Deadly danger to stalk the Street

Now then, at the time of writing this blog post I know nothing - at all - about this upcoming storyline and so I'm free to speculate about it and wonder what it's all about.

In the back pages of this week's Inside Soap magazine they always give a little hint about what's to come in the next week's issue of the magazine for each of the soaps. So we're talking now about two weeks ahead of what we're currently seeing on screen.

And here's what they say about Coronation Street under the headline of Cobbles Chaos!

Peter makes his presence felt at the factory next week and Carla wonders whether he's after pleasure as well as business. But she might not find out, because a shock event that occurs outside sees deadly danger stalk the Street.

Ooh!  Shock event? Deadly danger?  What could it possibly be?

Each September in Corrie, for the past few years, there's been a 'big week' and I wonder if whatever is going to take place is part of the run-up to this year's big week? Interesting times ahead!

Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here! 

Read more Corrie news, interviews, gossip and spoilers  

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook 

---

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Kate Oates teases Coronation Street storyline that scares her

Earlier this year, Coronation Street producer Kate Oates revealed that she's working on a storyline which will air in 2018 that, she says, "scares her."

We wondered what that story might be and our speculation is here if you'd like to read it.

Speaking to Metro online, Kate Oates talks further on this new, scary storyline and says this:

"I am still scared but I think that the trepidation that I feel about is useful. It’s one of those storylines that makes you check what you are doing and it will make people talk about it – we will seek a lot of advice and we have talked about it a lot as a team.

So it is a good thing that I feel a bit scared about it as it means that everything we do with it will be done in a very considered way and I hope that will come across."

What could it possibly be, I wonder? What?

Read more Corrie news, interviews, gossip and spoilers  

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook 

---

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

You are Corrie's Producer - What would make you "scared"?

Earlier this week, Coronation Street producer Kate Oates gave a wonderful interview to David Brown in the Radio Times.  You can read our pick of the interview here but I do suggest popping to the shops to buy the magazine to read the full thing.

Something's been bothering me about the interview, because right at the end of it, Kate Oates said this: "There are still stories I'm passionate about telling. We're doing one next year that scares me a bit, but if it's taken in the way we intend, it could do a lot of good."

It's the word "scares" that, well... scares me, to be honest. And I've been wondering what it could mean and how it bodes for our favourite soap.  

So let's do a bit of speculation...

Is she killing off Rita with the dementia storyline? That would be enough to scare any producer. Rita is soap royalty and the backlash from fans around the world would be enough to scare anyone. But, if done well, as she says, and taken in the way it's intended, it could do a lot of good, bringing dementia to the forefront.  Or, perhaps it's Ken that's for the chop - the world's longest-serving soap actor. 

Perhaps one of the current major characters want to leave and spread their wings - I'm thinking of the likes of Sally or Kevin or Ken.  That would be scary, to lose a huge part of the show, but in what way would their leaving storyline "do a lot of good?"

After the plaudits received for Lucy Fallon and Coronation Street in the grooming storyline, is there an even darker story coming soon?  Corrie has touched on modern day slavery with the Polish worker story, but it soon fizzled out. Could that be revisited as an issue?

What do you think it might be?

Read more Corrie news, interviews, gossip and spoilers  

Follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook 

---

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

The Face of an Assailant

When the "Who Attacked Ken" storyline spoilers first hit t'interweb, ITV's publicity machine offered a photo of all the potential suspects including a non-family member, Pat Phelan. They do this sort of thing. Then, quite often, they throw a twist in the works and the culprit ends up being someone entirely different and "expendable", a secondary character. I really thought that's where this was going at first and I suspected either young Seb, perhaps caught in the act of robbing Number 1 or Chloe, hoping to set Peter up for it.

In an unusual twist, the identity of the attacker is indeed in the above photo. As the inept DS McKinnon arrested or seriously questioned one after another until she'd hit on every one unsuccessfully, the airwaves were full of red herrings, clues and hints. Amy? No, Amy wouldn't have hurt her grandfather even if she was angry with him. She couldn't have done it and gone on as if nothing had happened after. Pat Phelan certainly had form for it but it wasn't him, either. Amy directed the police to Adam whose fingerprints were on a kitchen worktop while he was supposed to be out of town. Daniel has often shown a sudden and violent temper. Tracy was upset because she felt Ken showed preferred treatment to her blood relatives, which she is not. Everyone had a motive. Everyone had opportunity, or so it seemed.

