The Saddest, the most Heartbreaking Lines...

Coronation Street is known for its fine comedy, its credible conversations and its well-drawn friendships. Some of the best lines ever written have been uttered on the cobbles.

But it’s not just the comedy, it’s also the heart-breaking scenes and the sadness around broken friendships and relationships that are particularly poignant.

The ones I have chosen here are the ones that over my many Corrie viewing years have had a profound effect.
Most recently - Bethany’s words.  The fact that she is so young and has endured so much is what is behind her words when she says to David and Sarah:-

‘Nothing helps. Please hear me. I’m broken and nothing is going to fix me.’

Another is by Hayley, to Roy, who she so badly wanted to understand and support her in her bid to kill herself, before her cancer became too much to bear for herself and others, especially Roy. Typically for Hayley, with no fuss, no drama, even though this would be the most dramatic action of her life, she says:-

‘I love you – always have, always will. I’m so sorry, I have to go.’

In the very first episode of Coronation Street, Elsie has been rowing with her son, Dennis. Dennis is not hunting for a job seriously enough in Elsie’s eyes, but Dennis feels stymied because he is just recently out of prison. Elsie accuses him of stealing £2 from her purse. He didn’t. His sister took it to do some shopping.

Exhausted by the stresses of family life, Elsie gazes at her reflection in the mirror. She ponders her image and comments on the inevitable deterioration that age brings with it and comes out with this famous line:-

‘Eh, Elsie, you’re just about ready for the knacker yard.’

Last year, the incomparable Kylie Platt was murdered in broad daylight. As she lay dying in David’s arms, her children on her mind and the devastating realisation that she must leave them dawning on her, she said:-

‘Whatever mistakes I made, please tell them I never stopped loving them.’

In her early incarnation, many viewers thought Mary was just plain weird, and terms such as oddball, nut- job and loony were cast around. Recently Mary’s evolution has made her a firm favourite on the cobbles.

In those early days, viewers will remember how Mary was very taken by Norris, but he did not reciprocate. In the words which follow, there is mystery, a hint of revenge and a lifetime of rejection. Norris’s enquiries fall on deaf ears.

Mary: You wouldn’t be the first person who rejected me. Even my own mother turned her back on me. I made her pay for that though.

Norris: What did you do?

Mary: Do you like Salade Nicoise?

In this next conversation, we witness the end of a longstanding friendship. Bet Lynch has been away for 7 years. Prior to her leaving, she and Rita had a falling out over a large sum of money. Bet claims that Rita had promised to put £60k towards buying The Rovers with Bet. Rita claims she didn’t promise and has changed her mind – hence the argument.

Now Bet has returned and turns up at The Rovers. Rita is there but neither she nor Bet make the effort to reconnect. The next day though, Rita has a change of heart and goes to see Bet. Sadly, they cannot regain their friendship.

Rita: You’ve turned into a hard, petty woman. I feel sorry for you. Do us all a favour and leave and take that vulgar ring with you.

Bet: You still think you’re a cut above. You can put on all the airs and graces you like – you only run a toffee shop.

Rita: I was a fool to come here and think I could salvage something.

Friendships come and go, but Rita and Bet had been very close over the years. I’d like to bet (!) that in all our lives there is someone, a once valued friend who is no longer in your life. And that fact makes you sad.

By Ruth Owen

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What's Shona's Story?

Shona has me very intrigued. I'm with Sophie, there's something about her. Forgive me if this is somewhat redundant but I had a few additional ideas.

There's a connection to Kylie and Gemma through the "old days". It's been suggested that she's related to Clayton or Callum, but she seems to be genuinely mourning Kylie. If she was that close a friend or relative, surely Gemma would remember once she realized where she knew Shona from. Gemma was a good friend of Kylie's and if Shona was as well, surely Gemma would know.

And why was Shona on the streets? I don't know how old Shona is supposed to be, she doesn't look old enough to be Kylie and Becky's mother who, even if she was pregnant in her teens with Becky, she'd still have to be close to 50 now and if she was their mother, and we've been told she was an addict, she'd definitely look her age after a rough life. So that can't be it. Perhaps a cousin or another half sister? Maybe Kylie and Becky's mother or father had a younger sister and she's Auntie Shona? That would make her a great-aunt to Lily and would explain the emotion over Lily's thank you card and her tearful visit to Kylie's grave.

