Ed Bailey's Gambling Ruins Christmas (And Why I Wish Peter Wasn't Leaving!)

What started at the bookies, had led Ed to the pawn shop, faking a burglary, and selling his family Christmas presents to pay off Tony's debt. It's a shame Peter Barlow is leaving, as the former bookie and alcohol addict could have been a great adversary for Ed Bailey in this latest Corrie addiction storyline.

However, as Corrie producer Iain Macleod told the blog in October, this latest Bailey storyline will take us into the new year 2024 long after Peter's departure. Talking about the storyline, Iain said "Ed’s gambling has, so far, only ever existed in the back story, and we've seen him tempted a few times in the show. We thought there's a huge unexplored storyline there for us’’ Iain continued "The addition of Ed’s Dad was an effort to try and contextualise a bit by seeing what made Ed what he is. Generally speaking, addictions come from somewhere, normally, and we wanted to see what it was with their shared history and the dynamics between the Bailey brothers, so here comes Dad to help us work that out!" 

How does this affect the Baileys come Christmas time? 

"In the run-up to Christmas, we have some fun with (Ed and Ron's) Dad arriving, but there is an undercurrent, and underneath it all, Ed’s problems are spiralling and mounting. It culminates in him hitting rock bottom - forced to do something extremely upsetting and what Ed would see as an ultimate betrayal'' Iain continued, "It's desperately sad, from the viewer's point of view, and the character's perspective. It stays a secret for a time, but then it explodes when the family realises what he has done he’s cast into the wilderness"

How does this affect the rest of the family? 

"There’s a bit of a loyalty battle between the children as to which one is (going to) be sticking by their dad and (who's going to be) cutting him adrift. We wanted to make this feel relatable and down to earth in the telling of an addiction story and its impact on a family. We have some fabulous performances from the cast. It's a strong ensemble piece that takes us into the new year!"

Cheers, Iain 

@rybazoxo Corrie Blogger, Cobbles connoisseur, and definitely(!) not bitter that Peter is leaving... 

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Daisy’s Dumped! Corrie Blog:Charlotte Jordan Interview

At the end of last Friday’s episode, we saw Daisy’s devastation as Daniel ended their relationship and Ryan reconciled with Chrystal. What now for the Rovers barmaid? Corrie blog had a chat with Charlotte Jordan who told us all about Daisy’s dark Christmas and her Rovers (New Year) resolutions! 

How is Daisy taking the break-up? 

In Daisy's fashion, she masks her true feelings with a face full of makeup and witty remarks - she is heartbroken. Fresh out of the break-up with Daniel, I think she’s hoping for reconciliation. They’ve always had such a fiery relationship. She’s left hoping and praying once he’s had a bit of time to take the initial sting away, she can convince him to make another go of it.

After losing both Daniel and Ryan, where is Daisy’s head? 

She’s having to regroup and refocus. These men at one time or another have been her sole focus for the last two-three years on the street. They (Corrie writers) are using the break-up to bring the dark side of her character back out! She’s going to lean into her morally corrupt tendencies. She feels she has nothing left to lose, so for lack of a better statement: The Bitch is Back. 

Daisy breaks into the Platts! 

How does Daisy feel about Ryan moving to Glasgow? 

Daisy genuinely wants what’s best for Ryan. She feels so indebted to him, that she’s confused about her gratitude for romantic feelings towards him. I hope people haven’t forgotten that Daisy is also traumatised from the Justin saga and hasn’t processed much of it herself as she’s focused all her energy on Ryan’s recovery. On-screen, we haven’t touched on her own. Hopefully, people remember she isn’t the straight-up bad guy in this love triangle, it’s more complex and layered than that. 

Do you think Daisy will see Bethany as a threat - given her and Daniel’s history? 

Oh god, absolutely! - she’s beautiful, she’s been told how successful Bethany is living it up in London - Daisy is a naturally jealous, territorial person. Bethany had that connection with Daniel when he was at his most vulnerable which will instantly put Daisy on high alert and I have to say it’s a relationship I’m looking forward to playing around with. 

Bethany Platt Returns! - Friend or Foe For Daisy?

Daisy seems to like a challenge when it comes to relationships - firstly with Ryan and Alya then the challenge with Daniel initially - does Bethany being back give Daisy that challenge and push to win Daniel back? 

Mmm, I wouldn’t necessarily refer to Daniel as a prize to be won - he’s also made some pretty manipulative moves which I think scream “red flag”. I can’t decide whether they need to go their separate ways for good or whether this has proved they’re more similar than we thought, maybe they’re made for each other! If Daisy sees Daniel happy with someone else it will crush her, especially if he moves on fast. But it will also force her to take accountability for what she’s done to their relationship. I think because deep down, she knows how royally she mucked it up, after the initial red mist fades she may want him to be happy but, we can live in the hope that he does eventually find his way back to her!

What would you like to see from Daisy in the coming months?

I’d like her to focus on the Rovers and focus on becoming a successful, mini, secret landlady. I’d also like her to turn the relationship with Bethany on its head. They’ve got a fair amount in common. I think there’s room for a solid friendship to blossom and then selfishly, I’d get some scenes with more of the Platts. I’d like that. Start throwing Daisy into different social circles on the show. I’ve been asking them to make Daisy and Todd pals for yonks! Me, desperately trying to get Daisy some friends! 

What will Daisy's dark side reveal? Watch #Corrie this week on ITV & ITVX as the drama unfolds! 

@rybazoxo Corrie Connoisseur and Cobble's superfan! 

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Daniel Discovers Daisy's Affair! : Corrie Love Triangle Becomes A Foursome?

