Coronation Street double episode review, Monday 30 September

Great to have Steve occupying a decent length of screen time. Not so great that the talk he had with Ryan resulted in Ryan needing a loan to buy a plane ticket to Ibiza. Steve was doing his best for Ryan, becoming a little philosophical, talking to Ryan about the purpose of life, but Ryan wasn't really very receptive immediately, only genuinely interested in the beer on offer.

Michelle had told Ryan that he would be paying board by the end of the week. Steve does his best and pretty impressive it is too. He points out to Ryan that he lives with his mother, has a boring job, messes with drugs and has to borrow money frequently. Steve tells Ryan that he understands that Ryan needs something to get him out of bed and that he must be wondering what life is all about. If Ryan was doing something he enjoyed, he'd be more satisfied with life. Ryan says,'Do you mean I'd hate my mum less and very cleverly Steve turns that round and says,'No , you'd hate you less.'

Steve thinks Michelle is upset because she no longer works at Underworld, which no doubt she is, though she is also upset that her 21 year old son winds her up and is a waste of space. Brilliant and totally convincing acting from Kym Marsh as the mother of a young man who lacks direction, but who, when he tells her he is going abroad, the idea of him not being near breaks her heart. She wouldn't hide his passport though, because as she says, it's not up to her what Ryan does. Objection is pointless, as Michelle knows, and she shows that she, like most women is able to find things, the reason being that she actually looks - thoroughly. As she says, 'You can't find your own backside with two hands.'

Naturally, Kylie is upset after the harsh way David spoke to her in the last episode and this anger is there for us to witness.'Nick's going through hell and he still manages to be nice to his wife,' she points out. But really Gail, what are you doing interfering? Listening carefully to David and Kylie's row, Gail edges closer and closer and then tries to persuade Kylie to let David out of the dog house. Kylie agrees to let his front paws out, but David is becoming a desperate man and when he tries to talk to Tina she seems to have lost sympathy, saying that he has brought it all upon himself. He tries to sow the seed of the idea of an escape, but Kylie doesn't seem keen. Still, they enjoy the park walk and seem to have settled their differences.

Gail and Audrey produced a beautiful mother/child scene. Audrey was comforting Gail who was in tears of desperation about Nick. The acting was wholly convincing in its execution and both proved themselves in those few minutes to be very skilled actresses. How many years must they have worked together? It would be great to find out if anybody knows.

Gail, with a very excited  Leanne at the hospital, was chewing toffee bonbons which was not making conversation easy. 'They're going to stick my jaw together,' she states at which point Leanne starts laughing because Nick had squeezed her hand, no doubt hoping his mother may lose the power of speech. Nick is winning back the power of speech and makes it very clear that David is on his mind. Gail rings David but he ignores it so Gail rings Kylie and David goes to the hospital. The final scene tonight sees David begging his brother not to say anything to anyone about what happened as they both have too much to lose. It will be very interesting to see what happens there...

Another touching two person scene involved Carla and Michelle. They can't fall out can they? No, because there is still a lot of affection between them as manifested in the hand holding as they end their chat.

The other two person scene was the delightfully, tender one with Roy and Hayley and how they related their relationship to the musical they were watching. Hayley decides she'll keep a journal and that she'd like to go to Blackpool, The Dales and The Lakes. Then she realises that she is happiest at home and heart-breakingly hopes that her final credits will roll when she's at home.      

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Hayley Cropper's website and diary now online

Hayley Cropper’s spin off website, with a touching blog and extra scenes, are now live online at Hayley's Diary at  http://www.itv.com/hayley. 

Coronation Street scriptwriter Ellen Taylor has penned twelve funny and moving blogs in Hayley’s own words to run alongside the extra scenes starting tonight September 30th until mid October.

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State of the Street - September 2013

What a great month for Coronation Street! I really enjoyed pretty much all of the storylines (Chesney/Sinead/Katy aside). My heart is breaking for Hayley. I'm waiting to see what happens now that Nick is waking up. I'm looking forward to Steve owning the pub again.

All this and more on State of the Street this month.

