Cosy crimes and gritty sagas by Corrie Blog editor Glenda, published by Headline. Click pic below!

Tuesday 30 March 2021

Spoilers for next week's Coronation Street, April 5 - 9

Here are the major storylines for the week ahead on Coronation Street, all wrapped up nicely in 50 words or less.

Monday 5 April to Friday 9 April


It's the end of the road for Tyrone and Fiz, Leanne helps the cops then leaves the street, Cathy comes clean, Steve and Peter argue, Carla refuses to put business first and Steve takes the high road.

See the full week's preview with pictures at Corrie.net

Note: If you still see last week's previews when you click through to Corrie.net, please refresh your browser.

Glenda Young
Twitter: @Flaming_Nora

Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here!  
Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook






All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Monday 29 March 2021

Coronation Street Episode Review Monday 29th March


Todd moves into STAGE THREE of his evil plot. Billy is single, Paul is otherwise engaged. Next, he pulls Eileen into his pernicious plans and says he's accepted a job in Bromsgrove because Billy is upset with him and "asks" Eileen "not to tell Billy". You'd think Eileen could see through Todd after 30-odd years of him. But she berates the Arch Deacon in the street and he goes to Todd and asks him not to go. Todd gives him an ultimatum: "You can tell me to go or ask me to stay." Oh, Todd, Todd, Todd. Never issue an edict to the man of the cloth. Billy gives him not so much short shrift as miniscule shrift, he doesn't really turn the other cheek but rather yells at the Toddster in the street and later on, tells young master Grimshaw that he should leave. It's really quite amusing that all of Todd's evil deeds have come to nowt. He tries to get his own back though, telling Paul to let Billy know that he doesn't need him any more and (according to Todd), Billy will move onto some other lost lambkin. Todd also 'fesses up to Eileen tells her he is taking the non-fake job. As if!

Meanwhile, Simon lies to Nick and says that Leanne is fine and that she's seeing someone else, all in order to keep Nick away from his own flat. Has Simon been taking lessons from the master manipulator Todd? It backfires though as Nick turns up to tell Leanne he still loves her and that she must love him too; this despite Natasha telling him she wants him to stay with her and lickle Sam.

Toyah the leftie vegan goes to Costa? Surely she would patronise an independent that sells fairtrade beans and organic lattes. Mind you, Costa does vegan mylk nowadays. Toyah's been watching Classic Corrie as she remembers drinking, nicking, skiving off school and says that if she had had a better role mode, she wouldn't've gone off the rails. Long story short, they want to foster Kelly and by the end of the ep, the troubled teen has already moved in to the Habeeb-Battersby flat. I hope Im and Toy have budgeted for the extra Revlon they'll have to get from Freshco's. Also, Imran tells el Kel that he doesn't hold her responsible for her dad's manslaughter of Rana. Is putting Kelly with these two re-opening the case of the factory roof?

Ronnie goes to the hospital and asks a nurse about Glory's anaemia, mentioning that he's a carrier of sickle cell and might he as the grandad have passed it on? Michael overhears and although Ronnie pretends the nurse made a mistake, he then spills the secret that he might be Mikey's pop. Is there sommat in the water at the moment with everyone blabbing things? Please, though, please I'm begging you Iain MacLeod, please no more emosh scenes with Aggie on a phone. Get her to film at home if necessary and do some clever editing.

And finally, it is with a heavy heart that I have to announce that Crappy Corey is back with his lockdown buzzcut. He finds out that Nina and Asha (Nasha?) have split so asks Asha out. Urgh.

Rachel Stevenson - on twitter







All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 4th and 5th January 1998

Deirdre's world was in tatters now that she knew all about Jon's double life.  She tried to tell Linda about her husband's duplicity but she told Deirdre she'd call the police; he'd told her Deirdre was a stalker.  Jon suggested to his wife that they take the kids away to escape her.  Deirdre, meanwhile, got angry; she decided to get her five grand back by withdrawing the daily limit on Jon's credit card until she had the lot.  Janice realised Leanne had gone up to Scotland with Nicky and angrily confronted Gail.  The Platts were angry enough in the first place, but things got even worse when Audrey suggested they'd fled to Gretna Green to get married.  Nick and Leanne were enjoying themselves playing husband and wife to the outrageously stereotyped prim Scottish B&B landlady and decided to do it for real. (Nicky Tilsley Shirtless Count total: 2).  Spider and Toyah mobilised against the Red Rec redevelopment, deciding to chain themselves to the Town Hall railings in protest.  However, their practice run on Emily's banisters went wrong when they left the keys in the front room, so they were trapped in the hall and missed the meeting altogether.  Elsewhere, Sally was unhappy to see Natalie at the garage, and Liz started work at the factory as a machinist.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 7th and 9th January 1998

