(cross posted from State of the Street with permission)
I don't like Michelle much, I never did. I always thought she dragged Steve down with her drama. Having said that, I do feel badly for what she's been through, losing a baby and then finding out her husband has a newborn by another woman, not even a woman he had a proper affair with. There was no love between Leanne and Steve, it was a pity party. It didn't matter that Steve thought he lost Michelle. She was on her way out of town, and turned around a few hours later, that's barely enough to qualify being "on a break". He didn't know that at the time but he didn't waste any of that time, either. She's allowed to feel angry and betrayed.
Yes, I felt terrible for her. For about a minute. Until she laced into Leanne and gave her a bloody nose. My sympathy slipped a little but her reaction was understandable. The instant she went shrieking it all out to everyone in the pub, she lost a bit more of my sympathy and when she assaulted Eva, she lost it all. I can't blame her for being angry but her attack on Eva was uncalled for and I don't care that she was miffed that Eva knew about the baby.
So did Liz, so did Toyah and they came away unscathed. Locking Liz and Steve out of the pub and threatening to take half of everything was vindictive but a less violent reaction but I doubt very much she has a legal right to take half of everything. Liz owns half of the pub so I do hope the writers remember that and only award her half of Steve's share. I don't think she should have half of Steve's share of the cab firm either, because he owned it long before he married her but again, where Tim owns half, she should only get her manicured mitts on one quarter.
She's out of control and all the things she's doing and will do in the near future are not winning her any votes of sympathy from me in spite of her situation being indescribably dire. I get that she's out for vengeance. What Steve's done is much worse than her flirtation and near affair with that Will fella. Had he told her from the start what happened, he probably wouldn't be in this mess. Would he have lost Michelle if he'd told her about the one night stand? Possibly but possibly not. When Leanne then found that she was pregnant, it would have hurt Michelle, but she probably wouldn't have got pregnant herself. She'd have been too angry with Steve to want to have a baby with him, providing she was even still living under the same roof as he.
We all know Steve is a bit of an idiot. He continually lies, thinking he's doing it for the right reasons. He's not vindictive, he's not dishonest for the sake of being hurtful, he's just a weak person and doesn't want to upset the applecart. Yet his lies always, *always* make things worse when they're found out. He didn't tell Michelle about the one night stand and therefore, when Leanne found herself pregnant, he was in an impossible situation once Michelle got pregnant as well. He really did think he could keep away from the baby, and had their Ruairi lived, he probably could have managed it. But he held that child and he knew it was his and his heart melted. He did the right thing but it was far too late.
From spoilers, but without giving anything away, Michelle is going to wreak havoc on Steve's life, I think, far more than is necessary but she doens't do things by halves. I have a feeling I'm going to be doing a lot of shouting at my screen for the next while.
Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)
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Tuesday, 28 February 2017
Coronation Street spoiler: Gemma and Cathy on disaster night out
What can possibly go wrong? Well, just about everything!
Inside Soap magazine say that Gemma offers Cathy a night out after Cathy struggles in her new job at the kebab shop. Gemma reckons that if Cathy can get to grips with late-night goings-on then she'll better understand some of their more rowdy customers who come in for kebabs after they've had a few drinks.
Gemma takes Cathy on a pub crawl which leaves her absolutely legless. Not only that, but the next morning, Cathy realises she's made a right fool of herself - and in front of Brian too.
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Coronation Street spoiler: Grooming storyline gets darker next week
The next stage of evil Nathan's plan takes place in Coronation Street next week.
If you think that the grooming of Bethany Platt has been uncomfortable, if necessary, viewing so far then be prepared for things to turn even worse.
Inside Soap magazine reveal that Nathan is about to introduce Bethany to the friends he is grooming her for. Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany, says: "Nathan takes Bethany to his flat, where there are quite a lot of men. We did a scene that was so uncomfortable, it was horrible to film."
But on the plus side, Bethany finally confides in Sarah about Nathan - but is Bethany's confession coming too late for Sarah to be able to do anything to help?