Little by little, alibis were given and some were proven, some were not. By the end, Daniel's alibi, proven with a tram ticket, was in tatters and the mis-identification of a pair of red trainers as his seemed to have sealed his fate in Ken's memory. But Ken still only remembers the shoes, not the face.

Then Adam decided that he'd leave town after a dressing down by Peter and Tracy. Adam previously pretended to leave town when Ken ordered him out. He'd hit rock bottom and had no other option but he didn't actually leave. I didn't believe he'd have upped sticks and gone so quietly after Peter and Tracy's suggestion. I had been coming to the conclusion over recent weeks that he was the attacker all along, because Adam has been far too focussed on trying to move the attention away from himself, trying to find reasons to pin the blame on anyone else. When one person was cleared by the police, he'd move on to the next and so on. There wasn't any more evidence against him than there was with anyone else, just enough to be circumstantial but nothing really definitive while Ken still had no memory but Adam was determined he wasn't going to go down for it. Why? Because he's guilty, that's why. Or so I thought.

Ah. But Ken's starting to have memory flashes. Was Adam so quick to decide to leave town to escape the inevitable? That's what I thought. Tonight, it seemed Adam signed his own arrest warrant inadvertently. Ken had recognized those shoes and Sinead identified them as Daniel's but she thought he meant the heap of clothes next to the shoes. Ken only said "who owns that stuff?", not "who owns those trainers?". Adam came to say good bye and right on top of his things in an open duffel bag were the shoes in question.  Oh heck. It was Adam! Ken even called the police on him though Adam is insisting it wasn't him though admits he was there but was too angry at his grandfather to call for help when he found him at the bottom of the stairs.

But Daniel was planning to go off as well. In a very contrived situation, his ex-landlord has waited almost 6 months to insist on a paint job at his old flat which you would think he would have rented out to someone else rather than lose that money for that long. But no. Swallow that one and move on.

Daniel is persuaded to bring Ken with him which he did try to avoid but couldn't (hmm. Suspicious, that) and Ken offered to help him revise for a poetry exam, using that big book he gave him awhile back, the one he wrote a message in.  You remember, the message had a phrase that Ken used to Sinead who repeated it to Daniel. He realized it was Ken that was the reason why Sinead felt she had to go through with the abortion and he was livid. Remember that sudden, violent temper he's got?

This, then, is the face of Ken's attacker.

And this, then, as we later discovered, is the blunt object used to thump Ken on the back of the head, still bloody. Daniel had to buy another copy and forge the note and now the two of them are going to be in an empty flat alone together. Ken still hasn't remembered the actual incident but as Brian found out, sometimes memories can flash back to you when you least expect them. It's very likely going to happen next week. 

And once Ken remembers, since it isn't a murder charge, Daniel's fate isn't a done deal. I think that since it isn't that sort of crime, Ken can refuse to press charges if he wants (or can he?) and it's possible he might do that. He's been aware that his own interference has caused his son's anger towards him, and he's long felt guilty about abandoning Daniel who probably holds old resentment. But I expect, since Ken was willing to call the police on Adam, he'll do it on Daniel as well. Will Ken withdraw the charges in the long run? Wait and we'll see, I guess.


I really enjoyed this storyline. It kept me guessing, how about you?  I'm glad ITV didn't take the usual safe route of landing us with a secondary character that we don't care for as the villain of the piece though if it had been a murder case, I have no doubt that's what would have happened.

I wonder where they'll take Daniel now. Will he be humbled by his father's (anticipated) forgiveness? Will he become the family pariah? Will Tracy be insufferably smug because there's someone else to take the heat off her criminal past? Will we ever find out what happened to Daniel's mother?  What do you think?



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)
Cross posted from State of the Street 

---

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Someone to watch over me

Now then.

Single men are starting to pile up on the corner of the cobbles, have you noticed? We have Ken, Norris, Sean, Brian, Roy, Chesney, Craig, Luke, David, Adam and now Steve. There are a number of single women at the moment, as well. Liz, Tracy, Rosie, Sophie, Alya, Cathy, Yasmeen, Kate, Rita,  Gail, Shona, Audrey, Gemma, Mary.

