Novels by Coronation Street Blog Editor Glenda Young

Saturday, 2 November 2024

Coronation Street Episode Review Friday 1 November 2024


The events post recent deaths dominate tonight.  Paul's ashes have been launched into space and Bernie wants to arrange a mass public showing in t'Rovers with some nibbles - but baulks at the quote Jenny gives her.  An eavesdropping Dev does the inevitable and puts the cash into Jenny's hands for the food so that the event can go ahead - however he remains in Bernie's bad books but she does thank him guessing he is responsible.  Billy assures the Bishop that he is entirely ready to go back to work full time but the Bishop insists on light duties.  However it is all form filling and paper pushing and within minutes Billy has decided that being an Archdeacon is not the way forward - he wants to be out on the shop floor with a congregation but there is no parish at present so he is going to be arranging a grief club and other community activities.  And when eventually told about the televisual event next Wednesday in the Rovers he makes it very clear that he will not be attending, another decision which is reversed in the same episode after discussions with Todd and Bernie apologising - honestly a whirling dervish turns on a sixpence slower than Billy.


Joel's unsolved death continues to keep the local nick in full employment.  Tinks has not yet tracked down the cars in the area when Joel died and Lisa points out to Kit that if Joel was doing a runner there should be a bag of stuff and yet there was nothing in the cars they found.  Perhaps if they found a bag they might find a murderer.  Later DS Swain adds that once they have the list of red cars that damaged Greg Delaney's car then the driver may have seen something relating to the death.  Now that's interesting - it appears that on the list of red cars is on Christopher Green - who promptly deletes the entry relating to his presence.


Betsy does not believe a word Lisa says as the latter tells her a complete fiction concerning her whereabouts the night that Joel died.   Carla sees that the girl is upset at work and eventually tells her what happened.  Betsy remains so upset at her mother she decides to make an anonymous complaint of harassment by DS Swain which means that the latter is under internal investigation and has handed her phones over to prove there are no incriminating messages.  That is soon sorted and DS Swain revisits those she was accusing of raising complaints to apologise.   She also bows to the pressure on her with Betsy constantly worrying that one day she will not come home from work and decides to take some leave to spend time with Betsy.  


By using her detective skills Daisy finds out that Kit has been information to get closer to Daisy - "Real Housewives of Cheshire", no dunking biscuits, "The Holiday" and at least he admits it when challenged.  Later Jenny spills the beans to Ryan who realises that Kit has been using their private chats to learn about Daisy's like and dislikes.  Ryan calls out Kit on his duplicity but gets very short shrift.


Chesney is dog tired and would have run over the earphone wearing Liam but Mason spotted the danger and pulled him out the way.  Mason wants to talk to Liam.  He asks if Liam walked out deliberately - but Liam denies it - he does not care about Mason any more and he is not scared of Mason either.  Mason apologises for "before" and Liam takes a breath and accepts it. and thanks him for saving him from being run over.  Gary hears a different story from Dev - but later having checked the facts with Chesney he and Maria are both pleased over how much better Liam seems to be.

There was an oddity about tonight.  It felt that a whole scene had gone missing where Carla told Betsy about the events on the critical night.  From the subsequent conversation we established that Lisa had been hit/"run over" by a car - but we did not get a flashback or even the detailed story - we know Carla saw someone outside the factory and I now assume it was Lisa seeking help following the encounter - but is some element being glossed over by not revealing all that happened that night?  We all know that people make wrong decisions but some of the chopping and changing tonight felt awkward and rushed; it did not feel like a well thought out episode and not at all the community based fellowship which the Street used to have as part of its genetic identity.  Too much being out of sorts. constructed for TV head butting rather than what should be there.  I did not like it.

Written by Joe Turner.  Directed by Durno Johnston.

Kosmo

Conversation Street Podcast Episode #652


We're up in Manchester for a few days at the moment with a bit of a busy schedule, so this week's podcast is a Street Talk only affair, covering the episode of Corrie shown in the UK between the 28th October and the 1st November (Episodes #11,399 - 11,404).

The flashbacks return in this week's episodes of Corrie, giving us a few more hints as to what happened the night of Joel's death. Since the start, we've been pretty convinced it was Kit who did him in (or maybe Gus at a long shot) but is the whodunit still working to keep us interested? Also this week, the Dev's Devving it up to the max at the quads' birthday party, leading to a surprise popping the question that goes down like a lead balloon - can he and Bernie recover? Meanwhile, Cassie and Steve spend the night together, the news of Gail's engagement starts to spread and Mason pulls Liam from in front of a speeding car - are we seeing a redemption story here, and is he the kind of character we really want to see being redeemed?


