Corrie Disco Night

It's a Saturday night.  It's New Year's Eve.  Time to kick off your shoes, get a nice hot drink and celebrate with Sally Webster croaking out Never Can Say Goodbye.

Sing along!

Blogger Rachel's take on Stella Price

(This post was originally posted by Rachel on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2011.)

I thought I’d wade in with all this controversy over Stella Price’s/Michelle Collins’ accent. Personally, I don’t think it’s that bad. Yes it could do with a bit of work but at least she’s made the effort to change her voice. Her character shows a lot of promise and seems to be one of the feisty females Corrie is so good at.

Personally, I think part of the problem is the high expectations on Michelle Collins. She’s such a well known actress that people already have opinions and impressions of her. If they haven’t liked her in other programmes, chances are they won’t like her in Coronation Street. I’m not saying that’s everyone’s opinion but if you already don’t rate her as an actress, chances are her appearing on Corrie won’t change your mind. Michelle is a great actress in my opinion, but she does have a lot of pressure on herself at the moment.

Also, as one of the commentators on Jane’s post pointed out, Stella has been the centre of attention and hasn’t had much time to settle in. Whereas her boyfriend and daughter are away from the limelight they’re having more time to be introduced. If the writers were to ease Stella in slower, I think we’d warm to her more.

A perfect example is Becky (Katherine Kelly) I think I’m right in thinking she wasn’t meant to be in the show permanently. Although she did have some hectic scenes early on, she was eased in gradually after that and we got used to the character. The rest as they say is history.

Furthermore, most of us have would never have heard of Katherine Kelly before she joined the show. Therefore none of us had any expectations or judgements already made of her. We just analysed what she did in front of us and didn’t compare her to anyone. Obviously casting an unknown actress or actor doesn’t always work out, but perhaps Corrie might have been best in doing so for this character. Or as I said, building her character up slowly...

State of the Street - June 2011

The month started off with a crash and ended with one. There was the crash of a body hitting the hospital carpark, the crash of a sledgehammer on the Barlow table and the crash of a barstool flying through the window of the pub. Poor Fiz is in limbo and facing charges.

Becky and Steve's marraige has imploded, much as most of us expected would happen sooner or later. Graeme and Tina's relationship blew up as well, though Graeme, at least, left with a wife he never expected to fall in love with.

The Rovers has a new name over the door and the first week has been quite a bumpy ride for Stella Price. All this in detail over on the State of the Street for June.

Fat Brenda's Cream Horn

(This post was originally posted by Fat Brenda on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2011, reposted with permission.)

So as you all know, Karl's got a job at Streetcars. He came in, took one look at me inner thigh and one whiff of me Yardley Lace eau de flamin' toilette and that was it, he was smitten! I sent him off to find Lloyd and now he sits with me every night munching on me Tunnocks and supping on me Mellow Birds!

I know Eddie left cos there wasn't enough work so it might have been a shock hearing we needed new drivers but the truth is, I lied! After I saw Karl's rugged good looks and tight denim clad bum I knew we (I) had to have him!

It's not all been plain sailing for that lot though, Stella has had a right nightmare trying to run The Rovers while Becky has been doing her best to ruin it. When will someone actually say to Becky, "Even though Roy and Hayley tell you yer belting yer not. Yer horrible. You've smashed up Ken and Deirdre's house, looted from yer friends, sulked when summat's not gone right for you, been violent to folk and ruined yer chances of adoption by shouting at everyone and being caught smoking - when you've claimed to have given up - by social workers and then to top it all off you create a situation where yer husband's daughter becomes less important than yer nephew who you've only known for a couple of months!" She's a right flamin' witch nowadays!

Poor Ken has been at his wits end listening to that racket coming from The Rovers over the past week. Deirdre hasn't been that bothered though, she's had her head in a kiln.... mind you wouldn't we all if we were married to Ken! He did get a a bit hot under the collar when that stripper pounced on him though but when you've had as many lasses as Ken you get used to women throwing 'emsleves at you... so he tells me anyway... when Deirdre's not there!

It was nice to see Sean and Marcus being absolutley delighted that Dylan's mam, Violet, was more seriously injured and ill than they thought! "Whoopeeee, she's proper ill!" they cried! They took her son out to celebrate! 'There you go Dylan, have an ice-cream, yer mam's at death's door!"

I saw Dennis lost a tenner going on a pilgrimage to his old house. He came out looking very upset but wouldn't we all after being in a confined space with Eileen flamin' Grimshaw! What does bother me though is where Dennis is getting all his clothes from, judging by that tan leather jacket he was wearing on Monday, the seventies! Does Rita keep all her dead husband's clothes - like trophies? He's in a different get-up every week that Dennis!

