Coronation Street Blog: september 1998

Showing posts with label september 1998. Show all posts

Monday, 12 July 2021

The Week In Classic Corrie

ITV did another of their customary cock-ups this week and skipped an episode of Classic Corrie altogether. A day later they realised their mistake and put it up on the Hub. I've recapped it as if it was there on Monday with the others.

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 21st, 23rd and 25th September 1998

Steve returned from That London to discover the hell that had opened up in his absence. Jim told him he knew he'd pushed him off the scaffolding. At first Steve tried to deny it but he realised the jig was up and went on the attack, telling Jim he should've finished the job. Then he went round to see Fiona and laid into her for grassing him up. Fiona realised she'd never be happy with the McDonalds so close and decided to leave the Street to live with her mum. Steve had a change of heart, and tried to get her to stay, but she was adamant and went off to go and have Emma in a few months time. Fiona was always a great character - except for maybe when she was singing - and even though Angela Griffin is probably too busy to return for any length of time, it'd be nice for her to cameo again. This left the salon to be disposed of, and she offered it to Audrey. Jack was itching to get his hands on all the money from selling the pub, but it was a joint account and Vera wouldn't budge. He managed to con her into signing the passbook to say he could get money out on his own, withdrew a grand, and promptly lost it all on the dogs. Sally looked after Sophie, but she spilt liquid on Greg's computer and he lost his temper with her. She returned her to Kevin. Rita intervened in the situation, trying to get Sally to see Greg was bad for her, but she was sent out with a flea in her ear.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 27th and 28th September 1998

There were momentous changes in the cafe flat as Hayley moved in with Roy. He was incredibly anxious about their situation, and suggested they get married. She sadly told him that as she had been born male, there was no way they could marry, and wondered if he'd be let down. They slowly got closer, both of them virgins (yes they are, ignore later storylines), and muddled their way through their first time. Vera decided the Duckworths should have a holiday, which meant she wanted to get access to their money. Jack panicked and asked Alec to refuse to give them the time off but he gleefully said they were free to holiday any time they wanted. Alf refused to buy Audrey the salon, so she flirted with Fred, and told Alf that he was going to buy it for her. Shocked, Alf agreed to buy it. Sally took the girls from the child minder and moved them into the shop flat while Greg was away. A distraught Kevin tried to get them back, but Sally told him to get lost, pointing out that she could move a lot further away if she wanted. He was forced to concede but demanded to be able to see them often. 1998 Sally is kind of horrible.

WEDNESDAY - Episode originally broadcast 30th September

Des's brother was getting married, and Natalie worried that she was going to be judged by his family. He was however fully committed and asked her to move in with him. Incidentally, Des drank Newky Brown straight out of the can, which I believe means he can never return to Tyneside with his head held high. Steve told Audrey that he'd done work on the salon for Fiona, and while they were together, he'd written the costs off - but now they weren't, Audrey owed him £1000. She confided in Fred and he pointed out that as a councillor, Audrey could make things difficult for Steve in building contracts, so he dropped it. Incidentally Audrey confessed she was scared of Steve. Can you imagine her being frightened of the cuddly loser of 2021?

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 2nd and 4th October 1998

Spider and Alma conspired to find a way to clear Curly's name. He pretended to be Curly's cousin and told Anne that she had been very important to him. He hinted that if Curly went to prison, he could never love Anne, and she decided to prove his innocence. Sally told Gail about her business with Greg. Gail, though, wasn't keen on it, and told Rita she was worried Greg was taking all her cash. In the Rovers, Roy and Hayley's evening was ruined by Mike being smug and unpleasant. He insulted Hayley in a moment of transphobia that was cut for ITV3 viewers so Roy chucked his beer over him. Mike told him that was a very silly move. Toyah returned from her holiday with a boyfriend - Dobber. He was deeply unpleasant, and pressured Toyah into having sex with him.

