Pics: Suart Blackburn's Coronation Street leaving party

Cast and crew from Coronation Street were out in their best bib and tucker for a party to say goodbye to producer Stuart Blackburn.

The party was held at On The 7th at MediaCityUK at Salford Quays.

New producer Kate Oates turned up to join in the fun too.  Kate has already started work on the show and we should start to see her name on the credits in a few weeks time.

There's a lot of photos to see at the Manchester Evening News website.

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Review: Access Coronation Street with Lorraine Keane

On Friday 25 March, Corrie viewers in Ireland were treated to a behind the scenes look at their favourite show courtesy of UTV Ireland. In Access Coronation Street with Lorraine Keane, the Irish television presenter, broadcaster and journalist takes a tour of the set which includes interviews with those both in front of and behind the camera, and is accompanied by clips from the show.

While a rundown of the show's history and viewership offers context, the emphasis is very much on contemporary Corrie (the 2015 bus crash is the oldest clip I spotted). Shayne Ward fans will be glad to know he not only acts as tour guide, but is the focus for the first half of the 22 minute show, with other interviewees even giving their complementary takes on the singer and actor. This isn’t wholly surprising for a programme broadcast in Ireland considering both Shayne and his character Aidan's Irish family connections, and his strong Irish following in his X-Factor days and beyond, having charted highly in both the Irish album and single charts. He also travelled to Dublin in September of last year with Faye Brookes and Richard Hawley (Kate and Johnny Connor) for a UTV Ireland event which saw one Dublin pub transformed into the Rovers Return for a day.

Talking in the Platts about how much he loves being on Coronation Street and enjoys the challenge, Shayne and Lorraine playfully act out a recent scene between Aidan and Eva, He then confidently whisks her through some backstage areas. The highlights include glimpses of Liz McDonald's clothes rail, the trophy cabinet, the wall of fame and snapshots of the work of Costume Designer Tracey Cliffe, Art Director Andrew Hare, and Make-up Artist Kathy Ducker.

Lorraine is on set for two scenes; the first, which happens to be the first of the day, is Kate and Caz's hen party in the Rovers, and the second is one involving Maria and Luke outside the salon. 

In her interview with producer Stuart Blackburn, it's interesting to hear he gets the bulk of his script reading done from as early as 4.30am in the morning so the rest of the day is free to deal with the myriad things that can arise. His lips are firmly sealed on future storylines however, and he admits he doesn’t even tell his own mother what’s coming up even though she loves the show. At the time of filming, he had started editing, in script form, episode 8912. I couldn't resist checking if this episode had since aired, and it transpires that the latest, Friday's second double which I reviewed, was numbered 8868, so this episode is some way off yet.

One of the highlights of the show is Lorraine's chat with Sue Nicholls in Roy's Rolls where she talks character Audrey's upmarket residence on Grasmere Drive, her relationship with Ken, what its like to pretend to be a hair dresser, and how lovely she finds it that people see her as Audrey and call her such in the supermarket. Ladylike and gentile with a twinkle in her eye, it is a delight when Lorraine thanks her and she reciprocates ardently before saying to camera with great sincerity “can I thank everybody back in your home for watching, we love you to pieces and thank you very much". Just when you thought she couldn't endear herself any further, a great little outtake-style scene appearing alongside the credits confirms what a diamond she is. 

Over at the Rovers, Kym Marsh and Lorraine discuss her ten years on the show as Michelle, one of Lorraine's favourite characters. Both jump at the idea of taking Corrie to Dublin, but Kym insists that Lorraine would have to agree to being an honorary Connor; she'd certainly look the part.

Lorraine interviews Catherine Tyldesley on the cobbles about being constantly made-up and glamorous, and the fun of playing a feisty, funny, sometimes bitchy, character, while Michael Le Vell talks of his love of working on the show 33 years on before being affectionately ribbed by Lorraine having admitted to not knowing an awful lot about being a car mechanic. 

I very much enjoyed this nicely paced, good-humoured tour of the cobbles which left me wanting more; indeed, I would've liked for it to have been a little longer. Lorraine is the ideal presenter for a behind-the-scenes look at a programme which means so much to fans. Excited, enthusiastic and well informed throughout, she has a lovely knack of being at the centre of something without making it about her, and as such, viewers will undoubtedly have felt they were sharing with her what was clearly an enjoyable visit.

Viewers in Ireland can see Access Coronation Street with Lorraine Keane on the UTV Ireland player.

By Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.wordpress.com

Twitter: @ELHynes

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The Secret of Soaps: Cast and crew on how Corrie is created

Last night the Royal Television Society hosted 'The Secret of Soaps - The Story Behind the Stories' - a panel discussion and Q&A with Tina O'Brien (Sarah-Lou Platt), scriptwriter Debbie Oates, Producer Stuart Blackburn and MD of Continuing Drama at ITV John Whiston. Also in attendance, secretly sitting behind me was actress Sair Khan (Alya Nazir).

The idea of the event was to pull apart a typical episode of Coronation Street and discuss all the different cogs that make up the big Corrie machine. The cast and crew actually decided on the recent live episode - a not so typical one - as it was one they were particularly proud of, and of course Tina O'Brien's performance received much praise.