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Robin Askwith returns to Coronation Street

Robin Askwith, the actor most famous for his role in the Confessions Of movies, will return to Coronation Street in another cameo role.

Robin will play veteran rocker Ritchie, a close friend of Dennis Tanner, who used to represent him when he was at the height of his fame, according to Digital Spy (from the Daily Star)

The reappearance of Dennis' old friend will rekindle his love for the music industry, and he decides to become Ritchie's manager again. However, this does not go down well with Rita.

Digital Spy says that Askwith reportedly starts filming on set today with his first scenes being aired later in the autumn.

And it's not the first time Askwith has appeared on Corrie. In August 2007 he played the part of travel rep Aidan when Steve and Eileen went on holiday to Malta.

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Happy 80th birthday to Barbara Knox

Today marks the 80th birthday of Barbara Knox, who of course has played the radiant Rita for over forty years.

We've seen her play Rita as she matured from saucy songstress to the Duchess of the street and as everybody knows, she is my all-time favourite character.

 

Barbara was born in Oldham, Lancashire in 1933. Her father worked in a foundry and later became a fireman while her mother worked in a mill. She left school in 1948 and worked as a telegraph operator in the Post Office while also doing stints in shops and a factory. She joined the Oldham Reparatory Theatre in the early 1950s and spent 12 years there learning her craft. Time well spent I'd say!

 

After her time in rep, Barbara began appearing in ITV shows like George and the Dragon (1966-1968), Never Mind the Quality, Feel the Width (1967-1971) and A Family at War (1970-1972). Of course, she made her first appearance as Rita in one episode in December 1964. She would return to the role eight years later and has stayed since. She had a small role as a dancer in the musical Goodbye Mr Chips in 1969 and worked with various comedians like Ken Dodd on radio on the show Comedy Half Hour.

 

Barbara shuns publicity and rarely appears as herself - only in documentaries. Although in recent years she has done interviews on Paul O'Grady Live, This Morning and Lorraine.

 

As you know, Rita can sing and Barbara released and LP titled On the Street Where You Live in 1973 that included cover songs that were originally recorded by the likes of Ginger Rogers, Connie Francis, Glenn Miller, Elvis Presley and Lesley Gore.

 

She won awards for her portrayal of Rita during the Alan Bradley saga in 1989; won a 'Lifetime Achievement Award' in the British Soap Awards in 2004; and a 'Best On-Screen Partnership' award with Malcolm Hebden (Norris Cole) in the BSA in 2006.

 

Knox was awarded an MBE in 2010 for her services to drama and charity work.

 

She married Denis Mullaney in 1954 and had three children: John (born 1957), Amanda (born 1962) and Maxine (born 1970). She divorced in Denis in 1977 and married John Knox the same year but divorced him also in 1994. 

 

You can read a tribute I made to Rita last year here.

 

And a heads up - I believe Barbara will be making an appearance on This Morning on Thursday, 3rd October as they celebrate their 25th anniversary and I'm sure her 80th birthday will be mentioned. Just in case you want to watch it or maybe put it on your Sky+!

 

So, let's raise a glass to Barbara Knox as she reaches a wonderful milestone and wish her a very happy birthday and hope she'll be on Corrie for many years to come!

  

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Coronation Street's stray cat

There's a new cat on Coronation Street but it's not one that'll turn up on screen.

The cat is a stray and some cast and crew members have been takings pictures of it and posting them to twitter.

The Mirror reports today that Corrie cast and are feeding the cat and have quietly adopted it as they try to find out if it belongs to anyone.

Samia Ghadie, who plays Maria Connor, tweeted: “I’m not usually a cat person. But how cute is our Corrie cat!”

The Mirror's also listed Corrie's cast of cats - are any missing?

