Episode Review Friday 21 November 2025

//Warning I do not like this story.//  Theo brings home a huge selection of pastries and talks Todd into eating them.  Once Todd is full Theo suggests that perhaps they should go for a run as they have nothing else to do and quite reasonably Todd declines which annoys Theo who goes off for his run being joined by James, although Todd has a change of heart Theo tells him not to bother.  James suggests that Theo should sign up for the forthcoming Weatherfield Half Marathon.  Theo returns from his run and shames Todd into joining him on another run but Theo is already going at high speed and Todd is cold so on their return Todd looks completely shell shocked whilst Theo warmly announces he has signed Todd up for the Half Marathon as well so that they can raise money for MND charity and after all Todd does not want a spare tyre round his middle.

Tracy winds up her best friend Abi who responds by socking her one in the bar.  Eva immediately bans them both.  Outside Abi has a breakdown and tells Tracy why she is wound up over Kev wanting Alfie.  Tracy marches around to Kev who is having a bad day.  He wanted another poker session but no-one was willing to join him for the evening so he suggests to Jack that they have an evening together and he then finds out that Jack has made other plans to spend the evening with his mates at the precinct (he has mates?).  Tracy gives Kev a piece of her mind over Alfie and Kev admits that he would not have gone through with it.  Tracy and Abi return to the Rovers and Maggie unbans them so Eva (who Maggie says does not have people skills) goes on her break.  This is bad news for Sean, Izzy, Sarah and Kirk who were all waiting for round two between Tracy and Abi, with Sean likening it to a pound shop Vardy vs Rooney confrontation.

Roy's correspondence with three prisoners now seems to have been extended to the mother of one of them who thanks Roy for his activities.  This leads Roy to thinking of a small book exchange point in the cafe which Ed provides the book stand and Brian arranges the various books.  Categorising Jack Kerouac's "On the Road" as either fiction or a travel book leads to a disagreement between Roy and Brian who insists it is about travel but Roy asserts it is a novel.  The book moves back and forth.  

It is Lisa's birthday and Carla has a special day planned out.  Becky is able to ruin it before it starts as she knows that Lisa is keen on tulips whilst Carla has roses.  It gets silly when  WPC Davies turns up at the factory to invite Carla to attend the police station as there have been allegations of fraud within the factory.  Once at the station Carla is made to wait but eventually Kit says she can go.  Carla is convinced the allegations were made by Becky and is just about to get her hands around Becky's throat when Lisa appears to inform them both that the complaint was made by an ex-client of Underworld.  Eli Merton who accused Sarah of sexual harassment so Carla spread rumours about him and he was exacting his revenge.  Carla admits she had lunch with a mate of Eli's and she did slag him off a lot.  Even Carla has to admit it made her look Una Thurman in Kill Bill.  Carla later returns home with dirty burgers for dinner and she and Lisa make up as Lisa has told Becky to leave them alone.  

And in other news Kirk has decided to start a podcast on dog training where he answers queries about separation anxiety, barking, pulling on the lead.  A pet food company could sponsor it.  Ryan thinks it is a good idea.  

Finally Abi is able to look forward to a future with Carl and Alfie and Alfie wants a long soak in a bubble bath this evening.  Carl phones Germany, apparently speaks to an old mate who is happy to offer him somewhere to stay until he can get his own place.  Carl makes it clear he will be travelling on his own, so I assume the prospect of a life with Abi and Alfie does not appeal to him.  Poor Debbie.

If we avoid talking about Todd and Theo (and Becky's existence) then we mainly have the stories of people in the back streets of Weatherfield having a set to in the local which provides for sparring between strong women - Maggie/Eva and Abi/Tracy; some gentle comedy from Royston and Brian plus Ryan and Kirk (I think the podcast will be a winner).  Please will someone (Sarah preferably) talk some sense into Todd before he suffers any more.  I will not be here next week as I hope to be in Paphos.  All being well I plan to be back the following Friday and it will be December and it is all downhill.  Also tomorrow I am off to see Paddington in the fur - so very very excited.