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If you think that the grooming of Bethany Platt has been uncomfortable, if necessary, viewing so far then be prepared for things to turn even worse.
Inside Soap magazine reveal that Nathan is about to introduce Bethany to the friends he is grooming her for. Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany, says: "Nathan takes Bethany to his flat, where there are quite a lot of men. We did a scene that was so uncomfortable, it was horrible to film."
But on the plus side, Bethany finally confides in Sarah about Nathan - but is Bethany's confession coming too late for Sarah to be able to do anything to help?
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Coronation Street spoiler: Michelle and Robert's secret night together
In next week's Coronation Street we'll see Michelle and Robert spend the night together. But whether they'll go sub-duvet or not hasn't been revealed.
However, what Inside Soap magazine can reveal is that Robert turns up to se Michelle to console her, presumably at Maria's flat. He's armed with a game of Scrabble and a bottle of tequila.
Now, I can understand the Scrabble if he's a mate wanting to take a mate's mind off all that has happened to her.
But the bottle of tequila suggests to me that Robert's got more on his mind than a triple world score.
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However, what Inside Soap magazine can reveal is that Robert turns up to se Michelle to console her, presumably at Maria's flat. He's armed with a game of Scrabble and a bottle of tequila.
Now, I can understand the Scrabble if he's a mate wanting to take a mate's mind off all that has happened to her.
But the bottle of tequila suggests to me that Robert's got more on his mind than a triple world score.
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Rovers Return goes up for sale - but who's the buyer?
In next week's Coronation Street we'll see Liz fully support son Steve as he goes ahead with his costly divorce from Michelle.
Inside Soap magazine reveal that Liz's support goes as far as selling her half of the Rovers and the pub goes up for sale! The picture above shows Liz with a couple of prospective buyers at the bar, while the picture below...
... shows Peter and Toyah listenng in on their conversation. Now what on earth could alcoholic Peter be doing ear-wigging on a conversation about the selling of the Rovers for?
Hmm... I wonder!
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Inside Soap magazine reveal that Liz's support goes as far as selling her half of the Rovers and the pub goes up for sale! The picture above shows Liz with a couple of prospective buyers at the bar, while the picture below...
... shows Peter and Toyah listenng in on their conversation. Now what on earth could alcoholic Peter be doing ear-wigging on a conversation about the selling of the Rovers for?
Hmm... I wonder!
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Steve and Leanne to bond over baby in Coronation Street?
Inside Soap magazine reveal this week that now that Michelle's after a divorce from Steve, he'll use it as a ploy to have a change of heart about his baby boy.
Leanne realises that she doesn't want a legal battle over the baby with Steve, so agrees to let Steve sees his son if he agrees not to involve any lawyers. But what will Nick make of this decision? And, I wonder, could this be leading up to the storyline where Ben Price, who plays Nick, will be leaving the show?
Leanne chooses not to tell Nick that she's alloweing Steve to see baby Olly, and so in time honoured fashion in soap land, he's bound to find out. Oh 'eck.
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Adam's terror as drug deal goes wrong in Coronation Street
I don't know about you but all I can think about when I look at the preview pic above, from next week's Coronation Street is: Why is Tracey Barlow wearing a big, pink, fluffy, cowboy hat? Now, there's a question we can't answer.
But what we can tell you is that Adam puts the Barlows in danger in next week's Coronation Street.
Inside Soap magazine reveal this week that desperate Adam is keen to get Rosie's drugs off his hands and out of the allotment. And so he decides to sell the drugs to a dealer called Ronan. But Ronan is the boyfriend of Trina, the dark haired woman who Adam slept with the other week in Corrie. With me so far? What a tangled web, etc.
Anyway, Adam nicks Ken's car and plans to drive to Ronan's house but Amy jumps into the car and demands that Adam takes her to visit Deirdre's grave. Adam's got no choice but to comply.
When Ronan finally meets Adam and puts two and two together about him and Trina, he's out for revenge. He orders flowers from Tracy who delivers them to Ronan's house, and when she arrives with them, he locks her indoors.
And by the state of Adam here on this next picture, it looks like things go seriously wrong.
