WELCOME TO THE HISTORY OF CORONATION STREET! | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coronation Street first
hit our TV screens on ITV1 on 9th December 1960. By the end of December it
was one of the most popular programs on TV and Granada confirmed it would
continue. It was originally called
Florizel Street. The first episodes were recorded live, which required a
high standard of performance. In 1989 "the street" went from 2 episodes
a week to three, and in 2003 in went up to four episodes a week, two on a
Monday.
General episode reviews
from the past, please enjoy:
1960:Elsie
Lappin, who has run the Corner Shop since 1930, retires to Knott End and
hands the shop over to ex-barmaid Florrie Lindley. May Hardman returns
from a mental hospital, complaining of stabbing pains in her head. Ken
Barlow embarks on the first of his women, going out with middle-class
Susan Cunningham - but is ashamed of his surroundings. Elsie Tanner's son,
lovable rogue Dennis Tanner returns home from borstal, and No11 gets a
little crowded when Elsie's daughter Linda Cheveski also returns after
leaving husband Ivan - they are reconciled when Linda announces she is
pregnant. At Christmas, Lucille Hewitt runs away from an orphanage to join
her father Harry at No7, but there is a sad end to the year. May Hardman
dies of a brain tumor in the hallway of No13 on New Year's Eve.1961:
Teetotal Leonard Swindley, lay preacher at
the Glad Tidings Mission, stumbles upon caretaker Ena Sharples quietly
enjoying a milk stout in the Rovers Return. Ena indignantly claims it is
for medicinal purposes, but the anxiety brings on a stroke. She collapses
in the Vestry and is taken to Weatherfield Hospital. Now for some more modern ones: 2001: For the
first time ever, Danny has shown a bit of character this week. I wouldn't
go so far as to say that I warmed to him, but he was a bit, jut a bit,
likeable. You could see he was feeling a bit uncomfortable when Kev took
the girls out to the zoo on Boxing Day, and in the end, he decides there's
only way to ensure he gets Sally's undivided attention and make himself
truly part of the family. He pesters Gail for an answer to a question:
"If you were me, knowing Sally as you do, would you ask her to marry
you?" And then, down on bended knee in the Rovers on New Years Eve,
he asks Sally the same question, well, he didn't use the same words of
course, but is was still the same question, nonetheless. Now he's
wondering if he's done the right thing because Sally hasn't given him an
answer yet. Looks like she's going to have to phone a friend on that one.
A friend called Kev, no doubt. 2002:Fred
and Eve are still living with the Peacocks and still looking for somewhere
to live. When the secret snorer is revealed to be Eve, she confesses to
Fred: "I've tried everything - cotton wool, ear plugs, the world
service... " but it's all to no avail and while everyone's making an
effort to get along in that little house, it's clear something's got to
give. It's fortunate then, isn't it, that Duggie decides to auction off
the Rovers. With Geena and Shelly fighting for role as queen bee behind
the bar, it's Eve that nabs the limelight when Fred buys her the Rovers -
lock, stock and barrel - on the auction night. In a move that fair knocks
the smile off Shelley's face and the evil grin from Geena's, Eve's over
the moon but Audrey has a few choice words for Fred. "If she's the
queen of the palace, does that make you her king or court jester?"
Fred reminds Audrey that despite their friendship, Eve's his wife and
Audrey would do well to remember that, so think on, I say, respect his
decision. 2003:
There's only way to start the update this week and that's with the whole
Ken, Deirdre, Dev and Tracy malarkey. Crikey, where to begin?
Tracey's husband Robert turns up at the Barlow's after Deirdre calls him
to tell him where his errant wife has ended up. But when he arrives,
all he wants is his van keys, certainly not his Jezebel of a wife who, he
tells Deirdre, had slept with his best mate. Now that Deirdre
knows Tracey's shagging Dev, she's really not happy. Jealous? Perhaps.
Worried that her secret night of passion with Dev will come out?
Definitely… but out it does come. In the corner shop, Tracey's
boasting to Sunita that she's not like the rest of Dev's girls, she's
different. Frustrated and fed-up, Sunita tells Tracey that she's exactly
like the rest of Dev's girls, in fact, one of his girls was her mother. 2004:On
Christmas day at the Barlow's, Blanche gives Deirdre oven gloves; Deirdre
gives Blanche a blouse and Blanche gives Tracy the house down the street.
Yes, Blanche has bought No. 7 (Curly's old house) from under the noses of
the Croppers who wanted to buy it themselves, and has given the house to
her greedy grand-daughter and great-grand-child to be. This causes
much tension between Blanche and Deirdre - who feels her mother's
forgotten her priorities and has gone straight to Tracy with her money and
affection rather than to her. After arguments and snide comments,
Deirdre tells Blanche to pack her bags and leave. Blanche shuffles
down the street with her dented pride and her suitcases - all the way to
Tracy's - who isn't best pleased to have her gran move in. Blanche
reminds Tracy, however, that although the house is hers to live in, it's
Blanche who owns it so she'd best think on. Another
Christmas day bombshell is dropped when Tracy tells Steve he's the father
of her baby and Steve tells Tracy he wants nowt to do with her.
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