Rovers Got Talent competition on Coronation Street

In the weekly sneak peek pictures from ITV Coronation Street on Twitter there's a wonderful scene being filmed. It's a Rovers Got Talent competition!

The Great Magnifico is featured on stage in this pic and what looks to be the back of Kirk (?) along with Sean, who perhaps are both performing too.

And in another of the sneak peek pics, it looks as if nasty Rick Neelan is still on the Street - and is that a Tommy Orpington calendar hanging on the wall?

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Thoughts on current Corrie. Guest blog from @SirTerenceBoot

By Stephen Leach, who is in Twitter @SirTerenceBoot - read all of Stephen Leach's guest blogs here.

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Tragedy strikes the Street again. From beyond the grave, international man of mystery Pat Phelan has claimed another life. Awfully tense stuff with the near-miss electrification of all the factory lot (darn it, so close). And I actually didn’t see this coming. 

I knew Rana was on her way out, but I was expecting Lolly (ugh) to be involved somehow. Breaking with my usual staunch composure, I surprisingly felt quite touched by the final moments between Kate and Rana. “Thank you, Kate, for never giving up on me. Except for all those times when you totally did.” Brought a tear to my eye.

RIP Rana. I will genuinely miss her. But I think I’ll miss the idea of her more. I’ve said it often, but she was so much more interesting back when she had a bit of a bit of pep and pizazz about her. I blame Zeedan; once she married him it was all downhill from there, and Kate basically did nothing but mop up his leftovers.

The ramifications from this catastrophe are going to be felt far and wide. Once again, the factory lot are going to be out of work for months. Though they seemed to cope well enough last time. But now that the roof of the factory has fallen in, what will Gary look at as he delivers his lines? Perhaps this is the opportunity for a new direction; maybe the refurbished factory could become something more suited to the present day: a call-centre, a mini supermarket, a warehouse. Or, realistically, just more unaffordable luxury flats. And what of Imran? Now that his beloved sister is gone, I worry there won’t be much to keep him around in Weatherfield; he and Toyah are hardly the romance of the decade. He works so well as a comedy character that I’m faintly dreading the inevitable six months of him angrily throwing back tumblers of scotch and seeking a bloody revenge upon Carla. Can we for once just not?

Dark times indeed. Everything seems to be coming to a boil. Although I’m starting to think Nick might end up getting away with stealing all that money from Audrey. The new barbershop’s been a bit of a damp squib so far. What, exactly, is Nick’s job there – standing about and occasionally playing a game of table tennis? It’s hard enough to accept that giving Kevin Webster’s beard the occasional invisible trim is enough to make even minimum wage for the two of them, but the idea that they need a third member of staff is downright ridiculous. Roll with the punches, I guess. At this point the comical and the gloomy are balancing each other out quite nicely. And nothing embodies this point quite so well as the promo picture ITV used for the final part of Wednesday’s double-bill.

What a grim bunch: Carla looking mournful and melancholic, Peter looking strong and sagely, Nick looking officious and deeply troubled, Robert looking cautious and guarded, Seb looking brooding and resentful, and Gary looking he’s just realised he badly needs a poo. It’s as if the person taking the photo looked at it afterwards and thought “eh, five out of six isn’t bad, let’s go with this one.” Gary Windass, everyone: hardened veteran, hopeless builder, mostly absent father, 100% comedy icon. As long as he’s around, Weatherfield’s assured of at least some laughs.

By Stephen Leach, who is in Twitter @SirTerenceBoot - read all of Stephen Leach's guest blogs here.

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Thoughts on current Coronation Street by @SirTerenceBoot

By Stephen Leach, who is in Twitter @SirTerenceBoot, our guest blogger, who shares his thoughts on current Coronation Street.

What a week it’s been. Absolutely relentless. Emotional highs and lows, but mostly lows, if I’m honest. I’ve not been so appalled since I watched Donald Trump give his inauguration speech; Clayton’s dad’s funeral was like the worst low-budget action flick I’ve ever seen. I’m still trying to get my head around their master plan, but it seemed to basically consist of twenty men getting themselves jailed all so that Clayton could spend the next few years hiding out on Roy’s allotment. Is he that valuable to the criminal underworld they’d be willing to do that for him? He’s hardly a master criminal, after all; his list of crimes includes pilfering beer and kebabs and killing a woman in full view of about a dozen witnesses for no reason at all. And now, utterly predictably, he’s holding Shona hostage. Yawn. Pray for her; if she makes it out alive she’ll still have to deal with the Platts. I know what I’d choose.

Steve and Tracy might not be great parents, but it’s not like they’re without any skills: the speed at which they casually whisked a mortgage out of thin air was nothing short of magical. Almost like they didn’t actually go to the trouble of asking any banks for permission. Even when Claudia gazumped them, Steve was able to conjure up an extra chunk of money to match her offer without breaking a sweat. (I noticed from Friday’s episode that the house was listed as £100,000 – round my way that wouldn’t get you one wall, let alone four.) Then again, it’s not exactly a surprise that houses in Weatherfield come so cheap – sure it’s an economic hotspot with full employment and excellent local facilities, but what with all the frequent murders and explosions, it’s not what I’d class as the ideal place to raise a family.

