact that had both Sunny Jim and I reaching for the Coronation Street reference books to find out more.  We didn't know that Elsie Tanner was Nick Tilsley's godmother - did you?  Well, Seanie did and here's what the Coronation Street 40th anniversary book has to say on the subject:

"Ivy Tilsley was outraged when she learned that Elsie Tanner was going to be her grandson's Godmother. Gail and Brian decided to call their son Daniel David but on realising that if they did his initials would be DDT, changed their minds at the font, and he was christened Nicholas Paul."

So, there you go. Nick Tilsley has a fairy godmother, in the form of Elsie Tanner herself.  Here on the Coronation Street Blog we reckon that Corrie should acknowledge this wonderful and somewhat overlooked fact.

9 comments:

Llifon said...

Yes, I did know tha. Well, from the photos from the 30th anniversary book actually. Thought it was a nice touch to have Elsie as godmother - what a legend to have as a godmother!

Anonymous said...

What's wrong with DDT?

abbyk said...

@Anonymous, you must be young. For this, I'll age myself. DDT was a pesticide widely used in agriculture until the early 70s. It entered the water supply via farm runoff and was responsible for decimating wild bird populations, particularly birds of prey, by making their eggshells so weak the parents couldn't nest on them. In the United States, it nearly wiped out the Bald Eagle. DDT was an anathema to environmentalists, and it's elimination was one of the first green successes.

If you want to learn more, I suggest Rachel Carson's classic Silent Spring.

Anonymous said...

I remember in the christening scene when photos were being taken, Ivy had a face like a smacked backside and Elsie said, "Come on, Ivy, smile. Think of all those fellahs I've had!"

Anonymous said...

Nobody ever mentions that Betty is Tracyluvs godmother either. Perhaps she is too ashamed!- Micky

St Ursula said...

Neither godparent has made a very good fist of bringing up their charge "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord", now have they?

Anonymous said...

@abbyk Ahh thanks for that! I was born in the late 1980s. :)

Martin Rosen said...

Well maybe at some stage Nick could 'come on' to Dennis. Dennis then says "oi, by the heck, you're me Mum's godson !!

Anonymous said...

Should have left it at DDT. Nick's turned out to be, after all, poison.

GRITTY SAGAS BY CORRIE BLOG EDITOR GLENDA YOUNG, PUBLISHED BY HEADLINE. CLICK PIC BELOW!

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GRITTY SAGAS BY CORRIE BLOG EDITOR GLENDA YOUNG, PUBLISHED BY HEADLINE. CLICK PIC BELOW!