The Millennium Bowl received planning permission.  The protesters decided to make their actions personal and set up a tent on the front lawn of Grasmere Drive.  Spider and Roy camped out overnight, with Emily revealing a surprise talent for playing the didgeridoo, outraging the Roberts.  Audrey called the police and the Gazette to get rid of them, but the reporter wasn't interested - until she took the law into her own hands and tried to move the protesters herself.  The reporter, incidentally, was played by Ian Kershaw, now better known as a writer on the show and the husband of Julie Hesmondhalgh.  Nicky (NTSC total: 3) and Leanne discovered that they needed two weeks notice before they could marry so they returned to the Street.  Gail predictably went ballistic, accusing him of being sly and underhand in a way he never used to be.  She blamed Leanne but personally I think the change of head mucked him up.  Deirdre admitted to Ken that her wedding was off, but refused to elaborate on the details.  


WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 11th and 12th January 1998

Zoe was bored.  It turned out being a mum was really tiring so she got Toyah to babysit so she could go out clubbing with Ashley.  Fred thought she was taking the mickey but couldn't think how to get rid of her.  She ended up staying out all night on her own, worrying Ashley who thought she'd had an accident.  It turned out she'd kipped at a mate's and had a high old time.  Alf and Audrey ended up on the front page of the Gazette, much to their embarrassment, but Alf connived with his councillor mate to bring an end to the protest; they'd chop all the trees on the Red Rec down now so they couldn't be preserved.  They didn't realise that Spider was taking the battle there.  Ken tried to talk to Deirdre to find out what had happened with Jon but she simply said they'd rowed and separated.  She went to take her daily allocation of Jon's money, but was shocked when her card was swallowed by the machine.  What she didn't know was that the bank account's real owner, Jon's airline mate Ian, had queried the mysterious amounts being withdrawn - and had been shocked to learn of a second card holder called Deirdre Rachid.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 14th and 16th January 1998

Deirdre went to the bank manager to ask for her card back.  She told her all about Jon's duplicity, not realising that they were talking about Ian instead.  The bank called the police and she was taken in for questioning.  Deirdre offered to give back the money but was told that wasn't enough; worse, Jon had disappeared.  The police searched the house because it turned out Ian's account was paying for a mortgage in her name.  Mike bailed her out, and Ken offered her a roof over her head, but Deirdre was understandably distraught at being so entangled in Jon's deceptions.  Zoe was sick of Ashley acting like a responsible adult and expressing concern for her well-being and fled to a hostel.  He worried about her safety but Maud told him to write her off.  Les got a job, at last, as a security guard at the Red Rec, tasked with stopping the protesters.  Janice let slip to Toyah that the council were knocking it down early and she realised that she'd have to ramp up her actions with Spider.


FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 18th and 19th January 1998

Ashley went to the hostel and asked Zoe to come back with him.  She agreed, but Fred was disgusted to see her back in number 4.  He argued with Ashley and when he realised it was a lost cause decided to sell the house out from under them.  Des proposed marriage to Samantha, and while she said yes, she reminded him she was still married to Ritchie.  She worried that he'd refuse to give her a divorce to be awkward.  The protest at the Red Rec got serious.  Spider began digging tunnels under the trees, while Emily and Roy enthusiastically took up the battle.  Les was angry to see Toyah with them and tried to drag her away, accusing Spider of brainwashing her, but Janice had better luck taking her home.  Deirdre moped around number 1, wondering what was going to happen to her.  The police finally got in touch.  They were charging her with fraud, deception and theft - so she could possibly end up in prison...


If you've got Judy Mallett's phone number please send it to me via Twitter @merseytart.  I want to tell her to shut the hell up about bleeding Katie.

