The curse of 6 Coronation Street

So the Nazir family are rather inexplicably moving into number 6 Coronation Street. I still do not understand the reason behind this impulse purchase, other than a crazy notion these days that every character connected with the programme must live on the street itself. Gone are the days of seeing the wider Weatherfield world it seems. 

I'm trying very hard to like the Nazir family. Alya is the brightest hope for a long term character I can take to. I can't even find the words to describe how boring I find Kal, Zeedan and Sharif. I feel sorry for Jane Danson as the trend for her character being placed with unpopular new arrivals continues. Yasmeen has promise but she can sometimes be just too full on for me. Putting her in charge of the new community centre has been a good move but the current Alya/Gary storyline isn't impressing me all that much.

Anyway, they've moved into number 6 which hopefully means that horrid living room wallpaper will soon disappear. Every cloud. 6 Coronation Street is something of a doom-laden property so that doesn't exactly augur well for its latest inhabitants. Shall we take a look at the evidence as we go through the keyhole? Ahem.

For the first eight years of its life, the house was owned by bookmaker Des Barnes. The fondest memory I have of this time is the lovely Phyllis Pearce acting as his cleaner. Sadly all was not well chez Barnes and before too long Steph had run off with someone else. More misery ensued as Des mucked poor Raquel about for years. And of course Des met his maker in the house thanks to a run in with a coffee table and some dodgy drug dealers. 

Ever since then, the house has changed hands on a rather alarming number of occasions. It has become a temporary residence for a constant stream of ill-advised casting decisions. Debs Brownlow and Matt and Charlie Ramsden spring uneasily to mind. 

Then came the Harris family, never a happy, bubbly brood. They ruined the character of Martin Platt, daughter Katy killed her father and then herself and mother Angela went to prison. 

Then came Charlie Stubbs, who also breathed his last under that roof thanks to a combination of Tracy's woeful sexy dance and her nack with heavy, ugly ornaments. After a quick bottoming through, in come 23 members of the Morton family, although the only one I can remember is Sinbad from Brookside. Most recently we've had to witness the extended misery of the extended Armstrong-Windass clan, now forever banished to the gloomy flat above Tracy's emporium of knock off. Not exactly a glittering track record is it? 

So I wonder what lies in store for the Nazirs? Will it be more murder, mayhem and misery or will they lead a more charmed existence, sandwiched between Sally and Gail? I'd say it will be interesting finding out, but I'm yet to be convinced. 


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The faces of Corrie in 2003

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 2003, 248 episodes were broadcast.

1. Shelley Unwin (163 episodes)

2. Sarah Platt (157 episodes)

3. Steve McDonald (155 episodes)

4. Tracy Preston/Cropper/Barlow (147 episodes)

5. Karen McDonald (139 episodes)

6. Martin Platt (135 episodes)

7. Katy Harris (133 episodes)

8. Angela Harris (133 episodes)

9. Todd Grimshaw (130 episodes)

10. Dev Alahan (129 episodes)

11. Fiz Brown (128 episodes)

12. Roy Cropper (126 episodes)

Average age: 26 – this is to date the youngest average age of the top 12

Note: To date, this is the last time Martin and Todd and the only times Angela (to date) and Katy appear in the top 12

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Death by their own hand

Since the news is full of the possible suicide of John Stape, I wondered if there have actually been any successful suicides on Coronation Street? There are a handful that I can remember but they are few and far between. Soaps tend not to feature successful suicides so as not to be blamed for a fan doing the same. Thus, most people on soaps, Corrie included, who attempt to take their own lives are usually either saved at the last minute or are unsuccessful and are revived with medical attention.

The first Corrie character to die at his own hand was Joe Donelli. He killed Steve Tanner, a murder that Len Fairclough was suspected of committing. Joe had run off but returned a year or so later and held Hilda Ogden Minnie Caldwell (thanks commenter!) hostage. Stan changed places with him but couldn't prevent him from turning the gun on himself. We only heard the shot from the outside of the house.

Janet Barlow was Ken Barlow's second wife. They had a stormy marraige and separated in 1976. In early 1977, she returned and wanted a reconciliation but Ken rejected her. He found her in the morning, dead, having taken sleeping pills. 

Don Brennan, who had terminal cancer, tried to get revenge on Mike Baldwin but in the end, drove Alma's little red sports car into the viaduct at the end of the street back in 1997. He died in the resulting fireball. The scorch marks were on those bricks for years until the Joinery was built last year and then all the bricks came down with the tram crash.

Katy Harris killed her father in a fit of rage. Her mother took the blame for it and Katy, a diabetic, overdosed herself on sugar, the guilt she felt having been too much for her.

Those are the only ones I can remember but maybe you can think of anyone else? Some characters, such as Sheila Birtles, Ken Barlow, Les Battersby and Bet Lynch have thought about it but were saved by a friendly face and encouraging word. David Platt drove his car into the canal but was only trying to ruin Sarah's wedding.

Thanks to Corrie.net who list over 120 characters (minor and major) and 2 animals that have died since the start of the Street.

50 Years Of Corrie In 50 Days – 2005

Day 45 of our 50 day countdown of Coronation Street - written by blogger Sunny Jim.

