The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 27th and 29th November 1996

There were stressful times at the Rovers as Jack was stuck in hospital.  Things were made worse when Vera discovered that he'd been posing on the horse so he could send a Christmas card "from Jack and the Old Nag."  She took a picture of him in his hospital bed instead.  Meanwhile, Vera had to run the pub with half the staff off sick.  Rita continued to mull over Fred's proposal.  Jamie blabbed it in the Kabin (he'd heard Fred tell Jack) in front of Audrey, who was extremely amused, and took great delight in telling Alf.  He was so shocked he drove the wrong way up a one-way street and collided with a police car.  Rita talked it over with Betty and realised she'd have to decline.  Fiona continued with her singing career, though she was less and less impressed by Alec's management skills, and skipped a date so she could go out with Alan.  She also commiserated with Ken over Daniel, and agreed to testify in court that Denise said he was better off without her.  Kelly also moved back in with her mum.  Let's be honest, nobody cares.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 1st and 2nd December 1996

It's time to celebrate, because guess who popped back to see Curly?  ANGIE FLIPPING FREEMAN.  She was doing some design work at Mike's factory and nipped round to say hello.  At first she told glamorous stories of her life since she left, then she ribbed him about being single and still at number 7, but Mike filled her in about Raquel and she apologised.  She was of course absolutely ace throughout.  Alec threatened to sue Fiona for breach of contract, which cast a shadow over her 21st birthday party.  She got a great gift from her brother: he let her off his loan, meaning the salon was hers.  Alan took Alec aside and warned him off.  He said he was CID and could make things uncomfortable for him.  Alec found a distraction by agreeing to help Vera out in the pub in the evenings.  Elsewhere, Liz discovered her secret admirer was the prison Mr Big, some of Joyce's catalogue money seemed to have gone astray, and Sally refused to return to looking after Sophie because Kelly had given up childminding.

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 4th and 6th December 1996

Having a psychopath for an admirer was unsurprisingly making Liz nervous, so she refused a gift from his henchman, even though it could make things difficult for Steve in prison.  She was horrified to get home and find the present on her dining table.  The henchman then approached Sean and told him to leave Liz alone.  With no childminder, Sally was forced to take Sophie into the office, and she tried to persuade Mike to set up a creche.  You can imagine how well that went down.  Angie was thoroughly amused by it, though Curly got sick of her jokes about Weatherfield and sent her packing, calling her patronising.  Don't worry, she'll be back next year.  Curly took her words to heart though and decided to sell up and leave.  Judy thought that Joyce was siphoning off cash from the catalogues when she turned up with a new coat.  She paid off Betty's outstanding debt to try and clear her, only to discover she'd actually won the money for the coat on a scratchcard.  Fred withdrew his proposal when he clocked that Rita was probably going to say no.  Rita was left feeling guilty.  Ken told Sue Jeffers about his problems with Daniel and having to drive up to Scotland to see him.  She admitted that the school was overstaffed and suggested he take early retirement so he'd have more time to see Daniel - though Ken suspected that their embarrassing weekend in Southport may have influenced the decision.  And Alec organised an Irish night in the pub - with John Henshaw and a dodgy accent as one of the Guinness-guzzling musicians.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 6th and 9th December 1996

Derek and Mavis proudly presented the mystery plant they'd been gifted by Des to the allotment society.  It was immediately identified as cannabis, to their horror, and when Alan caught a glimpse he advised them to destroy it.  I hope they didn't burn it in the back garden, the residents will be high for weeks.  Derek and Mavis gatecrashed Becky's birthday party to berate Des for being a drug peddler which obviously didn't go down well with Claire's in-laws.  Sean took the threat from Fraser seriously, and immediately dumped Liz, like the gent he is.  She was left feeling vulnerable.  Curly went round boasting about his plans to run away from boring old Weatherfield, but chickened out of telling Eric Firman.  Anne went behind his back and told Eric in hope of getting his job.  Also having employment issues was Tricia.  Mike realised she was pregnant and sacked her to avoid paying maternity leave - I mean, let her go because she was a poor worker.  Sally was so outraged she resigned from the factory.  Good girl.  