After watching a montage of the past year in Corrie, John Whiston kicked things off by reaffirming the show as one of "strong women and feckless men" (see my blog from Tuesday) and that he at ITV and all the writers remain true to Tony Warren's initial ideas. Stuart Blackburn picked up on a question by the host Paul Jackson on the longevity of Coronation Street and how storylines are concluded. He explained how once a particular story comes to its conclusion that is not necessarily the end of the story. As was seen with the fire at Carla's flat, the repercussions for different characters last far beyond the main event. Stuart also discussed the state the show was in when he took the reins as producer, and how he hopes to leave it when he finally moves on. He claimed despite his dislike of certain characters or storylines, the media speculation of cast 'culls' is always exaggerated and he preferred to work on the basis of evolution not revolution. 

The panel then touched on the beginning and end of a particular character's time on Coronation Street, Stuart and John both referring to the soap 'Gods'. Using David Platt as an example, they discussed his wayward character coming into adolescence and there was concern from some of the team that there was nowhere realistic for his character to go. So the soap Gods dictated that he was headed for either jail or death if he didn't change. Luckily for David, and Jack P Shepherd, they took him down the route of love which allowed him to grow up and change his priorities, and he became the central character we see today.

Debbie Oates then revealed a little secret regarding the demise of another character - Richard Hillman. She reminisced about being a young writer, attending Coronation Street story conferences for the first time. Back then it was more difficult for the younger, more junior writers to get heard around the table and put their ideas across, even more so if you were a woman. One particular conference was discussing the ongoing Hillman storyline and the team were struggling to agree on an end game for him and the Platts. Debbie, hidden among the primarily male writing team piped up with a question - "Is Richard the type of man who would take his own life and take the family with him?". No response. After struggling to get heard, a male colleague repeated the question on her behalf, and the team finally listened. The rest, of course, is history, although Debbie was never credited with the idea.

The panel continued to focus on the Platt 'dynasty', how Sarah-Lou had been born on the show and now had a daughter of her own, something very strange for all concerned and a fact which made most of the room feel very old. Tina O'Brien described her discussions about returning to the show, and how it should have been much sooner, but the small matter of having a baby got in the way. She was asked about what she was expecting on her return in terms of workload and storylines. She didn't know what to expect, but she knew it would either be a very low key, short term thing, or the opposite, and we have seen on our screens that the latter is the case.

Tina also shared with us her experiences during the live episode, describing the adrenaline and pressure as quite enjoyable. She said that having those intense scenes with Callum Logan (Sean Ward) involving high emotion and choreography, was much preferable to having more normal scenes with a series of scripted lines, as the physical strain of the fight scenes allowed them to cover up any nerves they may have had. Once one scene had finished during the live episode, Tina admitted to doing a few star jumps, asking the crew how the rest of the episode was going, and trying to keep her eyes watering for the next scene. She also shared that Paula Lane, who plays Kylie, stood with a real spanner (the murder weapon) held stretched out in front of her between scenes so that her arms were tired when they started filming again, all to add to what was a brilliant series of scenes.

Moving on from the Platts, Stuart and Debbie went back to their thoughts on the future of Corrie and the potential stars of that future. Referring to the recent history of the Barlows, they praised young actress Elle Mulvany, likening Amy to Blanche and pondering what will happen to the character in the years to come. This took Stuart back to the forward planning element of his job, where even though they only work on episodes a few months ahead, he's always thinking in the much longer term.

Debbie also touched on how the past can sometimes dictate future stories even when the old story has come to it's final conclusion. They described how during a story meeting some time ago, the shooting of Ernie Bishop came up in conversation. Debbie realised it was roughly the time for the gunman to be released from prison, and it was decided to make a story out of it, even all those years later. It was also mentioned that this element of such a long running programme can also trip them up, as was highlighted on the Coronation Street blog, when a line in a script suggested it had been forgotten that Kevin Webster had had a baby that had died. The archivists come in useful in these types of situation but there is noone specifically employed to look how new storylines can be linked to old ones. 

At the end of the discussion, the audience were given the opportunity to ask the panel some questions. They revealed some interesting thought processes and unknown facts regarding certain storylines and characters:

- Carla Connor (Ali King) has always been a popular character according to polling, but she was failing to reach that iconic recognition and Corrie bosses were curious as to why this was. After much discussion, it was decided that even with the most gripping storylines, Carla was missing a more human, emotional side, and this is why it was decided that she would gravitate toward Roy and Hayley - partly to give Carla another dimension. They felt the character deserved that progression.

- "If the scene is about what the scene is about, you've written a crap scene" - a quote from Debbie Oates. We had watched a clip from the live episode where Roy and Carla were discussing his fears on 'moving on' from Hayley's death. They discuss trains, paddling, journeys. It's beautiful and shows the intricacies of not being to too blatant with the text. Here's that scene.

- Tina talked us through her live scene with Callum and how the fight itself, where they should stand, how it would play out, was not written with stage directions. A choreographer came in and talked through the scene with the actors, and they choroeographed it all themselves. Debbie added that she never likes to write stage directions for things like fights. In fact she likes to write 'they all fight' in the script then go to the pub, hilariously adding that she wished she'd written the script for Titanic - 'The Titanic sinks...' - pub time.

