Coronation Street is a British
soap operaA soap opera, sometimes called "soap" for short, is an ongoing, episodic work of dramatic fiction presented in serial format on radio or as television programming. The name soap opera stems from the original dramatic serials broadcast on radio that had soap manufacturers, such as Procter & Gamble,...
set in
WeatherfieldWeatherfield is a fictional town, based on Salford in North West England, which serves as the setting for the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street...
, a fictional town in
Greater ManchesterGreater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
based on
SalfordThe City of Salford is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It is named after its largest settlement, Salford, but covers a far larger area which includes the towns of Eccles, Swinton-Pendlebury, Walkden and Irlam which apart from Irlam each have a population of over...
. Created by
Tony WarrenAnthony McVay Simpson MBE , better known by his stage name Tony Warren, is an award-winning English television scriptwriter, best known for creating the soap opera Coronation Street...
,
Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. It is produced in
ManchesterManchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
by
Granada TelevisionGranada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
and shown in all
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
regions.
Since first being aired, it has been one of the most financially lucrative programmes on commercial television, underpinning the success of its broadcaster
ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
and its franchise
Granada TelevisionGranada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
. On 17 September 2010, it became the world's longest-running TV soap opera currently in production.
1960s
The
first episodeThe first episode of the British soap opera Coronation Street was broadcast live on the 9 December 1960. Episode 2 was video taped shortly after the airing.-Plot:...
was aired on 9 December 1960 and was not initially a critical success; a columnist in the
Daily Mirror claimed the series would only last three weeks. Granada Television commissioned only 13 episodes and some inside the company doubted the show would last its planned production run. Despite the criticism, viewers were immediately drawn to the serial, won over by
Coronation Streets 'ordinary' characters. The programme also made use of Northern EnglishNorthern English is a group of dialects of the English language. It includes the North East England dialects, which are similar in some respects to Scots....
language and dialectThe term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
; affectionate local terms like "eh, chook?", "nowt" (ˈnaʊt, rhymes with out
, means nothing
), and "by heck!" became widely heard on British television for the first time.
Early episodes told the story of student Kenneth Barlow (William RoacheWilliam Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
), who had won a place at university and thus found his background something of an embarrassment. The character was one of the few to have experienced life 'outside' of Coronation Street, and in some ways predicts the growth of globalisation and the decline of similar communities. In a 1961 episode, Barlow declares: "You can't go on just thinking about your own street these days. We're living with people on the other side of the world. There's more to worry about than
Elsie TannerElsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
and her boyfriends." Roache was the only remaining member of the original cast until
Dennis TannerDennis Tanner is a fictional character in British soap opera Coronation Street. He is played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was introduced in the very first episode on 9 December 1960...
(
Philip LowrieColin Philip Lowrie is an English television actor. He played Dennis Tanner, the son of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street, from 1960 until 1968. On 25 January 2011, it was announced that he would return to the role, reappearing on screen later in the year...
) returned on 12 May 2011, and is currently the longest-serving actor in Coronation Street and in British and global soap overall.
Also at the centre of many early stories was
Ena SharplesEna Sharples is one of the original characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and was played by Violet Carson.-Development:...
(
Violet CarsonViolet Helen Carson OBE was an English actress, best known for playing Ena Sharples, one of the original characters in the British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life and career:...
), caretaker of the Glad Tidings Mission Hall, and her friends: timid Minnie Caldwell (
Margot BryantKathleen Mary Margaret Bryant was an English actress, best known for playing Minnie Caldwell on the soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life and career:...
) and bespectacled Martha Longhurst (
Lynne CarolLynne Carol was an English actress made famous by playing busybody Martha Longhurst in the soap opera Coronation Street from the second episode in 1960 until the character was killed off in 1964....
). The trio were likened to the
Greek chorusA Greek chorus is a homogenous, non-individualised group of performers in the plays of classical Greece, who comment with a collective voice on the dramatic action....
, and the three witches in
William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's
MacbethThe Tragedy of Macbeth is a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide and its aftermath. It is Shakespeare's shortest tragedy and is believed to have been written sometime between 1603 and 1607...
, as they would sit in the snug bar of the
Rovers ReturnThe Rovers Return Inn is a fictional public house on the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. The Rovers Return occupies the corner of Coronation Street and Rosamund Street. Since the first episode it has been the principal setting in the show and many of its most memorable moments...
, passing judgement over family, neighbours and frequently each other. Headstrong Ena often clashed with Elsie Tanner, whom she believed espoused a dauntlessly loose set of morals. Elsie resented Ena's interference and gossip, which, most of the time, had little basis in reality.
In April 1961,
Jed StoneJohn Edward "Jed" Stone, played by Kenneth Cope, is a fictional character from the soap opera Coronation Street. He was a lodger of Minnie Caldwell's in the 1960s, and her nickname for him was "Sunny Jim"...
made his first appearance and returned the following year in 1962. He left in 1963, but returned 3 years later in 1966. He left again and then returned 42 years later in 2008.
In March 1961, Coronation Street
reached No.1 in the television ratings and remained there for the rest of the year. Earlier in 1961, a Television Audience Measurement (TAM) showed that 75% of available viewers (15 million) tuned into Corrie and by 1964 the programme had over 20 million regular viewers, with ratings peaking on 2 December 1964, at 21.36 million viewers.
Storylines throughout the decade included: a mystery poison-pen letter received by Elsie Tanner, the 1962 marriage of Ken Barlow and Valerie Tatlock, the death of Martha Longhurst in 1964, the birth of the Barlow twins in 1965, Elsie Tanner's wedding to Steve Tanner as well as a train crashing from the viaduct (both in 1967), the murder of Steve Tanner in 1968, and a coach crash in 1969.
In spite of rising popularity with viewers, Coronation Street
was criticised by some for its outdated portrayal of the urban working-class, and its representation of a community that was a nostalgicThe term nostalgia describes a yearning for the past, often in idealized form.The word is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of , meaning "returning home", a Homeric word, and , meaning "pain, ache"...
fantasy. After the first episode in 1960, the Daily Mirror
printed: "The programme is doomed from the outset ... For there is little reality in this new serial, which apparently, we have to suffer twice a week." By 1967, critics were suggesting that the programme no longer reflected life in 1960s Britain, but reflected how life was in the 1950s. Granada hurried to update the programme, with the hope of introducing more issue-driven stories, including Lucille Hewitt becoming addicted to
drugsDestroy Rebuild Until God Shows are an American post-hardcore band formed in 2010. They released their debut self-titled album on February 22, 2011.- Formation :...
,
Jerry BoothJerry Booth was an English footballer who played as a winger. He played one match in the Football League for Burnley in 1903.-References:...
being in a storyline about
homosexualityHomosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
, Emily Nugent having an out of wedlock child, and introducing a black family, but all of these ideas were dropped for fear of upsetting viewers.
1970s
The show's
production teamA production team is the group of technical staff who produce a play, television show, recording, or film. Generally the term refers to all individuals responsible for the technical aspects of creating of a particular product, regardless of where in the process their expertize is required, or how...
was tested when many core cast members left the programme in the early 1970s. When
Arthur LeslieArthur Leslie was a British actor who was born in Newark, Nottinghamshire but moved to Lancashire at an early age...
died suddenly in 1970, his character, Rovers' landlord Jack Walker, died with him.
Anne ReidAnne Reid, MBE is a BAFTA Award-nominated English film and television actress from Newcastle upon Tyne, best known for her roles as Valerie Tatlock in Coronation Street and Jean in dinnerladies....
quit as Valerie Barlow, and was killed off in 1971, electrocuting herself with a faulty hairdryer. Ratings reached a low of 8 million in February 1973,
Pat PhoenixPatricia "Pat" Frederica Phoenix was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street.-Early life and career:Born in Ireland to Anna Maria Josephine Noonan and Tom Manfield, but moved to Manchester before...
quit as
Elsie TannerElsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
,
Violet CarsonViolet Helen Carson OBE was an English actress, best known for playing Ena Sharples, one of the original characters in the British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life and career:...
(
Ena SharplesEna Sharples is one of the original characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and was played by Violet Carson.-Development:...
) was written out for most of the year due to illness, and
Doris SpeedDoris Speed, MBE was an English actress, best known for her role as snooty Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker on Coronation Street, a role she played from 1960 to 1983.-Early life and career:...
(
Annie WalkerAnne "Annie" Walker is a long-standing fictional character in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by actress Doris Speed from the series' first episode in 1960 until Speed retired from the role 23 years and 1,746 episodes later in 1983.The character of Annie has been noted as...
) took two months' leave. ITV's other flagship soap opera Crossroads saw a marked increase in viewers at this time, as its established cast, such as Meg Richardson (
Noele GordonNoele Gordon was an English film and television actress.- Early life :Gordon's father was an engineer in the Merchant Navy and she was born in East Ham, London. After attending convent school at Forest Gate, she was taught to dance by the late Maude Wells and later spent several years living in...
), grew in popularity. These sudden departures forced the writing team to quickly develop characters who had previously stood in the background. The roles of
Bet LynchElizabeth Theresa "Bet" Lynch is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character is no longer part of current storylines. Portrayed by actress Julie Goodyear the character first appears onscreen during the episode airing on 23 May 1966. The character...
, Ivy Tilsley (
Lynne PerrieLynne Perrie was an English actress. She was born Jean Dudley in Rotherham, Yorkshire, and was the sister of comedian Duggie Brown. She was best known for her roles as Mrs. Casper in Ken Loach's 1969 film Kes, and as Ivy Tilsley in Coronation Street from 1971-1994.-Career:After Rotherham Grammar...
),
Deirdre HuntDeirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
(
Anne KirkbrideAnne Kirkbride is an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street which she has played for thirty-nine years.-Coronation Street:...
),
Rita LittlewoodRita Sullivan is a long-standing character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
(
Barbara KnoxBarbara Knox, MBE , is an English actress, best known for playing Rita Sullivan in the television soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:Knox was born in Oldham, Lancashire...
) and
Mavis RileyMavis Wilton is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Thelma Barlow. A long-running series regular, Mavis appeared in the show for 26 years from 1971 to 1997...
(
Thelma BarlowThelma Barlow is an English television actress and writer, most famous for her roles as Mavis Wilton in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street and as Dolly Bellfield in the sitcom Dinnerladies....
) were built up between 1972 and 1973 with characters such as
Gail PotterGail McIntyre is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Helen Worth, the character first appeared on screen on 12 July 1974...
(
Helen WorthHelen Worth is an English actress, best known for her portrayal of the Coronation Street character Gail McIntyre- Early life :...
),
Blanche HuntBlanche Hunt is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and...
(
Patricia CuttsPatricia Cutts was an English film and television actress.-Biography:Born in London, Cutts was the daughter of the writer-director Graham Cutts. Her first roles were small parts in American films such as I Was a Male War Bride and The Man Who Loved Redheads and the television shows Alfred...
and
Maggie JonesMargaret "Maggie" Jones was an English actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt in the British soap opera Coronation Street, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death.-Career:Jones graduated from the drama school RADA and...
) and
Vera DuckworthVeronica "Vera" Duckworth , played by Elizabeth Dawn, is a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in episode 6,734 on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure...
(
Elizabeth DawnElizabeth 'Liz' Dawn MBE , is an English actress, best known for her role as Vera Duckworth in the long-running British soap opera, Coronation Street...
) first appearing in 1974. These characters would remain at the centre of the programme for many years.
Comic storylines had been popular in the series in the 1960s but had become sparse during the early 1970s. These were re-introduced by new producer
Bill PodmoreEdgar William "Bill" Podmore was a British television producer. Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, he was best known for his long association with the soap opera Coronation Street, a series he produced for twelve years...
who joined the series in 1976. He had worked on Granada comedy productions prior to his appointment. Stan and Hilda Ogden were often at the centre of overtly funny storylines, with other comic characters including
Eddie YeatsEdward Jeremy Timothy "Eddie" Yeats was a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-1974–1987:Eddie Yeats was born in Liverpool on 22 August 1941. In adulthood, Eddie held low-paid jobs and made extra cash by helping out his disreputable friends with carrying out...
(
Geoffrey HughesGeoffrey Hughes, DL is an English actor.As well as a wide range of TV and film appearances, Hughes is best known for a series of supporting roles in popular UK television dramas...
), Fred Gee (
Fred FeastFrederick Feast was a British television actor, best remembered for playing the role of Fred Gee in Coronation Street.-Early life:...
) and
Jack DuckworthJohn Harold "Jack" Duckworth is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor William Tarmey. The character debuted onscreen during the episode...
(
William TarmeyBill Tarmey is an English actor, singer and author, best known for playing Jack Duckworth on the soap opera Coronation Street. First appearing in the role in 1979, he played it continuously from 1983 to 2010.-Life and career:Tarmey was born in Ardwick, Manchester...
) all making their first appearances during the decade.
In 1976, Pat Phoenix returned to her role as Elsie Tanner and, after a spate of ill health, Violet Carson returned on a more regular basis as Ena. Coronation Street's stalwart cast slotted back into the programme alongside the newcomers, examining new relationships between characters of different ages and backgrounds: Eddie Yeats became the Ogdens' lodger, Gail Potter and Suzie Birchall moved in with Elsie, Mike Baldwin (
Johnny BriggsJohnny Briggs, MBE is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Mike Baldwin in the soap opera Coronation Street, in which he appeared from 1976 to 2006...
) arrived in 1976 as the tough factory boss, and Annie Walker reigned at the Rovers with her trio of staff Bet Lynch,
Betty TurpinElizabeth "Betty" Williams is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by former music hall star Betty Driver. Driver was cast as Betty in 1969, after first auditioning for the role of Hilda Ogden...
and Fred Gee.
Storylines throughout the decade included: a warehouse fire in 1975, the birth of
Tracy LangtonTracy Lynette Barlow is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. She is currently portrayed, since 2002, by Kate Ford, the latest in a series of actresses who have played Tracy at various ages...
in 1977, the murder of Ernest Bishop in 1978, a lorry crashing into the Rovers Return in 1979, and the marriage of Brian Tilsley and Gail Potter (also in 1979).
For eleven weeks, between August and October 1979, industrial action forced Coronation Street
and the whole of the ITV network (apart from the Channel Islands) off the air. When ITVITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
did return, its first evening schedule included a special "catch-up" edition of Coronation Street
, in which storylines which would have taken place during the strike were explained away in the form of a narrative chat between Len Fairclough and Bet Lynch. For several weeks the channel had very few fresh episodes to show, and episodes of the game show 3-2-13–2–1 was a popular British game show that was made by Yorkshire Television for ITV. It ran for ten years, between 29 July 1978 and 24 December 1988. Throughout its run, the show was hosted by former Butlins Redcoat Ted Rogers. It was based on a Spanish gameshow called Un, dos, tres.....
were screened in its place. Coronation Street
returned to ITV screens at a regular time late in 1979.
