Corrie writer's new play on male mental health

Ben Tagoe is a former Coronation Street writer and a very talented man. His latest play is called When We Were Brothers. It's a one-hour new play about being a man, mental health, and friendship. It takes place in a bar, where you can sit and enjoy a drink while watching the show.

It’s being performed at The Underground in Bradford and The Venue Bar in Bolton and here's what it's about:

Lads don’t cry. But what if you have to? When you feel like you’re going to explode. When everything’s closing in. And you don’t even know if you can stand it anymore. What then? Danny and Tommo have been friends since they were 8 years old. Played, fought, had each other’s backs. Like brothers. Now they’re grown up; Danny’s down in that London and Tommo is off work and back at his old bedroom. But Tommo’s mum, Julie, is really worried about him, and Danny may be the only one who can help…

More information and how to buy tickets can be found here: https://www.freedomstudios.co.uk/production/wwwb/

And there is an interview with Ben Tagoe here.

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Corrie weekly update – Tinker and Tassels

Corrie weekly updates from 1995

All the wit and warmth of Weatherfield
None of the waffle
Available from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com 

Anna’s trial starts this week and first up in the stand is Pat Phelan who lies through his teeth. Second in the stand is Seb, who tells the truth and points the finger of blame at Phelan for telling him to lie about Anna pushing him off his ladder. Will Phelan be found out soon? Let’s hope so. In a wonderful scene in Eileen’s living room, she questions Pat about what he’s been up to and he squirms his way out of it magnificently, but Eileen’s got her gander up now and goes back to visit Anna in jail.

After Chesney and Sinead’s wedding was called off last week, Sinead moves into Maria’s flat. This tiny little flat above the hair salon now houses Maria and little Liam, Kirk and Beth, Craig and Sinead. Chesney, meanwhile, is left on all alone in his house across the road.

PC Craig Tinker’s called to a fracas at Tassels, and that’s not something I’ve ever said in a weekly update before. One of the girls has been beaten by a punter and Craig is aghast when he finds out that Bethany works there too. Not as aghast as we all are, Craigy-boy.  Anyway, now he knows, he determines to keep Bethany safe from harm and her secret, so far is safe.  Bethany then takes it upon herself to keep Gary Windass far from her mum when she finds out Sarah’s considering getting back with her ex.

Eva finds out she’s 17 weeks pregnant. I’m going to repeat that. Eva, unaware for the last four months that there’d been any changes to her body AT ALL, she finds out that she’s 17 weeks pregnant with a baby that’s been growing inside her for the past four months. Did I mention four months? Did I mention how daft this whole flaming thing is? Anyway, all of this means, of course, is that the baby is Aidan’s, not Adam’s. Eva and her new best mate Shona bunker down in the Rovers to decide what to do.

Elsewhere, Simon’s been excluded from school for selling vodka and Tyrone’s kids cut up a load of sample knickers that Sean had sown for Aidan and Alya’s new venture.

By far the best scene of the week was the beer fight in the Rovers when Toyah, jealous of Carla and Peter’s history, pretends to befriend Carla, but then admits to Leanne that it’s all a ruse.  Michelle overhears and chucks a pint at Toyah, who gets soaked not once but twice. It really was very funny indeed, the perfect giggle for a Friday night Corrie in way that Corrie had almost forgotten to do.
And finally this week Gemma wants to do something special for Henry’s birthday and so Liz suggests throwing a party in the pub. She glances over at the picture of Betty on the wall and says it would have been what Betty wanted.  A nice touch, I felt.

And that’s just about that for this week.

Remember, you can sign up to get these Corrie weekly updates by email at http://www.corrie.net/updates/weekly/subscribe.htm

This week’s writers were Julie Jones (Monday); John Kerr and Ben Tagoe (Wednesday); Damon Alexis-Rochefort (Friday). Find out all about the Coronation Street writing team at Coronation Street Blog: Exclusive: All Current Corrie writers online

Glenda Young
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Blogging away merrily at Flaming Nora
Website: glendayoungbooks.com

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Coronation Street writer leaves the show

Farewell to Coronation Street writer Ben Tagoe, who has left Coronation Street. His last episode will be shown tonight - Wednesday 17th January 2018.

