Coronation Street Blog: august 1999

Showing posts with label august 1999. Show all posts

Monday, 22 November 2021

The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 13th and 15th August 1999

Oh no, it's Terry Duckworth! Vera demanded he return to Weatherfield since Jack was recovering from his bypass. He turned up, but, true to form, it was bank balances that were mainly of interest to him (though he took time out to cackle with glee at Kevin's divorce and to belittle Tyrone). He established how much cash Vera had in her bank account and discovered that Sharon Gaskell - who he'd once gone out with - now owned the Kabin. He immediately started smarming round her. Jack meanwhile refused to return home while Terry was around. Toyah was ecstatic about her new relationship with Spider, excitedly telling Leanne that she'd been deflowered. Leanne went round to number 3 and told him to treat her right. However, he was already regretting getting involved with her, leaving her hurt and upset.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 16th and 18th August 1999

Maxine the bridezilla continued to rampage across the Street, demanding a Caribbean honeymoon from Ashley. She was disgusted to learn he was scared of flying. After a word from Audrey, though, she forgave him, and he was so pleased he neglected to mention he'd got Gary to be his best man again. Judy was in a less forgiving mood, though, and she refused to attend the wedding. Leanne confronted Spider and told him to be more sensitive. He was still confused so Toyah took the decision out of his hands by kissing him. Emily wandered around the Street, befuddled, with an enormous instruction book for the factory's computer system. She managed to delete the payroll from the PC. Mike sorted it for her (though Johnny Briggs tapped the computer like it could explode in his face) but Emily resigned anyway. Linda went behind his back and begged Deirdre to return. Jack returned from hospital to find Terry was staying at the B&B and was disgusted, saying he'd never change. He refused to be under the same roof as him and arranged to stay at the Rovers, but Terry agreed to leave instead, going to the pub. Kevin and Alison went out for dinner but he dashed off to help Sally who had a flooded bathroom. She was forced to walk home, and was accosted by a mugger. She was helped by a passer by - Terry Duckworth.

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 20th and 22nd August 1999

Alison recovered from her mugging. She was mainly angry with Kevin for leaving her, meaning she'd been vulnerable, and accused him of being under Sally's thumb. She packed her things to leave but Kevin stopped her... with a proposal. Deirdre agreed to come back to the factory with a new job title and a promise that Linda wouldn't be cheeky to her. Mike was now free to book a holiday, and he surprised her with a luxurious trip to the Far East. Jack and Vera celebrated their forty-second anniversary though Vera confessed what she really wanted was Terry back with them. He turned up with a silver picture frame as a gift for them, but Jack sent him away with a flea in his ear. He returned to the Street and took Sharon out for a Chinese, trying to persuade her to dump Danny for him. Spider and Toyah hunted for a place they could have a bunk up. She persuaded Roy to let them use the cafe for a romantic meal after hours, but their attempt to get it on in the empty Battersby house was interrupted by Les returning for his fags. Spider was terrified Les would find out what he was doing to his daughter.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 23rd and 25th August 1999

We finally discovered why Alison was such an emotional mess. She told Kevin that her sister Cheryl drowned in a canal when she was young and her parents had accused her of murdering Cheryl, thinking she was jealous of the attention she got. It didn't help that Alison couldn't remember what actually did happen. I think it's safe to say she would never do anything as interesting as kill her sister. Vera begged Terry to stay and prove to Jack that he was a good person. He said he'd happily stick around - if she gave him some cash to "help him settle". She realised he really was a scumbag, and warned Sharon off him, telling her he was clearly after her money. He was livid and Sharon saw what a nasty bit of goods he was. Terry went to see Vera and threatened to leave forever; the poor old woman was upset at the idea of never seeing him again. He suggested that rather than simply handing over some money she could buy his fancy BMW...

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 27th and 29th August 1999

Toyah got her GCSE results. She'd actually got an A for English, and Les and Janice threw her a party to celebrate. She thanked Ken for his tutoring which had really helped her, while Leanne glowered with jealousy. Ashley really wanted to talk to his birth mother, and was considering hiring a private detective in Australia to find her. Fred tried to put him off and went to visit a woman - Kathleen, Ashley's mother, not in Australia after all but instead in a leafy Manchester suburb. He explained the situation and she told him that while she was happy Ashley was settled, she didn't want to meet him. Fred returned to Ashley and told him that if he went looking for Kathleen he'd only end up hurting his adopted mum. Alison's parents came round to meet Kevin and spent the whole time being cold and dropping nasty remarks about Alison being all murdery. Kevin lost his temper with them, saying they should blame themselves not her, and they left. Alison was pleased that he'd defended her. Jack was angry to learn that Vera had bought the car off Terry. Even though it seemed like a bargain, he considered it yet another in a long line of his schemes to get money out of the Duckworths. Maud got a letter from some solicitors; her former fiance, Sidney, had left her ten thousand pounds in his will. She didn't know whether to accept it but everyone encouraged her to enjoy it. She considered using it to buy a new hat.

One of the best things about watching this era of Corrie is knowing all the most irritating characters are going to meet unpleasant ends. Maxine, Judy, Alison - @merseytart has seen your future, and it's not good.