She doesn't seem to harbour a grievance. We haven't seen her shoot angry daggers at David behind his back for being married to the woman Clayton killed causing him to go to jail (and who killed Callum though nobody knows about that outside of the Platts). It doesn't look like she's there to take revenge. I wonder if she knew who David was when she chatted him up in the club the night she nicked his wallet? She certainly realized who he was after due to Kylie's photo in the wallet. She avoided Coronation Street at first, knowing David lived and worked there and she knew there was a kebab shop which was where Clayton killed Kylie. Even now that she's living at Eileen's and working in the cafe, she does seem uncomfortable whenever David is around and it doesn't seem to be out of anger.

I'm dead curious as to where this is going, however, I'd hate for it to run the cliche route of having she and David get together romantically. Soaps being soaps, I'm afraid that's what will happen but I may yet be surprised. I'm not holding my breath but I do want to get to the bottom of it.

Here's something that just occurred to me...Kylie was away from the Dog and Gun for some years, possibly for a few years before she met David, we don't really know. Maybe Shona and Kylie had a romantic relationship for awhile. While we were not aware that Kylie was bi-sexual, it's always possible she reached out to a woman if they were both trying to survive the Mean Streets of Weatherfield and it grew into something more. I think that would be an interesting twist. What say you? What's the connection between Shona and Kylie? Where do you see this storyline going?

Edited to add: Comment by Rapunzel reminded me that Shona has a connection to Nathan. Do you think that Kylie might have been one of Nathan's victims in the past?

Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

 
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Coronation Street film court scenes for Kylie's murder trial

Coronation Street have been filming court scenes today - but who's in the dock?

The Manchester Evening News have the pics, they say it's Kylie's killer Clayton who's on trial.  And the Platt clan are out in force to see Clayton sent down.

Filming today took pace at the old Salford Magistrates Court building. Pictured being filmed were Helen Worth (Gail), Catherine Tyldesley (Eva), Dolly-Rose Campbell (Gemma Winter) and Macca played by Gareth Berliner.

Earlier this week, David was pictured filling up two cans of petrol in Corrie scenes and sparking up a lighter outside the courtroom.

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Taking The Fun Out Of A Funeral

Kylie's funeral in last night's Corrie was very affecting.  Even my cynical heart - formed out of concrete and razor blades - had a slight crack when Max was wheeled on to talk about how great his mother was before she died.  It was a moving and appropriate tribute.

A shame, then, that the good work on the funeral was undercut by the deserted wake.  They'd made such a fuss about it - booking the venue, letting Max choose the food - and then when it happened, it turned out the producers had decided to do it on the cheap.

Literally everyone who attended could fit in a single booth at the Rovers.  There was Gail, Audrey, Rita, Bethany, Michael, Derek Griffiths (I believe his character has a name, but I'm a child of Play School, so I will only ever call him Derek Griffiths and sit cross legged waiting for him to do a song about balloons).  Eva perched on a stool.  Norris floated in at the end with some bonbons.  Tim wandered around talking about antimacassars.  And that was it.

Really?  So Nick and Roy - who carried Kylie's coffin - couldn't make it to the actual wake?  Nick couldn't get out of his busy schedule of standing around being useless? (And even though Roy was at the funeral, there was no sign of Cathy in support).

It was more than that.  Tim and Rita behind the bar was utterly illogical - chattering about being "roped in to help" would make sense if, at any point, we saw Steve, Liz or Michelle busying themselves with other arrangements.  Not a sign.  Maria (who was attending without Luke, for some reason) took the kids away from the actual burial.  Fair enough.  But after Max deciding on burger and chips for everyone, wouldn't it be nice to let him actually eat some?  (In fact, I didn't see anyone eat anything all episode).  It's actually quite life-affirming to have children at a wake - everyone talking about the deceased in glowing terms, while kids play.  That's the part of the funeral they should attend, instead of being trapped in Maria's tiny flat.

There was a half-hearted stab at explaining Sally's absence, but it was still ridiculous.  She's been mates with Gail for twenty odd years - she'd be there.  And Kevin and Sophie, as long-standing friends of the Platt family, should have been there too.  There's no chance that Beth, having actually been at the funeral, would then pass up the opportunity for free food and drink - she'd have taken a carrier bag.  She would probably have called Kirk and told him to fill his boots, but again, he was conspicuous by his absence.

Given that she was stabbed as the result of a robbery at his kebab shop, wouldn't Dev have wanted to attend as a mark of respect?  How about Chesney, supporting his friend Gemma?  How about Leanne, who was actually related to Kylie and the rest of the Platts for a while?  Hell, just pay a few extras to fill the space in the background - pretend they were Kylie's nail clients or something.