Writing on Twitter today, Ben said: "Back in Aug, I took the very tough decision to leave the @itvcorrie writing team. My last ep is on at 7:30 tonight. Absolutely loved my 3 years on the show. It has been an honour and a privilege. Best wishes to all on the cobbles! #corrie #CoronationStreet"

Ben is a playwright and screenwriter, originally from Perth, but now living in Yorkshire. His first Coronation Street episode aired on Friday February 20th, 2015.

Ben was selected for the BBC Writers Academy 2011/12 and he is now a regular writer on CORONATION STREET (ITV). His plays include THE THING ABOUT PSYCHOPATHS (Red Ladder), COLD TURKEY AT NANA’S (Oran Mor/Perth Theatre), BITTERSWEET SUNSHINE (Red Ladder) and VEGAN WEDDING (Slung Low), and he was selected for the Bruntwood Hub in 2013/14.

Ben's website is at http://www.bentagoe.co.uk/

See also: Corrie writer Ben Tagoe: From selling phones to writing soap

If you can help update this Corrie writer's profile, leave a comment below or email me here.

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Corrie weekly update – WhamBam, thank you, Ma’am

Corrie weekly updates from 1995

All the wit and warmth of Weatherfield
None of the waffle
Available from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com 

Please vote for the Coronation Street Blog in the UK Blog Awards here >
https://www.blogawardsuk.co.uk/ukba2018/entries/coronation-street-blog

This week little Hope and Ruby are forefront of the action after their trampoline burns down in the back yard at Fiz and Tyrone’s house. But after Fiz and Tyrone had left the girls home alone while they’re drinking in the pub, worse things could have happened, much worse.  A lighter is found amongst Ruby’s possssions, did she burn down the trampoline?  Tyrone says his daughter wouldn’t do anything like that, but Fiz is not so sure. Is Ruby a chip off the old block from her mum crazy Kirsty? Or was it Hope who set the trampoline on fire, her dad’s serial killer genes coming through?  Or maybe it was the gang of kids hanging around outside the Kabin that we saw one minute and then they were gone. One thing’s for sure, things are tense in the Fiz and Tyrone household as each blame the other for something that their girls haven’t done.

Over at the Bistro, Robert admits to Michelle that he’s skint, having gambled all their cash at the casino. Michelle takes it on herself to do something about this and forces Bistro customers to cough up for their meals in cash only. Then she fakes a break-in at the Bistro, stealing all the cash from the till. But inside the Bistro, unbeknown to Michelle, are Kate and Rana having a snog.  Kate sees the “thief” and bangs a bottle of wine over Michelle’s head.   Kate and Rana run out of the Bistro but when Kate spies Michelle later on the Street dressed head to foot in black, she realises Michelle has robbed her own business.  Michelle does a deal with Kate that if she doesn’t tell anyone that she was the thief then she’ll keep quiet about her and Rana.

Speaking of Rana, her brother Imran returned this week with a smarmy look on his face. I’m not a fan of Imran so far but I’m hoping that will change.  His marriage is falling apart after a fling he’s had with another woman.  Imran and his sister Rana are both adulterers then.  I hope Yasmeen chucks them both out.    

Elsewhere, Daniel and Chesney continue to fight over Sinead, which doesn’t make any sense at all as she’s the most annoying young woman in soap.  Chesney hits himself with a brick to pretend that Daniel’s assaulted him. He also feigns food poisoning, saying that Daniel served him dodgy food in the Bistro. None of which is true, of course, but all of it masterminded by Tracy –“I burned myself on the arm with an iron so that everyone would feel sorry for me and think Charlie Stubbs had done it” Barlow.

Leanne returns this week from an extended break with her mum Stella. She signs up to a dating app, sadly not the same one that Liz and Steve have joined – WhamBam – and whoever dreamed that name up is a genius. Leanne also tells Eva she wants to move out of her flat and into one of her own.  Eva’s got more on her mind when Aidan mopes around the Rovers blaming her for ruining his life, forgetting that he was the one having the fling with Maria.

THIS WEEK’S HOSPITAL SCENE: Anna after she suffers a reaction to her anxiety pills in prison. Then she does a runner, all the way back to Roy’s flat where she reunite with Faye and Gary. There’s a wonderful scene with Faye when she dumps boyfriend Seb after she finds out the truth about Phelan and her mum. But it’s a truth that Seb isn’t ready to hear as he admires Pat Phelan so much.

