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.
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.
