Mother's Day gift ideas for Coronation Street fans

Mother's Day in the UK is Sunday 31 March. So, if the mum in your life is a Coronation Street fan, here's our selection of presents you might like to buy for her.

We start with the book Mother's Day on Coronation Street, of course! The novel by Maggie Sullivan. Buy it here.

Blog editor Glenda also has a novel out which is perfect for Mother's Day. It's called Belle of the Back Streets. Buy it here.

Coronation Street cushions by Mementos of Home. 

Take a look at our list of Coronation Street t-shirts you might like to buy.

Read more Corrie news, interviews, gossip and spoilers  

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Happy Mothers Day! Coronation Street mothers from hell

It's Mother's Day in the UK and our blogger Llifon has done a wonderful blog post paying homage to some of the mums in Coronation Street.

But what about those who are less than loving?  Here's my favourite 'mums from hell', have I missed any of your favourite nasties out?

Cilla Battersby-Brown
Abandoned her kids many times over the years. The woman's so evil she even had the mark of the devil on her head on her wedding day.

Tracy Barlow
Sold her baby to the Croppers after pretending she was pregnant with Roy's child when it was Steve's all along.

Kylie Platt
Ran away with a druggie leaving her two kids.

Jackie Dobbs.
Poor Tyrone. 'nuff said.

Linda Armstrong
Abandons her husband and two children, one of whom is disabled, and runs off without a backwards glance. Turns up decades later, the Sue Ellen of Corrie, to cause torment on the cobbles.


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A homage to Corrie mothers

Happy Mother's Day everyone and let's raise a glass to all those Corrie mothers over the years. They've not been the best but what do you expect when they live on Coronation Street!

First row: Elsie Tanner and son Dennis; Annie Walker and son Billy; Ida Barlow and sons David and Ken; Hilda Ogden and daughter Irma

Second row: Blanche Hunt and daughter Deirdre; Deirdre Barlow and daughter Tracy; Ivy Tilsley and son Brian; Audrey Roberts and daughter Gail

Third row: Gail Tilsley and son Nick and daughter Sarah Lou; Sally Webster and daughters Rosie and Sophie; Gail Platt and son David; Eileen Grimshaw and sons Jason and Todd

Fourth row: Liz McDonald and sons Steve and Andy; Vera Duckworth and son Terry; Maud Grimes and daughter Maureen; Anna Windass and son Gary

Who's been your favourite mum and son/daughter relationship?

For me, Audrey and Gail and Blanche and Deirdre are right at the top!
 

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Mother's Day Poll: Will Carla Connor make a good mum - Yay or Nay?

It's Mother's Day on Sunday 30 March here in the UK, so here we go with a special Mother's Day poll.

Now that it looks like Carla will go through with her pregnancy, will she make a good mother - yay or nay?  What do you say?

See also: The future of Carla's child

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Vote for Corrie's best mum: The Results!

The moment has come. You have been voting all week in my poll to find Coronation Street's best mother. It seems fitting to reveal the final results today, Mothering Sunday in the UK. 

First of all, a massive big smiley thank you to everyone who voted and commented on this, my first poll on the Coronation Street Blog. When I came up with the idea I was initially worried nobody would vote! So thanks to the 493 people who did! 

I did deliberately pick eight characters I thought would split opinion and create debate. As it turned out, it was a clear fight between two Corrie mums - Anna Windass and Audrey Roberts. Both good, strong characters, but very different mums. 

And the ultimate winner was... Audrey Roberts with 42.19% and 208 votes! I admit I am quite pleased by this, as Audrey is my favourite character. Sue Nicholls is a brilliant actress so a big electonic Mother's Day bouquet to her (and our Aud!)

Anna Windass came second in the poll with 36.11% (178 votes). For a long time the surprise leader in our poll, personally I'm surprised she even came second!

So, to a quick run down of the other results:

Sally Webster - 7.71% (38 votes)

Michelle Connor - 5.07% (25 votes)

Gail McIntyre - 3.85% (19 votes)

Deirdre Barlow - 2.43% (12 votes)

Stella Price - 2.03% (10 votes)

And finally, at the cow's tail - Tracy Barlow with 0.61% and surprisingly, 3 votes!

I hope you all enjoyed the poll - and I'm sure the results will get you all talking! So are you happy with the outcome?

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Coronation Street: From here to maternity

Apart from the debate over who is Corrie's best mum, there has been another interesting theme running through my recent blog posts - those Coronation Street mothers who did not feature in my poll. It seems everyone has an opinion!

So I thought on the eve of Mother's Day itself, I would take a look at some of the other mothers on the Street.