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 5th and 7th October 1998

Spider talked to Anne and she agreed that Curly had been set up. She said she knew who did it: Alma. She claimed that Alma was in love with her and they should fake another ransom note to shift the blame from Curly. Spider got her to show him the fake note beneath a CCTV camera, but when Alma went to get the tape, she was interrupted. Jim and Liz went out for a meal and, while he was in the toilet, a man at an adjacent table came on to her. Jim went ballistic, thinking he was being pitied, and Liz realised that he hadn't changed and was still a powder keg. She confessed to Michael, his therapist, that she didn't want Jim any more. Dobber was so horrible even the Battersbys found him repulsive, with Janice refusing to give him the time of day and Leanne disgusted to discover he'd pressured Toyah into unprotected sex. She forced her to get the morning after pill and play it safe from now on. He told Toyah to steal some money from the cafe so they could have a night out, but she didn't, instead giving him the money for her lessons with Ken. Dobber was disgusted and told her to pull her finger out because he is truly awful.

With any luck next week's episodes should be broadcast correctly, otherwise @merseytart is writing to Ofcom.

Classic Corrie is on ITV3 weekdays and is also on the ITV Hub.

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

Sunday, 4 July 2021

The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 4th and 6th September 1998

Do you know what I never need to see again? Janice Battersby wailing in close up with her make up streaming down her face. She was at the police station, reporting that Toyah was missing, and the coppers brought in Neil for interrogation. There was no sign of Toyah though. He finally admitted to taking her to the woods, and after a search they found her. Les felt protective towards his errant stepdaughter, apologised to Ken, and asked him to resume his lessons. Sally sobbed at not being able to see her girls, but Kevin was adamant about keeping her away, and Greg was less than keen to let her bring Rosie and Sophie into his bachelor pad. He dumped Maxine, and she realised it was because he was seeing Sally; she burst into the factory to confront her. The factory was stunned and Kevin chucked a pint over Greg. Sally, however, thought she was in love, and handed over a load of cash for his new business. Alec gave a cheque to the Duckworths, buying them out of the Rovers, but at Rita's urging he let them stay on to run the pub. He talked to his fiance and they agreed that getting married at their age was daft; instead, Alec proposed knocking a door through connecting their two flats. Curly opened the mail at Freshco and got a blackmail letter demanding £50,000 or the stock would be tampered with. He assumed it was Spider and Toyah, after their antics with the frozen prawns, but Spider denied all knowledge. Curly talked to Anne and they agreed to get the police involved.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 7th and 9th September

Fiona confessed to Steve that she suspected Alan would come back some day to see Morgan. She admitted that she'd let him be a part of his son's life, which angered Steve, who thought they were a family. They argued and Fiona walked out. Steve drowned his sorrows with Maxine and they ended up sleeping together. When Fiona returned though, she admitted she'd thought about their future together, and suggested they marry and Steve adopted Morgan. Whoops. Jim had begun feeling twinges in his leg, and then pain, and he was thrilled that his legs were recovering. His physiotherapist Michael warned him not to get his hopes up. Curly was persuaded by the police to make the drop of the money for the blackmailer, wearing a bulletproof vest, in a plan dubbed Operation Crustacean. He was a nervous wreck. Anne dropped hints to the police that Curly was bitter about the Freshco takeover, then put broken glass in some beetroot and crafted another blackmail letter.

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 11th and 13th September 1998

Alec was suffering frustrations all round. The Duckworths were only doing the work they needed to, not breaking their necks, because now they were only employees. They clocked on and off and refused to do any work outside their hours. Meanwhile, his builder smashed a hole in the wall then vanished, leaving Rita furious. Curly received another blackmail note and found the glass in the beetroot on the shelves. Anne went to the police and told them that she suspected Curly. She claimed he was obsessed with her. They searched his house and found the book with the letters cut out that she'd returned to his shelves. He was arrested, but when he went on bail, he went on the run, leaving a note for Alma saying he didn't want to go to prison. (In reality, Kevin Kennedy was admitted for treatment for his alcoholism, meaning the storyline had to be rewritten at the last minute). Fiona told Maxine how great Steve was compared with Greg, and in frustration, Maxine told her about their night together. Steve claimed she was just jealous of their relationship, and told Maxine to make things right. She lied to Fiona that she'd made the whole thing up - and Fiona ended their relationship and fired her.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 14th and 16th September 1998