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But what we can tell you is that Adam puts the Barlows in danger in next week's Coronation Street.
Inside Soap magazine reveal this week that desperate Adam is keen to get Rosie's drugs off his hands and out of the allotment. And so he decides to sell the drugs to a dealer called Ronan. But Ronan is the boyfriend of Trina, the dark haired woman who Adam slept with the other week in Corrie. With me so far? What a tangled web, etc.
Anyway, Adam nicks Ken's car and plans to drive to Ronan's house but Amy jumps into the car and demands that Adam takes her to visit Deirdre's grave. Adam's got no choice but to comply.
When Ronan finally meets Adam and puts two and two together about him and Trina, he's out for revenge. He orders flowers from Tracy who delivers them to Ronan's house, and when she arrives with them, he locks her indoors.
And by the state of Adam here on this next picture, it looks like things go seriously wrong.
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Spoilers for next week's Coronation Street, Mar 6 - 10
Without any piffle, here are the storylines for the week ahead on Coronation Street, all wrapped up nicely in 50 words or less.
Monday 6 to Friday 10 March 2017
Rovers goes up for sale, Adam has run in with drug dealer, Gemma and Cathy enjoy girls night out, Chloe pesters Peter, Sarah tells Bethany about her internet stalker, Will Daniel choose Sinead or his MA?
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Monday 6 to Friday 10 March 2017
Rovers goes up for sale, Adam has run in with drug dealer, Gemma and Cathy enjoy girls night out, Chloe pesters Peter, Sarah tells Bethany about her internet stalker, Will Daniel choose Sinead or his MA?
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Monday, 27 February 2017
Coronation Street Episode Review Monday 27th February
This rover has returned...many thanks for Ryan for filling in and writing the episode reviews during the last few weeks.
The fallout from Steve's revelations continues with Eva and Leanne bickering, Michelle drinking, and Steve adamant that he can win back his wife and have a relationship with Baby Oliver. Denial isn't just a major north-flowing river in north-eastern Africa, MacDonald.
I can't help but feel that this whole storyline has been moved up in order to facilitate Ben Price's departure - it felt like it was going to be played out over a longer time period. The main question is: will Nick Tilsley come back with a different head?
Anyway, Michelle gets lawyered up and demands a divorce and half of everything, including the pub. Well, Steve did buy it for her in the first place. He doesn't see it that way and refuses to divorce her and so Michelle starts a campaign of civil disobedience by asking Johnny and Kate to block the Rovers' doorway, allowing her to lock Steve and Liz out of the pub and then give away free drinks and snacks to the regulars. It's going well until she picks a fight with Eva and chucks her out of the pub by the hair (it's all fun and games until someone's weave gets assaulted). The police are called, some bottles get smashed, Steve eventually tells her she can have half of everything, but that doesn't make her happy; she curls up miserable and alone in Maria's flat.
In the meantime, Corrie takes on #everydaysexism as a builder whistles at Rosie in her overalls. She gives as good as she gets but Sally won't let it lie. Sally is upset that Rosie is doing a George Formby - after all Rosie did have a career and a flat in London "with a balconette" - and Anna rubs sodium chloride into the wound by revealing that Rosie was an accidental drugs mule, which leads Rosie to confess that her fabulous life was a lie. This sends Sally into a tailspin, culminating in her threatening the builder who catcalls Rosie.
In other feminist news, Mary used to be a blacksmith when travelling with a group of Romanys in Czechoslovakia (she was the only one strong enough to lift the horse's legs) and Sinead decides she's going to support herself and Daniel by starting up the soap business again (hopefully not the murderous candles) and so goes round to number 5 to collect the rest of her things. Unfortunately, Chesney thinks it's a reconciliation and when he finds out it's not, he kicks Sinead out before she can pick up her stuff.
And in recycled storylines, everyone has forgotten Rita's birthday, but Gemma makes her a special birthday kebab without lettuce or tomato: "it seems a shame to have salad on your birthday."