Some of you may have wanted Eileen Grimshaw included on the list. She may not be the best judge when it comes to men, but she has raised two sons well and is a strong source of support to both. She defended Todd to the hilt when he came out - who can forget her wonderful scrap on the cobbles with a dressing gown-clad Gail? One of my favourite Corrie moments ever! And I for one would love to see a rematch in the future.

Then there are young mums like Fiz Stape and Maria Connor. Should they have been included? Fiz has been a great mum so far to baby Hope although perhaps her involvement with John Stape rules her out. She has also acted as a surrogate mum to brother Chesney and was in many ways a better role model than their dreadful mum Cilla! 

Maria is another good young mum, although like Fiz she did get mixed up with a crazed psycho in my fellow countryman, Tony Gordon. 

And what of the other, lower-key mums on the Street? There's Roy's barnstorming mother, Sylvia Goodwin. Their relationship is certainly touching if at times very strained. What about Gloria Price, mum to St Ella of the Back Room. Nah, giving birth to St Ella rules her out straight away in my opinion! 

Kylie Platt has certainly improved as a mother, especially since she tried to sell son Max to her sister Becky. There is also Beth Tinker who gave us the superb Craig; Katy Armstrong who is currently putting us all off kebabs; Sunita Alahan who is soon to go up in smoke and Crazy Kirsty, though I fear even Tracy Barlow might get more votes than her. 

Have I missed anyone out?

I think so. One of the interesting things to come out of this discussion (well I think so anyway) is that sometimes the best Coronation Street mother figures are actually not mothers at all. I'm looking at three lovely ladies in particular. 

Emily Bishop has never been blessed with children but has acted as a wise mentor to many younger Street residents such as Kevin Webster, Curly Watts, Spider Nugent and Sophie Webster. Hayley Cropper is also a character seen as a wonderful mother figure by many. Despite Roy and Hayley's many attempts, their dreams of fostering or adopting never quite worked out. A great shame as I think they would have made terrific parents. Hayley has been like a mother to Fiz and Becky and is the kind of character many Street residents turn to in times of need.

However, I think the best mother figure has to be Rita Tanner. It was always a great sadness to Rita that she had never had children which led to the Faircloughs fostering kids in the early 1980s. There was John Spencer, Sharon Gaskell and finally Jenny Bradley. Sadly Rita didn't have much luck with any of these in the long run. Since then Rita has acted as a friend to many younger characters such as Sally, Leanne, Tina and Tommy. She is always there to  dole out the common sense with the sherbet lemons. Having been there, done that and bought the diamante studded jumper, she always knows exactly what to say.


So do you agree that the best Coronation Street mother figures aren't always mothers in the traditional sense? 

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Last chance to vote for Corrie's best mum!

Just a quick reminder that today is the last chance to vote for Corrie's best mum. I launched the poll on Monday and so far we've had over 400 votes, so a big thank you to all those who have already voted!

As it stands it appears to be a two horse race, but there's still time to make your vote count! 

Doesn't look like Sawphie will be voting for them!

I have blogged this week on each of the contenders. If you want to see what I had to say about Deirdre and Tracy Barlow, you can find that here. To judge how Michelle Connor and Gail McIntyre might fair, you can read all about them here and to compare Stella Price and Audrey Roberts with the rest you can look here. FInally, I blogged yesterday on Sally Webster and Anna Windass, and that's to be found here.

These are only my opinions and please do take it as a lighthearted bit of fun.

The winner will be announced tomorrow, so look out for that and I'll look forward to your comments!

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Vote for Corrie's best mum - Stella & Audrey

As you will hopefully have seen, on Monday I launched my first poll on the Coronation Street Blog. I hope you've all been voting! So far we've had an amazing 300 votes, but there's still time to make your mind up. In order to help you make up your minds on your favourite Corrie mum, I've been posting blogs on the contenders this week, highlighting some of their strengths and weaknesses! I shall try to take an even handed approach (not easy!) 

So moving on from Michelle and Gail, we come to our next two contenders:  Stella Price and Audrey Roberts! 

The benefits of having a landlady as a mother

Let's begin with Stella Price, current landlady of the Rovers Return and mother to Eva and Leanne. Stella has had a mixed reception from fans, and certainly a chequered history in motherhood. When she first arrived in Weatherfield we thought Stella only had one daughter, Princess Eva. A rather spoilt, vacuous girl, Eva was quite clearly the apple of her mother's eye. However, Stella's real reason for moving to Weatherfield was soon revealed - she was Leanne's real mother.

