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

Thursday 31 March 2022

Coronation Street Episode Review;Wednesday 30th of March 8 pm


Can you imagine trying to defend Abi in court? The sheer gall required to persuade them that she's a fit mother and definitely not an ex-junkie, jailbird, borderline alcoholic, cokehead, pyromaniac, car thief, who disposed of two kids, lost a third, and given birth whilst under the influence! Oh yeah, and she abandoned the newborn as well. No judge in the real world would let her access that baby, not a chance mate. So what about soapland? Tonight, Abi faces the court hearing, and Imran realises what he is up against - not only in court - but as the baby's secret father. Toyah turning up at court makes the slippery slimeball solicitor squirm further. Inside the hearing, all of Abi’s dirty laundry is aired, Weatherfield Social services play a blinder, Imran is clearly out of his depth, and an interim care order is placed on the child.



Abi’s emotional upset is visible, as is Imran's, and Toyah soon becomes suspicious. Imran worms a way around it and lets Toyah tell Abi that he can't deal with the case anymore. Abi retaliates and makes sure that Imran can’t see Alfie anymore. 



Facing the truth, Imran decides that he needs to be on the birth certificate, and he arranges another solicitor to fight Abi’s cause. I'm sorry, but Imran is such a slimeball! We also get a scene of Kevin and Abi tonight, reminding us that Kev, just like Toyah, is unaware of what the truth is here, and both of them deserve better! In light of recent cast news, I’m interested to see how this story unfolds, once the inevitable truth comes out. Could we see Kev and Toyah together in future, perhaps? 



Another one I’m interested in is Laura admitting fake guilt for killing Rick. Tonight, Laura faces a plea hearing, and Gary’s guilty conscience is at its peak. Gary tries to convince Kelly to make her peace, Sarah overhears, and of course, Gary’s ex knows the truth about Rick’s murder. Gary then visit’s Laura in hospital, and makes a final plea of his own. Laura cries her heart out, and for the life of me, I can't quite fathom why she’s covering for Gary? Also, I know mention this every week, but where is the cancer awareness? If you've been affected public service broadcast info is missing. Why? Anyway, Kelly has no interest in Laura’s plight, Sarah lambasts Gary for his murderous lies, and he tells Maria that it’s time the truth came out. Where is this going to go? I am enjoying this storyline, I’m just sad that Laura’s demise is incoming. I guess we get to keep Kelly though. I'm a bit old for the teen stories, but that young lady is a superb actress!



I’d forgotten all about Summer. The recent Corrie teen strand has focused on Amy Barlow’s flighty romance, but now that Jacob is out of the bag, I guess it’s time to re-focus on Corrie’s resident brainbox (and possible, bulimic?) diabetic student. Tonight, Billy (Weatherfield’s archdeacon, remember him?) struggles to reign in her fervent study regime, and the mock exams are causing the teen some stress. Even Todd is showing concern, and I’d also forgotten about him too. Busy with death, I imagine, but I am glad to see these three back on screen. It’s been a while. Todd and Billy both express concern for their daughter and it’s nice to see. A rare and unique blended Corrie family. Untraditional and modern. More from these guys, please, Corrie! 



 

Elsewhere in this hour - Craig rejoins the police. hurray(!) Sally and Tim's cringe sex-life storyline continues, and Emma takes things further with Jon. Bye! 

 

I am @rybazoxo your self-styled cobbles connoisseur







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Wednesday 30 March 2022

Preview of tonight's Coronation Street - Wednesday 30 March


WEDNESDAY 30TH MARCH 

ABI FIGHTS FOR HER BABY ONE MORE TIME As Toyah arrives at the courtroom to show her support both Imran and Abi are awash with guilt. The local authority solicitor lists a host of reasons proving Abi to be an unfit mother and why Alfie should be taken into care. Imran pleads Abi’s case, doing everything in his power to convince the Judge that Abi’s changed. Will the verdict go Abi’s way? Toyah suggests to Imran that he’s done all he can for Abi and it’s time to step back and concentrate on Elsie’s adoption hearing. Imran covers his turmoil, while Abi’s furious. When Abi bans him from seeing Alfie, Imran declares he’ll do whatever it takes, even if it means putting his name on the birth certificate. Is it time for Imran to come clean? 