Alma, Emily and Spider palled up to try and clear Curly's name - though they had no idea how to do it. They tried to cover his disappearance with the police but Alma cracked and confessed he'd legged it, making him look guilty as sin. Maxine was distraught that Fiona hated her and told Steve she was going to confess everything. He told her to shut up, not realising that Fiona could hear the whole thing. She kicked him out on his ear and he ended up back living with Jim at number 11. Alec took the construction of the new door into his own hands, only for the wall to collapse and trap him. The subsequent rescue revealed to the Street that they'd knocked through, and Rita found herself the subject of amused gossip. (Rita: "We're having a door fixed between our two flats, for convenience." Fred: "Convenience? I've never heard it called that before.")

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 18th and 20th September 1998

Steve went off to That London to escape. Jim went to see Fiona to try and plead Steve's case, telling her not to throw away a good relationship for one mistake. She responded by telling him that Steve was responsible for the accident that put Jim in a wheelchair. He didn't believe her at first, but she convinced him, though Liz was convinced she was saying it just to get back at them both. Kevin was struggling to juggle running his business and looking after the girls, and had to enlist Natalie's help. Sally was incensed to see the Horrocks trollop with Sophie and tried to take her away. Both Martin and Natalie advised Kevin to allow her access, but Greg was less pleased, as he really, really didn't want the kids cluttering up his life.

Anne's ongoing blackmail plot means we're close to one of the greatest, most macabre moments in the show's history. Join @merseytart on Twitter with some WD-40 and a bag of frozen prawns.

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

Saturday, 26 June 2021

The Week In Classic Corrie

MONDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 17th and 19th August 1998

Because he is despicable, Les decided to take advantage of Rita's confusion and claimed he gave her a twenty for his fags and not a tenner. Rita sent him out with a flea in his ear but Alec assumed it was because of her fogginess and gave him the extra money outside. This angered Rita, and she told him where to go, but when she then cooked him a meal to apologise for flying off the handle he tried proposing again. Alma told Mike he was disgusting and she'd never forgive him for sacking Hayley. It finally pricked his conscience and he rehired her, though he warned her not to reveal her past to the staff because they'd hate her. Eric Firman announced he was retiring and selling the business to an up and coming new firm called Freshco. Maxine mentioned to Kevin that she'd seen Sally going to see Greg with a bottle of wine. When he confronted her about it she told him he was overreacting and he apologised; she promptly went round to Greg's and planned how to leave him. He suggested she walk out but not move in with him to keep the divorce simple. Greg floated the idea that it would be for the best if Kevin slept with Natalie again; when Sally mentioned that she'd understand if he resumed his affair he was rightly confused. But the saddest moment was the final appearance of The Sainted Ida Clough, a stalwart who'd been in the show, on and off, for twenty years. Sadly she simply vanished from the programme without getting a proper send-off. I like to think she's still at Underworld, stitching knickers and causing trouble, and they simply don't show her onscreen any more.

TUESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 21st and 23rd August 1998

Curly was afraid that Freshco would lay off the existing staff, so when an American turned up in the shop he fawned all over him. (The customer was played by Billy J Mitchell, who's probably best known for getting crushed by Xenia Onatopp's thighs in GoldenEye). It turned out he was just there to shop, because Curly's new manager was actually... DUM DUM DUM... Anne Malone! Of course he was convinced she was out for revenge, but she promised him there were no hard feelings, honest guv. Sally held a raucous knicker party in the Rovers where Maxine boasted of her great sex life with Greg. She realised he was carrying on with two women at once. Natalie offered Kevin a shoulder to cry on, and he admitted he thought Sally was trying to drive him away. Greg gleefully told Sally he'd seen them together. Only 16 turned down Toyah's article and she felt deflated. To encourage her, Les and Janice bought her a laptop, but she had revenge on her mind. She phoned in an anonymous bomb threat to the magazine office but rather stupidly did it from her home phone - and the police turned up on the doorstep.

WEDNESDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 24th and 26th August 1998

Vera docked Alec's pay for spending all his time with Rita at the Kabin. She accused him of being a shirker and he decided to dissolve the partnership because the Duckworths were so petty. Alec told Rita he was returning to Southampton and she thought it was because she wouldn't marry him. The papers for the loan to buy Natalie out of the garage arrived but Sally refused to sign them. Kevin realised that she didn't want him any more and packed his bags. Sally immediately invited Greg round for the night and told Rosie that her daddy was gone for good. No wonder Rosie ended up such a mess. Anne demanded that Curly make some of his staff redundant, including Alma, but he knew that she needed the job to stay independent from Mike. He persuaded her not to let Alma go and Anne told her she was still there because of Curly's intervention. Toyah went for her literature lesson with Ken and Les caught her leaving his house. He immediately jumped to the wrong conclusion and belted Ken for being a pervert. Toyah was disgusted and embarrassed and told Les he wasn't her real Dad and Janice had dragged him from who knows where. Janice slapped her.

THURSDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 28th and 30th August 1998

Vera fretted about losing the Rovers without Alec's financial support. He said they'd have to all agree to sell the pub, and asked them to come up with a price. When they suggested £100,000 for their half he thought they were talking nonsense - until he suggested the Duckworths bought him out, at which point £100,000 sounded very reasonable. Rita thought on Alec's proposal and decided to throw caution to the wind and marry him. They decided to tie the knot as soon as possible. Greg suggested that Sally get Kevin to move back in so he could act as a babysitter. He did, though he was confused about Sally's intentions. Greg also had a business proposal for Sally; a partnership that would put Mike out of business. Of course he'd be the brains and she'd be the money. Toyah was sick of her neanderthal family and decided to go and find someone who cared about her - her real dad, down in That London. She hitched a lift from a lorry, then phoned Leanne to let her know what she was up to. Janice was worried sick and reported her disappearance to the police - but because she was sixteen, they couldn't do anything.

FRIDAY - Episodes originally broadcast 31st August and 2nd September 1998

In That London, Toyah went to see her dad, Ronnie. She called at the address she had and a man invited her in. She didn't realise that he was actually a former cellmate of Ronnie's, Neil, who'd taken over his flat. Janice and Les arrived at Ronnie's real address and broke the news to his new wife that he had a daughter up in Weatherfield. They went to his old address, and Neil sent them away; Toyah overheard and realised that the man who'd let her in wasn't actually her father. When she tried to leave he tied her up then took her out to Epping Forest. Janice realised that Toyah was probably with Neil and contacted the police. Meanwhile Toyah managed to escape, and disappeared into the woods. Kevin asked Greg why he wanted to go into business with Sally, rightly assuming he was only after her money, but he painted a picture of Sally as a budding Deborah Meaden. Guiltily, Sally made a fuss of Kevin for his birthday, but he realised something was up and went across to the factory. He caught her snogging Greg and, enraged, he chucked her and all her goods out on the Street. Anne was all sweetness and light round Curly, but she stole a book from his house then took it home and started cutting it up with a scalpel. She crafted a note together from the cut up letters then posted it with an evil smirk. Alec offered to buy the Duckworths out of the pub - for a reasonable sum - and then keep them on as live-in managers. They agreed but he insisted they didn't involve solicitors. I'm sure this is all completely above board.

To be honest, the Battersby ladies have grown on @merseytart, with Janice, Leanne and Toyah all displaying gumption and smarts that go beyond their original awfulness. Les, however, is still absolutely horrible.

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