Debra Stephenson stars in Son of a Preacher Man musical

Debra Stephenson, who played Frankie Baldwin in Coronation Street, will be taking to the stage in the musical Son of a Preacher Man when it goes on tour this year.

Debra will be playing the role of Alison and she's coming to my local theatre, the Sunderland Empire in September.  

Featuring the soulful music of Dusty Springfield, with a book by Warner Brown and directed and choreographed by Craig Revel Horwood, Son of a Preacher Man embarks on a national tour starting at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre from Monday 4 September 2017.

Featuring the greatest hits of Dusty Springfield, including "The Look Of Love", "I Only Want To Be With You", "Spooky" and of course, the classic "Son Of A Preacher Man", this funny and sweetly touching new musical play by internationally renowned writer Warner Brown will have you laughing, crying and singing your heart out to some of the greatest songs ever written.

Directed and choreographed by Strictly Come Dancing’s Craig Revel Horwood, Son of a Preacher Man comes to Sunderland Empire for one week only. You only want to be with us!

Debra Stephenson is known for her long running roles in Coronation Street and Bad Girls, whilst her entertainment credits include The Friday Night Project, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special, Comic Relief Does Fame Academy and Let’s Dance For Sports Relief. As a comedic impressionist she is best known as star of BBC One’s The Impressions Show, with her other credits including BBC Radio 4’s Dead Ringers as well ITV’s Newzoids.

Interestingly, Corrie writer Jonathan Harvey has penned another musical based on the life of Dusty Springfield too. You can read more on that here.

Read more Corrie news, interviews and spoilers here

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Fab Photo Friday - September 12th 2014

It's Friday again so it's time for this week's fab Coronation Street photo. Last week I rued the absence of an old curmudgeon and a dotty old woman on the Street.

This week I ask: What's happened to all the wheeler dealers?

OK, there's Rob, Tracy and Tony but here are a couple of old-time dodgy characters, Mike Baldwin and his father, Frankie played the fabulous Sam Kydd, who could show them a thing or two.

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The faces of Corrie in 2006

If you remember, last year I had a series of posts looking at the top 12 faces of each Corrie decade - the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s. For the next few weeks or so, I’ll be looking at the top 12 faces of each year between 1960 and 2013.

With thanks to Corriepedia for the information.

In 2006, 258 episodes were broadcast.

1. Sean Tully (165 episodes)

2. Danny Baldwin (157 episodes)

3. Audrey Roberts (145 episodes)

4. Gail Platt (143 episodes)

5. Eileen Grimshaw (140 episodes)

6. Frankie Baldwin (139 episodes)

7. Jamie Baldwin (134 episodes)

8. Charlie Stubbs (127 episodes)

9. Violet Wilson (126 episodes)

10. Claire Peacock (124 episodes)

11. Sally Webster (124 episodes)

12. Tracy Barlow (120 episodes)

Average age: 38

Note: To date, this is the last time Danny, Frankie, Jamie and Claire appear in the top 12 and the last time Charlie appears in the top 12. This is the third time that a Rovers licensee doesn’t appear in the top 12

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The faces of Corrie in 2005

If you remember, last year I had a series of posts looking at the top 12 faces of each Corrie decade - the 1960s, the 1970s, the 1980s, the 1990s and the 2000s. For the next few weeks or so, I’ll be looking at the top 12 faces of each year between 1960 and 2013.

With thanks to Corriepedia for the information.

In 2005, 263 episodes were broadcast.

1. Violet Wilson (148 episodes)

2. Shelley Unwin (141 episodes)

3. Danny Baldwin (137 episodes)

4. Charlie Stubbs (135 episodes)

5. Tracy Barlow (129 episodes)

6. Gail Platt (128 episodes)

7. Fiz Brown (126 episodes)

8. Sean Tully (126 episodes)

9. Sally Webster (125 episodes)

10. Frankie Baldwin (122 episodes)

11. Steve McDonald (119 episodes)

12. Jamie Baldwin (117 episodes)

Average age: 33

Note: To date, this is the last time Shelley appears in the top 12

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Top 50 Corrie Couples - No. 16

16. Danny and Frankie Baldwin 2004-2005 (89 votes)

When they arrived, Frankie had already cheated on Danny while Danny enjoyed a fling with Sunita. Danny had come up first from London and was shocked when Frankie soon followed. While Danny became a business partner at the factory with Mike, Frankie got a job in the café and struck up an unlikely friendship with Vera Duckworth. 

In 2005, Danny had an affair with son Jamie’s girlfriend Leanne and Frankie kicked him out. When his relationship with Leanne soured, he tried to win back Frankie but was shocked that she was now with Jamie, her stepson. Failing to cope, he sold the factory and left.

Were you fans of Danny and Frankie? Should they be in the top 20?

Check out who was at 17.

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Favourite Corrie couples countdown - tenth poll

Hello all! Now, I hope you've voted in the eighth poll of ten because that is now officially closed. But you have until midnight next Monday to vote for two of your favourite couples in the ninth poll.

So, who's in our final poll?

Sophie Webster and Sian Powers (2010-2011) – Corrie’s first lesbian couple. When Sophie first kissed her, Sian was confused. After a brief time away from the street, Sian returned and they became a proper couple, but in secret. Eventually, Ryan finds out. Soon after, the girls tell Kevin and Sally that they love each other. They have an on/off relationship which includes Sophie accusing Sian of having an affair while Amber Kalirai also plots to split the two. They planned to marry but then Sophie’s doubts about her feelings towards Sian ends their relationship and Sian leaves her.