And finally this week, Bethany agrees to a date with Craig after Audrey tells her that Craig reminds her of her Alfeh.

And that’s just about that for this week.
  
Remember, you can sign up to get these Corrie weekly updates by email at http://www.corrie.net/updates/weekly/subscribe.htm

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This week’s writers were Susan Oudot and Ellen Taylor (Monday); Mark Burt and Ben Tagoe (Wednesday); Cameron McAllister and Mark Wadlow (Friday). Find out all about the Coronation Street writing team at Coronation Street Blog: Exclusive: All Current Corrie writers online

Glenda Young
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Blogging away merrily at Flaming Nora
Website: glendayoungbooks.com

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Corrie weekly update: Slack Alice, Chachi - and Romeo in Overalls

Corrie weekly updates from 1995
All the wit and warmth of Weatherfield, none of the waffle
Available from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com

First off this week, one of the highlights for me twas the rather drunken scene in the back room of the Rovers with Leanne, Toyah and Eva. Eva’s secret about being pregnant is blurted out by Leanne, further strengthening the bond between the three of them, who proceed to get very, very drunk and sing. I love stuff like this, it’s stuff on which Corrie was built and long may it continue, including the three of them slagging off Maria with Toyah (by way of writer Jonathan Harvey) calling Maria “Slack Alice of the Salon.”  Ooh, shut that door.

Elsewhere, Leanne and Oliver move into the Streetcars flat with Steve and Liz where they play happily families. It’s nice, it’s sweet and Leanne presents Steve with two Weatherfield County football shirts, one large with DADDY on the back and a small one with SON.  When Leanne puts the Jaws DVD on for them to watch in the flat, the DUR-DUR…. DUR-DUR… of the danger of the shark provides the perfect backdrop for Steve to mooch his way along the sofa and propose. Leanne’s had a bit too much to drink and so runs back to the Rovers to tell Toyah and Eva what Steve’s just said. They take the mickey out of her but Leanne gets defensive and calls him ‘My Steve’.  It’s a wonderful storyline and I can just picture these two together, running the bar like the new Jack and Vera. Bring it on!

Michelle’s bundled into the boot of a car this week and bound and gagged. I know, right? That should be one of the most dramatic, exciting lines of the weekly update but this whole Rich / Robert revenge thing has dragged on too long. Robert is dull, dull, dull. They get rid of Erica but keep him? Please, make it stop.  Anyway, Michelle’s ex-boyfriend Will turns up to date Maria, making us wonder if he might be the one behind the campaign of hate directed at the Bistro, not Rich.

An investor (unseen but oft mentioned) wants to buy a property on the street with the choice of either Kev’s garage or Dev’s gym to buy. It’s the gym that goes under the hammer and is sold.

In Roy’s Rolls Toyah talks to Izzy about surrogacy and the two of them have a long chat. What was interesting about this was that when Tina the surrogate was mentioned Peter didn’t even as much as flinch at the mention of the name.  

Also this week, the DNA test proves that Phelan is definitely Nicola’s dad, but when they arrange to go for dinner to celebrate at the Bistro, Phelan stands his daughter up. He’s elsewhere, at church, giving confession to a priest. “I’m not a good man, father,” he says. “There’s something I’ve done… something I’m still doing…”  Whatever could it be?

And finally...  is the sad news that Erica left. I always liked Erica but got the feeling that Corrie never knew what to do with her. She had a bust-up with Dev after Mary told him about her almost-bunk-up with Kev and the next thing we know, Erica’s in the back of a taxi on her way to the airport to fly back to Spain.

And that’s just about that for this week.
 
Remember, you can sign up to get these Corrie weekly updates by email at http://www.corrie.net/updates/weekly/subscribe.htm

This week’s writers were John Kerr and David Isaac (Monday double); Ben Tagoe (Wednesday); Ella Greenhill and Jonathan Harvey (Friday double). Find out all about the Coronation Street writing team at Coronation Street Blog: Exclusive: All Current Corrie writers online

Glenda Young
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Blogging away merrily at Flaming Nora
Website: glendayoungbooks.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/flaming_nora

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Corrie weekly update: Cardies, cream horns and kebabs

Corrie weekly updates from 1995
All the wit and warmth of Weatherfield
None of the waffle
Available from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com  

While Tracy confesses to the worst police force in the world that she pushed her dad downstairs – but it was all an accident – Rob and Amy have broken down on the moors. Back in Weatherfield everyone is worried about missing Amy. Ace mechanic Rob (who knew?) gets the car going again and confronts Amy about pushing Ken. She says she didn’t do it and although she’s very much her mother’s daughter there’s no way she could convincingly lie about such a serious thing. Meanwhile the police charge Tracy with attempted murder.