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The fallout from Steve's revelations continues with Eva and Leanne bickering, Michelle drinking, and Steve adamant that he can win back his wife and have a relationship with Baby Oliver. Denial isn't just a major north-flowing river in north-eastern Africa, MacDonald.
I can't help but feel that this whole storyline has been moved up in order to facilitate Ben Price's departure - it felt like it was going to be played out over a longer time period. The main question is: will Nick Tilsley come back with a different head?
Anyway, Michelle gets lawyered up and demands a divorce and half of everything, including the pub. Well, Steve did buy it for her in the first place. He doesn't see it that way and refuses to divorce her and so Michelle starts a campaign of civil disobedience by asking Johnny and Kate to block the Rovers' doorway, allowing her to lock Steve and Liz out of the pub and then give away free drinks and snacks to the regulars. It's going well until she picks a fight with Eva and chucks her out of the pub by the hair (it's all fun and games until someone's weave gets assaulted). The police are called, some bottles get smashed, Steve eventually tells her she can have half of everything, but that doesn't make her happy; she curls up miserable and alone in Maria's flat.
In the meantime, Corrie takes on #everydaysexism as a builder whistles at Rosie in her overalls. She gives as good as she gets but Sally won't let it lie. Sally is upset that Rosie is doing a George Formby - after all Rosie did have a career and a flat in London "with a balconette" - and Anna rubs sodium chloride into the wound by revealing that Rosie was an accidental drugs mule, which leads Rosie to confess that her fabulous life was a lie. This sends Sally into a tailspin, culminating in her threatening the builder who catcalls Rosie.
In other feminist news, Mary used to be a blacksmith when travelling with a group of Romanys in Czechoslovakia (she was the only one strong enough to lift the horse's legs) and Sinead decides she's going to support herself and Daniel by starting up the soap business again (hopefully not the murderous candles) and so goes round to number 5 to collect the rest of her things. Unfortunately, Chesney thinks it's a reconciliation and when he finds out it's not, he kicks Sinead out before she can pick up her stuff.
Gail has lost her purse and immediately accuses Shona of half-inching it, later finding it under Lily's toy. Gail half heartedly apologises, which Shona refuses to accept and Gail storms out of the cafe. This sub-plot seems to be in order to eventually bring Shona closer the Platts. Here's what I think is going to happen (I haven't read any spoilers): Shona will save Bethany from Evil Nathan and eventually, with many fits and starts, she will get together with David. Then he will discover that she's Clayton's mum? sister? and all hell will break loose. That, or it will be revealed that she is Judy Mallett's long lost daughter.
And in recycled storylines, everyone has forgotten Rita's birthday, but Gemma makes her a special birthday kebab without lettuce or tomato: "it seems a shame to have salad on your birthday."
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Coronation Street Blog Interview: Amanda Barrie
Earlier
today I had the great pleasure of chatting with the Queen of the Nile
herself, the wonderful Amanda Barrie. It was quite a surreal moment to
have Amanda ring me up at home for a chat but it was absolutely joyous.
Amanda is best known for appearing in two Carry On films, for her twenty
year stint as Alma in Coronation Street and more recent appearances in
series like Bad Girls and The Real Marigold Hotel. As well as finding
out more about all this, I also wanted to ask Amanda about some her
earlier work as a leading lady on the West End stage.
I wanted to ask about your time working as a dancer with Barbara Windsor and Danny La Rue. What are your memories of that time?
That was back in the 1950s, we did cabaret together! Bryan Blackburn produced a lot of those shows and there was an incredibly high standard with lots of good people. That was how a lot of people like Barbara and Una Stubbs got started and we all went on to do revues in the theatre. Of course the revues don’t happen any more which is a shame.
This interview was originally published on Carry On Blogging
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Here's how I got on...
I wanted to ask about your time working as a dancer with Barbara Windsor and Danny La Rue. What are your memories of that time?
That was back in the 1950s, we did cabaret together! Bryan Blackburn produced a lot of those shows and there was an incredibly high standard with lots of good people. That was how a lot of people like Barbara and Una Stubbs got started and we all went on to do revues in the theatre. Of course the revues don’t happen any more which is a shame.