While viewers struggled to comprehend how Stella could ever be charmed by Les Battersby, Leanne struggled to imagine anyone else as her mother when she had grown used to gobby Janice. Since the big reveal, Leanne and Stella have become close. Stella is very good at providing Leanne with advice, mind you she's good at giving everyone advice, whether they ask for it or not. There have been teething troubles as Eva and Leanne don't always see eye to eye - step forward Mr Nick Tilsley! So is Stella a worthy winner? Let's look at her strengths and weaknesses:

The day she was mistaken for that woman from EastEnders

Strengths:
1. Her daughters always come first (unless she's bagging herself a toyboy). 2. She made the ultimate sacrifice in moving to Weatherfield to find long-lost daughter Leanne. 3. She owns a pub - free liquor! 

Weaknesses:
1. She once slept with Les Battersby. 2. She gives out advice like most mums give out smarties. 3. She wears a lot of beige.

Family reunited, but who are the daddies, Aud?

So that's Stella dealt with. Let's turn our attentions now to glamorous gran Audrey Roberts. Poor old Audrey holds the enviable position as head of the Platt/McIntyre family and she certainly has her work cut out! Mother to Gail and the absent Stephen, wife of the late Alf, grandmother to Nick, Sarah-Lou and David, and great-grandmother to Bethany. But don't hold all that lot against her! As hairdresser in residence, she is single-handedly responsible for Rita's flamin' barnet!

Audrey has come a long way since she first arrived in 1979. Originally a flighty piece, relations between mother and daughter were somewhat strained when she turned up for Gail's 21st birthday party and wedding to Brian Tilsley. Having chased the wrong kind of men all her life, she eventually became respectable when she married greengrocer Alf Roberts in 1985. However, Audrey had neglected to mention she also had a son called Stephen, born to a different father. As you can imagine, Ivy Tilsley pounced on this news. As Audrey matured she became a shoulder to cry on not just for her own family but for other youngsters in the street, such as Maxine and Maria. These days Audrey, while still demonstrating poor taste in men, has graduated to something of a Corrie matriarch - often being the voice of reason in her family. Well, someone's got to be. So what are Audrey's strengths and weaknesses as a mother?

Love is like a butterfly...

Strengths:
1. She copes with everything the Platts can throw at her and still looks glamorous. 2. If you're family, she'll either give you a job, a house or a free blow-wave. 3. She was the only member of the family to spot Richard Hillman was actually a serial killer.

Weaknesses:
1. Neglect of Gail in the early years may explain why she is the way she is today. 2. She runs a hairdressers where people emerge looking no different from when they went in. 3. She once dated a transvestite who used to be Wendy Craig's son in Butterflies.

Gail isn't amused by Audrey's cell-warming gift

So there we go. Let me know what you think about Stella and Audrey by leaving a comment below. 

And don't forget to vote for your favourite Coronation Street Mum before the winner is revealed on Sunday 10 March. Next up will be our final two contenders: Sally Webster and Anna Windass! I can't wait!






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Vote for Corrie's best mum - Michelle & Gail

As you will hopefully have seen, yesterday I launched my first poll on the Coronation Street Blog. I hope you've all been voting! In order to help you make up your minds on your favourite Corrie mum, I'm going to post some blogs on the contenders this week, highlighting some of their strengths and weaknesses! I shall try to take an even handed approach (not easy!) 

So moving on from the Barlow duo, we come to our next two contenders:  Michelle Connor and Gail McIntyre!

Michelle & Steve ponder if this really is Ryan

Let's start off with the fragrant, effervescent Michelle Connor. When we first met Michelle in 2006, she was a singer - with two soon to be dead brothers and a moody son who rarely spoke. Now she is knicker factory entrepreneur with two dead brothers and a moody son who says too much. We shouldn't be surprised she hasn't noticed son Ryan has aged, and changed both shape and heads given her track record. Ah yes. I couldn't really discuss Michelle's track record as a mother without mentioning the debacle that was the Ryan/Alex storyline.

Go on Michelle, tell us which is which

For what seemed like twenty years viewers were forced to endure this baby-swap story. Unfortunately, even though it was mercifully brought to an end, it was done so in a completely unsatisfactory manner. It is now never referred to by Michelle, Steve or indeed Ryan himself. And Alex, Michelle's biological son is never ever spoken about. Is this alone enough to rule Michelle out as the best Corrie mum? Let's look at her strengths and weaknesses: 

Strengths:
1. Her survival instinct. Michelle has beaten the curse of death that circles her family (so far). 2. She has always supported her son - recently helping him through a very short lived drug addiction. 3. She provides for her family, having dragged herself up from part time singer to knicker factory mogul without so much as a qualification to her name.

Weaknesses:

What was she thinking?

1. She has completely forgotten the son she is bringing up is actually not hers. 2. She never mentions her real son and has no idea of his whereabouts. 3. She went off on a cruise with a member of Boyzone.