This week's bonus podcast is a Halloween homage to some of literature's spookiest stories and poems with a Weatherfield twist: we present to you our Cobblestone Chillers! Turn off the light and huddle under covers as you enjoy our Corrie adaptations of tales including Jabberwocky, The Telltale Heart and H.P. Lovecraft's haunting work, The Shadow Over Innsmouth. 


You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, stream all our old episodes on our own site here, or click the play buttons above to give it a listen from the comfort of this very blog! 







Friday, 1 November 2024

Whatever Happened to Trim Up North? Coronation Street guest blog post by @typingtiff


A guest blog post from @TypingGiff

I went on the Corrie tour recently and as a Platt fanatic, I had to grab a photo at Trim Up North. But it did make me think: whatever happened to the barbers? I remember Audrey had to sell up to buy back her house after the whole Stephen saga, but beyond that, I can’t recall how the show bid farewell to the beloved barbershop. So after a quick Google, I found this update on coronationstreet.fandom.com
“The business ceased trading and put up for sale in November 2023 with the keys being handed over in January 2024.”

I remember watching the aftermath of Stephen’s storyline and Audrey telling David and Maria that she would have to sell up. There were some verbal protests, but other than that, not much else, which is disappointing considering the extreme actions that David took to buy the barbers in the first place. 
Trim Up North made its debut in 2019, following David’s discovery that Nick had stolen £80K from their Gran. In exchange for his silence, David managed to convince Nick to invest in a new barbershop, but their scheme was eventually foiled, and David transferred ownership to Audrey to make amends. 

With that context, you would expect more efforts (particularly from David) to keep the barbers. Corrie has a long history of dramatic twists, emotional farewells, and complex character arcs that keep us coming back for more. However, Trim Up North’s ending feels pretty underwhelming considering its origins. It’s understandable though – with every second of screen time counting on a show like Corrie, which covers several stories in just 1 hour (ads not included), you have to be selective over what elements to explore and which parts to leave to the viewer’s imagination. 

And then there’s Vin Diesel the Weasel. It was a sad day when Maria casually mentioned that she had chucked him in the bin. Again, this was once a beloved gift (from Shona, I believe), and I even remember an episode in early 2020 when Lily or David the dog broke it whilst Shona was in hospital and David was upset about it. So for it to be discarded so casually in an episode further down the line feels odd (or maybe I attach too much sentiment to inanimate objects – that’s a possibility!). 

But hey, the good news is that someone must have plucked Vinny out of the bin because you can now see him at the Coronation Street experience in their new exhibition. And Trim Up North is still in business as well, you can see it in the background of shots when Sarah leaves her flat. So who knows, maybe one day the Platts will buy it back? It would be great to see it return on screen someday, as it’s one of those unique locations on the street that attracts a mix of scenes and characters. 

What are your thoughts? Do you miss Trim Up North, or are you happy to see more scenes back in Audrey’s salon again? 

Glenda Young
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Preview of today's Coronation Street - Friday 1 November 2024


Friday 1st November 2024

    Lisa lies to Betsy, making out her bruises were the result of an office injury. Carla admits to Bobby that on the night of Joel’s murder, she nipped to the factory, but she told the police she was at home all evening with him and Ryan. At the station, Lisa points out to Kit that if Joel was planning to go on the run, he would have had some personal belongings with him and if they find those it could lead them to his killer. Kit’s annoyed at her interference. A formal complaint made against her, a fired up Lisa accuses Daisy and Kit.

    When Liam unwittingly steps out in front of Chesney’s car, Mason grabs him and yanks him to safety. Mason tells Liam he’s sorry for the bullying and assures him he’s a changed person. Having witnessed their intense exchange, Dev tells Gary who takes matters into his own hands. 

    Billy meets up with the bishop and assures him that he’s ready to return to work. But as he pours over his paperwork, he comes to a decision. Bernie plans a screening of Paul’s ashes video in the pub. When Bernie finds out from Jenny that an anonymous donor has paid for the buffet, Bernie realises it’s Dev. Billy’s taken aback to hear about the screening and rails at Bernie. 

    When Ryan lets slip that Daisy’s favourite film is The Holiday, Kit makes a mental note, suggesting they watch the film to mark his last night at the pub. As Kit flirts with Daisy, Ryan’s shocked to hear of his duplicity and confronts Kit. How will he react?

 Glenda Young
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