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







All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Preview of tonight's Coronation Street - Mon 29 March


Monday 29th March 2021

TODD LOVES IT WHEN A PLAN COMES TOGETHER Todd confides in Eileen how he’s considering taking a job in Bromsgrove to distance himself from Billy. Billy quizzes Paul about his night out, defensive Paul tells him he had a great time and it’s none of his business who he was with. Billy’s left in turmoil. Eileen corners Billy and tells him that because of him, Todd’s threatening to move away. Billy approaches Todd and begs him not to leave on his account. Todd lays his cards on the table and admits he still loves him and he’ll stay if they can be together.
AGGIE FIGHTS TO HIDE THE TRUTH Aggie calls Ed and says the last thing she wants is for Michael to find out that Ronnie thinks he might be his Dad as he’s got enough on his plate. 
SIMON BRINGS NICK BAD NEWS In a bid to stop him finding out the truth, Simon lies to Nick and tells him that Leanne has got a new bloke, she’s moved on and he should stay away.  Nick’s gutted. When Nick reveals that it’s over with Leanne, Natasha feels a glimmer of hope.
ELSEWHERE An excited Imran tells Toyah that social services called and they’ve agreed to place Kelly with them. Realising she’s no longer with Nina, Corey suggests they meet up later and Asha tentatively agrees.

Monday 29th March 2021

TODD OVERPLAYS HIS HAND Summer’s heartbroken all over again to hear that Todd might be leaving and urges Billy to make up his mind and decide if he wants to be with Paul or Todd as he’s in danger of losing both of them. On Todd’s advice, Paul tells Billy that he met a guy the other night and it’s time to move on. Bruised, Billy tells Todd that he still has feelings for Paul and it’s probably best if he takes the job and moves away. Todd’s gutted.
MICHAEL’S ROCKED BY RONNIE’S REVELATION Michael confronts Ed with Ronnie’s bombshell. Ed admits it’s true, Ronnie and Aggie had a relationship. His head spinning, Michael assures Grace that she and Glory are his family now and nothing else matters.  
NATASHA HAS A PROPOSITION FOR NICK Natasha tells Nick that she’s changed her mind and he’s welcome to stay with her and Sam. Nick calls on Leanne and admits he’s still in love with her and reckons she loves him too underneath. Will Leanne open up? 
ELSEWHERE Imran and Toyah take Kelly out to celebrate her moving in. When Kelly apologises for her Dad’s involvement in Rana’s death, Imran assures her that he will never judge her for something her Dad did. Toyah looks at him proudly. When Asha reveals that she’s seeing Corey again but he’s a changed person, Nina’s worried.

Glenda Young
Twitter: @Flaming_Nora
Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here!  
Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook






All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Sunday 28 March 2021

Alan Halsall interview: Will Tyrone rebuild his life with Fiz or take a leap of faith with Alina?


Tyrone Dobbs is currently trying to rebuild his relationship with Fiz after sharing a kiss with Alina, but is it what he really wants? As Tyrone tells Alina to move away, Alan Halsall spoke to us about where Tyrone's real feelings lay, and what this could mean for his future with Fiz. 

Tyrone and Fiz had all the symptoms of a happy partnership for many years, but after Tyrone developed feelings for Alina, it's become apparent to them that their relationship lost their spark a long time ago. 

"I think Tyrone and Fiz have just been OK, just plodding on," said Alan. "There's no moment that they've lost their spark. I think it's just a progression of their normal daily lives and things have just got a bit boring and the kids, it's hard work. It's not like they've fallen out of love, I think they absolutely love each other, it's just that that spark's gone, and it just happens, sadly."

Tyrone's feelings for Alina came as a surprise to no one more than himself, especially as he thought he had settled with Fiz for life. "I think Tyrone is just happy getting through day by day, he's quite a simple fella anyway," Alan told us. "He just gets his head turned by an attractive girl and an attractive proposition for him. It's something different, it's something new, it's something exciting. I don't think he was looking for it or expecting it. 

"I don't think there's any intent at all from Tyrone. There's no malice towards anybody. In Tyrone's world, not just his relationship, I think he just wants everybody to be happy and for everyone to get on. Clearly, the situation that is, that's going to be very hard to do. I think he's so caught up in it all that he doesn't realise the damage that he's doing, and he's caught up in that whirlwind of excitement."

With their relationship now hanging in the balance, Tyrone does his best to try and make amends. However, his feelings for Alina are going to be difficult to ignore, leaving Tyrone in turmoil as he also thinks of Hope and Ruby. Alan said: "I think Tyrone will definitely be conflicted throughout. In a perfect world, he just wants to get caught up in this romance and see how that goes but doesn't really want to hurt Fiz. Of course, then as well, the even bigger dagger is the children. In these types of stories, it's often the children that get, not forgot about or anything, but they become kind of collateral damage in this type of thing. 