GARY HAS A CRISIS OF CONSCIENCE Kelly confides in Maria how both her parents let her down and she’s grateful to have her and Gary. Gary reaches a decision and tells Maria he’s going to confess to Rick’s murder. Maria’s horrified and begs Gary to reconsider, pointing out he’ll destroy their family and Kelly’s life.

TIM PAINTS OVER THE CRACKS Tim tries but fails to break the news to Elaine that they’d like her to move out and instead, agrees to redecorate the spare room for her. Sally’s fuming and tears a strip off Tim for failing to turf Elaine out. As she heads to Gina’s, Tim swears he’ll sort it.

ELSEWHERE Craig’s thrilled to receive an email confirming that he can return to the police force. Jon reveals to Emma that Ted left him £25k in his will and he’s using the money to fund a new life in Australia. They agree to make the most of the time they have left together and book into a hotel. Billy confides in Todd that he’s worried Summer is working too hard. Billy insists she takes a lunch break but panicking at the thought of having to eat, Summer makes out she’ll eat in her room while she works. Todd suggests to Summer she should have a night out with her mates but she’s adamant that she has to revise more. 


Glenda Young
Twitter: @Flaming_Nora
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Tuesday 29 March 2022

Spoilers for next week's Coronation Street, April 4 - 8 2022

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

Monday 4 to Friday 8 April 2022


EMMA CONSIDERS A BIG MOVE, TOYAH TAKES MATTERS INTO HER OWN HANDS, TYRONE WATCHES FIZ MOVE ON, NICK FEELS PUSHED OUT, SUMMER CONFESSES TO AADI, WILL EMMA AND FAYE CONFESS THEIR SINS?, SAM PREPARES FOR BATTLE, IMRAN FIGHTS FOR HIS SON, KELLY’S WIN FALLS FLAT.

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
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Alexandra Mardell interview: Emma waves Weatherfield goodbye


Emma Brooker has packed a lot into her four years on Corrie, and now we prepare to say goodbye to one of the most heartwarming characters the cobbles have seen. Myself and other press chatted with Alexandra Mardell about her decision to leave, what items of Emma's she took, and reflecting on her time on Corrie.

Can you describe your time on Coronation Street, and what are you going to miss the most?

Oh, gosh; that’s a big question. I think for me, It’s still kind of so surreal. Being on Corrie was always a career goal that I really wanted to do, so the fact that I was lucky enough to have that opportunity is still just ridiculous, and I’m forever grateful for that. I guess it’s the people that I’m going to miss the most. I know everyone says it, it really is a big family. I’m going to miss Emma as well, obviously.

Your first episode was in April 2018, and you leave in April 2022. When you first joined, did you have in mind that it was something you would only do for a certain length of time?

No, not really. My initial contract was only six months, and for me that wasn’t long enough. I was praying I could stick around a bit longer and luckily, I did. I love that I’m finishing in April when I started in April. The time I have done is a really good chunk and I’m pleased with that. 

Was it a difficult decision to make to leave the show?

It was really difficult. Even now, I’m like, what have I done? I know it’s right for me, but I can see so easily how people stay there for twenty, sixty years because it’s just such an amazing place to work. I just wanted to play another character. As much as I got to explore Emma in lots of different ways, there’s just some other people I want to try and give a go as well.

You’ve filmed your final scenes and the last scene you filmed was Emma’s exit scene. Can you describe what it was like?

I was so lucky and really pleased that my last scene was my last scene. I was not expecting it to be that emotional. I knew I would be upset to say goodbye to everyone, but as soon as the AD said, ‘That’s a wrap, that’s Alexandra’s last scene’, I just burst into tears, uncontrollably. I could not stop. I was just so overwhelmed, and I think because of all the support of the cast and crew being there at that moment, coming to say goodbye, it just really overwhelmed me. I was very sad to say goodbye. 

What did you know about Emma when you first joined the show?

I initially came in to distract David, and I think it was just kind of being the polar opposite of David Platt. She was very ditsy, fun, and bubbly. That was a character I hadn’t played before, I’ve always been the complete opposite so it was fun for me to get stuck into somebody really lovely and nice. 

Have you played not so nice people before you played Emma?

Before I joined Corrie, all the characters have always been quite mean and nasty. It was a nice change for me. 