The cabaret
shows were always late at night and people would come and have dinner and
sometimes stay up all night and have breakfast! I remember one night staying up
talking to Judy Garland’s husband all about race horses. Sometimes I look back
and can’t believe it all actually happened.
You appeared in the revue On The
Brighter Side with Stanley Baxter and Betty Marsden. What were they like to
work with?
I’d known
Stanley even before we did the revue. I did a panto up in Glasgow at the
Theatre Royal on Hope Street and he was Buttons! He is a great man and very
talented. On The Brighter Side had a great cast – people like Pip Hinton, David
Kernan, Ronnie Barker, Una Stubbs. Wonderful.
I remember
while we were doing the pantomime in Glasgow I ended up in a Police Station! In
those days the dancers weren’t listed on the theatre posters and I was caught
adding my name to one of them! I was dragged down to the station and made to
rub it off!
Six of One saw you work with the
great Richard Wattis and Dora Bryan. Were they happy times?
I’ve never
laughed so much! It lasted a full year and I think it’s probably the happiest
show I have ever been involved in. We once laughed so much that they actually
had to bring the curtain down! I was dressed as a daffodil, Dora was a primrose
and then Richard Wattis came on a bluebell! We just couldn’t stop laughing and
they both ran off and left me on my own! Richard was great and I still miss
him. And Dora was such a talented woman.
You worked for Stephen Frears in one
of the Plays For Today on the BBC. I read that your history as a Carry On actor
caused him to think hard on whether to cast you?
Yes that’s
absolutely true! The play was Early Struggles with Tom Conti. People had
suggested to Stephen that he should see me for the part and he called me and walked
round and round and said he’d have to go and think about it overnight as he’d
never cast a Carry On actor before! He did subsequently cast me and the play
was very good, it was much more serious than some of the other work I was doing
at the time and it was good for me. And it’s great to say I’ve worked for
Stephen Frears.
I think you starred in two West End
runs with the wonderful Paul Eddington. What was he like to work with?
Yes I did
two years in the West End with Paul. We did Donkeys’ Years by Michael Frayn and
then Absurd Person Singular. I played his wife, he was a good actor and it was
such a privilege to work with him. We had the best time and the work we did was
equally written and very shared. He was a good friend as well as a colleague and
such a nice man. A great loss.
You appeared in a revival of Oh Kay!
In 1974. How important a role was that for you?
It meant a
lot to me personally as I have always been a massive fan of Gertrude Lawrence. Guy
Bolton who had written it – he met me and took a lot of convincing to let me go
on and do it. I had to prove to him that I was such a fan of hers, that she was
my heroine and that it meant so much to me. Once he understood he let me do it.
P.G Wodehouse, who co-wrote the book with Bolton, sent me a letter while I was
playing in Oh Kay! and he signed it “Plum” which was what he always called
himself. I treasured that letter.
My comedy heroine is Joan Sims. Are
you a fan of her work?
Oh yes, she
was such a good actress. She was so underrated but she had the ability to do
anything. Joan was a fine actress. She could have gone and worked at the
National Theatre.
I think she was quite insecure,
despite all her talent.
Yes a lot
of actors are – they have a love/hate relationship with acting and the insecurities
and lack of confidence can plague them.
I understand you got on very well
with both Sid James and Charles Hawtrey while you were making Carry On Cleo?
I loved
Sid! Again, we just laughed all the time when we worked together. He was great
to work with as was Charles. Charles Hawtrey kept bringing me in bits of food
as he always worried I wasn’t eating enough. I was rushing around filming Cleo
in the day and performing in She Loves Me in the West End at night so I didn’t
have a lot of time. He kept bringing me in pieces of haddock for my dinner but
I never got around to eating it! I think Cleo actually stands up pretty well as
a film in its own right, even after all these years. It’s got a brilliant
script and we had all the sets and costumes from Cleopatra so it looks like a
big budget film. I saw some of it when it was on television last weekend and I
thought it stood up well.