Bella – Maxine Peacock’s cat
Bobby - Minnie Caldwell’s first catBobby (originally Sunny Jim) – Minnie’s replacement cat
Cleo – Vera Duckworth’s mouser
Marmaduke – Betty Williams’ cat
Monty (actually Phoebe) – Stray befriended by Norris Cole
Rommel – Hilda Ogden’s cat
Sunny Jim – Jed Stone’s cat
Tiger – Natalie Horrocks’ cat
Tucker and Zammo (aka Pernod and Black) - Kittens taken in by Janice Battersby’s lodger, Trevor Dean

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Corrie A-Z: V is for Villains

Corrie has had its fair share of villains over the years and each have kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

The first villain I believe was Joe Donnelli, who murdered Elsie Tanner’s second hubby Steve in 1968 and who held Irma Barlow and Minnie Caldwell hostage and held Stan Ogden at gunpoint in 1970. He shot himself in the end.

For the next 18 years or so, Coronation Street didn’t have any villains – apart from the odd burglar, robber and wife beater. Then Alan Bradley came to the fore. Introduced in 1986 as the dad of Jenny who became Rita Fairclough’s boyfriend, Alan became villainous in 1988 when he stole from and cheated on Rita. It was established that he had a temper, but nonetheless it was a shock when he stole Rita’s house deeds and impersonated her dead hubby Len. When she found out in 1989, he tried to kill her by suffocation. He was arrested and imprisoned until he appeared in court and got scot free. He returned to Weatherfield to terrify Rita by visiting her when she was alone and intimidating her and taking away her self-confidence. She suffered a breakdown and fled to Blackpool. Alan went after her and while chasing her on the promenade, he was hit by a tram. Rita’s nightmare was over.

While Corrie and EastEnders are very different soaps, I’m afraid Corrie did copy EastEnders with one character. While Terry Duckworth had first appeared in 1983, by the 1990s he’d become similar to EastEnders’ Nick Cotton – a sinister character who relished in hurting his family and neighbours. He often returned to the street to con his parents and even to sell his own son!
 

In the late 1990s, con men ruled the street. In 1997, Deirdre Rachid met charming ‘pilot’ Jon Lindsay. But as we know, Jon worked in an airport tie shop. Although he’d lied to her, Deirdre made the mistake of sticking with Jon and they planned to marry. But Jon had committed huge fraud and had included an unwitting Deirdre in his crimes. Jon had managed to avoid being accused while Deirdre was left to face the music. Jon’s actions led Deirdre to court and prison. But another woman who Jon had also conned and even married came forward and Deirdre was released. While poor Deirdre recovered, another Corrie woman fell for a conman’s charms. Sally Webster fell for Greg Kelly’s charms. But Greg was aware that she had inherited a lot of money after her mother’s death. He managed to manipulate Sally into investing in his new business but quickly turned nasty and assaulted her and kept her and the girls hostage. She eventually escaped his clutches and he was jailed.
 

At the turn of the millennium, Corrie’s villain was drug dealer Jez Quigley who made Steve McDonald and Leanne Tilsley’s lives hell and who was behind the death of Tony Horrocks and the manslaughter of Des Barnes in 1998. Jez and his henchmen nearly killed Steve after he testified against him at his trial for Tony’s murder, and dad Big Jim sought revenge by attacking Jez. Although Jez survived the attack, he later died from a punctured lung while attempting to smother Steve in 2000. Big Jim was sent to prison for manslaughter.
 

The next villain on the street is my all-time favourite – Tricky Dicky – Richard Hillman! Introduced as the cousin of Alma in 2001, he quickly charmed Gail Platt and eventually married her. But behind the family man hid an evil man. He left Duggie Ferguson for dead, hit his ex-wife Patricia with a spade, tried to kill mum-in-law Audrey and Emily Bishop and killed Maxine Peacock. And all because of money – well, apart from Maxine – she just knew too much! When he was cornered, Richard kidnapped his family and drove them into the canal. He was the only one who perished.
 

While Richard was trying to smother Emily on Christmas Day 2002, Tracy Barlow returned to the street and became the local bitch – ruining the marriages of Steve McDonald to both Karen and Becky and murdering Charlie Stubbs. Other Corrie bitches during the 2000s include Cilla Brown who neglected her son Chesney and tried to ruin Rita’s life by falsely accusing her of GBH; and Maya Sharma who was a love interest of Dev Alahan’s and when he dumped her for Sunita, she reacted badly by putting all of his seven shops on fire, and keeping Dev and Sunita hostage above a burning corner shop. When she found that they’d survived, she attempted to drive them down but was hit by a lorry and admitted to a mental hospital.
 

