Corrie Comicals Week Ending 15 June 2018

Early on Monday evening Ryan tried to mainsplain the entertainment business to Michelle.  Now as I recall Michelle has been in entertainment as a singer, so her look above reflects the pain of being talked down to by the insufferable and unemployable Ryan (who after all is not really her son).  Is anyone else struck by the two "sons" not looking like the same age?

School reports - Steve was apparently "a highly valued member of the class", a stock phrase according to the two former teachers.  Kirk had a report in July 1990 from Miss Furlong: "Kirk has an unusual quality of mind" and he wants to know if that was also a stock phrase.  Neither Brian nor Mike feels able to answer the question - which is no doubt code for "a real nutter"!

Tim reads as though he is being a touch nasty to the departing Eileen here.  It is of course all a setup - when she turns up at the StreetCars office he has a bottle of bubbly and Liz turns up with food and drink for everyone to celebrate her departure.

Amazingly this week Steve seems not to be competing for a gurning prize which we can see Nicola winning all hands down when Tim tries an American accent.  And that is more or less the last we see of her as she goes to Bristol.  The last person to go to Bristol was Andy Carver and he never got there of course.

Eileen was her usual big hearted person to the last as she first makes sure that Seb does not have anywhere else to live before offering him the chance to stay on for a month whilst she finds a tenant.  I suspect she would be less amused by his first decision which is to let his mother, Abi, stay for the night.  BTW I reckon that Eileen ought to have asked Sean, Abi and Seb to share; but is anyone else worried about Sean's apparent lack of readies, because I am?

The Underworld factory staff had been dancing - with Beth waving her knickers in the air (which I failed to catch), but Alya put a stop to that - they need to ship the order she has just reminded them.

And this lady is calling herself Eileen.  It is of course Abi as she tells the estate agent she has changed her mind over renting out number 11 and it is no longer on the market.  Her deceit is helped by the estate agent had sent one of the junior staff to conduct the viewing and is not the boss with whom Eileen has been dealing.  Lucky co-incidence!

And I had almost put this week to bed when I spotted acting among the extras.  The lady at the back was shaking her head at Dirk as Alya was explaining she was now the boss.  Can anyone name her?

See you next week.

Writers: Martin Allen and Carmel Morgan (Monday), Jayne Hollinson and Mark Burt (Wednesday), Ellen Taylor (Friday)
Directors: Ian Bevitt (Monday), Michael Lacey (Wednesday & Friday)

Kosmo
@Kosmo100

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Corrie's Nicola Thorp to sleep rough for Blackpool charity

Nicola Thorp, who plays Nicola Rubinstein in Coronation Street, is to spend a night on the cobbles, not in Wetherfield but in Blackpool, to support  a homeless charity. 

Nicola will be joining Streetlife’s Big Sleepout fund-raiser on March 23. The Buchanan Street charity’s chief executive Jane Hugo said they were delighted to get the support from Nicola, along with 200 others who will be taking part on the night. 

She said:  “Nicola told us she wanted to help raise awareness of the homelessness crisis in the country and support her home town charity.” 

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Nicola Thorp Interview: Nicola vs Phelan

How afraid should Nicola be of Phelan?

I know she should be very afraid of Phelan because of what he is capable of but they have a very unique relationship which is not like any of the other characters on the street… she is his Achilles Heel! 

Even though she is in a unique position she is still very brave, why has she decided to go against Phelan?

She is so brave! She is such a strong, feisty woman - a proper justice warrior - and she knows that Anna is wrongly imprisoned, she knows that Luke is dead and that Phelan is responsible for that. She cares so much for Seb and now Anna, who is the grandmother of her child, so she has chosen to put herself in that position. She isn’t thinking about herself, she just wants the best in the people involved. 

Tell us what happens when Nicola takes a call from the police. 

Nicola is told there has been a burglary but she takes the phone call from the police when she is with Phelan so she plays it cool. But when she turns up at the flat she is panicking because she doesn’t know what has happened to Seb - this is a moment where everything changes for Nicola. She doesn’t know for certain but she is fairly sure that it must have been Phelan. 

What are her first thoughts?

It is terrifying because if it is true he is a very, very dangerous man. But she's not stupid, she is a smart girl and she know show to play him and his weakness… she does that very well. 

How confident is she that her plan will work?

She is very confident because knows that there is no way that Phelan would do anything to hurt her or harm her unborn child but she does know that he needs to trust her in order to let his guard down and let something slip. 

Do you think she still has feelings for Gary?

I don’t think she has any feelings for Gary romantically. Certainly, he is the father of her child and there’s a strong emotional connection with that because she does really care about him as a person. They are really good friends and Nicola can see how much he loves Sarah still and she knows that she has got in the way.  

Tell us what happens when Nicola calls to talk to Sarah.