Danny and Frankie Baldwin (2004-2005) – When they arrived, Frankie had already cheated on Danny while Danny enjoyed a fling with Sunita. While Danny became a business partner at the factory, Frankie got a job in the café. In 2005, Danny had an affair with son Jamie’s girlfriend Leanne and Frankie kicked him out. When his relationship with Leanne soured, he tried to win back Frankie but was shocked that she was now with Jamie, her stepson. Failing to cope, he sold the factory and left.

Kirk Sutherland and Beth Tinker (2012- ) – This relationship began when Kirk chauffeured Beth to meet her online date. However, the date didn’t work out and Beth realised that Kirk was the man for her. Since then they’ve been in a relationship and Kirk has become a father figure to Beth’s son Craig.

Martin Platt and Gail Tilsley/Platt (1989-2001) – Although they’d been friends for a few years, it wasn’t until Brian’s death that they became close. To Ivy’s annoyance, the relationship developed and in 1990, Gail gave birth to David. They married in 1991. In 1993, the marriage was tested when they hired Carmel Finnan as a nanny. She was obsessed with Martin and tried to split the Platts up, but Gail sent her packing. As Martin was ten years Gail’s junior, Martin was tempted by other women and had an affair with Cathy Power in 1994. Gail forgave him but wasn’t as forgiving when he had another affair with Rebecca Hopkins in 2000. They divorced in 2001 and Martin was genuinely happy when Gail remarried Richard in 2002.

Stan and Hilda Ogden (1964-1984) – This classic Corrie couple were a part of the nation’s fabric for 20 years and we witnessed their highs and lows. Despite a backstory of Stan’s neglect and abuse towards Hilda and the kids, by the 1970s they had established themselves as the key to comedy on the cobbles. They, with their flying ducks and ‘muriel’, had become TV icons. Stan was a layabout while Hilda worked day and night to bring in the money, cleaning The Rovers and various houses and was also the chief gossip on the street, although she didn’t like being gossiped about. Although they bickered, they loved each other and were married for 40 years. Despite being the street’s cast-offs, it didn’t stop them mingling with the neighbours. By the early 1980s, Stan’s health was failing and he died in 1984, leaving a heartbroken Hilda alone.

Have you got favourites in this five? Well, vote for two of them and we'll see where they'll be in the countdown! The poll closes at midnight on Monday, 13th January.
 

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Keeping it in the family

Having already enjoyed the pleasure of somewhat more than St. Ella's back room, Jason Grimshaw has now added the notch of her daughter Eva to his crumbling bed post.

Of course, we've been here before. Regular viewers, try hard as they might, can fail to forget the time Dev Alahan bedded Deirdre Barlow having previously enjoyed a dalliance with her daughter Tracy. But then I got to thinking and came up with a long list of characters who have had relationships with a parent and their child.

By far the most nausea-inducing of these has to be the Baldwins. Not Mike, though he did have an affair with Deirdre before then wooing and marrying her step-daughter Susan, but the truly awful love triangle of Frankie, Danny and Jamie. Having brought up her step-son Jamie from the age of 6, her affair with him 14 years later is the closest Coronation Street has ever come to running an incest storyline. Additionally, Leanne Battersby had a relationship with Jamie before shacking up with his father Danny.

Another Baldwin, if only by marriage, to join this ignoble club is Linda. Having seduced her boss at the factory, a man old enough to be her father, she actually became very fond of Mike Baldwin and they began living together. All went well until Mike's son Mark Redman turned up on the scene and he and Linda started an on/off affair. Mike eventually proposed to Linda and with Mark as Mike's best man, everything fell apart at the wedding.

Another wedding to expose family secrets was that of Fiona Middleton to Alan McKenna. Fiona had had a long term relationship with Steve McDonald but they'd eventually split up and then some years later Jim had a one-night stand with her. This all came out when Jim interrupted the wedding, which resulted in Alan ditching Fiona at the altar, unable to be certain of the paternity of the child she was carrying.

There have been a few near misses as well. John Stape had an affair with Rosie Webster and Sally had a huge crush on him as he tutored her for an A-level in English. Jason Grimshaw nearly married Sarah-Louise Platt and once made a pass at her mother Gail. And most recently Lewis Archer having been made a fool of by Audrey Roberts pretended to set his sights on her daughter Gail by way of revenge.

Is that the lot? Or have there been more?


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Corrie - Friday's fantastic photo - June 19, 09

The ever expressive Eileen Grimshaw provides this week's fantastic photo.

It's October 2006 and here she is having a quick bite in Roy's Rolls. Unfortunately, something has made our Eileen want to retch, but what could it be? Well, it certainly isn't the quality of Mr Cropper's fare that's for sure! No, Eileen has just witnessed one of Danny Baldwin's numerous attempts to woo back his estranged wife, Frankie.

Yes, it's the exit storyline we'd rather all just forget - so let me remind you anyway. Danny and Frankie have split up after he had an affair with his son's girlfriend, Leanne Battersby. But now that it's all over, Danny's trying to win her back, except the daft mare's only gone and got herself (ahem) "torn" between him and (oh dear) her stepson, Jamie. Still awake? Yes, it was all very messy, violent and, frankly, rather tedious to watch.

No wonder Eileen looks ready to puke - she's only expressing what the whole nation was thinking. [Sky Clearbrook]