Coronation Street Episode Review; Wednesday 17th November 7.30 & 8.30

No one can say that they ever look forward to a funeral, but, with Jenny, Carla, and Daisy as a trio of mourners, saying goodbye to Johnny Connor did give me some morbid excitement when thinking about tonight's Coronation Street. Not because I like a soap death or anything (!), but following Norris Cole's comedic celebration and Natasha's unseen procession (rude!) I guessed this funeral would be in a church with sad and heartfelt scenes. It did not disappoint. 

Jenny and Carla both gave poignant eulogies, and Jenny's grief was evident throughout the episodes. I wasn't sure about Jenny's boozing but I think she's right about Daisy though. And what about Leo?  You know, that young bloke she dated before the sinkhole collapsed? I guess she forgot about him once Johnny went to his watery grave. £20k from the will should help Jenny get back on track, assuming Daisy doesn't get to it first!

 

Kelly’s retribution is being rammed home to us viewers isn’t it? Tonight's show was a definite reminder that she did not kill Seb, she’s had a very rough life, and Coronation Street are willing viewers to welcome her back with open arms. It's good they are showing youth homelessness (I’m a cheery chap, arent I), social realism being something that Corrie often does best. I just wish they’d have done this the first time around (instead of Sean and his unbelievable tent city situ). Kelly could maybe go to see Billy at the Victoria Court soup kitchen or that homeless shelter that Sophie Webster used to work at? I’d guess the writers aren't careering her towards a life of sex work, and she escaped the hotel quickly, but who knows? Daniel's floozy never had her backstory uncovered, so there is some scope for it!

 

Speaking of which, Daniel has had enough warnings now about Daisy, yet he is still insistent on seeing her. Tonight they decide to take things undercover, all clandestine and starcrossed, out of the way of prying eyes. I cant see this going well, can you! Is she eyeing up his £400K house?

Do you remember when Faye first went to jail, and Kirk said he would write to her so that her boyfriend, PC Craig, would avoid getting in trouble? I do, but I think the writers forgot about her because this is the first time we've seen her in ages, or Tim, come to think of it. Faye’s Dad has now remembered to visit his daughter in jail and to fill her in on Seb’s demise, reminding the viewers that she’s still in prison pending an appeal. She hit Adam Barlow over the head, thinking he was Ray Crosby, remember?. A lot has gone off since then, eh? I could still be interested in what's to come, but a stream of convoluted crime storylines can take the edge off somewhat. 

It's a pity we didn't get to see Kelly and Faye do time together (like Sally and Abi) I'd have enjoyed that, but there we are. Anyway, seeing as she is back on screen, I guess some sort of resolution is due? With Kelly now out, Faye could be next, so is another character going to go to jail soon? My money would be on Daisy! if she doesn't pinch it first... 

Elsewhere in tonight's Corrie - Nick, Leanne, and Sam move back into Victoria Court. Tyrone gets to know Phill, and Sally pricks Debbie’s conscience (more scenes with these two, please) 

P.S - Dear Corrie, Please can Elsie’s backstory be linked to her legendary Tanner namesake?  Drop me an email, I'm full of story ideas!!  @rybazoxo Corrie Connoisseur 

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Corrie's Richard Hawley to Star in New Stage Play

The Corrie connections are in abundance for crime writer Hilary Bonner as actor Richard Hawley, who played Johnny Connor on the cobbles until his watery death in the epic sink-hole episodes last week, announced he’s set to join Bonner’s brand new stage play ‘Dead Lies’, which tours the UK next year. 

Richard is a well known face on TV having appeared in crime and daytime dramas such as The Bill and Family Affairs as well as Downton Abbey and some big budget films like Love actually. We saw Johnny struggling in the dark sewers beneath Weatherfield on Friday as the Horrornation Street drama took a devastating turn, when he slipped away in front of his helpless ex Jenny. The actor made the announcement about his new role on Monday's Loose Women.

Dead Lies is Hilary Bonner’s first stage play and follows Peter George, “a politician who promises a new kind of politics beyone sleaze and spin” (which would be nice). Joe Harmston directs the political thriller which is produced by Red Entertainment. The tour starts in the spring of 2022.

Hilary is married to Corrie icon Amanda Barrie (Alma Sedgewick), who herself will be treading the boards this winter in panto as the Fairy Godmother in Cinderella, at the Queen’s Theatre Barnstaple.

You can buy tickets for Dead Lies HERE and for Cinderella HERE.

Enjoy!

@StevieDawson

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Richard Hawley On Johnny's Shock Exit! - Coronation Street Blog Cast Interview

Johnny Connor is a gonna! As Horror Nation Street concludes tonight, shocked viewers became saddened when ex-Rovers landlord, Underworld boss, and Carla's Dad, Johnn Connor, was swept away to his death, after failing to rescue ex-wife Jenny Bradley in the sinkhole sewer drama. As actor Richard Hawley bows out of the show after six years, Coronation Street Blog had a quick chat with the man himself, about finding out Johnny was to die, fondly remembering his time on the show, and reveals he is swapping the cobbles for the forest! 

