Carla and Peter : A Classic Corrie Christmas Two-Hander?

It's November 5th as I write this, and with a deluge of rain and flooding in South Yorkshire having quelled the expected fireworks, I'm devoid of excitement. Therefore, I thought I'd start writing up the latest Corrie Christmas / New Year teasers to post on the Corrie blog. Rather than saving the best until last, my first article starts with the best at the front - that being a two-hander that celebrates/commiserates the end of Peter and Carla's incredible tenure, which is due to air during Christmas week. Coronation Street is giving the relationship finale the best treatment, with a seasonal special two-hander, exploring the ins and outs of this dramatic duo. You cannot beat a Corrie two-hander, and as 2023 draws to a close, this could be the pinnacle of a brilliant year on the cobbles.  

On October 25th, I joined an ITV press event to chat with Corrie producer Iain Macleod, to give you a little sneaky peak of what's to come. 

Hi Iain, following Stephen Reid's death, we know Peter is due to leave the street. Can you give us the lowdown on what's to come for Carla and Peter?

What we wanted to do with Peter, was to deal with the reality of a man who has demons, it's fair to say, with a history of alcoholism and depressive episodes. His reaction to what he did to Stephen and the kind of battle to get it straight within himself. (He wonders) whether it was the right thing to do, was it necessary and how much of it was to do with getting revenge for Carla!

Will Peter succumb to alcoholism again? 

We were very clear when we started the chapter of this story that we wouldn't want him to fall off the wagon again, so you won't see that. We thought it was important that as a transplant recipient, he wouldn’t drink again - that was an important message to send out. However, he will struggle psychologically with his demons and his happiness on Coronation Street. Carla becomes aware of his feelings - he’s not okay. It's a fork in the road for them, with their happiness appearing to be not reliant on each other.

Does this lead to a Carla and Peter showdown? 

It leads to a surprising Christmas day episode* - a HUGE two-hander between the two of them (they are pretty much the only cast on the episode) that picks over every single detail of who they are, what they've been as a couple, what they want for their futures, and what happiness looks like for them. As we know, this is leading to Peter’s exit, which will be bittersweet and is Corrie at its best. 

Has this been filmed yet?

It's filming right now (late October), and I cannot wait for you to see the results. If it's as good as the scripts, and experience tell(s) me it's always better, it will lead to a stunning Christmas episode for us. It's the culmination of a decade-long* love story, I think the viewers are going to love it! 

Thanks, Iain!

             

* The Christmas Day episode is not the two-hander, that's a full-cast ensemble. The two-hander will follow on Boxing Day. 

Corrie has teased this image:

Is this a double for the ‘Weatherfield North’ tram stop?  It makes a change from someone leaving in the back of a black cab, doesn't it?

*It's actually been 12 years since Carla and Peter’s affair began!

Do we have any current/new relationships on the street that could last that long? 

Let me know in the comments or @rybazoxo on X using #Corrie 

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Coronation Street Episode Review; Weds 11th Sept 8.30pm

'Rage rage against the dying of the light' was Dylan Thomas' most famous refrain when writing about his father's cancer battle. However, for Sinead and Daniel, Micheal Rosens 1989 children's classic 'Were going on a bear hunt' is a touching juxtaposition that highlights the tragedy of a child losing a parent so young. The story works almost as a motif to tonight's episode, and its quite the work of art.

As the two-hander episode begins, the TV announcer warns us of the worst possible news for Sinead and Daniel. Even though I've devoured the most recent press releases and TV mag articles, my heart still races as the couple take a seat in the cancer consultants office.

Meanwhile, over at Number one, Ken tells Peter how much he missed Dierdre at the Wedding and laments about how Dierdre and Sinead would have been great friends.  I've not thought of that before, but I think us viewers can certainly agree with Ken on that?

Missing Dierdre, Ken's sombre mood and emotive words set the tone for the episode perfectly. Peter's prophecy about the married couple's future together, is as ever poignant. Even Peter's most recent struggles with Carla, and the booze, (although unseen here obviously) somehow seem to weave into this catalyst of sadness that's about to rock the Barlow family.

Whilst Baby Bertie is being looked after by an upset Auntie Beth, Mr Merchant (the consultant) breaks the news that Sinead's 'lump' is cancer of the lymph nodes, she has a cancerous mass on her liver, and it's terminal. Daniel questions the lack of regular check-ups and talks uncontrollably about Peter's health battle, as Sinead sits silently, stunned with shock. Although Sinead was until recently 'dancing with n.e.d' (No Existing Disease) cancer has returned and aggressively. The consultant tells them that they can go home,  as neither radiotherapy nor chemo will offer her any resistance against the inevitable succumbing.

The prognosis is dreadful, 3 - 4 months to live, at the most. Sinead is 25 years old, just a year younger than my wife. We also have a baby (who's now 3 years old) so for me, this is incredibly frightening and at odds with this healthy reality (most of us) are lucky enough to take for granted. 