You went off to the Bristol Old Vic
after making Cleo. Would you have liked to have made more Carry Ons?
You’ve done
your homework! Yes by that stage I’d done quite a few bits and pieces for the
people who made the Carry Ons and I’d done other films like them…
You made a Doctor film (Doctor in
Distress) and films like A Pair of Briefs…
A Pair of
Briefs! All the classics…Operation Bullshine! Yes I could probably have done
more Carry Ons as I was becoming known to them and I think they wanted me to
come back but in those days the Carry Ons weren’t thought of as anything
special. You couldn’t do them and be seen as a serious actor. So my agent
packed me off to the Bristol Old Vic to do proper acting and it was probably a
good thing.
Your first Coronation Street scenes
were with Pat Phoenix as the legendary Elsie Tanner. How was that?
Terrifying!
Even though I’d worked in films and television and been a leading lady in the
West End I just couldn’t get over the fact that I was acting opposite “Elsie
Tanner”! I think the characters in Coronation Street are so strong that after a
while the actor and the character merged into one and that’s how it was with
her. She had played her so long by that point, she just was Elsie.
The other
one I loved was Doris Speed who played Annie Walker. I had such admiration for
her, she was a lesson on how to deliver those speeches and her timing was
wonderful. She would go down the corridor next to me and ask me if she had odd
coloured socks on! She was lovely.
I loved your rapport with Sue
Nicholls who plays Audrey. What was she like to work with?
I
absolutely love Sue, she’s a great actress and a lovely person to be with. We
had such fun and I remember we always wanted to do more comedy between Alma and
Audrey but it didn’t work out like that which is a shame. She was with me all
the time when Alma was dying towards the end, we worked together a lot at that
time. I always laugh when they repeat that episode of Alma going as Audrey
wasn’t there, she was late and when she finally gets there Alma’s gone and all
you can see is the tip of my nose as I’m lying there! I loved working with Sue and Helen Worth who
plays Gail. Barbara Knox (Rita) and Eileen Derbyshire (Emily) were also lovely
and great to work with. I still think Barbara could have been one of our
biggest music stars, she’s so talented.
One of my all-time favourites was
Jill Summers who played Phyllis Pearce. What was she like to work with?
I’ll always
remember coming on set with Jill and she’d recently been quite unwell. All of a
sudden she grabbed my arm and said “Amanda! I’m going! I think I’m going!” I
asked her where and she said she thought she was dying! I said she couldn’t die
as we had a scene to do and I wouldn’t let her go in the chair! Oh, I thought
I’d never work again after that! And the director Brian Mills didn’t know
anything about what was going on at the time! She was something else!
At this point Amanda does an uncanny
impersonation of the gravel-voiced Jill Summers which takes me some time to get
over!
Jill was a
great actress though, very real. She had quite a history, she’d been a stand up
comic and done all sorts of work, she was very experienced. She was quite well
to do, I don’t think she needed to work but she loved it. She used to come up
to my dressing room and pester me to come down because we could get a free meal
at the local French restaurant! She was a real character.
I went to
see her in hospital a few days before she died. Her last words in hospital
before she did die were typical. The nurse had asked if she wanted a drop of
brandy and she said no. Then she was offered a cup of tea and she said no. Finally
the nurse offered her some water. Jill replied “It gets better, doesn’t it”.
I remember a scene you did with Jill
in the café. She was talking about getting older and how she’d once been young
and gorgeous and how nowadays she looked in the mirror and didn’t recognise
herself.
Yes I
remember doing that scene! She was wonderful. I’d forgotten how much I’d worked
with her in it, but it all tends to merge together because there was so much.
Do you keep in touch with people
from Coronation Street?
Mainly
Helen Worth and Sue Nicholls because I knew them best while I was in the show.
Helen came to my wedding. I invited Sue but she was busy working. I keep up
with what they are doing and make sure they are all still in it. They do such a
good job.
Finally, what’s coming up next for
you?
