Coronation Street double episode review, Monday 22 Dec

Kevin is fed up of Steve’s car and tells Lloyd to have a word with him and to encourage him to cut his losses. Andrea breaks her word and tells Lloyd that she saw Steve coming out of the doctors. ‘Men’s troubles’ are the problem and Lloyd decides to talk to his mate, but Steve is having none of it and gives Lloyd some cruel short shrift, almost denying they have a friendship at all. Very hurtful for Lloyd, who is genuinely tying to do his best by his mate and business partner of many years.

‘Let’s face it mate, you’re a mess,’ says Lloyd, probably trying to shock some sense into his friend. Steve even grabs hold of Lloyd just to confirm he doesn’t give a damn about him. ‘Back off! Stay away from me or I’ll knock your flamin’ head off!’

Then, very shortly afterwards, Steve is extending an invitation to almost half the street for Christmas dinner. And why not? His mother has called him Eeyore and told him not to let his argument with Lloyd fester. He won’t be the one cooking it - that will most likely be Liz, who has never cooked a goose. Well, she’s not on her own there! Maybe it’s as easy as Eileen suggests in that you stick an apple up the goose’s bottom. Anyway, whatever is done to the poor goose, Christmas dinner should be eventful, especially now Tony and Tracy have slept together. Tony is clearly a little on edge. He asks Tracy not to snitch, but you can’t help but feel that Tracy has the upper hand and wont be afraid to use Tony’s betrayal of Liz to her own advantage.Todd is also in the know, to an extent, in that Tony denied having seen Tracy today, but Todd knows full well that he has seen Tracy.

Gary is under fire by all the Armstrongs. Gary has no work, no money and can’t afford to buy Jake a Christmas present. For some reason Katy thinks it is her place to tell Gary what he should do and how she would sell something to get her child a present. Katy gets her comeuppance rather swiftly as she is moaning to her dad Owen about how Alya ‘was all over’ Gary and then she started to criticize her generally. But, there behind her are both Alya and Kal. In the circumstances Kal is calm and asks for loyalty. Kal behaves very differently towards Gary and tells him that he cannot speak to Alya, that he doesn’t even like him looking at her, and that he is to walk on the other side of the street from her. Unbelievable!

Owen has his turn in the general theme of let’s attack Gary. He asks, ‘What are you for – seriously?’ Then answers his own question, ‘A waste of space.’

Well, Gary is not a waste of space, certainly not to Roy, as he sees off the yobs tormenting Roy. It seems Jake must be wrapped in cotton wool. Shock horror! Jake is wearing a plaster.  Izzy is surely over reacting here.

At the Bistro Steph has decided that Gavin is to work with her. Is it just help she wants in her work or does she rather like him? I think Steph is a terrific character and I hope she gets a meaty storyline soon, though not necessarily with Gavin as there is a question mark hanging over him. Who exactly is he?  

Not the most spontaneous hug, but eventually Roy did use both arms eventually to respond to Carla’s request for a hug. Carla mischievously suggests that they perhaps ought to shack up with each other.

‘My mother bought toys for the son she wished she’d had,’ said Roy. Carla misses Rob and is haunted by the idea of him in prison.

Sally must get rid of the deckchairs before Christmas. Tim has the job of finding a sofa. Sally fancies making her own centerpiece, involving all manner of ingredients. That, I would like to see.

As for Callum's appearance in the Rovers and Liz's turning on the charm and wishing she was 10 (!) years younger....hmmm. Callum is almost a pantomime villain.