What did it mean to you to discover you would be part of the McDonald family?

It was the cherry on top of the cake because I was already so thrilled to be there, and then be thrust into an iconic family like that; it was amazing. But as well, I’m really pleased it was that particular family because working with them, with Kate and Simon, they’re just such good fun. I’ve had an amazing time being surrounded by them making me laugh all the time. 

She has made a few mistakes, falling for the wrong people. Now, she’s found someone who seems to be perfect, apart from the fact she’s keeping a huge secret from him. Does she really feel she can make it work?

It’s never easy, is it for Emma? Now she’s kind of found the perfect man, of course there’s something that’s going to go wrong, but I think it’s hope for her. I think love conquers all in Emma’s mind, so that’s going to get her through anything. 

Do you think Emma falls in love too easily? 

I truly believe she was in love with everyone she’s been with, even David at the beginning. She just can’t help it; she wears her heart on her sleeve and she falls in love so quick. 

This week, we see Jon asking Emma to go to Australia. How does she feel knowing she’s got this secret when she’s been offered this perfect life?

I think in her head, it’s kind of a dream and a whirlwind, and she likes the idea of it, but maybe in reality, knowing that she’s got this big secret and she’s got her family, it might not happen like that. It’s the idea and the hope of it, the fairytale. I think in reality, she’s thinking, ‘No, this isn’t going to happen.’

As Emma is contemplating her move, Faye decides to blurt out what happened after they all find themselves in the flat together and Jon recognises Craig. What goes through Emma’s mind at that point?

I think it’s a massive shock for Emma because she wanted to tell the truth from the start and she’s only been lying to protect Faye and Craig, and it’s been breaking her heart and it’s been preventing her relationship, so the fact that Faye then just blurts it out. But she’s very relieved in the end because that’s what she wanted. For Emma, it’s a positive. 

Jon’s reaction is not a good one when this comes out, and Emma risks losing him. She’s so honest, could she have lived with that secret?

No, definitely not. Even in the past with all the lies with Curtis, she wanted a complete clean slate then got tied into even more lies. It’s not Emma at all; she is completely honest so she never would have been able to keep that in.

At that moment, Jon knows and everyone is certain he will go to the police, so Emma has options. He’s either not going to, or she disappears, or she gets arrested. Are you pleased that Emma is not getting killed off?

I’m so pleased. I think even saying goodbye now was hard enough, but that little kind of hope of one day, there’s a possibility I could go back, that kind of keeps you going. It’s not goodbye forever, you never know. I’m really glad that she wasn’t killed off.

Whilst Emma has been looking for love in all the wrong places, you’ve been planning your own wedding. It’s a big year for you, how is it going?

Everything’s going off at once. I love that, it’s very me. The plans are a lot more successful than Emma’s were, so that’s good. I’ve still got over a year yet, so I’m just kind of doing it a little step at a time, but very excited. 

On top of planning a wedding, you’re auditioning for new roles. Is it going how you hoped?

I’m a lot busier than I kind of initially thought, which is lovely. I just love every time I get an audition through, kind of the process of looking at the character and what I’ve got to do. It’s really exciting, I’ve always loved auditioning in the past, so it’s nice to get stuck back into that again. 

Do you have any specific ambitions?

Right now, I’m kind of open to anything. I’m not specifically aiming for anything; TV, film, theatre, musicals. I really would like to give everything a go now. 

Did you take anything of Emma’s with you as a keepsake?

I did, which is crazy because I don’t wear pink as myself. I actively avoid it, but that was because of wearing it so much at work. I actually pinched quite a few bits. I was allowed to pinch them, so it wasn’t just theft. I took a really big, pink fur coat which I wore on the hen do and probably will never wear in real life, but it’s nice just to have it. For me, the priority was Emma’s pink check skirt that I have on in my cast card. That was just pure Emma for me, so I’ve got that.

Would you like to return one day?

I’m not drawing a line under it. Like I said, I can see how people stay there so long. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m just so glad that Emma’s still alive and hopefully she remains alive. 

We don’t know what’s going to happen to Emma, but prison is a possibility. How do you think prison and Emma could work out?

Oh gosh, it would not be good. I feel like she would be targeted straight away. Poor Emma. But what would be interesting is to see if she went to prison and she came back in the future, how she would’ve changed. 

