Interview with a Tram Driver

The Southport Visiter (yes, that is the correct spelling, it's historic) has an interview with Tom Burroughs, the man who's about to drive a tram off the viaduct.

Tom gives a little insight into the upcoming disaster, and the catalogue of misery that's going to follow.  However, unsurprisingly, he doesn't give too much away.  He does reveal that he didn't receive his script until the day of filming, and even now he can't say if his character dies or not.

You can read the full interview here.

50 Years Of Corrie In 50 Days – 1974

Day 14 of our 50 day countdown of Coronation Street - written by blogger Sunny Jim.

Coronation Street had done location shooting before but in October 1974 a new first was established when 2 episodes were filmed in Majorca. In the Rovers, Len Fairclough insinuated that women new nothing about football. In an attempt to prove him wrong, Bet Lynch got a few of the women together and they entered a spot the ball competition in the local paper. They were amazed when they won first prize, a holiday for two in the Bahamas. Bet negotiated with the paper and managed to get the prize changed to a holiday for eight in Majorca and so Bet, Deirdre, Emily, Annie, Rita, Mavis, Betty and Hilda headed off for a week of sun, sea and sangria.

Behind the scenes, the cast weren’t too impressed by the ‘holiday’. While the crew were put up in a 5-star hotel, the actors stayed in the 2-star hotel where the action was filmed. They were called at 6am each morning for make-up which was done in a room next to an open sewer that smelt disgusting. And when scenes were being filmed in the swimming pool, genuine holidaymakers were ordered out of the pool and away from the poolside and were not best pleased.

However, on screen they all had a fabulous time. Bet fell for a holiday tycoon and stayed on, only to find that he had moved on to another conquest; Deirdre, who was engaged to Billy Walker, won Annie’s approval by rejecting the advances of another holidaymaker; and Mavis surprised everyone by having a fling with a Spanish electrician (played by Malcolm Hebden).

Also in 1974: Blanche Hunt makes her first appearance (initially played by Pat Cutts); Maggie Clegg marries Ron Cooke and they emigrate; Cyril Turpin dies; Gail Potter, Eddie Yeats and Vera Duckworth make their first appearances; Lucille Hewitt leaves; Deirdre Hunt dumps Ray Langton and gets engaged to Billy Walker; Minnie Caldwell and Albert get engaged; Rovers Amateur Dramatic Association produce The Importance of Being Earnest; The Hopkins family buy the corner shop; Susi Hush becomes first female producer.

No Brainer: Friday Oct 29, 2010 Corrie Episode Review

7:30pm

Written by David Lane, directed by Durno Johnston

Another day at Underworld, another memorial flower delivery.  Michelle takes it up on herself to make the flower arrangement designed in the letter C, taken away and disposed of before Carla could see it.  C, Carla, get it?  Michelle goes to see Maria in the salon and tells her about the flowers figuring they’re something to do with Tony.  They can’t imagine who could be doing this and Michelle figures it might not be anything to do with either of them.  Yeah, that’s more like it.  Michelle tells Maria that Carla’s not as strong as she comes across to be and that Maria’s probably tougher than she is.  Maria says she’ll ring Pat, Tony’s brother, to see if the date is significant.  Michelle hopes it’s all just a practical joke.  If this is a joke, then you’ve still got a problem. 

Later, John finds out from Julie and Fiz that there was a ‘C’ wreath left on the steps of Underworld and he buckles.  They tell him that Michelle Connor’s taken care of it.  John goes to the Rovers to try and interject himself Maria and Michelle’s conversation over the mystery “C.”  He hears that Michelle has chucked the wreath out back and he’s off.  John asks Michelle if the wreath had a message.  She says it had something to do with a scholar, whatever that meant. 

Steve suspects that Ciaran might playing away on Michelle, but he’s really playing away on Steve and the Rovers.  Steve dithers on about what Nick and Leanne know about running a bar, clearly worried about the competition.  Becky’s in a state since Max is gone and goes to her chores with her bad face on and all.  Steve tells Becky that he’s upset about Max also.  Becky complains to Roy about what’s happened to Max looking for some comfort.  Roy looks for the best in people and tries to convince Becky that Kylie has an “I’ll show them” attitude and maybe she will.  Becky doesn’t seem so confident.  To make matters worse, Anna comes in and tells them that she’s going to have brothers to adopt.  Brothers, can you imagine?! 

At the bar later, Becky breaks into sobs when Anna comes in and talks about her new potential adopted child to Michelle.  Later, somewhere on some back street Steve finds Kylie.  Kylie insists that she and Max are out of that dump.  Steve tries to convince her not to take Max to Cyprus, but Kylie is as hard-headed as her sister.  Steve tries to crack a deal with Kylie and tells him that Max stays there and she goes alone and then Max can go over when Dmitri and she are settled.  Steve sells it as a “no brainer.” Kylie agrees, so Steve goes home to break the news to Becky.  Becky’s surprised that Kylie has agreed to this and Steve added that he told her that he’d give her a bit of cash also.  Kylie shows up at the Rovers and tells Becky and Steve that she wants twenty grand and they can keep Max – for good.  Steve and Becky are left stunned.    

