Coronation Street Blog: The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 10th and 12th October 1997

Mike dealt with the ramifications of Don's death with customary cold-heartedness, complaining that he had to fill in the insurance forms for Alma's destroyed car ("Cause of accident - madman tried to murder me"). The Battersbys were curious about their former resident, and Janice was worried when she heard about the Ghost of Ivy Tilsley (a plotline from 1996 that I really, really didn't need to see revisited). Meanwhile other residents were experiencing strange goings-on - Percy found his medals pinned on his pyjamas, and Emily found a porn magazine in Ken's front room. It turned out Les was using the interconnecting attics to nip into everyone else's house and have a poke around. Ken told Deirdre about Jon working at the tie shop and went to the airport to see for herself. He said he actually was a pilot, but could no longer fly, and was embarrassed to tell anyone. Deirdre felt sorry for him, the fool, but he decided to "do the honourable thing" and leave her. Maureen decided to sell the shop and gave Fred first refusal, but he didn't see why he should give her anything. And Mavis waved goodbye to the Street, promising to keep in touch. She was an all time great character and it's a shame to see her go; it's even more of a shame they killed off Derek six months before for no reason whatsoever. The two of them going off to Cumbria together would've been a lovely way for it to end.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 13th and 15th October 1997

Janice was panicking about the Ghost of Ivy Tilsley and her charming family decided to wind her up. Les smashed a mirror and told her it was done by the evil presence, while Leanne and Toyah tried to contact the beyond with a ouija board. Should've broken out the feathers Lee, that's the easiest way to talk to the dead apparently. Roy ended up leading a group of the residents round to number 1 because he knew all about the paranormal and he investigated whether it was a poltergeist. Rita offered the assistant job in the Kabin to Judy Mallett, letting her stick Katie in the back while she served. Gary was less impressed to learn that people still thought he was a bit of a scumbag for getting Zoe pregnant. Deirdre turned up at the airport and agreed to give Jon a second chance. She suggested they tell the neighbours he'd only just failed his physical to spare her some of the humiliation. Oh, honestly Deirdre, you had a perfect get-out there. Maybe you deserved to go to prison. Don's funeral took place and Martin, Gail and Ashley were in attendance. There was a surprise mourner too - Nicky Tilsley. Except of course, this is the all new Nicky Tilsley, a foot taller, with dangly curtains that looked really annoying, because now he's played by Adam Rickitt. "Oh you've filled out," said Gail as she hugged him, no doubt realising that now Nicky's got bigger boobs than her. (No, really, check out his appalling music video for proof).

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 17th and 19th October 1997

Ken told Jon that he thought he was a scumbag, but for Deirdre's sake he'd go along with the pretence that he was a recently-sacked pilot. He told Emily he must've been mistaken when he saw him in the tie shop. Roy set a trap to monitor for psychic activity; he set up sand trays in the houses so that intruders would leave footprints. Les avoided them easily and even blew circles in the traps with a hand fan to take the mickey. He turned off Emily's water, but the hassle proved to be the final straw for Percy. He announced at Emily's birthday party that her drinking and playing tricks on him was too much and he was going to move into Mayfield Court. In romantic news, Angie dumped Chris, because she realised they had nothing in common rather than pure sexual charisma, and Leanne and Nicky spotted one another for the first time and there were sparks. Gail was horrified when he took her out for the evening, a storyline that is destined to be repeated for the next twenty odd years.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 20th and 22nd October 1997

Percy took his leave from the Street, saying a polite goodbye to Emily. She found herself strangely sad to say goodbye. Personally I'm glad to see him go; since Phyllis left he'd been wandering around with nothing to do, and it's clear that Bill Waddington was finding the work difficult. Angie was having a tough time of it, with a lecherous client smarming all over her and Des and Samantha acting all loved-up around number 6. She got drunk at Curly's and suggested that she swapped houses with Sam. The next morning she was horrified to find herself back in the same situation she'd been in years before, and started looking for flats. Jon told Deirdre he had to go to Birmingham on business, but the truth was by "Birmingham" he meant "his house" and by "on business" he meant "going to stay with his real-life actual wife". Nicky started studying to be a PE teacher at the local college and Leanne joined up with him to study hairdressing. She immediately tried to get him to bunk off but he said he was serious about PE as a career, as you'll know from the fact that twenty years later he's organising the football teams at Wethy High. He did however nip over to Leanne's for a session of heavy petting and when Martin tried to fetch him back Nicky declared he was a grown man now and he could whistle.

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 24th and 26th October 1997

Rita was not enjoying working with Judy - or rather, she wasn't enjoying working with a stinky screaming baby. When Gary told her she fancied working at the Kabin full time Rita took the opportunity to say it wasn't working out and sacked her. Angie met with George Dixon and he made it clear that if Underworld wanted the contract, she'd have to sleep with him. She rightly told him to get stuffed but Mike was furious. He said that business comes first, and she should've done whatever was necessary to get the deal. He demanded she apologised and Angie told him that she didn't get into the company to be molested by old perverts and she decided to end their partnership. Emily was still foxed by her mysterious intruder and thought it might be Curly using his old key. Les got caught in number three when she came home with Rita for tea and he had to hide under the table while they gossipped. Sally had to nip out briefly and left the door on the latch. However, Rosie locked the door behind her, and Chris was forced to knock the door down to get back in. She cried on his shoulder and obviously they ended up in bed together. The next day she told him it was a mistake and asked him to forget all about it - but there were still some lingering looks.

Bill Waddington reportedly left the show because he thought it was all getting too racy. I can't help but agree. Does this make me the new Percy? My curmudgeonly thoughts can be found on Twitter @merseytart.

Classic Corrie is on ITV3 weekdays afternoons and is also on the ITV Hub.