When did you first discover that Johnny was going to die in this big week?

Iain (the producer) had known for some time that I was ready to go. I talked to him about it previously, then all the plans and arrangements got stymied because of Covid, and I was happy to be working through that year. I was very fortunate. It could have been then that I stayed, but I live a long way from Coronation Street. I have done over six years, and all the travelling back and forth was getting a bit much for me.

How did you feel about the fact Johnny was going to die?

He explained that the death in the big stunt was going to be Johnny, he outlined the story and I was overjoyed and knocked back by what he was planning. Because for me, it is the completion of a great love story, which is what Sally Ann and I had wanted. You can’t get a truly great love story until it is over until someone dies. 

At the start of the week it looked as though you might leave in a taxi - do you prefer the more tragic ending? 

The one thing that soap doesn’t give you is a beginning, middle and end. By its very nature, it is continuous. Only when you get the end put into place that everything else falls into place. The rest of Johnny’s story now makes sense. There is a strong run of almost seven years of his story. A man trying to redress some of the past, create a future, love, settle down, atone for past mistakes, and change and live well. One of the things that were always important to me was that I wanted to explore the love and humanity of the character. I have been able to do that and particularly with this ending. It completes a journey - a tough journey in many ways. In itself, it is a real story - action, humour, love, thrills and spills. I have been incredibly fortunate on the show, I've done big difficult stories, some tragic stories. I have worked in Underworld and The Rovers - now I have this exit. To come back would have been an anticlimax - leave them wanting more!

Was it good to be able to work closely with Sally Ann again?

It was fantastic and was a complete delight to be able to work closely. It's been a difficult 18 months - constantly having to work at a distance and get that connection. Even not being able to work closely with the director. This week was very different to the daily process, much more like a film. The whole aspect of the stunt was such an experience. There was so much creativity and talent around us - it was quite a shock to work in that way again, but a good shock. I am glad now (that by leaving) I won't have to go back to working the old way again. I would have found that hard after being given that freedom for that short time.

Tell us about filming the stunts, how are you going underwater?

I loved it, I'm a pretty good swimmer. In my career, I have done water-based stunts before. I did a theatre production once that took place in waist-high black water. When I was on The Vet years ago, I had to rescue a donkey from way down in a pit trap in a cornish coal mine full of water and now this, so I am becoming a bit of an expert in the old water stunts. I blew up a monastery once with Rutger Hauer. One of the great things about being an actor is the incredible things you get to do, like filming in the mountains of Transylvania and shooting up restaurants in St Petersburg. So I have done quite a lot, to be honest, this is a crowning element, and despite it being a stunt it was all about the characters, too. It was great to be at the centre of it. It isn't just the stunt, the whole thing has felt like a small film. 

Do you think Johnny just lost his fight at the end, mentally as well as physically?

I did have to try and think about how he would feel at that moment. I don't know that he would give up. I think the utter exhaustion got him. When the voice of Aidan cropped up in the darkness, there was an acceptance of where he is going and he just feels that he has done his best and been honourable. He has made mistakes in his life - he has lost a lot. There is a balancing out of the rights and wrongs of his life, and he accepts it. 

You can feel that Johnny and Jenny love each other. What was it like filming those scenes?

It's important to get across their love for each other. For some reason, it just didn't quite work out for them. They are two wounded people but they were each too wounded to help the other one. They would have loved to have been able to help each other in their relationship but ultimately, they couldn’t. Those final scenes resolve that in some way and give them that love story and that eternity.

What are your highlights of working on the show?

I have had quite a lot of big and important stories, that were challenging to do, so there is a lot to choose from. Getting the job and starting with Faye and Shane was fantastic, getting to work in Underworld, and working in the pub also meant I got to work with so many different people. Aidan’s suicide was a hugely important story to tell and I am so proud of being a part of that. Carla’s mental health issues, Johnny’s struggles with his health, his secrets from the past and trying to make amends affected his mental health. There is an element of mental health issues running through that family. It's something that has always been close to my heart and something that I will be taking on in the future. I am also working with Esme’s Umbrella who raise funds and awareness for Charles Bonnet Syndrome, following Johnny’s story. The show has given me an awful lot. On the lighter side, I loved filming Johnny and Jenny’s wedding and arriving on a Harley Davidson!!

What will you miss most?

I will miss the team. Leaving is very emotional, but I will keep in touch with lots of people. As an actor, you get used to treating everything as just a job but, after almost seven years, it’s not just a job, it is a job where you work closely with the same people every day and I will miss them. But, that is the actor life!

What is next?

I am going to train and volunteer in a Forest School in Lymley Woods near where I live. We are fundraising and creating a pilot project around play, mental health and nature, primarily for children (to start with). I hope to make a documentary about that, and we are going to spend a year getting it all set up. It is something I'm looking forward to immensely. I will be doing some acting work, but the Forest School Association is something I am very passionate about, particularly getting kids out and about again after the past 18 months!