So that’s that for Amy and Tyler’s wee sprog, then. I’m not normally one to cheer for abortions, but I can’t help feeling a sense of relief (don’t be a total mingebag and pretend you don’t feel the same way). Let’s hope this finally means seeing the back of Tyler. His mum’s actually growing on me somewhat, though: the words “Amy Barlow” sound hilarious in a Northern Irish accent. And come to think of it, so do a great many other ones.

Speaking of which, I used to find Gina deeply and intensely irritating; now I mostly just feel sorry for her. Yes, I know she did a bad thing trying to seduce Tim, but it’s a bit rich of everyone to still be treating her like a pariah for it a mere two months on. After all, Kevin literally had a baby with Tyrone’s wife, and they’re still best mates. The factory lot turned on her at the speed of light, too: never does take much with that lot, does it? They never learn, the judgemental bores: even Sally, herself recently in prison on a false charge, refused to even consider the idea that Gina might be innocent of what everyone was accusing her of. You can hardly blame Gina for wanting to up sticks and go and stay with her family in Newcastle (bit of a weird turn of phrase, that – wouldn’t they be Sophie and Sally’s family too?).

What else is going on? Ah yes, we’re limping ever closer to the inevitable heartbreak that will be Kate and Rana’s wedding. You just know something will go wrong; at this point it’s hardly worth the trouble of thinking up a reason. Infidelity? Sure, why not. The only ray of hope is that Jenny will get off her face on champagne again and offend absolutely everyone. It’s been too long.

If there’s one thing I’m enjoying right now, though, it’s the interplay between Carla and Roy. The two of them really do put the rest of the cast to shame. I just wish this had all been caused by something a bit more impactful than a burning boat. No, but seriously – this is what’s been missing for a while now: genuine emotional tension, not overblown but with a lightness of touch. I know some find the pairing of Roy and Carla to be contrived, but it’s just so nice to see a platonic relationship between two characters who aren’t related – honestly, it works better for me than Carla and Jonny, which I’ve never really bought into. With the news that upcoming episodes will focus on Carla’s deteriorating mental health, I’m hopeful this could lay the groundwork for more quietly dramatic storylines that don’t have to be so issue-driven. Less of the high-octane stunts, please, and more character development. You know, the stuff that lasts.

By Stephen Leach, who is in Twitter @SirTerenceBoot - read all of Stephen Leach's guest blogs here.

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Thoughts on current Corrie. Guest blog from @SirTerenceBoot

By Stephen Leach, who is in Twitter @SirTerenceBoot, our guest blogger, who shares his thoughts on current Coronation Street.

So, it’s happened: Amy Barlow’s the latest young’un to get herself up the duff.  I knew this was coming, of course; on some level, I think we all did. It’s Soap Commandment Number 9, after all, carved into a sacred stone by ITV many moons ago: If Thou Art Female And Under 18, Thou Shalt Get Pregnant At Some Point (Sophie Webster, of course, narrowly escaped this fate due to the Lesbian Exemption Clause). 

Amy’s hardly been able to take three steps down the street lately without Peter, Leanne, or Tracy jumping on her demanding to know who the father is, so it was awfully convenient she was able to have a long uninterrupted chat with Tyler in the public garden. Still, it was better than that slightly bizarre scene where Craig and Faye told Amy about their prior experience of teenage pregnancy (did the writers forget Craig isn’t actually Miley’s father, or what…?). 

When she told her parents about the chat and Steve roared “Craig?!” I was fully expecting him to march round to Craig’s house and start accusing him of having knocked Amy up, too. Such is the tradition with these cut-and-paste stories; every boy of a vaguely similar age must be interrogated, preferably with a shovel or a similar implement. Bonus points if the outraged father in question can draw blood before his family manage to convince him that he’s got the wrong lad. (Oh, and just in case it wasn’t mentioned quite enough times and anyone failed to catch it, Simon’s a virgin.)

No more, please. I’d even be willing to endure a couple of episodes where Yasmeen teaches a sex-education class at the community centre – awkwardly failing to put a condom on a banana as David Platt cracks dirty jokes from the third row – if it meant no more teen pregnancy storylines until at least 2030. Which, coincidentally, would be about the right time for Miley Windass to return from Canada as a stroppy teenager (played, no doubt, by an actress with a thick Manchester accent) and wind up pregnant herself. There’d be a lovely sort of symmetry to it.