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

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Monday, 15 November 2021

The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 26th and 28th July 1999

The fall-out from Leanne's divorce settlement continued to cause havoc. Martin refused to hand over Gail's money to his wife, because he is a pig, so she had to beg Leanne for a little leeway. (At one point Gail accused Martin of being jealous of Nicky and oh boy, let's not touch that). Leanne however thought she was being swindled, and said she'd go to the police to tell them she was pressured into admitting adultery when there was none. Gail panicked and apologised to Martin which she absolutely should not have done and he, out of the goodness of his heart, agreed to hand over the cash. Ashley got his birth mother's name off his birth certificate in the hope of tracking her down to attend his wedding. Fred lied that she'd moved to Australia and couldn't be traced. Alma let herself into Mike's flat and discovered Linda's underwear on the washing pile. When Hayley saw how upset she was knowing that Mike had moved on, she told Alma who he was sleeping with (as Audrey described her, "that one with a gob like a hippo's watering hole"). She stormed into Underworld and laid into him for taking up with a slapper. The factory girls felt betrayed that their co-worker was diddling the boss, and distanced themselves from Linda, while Deirdre wondered how it would affect her authority as the manager. Linda turned on Hayley for grassing her up. Now it was no longer a secret, she tried to chuck her weight about, demanding that Mike sack Hayley as revenge; he refused, because Hayley was the best worker in the factory.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 30th July and 1st August 1999

Now that Mike and Linda's relationship was out in the open, she wasted no time in exploiting the situation. Deirdre tried to rein her in but soon realised Mike would always take her side in an argument. She quit her role at the factory. He tried to persuade her to stay over a drink but she was adamant. As the alcohol kicked in, Mike confessed he was grasping at happiness with Linda and worried that he was making a mistake. Jack struggled to operate his brand new mobile phone, accidentally calling Vera and meaning she could eavesdrop on his chat with Ravi. That night he had another of his attacks and they worried his condition was getting worse. Gail handed over the two grand to Leanne in fifty pound notes. She took it to the casino and chucked away every penny on the roulette wheel. She gleefully told Martin and Gail that it was all gone, feeling that it meant she could put Nicky behind her. (Until he next shows up on the Street of course). Ashley decided to ask Gary to be his best man, but Maxine objected... because he'd look like an oaf in the photos. Classy. He went ahead and asked Gary anyway, pointing out they'd been through a lot together. Since that was mainly Zoe, a dead baby and a lunatic cult, you'd think he'd want to forget it. And Curly and Spider made plans to go to Cornwall to see the solar eclipse. Remember that? Everyone stood outside with bits of smoked plastic over their eyes? What a time.

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 2nd and 4th August 1999

Maud asked to speak to Fred and Ashley. She had big news: she was getting engaged, the right old goer. They met her fiance, Sidney Templeton, and he admitted he wanted to live in the Far East after their marriage. Fred became convinced he was a gold-digger. Maxine stormed into the salon, furious that Ashley had asked Gary to be his best man. However, mid rant, Judy revealed herself to be there getting a haircut. She immediately banned Gary from attending the wedding, while Ashley threatened to make Boris his butcher's mate the new best man.. Curly agreed to take Toyah to Cornwall for the eclipse, but also invited Nita along. The locals became curious about their relationship so he hinted they were going out - only for Ravi to grass him up to Nita. Curly convinced himself it was Spider who'd spread the rumours and so told him he couldn't come to Cornwall. Deirdre applied for a job at a travel agent but they turned her down because of her time in prison. Janice begged her to come back to the factory, as Linda seemed to have taken over her job and was bossing the girls about.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 6th and 8th August 1999

As there were now no wages coming into number 1, Ken took it upon himself to find a job. When he took the role of trolley boy at Freshco Deirdre was horrified. He told her he wanted something where he didn't have his brain taxed but she found it humiliating (she called him a trolley dolly!) - and it felt even worse when Blanche came to stay. Meanwhile Emily took over some of Deirdre's duties at the factory. Audrey and Fred took Sidney out to probe him about his intentions towards Maud - only for him to drop dead in the back seat. They broke the news to Maud and, while she was grateful they were looking out for her, she was upset to lose her chance of happiness. Natalie organised an outing to the races. Ravi showed off by taking Audrey into the member's enclosure, leaving Fred outside. On the plus side, that was the last we'll see of Ravi. Saeed Jaffrey was accused of being drunk and disorderly on a train and ITV took the opportunity to terminate his contract. Ravi really wasn't working; he was a strange, creepy character, with Jaffrey putting in a bizarre performance, and it was no surprise they wanted to get rid. Jack saw Betty's Hot Shot, the horse he owned as part of a syndicate, was running, so he put £100 on it out of nostalgia. He actually won and the excitement overwhelmed him... causing him to suffer a heart attack.

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 9th and 11th August 1999

Ken and Deirdre were horrified to realise Blanche appeared to be staying permanently. The viewers, however, were delighted. Blanche started back on the Street as the interfering old bat we know and love, telling Emily she should quit her job at Underworld so Deirdre could go back. Emily refused, but in truth, she was struggling with the computers. At the hospital, Jack suffered another attack, and was told he'd have to have a bypass. He fretted he would never see his grandchildren grow up. Vera was emotional as he went in for his operation, but it went ok, and he came round and told her he loved her. As they couldn't go to Cornwall with Curly Spider and Toyah set up a tent on the Red Rec to watch the eclipse. Their emotions soon overtook them and they missed the once in a lifetime event by having a quickie under canvas. Toyah immediately declared they were soulmates, which made Spider feel uncomfortable.

Delightful as it is to have Blanche back in the Street annoying Deirdre, it does make @merseytart sad that we've lost both Anne Kirkbride and Maggie Jones in the meantime.

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