It's not been a good week for Carla after losing her mum. I was surprised an' all, I always thought Carla was bred in a laboratory using the mane of Black Beauty and the liver of Oliver reed! I can't imagine her ever being a child...

"Carla, shall we go to the sweetshop?"

"The flamin' sweetshop?! No we shall not! I'm not paying you to stand around eating flamin' sweets while there's skipping ropes need jumping"

"But Carla, you don't pay me, I'm only six and so are you!"

"Pass me that cherry Coke, I need a drink!"

"But Carla, don't you think you've had enough cherry Coke for one day?"

"I'll drink as much as I flamin' like...etc etc"

Anyhow, back to Stella. I'll say this now loveys and I'm putting me neck on't line, I flamin' like her. Any lass who can tackle a hardened criminal with nowt but a scowl and a bookies pen is alright by me! She gave Peter a good rollicking for leaving Leanne on her own to cash up. Who does she think she is, her flamin' mother?! I do like stella though, I mean, I'd still get off with her Karl if he offered loveys, don't get me wrong, but I'd feel guilty about it... maybe... eventually!

Before I go, I just had to say, how long has Lloyd been painting that flamin' wall at number 13?! Michelangelo took less time painting the Sistine flamin' chapel! They've decided to make the decor as bland as possible in an attempt to make Cheryl more interesting in comparison but I don't reckon it'll work do you?

Always remember, loveys: life is like a pot noodle, there's never enough sauce!

Tweeter here!

More loving for Sylvia

Roy's mother, Syliva, is a crusty old cow, with leanings to spiteful and nasty. She and Roy clearly have a contentious history but last night on Coronation Street, we saw a few cracks in her facade.

After a few days of battling Becky, dealing with the shock of finding out about Hayley and having her son stand toe to toe against her to defend his wife, we found her sitting in a corner gazing at a well worn photo of her son as a child. Clearly, that was a photo of David Neilson himself which added a nice touch to the scene.

Sylvia loves her son, she's even admitted as much but also said he was a disappointment. Let's look at that from her point of view. She had two bad marrages. We've heard Roy speak badly of his father occasionally and also of an abusive step-father. Women of her generation usually stayed with their husbands even when things were very bad. Add to that a son that had difficulties, very likely dealing with Asperger's Syndrome. That's hard to handle if you don't know what you're dealing with and when Roy was a child, nobody really did. He was branded as weird and awkward and she didn't have the proper skills to know how to help him. It must have been very frustrating and she dealt with him entirely the wrong way, no doubt.

Now she's feeling old, left out, with nowhere to go, embarassed at having to accept charity from her son who is providing her a home more out of duty than love. Her daughter-in-law has a past history that bewilders her. But she's built up a wall for so long that she has no idea how to let it down and being cranky and insulting is the way she deals with it all. Little by little we are seeing cracks in the wall and perhaps we'll see she and Roy make peace.

Will she turn into a sweet old lady? I doubt that but she may occasionally show a softer side to offset the vitriol and she'll be the classic Corrie battleaxe that we need and love. We're very lucky to have an actress of the calibre of Stephanie Cole to bring Sylvia to life and the chemistry between she and Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson is a powerhouse trio, in my opinion!

Sneak Preview of next week's Canadian Corrie, Jan. 2 - 6

Without further ado, here's a brief run down of next week's Coronation Street on Canadian Screens:

Leanne discovers that Stella is her biological mother and isn't very happy about it and Eva is furious. Peter plays peacemaker and Stella is in a hard place. Leanne gets good news but is Peter as happy as he makes out?

The charity auction is a success but the cash isn't enough to get a deposit on the new shelter. Sophie has a plan but ends up taking matters into her own hands but gets a shock. There's fraud underfoot and one of the fraudsters has a plan to recoup some losses. What will Sally and Kevin do when they hear? Meanwhile, Tyrone questions why Kevin is still living with Sally.

The case against Fiz is looking grim and then the worst happens, she's charged and put in jail! She won't keep Hope with her. How long will Hayley be able to cope with a baby?

Anna's got a new landlord and it's someone familiar. Julie discovers a new relative. Audrey discovers that Marc is still cross dressing in spite of his vow to stop. Will she continue to support him? Amber is back and does not mind Tommy's attentions at all. You just know Dev will get his hackles up! Kylie and Gail continue to bicker until it reaches a crisis point.

For more detail and photos, see the Moosejaw Mercury at Corrie.net

Dennis Tanner's dialogue is a nod to Corrie's past

(This post was originally posted by Seanie on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2011.)