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All the best to Richard Hawley. I wonder if Jenny will keep that J & J picture up in The Rovers backroom, as a tribute? 

@rybazoxo  Your Cobbles Connossiuer 

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Sally Ann Matthews interview: Jenny's sinkhole terror!

During super soap week, one resident who finds themselves in grave danger is Jenny Connor, as the ground opens beneath her, and she falls into the sinkhole. Johnny attempts a rescue, but as the water starts to rise, can they get out on time? 

Before this week of nightmares begins, Jenny is perfectly happy as she moves on from her marriage and starts a relationship with sinkhole expert, Leo. “I think it was the last thing on her mind,” Sally tells us. “There’s this handsome young man, so when [Jenny] finds out she is the object of his desire, she doesn’t quite know what to do with that. She has a conversation with Johnny, and he says, not realising she’s thinking about Leo, that life’s too short for waiting, so she decides, why not?

“She wasn’t looking for a relationship, and ultimately, she loves Johnny, and I don’t think finding another partner is on her radar. She has a really lovely friendship with Johnny at the minute and I think if life hadn’t got in the way and caused all of these upsets, that Jenny and Johnny would still be together. They just kind of thought that they’re a bit toxic together and even though they love each other, they actually can’t live together and make each other happy.

“She feels that Johnny will always be a big part of her life and that because they do love each other, there’s no animosity there. They’ve been really grown up about it and they’ve supported each other through it. I think [Jenny] thinks they’re quite together, just not in a romantic sense.”

During this week, Johnny makes the decision to leave Weatherfield and move to Bali where he can be closer to Kate. However, this isn’t good news for Jenny. Sally said: “Where she thought they were at was that they were friends. He was the one that initially told her to go for it with Ronnie, so she thinks that he’s fine with her moving on with her life and that they’re great friends and they will always be in each other’s lives. When she finds out he wants to move away, she’s devastated.” 

On the night of Horrornation Street, Jenny is enjoying a date night with new man Leo, but the night soon takes a nosedive. “[Jenny] goes to check out her rival, Debbie Webster’s House of Horrors evening, and Johnny happens to be there as well in the beer tent. That’s when they have a chat about him moving away and she’d hate for Johnny to feel edged out because that’s not the situation.” 

As the storm closes in on the street, David and Ryan implore Leo to have a look at the sinkhole as they know something is wrong. Soon after, David announces that they must evacuate the area, and Jenny goes searching for Leo. 

“Now it’s torrential rain. [Jenny]’s worried about Leo, what he’s doing and for his safety, so she goes to try and find him, and she can’t find him. She’s stood there in the rain, very late at night, very cold, and suddenly the earth opens up…”

Despite Jenny’s bad luck this week, Sally told us how much she enjoyed filming it. “How many times have I said in interviews: ‘Give me a ten-page monologue, don’t give me anything to do. I don’t like action.’ I thought getting tasered was bad. But, I get there and I do it, and I bloody loved it. I did write to Iain and Verity [MacLeod] after we’d finished the main six-day section and said: ‘Please can I be in a sinkhole every week?’

“The way we worked over the last 18 months is all the lighting department go into studio, then they clear out and so other people go in and clear out before we arrive there, so this was the first time in about 18 months that we saw every other department and we really worked as a team.

“George Siougas, the director, was brilliant. I instantly trusted him; he gave brilliant technical notes, he gave brilliant acting notes. Also, to be able to get close to Richard [Hawley, who plays Johnny] again was just a joy, and to work with other people closely who Jenny doesn’t normally interact with.”

Sally and Richard filmed for six days in the “wet shaft” that they had to swim through to film the scenes in the sinkhole. Sally told us: “We had wetsuits on, and then clothes on top. It was a monumental effort getting to a loo. 

“It was cold, but if you weren’t in the water, the crew were sweating buckets because it’s like when you’re at a swimming pool. We’d have hot water bottles in the pool, and they’d periodically pour the contents of a hot water bottle into my wetsuit to warm that up. The bizarre thing you don’t realise as well is how quickly you dehydrate in that situation. Keeping hydrated was really important.”

As Jenny tries to remain calm in the sinkhole, she’s shocked when Johnny appears to try and rescue her. Sally said: “She is terrified, she’s injured, she’s cold… she knows that Leo is on the case and that people know there is an issue, so I think she’s quietly confident initially that she’s going to be found. When Johnny arrives, she’s like: ‘What the bloody hell are you doing here?’” 

As they await rescue, Jenny and Johnny have plenty of time on their hands, and the topic of conversation soon drifts towards their relationship. “They’re forced to discuss how they feel,” Sally said. “When you’re in a situation like that, you have to work together. 

“You’ve got to keep each other’s spirits up until you’re rescued and within those conversations, maybe things are said, and real feelings are exposed.”

If Jenny and Johnny escape in time, could this be a new chapter in their relationship? 

Sophie Williams

Find me on Twitter @sophie_writer1

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