Coronation Street
had little competition within its prime time slot, and certain critics suggested that the programme had grown complacent, moving away from socially viable storylines and again presenting a dated view of working-class life.
1980s
Between 1980 and 1989, Coronation Street underwent some of the biggest changes since its launch. By May 1984, Ken Barlow stood as the only original
cast memberA cast member is:* An actor who performs in a theatrical production, motion picture, or television program. The actors who perform in the show are collectively referred to as the cast....
, after the departures of Ena Sharples (in 1980), Annie Walker (in 1983), Elsie Tanner (in 1984) and
Albert TatlockAlbert Tatlock is a fictional character on the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Albert was played by actor Jack Howarth from 1960 to 1984...
(also 1984). In 1983, antihero Len Fairclough (
Peter AdamsonPeter Adamson was a British stage and television actor. He is best known for playing the character of Len Fairclough in the long-running television series Coronation Street from 1961 to 1983.-Life and career:...
), one of the show's central male characters since 1961, was killed off, and in 1984, Stan Ogden (Bernard Youens) died. While the press predicted the end of Corrie
, H. V. Kershaw declared that "There are no stars in Coronation Street." Writers drew on the show's many archetypes, with previously established characters stepping into the roles left by the original cast. Phyllis Pearce (Jill Summers) was hailed as the new Ena Sharples in 1982, the Duckworths moved into No.9 in 1983 and slipped into the role once held by the Ogdens, while Percy Sugden (
Bill WaddingtonBill Waddington , was an English music hall performer and comedian who was born in Oldham, Lancashire. In later life he achieved stardom as the pompous ex serviceman Percy Sugden in Granada Television's long running soap opera, Coronation Street.Waddington was born at Oldham on June 10, 1916, the...
) appeared in 1983 and took over the grumpy war veteran role from Albert Tatlock. The question of who would take over the Rovers Return after Annie Walker's 1983 exit was answered in 1985 when Bet Lynch (who also mirrored the vulnerability and strength of Elsie Tanner) was installed as landlady. In 1983, Shirley Armitage became the first major black character in her role as machinist at Baldwin's Casuals.
Ken Barlow married Deirdre Langton on 27 July 1981. The episode was watched by over 24 million viewers – more ITV viewers than the wedding of Prince Charles and
Lady DianaDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
two days later. The 1980s also saw the cementing of relationships between established characters:
Alf RobertsAlfred Sidney "Alf" Roberts was a fictional character in the British ITV soap Coronation Street. He ran a grocery shop at No. 15 and was heavily involved in local politics, including two spells as mayor of Weatherfield...
(
Bryan MosleyBryan Mosley OBE was a British actor, known best as grocer Alf Roberts in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.- Early life :...
) married
Audrey PotterAudrey Roberts is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sue Nicholls, the character first appeared during the episode aired on 16 April 1979....
(
Sue NichollsSusan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
) in 1985,
Kevin WebsterKevin John Webster is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Michael Le Vell, the character first appeared onscreen on 19 October 1983...
(
Michael Le VellMichael Le Vell is an English character actor, who since 1983 has played the role of garage mechanic, Kevin Webster, in the soap opera Coronation Street....
) married
Sally SeddonSally Webster is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sally Dynevor, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 January 1986.-Casting:...
(Sally Dynevor) in 1986. Bet Lynch married
Alec GilroyAlexander "Alec" Gilroy is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Roy Barraclough. The character made several appearances in the show as a small-time talent agent, the first in 1972, and later as a series regular from 1986 to 1992. He reappeared briefly in...
in 1987 and the marriages of Ivy Tilsley and Don Brennan, and
Derek WiltonDerek Bernard Wilton was a fictional character on the British television soap opera Coronation Street. He was portrayed by Peter Baldwin. He appeared between 1976 and 1997.-Development:...
and Mavis Riley took place in 1988.
The arrival of
Channel 4Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
and its edgy new soap opera
BrooksideBrookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
in 1982 was one of the biggest changes for Coronation Street
. Unlike Coronation Street
which had a very nostalgic view of working-class life, Brookside
brought together working and middle class families in a more contemporary environment. The dialogue often included expletives and the stories were more hard-hitting and of the current Zeitgeist. Whereas stories at this time in Coronation Street
were largely about family affairs, Brookside
concentrated on social affairs such as industrial actionIndustrial action or job action refers collectively to any measure taken by trade unions or other organised labour meant to reduce productivity in a workplace. Quite often it is used and interpreted as a euphemism for strike, but the scope is much wider...
, unemploymentUnemployment , as defined by the International Labour Organization, occurs when people are without jobs and they have actively sought work within the past four weeks...
and the black market. The BBC also introduced a new prime time soap opera, EastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
in 1985. Like Brookside
, Eastenders
had a more gritty premise than Coronation Street
, although unlike Brookside
it tended to steer clear of blue language and politicised stories.
While ratings for Coronation Street
remained consistent throughout the decade, EastEnders
regularly obtained higher viewing figures. With prime time competition, Corrie was again seen as being old fashioned, with the introduction of the 'normal' Clayton family in 1985 being a failure with viewers. Between 1988 and 1989, many aspects of the show were modernised by new producer, David Liddiment. A new exterior set had been built in 1982 and in 1989 it was redeveloped to include new houses and shops. Production techniques were also changed, with a new studio being built and the inclusion of more location filming, which had moved from being shot on film to
videotapeA videotape is a recording of images and sounds on to magnetic tape as opposed to film stock or random access digital media. Videotapes are also used for storing scientific or medical data, such as the data produced by an electrocardiogram...
in 1988. New pressures also saw introduction of the third weekly episode on 20 October 1989, broadcast each Friday at 19:30.
The 1980s featured some of the most prominent storylines in the programme's history, such as
Deirdre BarlowDeirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
's affair with Mike Baldwin in 1983, the first soap storyline to receive widespread media attention. The feud between Ken Barlow and Mike Baldwin would continue for many years, with Mike even marrying Ken's daughter, Susan. In 1986, there was a fire at the Rovers Return, which attracted an audience of just under 27 million, and between 1986 and 1989, the story of
Rita FaircloughRita Sullivan is a long-standing character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
's
psychological abusePsychological abuse, also referred to as emotional abuse or mental abuse, is a form of abuse characterized by a person subjecting or exposing another to behavior that may result in psychological trauma, including anxiety, chronic depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder...
at the hands of
Alan BradleyAlan Bradley is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street. He was played by Mark Eden.Alan is one of the most famous villains in the history of the Street. He made his first appearance in 1986 when his wife Pat was killed in a road accident...
(
Mark EdenMark Eden is a British actor.-Career:Born in London, Eden has appeared in repertory theatre in England and Wales and at the Royal Court Theatre. His many television and film roles include the Doctor Who serial Marco Polo in which he played Marco Polo...
), and his subsequent death under the wheels of a
Blackpool tramThe Blackpool tramway runs from Blackpool to Fleetwood on the Fylde Coast in Lancashire, England, and is the only surviving first-generation tramway in the United Kingdom. The tramway dates back to 1885 and is one of the oldest electric tramways in the world. It is run by Blackpool Transport as...
, was played out. The episode where Alan met his death under the tram gave Coronation Street its highest ever viewing figures of 26.9 million, and is still the 9th most watched UK broadcast of all time. Other stories included: the birth of
Nicky TilsleyNicholas Paul "Nick" Tilsley is a fictional character in the British soap opera Coronation Street. Originally known as "Nicky", he was the first-born child of Brian Tilsley and Gail Platt , and has been portrayed by three different actors. Warren Jackson from 1981 to 1996, then by Adam Rickitt...
in 1980, Elsie Tanner's departure and Stan Ogden's funeral in 1984, the birth of Sarah-Louise Tilsley in 1987, and Brian Tilsley's murder in 1989.
New characters were introduced, such as Terry Duckworth (Nigel Pivaro), Curly Watts (
Kevin KennedyKevin Kennedy is an English actor, writer, producer, singer, and guitarist, best known for playing the bottle-lensed Curly Watts in ITV's long running soap opera Coronation Street between 1983 and 2003.-Early life:Kennedy was born in Manchester. He attended St Paul's RC Secondary High School...
),
Martin PlattMartin Platt is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, portrayed by Sean Wilson.-Departure:Actor Sean Wilson was axed from Coronation Street when a major storyline conference decided the character of Martin had been "played out". At the time, it was said that...
(Sean Wilson), Reg Holdsworth (
Ken MorleyKen Morley is an English comedian and actor who is best known for his role as Reg Holdsworth in Coronation Street. He played the role from 1989 until quitting the show in 1995...
) and the McDonald family; one of whom,
Simon GregsonSimon Gregson is an English actor. He is known for being a cast member of the British soap opera Coronation Street in which he has played Steve McDonald since 1989....
, started on the show as
Steve McDonaldSteven James "Steve" McDonald, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Simon Gregson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 December 1989.-1989–2004:...
a week after his 15th birthday, and has been in the programme ever since.
1990s
In spite of updated sets and production changes, Coronation Street
still received criticism. In 1992, chairman of the Broadcasting Standards CouncilOfcom is the government-approved regulatory authority for the broadcasting and telecommunications industries in the United Kingdom. Ofcom was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002. It received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003...
, Lord Rees-Mogg, criticised the low-representation of ethnic minoritiesA minority is a sociological group within a demographic. The demographic could be based on many factors from ethnicity, gender, wealth, power, etc. The term extends to numerous situations, and civilizations within history, despite the misnomer of minorities associated with a numerical statistic...
and the programme's portrayal of the cosy familiarity of a bygone era. Some newspapers ran headlines such as Coronation Street shuts out blacks' (
The TimesThe Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
) and 'Put colour in t'Street' (
Daily Mirror). Patrick Stoddart of
The Times wrote: "The millions who watch
Coronation Street – and who will continue to do so despite Lord Rees-Mogg – know real life when they see it ... in the most confident and accomplished soap opera television has ever seen". Black and Asian characters had appeared, but it was not until 1999 that show featured its first regular non-white family, the Desai family.
New characters
DesDesmond Francis "Des" Barnes is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by Philip Middlemiss.-Creation and development:...
and Steph Barnes moved into one of the new houses in 1990, being dubbed by the media as '
YuppieYuppie is a term that refers to a member of the upper middle class or upper class in their 20s or 30s. It first came into use in the early-1980s and largely faded from American popular culture in the late-1980s, due to the 1987 stock market crash and the early 1990s recession...
s'.
Raquel WolstenhulmeRaquel Catherine Watts is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Sarah Lancashire.-Storylines:...
(
Sarah LancashireSarah Lancashire is an English actress, probably best recognised for her role as Raquel Watts in Coronation Street. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1986.-Television:...
) first appeared in 1991 and went on to become one of the most popular characters. The McDonald family were developed and the fiery relationships between
LizElizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Beverley Callard, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989 and remained on the series until Callard opted to leave in 1998...
,
JimJames "Jim" McDonald is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Charles Lawson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989...
,
SteveSteven James "Steve" McDonald, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Simon Gregson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 December 1989.-1989–2004:...
and Andy interested viewers. Other newcomers were Maud Grimes (
Elizabeth BradleyElizabeth Bradley was an English actress, perhaps most famous for playing battle-axe Maud Grimes in the fictional soap Coronation Street....
),
Roy CropperRoyston "Roy" Cropper, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor David Neilson, the character was introduced during the episode airing on 19 July 1995. Originally a secondary character, he was given a more prominent role in 1997, by the...
(
David NeilsonDavid Neilson is an English actor best known for portraying Roy Cropper in Coronation Street from 1995 onwards....
), Judy and Gary Mallett,
Fred ElliotFrederick Handel "Fred" Elliott is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by John Savident from 1994 until 2006.-Development:...
(
John SavidentJohn Savident is a British actor, best known for playing the part of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 to 2006. And also was a frequent guest on Soccer AM alongside fellow actor Jack 'The Rigger' Spooner....
) and
Ashley PeacockAshley Sibelius Peacock is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Steven Arnold, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 1 February 1995.On 23 April 2010, it was announced that the character had been axed along...
(
Steven ArnoldSteven Arnold is an English actor best known for his role as Ashley Peacock in the long running hit show Coronation Street.- Early life :...
). The amount of
slapstickSlapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
and physical humour in storylines increased during the 1990s, with comic characters such as Reg Holdsworth and his water bed.
Storylines in the early part of the decade included: the death of newborn Katie McDonald in 1992, Mike Baldwin's wedding to Alma Sedgewick (
Amanda BarrieAmanda Barrie is an English actress.-Career:Born as Shirley Anne Broadbent, Barrie attended St Anne's College, St Anne's on Sea. She then trained at the Arts Educational School in London and later at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School...
) in 1992,
Tommy DuckworthThomas "Tommy" Duckworth is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Currently portrayed by actor Chris Fountain. The character was born on-screen during the episode airing on 9 September 1992 and departed in December 1993, before returning for four short...
being sold by his father Terry in 1993, Deirdre Barlow's marriage to Moroccan Samir Rachid, and the rise of Tanya Pooley (
Eva PopeEva Pope is an English actress. She trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.- Career :Her first major role was playing Tanya Pooley in ITV soap-opera Coronation Street from 1993 to 1994...
) between 1993 and 1994.
Key character Bet Lynch departed in 1995 when her portrayer Julie Goodyear decided to leave. Bet would subsequently make brief return appearances in 1999, 2002 and 2003.
In 1997, Brian Park took over as producer, with the idea of promoting young characters as opposed to the older cast. On his first day he axed the characters of
Derek WiltonDerek Bernard Wilton was a fictional character on the British television soap opera Coronation Street. He was portrayed by Peter Baldwin. He appeared between 1976 and 1997.-Development:...
, Don Brennan,
Percy SugdenPercy Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Bill Waddington. He appeared between 1983 and 1997.-Creation:...
,
Bill WebsterWilliam Geoffrey "Bill" Webster is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Peter Armitage, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 February 1984. He remained in the show until 1985 when Armitage decided to leave,...
, Billy Williams and Maureen Holdsworth.
Thelma BarlowThelma Barlow is an English television actress and writer, most famous for her roles as Mavis Wilton in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street and as Dolly Bellfield in the sitcom Dinnerladies....
, who played Derek's wife Mavis, was angered by the sacking of her co-star and resigned, while the production team also lost some of its key writers when Barry Hill, Adele Rose and Julian Roach all resigned.