At the Peacock’s, Claire’s fussing over Ashley since he’s been newly diagnosed with angina.  He’s happy with it all until he sees that his breakfast now consists of low fat yoghurt and prunes as opposed to his usual fry-up.  Claire is only looking out for his health.  Oh, Ashley what have you done now?  She puts the cherry on top and tells Ashley that beer is off limits too, to which he was in shock and awe.  Ashley takes his medication out of the blister packs and into a container instead.  What is he up to?  Graeme comes by but Claire doesn’t want Ashley going to work.  Ashley insists that Graeme go to work with him and not her.  Ashley heads straight into Roy’s for a fry-up.  Ashley confesses to Graeme that he’s not got angina, only indigestion.  Graeme tells him he can forget about his love life since he’s got a dickey ticker and he’s a liar. 

Ashley figures he has to come clean and Graeme suggests him telling her that the hospital got it wrong. He figures that’s his best option, so he goes to tell her now.  Back at home, Joshua has decided to play “doctor” (that’s a little ironic, no?) and has given Freddie his pills.  Claire finds – what she believes – to be Ashley’s heart pills and freaks out.  Ashley came back home just in time for Claire to panic over the fact that Freddie needs to go to hospital since he’s taken his heart pills. 

8:30pm

Written by Debbie Oates, directed by Durno Johnston

Steve and Becky are shocked that Kylie is trying to sell her child.  Becky tries to haggle with Kylie though but Steve says they’ve not got the money.  Kylie says they better hurry up since she needs sun and her skin is looking like a misery.  Well, at least it’ll match her personality.  When Kylie leaves Becky and Steve fight over whether or not to pay for Max.  Becky tries to go off to see Max and insists to Steve she’s only going to say goodbye.  Steve tries to tell her that they’ll go and visit him as soon as they can.  Becky continues to be her ridiculous childish self as she starts smashing things around the Rovers living room since she cannot have Max.  Becky thinks they should just buy Max but Steve tells her it’s wrong.  Becky gives Steve the sad “I’m a poor unfortunate unworthy soul” speech and makes him feel that this is her last chance to have a child.  Becky tells Steve she wishes someone had bought her, and this does it for Steve.  He decides that they’ll pay Kylie for Max. 

Steve and Becky go over to the place that Kylie staying at but they only find Dmitri.  And he’s wearing nothing but his shorts, some sneakers and a shower cap whilst doing the ironing.  Count that another man for the ironing on Corrie!  Oh, I forgot to mention that he was listening to Wham! on his iPod.  Are we sure that Dmitri is of…the Kylie persuasion?  In his broken English he tries to tell them that Kylie and Max aren’t there, so Becky wants to wait.  Becky sees a paper reserving two tickets and figures that Kylie’s already left with Max and that possibly Dmitri is joining them later, then she sees Max and Kylie walk in.  Kylie demands her cash since her flight is in three hours but Steve hasn’t got it.  Steve says that he can only give her the money next week, but she says he better reimburse her for her plane tickets that night she’s already paid for.  When he does this, she agrees to wait until next week. 

At the Peacock’s Claire wants to know why Ashley took his pills out of the box and is in a state trying to find them.  Ashley insists that she’s overreacting.  He finally admits that he’s only got indigestion and that those weren’t heart pills.  Freddie should be fine since he only took indigestion pills but Claire wants to take him anyway.  Later, Ashley is upset and Eileen tells him that she’ll come ‘round, which is more than she thinks she would.  Ashley tells Claire that France isn’t right for him, even if it’s right for her.  Claire was worried when taking Freddie to the hospital thinking that they might think that she had poisoned Freddie.  She needs to get away and tells Ashley that she and the boys are going to France without him. 

Well, depend on John Stape to solve a mystery with a lie.  He tells Michelle that Tony probably had another woman who was the one that left the C for Carla to find.  Michelle wonders why he’s so suspicious and John nervously says he was just musing.  John goes out back and finds the card that came with the wreath and it reads “no resting place for a scholar.”  Immediately, he knows that that wreath was intended for Colin and I’m sure he’s thinking that Charlotte had sent it.  John tears up the note and throws it in the bin.  He gets a shock as a masked – like death – Eileen comes dressed up for Halloween around the back ginnell with Joshua. 

Ciaran hasn’t told Liz yet that he’s quitting Rovers to go to Nick and Leanne’s new bar.  Michelle says that she’ll probably kill him.  Michelle wants him to be a big boy and just to tell her.  Leanne is shocked that Ciaran hasn’t told Liz that he’s quitting yet.  Leanne wants it done soon as, as this turns Peter on so Leanne goes with it. 

HIGHLIGHTS

- Ashley upon seeing his new breakfast of low-fat yoghurt and prunes, “I’m a butcher!” 

- Graeme handing Ashley some “get well” grapes, “and in case you’re wondering they are NOT the same grapes you brought me last week.”  Yes, they are. 

- Ashley: “Graeme, do you think I’m completely daft?”  Graeme: “I’m beginning to.”  I couldn’t agree more. 