I get it: there are filming conflicts, costings, holidays.  From a production point of view, where actors are paid by the episode, it makes no sense to pay a lot of fees so that actors can have a single line or loiter in the background.  But the practicalities of production shouldn't be allowed to interfere with the drama onscreen.  Make savings elsewhere; film inserts on a different date that can be dropped in later.  Kylie's wake was sparse and miserable, and it destroyed the goodwill of the funeral in the first half of the show.  It took me out of the moment.  The Rovers looked like a ghost town, and surely, that's not what she would have wanted.

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Sarah reveals that Kylie killed Callum in Coronation Street

Next week on Coronation Street we'll see Kylie's funeral take place.  David's just about managing to keep it together but things looks set - in true soap style - to explode at the graveside.

Inside Soap magazine today reveal that on the morning of Kylie's funeral, Sarah visits Todd at Preston's Petals.  Todd tells Sarah that he knows she killed Callum - and of course Sarah denies it all. Todd's got the wrong end of the stick and when Sarah denies killing Callum, Todd then assumes that David must have killed him.

At the funeral, Todd has a go at David and follows the Platts back to the house accusing David of killing Callum. Todd's angry because he believes that Jason left because he thought his dad Tony Stewart was the murderer. Anyway, Todd's anger spills over and as David and Todd argue and fight, Sarah blurts out the truth: "David wasn't the killer! Kylie was!"


Oh 'eck.  I can't wait to see everyone's stunned faces at the wake at the Platts next week.

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A message from Downing Street to Coronation Street

As one door opens another closes. Or slams in your face. Corrie, famous for having strong women at the forefront of it's storytelling lost one of them last night as Kylie tragically took her last breath, having only just laid out plans to start a new life in Barbados. Not one to waste an opportunity to make a tenuous link to politics, the revolving door that is Number 10 Downing Street claimed another scalp of it's own last week as David Cameron walked the cobbles for the final time and Theresa May took her place in history to move in to the second most famous street in Britain, waving the flag for strong women everywhere. Don't be surprised if you see Sally Metcalfe with a new May-style haircut and wearing kitten heels in the near future...

In her first message to the nation, the new Prime Minister spoke directly to a certain group of people, as did Thatcher before her. Who were they? Let's see if our Weatherfield favourites have any idea...

@StevieDawson 

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Coronation Street double episode review, Friday 15 July 2016

A review like this is not easy to write. Why? Because it attempts to capture the essence of something that has cut to our very core, that for which raw emotion is the only viable substitute for words. It’s hard to think of last night’s Coronation Street as a construct, so competently did its parts succeed in coming together to form that intangible something that has had audiences rapt for centuries. But, like such plays and dramas preceding it, the secrets always lie in its careful crafting. Nothing is accidental. Not the inclusion of Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, not Maria’s splash of red jam, not the fish colouring book, not the open blue sky that becomes encroached by trees and cables as death lies in wait. In the hands of Chris Fewtrell, this was always going to be special.

Kylie’s new energy infused the first episode with a fresh optimism at the prospect of going somewhere where she had no past. “It feels like it’s been throwing it down my whole life” she told David, “I can finally chuck the umbrella and catch some rays.” To Gemma, she declares, “Life’s what you make it, if you don’t like it, you change it. That’s what I’m doing.” And after a beautiful scene with Gail in which she appeals to her love for David to make her understand why she needs to leave for Max and Lily’s sake, she announces to Audrey and Freddie“I get a shot at the person I always wanted to be.”

Of course, knowing as much as we did meant each of these lines were charged with a tragic inevitability. As she emerged from the Rovers on the phone to David, champagne in hand, and he exited the Bistro with Bethany, Max and Lily, cutting back and forward between them talking as they walked towards one another signalled the impending gulf between them. She appeared already unreachable by them, unable to be saved.

As I watched, I couldn’t help thinking about the claims that it would be something that had never been done before, and as Clayton attacked Gemma outside the kebab shop, and Kylie ran towards them, I was in denial that this could be what was to happen. Even as Clayton stabbed her, I couldn’t believe that that would be it, and spent the intervening half hour wondering at the possibilities. Maybe she stabbed Clayton with the bottle? No, he was clearly wielding the knife. Maybe there’d be a twist, like there was with Tina McIntyre? No, as it transpired. Kylie Platt would meet her end being stabbed outside a kebab shop. 

If we had been told this in 2010 when she first blazed on to the cobbles, we might have been less surprised. But I initially thought, considering how far she’s come, she deserved more than to meet her demise at the hands of someone who just entered the show and in such circumstances. But such is life, and therein lies the tragedy. What she had been waiting for was finally in her grasp, but would never come to pass.

