Coronation Street Blog's best bits of 2014

It's time for our annual round-up of achievements from the Coronation Street Blog.

Have a look here at Coronation Street Blog's best bits from 2013 and 2012.

January 2014 

• Our free Android App was launched. Download it here.
• We donated to the Pancreatic Cancer Charity in exchange for a blog post from Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh.  Read it here.
• Exclusive! Interview with the actress who plays Hayley's humanist funeral celebrant, Susie. Read it here.
• Exclusive! Blog post with the real-life transsexual advisor to Coronation Street for Hayley Cropper's character.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Graeme was invited to ITV for a screening of Hayley's final scenes.  Read about his visit here
• Working with The Marina Theatre in Lowestoft, we offered Corrie fans discount tickets for their pantomime starring ex-Corrie actress Amanda Barrie. Read it here.

February 2014

• We raised £53 for the charity Dog Aid (Assistance in Disability).  Read it here.
• We ran a competition to win 10 Coronation Street Blog fridge magnets designed by @pickledjo.  Read it here. 
• Exclusive! First look at the new meerkat ident videos from Coronation Street's sponsor.  Read it here. 

March 2014

• We ran a competition to win Michelle Collins' autobiography.  Read it here.
• We ran a competition to win a baby meerkat Oleg.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Ruth was invited to ITV to interview Les Dennis. Read it here.
• Our blogger Ruth has her novel published.  Read it here.

April 2014

• Our blogger Ruth was invited on a VIP tour of the Coronation Street set before it opened to the public.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Emma was invited on a VIP tour of the Coronation Street set before it opened to the public and flew in specially from Ireland.  Read it here 
• Our Canadian blogger Tvor is associated with the Downeast Streeters Corrie fan club there,  and they hosted Corrie actor Jimmi Harkishin on a fan night.  Read it here.
• Our bloggers Tvor and Llifon visited the Coronation Street set when it was open to the public.  Read Tvor's post here and read Llifon's post here.
• We ran a competition to win Coronation Street art from @bearprintdesign. Read it here.
• Blog editor Glenda Young has a book published:  A Perfect Duet. The Diary of Roy and Hayley Cropper". With a foreword by Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Cropper).  It is an unofficial Coronation Street companion book. Read it here.
• Exclusive!  We reveal Nigel Pivaro will be appearing in panto this year. Oh yes he will.  Read it here. 
• Blog editor Glenda Young cycles 20 miles to raise funds for Cancer Research UK. Read it here (and there's still time to sponsor me, please!). 
• Our blogger Tvor travels from Canada to the UK and visits the Corrie exhibition at Daisy Nook and meets a Corrie legend.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Tvor met up with Coronation Street podcasters Conversation Street while in the UK and was interviewed by them.  Read it here. 
• Our blogger Emma, a MA student in film and television, devised a survey of Corrie fans for her dissertation.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Emma is interviewed on BBC Tees about her visit to the Coronation Street set tour.  Read it here.
• Exclusive! First look at the new ident videos of the meerkats from Coronation Street's sponsor.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Craig met Michelle Collins (Stella Price) at her book launch. Read it here.  

May 2014

• Exclusive interview with Corrie scriptwriter Susan Oudot.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Ruth visits ITV to interview Terence Maynard, who plays Tony Stewart. Read it here.

June 2014

• We donated to charity in exchange for an exclusive interview with TV critic Caroline Corcaron. Read it here. 

July 2014

• Our blogger Martin interviews Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fiz Stape, at her restaurant in Manchester.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Ruth visits ITV to interview Charlie Lawson, who plays Jim McDonald. Read it here.
• Our blogger Stevie interviews Princess Jordan, who played Corrie's transsexual in Malta. Read it here.

August 2014

• Krissi Bohn, who played Jenna Kamara, gave the Coronation Street Blog her only interview after leaving the show. Read it here.  In the interview she says this about our website: "Thank you to the Coronation Street Blog for this interview. Since day one I have thought this was an amazing site and a great resource for Corrie fans."
• Our blog makes news at the BBC website on hearing that the Coronation Street set is to be demolished. Read it here. 

September 2014

• We donate to charity in exchange for a blog post from the Bishop of Jarrow. Read it here.  News of the Bishop's blog post reaches regional newspapers in the north-east where the story is reported widely and he also speaks to BBC Radio Tees, giving us a mention too.  Thankyou!
• Guest blogger Martyn Hett meets Corrie creator Tony Warren at the Script to Screen event in Manchester.  Read it here 
• Our blogger Emma Hynes travels to ITV Manchester to interview Paula Lane, who plays Kylie Platt.  Read it here 
• Competition to win two tickets to the Coronation Street tour and meet Sherrie Hewson.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Emma Hynes travels to Mill Theatre in Dublin to watch Mikey North and Ian Puleston-Davis (Gary and Owen) in their Men at Work stage show.  She also interviewed them both! Read it here 
• Competition to see Mikey North and Ian Puleston-Davis in their Men at Work show in Dublin.  Read it here.

 October 2014

• Our blogger Emma Hynes is invited to ITV to interview Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow).  Read it here.
• Our blogger Martin is invited to ITV to interview Sean Ward (Callum Logan).  Read it here.
• Competition to win a Halloween tour of the Coronation Street set with actor Brian Capron (Richard Hillman).  Read it here.
• Our blogger Ruth is invited to ITV to interview Kate Ford (Tracy Barlow) and Alison King (Carla Connor).  Read it here.
• Our blogger Ruth is invited to ITV to interview Bruno Langley (Todd Grimshaw). Read it here.

November 2014

• Our blogger Ruth is invited to ITV to interview Simon Gregson and Kym Marsh (Steve and Michelle).  Read it here.
• Competition to win 5 copies of the Inside Soap Yearbook 2015. Read it here.
• Competition to win 3 copies of the 2015 Coronation Street calendar.  Read it here.
• Our blogger Emma is interviewed on BBC Tees radio about Steve's depression storyline. Read it here.
• Our blogger Ruth is invited to ITV to interview Antony Cotton (Sean Tully).  Read it here.
• Our blogger Emma is invited to see a preview of Christmas on the Coronation Street tour. Read it here.

December

• Our blogger Ruth s invited to ITV to interview Claire King (Erica Holroyd).Read it here.
• Our blogger Martin meets and interview's Joe Duttine (Tim Metcalfe). Read it here. 
• Blog editor Glenda Young has a book published on Kindle:  Norman Bates with a Briefcase - the Richard Hillman story. With a foreword by Brian Capron, who played Richard Hillman.  It is an unofficial Coronation Street companion book. Read it here.

None of the above would be possible without your support. Yes, you reading this, you Corrie fan, you.  Thankyou for popping by, for coming back, for reading us and tweeting us and you know, thanks for it all. 
  

Download our App | Follow on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog | Like on Facebook



All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License