Way back in April, I attended one of my most memorable and emotional Corrie press days. Luckily enough to get a preview of the acid attack episodes, I gasped as Ryan dropped to the Rovers floor in agony, burning from the sulphuric acid. Daisy dragging him to the shower in her wedding dress may have been a symbolic harbinger of her relationship with Daniel, but we had no idea at that time. With the marriage never being mentioned again, the wedding ring disappeared - and Ryan and Daisy's emotional entanglement and subsequent affair began. Daniel has had some vague suspicions and nearly caught them in the act at the hotel recently. This week, the teacher finally catches Daisy out. Add Bethany Platt to the mix (Daniel’s ex) who's returning any time between now and 2024, and I wonder if this love triangle of the year is about to turn into a foursome? 

Daniel and Daisy argue over the kitchenette

Back in October, Corrie Blog caught up with Corrie producer Iain Macleod, who told us what's to come this Christmas and New Year as this love triangle explodes! 

Hi Iain, What can you tell us about Ryan, Daniel, Daisy and the return of Bethany? 

‘’I’ll start by saying that I love this love triangle - I veer from week to week from being ‘Team Daniel and Daisy’ to ‘Team Ryan and Daisy! Normally, in soaps like ours, when you have an affair, you end up having to make one person behave badly to orchestrate the cheating, but this has been so organic from the start. I entirely understand Daisy’s feelings for Daniel and the depth of those, but I also understand the (depth of) feelings she’s got for Ryan, having survived this terrible ordeal. I don't know who I am rooting for!’’

Daniel sees footage of Daisy & Ryan together?

Daisy’s feelings for Ryan can't go undiscovered forever. Is he due to find out anytime soon? 

''He does indeed start to cotton on, (to what's been going on between them) and the feelings they have for each other. (Daniel realises) the betrayals they’ve committed behind his back. There are intense sequences where Daniel starts to put the pieces together. We see a slight revisiting of some of Daniel's darkness (not quite to the extent of pushing anyone down the stairs) but, what we know about him'' Iain continued ''is that when pushed into an emotional corner, a switch goes. He’s capable of doing some fairly underhand, and classically dark things. We’ll see flashes of that as the story unfolds and some classic soapy manipulation on his part, to try and distance Ryan and Daisy, as quickly and as fair apart as possible. Ultimately, it all comes crashing down: there are some fantastic scenes concerning the end of that (Daniel and Daisy) relationship!''

Daisy contemplates wearing tartan

Where does that leave Daisy? 

‘’There are some big dilemmas for Daisy: if it's not Daniel, then does she choose Ryan purely because he is the default setting? Ryan is also quite vulnerable - he could get his heart trampled on. In the middle of all this, a volatile cocktail arrives with Bethany, who has all of this history with Daniel, and that sharpens Daisy’s focus in terms of how she feels about him''

Ryan and Daisy's Last Christmas?

What can we expect in the New Year, with Bethany adding to this Ryan, Daisy, and Daniel story? 

‘’ A brilliant classic soap story, I think. Without duplicating anything, we are attempting to go to something that has the same level of emotional heft as some of those classic affairs of yore: Mike and Deirdre stuff, like a love triangle of the ages. It's (the storyline) going to go deep into next year as buried feelings come back to the surface with a bang or two! Bethany is a different proposition this time around. (She has) the beginnings of a successful journalism career, and is now an equal foe for Daisy. Bethany is coming back for this Daniel story and is also involved in a huge storyline coming up this next year ''

Thanks, Iain! 

I think the acid-attack storyline (although utterly shocking) has given us a plethora of classic Corrie drama, and as this love triangle becomes a foursome, it looks like plenty more is still to come!

Watch Corrie this week on ITV & ITVX as Daniel begins to discover Daisy’s affair. 

I am @rybazoxo on X - Corrie blogger and Cobbles Connossieur #Corrie

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Strife at N0.5 Coronation Street: Joseph’s ‘illness’ sparks Linda’s return!

Gemma’s depression at Paul’s illness and looking after the Fab Four has manifested itself into classic displacement. These past few weeks have seen her convinced that Joseph’s ill, which Chesney completely ignores, and what with Bernie’s upcoming imprisonment and Paul's imminent death, you can forgive her for being distressed. With Christmas just around the corner, Joseph’s set to receive a present in the guise of his loaded gran, Linda! Does this mean he is actually ill? This week sees another hospital visit for the family, and back in October, we spoke to Corrie Producer Iain Macleod, who gave us a tease of what happens next:

Iain told us ‘’Joseph's issues, on-screen at the minute, culminate in him falling behind with his school work, and his fairy godmother turns up, in the shape of Linda (his grandmother) who decides that she’s going to try and fix all this and starts throwing money at the situation, which puts Chesney and Gemma in an impossible quandary'’ Iain continued ''By accepting financial help from Linda, they feel that they can't look after Joseph, and are just conceding to Linda’s cheque book'’  

How does Gemma feel about it? 

‘'It’s interesting because Gemma is not Joseph’s biological mother, so there are tensions around that, (in terms of) Chesney and whose side he should be on. It fractures their (already fraught), relationship'’

We don't want to give anything away, but for other reasons involving Joseph, Gemma, and Chesney, Linda is stopping for a bit longer this time?

''Yes, it's going to be a long runner for us. The tease I can give you is that we are taking the original story played by Ken Barlow (in the very first episode of Corrie) as inspiration. Our inspiration for this story goes right back to 1960, which is all capitalised by Linda’s arrival’’

Watch Coronation Street on ITV & ITVX this week as this Winter-Brown story continues!

Let me know what you think in the comments or @rybazoxo on X using #Corrie

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