Sally Webster was getting broody. Be afraid; be very afraid. This sort of behaviour results in Rosie. In the meantime she looked after Eddie's baby so Tina could go on her weekend in France. Sandra turned up at the Rovers and told Alec she was willing to try being friends. Alec kissed Bet and thanked her for the intervention. Mike Baldwin went to see a former colleague, Peter Ingram. (Remember that name - it'll be important later). He did a bit of patent Baldwin bull and came away with a contract to stitch travel bags - despite not having a factory any more. Alma was less than thrilled to come home and find her love nest had been transformed into a sweatshop. Worse, Mike expected her to help him stitch the bags together in his kitchen.
TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 26th and 29th January 1990
The Baldwin empire staggered back into life as Mike enlisted Ivy and Josie to stitch bags for him. Naturally this annoyed Don, because pretty much everything annoys Don, but he sucked it up after Ivy negotiated a pay rise. Baldwin meanwhile had to negotiate with the Tenant Committee at his apartment block, as a pair of incredibly posh yuppies objected to him running a business from Weatherfield Quays. Tina returned from France with the news that Eddie had been put in prison for football hooliganism. What a catch he is! She was left holding the baby, with Bet and an unwilling Alec stepping in to help. Percy Sugden demanded that Maurice Jones should only sell the new houses to the correct sort of people, but sadly Maurice didn't club him to death and bury him in the foundations. Still, he did later flog one of the houses to Gail and her satanic brood, so that was very much a revenge served cold.
WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 31st January and 2nd February 1990
Is there anything worse than watching Mavis and Derek dither together? Yes, it's Mavis and Victor Pendlebury dithering together. Mrs Wilton's old flame suddenly reappeared in her life and, over a sweet sherry, he revealed he now ran a paper company and there could be a vacancy for Derek. Derek, obviously, refused to have anything to do with the former rival for his wife's affections. Jim had heard of a job, so he had - army recruiting officer. Liz was not happy as she'd had quite enough of Her Majesty's Armed Forces and wanted Jim to make a clean break. Peter Ingram realised Mike wasn't running his business from a factory, thanks to some spiteful gossip from Don Brennan, but so long as the bags got stitched somewhere he wasn't particularly bothered who was doing it. Mike got his pay off and a contract for more bags, not knowing that Ivy had resolved never to work for him again.
THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 5th and 7th February 1990
Derek finally swallowed his pride and went to see Victor about a job. Though initially sceptical, he was won over by Pendelbury's passion, and came back as an evangelist for recycled bog roll. The new houses were practically complete; Alf eyed one up, only to have Audrey tell him she wouldn't dream of living there (though apparently it was just fine for her daughter and grandkids) while Rita collared Maurice Jones to enquire about one of the shops. Confusingly, she pointed down the street, to the one opposite the Rovers. Jim's army mate Johnny arrived to go for the same job as Jim; he shared many a smouldering glance with Liz, and they whispered about their secret past together. Remember that, because it'll become very important in about, ooh, 1996. Finally, the factory girls (Ivy, Josie, Emily and some randoms) banded together to form a collective to make the travel bags, then undercut Baldwin to get the contract. He deduced that Don was the man who came up with the idea and told him the gloves were off.
FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 9th and 12th February 1990
The Collective lasted exactly two episodes as all the workers took the mick, skiving off and taking "sick days". Emily was forced to join in with the stitching efforts (though she still took time out for a drink with Mavis at lunchtime, because priorities). It was all for naught anyway, as Mike Baldwin undercut them and stole the contract out of pure spite, using Alma's flat above the cafe as a makeshift factory. Derek's new job at Pendlebury Paper Products turned out to be part warehouseman, part chauffeur, while his company car was a scabby white van; things got even worse as he came home to the news that Rita was selling the Kabin to move the business to Coronation Street so the Wiltons would need to find somewhere else to live. The new houses were finished, meaning no more builders in the pub, and one was already sold. Audrey speculated that Maurice Jones was installing his mistress, but it turned out he had flogged number 6 to his daughter and son-in-law, the extremely boisterous yuppies Steph and Des Barnes. Yes, the Nineties have well and truly arrived in Coronation Street. "All I want is an ordinary home with ordinary neighbours doing ordinary things," whined Liz. Fat chance of that, love.
The author is starting a Kickstarter to fund edited versions of Classic Corrie that don't have Percy Sugden's whinging gob in them. Send him a donation via Twitter @merseytart.
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3 comments:
I'd forgotten just quite how horrible Jim was.
That goes for many characters...Ken and Jenny to name but two.
Also Audrey.
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