Written by Joe Turner and Damon Alexis-Rochefort.  Directed by Mariam Hussain.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

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Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 19 September 2025

Good evening.  I think we will start with the good news from the Kate Oates Memorial Hospital.  After many visits and much bedside discussion between Evelyn, Cassie, Fiz (all strong Northern women) and Tyrone over who will be doing what when Tyrone is discharged plus a reminder that Hope will be 15 at the end of the year there was a moment when Ty realised that he could feel something on his right leg when Fiz patted it.  The doctor confirmed that feeling was returning - but so far there is nothing for the left leg - but the news is positive.  Evelyn seems very concerned about the pressures on the family and yet at the age of 79 still seems more sprightly than I am.  She does not seem that concerned about that wonderful opportunity at University just at the moment either.  Is she changing tack?  Plus the hospital machine coffee and tea all taste like oxtail soup - so the machine has not improved.

In other parts of the Street things are not going so well.  Todd and Theo have moved into the flat above the shop.  Billy, George and Brian all help with the unpacking and later Mary and Christina join in drinking the house warming presents.  Theo twice catches Billy and Todd in a clinch and gets visibly more distressed each time.  Eventually the party participants leave and Theo's good humour facade vanishes even quicker as he tears a strip off Todd as everything is in the wrong place; he wanted just the two of them to enjoy the moving in and to do it all together.  He throws a real strop and tells Todd to sleep in the spare room which the team had decorated earlier.  Now I am probably not alone in once not entirely liking Todd (sorry) {and obviously his stint as Gavin Moss was truly repulsive as all Archers listeners will know} but no-one deserves the treatment Theo is handing out to his partner and the sooner Todd runs for the hills the better.

Tracy continues to pursue Carl and Abi for the £10k which needless to say they do not have.  Somehow Carl has £500 which he tells Tracy to take it and bring an end to it.  She feels that telling Kevin will somehow feel more satisfying.  Carl is soon on to making her rethink her priorities and directs Dylan to give the florists (where the power has failed) to give the place a good going over and he managed to smash up the displays, pots etc.  Dylan tells Carl that they are now quits and he refuses to take £20 from Carl for his actions.  Carl reckons that Tracy has  not got the message so pops in on Ken when everyone is out and buys him a few drinks and then phones Tracy to tell her how well he is getting on with Ken.  Tracy returns home and it may be that Carl is getting his message delivered at last.

In what may have been a meaningless moment (who knows sometimes) Debbie and Carl make contact with a singer who may or may not be willing to assist with the choir.  Debbie can see quite a battle coming between the dementia choirs.  Time will tell.

Sadly Roy, I say Roy, has no idea of the existence of Foghorn Leghorn, I say, Foghorn Leghorn when Brian uses his way of speaking, Roy thinks it was Fred Elliott, I say Fred Elliott and then realises that both Brian and Evelyn are too recent to remember Fred as landlord.  Roy has no idea of the animated character as his mother did not approve of cartoons which had a corrupting influence and to ensure compliance they did not have a television.

And finally Roy visits Carla to see if she has time to walk the dog and immediately recognises Becky from the photograph in the room.  Carla knows that she lied to him.  Becky keeps hanging around like a bad smell.  We keep being told that her emergence is safe because the person who wanted her dead was murdered.  However usually crime gang bosses have underlings who may have been around when Becky was undercover and who are now in  charge of an OCG (in Line of Duty speak).  So is she sure that no-one else wants her dead (well apart from me?).  Meanwhile Lisa expects the wedding to Carla to go ahead - but if Becky is not dead does she need a divorce and how did Logan know that she was Tia Wardley?  Poor Roy knows the truth and does not want to talk about it, the lies and deceit.  I only hope that this is not a mirror of a real story in this country.

You have probably gathered that tonight was a curate's egg.  Sadly the impression that we have three villainous stories running at the same time (Carl, Theo and the Becky related story where I am not sure who is the villain) means that the entire Street is off balance.  I apologise if this is a little too obvious in my assessment tonight - but I want stories of working class people in the back streets of Salford living their lives; not crime, not villainy, not abuse; not conflict with constant raised voices but more strong women keeping their partners on the straight and narrow.  Can I ask those responsible to ask themselves what Tony Warren might think please?