Builder Charlie Stubbs was a control freak who manipulated girlfriend and later fiancée Shelley Unwin by telling her she should lose weight and then making her agoraphobic. She accepted his marriage proposal but when she reached the altar she dumped him – much to the delight of her mum Bev. Charlie then moved on to Tracy Barlow but made the mistake of having an affair with Maria Sutherland. Tracy sought revenge by making out that Charlie was abusing her before hitting him on the head with a statue that eventually kills him. Tracy was imprisoned for his murder.
 

Demonic David Platt is another Corrie villain of late. He was traumatised by his stepfather Richard Hillman and sought revenge on his mother Gail for bringing him into their lives. He sent her cards, seemingly from Richard. And in 2008 he pushed her down the stairs when he found out she told Tina McIntyre to abort David’s baby. He also vandalised the street and assaulted many people and was sent to youth detention. He led a quiet life after that, marrying Kylie Turner. But then in 2013 he found out about Kylie’s affair with brother Nick and sought revenge by making a hate campaign against Nick. 

Tony Gordon was introduced as a business client of Underworld’s and became a business partner. He soon became unpopular when he planned to expand the factory and attempted to convince both Rita and Kevin to sell their businesses. While Rita was willing, Kevin was not. Tony then enlisted someone to sabotage the garage’s business. He also bullied pensioner Jed Stone to sell his house so he could redevelop the site. He became engaged to Carla Connor and when he found out she was having an affair with brother in law Liam, he arranged for Liam to be run over and killed. Tony and an oblivious Carla later marry. Carla confessed about the affair and Tony also confessed that he’s a murderer. Carla fled to Los Angeles. Tony then became involved with Liam’s widow Maria and they become engaged. While Maria was away, Tony suffered a heart attack and thinking he was dying he confessed to Roy Cropper about his misdeeds. When he survived, Tony tried to silence Roy by pushing him into the canal. Having a crisis of conscience, Tony jumped in and saved Roy and handed himself to the police and was imprisoned. But months later he escaped and held Carla and Hayley hostage at Underworld. He released Hayley before setting the factory on fire, determined to kill Carla and himself. Carla managed to escape and Tony perished.
 

John Stape was a very different baddie compared to the likes of Hillman and Gordon. Stape was a hapless villain – he didn’t mean to kill the people he did. His first misdeed was kidnapping Rosie Webster and holding her hostage at his gran’s house. He was imprisoned for that but married Fiz Brown in prison before being released and trying to rebuild his life. But yet again, John went down the wrong path. He committed identity fraud (pretended to be Colin Fishwick); he covered up the death of the real Colin (who collapsed of a heart attack during an argument); he suffocated Colin’s mum Joy; he murdered Charlotte Hoyle when she threatened to expose him; and held Charlotte’s parents and Chesney hostage in a cellar. John then went on the run before crashing his car and he died in hospital. But many of the situations he got himself to were hilarious and used a lot of black humour.
 

In the last few years, villains have included the likes of Lewis Archer (who stole money from the bookies and from Gail McIntyre); Frank Foster (who raped Carla Connor and ousted her from the factory); Kirsty Soames (who abused and manipulated partner Tyrone Dobbs and falsely accused him of abusing her!); and Karl Munro (put the Rovers on fire and killed Sunita Alahan).
 

Who’s your favourite villain? Vote in the poll below. And if you haven't, you can vote for your favourite moment from Corrie in the 1960s here. Voting closes at midnight tonight.


