The Week In Classic Corrie

I was on holiday for a bit so I couldn't do a recap for the shows where Alec Gilroy left.  This is probably a good thing as it would've just been me typing "NOOOOOOOOO!" over and over.  Anyway, here's what happened in last week's episodes.

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 7th and 9th September 1992

Bet maintained a smile in the face of her collapsed marriage.  Rita and Betty tried to persuade her to talk but she stayed strong.  It was only when the doors to the Rovers were closed that she had a little cry.  Percy was in the finals of a bowls match, much to the stress of Alf, who'd bet him a hundred quid he wouldn't win.  The Street turned out to support him - a little too loudly for Percy's taste - but he was defeated, meaning Alf didn't have to get his wallet out.  Boring Ted went to sit in the shade and dozed off, but when Rita went to rouse him, she realised he had died.  Lisa went into labour with Vera at her side, though Jack was getting smashed with Don and couldn't be traced.  He arrived in time to get a cuddle from his new grandson, little Tommy.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 11th and 14th September 1992

Vera laid down the law with Jack: his pigeons would have to go.  She didn't want the baby catching something off them.  Heartbroken, he passed them on, but they came flying back.  He persuaded Vera it was a sign and she agreed to keep them.  Bet went to Vicky's school and explained the situation with Alec.  She told her that they hadn't split up properly and were still married, even though she didn't totally believe it.  Ted was cremated, with Rita remarkably stoic, saying that she'd had the best six months of her life before he died.  All I could think was, Really?  Six months with Boring Ted was better than six months with Len?  Meanwhile Gail went round to see Ivy after Percy said he'd seen her in the chemist.  Ivy admitted she had been prescribed pills for her nerves, but was mainly angry that Gail was getting Martin's college mate Carmel in to babysit the kids instead of asking her.  Poison Ivy and Mad Carmel taking care of the Platt kids: no wonder they turned out the way they did.

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 16th and 18th September 1992

With Alec gone, Mr Wilmore at the brewery stepped in to make some changes.  He planned on introducing new computerised tills, he started paying the staff monthly by cheque (upsetting Jack, who didn't have a bank account) and suggested that the Rovers was overstaffed.  It's remarkable after thirty-odd years someone has finally noticed that a backstreet boozer doesn't need four hundred people behind the bar.  He insisted they'd have to lose someone, just as Jack happened to be listening at the door.  Ken nipped into the cafe to tell Gail that Nicky was being bullied by the older boys at Wethy High.  Rita went to hear the reading of the will with Sarah, Ted's sister.  The solicitor told them that Rita got the majority of Ted's money, with only a couple of grand going to his family.  Ted's brother in law - Leslie Schofield, better known as Jonny Briggs' dad - accused her of being a conniving money grabber and said he was going to contest the will.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 21st and 23rd September 1992

ITV3 managed to show these episodes in the wrong order again.  Someone at the Network Centre needs to get themselves a proper labeller.  Jack made a fuss of Bet to prove his worth in case she decided to get rid of him (he complimented her on her outfit and she replied "Do you want to borrow it?" because she is magnificent).  However, when Bet looked over the figures with Stella Rigby, she realised that she didn't need to lose a member of staff at all.  Stella advised her not to rock the boat by telling Mr Wilmore he was wrong.  Phyllis let Lisa sit in Des's back garden so baby Tommy could get some fresh air.  She filled Lisa in on Des's chequered life (divorce, exploding boat, etc).  Jack borrowed Don's disabled badge so he could get free parking in town.  A policeman caught him, and gave him a ticket for not being entitled.  Gail felt sorry for lonely Ivy and asked her to take care of the kids while she had a dirty weekend with Martin.  Ivy was delighted, but then got a knock when she tried to visit Don and found he'd moved on with specific instructions for his forwarding address not to be passed on.  Depressed, she got hammered and made a show of herself in the Rovers, forcing Gail and Martin to carry her home.

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 25th and 28th September 1992

Curly had finally come to the same conclusion as everyone who watched this programme: his fiance was really, really annoying.  Two weeks in Cornwall with Kimberley feeling ill at the slightest provocation had driven him barmy, and he worried that she would turn into her terrible mother.  Bet confronted Mr Wilmore with her figures and he told her she was calculating it wrong - she hadn't included the wages for Hilda and Angie.  They realised Alec had been claiming there were two extra members of staff to defraud the Inland Revenue.  Meanwhile, out front, a software man tried to explain the new till to the staff.  He started boasting that it was connected online to the brewery and had a whopping 128k of RAM and Raquel suggested she just leave now so she wouldn't be outfoxed by a till.  Ted's sister and brother-in-law came round to see Rita and said Sarah had been promised the lot.  Rita pointed out she'd since married him and he'd changed the will, but they suggested he'd not been in his right mind and a court would take their side.  Gail went to Human Bar Towel Ivy and said she was worried about her drinking.  Ivy threw her out, claiming she was taken sick in the pub, not drunk, and accused her of using it as an excuse to keep her grandchildren away from her.  The Platts ended up asking Carmel to look after the kids for their weekend, a decision which definitely come to bite them in the backside in a few weeks time.   

 
The author is pretty sure that was the last time they upgraded any of the technology in the Rovers.  If Jenny Bradley wants some advice on touchscreens she can contact me via Twitter @merseytart.

Classic Corrie is on ITV3 every weekday at 14:50, with a repeat the following morning from 6am.

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