In line with Park's suggestion, younger characters were introduced: Nick Tilsley was recast, played by
Adam RickittAdam Peter Rickitt is an English actor, singer-songwriter and model.-Biography:Rickitt was born in Crewe, Cheshire, the youngest of four brothers. His father is co-owner of an estate agency...
,
single motherSingle parent is a term that is mostly used to suggest that one parent has most of the day to day responsibilities in the raising of the child or children, which would categorize them as the dominant caregiver...
Zoe Tattersall (
Joanne Froggatt- Early life, education and early career :Born and raised in the village of Littlebeck, Froggatt left her family home at the age of 13 to attend the Redroofs Theatre School in Maidenhead, Berkshire. In 1996, she made her TV début in the long-running ITV drama, The Bill, and shortly afterwards...
) first appeared, and the Battersbys moved into No.5. Storylines focussed on tackling 'issues', such as
drug dealersThe illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
, eco-warriors, religious cults and a transsexual woman. Park quit in 1998, after deciding that he had done what he intended to do; he maintained that his biggest achievement was the introduction of
Hayley PattersonHayley Anne Cropper is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
(
Julie HesmondhalghJulie Hesmondhalgh is an English actress.Hesmondhalgh was born in Accrington, Lancashire. As a teenager, she was moderately interested in acting, but wished to become a social worker. She applied to drama school to be with her friends, and studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art...
), the first transsexual character in a British soap.
Some viewers were alienated by the new-look
Coronation Street, and the sections of the media voiced their disapproval. Having received criticism of being too out of touch,
Corrie now struggled to emulate the more modern
Brookside and
EastEnders. In the
Daily Mirror,
Victor Lewis-SmithVictor Lewis-Smith is a British satirist, producer, critic and prankster. He is known for his sarcasm and biting criticism.-Radio and recordings:...
wrote: "Apparently it doesn't matter that this is a first-class soap opera, superbly scripted and flawlessly performed by a seasoned repertory company."
One of Coronation Streets best known storylines took place in March/April 1998, with
Deirdre RachidDeirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
being wrongfully imprisoned after a relationship with con-man Jon Lindsay. 19 million viewers watched Deirdre being sent to prison, and 'Free the Weatherfield One' campaigns sprung up in a media frenzy. The then
Prime MinisterThe Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
Tony BlairAnthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
even passed comment on Deirdre's sentencing in Parliament. Deirdre was freed after three weeks, with Granada stating that they had always intended for her to be released, in spite of the media interest.
2000s
On 8 December 2000, the show celebrated its fortieth year by broadcasting a live, hour-long
episodeCoronation Street Live is a live episode of the British soap opera Coronation Street which was broadcast on Friday 8 December 2000 as part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations...
.
The Prince of WalesPrince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
made a cameo in the episode, appearing in a pre-recorded segment as himself in an
ITV NewsITV News is the branding of news programmes on the British television network ITV. Since 1955, ITV's news bulletins have been produced by Independent Television News . The channel's news coverage has won awards from the Royal Television Society, Emmy Awards and BAFTAs. Between 2004 and 2008, the...
bulletin report, presented by Trevor McDonald. Earlier in the year, 13-year-old Sarah-Louise Platt (
Tina O'BrienTina O'Brien is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Sarah-Louise Platt in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Acting career:...
) had become pregnant and given birth to a baby girl, Bethany, on 4 June. The episode where
GailGail McIntyre is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Helen Worth, the character first appeared on screen on 12 July 1974...
was told of her daughter's pregnancy was watched by 15 million viewers. Earlier in the year, Alison Wakefield married
Kevin WebsterKevin John Webster is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Michael Le Vell, the character first appeared onscreen on 19 October 1983...
after discovering she was pregnant with his child. Their happiness was not to last. Their son Jake died just a day after his birth in June 2000 from a Group B streptococcal infection. Their tragedy was too much for Alison and, after kidnapping then returning Sarah-Lou Platt's newborn baby Bethany, she committed suicide by stepping in front of a lorry, leaving Kevin devastated. The year also saw the programme's first
two-handerTwo-hander is a term for a play, movie, or television programme with only two main characters. The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as the story unfolds....
, between Curly and Raquel Watts. In September 2000, Mike Baldwin married Linda Sykes but shortly afterwards, his drunken son Mark confessed he and Linda had been having an affair behind his dad's back. The episode attracted an audience of 16.8 million and in the 2001
British Soap AwardsThe British Soap Awards is an annual awards ceremony to honour the best of British soap operas.The first event took place in 1999 and takes place in May each year. Although it is an ITV production, the events were held at the BBC Television Centre, in London until 2010. The 2011 awards relocated to...
won Best Storyline.
From 1999 to 2001, Jane MacNaught was Coronation Street's
executive producer, and received harsh criticism from both viewers and critics. In an attempt to compete with EastEnders, issue-led storylines were introduced such as Toyah Battersby's rape, Roy and Hayley Cropper abducting their
foster childFoster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
, Sarah Platt's
Internet chat roomThe term chat room, or chatroom, is primarily used by mass media to describe any form of synchronous conferencing, occasionally even asynchronous conferencing...
abduction and Alma Halliwell's death of
cervical cancerCervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
. Such storylines were unpopular with viewers and ratings dropped and in October 2001, Macnaught was abruptly moved to another Granada department and Carolyn Reynolds took over. Corrie
continued to struggle in the ratings, with EastEnders
introducing some of its strongest stories. In 2002, Kieran Roberts was appointed as producer and aimed to re-introduce "gentle storylines and humour", after deciding that the Street
should not try to compete with other soaps.
In 2002, one of Coronation Street's best-known storylines began, which culminated in 2003. Gail Platt married
Richard HillmanRichard Charles Hillman was a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street, played by Brian Capron. Hillman is now rated as one of the best soap villains of all time.-Development:...
(
Brian CapronBrian Capron, born 11 February 1947 at Eye in Suffolk, is a British actor, who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . His father was an Algerian pilot, of French descent, who died in a plane crash before Brian was born....
), a
financial advisorA financial adviser, is a professional who renders financial services to individuals, businesses and governments. This can involve investment advice, which may include pension planning, and/or advice on life insurance and other insurances such as income protection insurance, critical illness...
, who would go on to leave Duggie Ferguson to die, murder his ex-wife Patricia, attempt to murder his mother-in-law, Audrey Roberts, murder Maxine Peacock and attempt to murder
Emily BishopEmily Bishop is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
. After confessing to the murder of Maxine and his ex-wife, Hillman attempted to kill Gail, her children Sarah and
DavidDavid Daniel Platt is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 26 December 1990 and is portrayed by actor Jack P...
, and her granddaughter Bethany, by driving them into a canal. The storyline received wide press attention, and viewing figures peaked at 19.4 million, with Hillman dubbed a "serial killer" by the media.
Todd GrimshawTodd James Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British television soap opera Coronation Street, played by Bruno Langley. He originally appeared from 13 January 2001 till 22 September 2004 and returned for a brief stint in from 15 October 2007 till 7 November 2007...
began to question his sexuality in 2003, becoming Corrie's
first regular homosexual character, after years of criticism about non-representation. 2003 saw the introduction of another gay male character, Sean TullySean Tully, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Antony Cotton, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 13 July 2003. Sean works as a factory machinist, and as a part-time barman in the Rovers Return...
played by Antony CottonAntony Cotton is an English actor and singer best known for his roles in Coronation Street and the original UK version of Queer as Folk.-Early and personal life:...
. The character of Karen McDonaldKaren McDonald is a fictional character on the long-running British soap opera, Coronation Street from June 2000 to December 2004...
(Suranne JonesSuranne Jones is an English actress. She first rose to prominence playing the role of Karen McDonald in ITV1's soap opera Coronation Street over a period of four years...
) was developed, with her fiery marriage to Steve and warring with Tracy BarlowTracy Lynette Barlow is a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street. She is currently portrayed, since 2002, by Kate Ford, the latest in a series of actresses who have played Tracy at various ages...
.
In 2004, Coronation Street retconned the Baldwin family when Mike's nephew
Danny Baldwin Daniel "Danny" Baldwin, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Bradley Walsh, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 28 May 2004 and remained until his departure on 31 December 2006.-Creation and...
and his wife Frankie moved to the area from Essex, with their two sons
JamieJames Andrew "Jamie" Baldwin is a fictional character in the British soap opera ITV Coronation Street, played by Rupert Hill. He first appeared in 2004 and left in 2008. In March 2011 it was announced that Jamie would return for one episode on 24 April 2011....
and Warren. Until this time, Mike Baldwin had been portrayed as an
only childAn only child is a person with no siblings, either biological or adopted. In a family with multiple offspring, first-borns, may be briefly considered only children and have a similar early family environment, but the term only child is generally applied only to those individuals who never have...
, with his father appearing in the programme between 1980 and 1982 confirming the fact.
During the decade, a range of other storylines featured, such as the
bigamyIn cultures that practice marital monogamy, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. Bigamy is a crime in most western countries, and when it occurs in this context often neither the first nor second spouse is aware of the other...
of
Peter BarlowPeter Francis Barlow is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode aired on 15 April 1965...
and his addiction to alcohol, later in the decade,
Maya SharmaMaya Sharma is a fictional character on the soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by Sasha Behar. She appears between 2003 and 2004.-Controversy:...
's revenge on former lover Devendra Alahan, Katy Harris murdering her father and subsequently committing suicide, Charlie Stubbs's psychological abuse of
Shelley UnwinShelley Victoria Unwin is a fictional character who appeared in ITV's British soap opera Coronation Street. She is the daughter of Bev Unwin and the late Charlie Unwin...
, and the deaths of Mike Baldwin,
Vera DuckworthVeronica "Vera" Duckworth , played by Elizabeth Dawn, is a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in episode 6,734 on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure...
and
Fred ElliottFrederick Handel "Fred" Elliott is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by John Savident from 1994 until 2006.-Development:...
. Three new families were also introduced into the show: The Connors, The Mortons and The Windasses, the Mortons and Windasses being not as popular as the Connors when introduced, and the Mortons being written out by the next year, with the Windasses being brought in to replace them
In 2007, several groundbreaking storylines took place on Coronation Street, such as Tracy Barlow murdering Charlie Stubbs and claiming it was self defence, as well as the show featuring its second two hander with Tracy Barlow confessing to her mother Deirdre Barlow she had planned to kill Charlie all along. The storyline saw viewing figures peaking at 13.3 million, and the episode on 2 April 2007, where Tracy was found guilty of Charlie's murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, was watched by 12.6 million viewers. At the 2007 British Soap Awards, it won Best Storyline, and
Kate FordKate Connerty is a British actress best known for playing the role of Tracy Barlow in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street from 2002 to 2007. Kate returned to Coronation Street on Christmas Eve 2010....
was voted Best Actress for her portrayal. Other storylines included
Leanne BattersbyLeanne Anika Barlow is a fictional character on the soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Jane Danson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 4 July 1997....
becoming a prostitute and the show's first bi-sexual love triangle (between
Michelle ConnorMichelle Sinéad Connor is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Kym Marsh, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 3 April 2006...
, Sonny Dhillon, and
Sean TullySean Tully, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Antony Cotton, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 13 July 2003. Sean works as a factory machinist, and as a part-time barman in the Rovers Return...
). The Connor family were central to many storylines during 2007—the accidental death of a Polish worker at Underworld due to overworking, Michelle's discovery that her brothers Paul and
LiamLiam Barrington Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street, played by Rob James-Collier from 2006 to 2008.-Creation:...
were the cause of her husband's death, Paul's use of an escort service, his kidnapping of Leanne and his subsequent death.
In July 2007, after 34 years in the role of
Vera DuckworthVeronica "Vera" Duckworth , played by Elizabeth Dawn, is a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in episode 6,734 on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure...
,
Elizabeth DawnElizabeth 'Liz' Dawn MBE , is an English actress, best known for her role as Vera Duckworth in the long-running British soap opera, Coronation Street...
left the show due to ill health. After conversation between Dawn and producers Kieran Roberts and
Steve FrostSteven "Steve" November is a British television producer, he is currently employed by ITV as the continuing drama producer.-Career:...
, the decision was made to kill Vera off. In January 2008, shortly before plans to retire to Blackpool, Vera's husband Jack found that she had died in her armchair.
Tina O'BrienTina O'Brien is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Sarah-Louise Platt in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Acting career:...
revealed in the British press on 4 April 2007 that she would be leaving Coronation Street before the end of the year. Sarah-Louise, who was involved in some of the decade's most controversial stories, left in December 2007.
The Connor family continued to dominate storylines in 2008, with Michelle learning that
RyanRyan Connor is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Ben Thompson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 30 August 2006...
was not her biological son, having been accidentally swapped at birth, and her emotional struggle to accept her biological son Alex Neeson. This story abruptly ended but Michelle soon had new troubles when she suspected boyfriend Steve McDonald had cheated on her. She had no idea his fling had been with Becky Granger, a supporting character who slowly rose to more prominent status. Michelle hired her to work at the Rovers. Michelle became an ever-more prominent part of the Street, with
Kym MarshKimberley Gail Marsh is an English actress and singer.- Early life :Marsh was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester and raised in Garswood, in the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, Merseyside...
receiving £100,000 for another year on the soap. In 2008,
Carla ConnorCarla Connor is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. She is portrayed by actress Alison King. Carla was created by producer Steve Frost as part of the new Connor family....
turned to Liam for comfort and developed feelings for him. In spite of knowing about her feelings, Liam married Maria Sutherland. Maria and Liam's baby son was stillborn in April, and during an estrangement from Maria upon the death of their baby, Liam had a one night stand with Carla, a story which helped pave the way for his departure.
Much of the decade was spent on the family dramas of Gail Platt. The various problems of daughter Sarah-Louise occupied much of Gail's attention. Gail's son
David PlattDavid Daniel Platt is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 26 December 1990 and is portrayed by actor Jack P...
(
Jack P. ShepherdJack Peter Shepherd is an English actor. He plays David Platt in the ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street. He joined the show in April 2000, taking over the role from Thomas Ormson.Shepherd was born in Pudsey, Leeds, West Yorkshire....
) became increasingly unbalanced, with various plots and schemes. These culminated in 2008 where he pushed her down the stairs in a fit of anger. Gail stood by him, partly due to her belief that her mother Audrey had not been there for her as a child. Enraged that Gail refused to press charges, David vandalised the Street and was sent to a young offenders' facility for several months. In May 2008, Gail finally met Ted Page, the father she'd never known and in 2009, Gail's boyfriend, Joe McIntyre became addicted to pain killers, which came to a head when he broke into the medical centre.