Since soaps don't seem to want to keep anyone single for long, it's a pretty safe bet that a few of those men will find someone to warm the cockles of their hearts before too long. I had time to let my mind wander around on the subject. See if you agree or disagree with my ideas.

Brian and Cathy are already making eyes at each other, we can probably pull them off the list though I really don't think they will go the distance. Brian is far too selfish and oafish. Cathy and Roy really would have been ideal but Roy isn't ready and maybe he never will be and that's ok.  Maria isn't on the list because of her affair with Aidan. We might reserve the more senior characters for the moment as well. Please, Romance Gods, don't put Audrey and Ken together now that Freddie has gone!

There has been speculation that the Powers that Be will throw Shona and David together. I kind of hope not because it would be weird for David to be romantically partnered with the mother of the man that killed his wife. But stranger things have happened. They are about the same age, actually. We were told that Shona was just about 13 when she gave birth to Clayton who was 15 when he killed Kylie. I think I'd rather see David single for a little while longer and then meet someone completely new.

But you know, I think Shona might make a good partner for Steve even if she's almost a generation younger than he is. (and a couple of Coronation Street Blog commenters seem to have agreed with me just as I was writing this!) That never stopped a romantic pairing on Corrie. Most of Deirdre's men were yards older than her! Shona has that earthy no-nonsense attitude and she's not self centered or a drama queen like Michelle. I think she could suit Steve very well and throw in the added bonus that a new partner, a much younger model,  would put a knot in Michelle's face even if she does say she doesn't want Steve any more.  I like her, I do. There's something about her. What I don't want is for Steve to end up with Leanne with the only thing they have in common being wee Oliver. Leanne needs someone responsible, someone that isn't jealous and insecure. I used to think she and Robert would have made a good couple but I don't really like him much anymore. Leanne and Peter are water under the bridge, too.

I think Rob Donovan was the love of Tracy's life. He really "got" her, accepted her for all her faults and they really worked well together. They also had more than the usual things in common. Murder, much? But since that's a no-go now that Rob is back inside, I wonder if Luke can forgive her? They weren't a bad couple though Luke is probably too honest for Tracy. I think we should suggest that Luke and Alya get together. Alya has ambitions but maybe she'd like a steady guy who is good with his hands, eh? They need to use Alya or lose her because on the rare occasion we do see her these days, she's got her nose in the air or a scowl on her face. They've made her dislikable and I'm afraid she probably isn't going to be around long if they can't think of something soon.

I would have suggested Gemma and Chesney get together but I really don't think they would make a very good couple. Gemma would have him for breakfast. I'm pleased that Gemma is trying to gain some confidence and turn her life around, I really am, but she's far too much for Chesney and he's too much of an old soul for her.

I don't think Kate and Sophie should get together but what happened to their friendship? It seemed to go the way of the dodo after Caz left and Kate got embroiled in her father's fling with Jenny Bradley and is now pursuing her father's health problems. Mind you, when Kate first arrived on the scene, I did think she would be a good partner for Sophie. She has a sense of humour and is a lot of fun and would bring Sophie out of her surliness.  Rosie should not be with someone like Adam because he wouldn't treat her well. He'd look down on her and treat her like an object. She and Jason were really good together. Jason adored and cherished her and They were pretty much equal in the intelligence department. I do think Rosie needs to mature a bit, though, because she's getting too old to be this daft bimbo. She's got to find a direction for her life or a hidden talent.

I'd also like to see Sean find someone that truly appreciates him. I did think he and Billy were good together but I'm sure there's a match out there for Sean somewhere. Maybe someone a little older who can give him a bit more confidence in himself so he won't be such a slave to his own insecurities. It would be nice to see him reconnect with his son, Dylan, too. Maybe find some who has a child of his own, something they'd have in common.

While it's lovely to see some of the senior characters find love, it feels too incestuous for any of them to fall for any of the others. They've all been friends for far too long for it to  believably morph into love.

Finally, it seems very much like Nick is spiralling into his jealousy again over Peter and Steve both. Nick's jealousy and insecurity is going to be his downfall I think. Leanne is already showing signs of him being instrumental in putting her between a rock and a hard place constantly by not being able to compromise.  Leanne should stay single for awhile, please. Don't put her with Steve just because she's got Steve's baby.

Who would you like to see some of the Corrie singles matched up with? Someone current or new? Someone unexpected?


Crossposted from State of the Street
By Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Read more Corrie news and spoilers
 

---

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License

Who's conning who?