- Julie to Claire, “You live across from Underworld.  Did you see anything strange this morning?”  Claire: “Janice Battersby turning up on time?” 

- Steve: “Who sells a child?”  Becky: “Your ex tried to sell Amy to the Croppers.”  Exactly. 

- Becky and Steve arriving at the place that Kylie’s “staying at” to find Dmitri ironing in his shorts, sneakers and…a shower cap?  And the moment afterwards when Steve looks at him funny for it and he whips it off.  What was he doing – deep conditioning?! 

- A masked Eileen and Joshua scaring the bejesus out of John Stape as he’s feeling haunted by Colin Fishwick.  This whole murder-mystery subplot is really getting quite funny when it’s in the backdrop. 

LOWLIGHTS

- Michelle “just hoping” that the floral “C” arrangement left at Underworld and the RIP flowers before are all just part of a practical joke.  Is she an idiot?  David Platt’s in court and Tracy is in jail, so who else would be sick enough to come up with that?  If this is a joke, they’ve still got one hell of an issue on their hands. 

- Does Ashley really think he can get away with pretending to have angina when he only has indigestion?

- Kylie doesn’t want to give up her life and opportunities just for Max.  What a rubbish mother!  Oh, then selling her child for twenty grand. 

- Joshua ironically playing “doctor” to Freddie.  A little ironic, considering his biological father is a doctor. 

- Ugh, so tired of flimsy stroppy Becky just doing whatever pleases her despite anything that Steve says.  How does Steve get any work done all day? 

Coronation Street Weekly Update, November 1 2010

Greetings and welcome to another weekly update. Without any further ado, here we go with this week's Coronation Street update.

To find out why the Corrie updates have been written for the internet since 1995, have a look here: http://www.corrieweeklyupdates.btinternet.co.uk/

When some people go on holiday overseas they bring back a stuffed donkey. Kylie’s no exception and returns with Dmitri in tow from Ayia Napa. He doesn’t speak any English but irons like a demon and wears a shower-cap well. Kylie spends her time back on home turf getting her stuff together to return to Cyprus for good, taking little Max with her. Becky collapses on the cobbles and begs her sister to let little Max stay but Kylie’s a hard faced cow and demands twenty grand cash in exchange for her son. Becky went into meltdown, smashed a few things in the back room of the pub and went manic when she thought she’d never have a child of her own. Give her a kid though, and with Becky, it’d be summat else she’d decide she can’t live without. Steve decides to raise the cash against the pub and Streetcars so that Becky can play happy families with her nephew. But if they really wanted the best for little Max and to prove that Kylie really is an unfit mother, all they had to do was pick up the phone and call social services. Would’ve cost a lot less than twenty grand, even for a peak-time call. Eventually and predictably Kylie gets her money and Becky gets the kid.

Over at the Peacock’s, Claire’s gone all ooh-la-la in an attempt to get Ashley to get in the mood for moving to France. She sits him down to dinner but he’s not impressed. “French food, French wine, I’m surpised we haven’t got Edna Piaf playing on the stereo.” I love that Edna Piaf, me. Je ne regret nowt chuck. Anyway, the stress of Claire harping on at him to move away to France brings on chest pains in Ashley and he’s rushed to t’hospital where the doctor tells him he’s not having a heart attack, he’s got indigestion. Must be all the French food, French wine. But that’s not what Ashley tells Claire, he just doesn’t say much when Claire assumes Ashley’s got angina. Ashley puts his indigestion pills into a tablet box in the cupboard and Josh feeds little Freddie some of the pills while they’re playing. Of course, this sets Claire off again and a sheepish Ashley has to confess that’s nowt wrong with his chest, but he still doesn’t want to move to la France.

At the factory, another wreath is left on the Underworld steps. This time it’s a wreath in the shape of the letter C. The girls assume it’s for Carla from Tony Gordon, beyond the grave. But when John finds out about the flowers, he’s shaking in his boots because he knows what the C’s for - and he’s been a stupid one too. When he receives a letter in the post with letters cut out of a newspaper spelling out the sentence: I Know What You Did, he Knows Who Sent It and tracks down loopy Charlotte. She denies she’s the ones sending the flowers or the cut-out and paste letters and even says she’s received one of the letters herself, trying to pin the blame on Fiz who’s just had her 20 week baby scan.

Meanwhile at the Rovers, Ciaran leaves his job behind the bar to work for Nick in the new place. He’s planning Lancashire tapas with mini hot-pots on the menu and searches through Betty’s recipe book for inspiration. Ooh, she’ll not be happy when she finds out. And Liz wasn’t best pleased when Ciaran handed his notice in at the pub either. In fact she was so put out, she barred him from the bar resulting in Michelle walking out in solidarity after calling Liz a tart. Kettle? Pot? Michelle plans to take up a new job working as Carla’s PA in the knicker factory.

And finally this week, Molly says NA to a DNA test that Kev wants to prove whether he’s the father of baby Jack Dobbs.

And that's just about that for this week.

Coronation Street writers this week were John Kerr, Debbie Oates, David Lane and Peter Whalley.

Glenda Young
Blogging away merrily at http://flamingnora.blogspot.com/