- In the original script for the end of the live episode, written by Debbie, a camera on a large crane was planned to rise above the whole of the street revealing each of the live scenes across the set. It was wishful thinking for Debbie, the idea was too difficult to put into practice and the shot would have revealed half of Salford's Media City in the background.

- Stuart Blackburn took issue with the idea (as stated on the RTS website) that 'Corrie is the richest training ground for budding writers, directors, designers and producers'. Stuart said this is rubbish and that all the great talent goes to Corrie once it has been established. He stressed how difficult it is to become a Corrie writer and suggested anybody who wants to send in their CV, better have a pretty hefty list of credits to their name.

Our blogger Stevie Dawson at the event!

I believe the event was filmed so I will try and get hold of a link to the video soon. You can also see a Twitter feed of quotes and updates from the event here.

The RTS have a review and article about the event - you can read it here.

@StevieDawson 

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

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Coronation Street gets a new producer

As is usually the way, every few years, there's a change at the top. ITV today has announced that Stuart Blackburn who has been the producer for Coronation Street, is moving on and there will be a new person sitting at the helm in the new year. She is Kate Oates and she has most recently been the producer over at Emmerdale.

Blackburn has been responsible for quite a few controversial storylines during his three year tenure including the murder of Tina McIntyre, the death of Hayley Cropper, a fire that killed Kal Nazir and Maddie Heath and the current drug dealer storyline involving the custody of Max, Kylie Platt's son. He has also overseen not one but two live episodes, including the one to air on September 23. Coronation Street has also won two BAFTA awards during his tenure.

“I’ve loved every minute of producing Coronation Street,” said Stuart. “What a rollercoaster ride the last three years has been. We’ve met every challenge along the way and I can’t praise the cast, crew and writers highly enough for rising to the occasion with each storyline."

He continued: “For the next few months my focus will remain entirely on all things Corrie, as we have massive stories coming up taking us in to the Spring and Summer of 2016. I wish my friend Kate well in her role as she takes on one of the best jobs in television.”

Kate Oates was producer of The Archers for 7 years and has been with Emmerdale since 2013 where she has also been a story editor in the past and she's also been an Assistant Producer for Corrie in the past as well.

“I’m delighted to accept the role as Coronation Street’s new Producer,” said Kate. “It’s really exciting to be moving from one amazing soap to another and I feel very blessed.” 




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How the fire week came about

INT.  CORONATION STREET PRODUCER'S OFFICE.

Stuart Blackburn, much feared Coronation Street producer, crosses to his water cooler after a long day of script reading.  He turns the tap, but instead of pure clean water, a trickle of blood pours out into his paper cup.  He turns ashen, and calls to his secretary.

SB: Serena!  Bolt the doors!  The executives are coming!

But it's too late.  His office doors swing open and he is confronted by four black-clad representatives of ITV Network Centre: Conquest, War, Death, and Ratings.  Stuart cowers behind his desk.

SB: What... what do you want?

WAR:  Three coffees, thank you.  No sugar.  And just an Evian for Conquest: she's on the paleo.

CONQUEST: I've got a christening in August, and I'm a bit hippy for the pictures.

DEATH: We're here to discuss BGT week.

Stuart slowly rises up and sits in his chair.  

SB: Oh.  That's fine.  We've sorted out a big event for that week.  Steve and Michelle's wedding.

The Executives wince.

DEATH: And?

SB:  And... Liz will realise that her relationship is a sham.  She'll have a huge breakdown.  It'll be very touching.

DEATH: And?

SB:  And... people will enjoy it.  It's a much loved character finding happiness after a year of depression.  It's heartwarming.

RATINGS:  MORE!

CONQUEST: Yes, calm yourself Ratings.  Stuart, dear, I don't think you've quite grasped the significance of Britain's Got Talent week.  This is Britain's Got Talent: the United Kingdom's finest hunt for talking dogs and Eastern European gymnast acts.  It's a huge hit for us, and we can't have Coronation Street sandwiched inbetween the main show and the results being "heartwarming" and "life-affirming" and "happy".  No-one wants to see that.

WAR: I mean, what will we put in the trailers?  A kiss?  I know I wouldn't tune in to that.

SB:  Oh.

WAR:  Can't you blow something up?  Blowing something up always looks good in the trailers.  People like explosions.  Look at the Transformers films.

DEATH: I do like those films.

RATINGS: MORE!

SB: We've already written the scripts, though.

WAR: Scripts can be revised.  Writing is easy.  Death's a writer.  He does Midsomer Murders fan fiction online.

DEATH: Barnaby and Nelson are lovers.

SB: It's all been planned.  And the budgets have been allocated.

CONQUEST: Stop coming up with barriers.  Barriers are just there to be vaulted.  I have that on a poster in my office.  You just need to reallocate the money.  You have the wedding on Monday and Tuesday, then we blow things up Wednesday through Friday.

SB: We've only just opened this set, and you want us to blow it up.

WAR: Sets are made to be destroyed, Stuart.  That's why they're made out of plywood.  Blow up an unimportant corner of it.