(This originally appeared on The State of the Street. Reproduced here with permission)

Vinny came to Phelan with a scam, pretend to sell luxury flats to naive punters, run off with the deposit money and they're quids in. Phelan snapped his hand off at the chance. But things are not going according to plan. Todd has been keeping a close eye on Phelan, not trusting him an inch and is now on the sales team. He's supposed to be on board and willing to go along with the scam but I'm not buying it. I think Todd is planning to find a way to bring Phelan down from the inside and thus remove him from his mother's and brother's lives. Todd isn't exactly twirling his moustache and looking shifty but he has been caught looking thoughtful after various encounters.

Eileen has gotten involved on behalf of Jason, eager to be part of the exciting project that she believes is real but she's been inadvertently putting expensive roadblocks in the way and Vinny's not happy about it, not one little bit. Phelan has impressed on Todd that you do not want to piss Vinny off, he's connected to some dangerous people. I think Phelan discovered just how real Vinny's connections might be and it has given him pause for thought.

I think Phelan is happy to rip off his neighbours and any other person quick to fall for the ruse but while he's a bully, and he's manipulative and he likes to threaten people, I don't think he's got the stomach for *real* violence unless he was defending himself.

Think back. Gary beat the living crap out of him. Did he jump Gary and catch him unawares, with revenge in kind? No he did not. He got back at Gary by using his mother, blackmailing her into sleeping with him so he'd let Gary off the hook. He used the people he knew he could rather than go physically up against a younger man who already proved he could fight back hard. He also hesitated when Kevin gave him a blunt warning not to mess with Anna when he tried to intimidate her and I think he knows Kevin isn't afraid of a fight, either. Again, he tried to blackmail Anna to back away from slagging him off to everyone or he'd tell Kevin about their previous encounter. Bully tactics, right?

He's sly and so is Todd though Todd may be in a bit over his head. Phelan is clearly a master at the manipulation trade. He's got no scruples, even willing to go so far as to pull Alex into his scam though he did seem to be slightly reluctant until Alex insisted.

So how is this all going to end? As far as I know, Connor McIntyre is staying on the show so when this scam all blows up, and it will because that's how things work on a soap, I figure Vinny will be the one taking the fall. I have a feeling that Vinny will double cross Phelan and disappear with the money, leaving him behind to take the heat.  Maybe Phelan will turn Vinny in to save his own skin and will pretend that he knew nothing about it being a scam or that Vinny had a hold on him somehow and forced him into it. He could say that he invested a bit of cash, too, and lost it. Maybe he'll cut a deal with Todd to go along with it since Todd was in on the scam and is as guilty of suckering folk as Phelan.

The part that I found hard to get was the money they're spending just to fool people. They have glossy brochures and a model flat they're building to show people, in a building that... who owns? They have a temporary project office set up outside that old building, too. That's a lot of money spent to rake some deposits in though I suppose it's still going to net them quite a lot, depending on how many they're pretending to sell and if they're reselling the same flats to people.

I'm very interested in this storyline and am enjoying watching it unfold. Pat Phelan is one of the best villains Corrie's ever had and seems to be multi-faceted. He's not really very sympathetic and you don't believe a word he says even if he's telling Eileen he loves her. He's very good at saying what someone wants to hear at the right time. He's expert at timing what he tells to whom, whether it be a "confession" or admission or just bullshit to smooth things over. I love to hate him and that's a testament not just to the writers but to McIntyre himself who can convey 1000 words and the image of the wheels furiously turning in his head with one glance while his back is turned to his prey.

I like that they've paired him with Eileen who is always falling for the wrong fella, this being one of the worst. Yes, she's being played for a massive fool and she's going to pay for it. It was even better having Todd involved in the storyline Fantastic!


I can't wait to see what happens next.


Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net


NEW!
Coronation Street: The Official Colouring Book
Available now!


Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

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

Speculation Street: How Will Kylie Die?

Now that the spoilers have hit the media about Paula Lane's exit and the death of Kylie Platt, the speculation begins. I'm kind of ticked-off that ITV decided to spoil this one. I really did think she'd end up having to go to jail but I suppose if the actress was not planning to return, they couldn't have her away for life. Her crime wasn't killing Callum, that was self defence, but the treatment of the body afterwards, that's the biggie.