 

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Preview of tonight's double Coronation Street, Monday 30 Sep

MONDAY 30 SEPTEMBER at 7.30pm
NICK WAKES UP AS DAVID’S NIGHTMARE CONTINUES. Nick’s making good progress but as the family discuss how he’ll be talking soon David’s weighed down by his sense of impending doom. Desperate to savour the time he has left with Kylie and Lily he suggests a walk out where he struggles to keep his emotions in check, telling Kylie how much he loves her and suggesting they move away for a fresh start. But as Kylie gives her reply at the hospital an agitated Nick struggles to speak. Is he about to reveal all?
STEVE INADVERTANTLY GIVES RYAN A BAD IDEA. As Michelle heads for her shift at the pub, insisting she loves working there, Steve’s pleased. Desperate to solve all Michelle’s woes he decides to give Ryan a pep talk, insisting he needs to grow up and grab life by the horns. Ryan’s spurred into action but the results floor both Michelle and a hapless Steve. Meanwhile Carla apologises to Michelle, can they get their friendship back on track?
OWEN PROMISES TO SORT OUT HIS FINANCES. Persuading Owen to let her do the builders yard admin job from home Katy’s determined to prove herself and informs Owen he has unpaid invoices that go back weeks. With Anna on his back Owen promises to pursue his debtors for payment.
ELSEWHERE Hayley goes for her CT scan.

MONDAY 30 SEPTEMBER at 8.30pm
NICK’S COMING TO BRINGS FRESH WOE FOR DAVID. As an agitated Nick repeats the name David, Gail goes to call him, presuming he’s worrying about his brother. David swallows back his fear as he heads to the hospital, knowing this could be the end. As he nervously looks Nick in the eye and whispers hello, how will Nick respond? Will he remember that David caused the crash that nearly killed him?
MICHELLE’S HEART BROKEN BY RYAN’S NEWS. Michelle is reeling after Ryan’s shock announcement and is furious with Steve. As he goes to pack, can she convince Ryan to stay or is it time for him to move on?
OWEN’S LEFT HIGH AND DRY. As Owen tries to chase up a big debt from a slippery customer he realises some less than traditional tactics may be called for. Anna’s concerned as egged on by Gary, Owen decides to pat him a visit, determined to do whatever it takes to get his cash.
ELSEWHERE Hayley sets about making a list of all the things she wants to do before she dies.

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What the Platt family needs is a nice Irish nanny

I'm finding the Platts a bit dull at the moment. It feels like the entire clan is in that coma with Nick. It's been far too long since a Platt has been pushed down the stairs or plunged into the canal by a loved one.

I think it's time to spice things up a bit. What David and Kylie clearly need is a mad Irish nanny. I long for Crazy Carmel to make a return visit. Maybe she finally did get pregnant after all and she has an equally deranged daughter who could come back and cause mayhem at number 8? If not the original, there must be another Cusack around somewhere who could step into the drab cardigan and sensible shoes. 

In all seriousness, I'm getting a bit tired of the whole David/Nick/Kylie saga. It's all far too complicated now for me to care. I've forgotten who knows what about this, that and who's had a bit of the other. Nick has given the performance of his life in that hospital bed. Although we the viewer note that he has a newly shaved head which can only mean he'll come round with a scary new personality which makes David look like Julie Andrews. All Leanne does these days is whinge and look moist around the eyes. Simon is so bored of her, he's not had any dialogue since February.

I love Kylie and always will, but the grouchy new mum thing doesn't really suit her. She could do a lot better than either of the Platt Tilsley boys and considering she's a former cage dancer who sold her son to her sister, that's saying something! As for David, well we've all seen his demonic side far too often for it to be a shocker. That evil upwards stare just doesn't cut the mustard anymore. The character appears to be in a continuous cycle of Good David/ Evil David. I'm not sure I can take another twenty years of the same. 


And as for Gail. Well when the truth finally hits the fan, or when everybody knows what everybody already knows, we must prepare ourselves for the grim task of watching much eyelash fluttering and softly spoken Ivy Tilsley like drops of poison. Gosh, if any character needs a reboot, it's Gail.

Back in the days when Gail had hair that flowed past her shoulders we cared about her and supported her feisty battles against Ivy, Audrey or whoever else crossed her path. When she came up against mad Carmel, we were on her side. If Carmel junior appeared on the cobbles today, I worry I'd be backing her all the way. 

I've always loved the dynamic of the Platts. I just feel like we've been here with them too many times before. I know the backbone of soap is the triumvirate of secrets, lies and who's the daddy, but I really do think Gail and her brood need an injection of fresh thinking and different plot lines. And no, that does not mean the return of either Lewis or Marc/Marcia! 