When Shelley Unwin was first employed at the Rovers by Duggie Ferguson, she was brassy, confident and wouldn’t take any nonsense from the punters. A bigamous marriage to Peter Barlow and lack of luck with fellas in general had started to dent that confidence and when she took up with the dominating bully of a builder, Charlie Stubbs, she was about to sink even deeper. He constantly chipped away at her, undermining her self-esteem and self-confidence and turned her into an agoraphobic, insecure mess. He was constantly criticising her weight, her behaviour and her personality and one occasion he made her change her outfit fourteen times and ripped out her earrings before a night out. She became completely submissive to him and was a shadow of the plucky, feisty, fun-loving woman we first met.

Despite all her friends and her mother, Bev, begging her not to, she agreed to marry her manipulative oppressor. The night before the wedding she was forced to listen to a few home truths about her fiancé, including the revelation that he’d tried it on with pretty, young barmaid Violet Wilson. Meanwhile, Charlie was spending the night before the wedding in the arms of another woman who he’d picked up in a bar. At the church it looked like neither of them were going to turn up but eventually Charlie swaggered in followed by an unsure looking Shelley. When the vicar got to ‘Do you take this man?’ the nation cheered when she replied: ‘No, I’m sorry, I don’t. I can’t trust you! I can’t marry you!’ before fleeing the church. Charlie couldn’t take the public humiliation and drove off in the wedding car with Shelley as hostage. He threatened her and told her she must be mentally ill but this time she was stronger and managed to escape. She fled through the streets of Weatherfield in her wedding dress, finally free of him.

Martin Platt fell in love with sixteen year old schoolgirl Katy Harris and was branded a pervert by family and friends alike. Her parents wrongly convinced her that Martin was having an affair with Sally Webster in an attempt to split them up and in a state of shock and betrayal she aborted the child she was carrying. Martin was devastated at the loss of his child and the lack of trust she had shown him so ended the relationship. Katy confronted her father about his lies at the garage but he was unremorseful, thinking it all worthwhile to end the affair. She lashed out at him with a wrench and killed him. Her mother, Angela, had seen it all and tried to cover up the murder, first letting the police suspect Martin and then later taking the blame herself. After her mother had been sent to gaol, Katy, a diabetic, committed suicide by eating spoonsful of sugar. Martin found love again and moved to Liverpool with his new girlfriend Robyn.

Also in 2005: Danny Baldwin turns out to be Mike’s son; Ken and Deirdre Barlow remarry; Ray Langton dies at wedding reception; Les Battersby marries Cilla Brown; Status Quo play at Les and Cilla’s wedding; Diggory and Molly Compton and Lloyd Mullaney make their first appearances; Mel Hutchwright wows and cons the book club.

Meet Corrie's newlyweds at Boothstown on Saturday

Coronation Street fans can see newlyweds Alan Halsall and Lucy-Jo Hudson (Tyrone Dobbs and killer Katy Harris) at the Boothstown Farm Fiesta on Saturday 18 July.

The opening parade will lead by Ciaran Griffiths (Mickey Maguire from Shameless) in his pink Cadillac - which has got to be worth turning up to see.

Funds are being raised for St. Ann's Hospice and you can find out more on the fiesta here and here

Alan Halsall and Lucy-Jo Hudson get married

Alan Halsall and Lucy-Jo Hudson were married yesterday but just like Tupele Dorgu's wedding the other week, there are no online pictures of the happy couple.

Alan, better known as Tyrone Dobbs from Coronation Street wed Lucy-Jo, who played killer Katy Harris, in Barthomley, Cheshire. However, bride and groom were dressed under wraps to protect their image rights as they've sold their nuptials to a celebrity magazine.

Lucy-Jo Hudson stars in new comedy film

Lucy-Jo Hudson, who played Coronation Street killer Katy Harris and is the real-life fiance of Alan Halsall, who plays Tyrone Dobbs, is set to star in a new film. Lucy plays the part of Sam in the film Looking for Eric which will be released this year. It's a comedy based on the life of legendary footy player Eric ooh-aah Cantona.

See also: Lucy-Jo Hudson: "I couldn't cope with Corrie"

Lucy-Jo Hudson: "I couldn't cope with Corrie"

Alan Halsall (Tyrone Dobbs) is marrying his long term girlfriend Lucy-Jo Hudson (Katy Harris) later this year. And in an emotional interview with The People, Lucy-Jo talks about being mugged while filming Wild at Heart in Africa. And she also reveals that she struggled with the role of killer Katy Harris on Coronation Street.

"I was 18 when I got the Katy part," she said. "Because I was so young I couldn't cope with it at all. Your life turns upside down because you can't go anywhere without people pointing at you and putting a camera in your face to take a picture because you're public property. I became a recluse and hibernated. It was a relief to leave."

However, happier times are ahead as she and Alan plan their big day. She said: "I haven't even got a date. I just haven't had time but I hope it is this year. I'd love an intimate wedding but I am sure he wants a big do because he wants a big p***-up."

Read more on the character of Tyrone Dobbs and see how he's changed over the years.