DEATH: Those flats.  They've never really fit in.  Blow them up.

Stuart begins scribbling notes through his anguished tears.

SB: I suppose we could burn down Victoria Court.  I'm not sure why.  If Steve and Michelle have their wedding in the pub, we could save on location costs.

RATINGS:  MORE!

CONQUEST: You'll have to cut down on guest stars.  Andy and Ryan can go.

SB: They're close family members to the bride and groom.  They have to be there.

CONQUEST:  Rubbish.  Ryan was hopeless when he was in it, so no-one will miss him.  And Andy hasn't been in it for ages.  No-one will remember him.

SB: He's providing the honeymoon.

DEATH: You can cover it with dialogue.  Remember: "Tell, don't show."

CONQUEST: You're so good at this writing stuff.

RATINGS:  MORE!

WAR: A good explosion.  The roof can collapse.  Fireballs on the trailers.  Bits of wall falling into the street.

CONQUEST:  Are you aroused?

WAR: A little.

CONQUEST:  Me too.  But we need more.  Carla.  Carla is ratings gold.  She's trapped and needs help.

Stuart pulls a pained face.

SB: Does it have to be Carla?  Ali King's unhappy.  She says she's an actress, not a crash test dummy.  She's only just forgiven us for dangling her over the edge of a cliff in a minibus.

DEATH: Pfft.  Actresses.  They're just meat puppets.  What's she going to do?  Leave?

CONQUEST: Put the lesbians in there as well.

SB: Sophie and Maddie?  Why?

CONQUEST:  They're massive on Tumblr.  Teenage girls love them.

SB: I'll need more money for casting.

WAR: Why?

SB: We're blowing up a block of flats.  All those extras.

Death shakes his head.

DEATH: You don't need extras.  Let me tell you something, Stuart: no-one tunes in to watch extras.  Extras do not make valuable trailer moments.  We can't say, "do tune in, we'll have forty people standing around in dressing gowns."

RATINGS:  MORE!

DEATH: No, take the money you would have spent on extras and spend it on explosions.  You could probably get an extra three gas jets for that money.

CONQUEST: In fact, cut out the cast members you need as well.

SB: Nick lives in Victoria Court.  With Bethany and Sarah-Lou.  Obviously they'll have to be there.

CONQUEST: No.  Send him to Birmingham.  And have the girls stay with their nan.  Problem solved.  We should be concentrating on Carla, not getting distracted with side characters.

SB: The Tilsleys have been in the programme for forty years.  They're hardly side characters.

WAR: Forty years?  Really?  Has the programme been going that long?  Blimey.

DEATH: Don't ask me, I used to work at the Post Office.

CONQUEST: I think my nan used to watch it.  I didn't really watch tv growing up.

RATINGS: MORE!

WAR: So that's settled then?  Get this stupid character filled wedding out the way, blow some stuff up, and put Carla Connor in peril.  Ratings gold.  Absolutely no-one will turn over to Panorama on BBC One while that's happening.

The Executives get up to leave.

DEATH: Oh, and one more thing.  Kill someone.

SB: No problem.  Jimi Mistry's just handed in his notice.

DEATH: Who?

WAR: Him off Strictly.

CONQUEST: Oh, I love Strictly.

RATINGS: MORE!

Stuart Blackburn sobs.


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Tracy's Revenge - a glimpse into the fire

What promised to be a happy few days for the Street’s residents is set to turn dark tomorrow as Tracy goes on the rampage yet again. Following the revelation that Carla has bought half of the Rovers, gazumping her and Tony’s plans for world, or at least Weatherfield domination, the bitter Barlow seeks revenge.

The Coronation Street blog had a sneak preview of every thrilling episode airing next week and whilst we won’t be giving away any big spoilers just yet, let’s take a look at where everyone stands, and what might be in store for them.

Producer Stuart Blackburn offered his take on the week’s events and the stories that follow: "The centre of these episodes is Tracy's revenge and that hasn't come from nowhere. That has been brewing for months and years. The jealousy that started off when she was with Rob has built and built into utter loathing.

"Coming out of these episodes, those characters are going on very, very different journeys and it is the same for everybody involved.”

Steve and Michelle are busy preparing for their big day, and hopeful that their recent troubles are behind them. With Steve’s depression under control and his financial woes improving, it’s all looking rosy. The happy couple even have a new family member…Rover the dog (who is Simon Gregson’s own dog Cookie) so could we finally see things start to improve for the McDonalds? Probably not. With Tracy on the war path, neither man nor beast can get in her way. So will the McDonalds be at risk next week and will Rover have a lead role in events?

Coronation Street’s latest true love story took a nice turn last week when Sophie and Maddie decided to move in together. The amazing turnaround Maddie has shown since moving on to the Street continues in the right direction as her and Sophie start to make future plans. But next week’s events might just scupper those plans, as Jenny’s behaviour starts to become more sinister and with all the commotion of the fire, people start to resort to desperate measures to hide secrets. There are quite a few hair raising moments to say the least. Different stories start to intertwine at this point, bringing some people closer together and others the exact opposite. 

