50 Years Of Corrie In 50 Days – 1987

(This post was originally posted by Sunny Jim on the Coronation Street Blog in 2010, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Day 27 of our 50 day countdown of Coronation Street - written by blogger Sunny Jim.

For 23 years Jean Alexander had played the nation’s favourite gossiping cleaner, Hilda Ogden but in 1987 she decided to call it a day to allow her to do some of the things she’d been doing before she started in Coronation Street. When Jean announced her decision to leave, the writers decided to send her off in style.

Dr and Mrs Lowther, who she had cleaned for for years, had decided to retire to Derbyshire. Hilda went round to help them pack up their house and disturbed some burglars. In the struggle she was knocked unconscious and ended up on a life-support system. When she came round she was told that Mrs Lowther had died of heart failure during the attack. On her release from hospital she withdrew into herself, frightened to leave the safety of no. 13 and when Dr Lowther offered her the chance to be his housekeeper in Derbyshire, she jumped at it. On Christmas Day in the Rovers the whole Street turned out to give her a rousing send off and over 26 million viewers tuned in to hear her sing ‘Wish Me Luck As You Wave Me Goodbye’.

Eager to get the brewery off her back, Bet Lynch set about getting together the funds to buy the Rovers off Newton and Ridley. She couldn’t scrape together anywhere near enough and so, despite warnings from all her friends, she borrowed money off Alec Gilroy. No sooner was the pub hers than she disappeared off to Spain, feeling unable to cope with the repayments she’d saddled herself with. Alec was quick to tell Cecil Newton where her money had come from and he was allowed to take control of the pub. When Alec located her he flew out to see her and asked her to come back to run the pub with him as his wife.

One of the most unlikely weddings ever to feature on Coronation Street went ahead with fans outside the church chanting ‘Don’t Do It’. But do it they did, with Bet wearing the most outrageous meringue of a wedding dress you’ve ever seen, while wardrobe were unable, or unwilling to even bother, turning up Alec’s trousers properly.

Also in 1987: Brian and Gail Tilsley are reconciled after birth of Sarah-Louise; Alan proposes to Rita and they live over the brush; Deirdre becomes a councillor; Don Brennan makes his first appearance; Terry Duckworth beds Dulcie Froggat; Susan Baldwin gets pregnant and tells Mike she’s had an abortion; Vera Duckworth’s mother, Amy Burton, moves in.