The second episode was a masterpiece. As Kylie lay cradled in David’s arms on the cobbles, between the salon and the Rovers, Jack P. Shepherd and Paula Lane put in the performances of their lives. The love between the pair, the account she makes of her life in her dying moments, his desperation to stop it all from happening, was so beautiful and raw, you truly felt you were intimately witnessing a real death. 

Those looking on as they waited interminably for an ambulance were fittingly sparse and quiet. A sober Gail offers immense support, an incredulous Bethany weeps, Roy, with futile first aid kit, delivers with delicacy the sad realisation that “I don’t think there’s much we can do that you’re not already doing” and Sally offers one of the most powerful lines I’ve heard on the Street in some time, “it’s always just another day.”

Kylie’s final words are fittingly resonant. “It was great wasn’t it. We were great.” As she slips away, and broken hearted David lets out a perishing cry, I defy anyone not to be deeply moved. As he later told the children the news, I was similarly floored.

Now that I’ve seen it, I must say that I can see no necessity for us to have known in advance that she was going to die, and the potentially misinterpreted claim that what happened has never been done in soap before unfortunately has some people complaining instead of focussing on what was different, innovative and brilliant about its aftermath. It's quite clear now that if Corrie had intended for Kylie's actual killing to be ground breaking, Gail would never have mentioned Brian Tilsley. I would have also had Gemma find out the news in a more sensitive manner, and I would have reserved the Kate and Caz scenes for another day. But to address the criticisms of others, Craig's inaction, the proximity of the quite possibly closed medical centre and the length of time it took the ambulance to come are all simply viable circumstantial threads in the tapestry.

This powerful, unforgettable departure for Kylie, and by extension, Paula Lane, was a masterpiece in writing, performance and direction. It shows what Coronation Street remains capable of, and I hope with all my being that we see more of it. 

“We’re going to live our lives in colour” David tearfully assured her before evoking immense sympathy by revealing that he’d been looking on the internet at the kinds of fish you can see snorkelling in Barbados. Later held in bloodstained hands, all that remained of that dream was an aquatic themed colouring book.

I leave you with Beckett, whose words from Waiting for Godot provide the most apt of conclusions.  

Estragon: I remember the maps of the Holy Land. Coloured they were. Very pretty. The Dead Sea was pale blue. The very look of it made me thirsty. That's where we'll go, I used to say, that's where we'll go for our honeymoon. We'll swim. We'll be happy.

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.net

Twitter: @ELHynes

Facebook: @EmmaHynesWrites

See also The Incomparable Kylie Platt in which I take a look back at this great Corrie character.

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R.I.P. Kylie Platt

Reposted from State of the Street with permission.

I've just finished watching two very emotional episodes of Coronation Street. I don't think I've seen better performances all year. The tributes will be pouring in. Here's mine.

As I speculated yesterday, Kylie got stabbed while defending Gemma from Clayton. I was leaning towards David being threatened but it was Gemma after all and the yobbo tried to rob the shop after Gemma gave him short shrift earlier on, full of the confidence that Kylie'd given her. He returned, tried to rob the shop and Gemma wrestled him out the door, getting knocked unconscious for her trouble but Kylie came charging around the corner to help her old mate and got it in the chest. No surprise that Clayton was carrying a deadly looking knife. His sort usually do.

I thought, Oh heck, that stab wound is right at the area of the heart, she won't last long. Surprisingly, it wasn't instantaneous and she had enough time to tell David everything she wanted to tell him, pouring her heart out with his tears washing her face. That sounds so dreadfully theatrical, doesn't it? My tears were flowing, too, I am not afraid to admit.

It seemed to take forever for the ambulance to come. But wait, she fell about 30 feet from the medical centre. Surely they have doctors in there? I don't think they could have done much either, but perhaps they could have eased the pain a little if nothing else.

When she died and David howled, I gasped and was in floods. I've seen the best performance from Jack P. Shepherd in particular tonight and I've seen Jack P. Shepherd put in some mighty ones over the years.

All around, everyone was amazing. Between Gail's heart breaking for her son and the daughter in law she grew to love to the neighbours being profoundly shocked. Roy attempting to help but seeing there wasn't a thing he could do. Craig feeling horribly guilty that he didn't do more when it kicked off. We all know he's just a kid himself and I bet Beth is thanking all the Gods and Goddesses her son didn't try to be a hero. I hope he can help and be a credible witness but Gemma survived so she will be able to tell the police Clayton's name.