Where am I going with all this? Well, if I was Audrey, I'd read this blog, sell up and run like hell!    


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Corrie A-Z: U is for Usuals

We all have our favourite tipple when we go to the pub or out for a meal – me, it’s an appletiser. And the residents of Coronation Street are no different. Many a time when the punters enter the Rovers, you can hear the barmaids asking “Usual?”.

 

Rita’s known for her fondness of vodka and tonic while Audrey likes her gin and tonic. Deirdre enjoys a glass of red wine, although I can’t recall what her tipple was in the early days. Anyone remember?

 

Hilda Ogden, Ivy Tilsley and Phyllis Pearce indulged in a bottle of lager with a glass while Elsie Tanner was seen with a glass of gin and tonic. And of course Ena Sharples, Minnie Caldwell and Martha Longhurst were seen supping milk stout in the snug.

 

Many of the menfolk of the cobbles like Alf Roberts, Len Fairclough, Jack Duckworth, Steve McDonald and Stan Ogden enjoyed a pint of bitter while Ken Barlow and Norris enjoy a half of bitter as did Percy Sugden. Albert Tatlock’s favourite tipple was a rum and often got the other punters to buy it for him!

 

Emily Bishop likes her sherry while Mavis Riley enjoyed a pineapple juice and Becky Granger liked her snakebite shandy. Roy and Hayley Cropper enjoy an orange juice at the Rovers.

 

Can you think of any other ‘usuals’?

 

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Corrie Weekly Awards for Sept. 23 - 27

Pants on Fire award: Tim is pretending to be away for the weekend so he doesn't have to go to Paris.

Rewrite History award. I didn't think Michelle and Carla were like sisters since they were kids. I remember them disliking each other a lot.

Geography Fail award: Antwerp is in neither Switzerland nor France but in Belgium. Peter wins.

Fashion Award: Didn't Peter look sharp?

BFF Award: Dev, at least, is giving Stella good advice. Your life starts now.

Bribery award: Peter took Sean's advice and stocked up on fig rolls. The rep knew what was up.

Bricking it award: David and Kylie both are worried about Nick coming round. Christian couldn't face seeing Hayley, not at first.

Nasty soup award: David really let Kylie have it after a long day of worry about Nick and what he remembers etc. (Me mum always asked did we have Nasty Soup to eat when we'd been bickering amongst ourselves)

Lines of the week:
Eileen seeing Eva and Jason together "Collecting the set, are you?"
Eva about Stella "I'm worried she's going to do something stupid" Gloria "Like buying a leopard print onesie?" (No, Stella, you are no Bet Lynch luvvie)
Kylie to David "Is that burning I can smell, it must be your pants!"
Eileen "Complicated? It's like the last days of Ancient Rome!"
Gloria "I don't want to be here without your mum. Who would I annoy for a start?"
Hayley "Most selfish people pretend that they're not"
Christian "I'm Christian" Anna "They don't do religion"
Stella "The market's even more depressed than I am"


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Coronation Street Chit-Chat: Corrie news catch-up September 2013

Here we go with Coronation Street chit-chat, a catch-up of some of the shorter news stories that have been happening but haven't made it into their own blog post.  And so, here we go.

Current Corrie cast
Michael Le Vell (Kevin Webster) splits with girlfriend, says The Express.
Brooke Vincent (Sophie Webster) and Antony Cotton (Sean Tully) wait tables at Manchester restaurant for charity, says the MEN.
Catherine Tyldesley (Eva Price) hopes her on-screen family don't get killed off when Stella and Gloria leave, says Digital Spy. Catherine also says she has no plans to leave the show says The Bolton News. 
Craig Charles (Lloyd Mullaney) talks about Corrie, Red Dwarf and Northern Soul to the Liverpool Echo.
Sol Heras (Ryan Connor) wants to be in Downton Abbey says Yahoo News.
Michelle Collins (Stella Price) says she's asked for Stella not to be killed off and hopes to return to the show in a couple of years, says Digital Spy.

Ex Corrie cast
Liz Dawn (Vera Duckworth) undergoes heart surgery, says The Express.
 