In August 2008,
Jed StoneJohn Edward "Jed" Stone, played by Kenneth Cope, is a fictional character from the soap opera Coronation Street. He was a lodger of Minnie Caldwell's in the 1960s, and her nickname for him was "Sunny Jim"...
returned after 42 years. He was seen when
Tony GordonAnthony "Tony" Gordon was a fictional character in the itv soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on screen on 16 September 2007 and making his final appearance on 9 June 2010 after deciding to sacrifice himself in the Underworld fire. He is a...
tried to evict him from his property, causing Jed to have a heart attack. In late 2008, Liam Connor and his ex-sister-in-law Carla Connor gave into their feelings for each other and began an affair. Carla's fiancee Tony discovered the affair and subsequently had Liam killed in a hit-and-run in October, leaving his pregnant widow Maria distraught. Carla struggled to come to terms with Liam's death, but decided she still loved Tony and married him on 3 December, in an episode attracting 10.3 million viewers. Sally Webster showed Maria the footage of Carla and Liam kissing at the wedding reception, leading to Maria's mental breakdown. She rightly believed that Tony had murdered Liam, however, no one believed her except Tony's enemy Jed Stone, who was lodging with Emily Bishop. Jed tried to blackmail Tony, leading to a confrontation on Christmas Eve in Underworld when Tony strangled Jed in a fit of rage, just before the Christmas party. Believing Jed to be dead, Tony hid his body in the Christmas hamper during the party. When he returned to the factory on Christmas Day he discovered Jed had just been unconscious, and offered him a free flat in
WiganWigan is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It stands on the River Douglas, south-west of Bolton, north of Warrington and west-northwest of Manchester. Wigan is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its administrative centre. The town of Wigan had a total...
to buy his silence, which Jed accepted.
In April 2009 it was revealed that Eileen Grimshaw's father, Colin had slept with Eileen's old classmate, Paula Carp while she was still at school, and that Paula's daughter,
JulieJulie Carp is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by actress Katy Cavanagh...
was in fact also Colin's daughter. Colin later died from a stroke, before the police could arrest him. In May, Norris Cole received a blast from the past with the reappearance of his estranged brother Ramsay Clegg (
Andrew SachsAndrew Sachs is a German-born British actor. He made his name on British television and is best known for his portrayals of Manuel in Fawlty Towers, a role for which he was BAFTA-nominated, and Ramsay Clegg in Coronation Street.-Early life:Sachs was born in Berlin, Germany, the son of Katharina , a...
) who wanted a reconciliation. Norris refused to have anything to do with the man whom he blamed for shaming his mother. Ramsay died on his way home to Australia, leaving a shocked Norris to discover that his mother had actually rejected Ramsay as a child and sent him away. Other significant storylines that year included Peter Barlow's battle against alcoholism, Ken Barlow's affair with actress Martha Fraser after his dog Eccles fell in the canal, Maria giving birth to Liam's son and her subsequent relationship with Liam's killer Tony, Steve McDonald's marriage to Becky Granger and Kevin Webster's affair with Molly Dobbs.
In late 2009, the long-running storyline involving
Tony GordonAnthony "Tony" Gordon was a fictional character in the itv soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on screen on 16 September 2007 and making his final appearance on 9 June 2010 after deciding to sacrifice himself in the Underworld fire. He is a...
came to its conclusion when Carla returned and he suffered a heart attack. Convinced that he was about to die, he confessed to Roy Cropper that he was responsible for Liam's death. Unexpectedly he survived, leaving Roy and Hayley fearing for their lives in anticipation of what he might do. After overhearing Hayley telling Maria that he had killed her husband, Tony confronted Roy by the canal. A physical confrontation ensued and Tony pushed Roy into the canal. However Tony then rescued Roy from the water and confessed to Liam's murder to the police. On Christmas Day 2009, Sally Webster told husband Kevin that she had breast cancer, just as he was about to leave her for lover Molly.
2010s
The first months saw Gail Platt marry for the fourth time to Joe McIntyre, who, due to heavy debts, planned to fake his own drowning. When Gail refused to go along with the plan, Joe sailed away and in the attempt, drowned for real, leaving Gail to be charged with his murder.
Molly DobbsMolly Cosette Dobbs is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Vicky Binns, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 5 September 2005. On 7 May 2010, Binns announced she was quitting the soap...
became pregnant, with the father being either
Tyrone DobbsTyrone Sylvester Dobbs is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by Alan Halsall, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on November 30, 1998.- Casting :...
or
Kevin WebsterKevin John Webster is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Michael Le Vell, the character first appeared onscreen on 19 October 1983...
; Molly reconciled with Tyrone and nearly lost her life after a crash in a car which had not been properly repaired by Kevin. After an absence of three years, Tracy Barlow returned on 7 May 2010, in a plot to reduce her sentence by convincing cellmate Gail to confess to Joe's murder. 2010 saw the show's first lesbian storyline as
Sophie WebsterSophie Lauren Webster is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She is currently portrayed by actress Brooke Vincent, after previously being portrayed by both Ashleigh Middleton and Emma Woodward. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode...
develops an attraction towards her best friend
Sian PowersSian Powers is a fictional character on the UK soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by actress Sacha Parkinson. Sian was introduced as a love interest for Sophie Webster . Sian joined the cast of Coronation Street alongside Ben Richardson in early 2009 as Sophie's schoolmates...
. This started in April and would develop during the year and into early 2011. May 2010 also saw the funeral of Coronation Street
favourite Blanche HuntBlanche Hunt is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and...
, who was written out after the death of her portrayer Maggie JonesMargaret "Maggie" Jones was an English actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt in the British soap opera Coronation Street, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death.-Career:Jones graduated from the drama school RADA and...
on 2 December 2009. ITV honoured Blanche and Maggie with a half-hour special, Goodbye Blanche
, which was aired after the funeral.
On 31 May 2010, the Coronation Street
opening sequence was given a revamp. From that date all episodes of the series would be transmitted in High Definition. The change coincided with a week of dramatic storylines known as "Siege Week", being shown on five consecutive nights following Britain's Got Talent. In the story Tony Gordon escapes from prison to seek vengeance on his enemies, culminating in the dramatic explosion of Underworld. Meanwhile, Gail Platt's murder trial kicks into high gear. Two separate endings for Gail's verdict were shown online.
On 2 June 2010 an episode featuring a gun siege was postponed following the similar
Cumbria shootingsThe Cumbria shootings was a killing spree that occurred on 2 June 2010 when a lone gunman, Derrick Bird, killed 12 people and injured 11 others before killing himself in Cumbria, England....
earlier that day. It was left unannounced whether Coronation Street
would return the following day, but it was later announced that it would not be returning that week, and return the following Monday as a result of what had happened.
On 7 July 2010 it was announced that Coronation Street was working with
The MillThe Mill is a post-production and visual effects company launched in 1990 with offices in London, New York and Los Angeles.The Mill's Film special effects subsidiary, Mill Film, won an Oscar for its work on the film Gladiator. The Mill was the first UK-based post-production company to set up...
and the
Greater Manchester Passenger Transport ExecutiveTransport for Greater Manchester is the public body responsible for co-ordinating public transport services throughout Greater Manchester, in North West England. The organisation traces its origins to the Transport Act 1968, when the SELNEC Passenger Transport Executive was established to...
(responsible for the operation of
Manchester MetrolinkMetrolink is a light rail system in Greater Manchester, England. It consists of four lines which converge in Manchester city centre and terminate in Bury, Altrincham, Eccles and Chorlton-cum-Hardy. The system is owned by Transport for Greater Manchester and operated under contract by RATP Group...
) to film a spectacular and realistic tram crash. This crash would use the viaduct at the end of the Street. Reports stated that series producer Phil Collinson was distributing alternative scripts, that much loved characters would be killed, and that none of the cast would be told which characters would die. The events of the night of the crash were to be aired over a week's worth of episodes, similar to the Siege Week storyline. Survivors would take refuge in The Rovers Return, with the effects lasting well into 2011.
It was originally believed that a live episode had not been planned for the anniversary, but actor
Keith DuffyKeith Peter Thomas Francis John Duffy is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor, drummer, dancer and television presenter. He began his career as part of Boyzone in the 1990s. In the 2000s, he achieved critical acclaim for his acting roles, particularly in soap operas such as Coronation Street and Fair...
confirmed on 29 August 2010 that one would be aired focussing on the aftermath of the upcoming tram crash. The live episode took place on 9 December 2010.
On 17 September 2010 Coronation Street
entered the Guinness World RecordsGuinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
book as the world's longest-running television soap opera after the American soap opera As the World TurnsAs the World Turns is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS from April 2, 1956 to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created As the World Turns as a sister show to her other soap opera Guiding Light...
had its final episode. Roache was listed as the world's longest-running soap actor.
The episode of EastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
broadcast on the same day as Coronation Street
50th anniversary episode included a tribute, with the character Dot BranningDorothy "Dot" Branning is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, EastEnders, played by June Brown since 1985. In a special episode entitled EastEnders: Dot's Story a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in flashbacks. Dot first appeared in EastEnders in July 1985 as the mother of...
saying that she never missed Coronation Street
. At the same time Granada bosses commissioned trailers depicting famous Coronation Street
fans, including former BrooksideBrookside is a defunct British soap opera set in Liverpool, England. The series began on the launch night of Channel 4 on 2 November 1982, and ran for 21 years until 4 November 2003...
actress Sue JohnstonSusan "Sue" Johnston, OBE is a BAFTA nominated English actress best known for playing Sheila Grant in the long-running soap opera Brookside , Grace Foley in Waking the Dead from 2000 to 2011 and Barbara Royle in the BBC comedy The Royle Family between 1998 and 2000, and again in 2006, 2008, 2009,...
(Sheila GrantSheila Grant is a fictional character from British soap opera, Brookside played by Sue Johnston. Sheila appeared in Brookside from the first episode in 1982 until the characters departure in 1990.-Character:...
).
In January 2011, it was announced that one of Coronation Street
's original characters
Dennis TannerDennis Tanner is a fictional character in British soap opera Coronation Street. He is played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was introduced in the very first episode on 9 December 1960...
would make a return after 43 years off screen. The year would also see the departures of long-running cast members
Beverley CallardBeverley Jane McEwan is an English actress, best known for her role as Liz McDonald in ITV's Coronation Street, and Flo Henshaw in BBC Three's Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life:Beverley Jane Moxon was born in Leeds on 28 March 1957 to Clive and Mavis Moxon...
and
Vicky EntwistleVicky Entwistle is an English actress who is most famous for playing the role of "loudmouth" factory worker Janice Battersby in ITV1's long-running soap opera Coronation Street....
who play
Liz McDonaldElizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Beverley Callard, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 October 1989 and remained on the series until Callard opted to leave in 1998...
and
Janice BattersbyJanice Bernadette Battersby is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Vicky Entwistle, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 January 1997....
, respectively. On 15 October 2011,
Betty DriverElizabeth Mary "Betty" Driver, MBE was an English singer, actress and author, best known for her role as Betty Williams on the British soap opera, Coronation Street, appearing in more than 2,800 episodes...
, who had played
Betty WilliamsElizabeth "Betty" Williams is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by former music hall star Betty Driver. Driver was cast as Betty in 1969, after first auditioning for the role of Hilda Ogden...
since 1969, died of pneumonia, aged 91.
In 2011, the major story line of
John StapeJohn Stape is a fictional character from the British soap opera, Coronation Street, played by actor Graeme Hawley. He made his first on-screen appearance during the episode airing on 6 May 2007. The character departed on 3 June 2011 after four years on the show...
and his murder spree came to an end in May after he jumped off a hospital roof but left before he could be arrested. He returned in October before Fiz Stape was imprisoned for the murders. Following a car crash, John revealed the details about the murders and how Fiz was not involved. He later died from his injuries on 28 October.
50th Anniversary Week: "Four Funerals and a Wedding"
Coronation Streets 50th anniversary week was celebrated by broadcasting seven consecutive episodes, along with a special one hour live episode, from 6–10 December. The anniversary was also constructed by a number of ITV specials and news broadcasts. Producer
Phil CollinsonPhilip "Phil" Collinson is a British television producer. He was initially an actor, before switching to working behind the cameras in the industry as a script editor and writer on programmes such as Springhill and Emmerdale, later becoming the producer of Peak Practice, Doctor Who and Coronation...
marked the event with a sensational storyline in which the residents had to deal the with a tragic accident and its aftermath. In the storyline,
Nick TilsleyNicholas Paul "Nick" Tilsley is a fictional character in the British soap opera Coronation Street. Originally known as "Nicky", he was the first-born child of Brian Tilsley and Gail Platt , and has been portrayed by three different actors. Warren Jackson from 1981 to 1996, then by Adam Rickitt...
and
Leanne BattersbyLeanne Anika Barlow is a fictional character on the soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Jane Danson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 4 July 1997....
's bar—The Joinery—exploded during
Peter BarlowPeter Francis Barlow is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode aired on 15 April 1965...
's stag party. As a result, the viaduct was destroyed, sending a tram careering onto the street, destroying D&S Alahan's Corner Shop and The Kabin. Two characters,
Ashley PeacockAshley Sibelius Peacock is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Steven Arnold, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 1 February 1995.On 23 April 2010, it was announced that the character had been axed along...
and
Molly DobbsMolly Cosette Dobbs is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Vicky Binns, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 5 September 2005. On 7 May 2010, Binns announced she was quitting the soap...
, along with an unknown taxi driver, were killed as a result of the disaster.
Rita SullivanRita Sullivan is a long-standing character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
survived, despite being trapped under the rubble of her destroyed shop.
Fiz StapeFiona "Fiz" Stape is a fictional character from the British ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street, played by Jennie McAlpine. She made her first on-screen appearance on 20 April 2001. Initially appearing for five episodes, McAlpine's contract was soon extended and Fiz became a regular character...
prematurely gave birth to a baby girl, Hope, after her husband,
JohnJohn Stape is a fictional character from the British soap opera, Coronation Street, played by actor Graeme Hawley. He made his first on-screen appearance during the episode airing on 6 May 2007. The character departed on 3 June 2011 after four years on the show...
, struck his stalker
Charlotte HoyleCharlotte Hoyle is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 9 April 2010 and departed on 10 December 2010 after being murdered by John Stape...
with a hammer to silence her. He later attempted to turn off Charlotte's life support machine, having gained access to her bedside by allowing her parents to believe he was her fiancé. They later made the decision turn off her life support, with John's agreement. Peter Barlow married Leanne Battersby in an emergency hospital ceremony, shortly before going into cardiac arrest, although he later rallied and made a slow recovery.
Characters
Since 1960,
Coronation Street has featured many characters whose popularity with viewers and critics has differed greatly. The original cast was created by Tony Warren, with the characters of
Ena SharplesEna Sharples is one of the original characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and was played by Violet Carson.-Development:...