I'm also very glad that Gail brought up the similarity to Brian Tilsley's death and how she made a mess of telling Nick about his father. Nick was about the same age as Max and Sarah Lou was probably close to Lily's age. Gail is going to have flashbacks about that one for some time to come. She admitted she didn't handle telling Nick the right way and urged David to be very clear about Kylie's being dead, not just gone away. I think he did a pretty good job. He did tell the children she was dead though in heaven waiting for them. There may or may not be a Heaven but children don't have to think about that aspect.

This is the kind of Coronation Street that we fans want. I know they can't do high emotion like this all the time, but it's what they do so well. When we see the mundane and the rushed, the over-sensational and the underwhelming, we get frustrated because we know it can hit these stupendous heights of greatness. And it was great. Top stuff.

David has to find a way to carry on. He's got kids to keep him going, often that's the only thing that gets a person through something like this. I expect he'll go off the rails at some point, raging against the night in his grief.

Well done to all involved. Rest in Peace, Kylie.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)


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Kylie Platt - a little more

With a drug addict mother and an abusive father, Kylie Platt, nee Turner, did not have the best start in life. She did have a half-sister, Becky Granger, but was resentful when Becky left home.

It is worth saying that the actresses chosen to play Becky and Kylie: Katherine Kelly and Paula Lane respectively, were extremely well matched and wholly credible as half-sisters.

Aged 19, Kylie became pregnant by a certain Callum Logan, who was initially supportive of his then girlfriend, but when her pregnancy became obvious, he abandoned her. However, when Max was born, Callum returned, but, true to form, when the unglamorous reality of looking after a child became evident, he left again.

It wasn't long though before Max was taken away from Kylie, as she had no stable home in which to bring up a child. Max was placed in foster care and Kylie was only allowed limited access to her son.

It has to be said that Kylie was not a very likeable young woman on our first meeting her. Shockingly, she tried to sell her little boy to Becky. For a while, Becky, who was with Steve at the time, looked after Max and was a great mum to him. She became very attached to her nephew. Kylie then stayed at The Rovers, for a while, though that did not suit Steve and Liz, who made it their mission to get her out.

Since then, and a stint as a cage dancer, Kylie married David Platt, who could possibly be the male version of his wife. David and Kylie are rarely dull, which could be their saving grace. In both of them resides a troubling lack of stability, though things were improving on that count. With Max and Lily, their family unit seemed complete, but had the future been different, there may have been more Platt kids. Up until now though, their family unit had never been as stable. There is though, in both of them, a wildness, a waywardness in both of them, which is no doubt part of the attraction. and concerning David, in particular, a strong leaning towards amorality at times.

In Kylie's case, despite her apparent domesticity, she is clearly flawed,( as indeed we all are.) But now, she is so likeable, flaws and all. She even has real affection for her mother-in-law, and the feeling is mutual.

I won't comment on Kylie's death in this post, except to say that with Kylie gone, here is yet another tragedy for the Platts.  I can't help wondering though, if now the true circumstances of Callum's murder will be taken to the grave with Kylie? Only time will tell...

Please note - it seems inappropriate to write about Kylie in the past tense - when I started writing this post she hadn't yet died. David will no doubt leave no stone unturned in his pursuit of his wife's killer.
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The Incomparable Kylie Platt

“Just do one, eh? All I did was save some poor kid from ending up with a mother like you.”

Kylie Turner’s first line was uttered from behind a door that wasn’t hers in a house she pretended was while mid-onslaught from estranged sister Becky. Having dashed the McDonald’s hopes of adoption on foot of a bad reference, their reunion was not an amicable one, but they would eventually come together to fight for and win Kylie custody of son Max. What a happy ending that would have been, only we probably wouldn’t be here almost six years later describing Kylie as a truly great Corrie character.

Despite getting a second chance after a troubled start in life, Kylie wasn't quite ready to be reformed. Thieving, drinking, sleeping around and neglecting her parental responsibilities, she didn’t exactly endear herself to those around her, and on agreeing to leave Max with Steve and Becky permanently in exchange for £25,000 while she jetted off, you wondered if she had any redeeming qualities.

Of course, she squandered the lot, but, reinvention being one of Kylie's enduring traits, it wasn’t long before she bounced back. Enter ‘Candy’, a cage dancer from Tenerife and, to Gail’s abject terror, fiancée of beloved son David Platt.

David and Kylie instantly proved to be a winning combo who appeared to bring out the best in one another. While I had great sympathy for Becky and Steve at the time, David was the driving force behind regaining custody of Max, and proved himself to be a good father, while Kylie showed her sensitive side through revealing her fears about her ability to be a suitable mother.