Logically, you couldn't see Kylie leaving David and her kids again, not permanently and since we haven't been told that Jack P. Shepherd was leaving, it was also a given that it would be only her leaving the show. Death is probably the only possibility, then. But I still wish ITV had kept that as a surprise.

My imaginative guess: There have been rumours for months that Callum really isn't dead in spite of all the statements from ITV and the actor himself to the contrary. But maybe Callum really is alive. Maybe Callum lurches around a corner just as Kylie and David and family are loading up into the cab that's going to take them to their new start in Barbados, points a gun at her and kills her. I don't think we've seen that before, a supposed dead character return to kill someone. Returning from the dead has been done but not quite like this.

My absolutely stupid guess: Ok, just for fun, here's another one that's really stretching credibility. Nick has another psychotic episode and strangles Kylie. Since he has brain damage, no real motive is needed and he isn't responsible for his actions. He will only spend some time sectioned in a hospital in the room next to Sarah with Gail drifting woefully between the rooms of her two children.

What's your theory?


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)


Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter | Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net

Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog

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

The wonder of Weatherfield

Over the past few months I have, admittedly, been struggling with my love of all things Corrie. It happens. We've probably all been there. There comes a time when the show seems to hit a stream of storylines that fail to resonate. You ask yourself the usual questions - 'have I fallen out of love with the soap? and 'will it ever get better?'

The real problem was that the one particular storyline which ground me down just happened to feature a couple of my favourite actors. Yes, the disposal of Callum Logan had me cheering. The dreadful old campster had been dispatched and with him, a tedious period in the show's history. Not so. Kylie and David then found themselves trudging through endless episodes of 'what ifs'. Paula Lane and Jack P. Shepherd tackled them with aplomb. However, I couldn't escape that sinking feeling every time that nasty little sofa and the awful kitchen hove into view. Thankfully, simpering, whinnying Gail had been bundled off to Italy along with her daughter and grand-daughter, otherwise I'd have been tearing up that manhole cover and hurling myself in.

Of late though, a little respite. We all know that the story is going to resurface and despite assurances from all involved, part of me still believes that Callum will resurface at some point. Otherwise, and quite rightly, Kylie's off to Cell Block H and we really don't want to see Paula Lane exit stage left.

In the past couple of weeks though, sunshine through the rain. I'm enjoying my cobbles-based dramatics. There have been some cracking episodes and to me, it feels as though the show has had a hefty kick up the bum. I'm loving the cat-and-mouse shenanigans of Erica and Dev. Comedy Dev has always been a guilty pleasure (more so than sobbing, dramatic Dev) and in Erica he's met his match.

The Mary-Brendan relationship is one of those quirky couplings that Corrie does well. I loved the scene where Mary told Emily to butt out. Mrs Bishop is beloved by many but I'm not a fan so this was quite  moment. I can't wait for her to get started on Rita!

I cheered for Leanne. The poor woman struts up and down the Street with her 'Scream' mask facial expressions but at last, she has the support she needs to deal with Simon. Isn't it good to see Eva back too? When she first joined the show I thought she had all the appeal of a wooden spoon but now, she's Corrie gold.

Leanne isn't the only resurgent female on the Street. Liz dealt with Tony wonderfully (sad to see him go though), Kate got feisty at the faktry and new, shiny Tracy reverted back to her shrieking Harvester barmaid persona.

Elsewhere, I feel that other characters are entering their comfort zone. Mine too. I like the Nazirs, especially Yasmeen, who is the kind of nurturing soul the show needs. The Roy/Cathy relationship feels 'right', Carla seems buoyed by her re-discovered family and attentive boyfriend. There's been some lovely acting from Jennie McAlpine and Alan Halsall as Fiz and Tyrone struggle with their awful news. All the stuff of which any good soap is made.

Of course, one man's meat is another man's poison and no doubt there are many who will have loved the high drama of Callum's comeuppance or the conclusion of the Gary and Alya romance. Not me though.

I hope that Corrie has weathered a hum-drum autumn only to burst forth into a contented winter. For me, there certainly seems to be a different feel to recent episodes and for that, I raise a glass of milk stout to those in charge of t'cobbles.

By David Bridgman (twitter @bridglondon)


Deirdre: A Life on Coronation Street - official ITV tribute to a soap icon. Available here.

Like us on Facebook | Follow us on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog

Download our free App | Visit Corrie.net


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