Coronation Street tour to stay open till end of 2015

The Chief Executive of the Continuum Group, who run the Corrie set tours, has confirmed on twitter that the Coronation Street tour will stay open until the end of 2015.

We announced a couple of weeks ago that the set tours had been extended into 2015 but that announcement was without an end date.  Today it's been announced that the set will be open for the tour for at least another 12 months.

What great news for fans.  If you haven't been already, do go.


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Winner announced in our Horronation Street tour

Congratulations go to Coronation Street Blog reader Katie Humphreys who has been drawn at random from all of the correct entries received, to win two tickets to the Coronation Street tour this coming Friday night!  Katie gets to go on the Corrie tour for a special spooky look around, with tour guide actor Brian Capron, who played Richard Hillman.  Well done, Katie!

This week, Coronation Street The Tour will make a chilling transformation as it prepares to welcome visitors to “Horrornation Street”. From 27th to 31st October those who visit the tour will also be able to take part in some spooktacular events including Trick or Treat on the Nation’s Street and walking the path of the shows killers and victims with the “Murder Walks”.

On Halloween night Brian Capron, who played the psychotic Richard Hillman, will return to the scene of his characters crimes to terrify visitors with tales of his murderous rampage. Guests will also be able to grab the ultimate selfie with Richard wearing his famous black gloves.

More tickets have been released for Coronation Street the Tour and can be purchased now at www.ticketmaster.co.uk/coronationstreet. Tickets for the Halloween events are available at the standard price but are limited in numbers.

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The year of Bet, Alma and Wendy flamin' Crozier

I've recently fallen in love with 1990. That's Weatherfield in 1990 to be exact. I can just about remember watching Coronation Street back then as a child, although how much I think I remember and how much I've picked up on since I'll never know. Anyway, a recent episode from January of that year was so enjoyable I thought I would blog about it.

What struck me most about this episode, first broadcast on 19 January was that it concentrated on every day happenings. Two bigger storylines dominated the episode - Alec Gilroy being rebuffed well and truly by his long lost daughter and Alma Sedgewick being a flighty piece and moving in with Mike Baldwin. Everyone featured in the episode felt real, like you could bump into them in the street, the pub or the local cafe. If there was glamour it was of the back street variety. And that's what Corrie does best. 

The Gilroys dominated the episode. Alec, played by the superb Roy Barraclough, had started to feel his age and realising the clock was ticking, decided to track down his daughter Sandra. Not having clapped eyes on her for twenty years, it didn't go well. The fact that Sandra was married to a nice middle class man called Tim, with a horse owning daughter in Victoria just jarred even more with Alec, Bet and the back street pub that was their world. It was awkward and doomed to failure. Alec was humoured and then disowned by the daughter he'd disowned years before. It was a tragic story made even more so with the knowledge of what was to come the following year. 

Bet visited Sandra to try and make her see sense but it was all for nothing as Mrs Arden, as she now was, gave her snobby short shrift and showed her the door. Crestfallen Bet returned to the Rovers only for Alec to see through her lie about going shopping. Bet told him where to go in no uncertain terms, reminding me of the power Julie Goodyear could put into a performance back in the day. Glorious stuff.

Meanwhile, cockney charmer Michael Vernon Baldwin was luring the lovely Alma back into his flat and into his bed. He wined and dined her one night, the next day her suitcase was packed and she was cooking his dinner for him when he got home. Of course, being Baldwin, there's an ulterior motive to all this flowers and filet steak malarky. Out of pocket and out of luck, he's realised Alma's doing quite well for herself so it's obviously more than just those big eyes and turned up collars he's got the hots for. 

The reactions of those around them are typical and true to character. Mavis, in pale pink tabard, is shocked at Alma's flighty nature, mostly because she is doing what Mavis never dared to do and probably wished she had. Audrey on the other hand gives Alma a piece of her mind, calling her "lady" more than once and saying it'll all end in tears. Her judgement is probably coming from direct experience, never having been one to don a pale pink tabard. Audrey knew her mate though. "Alma has never seen sunrise in her life. She thinks God switches it on every morning.”

What makes this episode so rich and rewarding are the little gems that are content to appear in the wings of the main performances. Martin, teased gently by Sally and a 'tache wearing Kevin, about his new relationship with Gail. Don Brennan, mad before he went crazy, over his recently stolen cab. 

The original Rovers Tina (Michelle Holmes) all bubbly about a trip to France with her boyfriend Eddie. Phyllis Pearce, at the other end of the romantic spectrum, friskily chasing Percy into the cafe for a cheeky hot chocolate. All joyous cameos.

One of the most fleeting scenes of all sees Emily shopping with pre-devil Tracy, catching a glimpse of Ken and Wendy flamin' Crozier linking arms as they shop for their frozen peas in Reg Holdsworth's emporium. It was brief with little dialogue but spoke volumes nonetheless.

I loved it. I loved every second of it. The characters were all interlinked, you got a true sense that they all knew each other. They all had their own voices. It was comfortable, cosy, funny but also sad, tragic and knowing. The writer, Leslie Duxbury, knew the show and its audience. Not bad for a half hour in deepest January. 


Follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82 



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Preview of tonight's double Corrie - Monday 27 Oct

Monday October 27th 2014
CARLA’S CLOSE TO UNCOVERING ROB. Tracy’s excited as she prepares for her wedding and at her hen do in the pub tells the girls how Rob is her soul mate. Rob meanwhile spends his stag night with Carla where she quizzes him about the night of Tina’s murder. Irritated by her obsessive questioning, Rob claims he and Tracy left their engagement party, returned home and had sex on the sofa. Nipping out, Carla corners Tracy in the Rovers and questions her also. But when Tracy tells her she and Rob went back to No.1 and headed straight upstairs, Carla realises their stories don’t match. Returning home Carla tells a horrified Rob she now has the proof that Peter didn’t kill Tina!
KYLIE STRUGGLES TO KICK HER HABIT. Kylie secretly phones the hospital and is relieved to hear that Gemma has been discharged. As David goes to read Max a story, she flushes her last wrap of speed down the sink, determined to be a better mother and wife.
LIFE’S A PICNIC FOR GARY AND ALYA. Gary and Alya enjoy a romantic walk, clearly smitten with each other. Gary promises they’ll take things slowly.
Elsewhere Michael’s worried when he receives a letter from the hospital asking him to attend an appointment with the heart consultant. When Sinead finds Cilla doubled-up with pain she begs her to tell the family about her illness, will Cilla agree?

Monday October 27th 2014
THE NIGHTMARE BEGINS FOR ROB. Carla reveals to Rob that she knows he’s lying and reckons he’s covering up for Tracy, the real murderer. As Carla reaches for her phone, intent on calling the police, Rob stops her. Rob explains that Tracy was actually driving a van load of stolen gear when Tina was murdered and they lied to the police knowing they’d both be sent down if they were caught. Rob tells Carla how much he loves Tracy and how he’s looking forward to settling down and having kids. When Carla points out that Tracy’s false alibi means he too is without an alibi, Rob loses his temper and storms out. Carla’s taken aback by the ferocity of his outburst. Rob returns to the flat blaming it on wedding nerves. But Carla’s not convinced and pointing out how he seemed to know from the off that she was innocent, asks him if he killed Tina. Rob tries to deny it but Carla pushes and pushes until Rob can’t take any more and finally confesses that he did murder Tina. As Rob begs a shocked Carla to keep his guilty secret and not to involve the police, at no.1 an emotional Tracy tells Ken how much Rob means to her and how she wants their wedding to be perfect!

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