(
Violet CarsonViolet Helen Carson OBE was an English actress, best known for playing Ena Sharples, one of the original characters in the British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life and career:...
),
Elsie TannerElsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
(Patricia Phoenix) and
Annie WalkerAnne "Annie" Walker is a long-standing fictional character in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by actress Doris Speed from the series' first episode in 1960 until Speed retired from the role 23 years and 1,746 episodes later in 1983.The character of Annie has been noted as...
(
Doris SpeedDoris Speed, MBE was an English actress, best known for her role as snooty Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker on Coronation Street, a role she played from 1960 to 1983.-Early life and career:...
) as central figures. These three women remained with the show for 20 years or more, and became
archetypeAn archetype is a universally understood symbol or term or pattern of behavior, a prototype upon which others are copied, patterned, or emulated...
s of British soap opera, often being emulated by other serials. Ena was the street's busybody, battleaxe and self-proclaimed moral voice. Elsie was the
tart with a heartThe hooker with a heart of gold is a stock character in which a "fallen woman", usually a prostitute, is a kindly and internally wholesome person.-Characteristics:...
, who was constantly hurt by men in the search for true love. Annie Walker, landlady of the
Rovers Return InnThe Rovers Return Inn is a fictional public house on the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. The Rovers Return occupies the corner of Coronation Street and Rosamund Street. Since the first episode it has been the principal setting in the show and many of its most memorable moments...
, had
delusions of grandeurDelusions of Grandeur is an album by Fleming and John that was released in 1995.-Track listing:# "I'm Not Afraid" — 3:13# "Break The Circles" — 3:01# "Delusions Of Grandeur" — 3:45# "Love Songs" — 4:33# "Letters In My Head" — 3:56...
and saw herself as better than other residents of
Coronation Street.
Coronation Street became known for the portrayal of strong female characters, with characters like Sharples, Walker and Tanner, and
Hilda OgdenHilda Alice Ogden is a fictional character from the television series Coronation Street, one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the soap opera, whose name became synonymous with a certain type of working-class woman...
, becoming household names during the 1960s. Warren's programme was largely matriarchal, which some commentators put down to the female-dominant environment in which he grew up. Consequently, the show has a long tradition of psychologically abused husbands, most famously
Stan OgdenStanley "Stan" Ogden is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor Bernard Youens. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 29 June...
and
Jack DuckworthJohn Harold "Jack" Duckworth is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor William Tarmey. The character debuted onscreen during the episode...
, husbands of Hilda and Vera, respectively.
Only one character from the first episode remains, Ken Barlow (
William RoacheWilliam Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
). He entered the storyline as a young radical, reflecting the youth of 1960s Britain, where figures like
The BeatlesThe Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
,
The Rolling StonesThe Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
and the model
TwiggyLesley Lawson née Hornby known as Twiggy is an English model, actress, and singer. In the early-1960s she became a prominent British teenage model of swinging sixties London with others such as Penelope Tree....
were to reshape the concept of youthful rebellion. Though the rest of the original Barlow family were killed off, Ken has remained the constant link throughout the entire series of
Coronation Street.
Stan OgdenStanley "Stan" Ogden is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor Bernard Youens. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 29 June...
and
Hilda OgdenHilda Alice Ogden is a fictional character from the television series Coronation Street, one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the soap opera, whose name became synonymous with a certain type of working-class woman...
were introduced in 1964, with Hilda (
Jean AlexanderJean Alexander is a BAFTA Nominated English television actress. She is best known to British television viewers as Hilda Ogden on the soap opera Coronation Street, a role she played from 1964–1987 and also as Auntie Wainwright on the longest running sitcom Last of the Summer Wine from 1988 to 2010...
) becoming one of the most famous British soap characters of all time. In a 1982 poll, she was voted fourth most recognisable woman in Britain, after
Queen Elizabeth The Queen MotherElizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon was the queen consort of King George VI from 1936 until her husband's death in 1952, after which she was known as Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, to avoid confusion with her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II...
,
Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
and
Diana, Princess of WalesDiana, Princess of Wales was the first wife of Charles, Prince of Wales, whom she married on 29 July 1981, and an international charity and fundraising figure, as well as a preeminent celebrity of the late 20th century...
. Hilda's best-known attributes were her
pinnyA pinafore is a sleeveless garment worn as an apron.Pinafores may be worn by girls as a decorative garment and by both girls and women as a protective apron. A related term is pinafore dress, which is British English for what in American English is known as a jumper dress, i.e...
, hair curlers, and the
"muriel"A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
in her
living roomA living room, also known as sitting room, lounge room or lounge , is a room for entertaining adult guests, reading, or other activities...
with three "flying" duck ornaments. Hilda Ogden's final episode on Christmas Day 1987, remains the highest-rated episode of
Coronation Street ever, with nearly 27 million viewers.
Bet Lynch (
Julie GoodyearJulie Goodyear, MBE is an English television actress and media personality, best known for playing the long-running role of pub landlady Bet Lynch on British soap opera Coronation Street.-Biography:...
) first appeared in 1966, before becoming a regular in 1970, and went on to become one of the most famous
Corrie characters. Bet stood as the central character of the show from 1985 until departing in 1995, often being dubbed as "Queen of the Street" by the media, and indeed herself. The character briefly returned in June 2002.
Coronation Street and its characters often rely heavily on archetypes, with the characterisation of some of its current cast based loosely on past characters.
Blanche HuntBlanche Hunt is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and...
(
Maggie JonesMargaret "Maggie" Jones was an English actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt in the British soap opera Coronation Street, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death.-Career:Jones graduated from the drama school RADA and...
) embodied the role of the acid-tongued busybody originally held by Ena Sharples,
Sally WebsterSally Webster is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sally Dynevor, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 27 January 1986.-Casting:...
(Sally Dynevor) has grown snobbish, like Annie Walker, and a number of the programme's female characters mirror the vulnerability of Elsie Tanner and Bet Lynch. Other recurring archetypes include the war veteran (
Albert TatlockAlbert Tatlock is a fictional character on the British television soap opera Coronation Street. Albert was played by actor Jack Howarth from 1960 to 1984...
,
Percy SugdenPercy Sugden is a fictional character in the British soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Bill Waddington. He appeared between 1983 and 1997.-Creation:...
), the bumbling retail manager (
Leonard SwindleyLeonard Swindley was a fictional character on the British television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He was played by actor Arthur Lowe between 1960 and 1965...
, Reg Holdsworth,
Norris ColeNorris Benjamin Cole is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Malcolm Hebden, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 11 March 1994 and remained until his departure on 14 April 1997, only to return on 1 December...
), and the perennial losers (Stan and Hilda Ogden,
JackJohn Harold "Jack" Duckworth is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor William Tarmey. The character debuted onscreen during the episode...
and
Vera DuckworthVeronica "Vera" Duckworth , played by Elizabeth Dawn, is a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in episode 6,734 on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure...
, and
Les Battersby-BrownLeslie Nelson "Les" Battersby-Brown is a fictional character on the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. He was played by Bruce Jones...
). The show's former archivist and scriptwriter Daran Little disagreed with the characterisation of the show as a collection of stereotypes. "Rather, remember that Elsie, Ena and Co. were the first of their kind ever seen on British television. If later characters are stereotypes, it's because they are from the same original mould. It is the hundreds of programmes that have followed which have copied
Coronation Street."
Broadcast format
Between 9 December 1960 and 3 March 1961,
Coronation Street was broadcast twice weekly, on Wednesday and Friday. During this period, the Friday episode was broadcast live, with the Wednesday episode being pre-recorded 15 minutes later. When the programme went fully networked on 6 March 1961, broadcast days changed to Monday and Wednesday. The last regular episode to be shown live was broadcast on 3 February 1961.
The series was transmitted in black and white for the majority of the 1960s. Preparations were made to film episode 923, to be transmitted Wednesday 29 October 1969, in colour. This installment featured the street's residents on a coach trip to the Lake District. In the event suitable colour film stock for the cameras could not be found and the footage was shot in black and white. The following episode, transmitted Monday 3 November, was videotaped in colour but featured black and white film inserts and title sequence. Like BBC1, the ITV network was officially broadcast in black and white (though programmes were actually broadcast in colour as early as July that year for colour transmission testing and adjustment) at this point so the episode was seen by most in black and white.
The reasons why episodes were produced in colour for monochrome transmission are not stated in any literature but it is possible that it was for the purposes of testing the look of sets and costumes using the new cameras. The Rovers Return set underwent a subtle change of colours in November 1969 without any on-screen explanation.
Daran Little, for many years the official programme archivist, claims that the first episode to be transmitted in colour was episode 930 shown on 24 November 1969. The ITV network, like BBC1, began full colour transmissions on 15 November 1969 and it is therefore possible that the first transmitted colour episode is number 928 shown on 17 November.
In October 1970 a technician's dispute turned into a
work-to-ruleWork-to-rule is an industrial action in which employees do no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract, and follow safety or other regulations to the letter in order to cause a slowdown rather than to serve their purpose. This is considered less disruptive than a strike or...
when sound staff were denied a pay rise given to camera staff the year before for working with colour recording equipment . The terms of the work-to-rule were that staff refused to work with the new equipment (though the old black and white equipment had been disposed of by then) and therefore programmes were recorded and transmitted in black and white, including
Coronation Street The dispute was resolved in early 1971 and the last black and white episode was broadcast on 8 February 1971.
Episode 5191, originally broadcast on 7 January 2002, was the first to be broadcast in
16:916:9 is an aspect ratio with a width of 16 units and height of 9. Since 2009, it has become the most common aspect ratio for sold televisions and computer monitors and is also the international standard format of HDTV, Full HD, non-HD digital television and analog widescreen television ...
widescreen format.
Coronation Street was the last British soap to make the switch to 16:9 (
Take the High RoadTake the High Road was a Scottish soap opera produced by Scottish Television, and set in the fictional village of Glendarroch , and claims to have about 2 million fans, including the Queen Mother...
remained in 4:3 until it finished in 2003).
From 22 March 2010,
Coronation Street was produced in 1080/50i for transmission on HDTV platforms on ITV1 HD. First transmission in this format was episode 7351 on 31 May 2010 with a new set of titles and re-recorded theme tune. On 26 May 2010 ITV1 previewed the new HD titles on the
Coronation Street website. Due to copyright reasons only viewers residing in the UK could see them on the ITV site.
Production staff
Coronation Street's creator,
Tony WarrenAnthony McVay Simpson MBE , better known by his stage name Tony Warren, is an award-winning English television scriptwriter, best known for creating the soap opera Coronation Street...
wrote the first 13 episodes of the programme in 1960, and continued to write for the programme intermittently until 1976. He still retains links with
Coronation Street, often advising on storylines.
Harry KershawH. V. Kershaw, also known as Harry Kershaw, from Manchester was a British television scriptwriter and dramatist best known for his long association with the top rating soap opera, Coronation Street, a programme he continued to pen scripts for until the mid-1980s...
was the script editor for
Coronation Street when the programme began in 1960, working alongside Tony Warren. Kershaw was also a script writer for the programme and the show's producer between 1962 and 1971. He remains the only person, along with John Finch, to have held the three posts of script editor, writer and producer. Kershaw continued to write for the programme until his retirement in January 1988.
Adele RoseAdele Rose was a prolific writer on Coronation Street, UK television's longest running soap opera, penning around 500 scripts between 1961 and her eventual departure from the programme in 1998. In addition, she also co authored the popular children's series, Byker Grove.-References:...
was the longest-serving
Coronation Street writer, completing 455 scripts between 1961 and 1998. She also created
Byker GroveByker Grove was a British television series which aired between 1989 and 2006 and was created by Adele Rose. The show was broadcast at 5.10pm after Newsround on CBBC on BBC One...
.
Bill PodmoreEdgar William "Bill" Podmore was a British television producer. Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, he was best known for his long association with the soap opera Coronation Street, a series he produced for twelve years...
was the show's longest serving producer. By the time he stepped down in 1988 he had completed 13 years at the production helm. Nicknamed the "godfather" by the tabloid press, he was renowned for his tough, uncompromising style and was feared by both crew and cast alike. He is probably most famous for sacking
Peter AdamsonPeter Adamson was a British stage and television actor. He is best known for playing the character of Len Fairclough in the long-running television series Coronation Street from 1961 to 1983.-Life and career:...
, the show's Len Fairclough, in 1983.
Michael AptedMichael David Apted, CMG is an English director, producer, writer and actor. He is one of the most prolific British film directors of his generation but is best known for his work on the Up Series of documentaries and the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough.On 29 June 2003 he was elected...
, best known for the
Up! series of documentaries was a director on the programme in the early 1960s. This period of his career marked the first of his many collaborations with writer
Jack RosenthalJack Morris Rosenthal CBE was an English playwright, who wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera Coronation Street and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations.-Biography:...
. Rosenthal, noted for such television plays as
Bar Mitzvah BoyBar Mitzvah Boy is a British television play, written by Jack Rosenthal and originally transmitted in the Play for Today anthology series on BBC1...
, began his career on the show, writing over 150 episodes between 1961 and 1969.
Paul AbbottPaul Abbott is a BAFTA award-winning English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain today, following his work on many popular series, including Coronation Street, Cracker and Shameless,...
was a story editor on the programme in the 1980s and began writing episodes in 1989, but left in 1993 to produce
Cracker, for which he later wrote, before creating his own highly acclaimed dramas such as
Touching EvilTouching Evil is a British television drama serial, which began airing in 1997. It was produced by United Productions for Anglia Television, and screened on the ITV network. The first series consisted of six fifty-minute episodes. It was created by Paul Abbott, and written by Abbott with Russell T...
and
Shameless. Russell T Davies was briefly a storyliner on the programme in the mid-1990s, also writing the script for the
direct-to-videoDirect-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
special "
Viva Las Vegas!Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas! was a direct-to-video spin off from the British soap opera Coronation Street. It followed Jack, Vera, Fiona and Maxine on their trip to Las Vegas. It was released on VHS in 1997.-Cast:- External links :...
" He, too, has become a noted writer of his own high-profile television drama programmes, including
Queer as Folk and the 2005 revival of
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
.
Jimmy McGovernJimmy McGovern is a BAFTA award-winning English television scriptwriter from Liverpool.-Early career:McGovern started his career working on Channel 4's soap opera Brookside in 1982, tackling many social issues such as unemployment.-Successes:...
also wrote some episodes.
The current Executive Producer is Kieran Roberts who was once a Producer of "Emmerdale" and the Producer is ex-Doctor Who producer Phil Collinson, who took over from Kim Crowther in summer 2010.