FRIDAY - Episode originally broadcast 11th December 1996

Having won her £100, Joyce continued to spend money she didn't have on scratchcards, but she didn't win this time.  Rita grew increasingly uncomfortable at taking her cash.  (Scratchcard addiction was a big talking point in the 90s; Rosie Banks in Brookside was obsessed with them round about the same time).  Bill invited Maureen away from Christmas, suggesting a sunny trip to the Canaries, but she felt she couldn't leave Maud.  Take her along, Mo!  I'm sure she'd love razzing her wheelchair down the beach.  Ida Clough nipped in sharpish to claim the supervisor's job now Sally was gone, and Tricia went round to apologise for her losing her job.  Sally was fine with her.  In the Rovers, Roy demonstrated his photographic memory and his remarkable grasp of maths - which piqued Alec's interests...

It's Christmas in Classic Corrie next week, but it's not going to be a very jolly one.  Share a pint of eggnog with @merseytart on Twitter.

Classic Corrie is on ITV3 weekday afternoons and is also on the ITV Hub.

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 6th and 8th November 1996

Remember all that business with Jim and Liz and his mum's inheritance?  We thought it was resolved when he gave her a cheque for £1000, but we underestimated his pettiness.  Bill and Jim's work van broke down and they needed a new one.  When Jim saw Liz talking to Sean in the pub, he got an idea of where to get the cash, and stopped the cheque.  She was understandably livid as it meant she couldn't pay her solicitors.  He told her to ask her rich boyfriend for the money because he's deeply unpleasant.  He finally confessed the reason, and she relented, and he agreed to pay her in instalments.  Tracy Barlow returned from That London with some news: she was engaged to be married to a carpet fitter called Robert Preston.  Yes, in the old days, Robert was a carpet fitter: that's a hell of a change of career he made in his mid 30s.  She was planning on getting married Darn Sarf but Deirdre and Ken were so upset she changed her mind and brought the wedding to Weatherfield.  There was a cancellation at the Registry Office for the following week so they'd have to do it on the cheap, but they were thrilled.  Raquel and Lorraine went for their interview, but the next day, only Raquel went through to a second interview.  Lorraine was furious and accused her of stealing her job, while Curly was mildly pleased for her.  Only mildly.  Fiona persisted with her singing career, despite us actually hearing her perform, and she attracted a fan in the club in the form of a bloke called Alan McKenna.  Remember that name: it'll be important later.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 11th and 13th November 1996

There was good news and bad news in today's episodes so let's start with the good stuff.  Ken and Deirdre met "Robbie" Preston, and his parents, ahead of the wedding.  Tracy revealed that she'd got a charity shop dress and a pair of DMs for the ceremony, which is exactly what all my female mates were wearing in 1996 so it made me all misty-eyed and nostalgic, then Robert went off on his stag do with his mate Paul and a tiny Simon Farnaby from Ghosts.  As a prank they locked him in a container at the docks, so Ken and Deirdre panicked and called the police before he was shipped off to Saudi Arabia - only to discover he'd already escaped and headed home.  The wedding finally went ahead, with Tracy wearing Samir's ring, and Percy supplying a cake.  Vera laid on the reception, and Betty decided the spread was "nice... nice to know I've no competition anyway."  But most wonderfully, Blanche turned up for the ceremony.  Sean asked Samantha out to the dogs and she was going to go until Liz warned her off, saying that Sean was a sexual harasser.  Gary worried that Judy still wasn't pregnant, and wondered if there was something wrong with their plumbing.  But the real sadness was at number 7.  Raquel went for her second interview, and when they asked if she had any ties in Manchester, she said no.  She was offered a job in Kuala Lumpur and Curly assumed she'd turned it down.  It slowly dawned on him that she hadn't, and that she must've lied about her marital status.  She admitted she'd taken off her wedding ring and they began a lengthy heart to heart over the breakfast table.  Curly realised that she wanted him to tell her to take the job, but refused and left.  Fiona popped round and found a distracted Raquel.  She said if it were her she'd go like a shot, which left Raquel even more confused.  Curly returned from drowning his sorrows and admitted he'd always known she'd never loved him.  Raquel tried to deny it but they both knew it was true.  He told her to go to Malaysia and went to a conference in Wigan without saying goodbye.  He told her to leave her keys because he couldn't go through seeing her again.  Raquel sobbed on the stairs - and so did all of the audience.