Written by Mark Wadlow and Damon Alexis-Rochefort.  Directed by Chantelle Kayll.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

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Coronation Street Episode Review Thursday 9 January 2025

Well this is a surprise, not only am I back but it is not Friday either (well it may be now - but it was Thursday when this episode aired).  Dev and Bernie are ideologically opposed on the subject of the hoax call made by Jospeh - Dev would have him strung up immediately whilst Bernie says kids always get up to high jinks.  The police have given him a youth caution.  Dev is then so impressed by Evelyn's desire to leave his service (he declares a day of national mourning) that he leaves his cake behind in the cafe which leads Bernie to deliver the forgotten package to the shop.  They have a deep and meaningful discussion; Dev proposes and Bernie accepts despite the earlier ideological difference.

In developments which move faster than greased lightning Evelyn has strapped on her rocket shoes and in short order tells Dev she is leaving his employment NOW and not at the end of three weeks' notice period, takes on the rental of a room in a mature student accommodation (really - she is of an age where I would have thought relocation to Still Waters would be more likely), taken a little job in the college library, packed her bags and cannot even be bothered to explain why she is leaving Hope and Ruby who will probably never miss her.  Dev complains about employee loyalty - but it works both ways and he was not particularly supportive to Ches when the kebab shop had to be closed down for a deep clean.  Roy pops along to allow her to cuddle Freddie one last time and also explains "Beer Pong" to her - but by the end of the semester she will have converted them to "Brandy Pong".  There is then a subdued farewell in the Rovers (obviously cast costs need to be kept down) before she heads off to her new life.

Over at Kate Oates Memorial Weatherfield General Hospital a doctor pops by to tell Carla that the sepsis has done for Aidan's kidney and once they have dealt with the infection she will need regular dialysis and will be added to the transplant list.  She admits to Lisa that she is not looking forward to undergoing another transplant.  Bobby and Ryan are present when the news is delivered with the former intending to wave his magic wand to provide a solution he pops along to Highfield prison (none of this nonsense over visiting requests and so on) where the killer of Tina McIntyre now resides - Rob Donovan returns again - and of course he is Bobby's father.  Rob has been lacking any external contact since Bobby cut him off - and now here Bobby is grovelling for help.  Just before the credits roll Rob reverses his earlier decision and is prepared to donate a kidney to 'Auntie Carla' despite the poison she has been spreading about him killing Tina when it was all self defence from a madwoman.

Sean talks Adam into taking on Dylan's case and whilst Adam believes the story Dylan recounts it is obvious that without some evidence it is likely that the Ratcliffe brothers will simply point their fingers at Dylan given his previous antipathy to Mason and his prints being on the knife.  Abi spots Dylan talking to Adam and leaving Alfie to swing she decides to award Dylan a piece of her mind.  When she turns back Alfie has decided to play hide and seek and is not found for about half an hour - until Toyah returns him.  Abi dishes out some more of her mind to Toyah screaming at Toyah to leave her and her son alone.

Luckily Shona is in Freshco car park (avoiding David who is being a pillock says Sarah) when the Radcliffe brothers park up next to her as they need some shopping and she phones Kit who is trying to eat lunch on the Street.  Sarah overhears the call and tells David that Shona phoned Kit - but not why.  Kit leaves in high speed (his windscreen appears repaired) followed by David at even higher speed in Sarah's car.  Kit is about to apprehend the Radcliffes when David shouts at him and they do a runner.  Kit eventually traps Matty against the wall of Nuttall's brewery (arches in the background) and almost breaks his arm before securing him with handcuffs and invites him for a chat down at the station.  Logan however is clean away.  News of the arrest spreads like wildfire.

Following all this activity there are signs that mental 'elfs are on the loose.  Sean has a breakdown in t'Rovers - he seems more upset than Dylan - and is comforted by George.  Along at the Sebastian Memorial Garden Abi recalls her argument with Mason, her loss of Seb and she is slowly losing her mind.

I realise that she has not gone, even though she has and I ought to say a few words about Maureen Lipman - but what can I say?  I believe it has been an incredible pleasure for us to see a National Treasure spend so long on the Street (7 years and over 500 episodes) and I hope she enjoys taking it a little easier in the future.  No doubt her family will give her cause to pop back and provide us with commentary on Hope's and Ruby's activities in the future.

Written by Carmel Morgan and Ella Greenhill.  Directed by Kodjo Tsakpo.

Kosmo

@Kosmo100

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