Theme music
The show's
theme musicTheme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
, a
cornetThe cornet is a brass instrument very similar to the trumpet, distinguished by its conical bore, compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B. It is not related to the renaissance and early baroque cornett or cornetto.-History:The cornet was...
piece, accompanied by a
brass bandA British-style brass band is a musical ensemble comprising a standardised range of brass and percussion instruments. The modern form of the brass band in the United Kingdom dates back to the 19th century, with a vibrant tradition of competition based around local industry and communities...
plus
clarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
and
double bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, reminiscent of northern band music, was written by
Eric SpearEric Spear was an English composer of film music. He was born in Croydon and died Southampton.Spear is best known for composing the original theme tune for the UK's longest-running television soap opera, Coronation Street, for which he was paid £6.The cornet player Ronnie Hunt found the recording...
.
The identity of the trumpeter was not public knowledge until 1994, when jazz musician and journalist Ron Simmonds revealed that it was the Surrey musician Ronnie Hunt. He added, "an attempt was made in later years to re-record that solo, using Stan Roderick, but it sounded too good, and they reverted to the old one." In 2004, the
Manchester Evening NewsThe Manchester Evening News is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in the United Kingdom. It is published every day except Sunday and is owned by Trinity Mirror plc following its sale by Guardian Media Group in early 2010. It has an average daily circulation of 90,973 copies...
published a contradictory story that a young musician from Wilmslow called David Browning played the trumpet on both the original recording of the theme in 1960 and a re-recording in 1964, for a one-off payment of £36. In June 2009, the
Mail on Sunday resolved the matter. Browning conceded that Hunt recorded the original in 1960, but believed that his own re-recording in 1964 or 1972 had been used since that date.
ITVITV plc is a British media company that operates 12 of the 15 regional television broadcasters that make up the ITV Network, the oldest and largest commercial terrestrial television network in the United Kingdom...
then confirmed to the
Mail that a second version had been recorded in the 1970s, but was only used for a very short while before reverting to Hunt's 1960 recording. In the 1980s the same version was converted to
stereoSTEREO is a solar observation mission. Two nearly identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to respectively pull farther ahead of and fall gradually behind the Earth...
.
Ronnie Hunt said he was paid £6, and found the experience frustrating as Eric Spear insisted on many takes before obtaining the sound that he wanted. After taking a break in a local pub, Hunt achieved the desired mournful sound by playing very close to the microphone.
A new, completely re-recorded version of the theme tune replaced the original when the series started broadcasting in HD on 31 May 2010. It accompanied a new montage-style credits sequence featuring images of Manchester and Weatherfield.
Viewing figures
Most episodes in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s rated with over 20 million viewers and during the 1990s and early 2000s 15–20 million per episode would be typical Like most terrestrial television in the UK, a dramatic decline in viewership has taken place and the show currently posts figures of between 8 and 14 million per episode.
The programme currently rates as one of the most watched programmes on UK television for every day it is aired. Viewership peaked on Christmas Day 1987 when an average of 28.5 million viewers tuned in to see Hilda Ogden leave the street to start a new life as a housekeeper for long term friend Dr Lowther (although there is some confusion as to whether or not this was actually the highest rating episode due to a special omnibus repeat of that week's episodes being combined with the original airing). Since EastEnders began in 1985, the two programmes have constantly battled it out for first place in the ratings.
Sets
The regular exterior buildings shown in
Coronation Street include a row of terrace houses, several townhouses, and communal areas including a newsagents (
The Kabin), a cafe (
Roy's Rolls), a general grocery shop (
D&S Alahan's), a factory (
Underworld) and
Rovers Return Inn public houseA public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
. The Rovers Return Inn is the main meeting place for the show's characters.
Between 1960 and 1968 street scenes were filmed before a set constructed in a studio, with the house fronts reduced in scale to 3/4 and constructed from wood. In 1968 Granada built an outside set which was not all that different from the interior version previously used, with the wooden façades from the studio simply being erected on the new site. These were replaced with brick façades, and back yards were added in the 1970s.
In 1982 a permanent full-street set was built in the Granada
backlotA backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio, containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction....
, constructed from reclaimed Salford brick. The set was updated in 1989 with the construction of a new factory, two shop units and three modern town houses on the south side of the street.
Between 1989 and 1999 the
Granada Studios TourGranada Studios Tour was an entertainment theme park at the Granada Studios complex in Castlefield, Manchester which England operated from 1988 to 1999...
allowed members of the public to visit the set. The exterior set was extended and updated in 1999. This update added to the Rosamund Street and Victoria Street façades, and added a viaduct on Rosamund Street. The majority of interior scenes are shot in the adjoining purpose-built studio.
In 2008,
Victoria Court, an apartment building full of luxury flats, was started on Victoria Street.
The Granada backlot is situated in an area between Quay Street and Liverpool Road in Manchester.
United Kingdom
For 50 years,
Coronation Street has remained at the centre of ITV's prime time schedule. The programme is currently shown in the UK in five episodes, over three evenings a week on ITV. From Friday 9 December 1960 until Friday 3 March 1961, the programme was shown in two episodes broadcast Wednesday and Friday at 19:00. Schedules were changed and from Monday 6 March 1961 until Wednesday 11 October 1989, the programme was shown in two episodes broadcast Monday and Wednesday at 19:30. The third weekly episode was introduced on Friday 20 October 1989, broadcast at 19:30. From 1996, an extra episode was broadcast at 19:30 on Sunday nights. Aside from Granada, the programme originally appeared on the following stations of the ITV network:
Anglia TelevisionAnglia Television is the ITV franchise holder for the East Anglia franchise region. Although Anglia Television takes its name from East Anglia, its transmission coverage extends beyond the generally accepted boundaries of that region. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional...
,
Associated-RediffusionAssociated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion, London, was the British ITV contractor for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 1954 and 29 July 1968. Transmissions started on 22 September 1955.-Formation:...
,
Television Wales and the WestTelevision Wales and the WestTelevision Wales and the WestTelevision Wales and the West , accessed 19 August 2006, accessed 19 August 2006 was the British "Independent Television" contractor for the franchise area serving 'South Wales and West of England' 1956–68 Television Wales and the...
,
Scottish TelevisionScottish Television is Scotland's largest ITV franchisee, and has held the ITV franchise for Central Scotland since 31 August 1957. It is the second oldest ITV franchisee still active...
,
Southern TelevisionSouthern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until the night of 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited and the title Southern Television was consistently used on-air throughout its life...
and Ulster Television. From episode 14 on Wednesday 25 January 1961,
Tyne Tees TelevisionTyne Tees Television is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. As of 2009, it forms part of a non-franchise ITV Tyne Tees & Border region, shared with the ITV Border region...
broadcast the programme. That left
ATVAssociated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
in the Midlands as the only ITV station not carrying the show. When they decided to broadcast the programme, national transmission was changed from Wednesday and Friday at 19:00 to Monday and Wednesday at 19:30 and the programme became fully networked under this new arrangement from episode 25 on Monday 6 March 1961.
As the ITV network grew over the next few years, the programme was transmitted by these new stations on these dates onward:
Westward TelevisionWestward Television was the first ITV franchise holder for the South West of England from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward provided a popular, distinctive and highly regarded service to its region, until public boardroom squabbles led to its franchise not...
from episode 40 on 29 April 1961,
Border TelevisionBorder Television is the ITV franchise holder for the Border region, spanning the England/Scotland border and covering Dumfries & Galloway region, a small part of the south-west area of Ayrshire, the Scottish Borders, parts of north and west Northumberland and the majority of Cumbria...
from episode 76 on 1 September 1961,
Grampian TelevisionGrampian Television is the ITV franchisee for the North and North East of Scotland. Its coverage area includes the Scottish Highlands , Inverness, Aberdeen, Dundee and parts of north Fife...
from episode 84 on 30 September 1961,
Channel TelevisionChannel Television is a British television station which has served as an Independent Television contractor to the Channel Islands since 1962. It is based in Jersey...
from episode 180 on 1 September 1962 and Teledu Cymru (north and west Wales) from episode 184 on 14 September 1962. At this point, the ITV network became complete and the programme was broadcast almost continuously across the country at 19:30 on Monday and Wednesday for the next twenty-seven years.
From episode 2981 on Friday 20 October 1989 at 19:30, a third weekly episode was introduced and this increased to four episodes a week from episode 4096 on Sunday 24 November 1996, again at 19:30. The second Monday episode was introduced in 2002 and was broadcast at 20:30 to usher in the return of
Bet LynchElizabeth Theresa "Bet" Lynch is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character is no longer part of current storylines. Portrayed by actress Julie Goodyear the character first appears onscreen during the episode airing on 23 May 1966. The character...
. The Monday 20:30 episode was used intermittently during the popular Richard Hillman story line but has become fully scheduled since episode 5568 on Monday 25 August 2003. Additional episodes have been broadcast during the weekly schedule of ITV at certain times, notably in 2004 when, between 22 November and 26 November, eight episodes were shown.
Older episodes had been broadcast by satellite and cable channel
Granada PlusPlus was a digital channel run by Granada Sky Broadcasting. It was launched on 1 October 1996 under the original name of Granada Plus, and during its availability it underwent successive rebrands as G Plus, G+ and then simply Plus. However, it remained widely referred to by the public at large by...
from launch in 1996. The first episodes shown were from episode 1588 (originally transmitted on Monday 5 April 1976) onwards. Originally listed and promoted as
Classic Coronation Street, the "classic" was dropped in early 2002, at which stage the episodes were from late 1989. By the time of the channel's closure in 2004, the repeats had reached January 1994. In addition to this, "specials" were broadcast on Saturday afternoons in the early years of the channel with several episodes based on a particular theme or character(s) were shown. The latest episode shown in these specials was from 1991. In addition, on 27 and 28 December 2003, several Christmas Day editions of the show were broadcast.
From 23 July 2009
Coronation Street has been broadcast in five weekly instalments, at 19:30 and 20:30 on Mondays and Fridays, and at 20:30 on Thursday. The Thursday episode replaces the former Wednesday show. Occasional late night episodes of
Coronation Street begin at 22:00, due to the
watershedIn television, the term watershed denotes the time period in a television schedule during which programs with adult content can air....
. Repeat episodes,
omnibusAn omnibus is a compilation of daily television or radio episodes that is re-broadcast during the following weekend. The term has been most frequently used in the United Kingdom, though it has also been used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa...
broadcasts and specials have been shown on ITV and
ITV2ITV2 is a 24 hour, free-to-air entertainment television channel in the United Kingdom owned by ITV Digital Channels Ltd, a division of ITV plc. It was launched on 7 December 1998, and is available on digital television via satellite, cable, IPTV and terrestrial platforms. The channel has the...
. In January 2008 the omnibus returned to the main ITV channel where it was aired on Saturday mornings/afternoons depending on the schedule and times. In May 2008 it moved to Sunday mornings until August 2008 when it returned to Saturdays. In January 2009 it moved back to Sunday mornings usually broadcasting at around 09:25 until December 2010. In January 2011 the omnibus moved to Saturday mornings on ITV1 at 09:25. During the Rugby World Cup, which took place in New Zealand this year, therefore matches had to be broadcast on a Saturday morning, the omnibus moved to Saturday lunchtimes/afternoons during September and October 2011. However as of 22 October 2011 the omnibus moved back to Saturday mornings at 09:25 on ITV1.
On 30 June 2011 it was confirmed that Coronation Street would return to its traditional 19:30 timeslot on a Wednesday evening in late 2012.
Broadcast Day Appearances
| Day |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Monday |
n/a |
6 March 1961 |
10 June 2002 |
25 August 2003 |
n/a |
n/a |
9 June 2003 |
n/a |
| Tuesday |
12 June 2001
|
n/a |
| Wednesday |
n/a |
14 December 1960
Late 2012 |
n/a |
n/a |
15 July 2009 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
| Thursday |
n/a |
n/a |
14 June 2001
|
23 July 2009 |
n/a |
n/a |
14 June 2001
Late 2012 |
n/a |
| Friday |
n/a |
9 December 1960
20 October 1989 |
n/a |
11 January 2008 |
3 March 1961 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
| Saturday |
Only the Omnibus or Specials was broadcast on this day |
| Sunday |
n/a |
24 November 1996 |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
6 January 2008 |
n/a |
n/a |
Broadcast at 8pmRefers to when the programme first broadcasted in this slotRefers to when the programme started broadcasting regularly in this slotRefers to when the programme ceased broadcasting in this slot but occasionally reappeared when schedules have to be changedRefers to when the programme ceased broadcasting in this slot and never reappearedProgramme was only broadcast in this slot when normal schedules needed to be changed
Broadcast Schedule
|
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
Number of
Weekly Episodes |
| 1960–1961 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
| 1961–1989 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2 |
| 1989–1996 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3 |
| 1996–2003 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
4 |
| 2003–2008 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
| 2008–2009 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
| 2009–2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
| From 2012 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
5 |
International syndication
Coronation Street is also shown in many countries worldwide. In
IrelandIreland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
,
Coronation Street is
simulcastSimulcast, shorthand for "simultaneous broadcast", refers to programs or events broadcast across more than one medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at the same time. For example, Absolute Radio is simulcast on both AM and on satellite radio, and the BBC's Prom concerts are often...
on TV3. The show is
TV3TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
's most watched programme with an average of 365,000 people watching each night. The show was so popular that an omnibus is also shown on weekends. For a number of months in 2009
TV3TV3 is a free-to-air commercial television network in the Republic of Ireland. Launched on 20 September 1998 it was Ireland's first commercial broadcaster. The channel is owned by TV3 Group a subsidiary of Doughty Hanson & Co.-The TV3 Group:...
provided repeats of the night's episode on sister channel
3e3E or 3-E may refer to:*3e, general entertainment channel operated in Ireland*3rd meridian east*Third edition in the Editions of Dungeons & Dragons*NY 3E, alternate name for New York State Route 104*OK-3E, abbreviation for Oklahoma State Highway 3...
at 21:00 Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights, this has since stopped. The show was first aired in 1978, beginning with episodes from 1976. Ireland eventually caught up with the current UK episodes in 1983. Until 1992 it was broadcast on
RTÉ TwoRTÉ Two is a free-to-air general entertainment channel operated by Irish state broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. RTÉ Two is available throughout the island of Ireland through digital terrestrial service Saorview, VHF and UHF bands, and is also available via satellite to Irish subscribers of...
and from 1992 to 2001 it was broadcast on
RTÉ OneRTÉ One is the flagship television channel of Raidió Teilifís Éireann , and it is the most popular and most watched television channel in Ireland. It was launched as Telefís Éireann on 31 December 1961, it was renamed RTÉ Television in 1966, and it was renamed as RTÉ One upon the launch of RTÉ...