Now we come to Gail. Ah yes. Gail Potter Tilsley Platt Hillman McIntyre. As you can tell it's all about the husbands with our Gail. First there was Brian, father of Nick(y) and Sarah-Lou. She married Brian twice after sleeping with his cousin and getting divorced. Brian was then stabbed to death (not by Gail). Then came toyboy Martin, father of David. Martin had an affair with that Geordie nurse, then had a relationship with a teenager and was last heard of in Liverpool. Then came Serial Killer Richard Hillman, who tried to bump off several old friends,   herself and her entire family. And then came Joe who tried to fake his own death, but unfortunately succeeded, leading to Gail being banged up in a cell with Tracy Barlow.

What was she thinking?

Gail's children have obviously been deeply scarred by all of this. Nick has changed heads and aged ten years. Sarah-Lou was pregnant at 13 and was engaged to a gay man. David, well need I say more? Through it all though, Gail is still there, facing the world with that eternal optimism we've come to love. So what are Gail's strengths and weaknesses as a mum:

Strengths:
1. Her family means the world to her.  2. She always bounces back, no matter what life throws at her. 3. She always supports her children - she stood by Sarah-Lou when she became pregnant with Bethany, and David every time he does something horrible.

What was she thinking?

Weaknesses:
1. She has turned into mother-from-hell, Ivy Tilsley. 2. She inflicts her dreadful taste in men on her family, time and time again. 3. She was very recently prepared to ditch her family and run away with her mother's ex-boyfriend.

So there we go. Let me know what you think about Michelle and Gail by leaving a comment below. 

And don't forget to vote for your favourite Coronation Street Mum before the winner is revealed on Sunday 10 March. Next up will be Stella Price and Audrey Roberts! I can't wait!



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Vote for Corrie's best Mum - Deirdre & Tracy

Deirdre and Tracy unaware of what lies ahead

As you will hopefully have seen, earlier today I've  launched my first poll on the Coronation Street Blog. I hope you've all been voting! 

In order to help you make up your minds on your favourite Corrie mum, I'm going to post some blogs on the contenders this week, highlighting some of their strengths and weaknesses. 

I shall try to take an even handed approach (not easy).

So to our first two contenders: mother and daughter team, Deirdre and Tracy Barlow.

Deirdre's finest hour

Let's kick off with sexy specs herself, Deirdre Barlow. A long time resident of Coronation Street, I think it's fair to say Deirdre has learnt all of her mothering skills from her own late mother, the magnificent Blanche Hunt. Deirdre's private life has been somewhat tumultuous, first marrying Ray Langton, after Billy Walker mysteriously disappeared. 

With a little help from Ray, Deirdre produced the sweet, innocent Tracy Lynette, after which for some strange reason, Deirdre decided to abstain from further child bearing. After Ray left her for a life among the tulips, Deirdre hooked up with Ken Barlow and the rest, as they say, is history. Best not mention that time she slept with Dev though. Woops! So what are Deirdre's strengths and weaknesses as a mother?

Who can blame her?

Strengths:
Loyal to her daughter without reproach

Will defend her daughter to the hilt Is always there to look after her granddaughter

Weaknesses:
Will defend her daughter to the hilt
Loyal to her daughter without reproach
Is a soft touch when it comes to babysitting duties

Like mother, like daughter

Now, let's take a look at Deirdre's loving daughter, Tracy Barlow. 

Born to doting parents Deirdre and Ray Langton in 1977, Tracy was a quiet child, disappearing upstairs to play her tapes for years on end. She has also changed heads four times, probably as a reaction to her parents' sometimes baffling behaviour. Ken Barlow married Deirdre in 1981, adopting young Tracy several years later. 

Tracy's life has not been easy. She's taken drugs, lost a kidney, been married and divorced, had a daughter who doesn't speak and slept with Roy Cropper for a bet. She's also had a weird obsession with Steve McDonald since he was a 1990s sex symbol. 

So what are Tracy's strengths and weaknesses as a mother?

Happy Families?

Strengths:
Will stand up for herself at all costs
Is constructive when it comes to finding a father figure for her daughter
Believes in family

Weaknesses:
Is always in a scrap with whoever gets in her way
Will go with anyone who owns a bulging wallet
Has sponged off her parents for 30 years

So there we go - our first two contenders. Let me know what you think about Deirdre and Tracy Barlow by leaving a comment below. 

And don't forget to vote for your favourite Coronation Street Mum before the winner is revealed on Sunday 10 March. 

Tracy asks Gail if she can borrow her get out of jail free card

Next up will be Michelle Connor and Gail McIntyre! Won't that be fun!


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