"It'll be very tough for Tyrone and I think that's why we see him going back and forward. It's not that he hates Fiz... he loves Fiz, just not in that way right now, and he loves Alina in that way right now. It's just such a confliction for him I think right the way throughout." 

During the attempt to rebuild his relationship with Fiz, Tyrone tells Alina to move away for the sake of his family. This isn't necessarily what Tyrone really wants though, and is a case of him once again putting his family ahead of his own feelings. 

"I think Tyrone will quite happily do that, and I think Tyrone has done that most of his life- he would often put people before himself, and he's trying to do the best for his family at that point. Clearly, he doesn't want Alina to go anywhere, but he's trying to do the best for his family, and I think that's very much a character trait of his. He'll be hurt, but he feels like it's something he needs to do." 

It always seemed like Fiz and Tyrone would stay together for the rest of time, so Alan was "shocked" to hear about this storyline. "It came as a bit of a surprise to me, for sure," he said. "Myself and Jennie [McAlpine] have known each other for twenty years, and honestly, there's not a day of it goes by that I don't love working with that woman- she is the most professional, just a joy to work with on a day to day basis. So, you start thinking: 'Oh, I don't want that to go, I love working with Jennie everyday.'"

Alan continued: "As the character, it's fantastic. We want to be part of big stories; this is a big story. It was a big twist to me; I'm hoping it's going to be a big twist to the audience. I hope people are spitting out their cup of tea at half seven on a Monday night saying: 'What's he doing now?' I'm sure he'll get clipped 'round the ear in Tesco a few times for it, but these are the stories we want to be involved with and I'm glad to be a part of it." 

The public are bound to have a strong reaction to this storyline, something which could change perspectives of Tyrone. "We'll see the devastation towards Fiz, but also to the children, and I think people relate heavily to that. I don't think he'll get away with it this time. I think he'll definitely be portrayed as the bad lad, and rightly so. Even though I think these feelings have come up on him without meaning it, he's put himself in this position essentially." 

Many relationships would crumble under this strain, but is there a chance that Fiz and Tyrone could work it out and stay together? "That's going to be very difficult I suppose after this story, but I don't know," said Alan. "I think in any relationship that you have in life, there's always huge tests. It's testing for every relationship in the world right now, just spending twenty-four hours a day stuck inside with each other, so people get through tests. This'll be a big one, but it might be the making of them, I don't know.

"I suppose that's another joy of us as actors is, we also don't know. We get the scripts and it's a bit of a surprise to us as this story was, and that's the fantastic work that our writers do week in, week out. I'm prepared to go with whatever the script tells me to do. Let's just see where this story takes us, I think there's a lot to go with it." 

Tyrone is all over the place where Alina's concerned, but are they in love? "He's completely caught up in it all- the excitement, the romance, and if he sees that as love, then he definitely thinks he's in love, for sure. To whether Alina feels that or if other people believe that, I'm not sure, but for him, I think this is very real."

There could also be moments where viewers see Tyrone change aspects of himself in order to impress Alina. Alan said: "I think he'll do whatever it takes, to be honest with you. If she said it, he'd probably do it. I think there will be a lot of that to come." 

Alan has been walking the cobbles as Tyrone for the last twenty-three years, and he is still enjoying it. "I can remember my first day so vividly. With the very, very sad news that we've had this week of Johnny Briggs passing, Johnny was one of the first people I saw in the green room- it feels like yesterday, but it also feels like I've had twenty-three years there. It's such an odd feeling. It's such a brilliant place to be daily. I'm glad Tyrone's been a huge part of my life for all that time. I relate to him in a lot of ways, and I don't relate to him in a lot of other ways."

With his secret kiss now out in the open, will Tyrone try to rebuild his life with Fiz, or will he take a leap of faith with Alina?

Sophie Williams

I'm on Twitter @soph_writer.






All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

GRITTY SAGAS BY CORRIE BLOG EDITOR GLENDA YOUNG, PUBLISHED BY HEADLINE. CLICK PIC BELOW!

You might also like...

Coronation Street Books for Fans

GRITTY SAGAS BY CORRIE BLOG EDITOR GLENDA YOUNG, PUBLISHED BY HEADLINE. CLICK PIC BELOW!