It’s not all bad, though. My new favourite character Bethany was the result of a teenage pregnancy, after all. She was a bit of a wild child at first but that was some time ago and now she seems to have turned into a good daughter: responsible, principled, and thoroughly revolted at seeing her mum flirting with that creeper Adam Barlow. “Barlow, Adam Barlow”: just like James Bond, he’s hard-drinking, Scottish, and predatory. Mind, Bethany seems to have inherited both Sarah and Gail’s awful taste in men: I want to take her out for drinks and try to get to the bottom of whatever it is about Ryan she finds so attractive. We haven’t seen Michelle’s brood in what feels like forever (not that I’m complaining) – is Ali still about? Last I remember he was hiding under his bed in Robert and Michelle’s flat, getting through a bottle of whiskey a day and growling at anyone who tried to speak to him. Or will his sudden attack of murderousness be quietly forgotten?

At least Sally’s out of prison. I’m liking the way they’ve paired her up with Abi, who I’m also quite fond of. Sally’s efforts to transform her into a respectable member of society seem to be slowly paying off. She tried and failed with Rosie and Tim, but maybe the third time’s the charm. Let’s hope Abi finds a job soon (there must be something going on t’Street – who’s working in Dev’s shop these days?). Now would be a great time for Rosie to finally make a reappearance (I can’t even remember what contrived excuse they cooked up to write her out – anyone clue me in?): enough with the doom and gloom, let’s have a few laughs in the Webster household. 

And finally, a moment of silence for dear Sylvia. I always held out a faint hope we’d see her again. You can just picture Tyrone dropping Evelyn off at the café in an attempt to force a friendship between them both, like some sort of OAP playdate. (I’m still convinced she’s not his real grandmother and will not be persuaded otherwise.) It used to be that there was always a good gaggle of oldies in residence – who can forget that delightful story where Ian McKellen dropped in on the book club – but right now Weatherfield feels like a young person’s place to be, and I miss having the likes of Blanche, Fred, Betty, Deirdre, Jack, and Vera around. It’s not new blood Corrie needs right now, it’s old.

By Stephen Leach, who is in Twitter @SirTerenceBoot - read all of Stephen Leach's guest blogs here.

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Fire on the cobbles! Coronation Street's new teaser video

Coronation Street have released a new teaser video of Peter's boat going up in flames.

Not only that, but there's more spoilers revealed in the short clip including Amy's pregnancy, Sarah getting friendly with Adam (poor Gary!), Chesney getting friendly with Gemma (poor Emma!) and David and Nick taking advantage of Audrey - surely not?

It might be cold outside but things are really heating up on the cobbles, they say. You can watch their
exclusive promo for a first look at what's to come, below.

TRAILER: It might be cold outside but things are really heating up on the cobbles!

WATCH our exclusive promo for a first look at what's to come.

Excited? Tap for #TeamCorrie in the NTAs: https://t.co/QGEMXgPPOI pic.twitter.com/znd0zc8Ov4

— Coronation Street (@itvcorrie) January 13, 2019

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Top 5 things Corrie's getting right... right now

Guest blog post by Glenn Meads who is on Twitter and LinkedIn
You can read all of Glenn's guest blog posts here.
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1. Carla and Peter

The chemistry remains, so why not exploit it? I love these two and every time a spark is reignited I am happy. Whether it is an argument or a brush of the arm when no-one is looking, these two are dynamite together. And like many, I have been willing this on. 

2. Evelyn and Tyrone

When Fiz left to support Hope, you may have been thinking how will Tyrone cope? But his scenes with Evelyn are so brilliant that you soon realised he will be fine. Maureen Lipman is such a fine actress that she can convey the softness behind brittle Evelyn. The writing helps here and also Alan Halsall works wonderfully with Maureen Lipman, just as he did with Liz Dawn. 

3. Sally and Tim reunited

You may have been cringing as Gina set her sights on Tim. And each twist and turn has meant that our Sal has felt more isolated than ever, behind bars with no visits from Tim. Then, the secret was out and once Sally realises that Tim has not slept with Gina, you can breathe easy. Corrie has had some great couples over the years and these two are one of the best. Keep them together. 

4. The Platts becoming a clan

When Nick arrived back home with secrets and lies, I was not sure it would work. And with Kylie still missed, a clan was required. And, now we have one. These actors work well together and I love the way they mock Gail and keep you smiling through the darkest of stories. With Bethany and the younger kids in scenes with the matriarchal Audrey and Gail, there is more room for comedy and drama. 

5. Ken becoming less moody

Ken Barlow had got to the stage whereby he kept saying "Pete-errrr" so often that the bad Boy Barlow need not even be on screen to get the wrath of dad. But, we are now seeing a softer side to Ken and it is really welcome. And, when he reveals that he misses Deidre more than he ever did, I am in as I miss her character and Anne Kirkbride's brilliant performances. 

I have been away for Christmas, so I have binge-watched most of the festive and New Year episodes and I have really enjoyed them as it is reminding me of the Corrie of old that I have grown up with. 

What do you think? Happy New Year and keep watching as there are great storylines to come.

Glenn Meads

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