Of all Emma’s relationships, romantic or otherwise, what was your favourite to play?

So difficult. I really did like the love triangle with Gemma and Chesney, working with Dolly and Sam, because that was the best of both worlds. You got the love side and the friendship at the end of it. That was great fun. 

Is there a particular one line or scene of Emma’s that stands out for you?

There was one line which always stuck in my head, it just made me giggle. I think it was with Alina and Emma said to her: “Do you want a yogurt to tide you over until tea?” It really made me laugh. I’ve always remembered that line. 

You had a lot of good lines; did you ever find scenes that ended up with you laughing and couldn’t do it?

It is difficult sometimes, and especially Emma would have a chunk of just going off so quickly. It was worse when I was working with Simon. He’d make me laugh when he was doing his lines. Luckily, if the camera’s not on me I can get away with it. He’s so funny. I remember watching one time and on screen, they cut to me, and I was laughing, but I know for a fact that was just me laughing. It wasn’t in character at all. That’s just me laughing at Simon. 

If you were to come back in the future, what do you think an older and wiser Emma would be like?

It’d be so interesting to see how life experiences have changed her offscreen. It’d be nice to kind of see a more serious side and a bit more grown-up Emma, but there’s always got to be those little ditsy bits that come back. You can’t have Emma and not have these silly one-liners. 

Sophie Williams

Find me on Twitter @sophie_writer1






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Monday 28 March 2022

Coronation Street Episode Review Monday 28th March

Gary, Maria, Kelly - Corrie - ITV

The other D.S. Bob interrogates Laura re: Rick's death, clearly believing that Laura has been bullied by Gary into taking the blame. Kelly is convinced that her dad is still alive and starts looking for clues to prove it. I guess she hasn't been watching for the last three years then. This belief doesn't last very long as the press confirm that a body has been found and the cop shop tell her that it's Tommy Orpington's brother Rick. Laura is charged, but is taken to hospital, where she carries on with the pretence that she killed her husband, even when Gary begs her to reconsider.

Coronation Street: Sally Webster 'to get engaged to Tim Metcalfe in Take  That song proposal' - Mirror Online

In the bedroom farce that is the Metcalfe household, Sally offers Tim a banana "for stamina" (to be honest, no writer is going to live up to Jonathan Harvey's "down under" single entendres from Friday). Sally attends the Zoom cardio consultant meeting with Tim and they get the all clear for some middle aged rumpy-pumpy, the only problem being Elaine who Tim sends out to the cinema, but who then unfortunately returns when they haven't even got to the rumpy stage. Get a room! Preferably soon! I hear that the Chariot hotel has very reasonable mid-week rates. Anyway, when they finally get down to it, Tim can't, erm, perform, which seems to be some kind of Oedipal complex as he says he's going to ask Elaine to leave. Poor old Yasmeen's going to be lumbered with Elaine just so Tim can get his oats, isn't she?

Fiz, Tyrone - Corrie - ITV

Phil(l) has resigned from the council and says he's not going to be able to afford the renovations on the new house. Surely there's room in the factory for another salesperson?? A baby estate agent visits number 9 to take some new photos and says that the sinkhole is putting buyers off and that Fiz needs to lower the price and clean the windows. Did Leo ever fix that blumming sinkhole before he got made redundant? My suggestions would be to remove the horrible cladding and hide Hope whenever a potential buyer comes 'round for a viewing.

Emma - Corrie - ITV

Craig is off to beg for his job back and asks Emma to walk Beth's dog as it's making Faye sneeze and he doesn't want her to take anti-histamines whilst pregnant (Faye, not Peanut). Emma takes the opportunity to meet up with Jon for a doggie date but they bump into Beth whom Emma tells Jon is "an old schoolfriend". Beth immediately sprags her up to her son and PC Plonker Tinker's keenly honed detective skills lead him (and Prisoner Cell Block Weatherfield's top dog, Faye) to interrogate Emma, but she denies seeing her overly fast-talking boyfriend.

Finally, at Kate Oates Memorial, Toyah interrupts Abi and Imran's heart to heart about the hearing to say that she's cancelled the wedding venue viewing as the court case should take priority. Best not waste the deposit, our Toyah.

Apologies, no review next Monday as I'm off on me hols.

Rachel Stevenson - on twitter







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