Nicola has got really good intentions and wants to put things right so she goes round and talks to Sarah, telling her that she is the one for Gary. Sarah is very suspicious because Nicola and Gary have been spending a lot of time together but Nicola can’t tell her why that is because obviously it’s a massive secret. 

Just as she is about to put things right, what happens?

Nicola collapses in agony and she panics because she is worried that something is going to happen to the baby. She has a massive pain in her stomach and Sarah rushes her to hospital. 

What happens when Phelan visits her in hospital?

Phelan asks to be left alone to talk to her and she agrees because she thinks she is in a hospital, a seemingly safe place. But she is not very well at all so she is in a really vulnerable position. Nicola is very wise to him, she knows that he is a good actor and that he is a very good liar. But this throws her because she can see that he is telling the truth this time, he is genuinely very upset... 

What has this storyline been like to film with Connor McIntyre?

It is such an interesting story to play as an actor because there has been loads of scenes where Nicola and Phelan have been together where they both know or suspect what the other one is up to but because Eileen is there, they pretend as if everything is fine. It’s really subtle but it’s been so much fun to play with Connor. Who knows what? The stakes are really high at this point. 

What did you think when you read these storylines?

Phelan is always the one playing other people so it’s so much fun to be playing the daughter that is on to him!  I’ve loved how much the dynamic has changed, it’s been so much fun to play. 

What has it been like working with Tina O’Brien?

I have watched Tina since I was a teenager so it was really lovely. I was very nervous doing my scene at The Platts even though I have been here eight months! Tina is such a pro, she knows exactly what she is doing but she is really gracious as well. I hope Nicola and Sarah get more scenes together because too often women are set against each other and in this situation, Nicola is not fighting over Gary, she wants Sarah to be happy. But whether they can play happy families, we have yet to find out...

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Coronation Street Episode Review; Weds 01 Nov 7.30pm

Welcome to another Wednesday double of Weatherfield action.

Tonight begins with the return of Gary and Sarah. Refreshed from their Italian sabbatical,  Sarah announces they have decided to co-habit, in a new flat of their own.
And it isn't long before Gary is thrown straight back into the drama. What with Anna revealing that Nicola is pregnant, the police paying a visit, and finding out about Seb's HIV revelation, I bet he wished he'd stayed in Milan with Bethany. 

Over at N0.5,  Chez and young Joseph are settling in to their new life. With  no school for Joseph until 2018 however, Chez is keen to get back to work. Will Sinead play surrogate Mum?. Meanwhile, Craig appears to be 'clock watching' off-duty, never mind on it, and his mother Beth, is preoccupied with a trip to the shops.

Cause for concern for Gemma too, as her 'Mother', Rita, has her test results tomorrow, causing Gemma to grow suspicious and Jenny upset when Rita heads towards Streetcars Taxi Rank. Is Rita really out off out for retail therapy?.

As the police call to interview Anna about the accident, they also take a trip to Barlow's Solicitors to investigate. As a suspicious Adam tries to derail them with legal jargon, will their search reveal any results?.

Well, results are just what Rita is after. After sneaking off to Weatherfield General, Gemma crashes through the door, just as Rita's results are revealed. The tumour is benign. Phew!.

Back at The Rovers, party animal Audrey looks to arrange a shindig for Rita and regardless of results. As Rita's pals rally round, Rita is clearly overcome with emotion and announces her results. Having not touched a drop for months, Rita aims to stay sober. Gemma's dismayed and insists Rita can't go 'wild turkey'!!. Which reminds me, David Platt's sandwich fetish;chicken and peanut butter?.Rank!. I'm glad I'm vegetarian, but that said, it's enough to convince Shauna to move into No.8 with Dave the dog and Gail.

So what's with Gary?. Having Nicola immediately debunk the idea of him being 'baby daddy', it turns out that lies sometimes cause lies!. As Nicola tells him the truth, he promises to support her and gives her a huge hug. Just as David 'Beardy' Platt is walking little Dave the Dog. Oh dear oh dear. Will Gary tell David the truth?.

As the police search concludes zero evidence, the local bobbies retreat to Roy's Roll and its 'legally blonde' Rosie who gives them food for thought.  Over with PC Tinker, Craig is still on duty and called to a ruckus at a fancy dress shop, he's met with his mother who is claiming to 'return' the flower power fancy dress outfit  from Kirk's mayoral campaign. Instead of arresting his mother, I think PC Tinker has 'father time' on his mind.

Anyway, go follow @Glenn_Writes and read part two of this week's Wednesday double.

I am now off to Rita's party down Victoria Court! #RitaSaved 

Speak next week!

TARA!

I am @rybazoxo
Editor at large @Drunkonmusic2

Your Cobbles connoisseur!