Adam is over the moon that Tracy’s in the frame, as he is whenever the spotlight for the crime falls on someone other than himself but Ken is having some difficulty coming to terms with the idea that it could be her. The only reason he’d cut her out of his will was that he was going to gift her her inheritance now so that she could buy the florist’s shop to help secure her and Amy’s future.

Tracy is up in court for her committal but then proceedings are interrupted by Rob bursting into the court room to tell Tracy she can’t admit to something she didn’t do and it wasn’t Amy either. As he blocks the door to keep security out he tells everyone that he was with Tracy in Preston’s Petals on the night of the push and there’ll be CCTV to prove it. There’s shock and relief all round except for the Nazir’s who still blame Tracy for Kal’s death and want to see her get her comeuppance. 

Tracy is still in the frame now for wasting police time and perverting the course of justice and is taken back to the cells along with the Rob. They somehow end up in the same cell together and say their farewells before Rob is taken off to a solitary life in Hull. It’s not long before Tracy is released and able to make her peace with Ken who seems to be closer to recovering his memory of the night of the push. She’s still got to face the consequences of going on then run with Rob but for the moment things are back to some sort of normality.

Sally’s sister Gina has gone missing and her step-daughter Leah turns up on Coronation Street looking for her. She turns up outside the factory looking for Sally while Rosie, Sophie and Leah are in the Rovers. As Sally appears so does Leah and she bundles Gina into the car and speeds away. Sally is worried about her sister and she and Tim go to see her. Gina keeps apologising for what she’s done and Sally still doesn’t understand that Leah has put Gina in the frame for trolling her sister. Sally thinks Gina and Leah should come and live with her and forces the situation by smashing the front window on their house. Sally pulls strings with Aidan and gets Gina a job in packing in the factory.

Little Oliver has a rash. He’s had one before and Leanne and Nick give him some anti-histamine medicine to clear it up before handing the baby over to Steve for the day. He takes him out for the day and when he returns he meets Michelle who guesses that he’s been to the beach where they scattered Rauri’s ashes. Today was the due date for their child and she’s absolutely livid that Steve has polluted Rauri’s memory by taking the baby she calls Plan B to his beach. Olly is returned to Leanne and Nick but he’s still not well and hardly breathing so he is rushed to hospital. When Steve eventually turns up he says that he’d given Olly some of his medicine too and then doctor concludes that he’s simply had too much of it and will be ok.

Aidan and Maria take every opportunity to be together and David works out what’s going on when he sees them emerging from either end of the ginnel. He warns Maria of the dangerous game she’s playing especially as Eva is such good friends with her. Real life isn’t as straightforward as social media so it requires a bit of work for Maria to unfriend Eva. She does impressions of her in the Rovers in front of her workmates, bad mouths Leanne to her and ends up with a cream horn in her face for her trouble.

The news in the cafe is that there’s been trouble in the young offenders institution and Kylie’s killer, Clayton, has been beaten up and taken to hospital. Shona rushes straight to hospital but Clayton’s dad Dean is there so she can’t get to see him. David, who seems to be wearing one of Betty’s old cardigans, is over the moon that Clayton could be at death’s door and celebrates in the Rovers. When he’s had far too much, Shona takes him back to his house and lends him a friendly ear and an outlet for his troubles. He wants Clayton dead but then if he died he’d have nobody to hate any more. He misreads Shona’s support and leans in for a kiss just as Gail comes home with the news that the family liaison officer has been in touch and Clayton wasn’t involved in the disturbance and has just fallen and broken his wrist. Later on Gail, who knows that Shona is Clayton’s mother, gives Shona £400 and tells her to get out of their lives.