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 15th and 18th November 1996

Sean was angry with Liz for telling Sam about his lecherous past and told her to stop spreading rumours.  They argued furiously, but ended up admitting they fancied each other and hooked up.  Jack's various business ventures were falling through.  He tried to persuade Alec to join up with him to supply cabaret acts to Harvey Nuttall at the brewery, but Alec went round behind his back and cut him out of the deal.  Meanwhile, Fred was invited to a racehorse owner's event at the stables, but Jack wasn't.  Raquel packed up her things, ironed Curly's shirts for him, and left for Kuala Lumpur.  She gave Judy her old clothes and asked the Malletts to keep an eye on Curly.  He cried on Gary's shoulder, which made him uncomfortable, then went to Anne and Andy's and got roaring drunk and collapsed on his sofa, full of self-pity.  I don't blame him.  We'll all miss Raquel Watts nee Wolstenhulme.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 20th and 22nd November 1996

Steve's back!  He's still in prison of course but it seems to be doing him some good, actually, because he's put on a bit of weight and grown out his hair.  He got a visit from Liz, and she attracted the attention of another inmate, Fraser, a posh gang boss.  Steve meanwhile was horrified to learn that she was now seeing his nemesis Sean.  Fred was the major shareholder for Betty's Hot Shot, so he took Rita to the stables for the open day.  He was furious when all the other shareholders gatecrashed.  Jack posed on top of the horse, only for it to bolt after Jamie startled it, throwing him to the ground and knocking him unconscious.  Ken and Deirdre were getting closer, first bonding over Tracy's wedding pictures, then having a meal at Deirdre's flat.  One thing lead to another and they ended up in bed together.  Unfortunately, this was just as Denise returned to number 1 to take Daniel away with them...

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 24th and 25th November 1996

This was the first ever Sunday episode for Corrie, as it went four days a week.  They started it off by resolving Friday's dramatic cliffhanger.  Kelly the childminder finally got through to Ken at Deirdre's flat and he sped round.  Denise presented him with a solicitor's letter that said she could take Daniel back to Scotland with her so Ken reluctantly let them go.  He visited a solicitor to see about getting custody, but was told it would be a difficult battle.  It's interesting to see Denise and Ken fighting over Daniel when a few years later they'll both lose interest in him and will abandon him completely.  Deirdre felt guilty for being at it with Ken while his baby was snatched, but worse was to come for Kelly. who was told that her services were no longer required so could she move her stuff out?  Jack was in hospital, and his doctor - Diggory Compton - advised Vera that he had a slipped disc and so would have to remain immobile for months.  It ruined Fred's romantic schemes, as he'd planned on proposing to Rita.  He finally slipped it out late that night - the proposal, you dirty article - and asked her to consider it.  She told Mavis, who was repulsed, so Rita took great pleasure in winding her up while she mulled it over.  Liz, meanwhile, received a load of cash in an envelope from "a friend of her son's".  She had no idea who that was.  And there was a load of old nonsense about Fiona's burgeoning singing career which remains utterly improbable.  The people at Granada don't seem to realise we can hear her.

Much as it pains me to say it, the departure of Raquel is another nail in the coffin of the golden era of the Street, and the fourth episode underlines that.  Reminisce about the good times with me over on Twitter @merseytart.

Classic Corrie is on ITV3 every weekday afternoon and is also on the ITV Hub.

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 14th and 16th October 1996

There was a quietly significant moment in these episodes as Ashley Peacock made a move to becoming a permanent resident.  He viewed the spare room at number 5 with the hope of becoming the lodger, but his girlfriend Kelly found Don deeply unpleasant (true) and discouraged him from taking it.  Raquel continued to apply for jobs, intimidating Curly with her sophisticated outfits and her commitment, so he raised the prospect of them having a family.  Raquel, however, asked him to be a little more dedicated to the idea of a family beyond simply getting her knocked up.  Des learned that Claire received a generous widow's pension - a pension she was giving up by moving in with him.  He wondered if he was worth that level of commitment.  Dump her, Des, she's really boring.  And Jamie bunked off school, so Gail and Roy talked to him and found out how sad he was about his Dad being in prison.  It was quite lovely.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 18th and 21st October 1996

