A Magical Day in Weatherfield

Every time I visit the set of Coronation Street I count it as my last. You never know when, or if, you'll ever get the privilege of visiting again. That's probably why myself and fellow Corrie blogger Emma were one of the last to leave the ITV backlot in Salford earlier this afternoon.

A panoramic view of the new Victoria Street

As you will all know by now, a brand new extended Victoria Street was unveiled earlier this afternoon and we had a special invite to attend the celebrations. Cast, crew and media professionals hoarded the small area as rain poured down onto the cobbles. We were well and truly soaked, but it was worth it.

Speak of the Daal...

To put it into perspective as to how big such a venture is for the programme, I wasn't even born the last time we saw a new street appear on the show. I grew up always knowing that Roys Rolls and Fred Elliott's Butchers were around the corner from the main attraction, in a little cul-de-sac of their own. But the old Victoria Street never felt right. It wasn't realistic in the slightest, and was cramped and dingy. The new Victoria Street has spent four years in the making, and is a spacious and flexible space for characters to interact. Tina O'Brien who plays Sarah Platt will soon be entering her 20th anniversary year as the character, and myself and Emma had a wonderful chat about with her about what the extension will bring to the show. She told us she'll probably first find herself enjoying a curry in Speed Daal, Zeedan Nazir's new restaurant.

I wasn't quite sure what I was going to make of the new area, but I was thoroughly impressed. The attention to detail is awe inspiring, remarkable and commendable. One thing I loved was that the door handles on the Metrolink station are from the original 1982 Rovers. The design team on the show have really pulled off a brilliant job in making the buildings appear to have stood for over 100 years. For Coronation Street, this was forming fictional roots in the past to provide quality entertainment for the future. The new additions of Costa Coffee and Co-op have proved to be controversial online, but I'm confident that they'll blend nicely on-screen with the fictional locations. I wasn't too sure first, but now I've seen them in person I think they look fantastic.

The urban garden - a jewel in the crown of the new Victoria Street

A little park area has been created opposite the Metrolink station. Overgrown and gritty, the new urban garden certainly finds beauty in its imperfections. A pretty pastel mural brightens up an otherwise dull and crumbling wall, and a pavilion allows for reflective moments away from Maxine's bench. The real highlight of this new open space is the mosaic bench in fitting tribute to friend of the blog Martyn Hett, who was killed in the Manchester attacks last May. The plaque also remembers the other victims who lost their lives. Myself and Emma were quite taken aback by it.

Here's to the future of this fantastic programme... and it all starts on April 20th when the Victoria Street extension is seen onscreen for the first time.

You can follow me on Twitter @MichaelAdamsUk

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