Another blossoming love affair develops further next week as Kal and Leanne ponder their own future together. We know that Jimi Mistry is leaving Coronation Street, but in the coming days he will make a decision that will affect both his and Leanne’s futures, not to mention the whole Nazir family. Are we to hear more wedding bells on Coronation Street? And how will Simon react to the prospect of a new dad?

Where to start with Liz and Tony…poor Liz is as yet unaware that Tony has been scheming and sleeping with Tracy. Still planning a move to Spain, Liz has no idea how much her world will be turned upside down. But with things starting to improve for her and her family in recent weeks, the revelations could tip Liz over the edge. Tracy isn’t the only one with a temper…could Liz explode and if so who will come off worse, and who could inadvertently be in the firing line?

There’s no doubting Carla is in danger next week. Having attempted a normal relationship with Tracy, Carla’s purchase of the Rovers on Friday is the catalyst for all of next week’s dramatic events. But Carla is unaware of the significance of her business transaction to Tracy until Liz confides in her in the back of the Rovers. On the warpath herself, Liz asks Carla to take care of something very precious to Tracy whilst she figures out what to do. Is this Carla’s opportunity to show Tracy who’s boss?

Over at the Potter, Tilsley, Platt, Hillman, McIntyre-Rodwell's, expect more heartbreak as David resigns himself to life having to share Max with Callum, and perhaps giving him up completely. One time tearaway David really shows his emotional side next week, as recent run ins with Corrie’s new bad boy really takes its toll.

Tracy feels like she's back at square one next week. And it isn't a position she's comfortable with. Having lost so much, the evil mum starts to plot how to seek revenge on those she's been scorned by. Liz, Carla, Tony...all have targets on their backs in the coming days and unpredictable Tracy considers extreme measures to make her point. But what collateral damage might be caused through her reckless actions? 

As with all dramatic events in Weatherfield, we are always offered at least some light relief with a bit of comedy. Enter Sally and Tim, delighted at the prospect of another wedding. Because what happens during weddings on Coronation Street? A certain couple get frisky. Fresh from her Soap Awards win, expect a few more brilliant examples of Sally Dynevor’s comic rebirth.

Later in the week we will reveal what the implications of this week’s events will be throughout the summer. Stay tuned.

Tracy’s Revenge is on ITV at 9pm every day this week. 

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Tracy's Revenge - next week on Coronation Street

The Coronation Street blog sat down with cast and crew of Coronation Street on Friday where all was revealed ahead of the explosive week titled 'Tracy’s Revenge'. In a small screening room in Central London, Kym Marsh, Jimi Mistry and Sally-Ann Matthews sat with us as we watched each gripping episode, enjoying every moment just as much as we did with each actor's character having a central role in the episodes. Producer Stuart Blackburn shared a few teasers for the months ahead, as summer on Coronation Street promises to be truly unmissable and more than worthy of that recent BAFTA win.

Director David Kester offered an insight into the many hours put in to creating such an epic and unforgettable series of stories, culminating in several life-changing events. The fire itself, the central event in next week’s episodes, took over five weeks to film, several weeks longer than planned, as cast and crew worked painstakingly to get it just right. We've seen the build up to these scenes over many months, and at the centre of the story, we'll be left wondering whether Tracy has yet again gone too far. But it’s not just the event itself we should look forward to. What happens on Coronation Street next week will have repercussions for many months to come and will see families torn apart, surprise new relationships formed, with new and uncharted directions for some of the characters we know and love. 

The Coronation Street Blog will be with you all the way, with perspectives, opinions and exclusive news from the actors and producers themselves. So keep checking the blog over the coming days. In the meantime you can whet your appetite by watching the Tracy's Revenge trailer here.

Whilst we had them, our writers took the opportunity to ask producers about another major storyline heading our way; Deirdre’s demise. Beverley Callard revealed this week that whilst she tried hard to keep reality and Coronation Street apart, her first scenes in the Barlows’ living room recently brought back the reality of her friend Annie Kirkbride’s death, and it was a difficult experience. Stuart Blackburn revealed that they are now working on Deirdre’s funeral and the aftermath, how families and friends come together to remember the iconic character. Expect tears, laughter and the odd lock-in at the Rovers.

Don’t forget to follow #TracysRevenge on Twitter, where blogger @StevieDawson will be sharing more about the coming week’s brilliant Corrie.

It's going to be explosive...

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Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn dismisses Corrie crisis

There are some strong, positive comments from Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn over at Digital Spy today.

Stuart dismisses reports of problems at the show, insisting that Corrie is 'doing fine'.

Corrie son Best Soap and Continuing Drama at the House of Fraser BAFTA Television Awards last night (May 10), taking the title for the second year running. However, the victory followed negative comments in the press surrounding the programme's ratings and upcoming cast exits.

Speaking at the BAFTA press conference, Blackburn commented: "The stories about Corrie not doing very well have to be put into perspective. Apart from, I think it was two weeks in December and the Live Week, we've been about a million ahead of EastEnders every week, every month, for the last two years - we're doing fine.

"The thing is, all viewing figures are down. I don't watch television now - not live, I just go home and Sky+ it or whatever - so that's why the figures are down, but we've probably got the same amount of viewers as before.