Raquel got taken on at the Imperial Hotel as a beautician by a pre-Footballer's Wives Zoe Lucker.  She bonded with the other girls in the salon over white wine and went out with them after work, leaving Curly feeling abandoned.  He told her how left out he felt and she told him she'd put up with him faffing around with the Square Dealers and Eric Firmin so he could just lump it.  Good girl.  Ashley moved into the Street, though Kelly was upset that Don would be around and cramping their style.  She was even more upset when Don dragged him into a poker game rather than going out with her.  Des suggested to Claire that she move out so she could carry on claiming her pension, which upset her.  He said they'd still be a couple, just not living together, but she took the hump and said if she moved out that would be it for them.  Liz and Jim's divorce continued to be incredibly ugly so Deirdre suggested they try mediation.  Jim was less than keen, of course.  Maud went to the bingo so Maureen invited Bill round for a candlelit supper.  They were about to get intimate when Maud returned home.  When she realised Maureen was entertaining, she quickly left, but it had spooked Maureen so she said they'd have to take things slow.

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 23rd and 25th October 1996

Ken went to a conference in Southport with headmistress Mrs Jeffers.  She'd recently split from her husband and unburdened herself on Ken - a little too much, as she turned up at his room with a bottle of wine.  He waited until she dozed off then legged it.  However, in a drunken stupor, she fell over and cracked her head, and had to be taken off in an ambulance.  Ken was mortified.  At the same hotel were Norris and Derek on a conference.  When they checked in they discovered there was only one room left so they'd have to share a bed.  Oh aye, Norris, that old trick.  Derek phoned Mavis to share the gossip about Mrs Jeffers, and when she told Rita Becky overheard.  She soon spread it round the school that Mr Barlow and Mrs Jeffers were having a fling.  The mediation went about as well as you'd expect as Liz and Jim argued over his inheritance from his mum.  She wanted a wedge of it while Jim thought that as his mum died after they separated it was none of her business.  I hate to support Jim but I think he's got a point.  He tried to buy her off with £500 but she threw it back at him.  Des showed Claire the flat above the bookies and suggested she move in there.  It looks absolutely nothing like Billy's flat in the current show, by the way.  

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 28th and 30th October 1996

Raquel and Curly went to dinner with the Firmans, where the new improved Raquel went down a storm.  However, Mrs Firman pulled her aside and warned her that if she wasn't careful, Curly would turn out like her husband.  I doubt Curly would ever be that interesting.  Liz agreed to accept £1000 of Jim's inheritance so they could settle the whole thing and get divorced.  Alf had lost his licence, because he was 70, so he went to the doctor to see if there would be problems getting it renewed.  The doctor thought not, only for Alf to promptly prove him wrong by reversing his car into the doctor's car outside.  Ashley decided to act like an alpha male, which was as embarrassing as you could imagine, and it annoyed Kelly.  It annoyed the viewers a lot more.

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 1st and 4th November 1996

There was a chain of scoldings as Mrs Jeffers discovered that the whole school was gossiping about her and Ken Barlow.  She told Ken off, who told Derek off, who told Mavis off, who told Becky off.  Becky, meanwhile, was "living" above the bookies with Claire.  Claire got her former mother-in-law round but she wasn't daft, and twigged that it was a subterfuge to get round the rules about her pension.  Claire argued with Des about it, again, and she decided to move back into number 6, again.  This is all about as compelling as a day's fishing with Don Brennan.  Alf took part in the school sponsored walk and twisted his ankle in the process.  The doctor who attended to him was the same one whose car he'd pranged and he told Alf he didn't think he was fit enough to drive.  Audrey was incensed, and told him to send in the application anyway, no doubt because she didn't want to give up her G&Ts in the Rovers to ferry him around.  Raquel's friend Lorraine, played by the astonishingly beautiful Samantha Beckinsale, arrived to stay with her while she went to a job interview.  Sadly, it coincided with Raquel losing her job at the Imperial Hotel, so Lorraine urged her to come to the interviews with her.  Curly was unimpressed when he learned it was for an international chain of beauty salons...

Next week is a pretty significant one in Classic Corrie, as not only does Raquel leave the show, but we also get the wedding of Miss Tracy Barlow and Mr Robert Preston.  Join me on Twitter @merseytart with your hankies.

Classic Corrie is on ITV3 every day from 14:50 and is also on the ITV Hub.

---

---

All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License