. In 2001 Granada TV bought 45% TV3, which resulted in TV3 broadcasting series since 2001. In 2006 ITV sold its share of the channel but TV3 and ITV have since agreed to allow the programme to remain on TV3. It should be noted that many Irish households have access to ITV (either through Northern Ireland's UTV or ITV1 Wales) and can watch the show on ITV, if they so wish.
In Canada,
Coronation Street is broadcast on
CBC TelevisionCBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
at 18:30 local time Monday-Friday, with an
omnibusAn omnibus is a compilation of daily television or radio episodes that is re-broadcast during the following weekend. The term has been most frequently used in the United Kingdom, though it has also been used in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa...
on Sundays at 07:30. During NHL playoffs, it is broadcast at 15:30 local time each weekday afternoon. Until 2011, episodes were shown in Canada approximately 10 months after they are aired in Britain; however, beginning in Fall 2011, the CBC will be showing two episodes every weekday, in order to catch up with the ITV showings. The show moved from a daytime slot on CBC to prime time in 2004. The 2002 edition of the
Guinness Book of Records recognises the 1,144 episodes sold to CBC-owned Saskatoon,
SaskatchewanSaskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
, TV station
CBKSTCBKST is a television station owned by the CBC in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. It is a semi-satellite of CBKT in Regina and airs separate commercials....
by Granada TV on 31 May 1971 to be the largest number of TV shows ever purchased in one transaction. In the US,
Coronation Street is available only in northern markets where CBC coverage overlaps the border.
In New Zealand,
Coronation Street is broadcast on TV ONE in double bills every Thursday and Friday at 19:30, with episodes approximately 16 months behind Britain. Over the summer, TV One shows "Coro Catch-ups" with an additional double bill on Wednesdays at 19:30. The serial previously aired on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 19:30 until October 2011, when the show moved to a 17:30 half-hour slot every weekday. The move proved highly unpopular with fans, and the series was quickly moved into its present prime-time slot within weeks.
The programme was first aired in Australia in 1963 on
TCNTCN stands for:* Take Care Now, a private company providing out-of-hours medical cover in England* TanenbaumCHAT North Campus, a private Hebrew high school in Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada* TCN-9, a Sydney television station...
-9 Sydney, GTV-9 Melbourne and NWS-9 Adelaide, and by 1966
Coronation Street was more popular in Australia than in the UK. The show eventually left free-to-air television in Australia in the 1970s. It briefly returned to the Nine Network in a daytime slot during 1994–95. In 2005 Channel Nine in Perth began to show episodes before the 18:00 news to improve the lead in to Nine News Perth, but this did not work and the show was cancelled a few months later. In 1996 Pay-TV began and
ArenaArena is an Australian general entertainment cable and satellite channel available on Foxtel, Austar and Optus Television's subscription platforms.-History:...
began screening the series in one-hour instalments on Saturday and Sundays at 18:30. The series was later moved to Pay-TV channel UKTV where it is still shown. Currently
Coronation Street is shown on weekdays at 18:00. Episodes on UKTV are 3 months behind the UK.
Seven'sThe Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
free-to-airFree-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
digital channel
7Two7TWO is an Australian free-to-air standard definition digital television channel which was launched by the Seven Network on Sunday 1 November 2009 at 12pm....
broadcast episodes from 2002, on weekdays at 10:00.
Dutch broadcaster
VARAThe Omroepvereniging VARA is a Dutch public broadcasting association operating within the framework of the Nederlandse Publieke Omroep system, founded in 1925 as the Vereeniging van Arbeiders Radio Amateurs...
showed 428 sub-titled episodes on Netherlands TV between 1967 and 1975. It wanted to terminate the series in 1971 but due to public pressure continued until 1975. Because VARA was running well behind the British broadcasts, causing the actors to refer to past British politics, a special episode was produced for VARA to bridge and jump the gap and allow VARA to broadcast newer episodes.
In 2011 Dutch broadcaster SBS6 started to show episodes from 26 November 2001 about 4 or 5 times a week during daytime (1:15 PM) starting with 3000 viewers every day, and till date (5 November) with an average of 35,000 viewers
In 2006, the small network Vitaya started broadcasting
Coronation Street for viewers in Belgium, with episodes broadcast roughly two years behind the UK. In the United Arab Emirates, episodes of
Coronation Street are broadcast one month after their UK showing. In Sweden
Coronation Street was shown in the country's largest broadcaster TV4 during daytime in the early 2000s.
Merchandise
Several classic episodes were released on VHS video in the 1980s and 1990s in different sets, while a number of specially recorded feature-length episodes were released exclusively to video (see
Coronation Street VHS and DVD releasesMany selected episodes, specially produced episodes, and feature length spin-offs of the British television soap opera Coronation Street have been released on video and DVD.-The Magic of Coronation Street:...
).
The Street, a magazine dedicated to the show, was launched in 1989. Edited by Bill Hill, the magazine contained a summary of recent storylines, interviews, articles about classic episodes, and stories that occurred from before 1960. The format was initially A5 size, expanding to A4 from the seventh issue. The magazine folded after issue 23 in 1993 when the publisher's contract with Granada Studios Tour expired and Granada wanted to produce their own magazine.
During the time when the studios tour was operating, a huge amount of branded merchandise was available from an on-site shop—everything from soap, to tea-towels, to model houses. These items gradually became scarce as the tours complex was wound down. Although there were large numbers produced, these items are becoming collectable by fans.
On 25 June 2010 a video game of the show was released on
Nintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
. Players take the role of a detective as they work through a brand new storyline and befriend the various characters from the street, including Ken, Norris, Maria and Blanche.
Discography
An album featuring songs sung by some of the cast was released for the show's 50th anniversary. The singers include
William RoacheWilliam Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
,
Betty DriverElizabeth Mary "Betty" Driver, MBE was an English singer, actress and author, best known for her role as Betty Williams on the British soap opera, Coronation Street, appearing in more than 2,800 episodes...
,
Kevin KennedyKevin Kennedy is an English actor, writer, producer, singer, and guitarist, best known for playing the bottle-lensed Curly Watts in ITV's long running soap opera Coronation Street between 1983 and 2003.-Early life:Kennedy was born in Manchester. He attended St Paul's RC Secondary High School...
and
Katherine KellyKatherine Kelly, is a British actress and recording artist who is most well known for playing Becky McDonald in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She has also starred in the film Mischief Night.-Early life and career:...
. The album is titled
Rogues, Angels, Heroes & Fools.
Spin-offs and specials
Granada launched one spin-off in 1965,
Pardon the ExpressionPardon The Expression! was an ITV sitcom made by Granada Television, that was first broadcast from Wednesday 2 June 1965 to Monday 27 June 1966. The sitcom was one of only four spin-offs from the highly popular soap opera Coronation Street. Pardon the Expression itself had a spin-off: Turn out the...
, following the story of clothing store manager Leonard Swindley (
Arthur LoweArthur Lowe was a BAFTA Award winning English actor. He was best known for playing Captain George Mainwaring in the popular British sitcom Dad's Army from 1968 until 1977.-Early life:...
) after he left Weatherfield. Swindley's management experience was tested when he was appointed assistant manager at a fictional
department storeA department store is a retail establishment which satisfies a wide range of the consumer's personal and residential durable goods product needs; and at the same time offering the consumer a choice of multiple merchandise lines, at variable price points, in all product categories...
, Dobson and Hawks. Granada produced two series of the spin-off, which ended in 1966.
In 1967, Arthur Lowe returned as Leonard Swindley in
Turn out the LightsTurn out the Lights was an ITV comedy-drama series made by Granada Television, that was first broadcast from Monday 2 January to Monday 6 February 1967 by Associated Rediffusion and Tyne Tees Television,...
, a short-lived sequel to
Pardon the Expression. It ran for just one series of six episodes before it was cancelled.
The German TV series
LindenstraßeLindenstraße is a German television show on ARD's Das Erste, one of Germany's two publicly administered TV channels. The first episode was aired on December 8, 1985, and since then has been broadcast weekly. Its current timeslot on Das Erste is Sundays at 6:50 pm...
took
Coronation Street as the model.
Lindenstraße started in 1985.
In 1985, a sister series,
Albion MarketAlbion Market was a short-lived British soap opera, intended as a companion to Coronation Street on ITV.Coronation Street, ITV's perennial soap opera, celebrated its 25th anniversary in December 1985. Granada TV launched Albion Market in August of that year, six months after the BBC's EastEnders...
was launched. It ran for one year, with 100 episodes produced.
On 8 December 2000 and 9 December 2010, live episodes were aired to mark the 40th and 50th anniversaries of the show. The first was mainly based around
Vera DuckworthVeronica "Vera" Duckworth , played by Elizabeth Dawn, is a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in episode 6,734 on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure...
in hospital and the campaign to save the cobbles. The second was based around events following the tram crash.
Coronation Street: Family Album was several documentaries about various families living on the street.
"Farewell ..." was several documentaries featuring the best moments of a single character who had recently left the series. Most notably, Farewell Blanche (Hunt), Farewell Jack (Duckworth), Farewell Mike (Baldwin), Farewell Vera (Duckworth), Farewell Janice (Battersby) and Farewell Liz (McDonald). Most of these were broadcast on the same day as the character's final scenes in the series.
On 21 December 2008, a web-based miniseries ran on ITV.com; called
Corrie Confidential the first episode featured the characters
RosieRosie Webster is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 24 December 1990. Originally portrayed by actress Emma Collinge from her birth until December 1999, the character has since been...
and
Sophie WebsterSophie Lauren Webster is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She is currently portrayed by actress Brooke Vincent, after previously being portrayed by both Ashleigh Middleton and Emma Woodward. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode...
in
Underworld.
Stars on the Street was aired around Christmas of 2009. It featured actors from the soap talking about the famous guest stars who had appeared in the series including people who were in it before they were famous.
In 2010, several actors from the show appeared on
The Jeremy Kyle ShowThe Jeremy Kyle Show is an award-winning British daytime television tabloid talk show presented by Jeremy Kyle that has been broadcast on ITV since 4 July 2005. The show is recorded and produced by Granada Television at the Granada Studios on Quay Street in Manchester city centre and broadcast each...
as their soap characters: David Platt (
Jack P. ShepherdJack Peter Shepherd is an English actor. He plays David Platt in the ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street. He joined the show in April 2000, taking over the role from Thomas Ormson.Shepherd was born in Pudsey, Leeds, West Yorkshire....
),
Nick TilsleyNicholas Paul "Nick" Tilsley is a fictional character in the British soap opera Coronation Street. Originally known as "Nicky", he was the first-born child of Brian Tilsley and Gail Platt , and has been portrayed by three different actors. Warren Jackson from 1981 to 1996, then by Adam Rickitt...
(
Ben PriceBen Price is a British actor, best known for playing the third incarnation of Nick Tilsley in the ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
) and
Tina McIntyreTina McIntyre is a fictional character in the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Michelle Keegan, the character first appeared on screen during the episode airing on 7 January 2008...
(
Michelle KeeganMichelle Elizabeth Keegan is an English actress who currently plays Tina McIntyre in the soap opera Coronation Street.-Biography:...
). In the fictional, semi-improvised scenario, David accused Nick (his brother) and Tina (his ex-girlfriend) of sleeping together.
Corrie Extra!
ITV.com launched a small spin-off drama series called 'Gary's Army Diaries' which revolves around Gary's experiences in
AfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the loss of his best friend, Quinny. Due to their popularity, the three five-minute episodes were recut into a single 30-minute episode, which was broadcast on ITV2.
William RoacheWilliam Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
and
Anne KirkbrideAnne Kirkbride is an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street which she has played for thirty-nine years.-Coronation Street:...
are to star as
KenKenneth "Ken" Barlow is a long-standing fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by William Roache, and created by Tony Warren. He is currently the world's longest-serving soap opera character, having appeared continuously from the programme's inception in December...
and
DeirdreDeirdre Anne Barlow is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV Granada soap opera, Coronation Street...
in a series of ten three-minute internet 'webisodes'. The first episode of the series titled,
Ken and Deirdre's Bedtime Stories was activated on Valentine's Day.
A new internet based spin-off starring
Helen FlanaganHelen Joyce Flanagan is a British actress best known for playing Rosie Webster in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.Flanagan has played Rosie Webster in Coronation Street since 2000, when she was ten years old....
as
Rosie WebsterRosie Webster is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 24 December 1990. Originally portrayed by actress Emma Collinge from her birth until December 1999, the character has since been...
which will follow her on her quest to be a supermodel.
Stage
In August 2010, many of the characters of Coronation Street were brought to the stage to make a mockery of
Jonathan Harvey'sJonathan Harvey is a British playwright whose work has earned multiple awards. He is also a former secondary school English teacher.-Life and works:...
new comedy play
Corrie!Corrie! is a comedy stage play written in 2010 by award-winning playwright and Coronation Street scriptwriter Jonathan Harvey. . The play premiered at in Salford Quays in August 2010...
. The play was commissioned to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the TV series and was presented at
The LowryThe Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex situated on Pier 8 at Salford Quays, in Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early-20th century painter, L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England...
in Salford, England by
ITV StudiosITV Studios is a television production company owned by the British television network ITV. It not only makes programmes primarily for its parent company, but also for other networks...
and Phil McIntyre Entertainments. Featuring a cast of six actors who alternate roles of favourite characters including Ena Sharples, Hilda Ogden, Hayley and Roy, Richard Hillman, Jack Duckworth, Bet Lynch, Steve, Karen and Becky, the play weaves together some of the most memorable moments from the TV show. It is now
touring theatres in the UK (from February 2011 – July 2011) with confirmed guest star narrators including Roy Barraclough, Ken Morley and Gaynor Faye
Films
Over the years
Coronation Street has released several straight-to-video films. Unlike other soaps which often used straight-to-video films to cover more contentious plot lines that may not be allowed by the broadcaster,
Coronation Street has largely used these films to reset their characters in other locations.
In 1995,
Coronation Street: The Cruise also known as
Coronation Street: The Feature Length Special was released on VHS to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the show. ITV heavily promoted the programme as a direct-to-video exclusive but broadcast a brief version of it on 24 March 1996. The
Independent Television CommissionThe Independent Television Commission licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003....
investigated the broadcast, as viewers complained that ITV misled them.
In 1997, following the controversial cruise spin-off,
Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas! was a direct-to-video spin off from the British soap opera Coronation Street. It followed Jack, Vera, Fiona and Maxine on their trip to Las Vegas. It was released on VHS in 1997.-Cast:- External links :...
was released on VHS, featuring
Jack DuckworthJohn Harold "Jack" Duckworth is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor William Tarmey. The character debuted onscreen during the episode...