"So we always knew we were doing well - but I don't feel any pleasure in beating EastEnders, because I know how hard they work and there's some good people there. I'm just delighted we've won it twice on the trot."

Asked about the celebrity signings, Blackburn added: "Obviously getting names in is great, but Coronation Street has a long history of doing that - Peter Kay was in the show and that worked out. Paddy's (McGuiness) in for about five eps and… look at his CV - it's fantastic, and if anyone's seen [2009 BBC TV movie] Freefall, Sarah Harding did a really good job.

"But this [BAFTA win] is about the cast we've got now - the full-time cast - and these guys could grace any genre and any drama, and it's proven when some of them leave the show - people like Sarah Lancashire, these are good people."

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Coronation Street spring and summer spoilers 2015

Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn is interviewed on the official Coronation Street website at itv.com/corrie and reveals even more spoilers.

Read on only if you want to - you have been warned!

Steve will come through his depression with pills and counselling and will have a "a wonderful uplifting wedding to Michelle".  However, Michelle realises that Steve's deep in debt and they might lose the Rovers to Tracy, who sets her sights on both Tony and the pub.

Michael's wedding plans to Gail coincides with the arrival of the real Gavin and Gail finds herself being blackmailed.

Callum takes a liking to Sarah Platt when she returns to Weatherfield from Milan.

Jenny Bradley's return will bring some secrets and Sophie starts to suspect that all is not as it seems.

Into early summer there is, Stuart says, "very very big, literally explosive stuff" coming up

Watch the video here.


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In Defence of Faye's Pregnancy Storyline

Contains Spoilers 

You'd have to have been living under a cobble not to know that everyone's favourite teenage adopted Windass is to have a bun in the oven. Or, more (in)appropriately, a 'Hello Kitty' fairy cake in the oven. Given that the storyline was first announced over a year ago, there were even whispers that the plot had been scrapped due to the controversy it would inevitably cause. 

According to Stuart Blackburn when I spoke to him recently, however, it's merely been a case of waiting for the right time and, keeping the story away from the radar has been a very deliberate move by scriptwriters since the party Faye attended at which the ill advised liaison with a lad occurred. 

Forums, Twitter and cream cake laden tables in garden centre cafes have been buzzing with outrage that the storyline is in bad taste but my viewpoint is that it is surely fair to wait until the scenes air until passing judgement. In the meantime, to play Devil's Advocate, it's time to refute some of the most popular complaints about the story. Here goes!

"It's so unrealistic! It would never happen."

Firstly, yes it would, and does but I agree that a pregnant 12/13 year old is not commonplace. However, nor is the wedding of two murderers ending in arrest, a local housewife marrying her burglar or someone as eccentric as Dev. Coronation Street is a soap, not a documentary and, while it cannot be a bad thing to highlight underage pregnancy, its prominent aim is to entertain. The sad reality is, while someone like Faye who we recently saw believe that the Barlow house was being haunted by Blanche and who still eats fish fingers and smiley faces for dinner is an unlikely candidate for pregnancy, young girls DO fall into these situations. Short of alien landings, nothing, therefore is out of bounds for a soap. If it can happen, no matter how unlikely, then it will happen on a soap at some point. 

"It's a tasteless story and offensive!"

Offensive is a real buzz word right now and I have heard that Ofcom are taking on some temps to cope with the outpouring of moral outrage calls they will receive when the scenes air but something is only tasteless if it is portrayed badly. The storyline will deal with Faye's fear of becoming a mother and terror at how her family will react as well as her bond with the lovely Craig. It is a pre watershed show and Coronation Street has a track record of handling it's social issue stories sensitively. Until we see things unfold, we really can't judge whether the story will offend.

"You can't trust a story of this magnitude to young actors!"

I beg to differ. Ellie Leach gets a bit of a bad deal on fan forums and social media because people tend not to like her character's bratty edge. But therein lies the answer as to whether she's a competent actress. Teenagers and those entering their teenage years are notoriously infuriating and spoilt and if Ellie is getting on our nerves, then she is doing her job. At other times, we genuinely feel for Faye and her relationship with good pal Craig is truly heartwarming. And there can not be a negative word said about the legend in waiting that is Colson Smith, who portrays one of Corrie's best young characters in years. Long live Faye and Craig and, having seen some of the scenes already, I can assure you, the actors handle the story expertly and with every ounce of professionalism you'd find in an adult actor.

It's a popular bandwagon to jump on to slate a story like this but, looking at the bigger picture, I can honestly say I am approaching this with an open mind that is erring more to the 'this could be really good' side as opposed to the more widespread 'you've gone too far this time Corrie' angle.

I may be wrong (first time for everything) but I'm willing to embrace the potential rather than worrying about aspects that may not come to pass.

Catch more of my Corrie musings at Metro, Digital Spy and Pauseliveaction:

PLA: https://pauseliveaction.wordpress.com/author/wallomrslug/

Metro: http://metro.co.uk/author/duncan-lindsay/

Digital Spy: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/team/duncan-lindsay/

And follow me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Our_manPLA

By Duncan Lindsay

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Happy Monday – Martin’s Mission to Manchester

Sorry for the delay in posting but I’ve only just come down to earth after an action-packed Monday which lifted the January spirits higher than Nozzer “too many nights in the ’açienda” Cole on a typical Saturday night in the 80s.