Kylie began to progress, first with her nail bar and then at the Bistro. For the first time in her life, she felt she had the potential to succeed, which is why David’s insistence that they have a baby wasn’t exactly welcome. On learning that another child wasn’t what she wanted at that time, David publicly humiliated her and she ended up in bed with Nick. The sympathy I felt for Kylie here was a testament to the advancing depth of her character.

Pregnancy, blackmail, a hate campaign and a brain injury followed. Kylie began to realise just what her husband and confirmed father of daughter Lily was capable of, and it scared her. While she thought she could keep him away, resistance was futile as he wormed his way back into the Platt fold, and she ended up turning to drink to cope until Max nearly had an accident, and she came to her senses. This reconciliation with David would prove short lived, as Max being diagnosed with ADHD would lead to Kylie taking his pills to cope with the stress, the discovery of which disgusted David. But things were about to get a whole lot worse.

Enter Callum Logan. Kylie may have wished to find out if there was anything in Max’s father's family history to explain his diagnosis, but her enquiries didn’t end there, as she turned to him to supply her with the drugs she was now lacking, leading her to be thrown out altogether by David.

Returning months later begging forgiveness, David agreed to pretend he and Kylie were back together, knowing it was the only way to stop Callum taking Max. This, of course, lead to them reuniting yet again, and being stronger than ever. 

Kylie really came into her own over this past year, proving without a doubt that those she loves really are everything to her as she tried to stop Callum’s increasing power over her family take hold. From tricking Bethany into dealing drugs to seducing Sarah and doing everything in his power to take Max, he was a force to be reckoned with, even if he was one of the campest villains to hit the cobbles.

The fact that Kylie had finally reached maturity and proven herself redeemed, makes it all the more tragic that she would be the one to kill Callum.  Her horror at David’s calm demeanour and apparent ability to cope with the secret buried beneath the annex, and the aftermath, is evidence of her strong conscience. 

In recent episodes, we’ve watched her pain at seeing Sarah and Bethany suffer the consequences of her actions, and her attempts to hold it all together by being there for everyone. Her guilt has been buried for the sake of others, but there’s no doubting it has been there from the start. Moving into the annex appears a step too far, however, and following a sleepless night, and hearing the terrified screams of Max after being locked into it by Asha Alahan, she decides that moving to Barbados is the only solution if she is to be the parent Max needs, claiming she can’t be that mother as long as they stay in Weatherfield.

When you look back at her first line, it’s actually rather poignant in hindsight. Of course, we could never have known it at the time, but all she wants now is for Max to have the mother he deserves. Considering her past misdemeanours, this motivation is a testament to how far she has come.

I’ve enjoyed seeing the inimitable character of Kylie progress over the years in the exceptionally capable hands of Paula Lane who I've had the pleasure of interviewing her on a couple of occasions. I wish her the very best as she embarks on a new chapter in her life.

While the scenes surrounding Kylie's departure remain a mystery, and I look forward to seeing them tonight, one thing we can be sure of is that Kylie will be a great loss to the Street.

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.net
Twitter: @ELHynes
Facebook: @EmmaHynesWrites

Watch Kylie's first scene on Corrie.
Read my interviews with Paula Lane in 2014 and 2016.
Find out more about Kylie's time on the cobbles via Corriepedia, a great resource for Corrie fans and bloggers like me who like to have their recollections affirmed when taking trips down memory lane.

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More Kylie Speculation

I blogged here, speculating on how Kylie will die. I'll admit, and it was obvious, that my guesses were all in fun. This time, I'm using my imagination and educated guesses based on soap cliches and laws.

Let me say right here and now, I have absolutely no idea how Kylie will die. ITV are being very cagey about it, even in future spoilers. I do wish they hadn't spoiled that she was going to die at all but they did and cats that are out of the bag cannot be put back in.

Soaps follow a pattern, and there are clues you can follow if you want to guess what's going to happen. There's the Phrase of Doom where someone expresses hope for the future, or how happy they are, or how happy they are together and will be together forever. Uh oh. That's it, they're doomed. Something's going to happen and it isn't going to be pretty.

If someone faints, they're usually pregnant. All sorts of situations that are unusual pop up which are out of character or out of the ordinary. You can bet they're contrived as a means to an end, like when the manhole was introduced to the annex and it was then obvious that was where Callum was going to end up.  That brings me to my speculation on Kylie's death.

It wasn't surprising that Callum's druggie sidekick Macca showed up at his funeral. But since then, he and his ne'er do well brother, Clayton, have been mithering Gemma in the kebab shop. Since she hasn't been out of touch with them all along, mentioning nights at the Dog and Gun frequently where she's probably seen them, they would have known where she was working in all likelihood. Why show up now? Because somehow, their presence is going to contribute to Kylie's death. Soap cliche/law says so.