,
Vera DuckworthVeronica "Vera" Duckworth , played by Elizabeth Dawn, is a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in episode 6,734 on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure...
, Fiona Middleton and Maxine Peacock on a trip to Las Vegas.
In 1999, six special episodes of
Coronation Street were produced, following the story of
Steve McDonaldSteven James "Steve" McDonald, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Simon Gregson, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 December 1989.-1989–2004:...
, Vicky McDonald, Vikram Desai, Bet Gilroy and Reg Holdsworth in Brighton. This video was titled
Coronation Street: Open All Hours and released on VHS.
In 2008, ITV announced filming was to get underway for a new special DVD episode,
Coronation Street: Out of AfricaCoronation Street: Out of Africa is a 2008 film set in sun and seaside resort of Sun City, South Africa. Cilla Battersby, the mother from hell, brought her son and other "son" over to Africa to win a competition for $500,000- Plot :...
, following the Battersby-Brown family, which saw the temporary return of
Cilla Battersby-BrownCilla Petunia Aurelia Battersby-Brown is a fictional character in the ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. She is portrayed by Wendi Peters. Her character is the tarty common redhead wife of Les Battersby-Brown and mother of Chesney, Fiz and non-regular character Billy, who is in the army...
.
In 2009, another DVD special,
Coronation Street: Romanian HolidayCoronation Street: Romanian Holiday is a DVD feature length film of the popular British soap opera Coronation Street released in October 2009.-Plot:...
, was released. The feature-length comedy drama followed
RoyRoyston "Roy" Cropper, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor David Neilson, the character was introduced during the episode airing on 19 July 1995. Originally a secondary character, he was given a more prominent role in 1997, by the...
,
HayleyHayley Anne Cropper is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
and Becky as they travelled to
RomaniaRomania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
for the wedding of a face from their past.
On 1 November 2010,
Coronation Street: A Knight's Tale was released. The film saw the return of Reg Holdsworth and Curly Watts.
MaryMary Taylor , is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. played by Pattie Clare, made her first onscreen appearance on 26 November 2008 and departed on 15 May 2009 but returned in March 2010 and has appeared on the show ever since...
tries to take
NorrisNorris Benjamin Cole is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Malcolm Hebden, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 11 March 1994 and remained until his departure on 14 April 1997, only to return on 1 December...
to an apparently haunted castle where she hoped to seduce him.
RosieRosie Webster is a fictional character in the British television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 24 December 1990. Originally portrayed by actress Emma Collinge from her birth until December 1999, the character has since been...
gets a job there and she takes
JasonJason Grimshaw, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Ryan Thomas, the character first appeared during the episode airing on 25 December 2000, when he comes looking for mother Eileen at the Battersbys' home.Jason is very much the...
with her.
Brian CapronBrian Capron, born 11 February 1947 at Eye in Suffolk, is a British actor, who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . His father was an Algerian pilot, of French descent, who died in a plane crash before Brian was born....
also guest starred as an assumed relative of
Richard HillmanRichard Charles Hillman was a fictional character in the British television soap opera Coronation Street, played by Brian Capron. Hillman is now rated as one of the best soap villains of all time.-Development:...
.
A 2011 film is yet to be announced.
50th Anniversary (2010)
The BBC commissioned a one-off drama called
The Road to Coronation StreetThe Road to Coronation Street is a British drama first broadcast on BBC Four documenting the journey of Coronation Street, the UK's longest-running television soap opera, from conception to its first transmission in December 1960...
, about how the series first came into being.
Jessie WallaceJessie Wallace is an English actress best known for her portrayal as Kat Moon in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Early life:...
plays
Pat PhoenixPatricia "Pat" Frederica Phoenix was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role of Elsie Tanner in Coronation Street.-Early life and career:Born in Ireland to Anna Maria Josephine Noonan and Tom Manfield, but moved to Manchester before...
(
Elsie TannerElsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Patricia Phoenix from 1960 to 1973 and from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the very first episode...
) with
Lynda BaronLynda Baron is a BAFTA-nominated English stage, film and television actress, perhaps best known for playing the extremely busty Nurse Gladys Emmanuel, the object of Arkwright's affection, in the BBC comedy series Open All Hours....
as
Violet CarsonViolet Helen Carson OBE was an English actress, best known for playing Ena Sharples, one of the original characters in the British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life and career:...
(
Ena SharplesEna Sharples is one of the original characters from the British soap opera Coronation Street, and was played by Violet Carson.-Development:...
),
Celia ImrieCelia Diana Savile Imrie is an English actress. In a career starting in the early 1970s, Imrie has played Marianne Bellshade in Bergerac, Philippa Moorcroft in Dinnerladies, Miss Babs in Acorn Antiques, Diana Neal in After You've Gone and Gloria Millington in Kingdom...
as
Doris SpeedDoris Speed, MBE was an English actress, best known for her role as snooty Rovers Return landlady Annie Walker on Coronation Street, a role she played from 1960 to 1983.-Early life and career:...
(
Annie WalkerAnne "Annie" Walker is a long-standing fictional character in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by actress Doris Speed from the series' first episode in 1960 until Speed retired from the role 23 years and 1,746 episodes later in 1983.The character of Annie has been noted as...
) and James Roache as his own father
William RoacheWilliam Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
(Ken Barlow). It was broadcast on 16 September 2010 on
BBC FourBBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
.
In December 2010, ITV made a few special programs to mark the 50th anniversary.
Coronation Street Uncovered: Live, hosted by
Stephen MulhernStephen Daniel Mulhern is a British TV presenter, entertainer, and former magician. He began presenting in the studio on CITV in May 1998 and became a leading presenter until he left in August 2002. He has presented a number of shows, including SMTV Live, Holly & Stephen's Saturday Showdown and...
was shown after the episode with the tram crash was aired on ITV 2. On 7 and 9 December a countdown on the greatest Corrie moments,
Coronation Street: 50 Years, 50 Moments, the viewers voted "The Barlows at Alcoholics Anonymous" as the greatest moment. On 10 December
Paul O'GradyPaul James Michael O'Grady MBE is an English comedian, television presenter, actor, writer and radio DJ. He is best known for presenting the daytime chat television series, The Paul O'Grady Show and, more recently, Paul O'Grady Live, as well as his drag queen comedic alter ego, Lily Savage, as...
hosted a quiz show,
Coronation Street: The Big 50 with three teams from the soap and a celebrity team answering questions about Coronation Street and other soaps. Also,
Come Dine with MeCome Dine With Me is a popular Channel 4 television programme shown in the United Kingdom, produced by Granada Television and first broadcast in January 2005. The show has either four or five amateur chefs competing against each other hosting a dinner party for the other contestants...
and
Celebrity JuiceCelebrity Juice is a British television comedy panel game show on ITV2 that has been airing since 24 September, 2008. The show is presented by Keith Lemon, with regular captains Holly Willoughby and Fearne Cotton, alongside regular panellist Rufus Hound...
aired Coronation Street specials in the anniversary week.
Crossovers
Coronation Street and rival soap opera
EastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
had a crossover for
Children in NeedChildren in Need 2010 was a campaign held in the United Kingdom to raise money for Children in Need. 2010 marked the 30th anniversary of the appeal which culminated in a live broadcast on BBC One which began on the evening of Friday 19th November and ran until the early hours of Saturday 20th...
in November 2010 called "
East Street"East Street" is a charity crossover mini-episode between British soap operas Coronation Street and EastEnders. It was broadcast on 19 November 2010 as part of children's charity Children in Need's 2010 telethon on BBC One...
".
EastEnders stars that visited Weatherfield include
Laurie BrettLaurie Brett is a Scottish actress, currently known for her role as Jane Beale in EastEnders, in which she has starred since 2004.-Personal life:...
as Jane Beale,
Charlie G. HawkinsCharlie George Hawkins is an English actor. He was raised in Islington where he has lived since birth.His most notable role is Darren Miller in the BBC soap opera EastEnders, which he has starred in since 2004, although he has had other roles in films, dramas, documentaries and advertisements...
as
Darren MillerDarren Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Charlie G. Hawkins. He made his first appearance on 6 September 2004 and departed in the episode broadcast on 20 September 2011.-Storylines:...
,
Kylie BabbingtonKylie Jane Babbington is a British actress.Babbington was born in Havering, London in 1987. She studied acting and musical theatre at the Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts and appeared in productions of Assassins, Elergies, Essex Girls and Odin.In 2010 she was cast in the BBC soap opera...
as
Jodie GoldJodie Gold is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Kylie Babbington. She first appeared on screen on 7 June 2010. On 24 October 2011, it was announced Babbington's contract would not be renewed and Jodie departed on 14 November 2011, along with Poppy Meadow...
,
Nina Wadia-Television and film:Wadia first came to prominence in BBC sketch show Goodness Gracious Me, playing characters such as Mrs "I can make it at home for nothing!" and one half of The Competitive Mothers...
as
Zainab MasoodZainab Masood is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by comedienne Nina Wadia. She made her first appearance on 16 July 2007.-Backstory:...
and
John PartridgeJohn Partridge is an English actor, singer, dancer, panelist and television presenter, who is probably best known for the role of Christian Clarke in the long-running BBC television soap opera EastEnders, having joined the cast in January 2008...
as
Christian ClarkeChristian Clarke is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by John Partridge. He made his first appearance on 17 January 2008.-Storylines:...
.
Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas! also included some characters from
EmmerdaleEmmerdale, is a long-running British soap opera set in Emmerdale , a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, Emmerdale was first broadcast on 16 October 1972...
.
Corrie in popular culture
The British rock band
QueenQueen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
produced a single "
I Want to Break Free"I Want to Break Free" is a song by the British rock band Queen, which was written by its bassist John Deacon. The song was featured on the Queen's 1984 album The Works and distributed as a single on 7-inch and 12-inch vinyl records and 3-inch and 5-inch CDs. The song had three versions: album,...
" in 1984 which reached number 3 position in UK charts and which is largely known for its music video for which all the band members dressed in women's clothes, which parodied the characters and is considered as a homage to the show.
Sponsorship
Cadbury-Businesses:*Cadbury Adams, the company's North American subsidiary*Cadbury Ireland, the company's Irish subsidiary*Cadbury UK, the company's UK subsidiary*Cadbury India, the company's Indian subsidiary*Cadbury New Zealand, the company's New Zealand subsidiary...
was the first sponsor of
Coronation Street beginning in July 1996. The original sponsorship had a chocolate-like version of the street (which can be seen in place at the
Cadbury WorldCadbury World is a visitor attraction created and run by the Cadbury chocolate company. Two locations exist: Birmingham, United Kingdom and Dunedin, New Zealand.-Birmingham:- Overview :Cadbury World is a one-way self-guided tour....
museum in Bournville, Birmingham) with chocolate characters resembling some of the actual
Coronation Street characters. In the summer of 2006, Cadbury Trebor Bassetts had to recall over one million chocolate bars, due to suspected salmonella contamination, and
Coronation Street stopped the sponsorship for several months. In late 2006, Cadbury did not renew their contract, but agreed to sponsor the show until
Coronation Street found a new sponsor. On 16 September 2007, the Cadbury sponsor adverts were broadcast for the last time.
In July 2007, an ITV press release announced that
HarveysHarveys Furniture is a British furniture retailer with over 150 stores throughout the United Kingdom. It has been the sponsor of long running soap opera Coronation Street since 30 September 2007. It is wholly owned by Steinhoff International which owns more than 70 factories. Steinhoff was founded...
was the new sponsor of
Coronation Street on the ITV Network. Harveys' sponsorship began on 30 September 2007. In the Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday film, Roy and Hayley Cropper are filmed in front of a Harveys store. In Coronation Street: A Knights Tale, a Harveys truck can be seen driving past Mary Taylor's motor-home to further promote the brand.
In November 2011 a Nationwide Building Society ATM in Devendra and Sunita Alahan's shop became the first use of paid-for product placement in Coronation Street.
Awards
Coronation Street is the second most award-winning British Soap in the UK, behind rival soap
EastEndersEastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
.
| Year |
Result |
Award |
Category
British Academy Television Awards |
| 1999 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2000 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2001 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2002 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2003 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2004 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2005 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2006 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2007 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2010 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| 2011 |
|
British Academy Television Awards |
Best Continuing Drama |
| Year |
Result |
Award |
Category
National Television Awards |
| 1995 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 1996 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 1997 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 1998 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 1999 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2000 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2001 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2002 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2003 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2004 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2005 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2006 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2007 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2008 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2010 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| 2011 |
|
National Television Awards |
Most Popular Serial Drama |
| Year |
Result |
Award |
Category
Television and Club Industries Club Awards |
| 2001 |
|
TRIC Awards |
Special Award |
| 2002 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| 2003 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| 2004 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the year |
| 2005 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| 2006 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| 2007 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| 2008 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| 2009 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| 2010 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| 2011 |
|
TRIC Awards |
TV Soap of the Year |
| Year |
Result |
Award |
Category
Royal Television Society Awards |
| 2002 |
|
RTS Awards |
Soap and Continuing Drama |
| 2003 |
|
RTS Awards |
Soap and Continuing Drama |
| 2004 |
|
RTS Awards |
Soap and Continuing Drama |
| 2005 |
|
RTS Awards |
Soap and Continuing Drama |
| 2006 |
|
RTS Awards |
Soap and Continuing Drama |
| 2007 |
|
RTS Awards |
Soap and Continuing Drama |
| 2008 |
|
RTS Awards |
Soap and Continuing Drama |
| 2010 |
|
RTS Awards |
Soap and Continuing Drama |
| Year |
Result |
Award |
Category
British Soap Awards |
| 1999 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2000 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2001 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2002 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2003 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2004 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2005 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2006 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2007 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2008 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2009 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2010 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
| 2011 |
|
British Soap Awards |
Best Soap |
Producers
- See List of Coronation Street producers
The first producer was Stuart Latham, from December 1960 to July 1961. In the 1960s and 1970s, most producers did stints of about one year. Longer-running producers included Eric Prytherch (May 1972 – April 1974); Bill Podmore (September 1977 – July 1982); Carolyn Reynolds (1991–1993); and Sue Pritchard (1993–1996). From 2008 until Summer 2010 the soap was produced by Kim Crowther. who was replaced by current producer Phil Collinson (producer of
Doctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
from 2005 to 2009).
See also
Video and DVD references
- This Is Coronation Street, Dir: John Black (DVD) Acorn Media Publishing, 2003
- Coronation Street: Secrets, Dir: John Black (DVD) Morningstar Entertainment, 2004
- Coronation Street: Early Days, (Video) Granada Media Group, 2001
- Coronation Street: The Jubilee Years, (Video) Granada Media Group, 1985
- Coronation Street: The Magic of, (Video) Granada Media Group, 1985
External links