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Spot the mistake in the Coronation Street credits

Coronation Street Blog reader John McElroy sent us an email to say he is working his way (slowly) through the 'Noughties' Network DVD Coronation Street box set.

He's just watched the episode where Tracy nearly kills Karen, and Ashley and Claire get married.

As the credits rolled he spotted this mistake below. It took me ages to spot it - can you see it?

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Winners announced in our Coronation Street mugs competition

Congratulations go to four lucky Coronation Street Blog readers who have all been drawn at random from the hundreds of correct entries received, to win a Coronation Street mug in our latest competition.

Coronation Street mugs will be on their way soon from the lovely people at Enesco to Nancy Johnston in Canada, Sarah Heaton in the USA, Kelli Foote in Canada and Yvonne Potter in the UK. 

Check out the Coronation Street merchandise that can be found on the Enesco website.

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Coronation Street site sold to developers

Coronation Street's former offices in Manchester is to be turned into a residential and commercial quarter after it was sold for £26m, reports the BBC.

The building in Quay Street has been bought by developers Allied London and Manchester City Council.

They intend to submit planning applications after the move (although there was confirmation earlier this year that Ikea will take over the site.)

As for the current Coronation Street set, its future remains uncertain. An application made by an anonymous individual, asking English Heritage to give the Coronation Street set listed status to secure its future, was refused.

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Vote for your favourite moment from 1960s Corrie

If you haven't yet, you can vote for your favourite Corrie moment from the 1960s here. Voting closes on Monday, 30th September at midnight.

What's your favourite? The first episode? Martha Longhurst's death? Or maybe one of Ena and Elsie's catfights?

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Steve and Michelle: Gussets, gurns and fig rolls

Oh dear! Poor Michelle Connor. However does she cope having such a moany, good for nothing beige son? 

I'll tell you how she copes. She stomps about Weatherfield, flicking her impossibly black hair at all and sundry, gobbing off at anyone who disagrees with her and belittling poor Steve McDonald at every opportunity.

I quite liked Michelle when she first appeared seven years ago as a singer-cum-pint puller, however with the imminent departure of Ryyyyan mark II, I'm left wondering what the point of her actually is.

If we look at the evidence, it is actually quite surprising that Michelle has stuck around Weatherfield for such a long time. Since she arrived in Coronation Street, Ms Connor has lost both her brothers and discovered the son she brought up single-handed was actually not her son after all. Actually, you'd have thought that topic might have reared its ugly head when not-her-real-son-with-a-new-bonse arrived back from Glasgow last year, complete with a drug habit that is no longer mentioned. Gosh, these Connors are a complicated bunch.

I needn't have worried about poor Michelle having nowt to do post-Ryyyyan. She's just quit her high powered executive job at Underworld thanks to the arrival of a heavily contrived plot device landing on her desk with that days' script. To be honest, I'm quite pleased they've moved her on from there. I've long wondered how Michelle became the Alan Sugar of gussets so quickly anyway. I mean she doesn't even recognise that's not her real son. I did feel for her the other night though, when Peter Barlow sent her off to fetch some fig rolls from Dev's. i wouldn't wish that on any Corrie character. 

We all know daft comedy Steve is about to buy back the Rovers, just to cheer the sour faced Michelle up a bit. Well, would you want to follow in the steps of St Ella? As soon as Steve signs on the dotted line, us viewers will hear the not so subtle clatter of Liz's stilettos-upon-cobble once again. Just what Steve needs - two overpowering women standing behind that bar, making him look extra gormless. 

I really don't like gormless, gurning Steve. I think Simon Gregson is an excellent actor who has worked really hard over the past twenty odd years to make Steve his own. I just wish the writers would partner him up with someone a bit more believable that Michelle. All Steve's partners and wives have dominated and emasculated him and generally made him resemble a buffoon. Karen was the exception, mainly because her character was so complex and multi-layered. Ah, those were the days.

Anyway, i've rambled on long enough. Do you like Steve with Michelle, or was it a mistake to revisit this relationship? If Steve should be with someone else in the Street, who would you like it to be? 


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