Kylie's been feeling more and more guilty about the effects that her killing Callum has had on her family. Sarah's had a breakdown. Bethany has been bullied and hasn't been coping well trying to keep it to herself. She's now living in the annex where they stashed Callum's body and feeling unsettled. Even little Max seems to be out of sorts though he said he wasn't bothered that Callum had died. Guilt, upon guilt is weighing heavily on her shoulders.

I don't think she's going to commit suicide. She wouldn't leave her family on purpose again. One idea I had was that she might turn to drugs and accidentally overdose, drugs she could get from Macca but that doesn't quite ring true either.

I think this is what will happen. I think Macca and his brother will threaten Gemma in some way,  or possibly David, because Gemma still suspects David was the one that killed Callum. That scenario actually makes more sense because there really doesn't seem to be a reason the thugs would be out to kill Gemma at this point.  There will be weapons or violence involved and Kylie will get in the middle of it, defending David and get killed by one of them. Possibly it could be one of the men attempting to run David down with a vehicle and Kylie pushing him out of the way.  It is possible that last scenario could happen without the intervention of the "Chuckle Brothers" and Kylie could be pushing David out of the way of a generic car or bus but the interviews and media are saying it's something we've never seen on a soap before.

I'm skeptical about that point, and even Kylie dying while defending or saving David isn't really new but it's the only scenario that really works considering the introduction of the two scallys.

We don't have long to wait. Any other guesses?



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)
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Name that tune: Music played in Kylie's Last Goodbye trailer

A few emails have been received from Coronation Street fans asking about the music played in the trailer for Kylie's goodbye.  

You can watch the trailer below if you haven't seen it yet...  and you can read all about Kylie being killed off here.



The music played in the trailer is by The Enemy and is a song called The Last Goodbye.

You can listen to it all here.

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Paula Lane on Kylie's death: "I've never read anything like it!"

Kylie Platt is going to be killed off in Coronation Street, ITV have announced. And it’s going to be one of the most shocking deaths in Corrie history! 

Paula Lane, who plays Kylie, says: “I’m not just saying this because I’m involved but I don’t think I’ve ever read an ending like it. A lot of the cast who aren’t actually involved in it have also read it and said it’s something else.

“It’s almost not Corrie, if you know what I mean – it’s very different. It’s something that’s never been done in soap before and I think the audience are going to get a real sense of shock and surprise.”

Crikey. I wonder what on earth it’ll be. 

How do you feel about losing Kylie for good? I wonder what’ll happen to David?

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Speculation Street: How Will Kylie Die?

Now that the spoilers have hit the media about Paula Lane's exit and the death of Kylie Platt, the speculation begins. I'm kind of ticked-off that ITV decided to spoil this one. I really did think she'd end up having to go to jail but I suppose if the actress was not planning to return, they couldn't have her away for life. Her crime wasn't killing Callum, that was self defence, but the treatment of the body afterwards, that's the biggie.

Logically, you couldn't see Kylie leaving David and her kids again, not permanently and since we haven't been told that Jack P. Shepherd was leaving, it was also a given that it would be only her leaving the show. Death is probably the only possibility, then. But I still wish ITV had kept that as a surprise.

My imaginative guess: There have been rumours for months that Callum really isn't dead in spite of all the statements from ITV and the actor himself to the contrary. But maybe Callum really is alive. Maybe Callum lurches around a corner just as Kylie and David and family are loading up into the cab that's going to take them to their new start in Barbados, points a gun at her and kills her. I don't think we've seen that before, a supposed dead character return to kill someone. Returning from the dead has been done but not quite like this.

My absolutely stupid guess: Ok, just for fun, here's another one that's really stretching credibility. Nick has another psychotic episode and strangles Kylie. Since he has brain damage, no real motive is needed and he isn't responsible for his actions. He will only spend some time sectioned in a hospital in the room next to Sarah with Gail drifting woefully between the rooms of her two children.

What's your theory?


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)


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Kylie Platt's death - an ITV spoiler too far?

There's been angry reaction today to the news that Kylie Platt is going to be killed off in Coronation Street.  The reaction from Coronation Street fans this morning is that it's a spoiler too far, too much, too soon.

In almost nine years of running the Coronation Street Blog (it started in December 2007) I've never woken up to an angry reaction like it. On twitter, by email, on the blog, on facebook. I'm going to take myself away from the computer for the rest of the day.