Still, it doesn't shy away from the fact this is incredibly real and happening right now. Cancer is never discouraged by class, wealth, race, nor age sadly. Tragic.

Back on Coronation Street, the newlyweds arrive at Number one, alongside the rest of the family, to break the awful news. The Barlows reel in shock at such a tragic outcome. Heading back to the flat, Daniel reaches for the booze, whilst Sinead's anger at having been dealt such a fate is completely forgivable. 

Instead of a blissful start to married life, Daniel and Sinead are left with the worst possible nightmare of never celebrating their first year of marriage. 

Did Baby Bertie's conception cause Sinead's terminal cancer?. It's unlikely, and never a predicament (fictional or otherwise) anybody as young as Sinead or Daniel should ever have to face. 

Katie McGlynn (Sinead Tinker) announced this week that she has already recorded her final scenes as Sinead. After tonight's performances, I'm sure she could easily follow in the successful post-corrie career paths of Sarah Lancashire, Katherine Kelly, and Suranne Jones.

Paradoxically, this was a fantastic episode. It's just so sad that it is heartbreakingly true to life.  And just like life's troublesomely tumultuous rich tapestry ... 

'We can't go over it.

We can't go under it.

We've got to go through it!' 

Tonight's two-hander was directed by Mikey Jones with great scripts from Carmel Morgan and Jan McVerry. 

With Aidan's suicide still fresh in memory, it also is worth noting that Corrie tackle issue-based storylines with real tenacity, sensitivity, and incredibly good writing. Its never about sensationalism, and for that, I admire them greatly. Agree?

If you need further advice or support please go to itv.com/advice for more information.

What did you of tonight's Corrie?. Let us know in the comments section.

I shall be back same time next week. 

You can follow me @rybazoxo over on twitter, your self-styled 'Cobbles Connoisseur'.

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Carla and Roy two-hander episode... please!

I really love a two-hander episode. Like, really. For those who aren't familiar, one of these is an episode which only features two-cast members. An episode like this allows two characters to be explored so deeply and you come out the other side feeling like you know the characters a hell of a lot better. Plus, it lets you focus for 30 minutes on one storyline.

Coronation Street has had two two-hander episodes in the past. The first was a special episode which only featured Curly and Raquel Watts. The second was a regular episode which was wonderfully held by Tracy and Deirdre. This episode is subsequently one of my all time favourite Corrie episodes as Kate Ford and Anne Kirkbride portrayed such powerful emotions after Tracy admits to murdering Charlie Stubbs.

It was thinking about such episode the other day when I got to thinking, who would I want to see in a two-hander episode with the current cast? For me, I would be VERY interested in seeing an episode that circulated around Carla Connor and Roy Cropper.

There is nothing more precious on that street at the moment than Carla and Roy's beautiful friendship; they're a brilliant example that platonic love can actually exist. My heart actually melted when we saw their little book club in Roy's flat a while ago. Complete polar opposites, they are the last two characters that I would naturally put together but it just works so well. Alison King and David Neilson seem to have such lovely, natural chemistry.

Roy always seems so distraught about pretty much everything Carla says or does, and it's so endearing because most of the time she's either slept with someone she probably shouldn't, or has said something that makes Roy blush. I just think that an episode featuring them and no one else would be divine.

Who would you like to see in a two-hander episode?

Sophie Williams

Read some more of my general natterings on Twitter @sophie_jw26

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Who would you love to see in a Corrie two-hander?

In almost 57 years of Coronation Street's history, there has only ever been two two-hander episodes. What's a two-hander? It's an episode with just two characters in it. It really focuses on the dialogue and characterisation rather than action or storyline.

The first two-hander that Corrie ever did was for the Millennium in January 2000. It featured Curly and Raquel as Sarah Lancashire returned for a one-off appearance in the show. It was heartbreaking, written by John Stevenson, and even just thinking about it now brings a lump to my throat. 

And the second two-hander was in 2007. It was set in the kitchen at number one Coronation Street and featured mother and daughter, Deirdre and Tracy Barlow.  This is one of my most favourite Corrie episodes, ever, written by Jonathan Harvey. Tracy confessed that she'd killed Charlie Stubbs and even though she knew her daughter was a  killer, Deirdre vowed she'd stand by and even lie for Tracy in court.  If you haven't seen this episode, I strongly urge you to hunt it down on YouTube, it's fantastic.

So who would YOU love to see star in a Corrie two-hander, if they ever did one again? Or is the format outdated and cliched now and perhaps you'd rather not see a two-hander again?

I think there's a value to the two-hander and it could be very rewarding for fans.  My vote would have to include Rita in a two-hander as she's my favourite female character of all time. I think she'd been good with Norris. But I think she'd be even better with Gemma.

Which two characters do you reckon you'd like to see?

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