Elsewhere Toyah, also wearing a bad cardigan, buys a pregnancy test which proves negative. She’s distraught and still hasn’t told Peter that she went through with the procedure to implant the eggs despite his reservations. Sinead is having a random existential crisis and Daniel convinces her to go to Oxford for a break with the possibility of moving there long term. Rana buys Zeedan a kebab van so he can set up his own street food business. Norris suggests to Mary that they rekindle their love of comping, Mary throws herself into it with gusto and tries to win Norris a weekend break in a radio quiz. She tells Sean the answer to the question and he only goes and wins it himself but he gives the prize to Norris as Mary had intended.

And that’s just about that for this week.
 
Remember, you can sign up to get these Corrie weekly updates by email at http://www.corrie.net/updates/weekly/subscribe.htm
This week’s writers were Ella Greenhill and Susan Oudot (Monday double); Ben Tagoe (Wednesday); Debbie Oates (Friday double). 

Find out all about the Coronation Street writing team at Coronation Street Blog: Exclusive: All Current Corrie writers online

Barry Smith 
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Corrie weekly update - stalking, pimping and going on the run

Corrie weekly updates from 1995
All the wit and warmth of Weatherfield
None of the waffle
Available from amazon.co.uk or amazon.com

Evil Nathan pimps out Bethany to his mate Neil this week in some very uncomfortable scenes.  Nathan gets Bethany to believe that she gave away expensive camera equipment belonging to Neil, and in return, to make amends, Nathan suggests she goes out for a drink with Neil. This Bethany does, but then Neil takes her into the bedroom at Nathan’s flat and Nathan doesn’t lift a finger to help, or to stop. Bethany’s confused, she doesn’t know what to do. Why hasn’t Nathan helped her? Why hasn’t Nathan, the man she loves, stopped Neil from dragging her into the bedroom at his flat? 
Meanwhile, Sarah realises she needs to get Bethany back and goes to look at a flat next door to the community centre with Gary in the hope that Bethany will move back to the street.  Bethany has a quiet word with Mary in the back room of the florist and Mary tells Sarah how upset Bethany is.  But when Sarah rings Bethany, her phone is unanswered on the sofa in Nathan’s flat as Bethany’s in the bedroom with Neil. Horrible stuff indeed.

An ex-boyfriend of Billy’s arrives this week and Todd’s not best pleased.  He feels threatened, especially when the fella called Drew asks to see Billy for dinner, sans Todd. And then Todd overhears Drew on his phone talking about him… “Seems a bit of a lightweight,” Drew says about Todd. “Still lives with his mum!”  But then Todd and Billy are in for a shock when Drew reveals that he’s come to Weatherfield to seek out Billy because he’s dying.  Drew’s got cancer, he reveals, and asks Billy to consider taking on Drew’s 12 year old daughter, Summer, whom Billy is godfather to.

Tracy goes on the run with Rob this week. She bundles him into the boot of her car and bundles Amy into the front. Amy doesn’t know Rob’s in the back of the car and it’s only when Tracy’s pulling the bonnet down over Rob’s head that he realises Amy’s in the car too. It’s all a bit daft this storyline, and with Tracy and Rob having a bit of how’s-your-father in the Victoria Court Gym no doubt there’ll be a Barlow baby on the way for Christmas.   Am I the only one finding Rob a bit dull?

Over at the Rovers, after a quiz night in the pub, Cathy and Brian almost – but not quite – share a kiss on the cobbles.

Across town, Rosie tracks down Leah whom she thinks is stalking Sophie. But when Rosie sees who Leah is with, she’s even more shocked – it’s Sally’s sister Gina Seddon.  Leah blames Gina for stalking Sally and says that Gina felt betrayed when Sally cut her out of her life. This confuses Rosie’s pretty little head so she tells Sophie when she gets home and the two of them try to work out what on earth to do.

And finally this week, divorce papers arrive for Steve.

And that’s just about that for this week.

Remember, you can sign up to get these Corrie weekly updates by email at http://www.corrie.net/updates/weekly/subscribe.htm

This week’s writers were Carmel Morgan and Ella Greenhill (Monday double); Ben Tagoe (Wednesday); Jan McVerry (Friday double). Find out all about the Coronation Street writing team at http://coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2008/11/exclusive-all-current-corrie-writers.html

Glenda Young
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Blogging away merrily at http://flamingnora.blogspot.com
Website: glendayoungbooks.com

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