The spoiler and accompanying Youtube trailer has been released by ITV, it's an official storyline teaser.

We're just the messenger. Please don't shoot us.   

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Kylie Platt to be killed off in Coronation Street

Kylie Platt is being killed off in Coronation Street, ITV have revealed.

David is to be left devastated by the death of his wife Kylie - just as the couple finally find happiness. With Tony Stewart in the frame for Callum’s murder it looks as though David, Kylie and Sarah are home and dry.

However Kylie is uncomfortable about letting an innocent dead man take the wrap for a crime she committed. She suggests the family leave Weatherfield once and for all and put the events of the past year behind them.

But their excitement and future plans are cut short by Kylie’s unexpected death. The details of how Kylie dies are being kept under wraps so viewers can watch the events unfold on screen.

ITV have released the above photo from the on air promo which show Kylie packing her belongings into a car but as the mood switches the vehicle is revealed to be a hearse surrounded by her devastated family and friends.

Paula Lane said: “It was very emotional to film the scenes knowing that I would never return and her death has huge consequences for David and all the family.”

Kylie’s final episodes will air week beginning Monday July 11th.

Watch the ITV Corrie promo here. 

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This week's Corrie - The good, the not-too-bad and the ugly

Overall this was a good week on Coronation Street. The main focus was Sarah's breakdown with some really powerful performances from Tina O'Brien and Daniel Brocklebank, with Paula Lane, Jack P. Shepherd and even Lucy Fallon as Bethany who has really come into her own, I feel.

The slide into paranoia and mania for poor Sarah felt very real and was heartbreaking to watch, especially when Lee had her by the waist in a replay of Callum's attack. Her worst nightmare come true. Even a stable person would have flipped a bit with that sort of thing happening.

The Not-too-bad included Beth and Kirk's storyline and some of the Roy and Cathy conflict, which, frankly, slid into the ugly pool in part. The McDonald marriage woes wallowed in the deep end of that pool.  I'm sorry to say I really don't care about this couple. Add to that, the creepy inspector who looks like he should be piloting Thunderbird One instead of a panda car and you've got this week on Coronation Street.

I've written more about it in detail on State of the Street. 

Tvor ... twitter @tvordlj

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Spare a thought for Gail - who has a perfect right to wail

In forthcoming episodes of Coronation Street, we should all spare a thought for Gail Rodwell. Though she may not be under suspicion herself for the murder of Callum,  it seems certain she will have to undergo questioning. In short, within the space of a few days, her life has fallen apart.

Though she bemoaned her precious eldest child Nick's move to Devon, with his new wife Carla, where they had a room all ready and waiting for Gail, she must much rather that Carla and Nick had gone ahead with their move and their marriage smoothly and without a hitch. (Pun intended). Though Carla and Nick did technically get married, the revelations from Tracy about Carla giving the money to Tracy to give to Robert to buy the Bistro and Tracy's silence, it was far too much for Nick to forgive.

Gail stepped forward as Carla sat and awaited Nick's decision, and, rather callously, reminded Carla that she was not a mother and therefore could not understand Gail's heartbreak. To accentuate her point, she gave Carla a stinging slap across her face, to the gasps of her family and guests. Gail was justifiably angry with her potential daughter-in-law, though she was not justified in hitting Carla or anyone else for that matter.

Carla was more than reasonable and instantly forgiving to her potential mother-in-law. The real sadness of this is that Gail and Carla were starting to develop both a mutual respect and even possibly in time, a friendship. None of that will be and what's more, the reappearance of Nick's brain injury is another anxiety for Gail.

Then there are the arrests of David, Sarah and Kylie and the ensuing distress for Max, who is old enough to understand what is going on.  Lily, whose young life will be disrupted and baby Harry, who will sense the tension and be upset by it, are also going to suffer. Bethany, who has not had the happiest of times since returning to the cobbles, will also be profoundly affected.

Gail will be anxious about David, Sarah and Kylie but perhaps particularly so for Sarah, who is suffering from post partum psychosis, as well as all this added stress. In addition, Gail has lost her grannexe and has to come to terms with the fact that Callum was decomposing underneath where she slept, in the annexe of which she was so proud.

This heart-wrenching situation in which Gail now finds herself will be her biggest test of personal strength and resilience yet, perhaps even more so than the whole Richard Hillman debacle and his attempt to murder her and her family.

Audrey of course will be a support and if, just maybe, Michael returns from his ice cream selling in Brighton, he too could be a source of solace and strength. One thing is for sure, Gail will need all the support and friendship she can muster.

Ruth Owen, twitter @Ruth1722


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