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Nicola Thorp Interview: Baby bombshell for Gary

What’s Nicola’s first reaction when Gary confronts her about her being pregnant?

Nicola completely denies it at first and tells him the dates don’t work and that it must have been her ex boyfriend, Scott’s baby. She is so worried because it was a one-night stand and she recognises what Gary and Sarah have is something really special. She doesn’t want to get in the way or cause harm to their relationship so she throws him off the scent.

Does Nicola have a soft spot for Gary or was it just one night?

Yes, Nicola does have feelings for him but Gary made his really clear. Probably the reason why she doesn’t tell Gary that it is his in the first place is because she cares about him. He opened up to her about his PTSD and his job in Ukraine; she is really attracted to bad lads but she sees him finally getting his life together and she doesn’t want to ruin that for him. Secretly, or maybe it is quite obvious to the audience, she has feelings for him because he is such a strong, caring and protective person and she has not had that in her life recently.

How does the first conversation go between Nicola and Gary?

Gary says that he is relieved, understandably. There is a little bit of sadness from Nicola that he reacted like that because the way that he comes to find her, he finds her address and seeks her out, she finds it quite romantic. She thinks he might have come over to see her again romantically. But when he says he is relieved, Nicola has to put on a brave face. She thinks she has done the right thing at first because she wants to do the best thing for Gary.

Nicola and Gary then have a heated exchange in the street where Nicola tells Gary the truth that he is the father. Why does Nicola change her mind?

Nicola starts to feel guilty about the fact that she has not told Gary the truth because she believes that a child has a right to know it’s father and she is wrestling with the guilt of that, particularly due to her own story of paternity. Her entire life she was lied to about who her real father was - for better or for worse! She knows she doesn’t really want to do that to her child and she doesn’t know how to deal with that.

She tells Gary but is she worried about the rest of the street finding out?

Nicola really doesn’t want Sarah to find out, she wants to be quite respectful despite going to bed with her boyfriend! The other people she is worried about is Gail, Audrey, Bethany - any of the Platts! She is quite scared of them. And also, she wouldn’t want Anna to know she was pregnant but she feels guilty carrying her grandchild without her knowing.

The Platts are quite a family to take on, aren’t they?

They really are, they are quite a strong unit. We will have to see because often people like that can be united by common enemies and particularly with nobody really liking Phelan and Nicola being new to the street. Nicola wants people to like her and she doesn’t really understand why everyone doesn’t like her because of her association with Phelan but she is starting to figure it out bit by bit.

Speaking of common enemies, Nicola is spinning a tangled web with Gary being a Windass and Anna’s son?

Nicola can see there is something that Gary is not telling her about Phelan and this makes her feel even more strongly, the mystery behind this guy and his fire, his temperament. Also, Nicola has suspicions about Phelan and Anna knows the truth about Phelan and they see each other as enemies at the moment but I hope one day they know the truth about each other because I think they would be a formidable force.

Could we start to see a different side to Nicola?

Nicola had every intention of coming to Weatherfield and being quiet and getting on with her own life but now everything is starting to unravel. This safe social worker who is quite nice and doesn’t want to get involved in drama - the moment that Gary kisses her is the moment that changes everything for her.

Has it been good to play such dramatic storylines so early on in the role?

Nicola is so much fun to play and to be stuck in at the deep end. Everyone has made me feel so welcome on the street and so safe to try stuff out. I feel like I am given full rein to play Nicola fully and I’ve had some really big emotional scenes with lots of crying. This pregnancy storyline has been really fun to play with incredible actors. I love Connor to pieces because he is the one that brought me in and now I am getting to work with Debbie Rush and Mikey North.

What’s the best thing about working with Mikey North and Debbie Rush?

Debbie is hilarious and we care about our storylines so much and being true to our characters. Mikey North, we get on really well and love having a laugh on set. He’s made me feel like one of the lads... or I’ve made him feel like one of the lads.

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Could Nicola be the one to bring Phelan down?

Nicola Thorp, who plays Nicola Rubinstein in Coronation Street, is interviewed in this week's Inside Soap magazine where she answers letters and emails from fans.

She says that her first day at Coronation Street was wonderful as she's been a fan of the show all her life and she went home after her first day with a huge smile on her face.   She loves working with Connor McIntyre (Pat Phelan) and calls him her stepdad.

However, she also said that Nicola... "will certainly end up unravelling some part of Phelan's past. So far she's only seen the good side - she doesn't know what the's done or what he's capable of. But at the end of the day he's the only family she has. Nicola is a good person but not everybody is wholly good, are they? So will she be part of his comeuppance or will she be part of him getting away with more crimes? I'm excited to find out!"

Nicola also reveals that she would love to have played the character of Tina McIntyre and she'd love more scenes with Gemma, either working in the kebab shop or in the Kabin with Rita.

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