On the least Blue Monday ever, I was in Manchester for a Corrie Press Day with several journos who were quicker on the draw than I was in revealing a string of spoilers for the year ahead. You’ll have read them by now in the papers and on this blog but perhaps not in so much detail as this fan’s eye view.

I have so much to tell you about my Corrie Awayday that I am splitting it into three instalments, the first of which will focus on a preview screening of the minibus crash that I attended.

I got an early train from London before catching the tram out to Salford Quays. Coming from Croydon, I like a decent tram system and Manchester’s is marvellous. But knowing only too well what it is with Corrie and trams, I was sure to exercise caution when boarding and alighting!

Arriving in one piece (phew) I made my way to the Lowry Theatre to watch the dramatic bus crash episodes that will hit our screens tomorrow night. Brace yourselves because these scenes will have you on the edge of your seats while Weatherfield’s knicker-stitchers hang perilously on the edge of a sheer drop. Talk about a cliffhanger!

2014 was a good year for Underworld, if not for its boss, personally. The green shoots of recovery that sprung from that big McNees order have resulted in Mrs Connor being nominated for a North West Fashion Trade Award. About time! As you know, this is the premise of the factory night out that will have such devastating consequences. If only that sparky Trainee Manager, Alya hadn’t taken the initiative…

I had wondered if Izzy would be a casualty of the crash but she is not on the bus. Neither is Beth who is too drunk to show up in time and gets bladdered in the Rovers instead. It is Sinead who will be left seriously injured (the usually sensible seamstress is not wearing a seatbelt) and Chesney, for one, will be pointing the finger at Steve. The whole incident will bring Steve’s depression to a head and force him to seek help at long last.

Liz has finally twigged that something isn’t right with Steve and booked him an appointment at the Medical Centre. She is being considerate towards Steve (for a change) and offers to go with him – but is it too little too late? Desperate to avoid confronting his problems, Steve volunteers to fill in when the factory lot are short of a driver to take them to their do. It is an avoidance tactic that will only compound things for Steve after a terrible accident is caused by boy racers running him off the road.

The crash episodes were written by Joe Turner (who penned the tram crash ep in 2010) and directed by John Anderson. They were filmed over three weeks, before Christmas, and involved a combination of blue-screen acting and lengthy night shoots in the freezing cold at a quarry in Glossop. Over 200 hours of footage was shot and hundreds of special effects were used (though the mist is real and adds an eerie aesthetic to proceedings). Some cast members were hung upside down in harnesses and most suffered for their art – bruising, chest infections, coughs and colds were among the occupational hazards that resulted.

For more behind the scenes information and production facts, check out this media pack (by clicking here), which the Corrie Press Team kindly gave me permission to share with readers of the blog. This contains everything you need to know about Corrie’s biggest stunt since the tram crash. It also includes interviews with Simon Gregson and Katie McGlynn, which are well worth a read.

I enjoyed the clips and can’t wait to see the full episodes this week. There is a cinematic feel to them and it really is gripping stuff. Tracy will surprise you; Maddie will impress you; and what happens to Steve and Sinead will upset you – both immediately and in the weeks ahead.

But in true Corrie style, there is some humour to sugar the pill – when the action swings back to the Rovers, for example. There are even some comedic moments amidst the chaos of the crash (wait for Maddie trying to revive Sally) and some really touching moments in the pub and at the hospital afterwards.

There was a round of applause when the screening finished and we were then treated to a teaser of what is coming up on The Street over the next few months (***spoiler alerts from here on in***) and told about the two weddings due to take place in 2015 (Michael and Gail, Steve and Michelle). It is certinaly going to be a dramatic year on our favourite street and Corrie producer, Stuart Blackburn revealed the following:

We now know about Andy Carver, but the real Gavin Rodwell will show up at some point and don’t be surprised if it’s around the time of Gail and Michael’s wedding. Gail will stumble upon Andy’s secret before Michael. The gamble she takes is “do I tell him and risk his heart giving out completely or we just have to carry on this charade until he’s had his heart fixed… and she goes with the lie”. Like Steph on Friday night, Gail takes the view that the truth will literally break Michael’s heart. Naturally, this will “come back and bite her in the bum”. Will Gail ever learn not to keep secrets?

I wanted to know Andy’s motives and the nature of his relationship with the real Gavin. The backstory goes that they were bezzie mates from the age of 6 or 7 but Gavin has become more reckless and selfish as the years have gone by. Andy “feels like he’s lost his best mate” and “he knows Gavin hated his dad, he was short of 50 quid for the leccy bill – he just thought well, no one’s going to be hurt by it”. But he then found out that Michael’s alright, really – and he is, in a soppy sort of way. Andy comes from a cold family and he actually quite likes Michael and, God forbid, the Platts. Now “his biggest fear is killing his Dad who isn’t his Dad”.

Callum is going “to step up to the mark” with Max. David has very few rights over Max because he is not his biological father. The part of Callum that is genuine, according to Blackburn, is that “he’s going to start falling in love with Max and we’re going to see a massive custody battle prior to the return of Kylie”.