Well The
Real Marigold Hotel is going out at the moment. It was a great show to do and
I’m still in touch with everyone who was on it with me. I rescued a stray dog
while I was in India. You’ll see Poppy in the last episode. I couldn’t bring
her home with me but we got her checked out and treated and rehomed.
I recently
received an Icon Award for outstanding achievement from Attitude Magazine. Paul
O’Grady presented me with it and I was so proud! When I wrote about my private
life in my autobiography I didn’t know what people would think but I needed to
do it. It was so hard while I was in Coronation Street because the press were
always after a story and it made it very difficult. But look how things have
changed even in the past decade.
Will you be back in Benidorm?
Yes I’m in
an episode of the new series, as Psychic Sue again. It was good to be back and working with Sherrie Hewson again. I’ve also been to Tel Aviv to do
the most outrageous series for a new online channel called Black Pearl. There
are twenty short television episodes and some of the material was outrageous! I
ended up in bed with a drag queen, he’s a big star over there and it was quite
a big deal! I’ve also filmed a series called Bus Pass Bandits which was me and
Henry Blofeld in Soho! That was a hoot and he’s become another good friend.
And you’ve been causing controversy
on morning television!
Yes, I didn’t realise saying “shit-hot” was a swear word! And anyway I was shit-hot on that Segway!
Yes, I didn’t realise saying “shit-hot” was a swear word! And anyway I was shit-hot on that Segway!
I
had an absolute ball talking with Amanda. She has long been one of my
heroines and she was just as funny, entertaining and delightful as I'd
hoped she would be. I'd like to thank her very much for giving me a ring
on a wet Monday in February - it brightened up my day. And i'll be
holding her to the offer of a drink or two in Covent Garden!
You can follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82
You can follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82
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Keep Fit with Corrie: Week Three - Angela Griffin
Gemma and Michael over at Conversation Street, the Corrie podcast, have been keeping fit the Corrie way!
In week one, they did the Vicky Binns work out and you can read all about that here.
In week two, it was the Kym Ryder work out and you can read that here.
Unfortunately, we haven't been able to get in as many workouts as we'd have liked this week due to home decorating taking over our lives for the past three days - still, that still kind of counts as exercise, right? Anyway, nearly got the new study done now - though if Pat Phelan does callouts to Southampton, we'd be willing to discuss anything he needed "taking care of" in exchange for him finishing it off for us, if you catch our drift...
We did manage to find the time for a few workouts at the beginning of the week, though, and in our third Corrie fitness blog, we'll be taking a look at Dancemix Workout 2, featuring ex-crimper Fiona Middleton, or rather her off screen alter ego, Angela Griffin.
The concept of the workout is that you boogie your weight off, with Angela claiming that she worked off her last stone dancing round her handbag. This is her second Dancemix DVD, her first reportedly seeing her lose two stone!
Wearing a bright yellow top, skirt and trainers, Angela bops along obediently to the instruction of her coach, Niki Wibrow. Niki is a smiley, no-nonsense kind of woman, the sort you'd expect to find working as a vet or doctor - she has a comforting sense of self-assuredness. In fact, with her blonde hair and London accent, she quite reminds us of Frankie Baldwin, actually. Angela stays chirpy and chatty throughout, giving a positive vibe to the workout session and interjecting with the odd sarcastic comment every now and then about how difficult the moves are. Of all of the presenters in our workout collection, she's certainly one of our favourites. The backdrop to the DVD is a theatre, complete with ornate gold décor and a bar - much more interesting, we feel, than a generic gym background.
Wearing a bright yellow top, skirt and trainers, Angela bops along obediently to the instruction of her coach, Niki Wibrow. Niki is a smiley, no-nonsense kind of woman, the sort you'd expect to find working as a vet or doctor - she has a comforting sense of self-assuredness. In fact, with her blonde hair and London accent, she quite reminds us of Frankie Baldwin, actually. Angela stays chirpy and chatty throughout, giving a positive vibe to the workout session and interjecting with the odd sarcastic comment every now and then about how difficult the moves are. Of all of the presenters in our workout collection, she's certainly one of our favourites. The backdrop to the DVD is a theatre, complete with ornate gold décor and a bar - much more interesting, we feel, than a generic gym background.
