Angie decided to get her own back on Kbec for dumping her by telling Mike that they knew he was making fake goods. He sacked all his workforce before Trading Standards got a whiff of what he was up to. He fretted to Alma that he might go to prison, but he still had to get rid of the dodgy stuff. However fate - in the form of Don Brennan - intervened. While clearing out Josie's stuff he found her factory keys and decided to punish Mike for firing the machinists and ruining his life. He let himself in and burned the building to the ground. Alan tried to apologise to Fiona for hiding her from his racist mates but she refused to listen. He proposed to her to show how committed he was and she finally accepted when he declared his devotion. Less devoted were Maxine and Ashley; she was embarrassed by him and his butcher's outfit, but her running hot and cold upset him. Des set off on his canal boat adventure, letting Angie take over his house and car while he was away. Derek took him to the canal basin and waved him off with a smile and a handshake. After years of rowing they seemed to finally be pals.
TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 28th and 30th March 1997
Mike and Alma arrived to the smoking remains of the factory. The fire investigation officer interrogated him, and when a Trading Standards officer turned up, Mike gleefully told him there was nothing left. Don realised that Baldwin was going to be quids in when the insurance paid out so he anonymously called the police and told them Mike was responsible. The police picked him up but as he was innocent he wasn't worried. However, Alma was less convinced; the timing was all too convenient for her, and despite Mike's protestations, she told him she didn't believe him. Andy was called into his tutor's office and told that if he didn't get his act together he'd end up with a terrible degree. He drowned his sorrows, which seems to be his answer to everything these days. He upset Fiona in the pub so she went to see Jim to see if there was anything she could do to help. Trust me, Fi, stay well away from Jim. Maxine decided she'd only go out with Ashley if he treated her right and demanded he take her to a nice nightclub and ply her with drinks. When a couple of her mates appeared though she pretended he was her cousin, and he realised she was ashamed of him. He left her to it.
WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 31st March and 2nd April 1997
Alan took Fiona to meet his parents. She bonded with his mum over how much work he did and how he ignored his private life. Red flag, much? Sally's mum had a stroke so the Websters went to see her; Sally stayed behind in Scarborough to take care of her and Kevin returned alone. He was met by Natalie, who'd left her philandering husband and decided to get more involved in the running of the garage. And not just the business, if you know what I mean. Mike turned detective, chasing up ex-members of staff who might've had a grudge. He realised that Josie would've had a key and confronted Don. Don confessed to starting the fire, saying he wanted Baldwin to know it was him since there was no way he could prove it. Audrey went to the cafe to help out since Roy was full of cold. She spent most of her shift flirting with lorry drivers because she's ace.
THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 4th April 1997
Steve got out of prison on a home visit (is that a thing?) just in time for Fiona's engagement party. He insisted on going, despite Jim and Andy saying that was a really bad idea. She needed the numbers because her brother Lee refused to attend, angry that she was marrying a policeman. Steve was upset to see her with Alan. Andy got drunk - again - and told Alan that it was his fault he'd been threatened with a gun and his life was going to pieces. Alan tried to throw him out but Steve intervened and carried him out - wishing Fiona good luck with her neanderthal fiancé on the way. Don was interrogated by the police, but without any evidence, there was nothing they could do, and his suicide letter and aggressive answering machine message had gone up in smoke. Mike was left frustrated and angry. Derek was under pressure as Norris had taken on a younger salesman who was showing him up. He ran around desperately trying to prove he still had it.
FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 6th and 7th April 1997
Mike continued his secret agent antics, sticking a microphone in his coat pocket to try and get Don to confess on tape. Don saw through it and laughed in his face. In the pub, Mike told Ashley what his landlord had got up to, but Ashley didn't believe him. He asked Don about it and, drunk, he admitted to burning the factory down - though next morning he pretended it was a joke. Liz came round to number 11 for a family lunch with Steve and Jim and Andy. Andy was disgusted at the pretence and went into town to get drunk. Steve followed to keep an eye on him but Andy ended up chatting up the wrong bloke's girlfriend and got into a fight. Steve tried to calm things down, but he ended up bearing the brunt of the violence, and had to go to hospital with a fractured cheekbone. Worse, it made him late for his return to prison, and he got an extra fourteen days on his sentence as punishment. Jim had a go at Andy for being selfish, but he was even more disgusted later when he learned Andy was dropping out of university.
Angie, the rampant saucebox, invited Chris to stay on her sofa instead of kipping in the garage because she fancied the pants off him. She suggested that he move in with her as a lodger. Tricia and Ray were getting closer and, realising it was better to accommodate her new romance than drive her away, Jack agreed to look after the baby while they went on a date. When Ray came round to visit the next day he got on like a house on fire with Jamie which made Tricia like him even more. But the saddest story came with Mavis's birthday. She was holding a party to celebrate but Derek was mithering about the new salesman showing him up and worked so hard he ended up being late. He called her on his mobile and said he'd be an hour which left her exasperated and she accused him of being inconsiderate and spoiling her birthday. As he drove home, he was distracted by Gilbert and Sullivan and cut up an upper-class twit in a 4x4 at some traffic lights. The man chased after him and confronted him on a side road. They ended up rowing and the other driver clouted Derek's paperclip. As he drove away, Derek clutched his chest, fell into the car, and died. Now I've never been a fan of the dithering Derek, but this was a nasty end for him. Thelma Barlow had handed in her notice and the producers decided to dispose of Peter Baldwin as well. The nice thing to do would've been to have the Wiltons retire together away from the Street, but they went for maximum drama, which left pretty much everyone - cast and audience - unhappy. Derek deserved better.
Next week's Classic Corrie will be positively action packed. Get your popcorn and watch with me on Twitter @merseytart.
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