Coronation Street Blog: Yorkshire Day in Weatherfield

It is Yorkshire Day and whilst it is unlikely to be mentioned on t'cobbles tonight, I thought I would reference the Yorkshire folk who make up the Street. Even though it's on the wrong side of the Pennines, and you can't, as Brian Potter said on Phoenix Nights, pit the counties, Corrie speaks more to me than the every day tale of helicopter crashes and Dingles on the other ITV soap, Emmerdale. The two counties do have some things in common however: we have plain speaking, bosom-heaving matriarchs and we call a ginnel a ginnel, although the correct name for a barm is a bread cake.

I now live in That London, but was born in Leeds and grew up in Doncaster (although I am technically a half-breed as (whisper) my dad is a Lancastrian). My home town was featured when Mike Baldwin had Alzheimer's and he took himself off to Doncaster to find his son, but the scenes that took place at “Doncaster rail station” were quite clearly at a Metrolink station rather than the nine platforms of Doncaster.

Anyway, Coronation Street may be set in a version of Salford, but many of its cast hail from God's Own County. Long term cast members slash Corrie royalty Jack P Shepherd (David) and Beverley Callard (Liz) both hail from Leeds, as does Sair Khan (Alya). Helen Worth (Gail) is from Wakefield. Liam Bairstow (Alex) is from Bradford. Mikey North (Gary Windass) is from Scarborough.

From the guest cast of the past, Steve Jackson, aka Trevor the sexy binman who dated Carla and then left with Janice Battersby, is from my home town of Donny. As is Richard Crehan (Lee, Billy's skanky brother), and Liz's ex Vernon (Ian Reddington) was from Sheffield. Anyone remember Norris's ex-wife's ex-husband, Ivor Priestley? He is called Paul Copley and is from Denby Dale (near Huddersfield). Maureen Lipman, very temporary bar manager, Lillian, is from Hull. David Crellin who played both the actual Colin Fishwick and Jimmy Clayton, Steve's girlfriend Ronnie's criminal ex-husband, was born in Sheffield. Getting into very minor stories now, Jake Harman (Kenny Doughty), who briefly romanced 'Chelle, is from Barnsley.

Dead but not forgotten: Jimi Mistry (Kal Nazir) was born in Scarborough, although crossed the Pennines to go to school in Cheadle Hulme, Lucy Jo Hudson (Katy Harris) is from Leeds and her on-screen dad Tommy Harris (Thomas Craig) is from Sheffield. Paula Lane (Kylie) is another Leeds gal and her still living sister Becky Grainger-McDonald (Katherine Kelly) is from Barnsley.