The DVD is split into a warmup, cool down, and three ten-minute workouts, each of which focuses on a different type of dance. The first section, Disco, is our favourite of the bunch, and probably the easiest one to keep up with (none of them are particularly taxing, to be fair, especially if you're used to strutting your stuff on the dance floor). Many of the moves in this section come straight from the warm up, so we felt right at home with what we were being asked to do. Next up comes Hi-Energy, an upbeat mix of kicks, taps, and hip shakes with a bit of freestyle thrown in for good measure. Finally, Funky House has shades of Tina Turner and contains a bunch of moves that made us feel like a couple of backing dancers from an RnB music video.
Despite the sections having you repeat the same motifs over and over again, building up into a full routine over time, none of the moves outstay their welcome. We never got bored of any of the dances; in fact, we enjoyed the feeling of confidence that came with knowing what was coming next, and were able to add our own little improvisations the more comfortable we got. Finally, the cool down is your standard set of stretches, along with some ab exercises - we're not particularly fans of those, and always find it a bit sneaky (though probably good for us!) when they're added to the mandatory final segment!
There's also an eating plan included on the DVD, which gives you a diet including recipes for breakfasts, lunches, dinner and snacks. The quantities are fairly vague, which means you'll need to keep an eye on how many calories you're using (we recommend logging everything with a phone app like MyFitnessPal).
All in all, even though the routines in Dancemix 2 don't leave us especially sweaty or out of breath, this is one of our favourites if we want something cheerful and fun to do, rather than a more 'standard' set of exercises you might find on the likes of Kym Marsh or Debbie Rush's DVDs.
Now, forward into week 4! Let's hope we can get back into our daily workout routine this week, and avoid the temptations of pancake day tomorrow...
To find out more about our podcast, search for Conversation Street on iTunes, or go to conversationstreet.podbean.com
If you want to follow Gemma’s blog, all about her fitness journey, and her love of food and fashion, head to www.foodfashfit.com!
If you want to follow Gemma’s blog, all about her fitness journey, and her love of food and fashion, head to www.foodfashfit.com!
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Coronation Street spoiler pics: Michelle and Eva's catfight
Poor Eva Price finds herself on the receiving end of Michelle Connor’s wrath tonight (Monday) in Coronation Street.
Following Friday night’s shock revelation that Steve McDonald is the father of Leanne’s baby Michelle has come out fighting - literally.
After punching Leanne, and giving her a bloody nose in the bistro kitchen, Michelle turns her attentions to Leanne’s sister Eva when the pair argue over Michelle locking Steve and Liz out of the Rovers.
Determined to ruin Steve, Michelle holds a lock in and dishes out free drinks to the punters. When Eva tries to stop her she sees red and tells her to leave but when Eva refuses a fight breaks out and Michelle drags a screaming Eva out of the pub by her hair!
The catfight is the latest dramatic development in the storyline which looks set to continue for weeks to come as Steve and Michelle play out their very messy break up in public.
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Following Friday night’s shock revelation that Steve McDonald is the father of Leanne’s baby Michelle has come out fighting - literally.
After punching Leanne, and giving her a bloody nose in the bistro kitchen, Michelle turns her attentions to Leanne’s sister Eva when the pair argue over Michelle locking Steve and Liz out of the Rovers.
Determined to ruin Steve, Michelle holds a lock in and dishes out free drinks to the punters. When Eva tries to stop her she sees red and tells her to leave but when Eva refuses a fight breaks out and Michelle drags a screaming Eva out of the pub by her hair!
The catfight is the latest dramatic development in the storyline which looks set to continue for weeks to come as Steve and Michelle play out their very messy break up in public.
Cath Tyldesley said: “It was brilliant, I have wanted Eva to have a scrap for ages. I think Eva would do quite well in a proper fight as she is feisty but she is taken a bit by surprise by Michelle. When I told my husband Tom that I had a cat fight coming up with Kym Marsh his words were ‘Salford vs Wigan! This will be a god ep!"
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