The arrival of Owen’s ex-wife, Linda, will be “devastating for the Windasses”. For 20 years, both Armstrong girls have believed their mother walked out because she couldn’t cope with Izzy’s disability. We will learn that “Owen has been rather disingenuous and has told less than half the story”. Owen has always had a hint of malice about him, if you ask me. Anna will feel insecure about Owen’s feelings towards Linda and his reaction to Faye’s pregnancy will also cause problems. Expect a “rocky time ahead for the Windasses”.

Faye’s pregnancy is definitely happening. People will think that Craig is the father but he’s not. It’s Jackson – the lad she had a big crush on. Remember the night Gary lent her some money to go ice-skating and she came back all upset? That’s when it happened. Craig recently mentioned some rumours he’d read on Facebook and they were about Faye sleeping with Jackson. I’ve heard some rumours myself – that Faye will leave her baby outside the hospital. Stuart Blackburn notes, “she was adopted by Anna and it’s the best thing that’s ever happened to her”. Consequently “it’s not a cruel act in her eyes - it’s the best thing for the child”. Craig will become her confidant and have more time on screen as a result. The baby is due around Easter time. I doubt he or she will remain abandoned but let’s wait and see.

On the subject of young motherhood, the return of Bethany and Sarah-Lou is “proper laugh out loud stuff”. Sarah-Lou will be forced to come back to Weatherfield because Bethany has nicked her credit card and booked a flight from Milan to Manchester. Bethany doesn’t want to live in Italy anymore. Sarah has a decent marketing job in Uncle Stephen’s business but she works 12-14 hours a day and “behind it all, she’s kind of let Bethany down”.

Terrible Todd (he used to be such a nice boy!) will seek revenge against Jason and Eileen “who he blames for getting beaten up and scarred for life”. He will cause problems for Jason and Eva before Catherine Tyldesley exits our screens to go on maternity leave.

Kevin will find a new friend in Jenny Bradley but is “going to wish he’d never met her as the story unfolds”. Jenny will be hanging around for 4-6 months initially – “it’s a story with a beginning, a middle and an end and then who knows afterwards?” 

Claire King will be back as Erica. She will start filming in February and be on our screens in March or April. Sadly, rumours of Curly’s reappearance are unfounded.

On Tony and Tracy, the former “is going to wish he’d never got involved with her. He thought he could control her… no chance!” 

Simmering away in the background is Tracy’s hatred of Carla, who she blames for Rob’s demise. This will “come to a dramatic head”. 

Steve and Michelle’s wedding will be “a big community event… a proper old fashioned Coronation Street street party where everyone chips in”. It will mark the point “we stop talking so much about Steve’s depression”. It’ll take time – possibly 18 months – before he comes off the medication “because that’s how long these things take”. Steve’s tendency towards depression will not go away “but it won’t stop him from living a fulfilled happy, loving, funny, joyful life”.

Planning for September’s live episode will begin at the end of this month. They have already started tightening up on staff holidays and are putting technical things into place but creatively it is “a fairly blank canvas”. Cautious of avoiding a copycat spectacular along the lines of the tram crash, Stuart Blackburn currently favours a “play for today” approach focused on “pure and simple storytelling”. However, “if someone comes up with something that runs counter to that and it’s brilliant then we’ll go for it.”

Stuart Blackburn promises a big year in 2015 – “Corrie at its best… surprising, romantic, funny”. But going back to the crash, Blackburn claims it is “not just a stunt for stunt’s sake” but will “mark a massive change for Steve”.

Steve will confide in Michelle and everything will begin to fall into place for those around him: “the wanton spending of money, the long silences, the ludicrous airport run” are all examples of the erratic behaviour that will suddenly make sense in the context of Steve’s illness. It is not going to be easy but it will be the beginning of an “upward journey” for Steve. It’s just a shame he has to hit rock bottom in a quarry before he can begin to climb out of his depression.

Stay tuned for the second part of my Manchester report, which will be up here tomorrow morning. It will be on the press conference that followed the screening and the round table interviews with cast members involved in the crash. Put it this way – I doubt they’ll be traveling to the National Television Awards by minibus this week! 

By Martin Leay

Twitter: @mpleay

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Video: Corrie producer Stuart Blackburn reveals upcoming storylines

Coronation Street producer Stuart Blackburn was interviewed on ITV's This Morning this morning. The ITV website name Stuart as Executive Producer, but that role belongs to Kieran Roberts.

Stuart hit back at tabloid claims of "Corrie in crisis" saying that papers have got to be sold, there is no crisis, just some brilliant storytelling.

He talked about the upcoming mini-bus crash and Simon Gregson's storyline with Steve's depression.  He says Corrie has a current cast of about 60 and it's hard to decide which character and actor is going to get the big storylines. There's a clip of the bus crash too, which is shown on Monday 19 January.

Stuart a then talked through all of the storylines and spoilers that are outlined here. He also said that Kylie returns in the middle of David vs Callum's paternity battle for Max.

UK fans can watch the video here. Sorry, overseas fans, these videos are still not  available for you to see.

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