Did anyone else notice Dennis Tanner's line from last night?

"I'm not ready for the knacker yard yet." I just had to smile when I heard it, and I got the picture in my head of Elsie examining herself in the mirror some 50 years ago.

It's lovely the way the writers are putting in these little nods to the show's history. Have you noticed any other nods to the show's history over the years?

The Price family, Yay or Nay?

(This post was originally posted by Seanie on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2011.)

This week, the focus is on the Price family. There has been a lot of focus on Michelle Collins aka Stella Price's bad Northern accent, but since I'm not from the North, I can't made a judgement on it, is it really bad?

Then there's the daughter, who hasn't made a big impression on me, unfortunately. She seems too self-centered and spoilt for my liking. Karl Munro, Stella's partner, hasn't had much screen time yet but I do like him. I see him as a cross between Eddie Windass and Steve McDonald, with maybe a hint of Les Battersby.

Overall, I think they are a great addition to Corrie. Its always a nice change to the Steve/Becky drama. So, yes I like them, I am voting Yay. What about you?

Fat Brenda's Valentine Horn

(This post was originally posted by Fat Brenda on the Coronation Street Blog May, 2011, reposted to this blog with permission.)

I'm still hungover after going to Becky's party last week, it was a belting do! She even managed to get some of the attractions from the travelling Freak Show, that have set up camp on the Red Rec, to go! She spent most of the night with her head stuck to the lap of the bearded lady. It was all going really well until Steve turned up trying to spoil everything. I ran off and hid in the bedroom cos I'd called in sick to the cab office and I didn't want him to see me. Once he'd gone we got right back into the party mood. I have recorded some of it on me Orange Apple Hi-phone if anyone's interested,

"It's a great do this, Becks" I told her with a glass of pina colada in me hand.

"No it isn't Brenda. You just want it to be a belting do but it's not what it is... it's not who I really am, it's just who you want me to be" she replied.

"You what?"

"I'm nowt me Brenda, nowt but a lass from the wrong side of the flamin' tracks... I'm nowt. Do you hear me? NOWT!"

Poor Becky, still spending Steve's cash and banging on about how flamin' hard her life is. It's not often Roy and Hayley liven a party up but thank Cliff they came when they did cos I was close to lamping her one!

Did anyone see Tommy Duckworth's cardigan when he went out with Tina? Oh loveys, he looked like a model for BHS - proper nice. He was given some advice on women from the wise and charismatic Cheryl cos she's proved herself to be an authority on relationships - what with her years with an abusive fella and her obvious love of Lloyd('s money). It's like Kevin Webster giving advice on fidelity and contraception!

If I was Nick I'd turn them lights down behind the bar cos when they illuminate his ears it's actually quite frightening but not as frightening as Gail who's become so obsessed about the bistro's cleanliness she actually waits for you outside the toilet cubicles while yer weeing and questions you on what you've done in there! Why does she spend so much time cleaning? It's tiny! Is it really that dirty? Maybe she cleans out Nick's ears with her mop, that's an eight hour shift in itself! Maybe she's still trying to remove the stubborn under-stains that were left after Nick and Leanne "christened" the furniture!

I like the way Fiz is preparing herself for prison by slowly turning into Bea Smith from Prisoner Cell Block H! I can see her now, operating the steam press and getting up to all sorts of trouble with her inmate pals. When I was banged up for stalking Luigi from the local trattoria I had the time of me life in Weatherfield nick! I shared a cell with Gail for a few weeks but apart from that it was really good!

I gave Fiz some advice. "Don't marry someone who has previously had affairs with a young girl while going out with you and then kidnapped the lass he had the affair with." Sound advice is that loveys! She didn't thank me for it though... ungrateful witch!

It's nice to see Rita is back to doing what she does best - drinking too much and kicking Norris. For too long she's been like the Dalai Lama in a Cilla Black wig, wandering round and advising folk on what they should and shouldn't do but now Dennis Tanner (or Dennis lost tenner as I like to call him) is around she seems to have lightened up at long last! Thank Cliff for that!

Eeh by gum! Well I'll go to't foot of our stairs h'apen I will cos there's a new bar manager at T'Rovers called Stella! She seems right nice dun't she bless her lickle cotton socks! She's a very strong accent though loveys, I can barely understand her! I reckon she's from the south loveys cos they have proper funny accents in that South Manchester - Chorlton and Didsbury loveys, they eat summat called hummus over there! Her boyfriend's a bit of alright though in't he? Oh loveys, he's proper fit! I think he's been giving me the glad eye an' all the rum beggar! Steve gave him the task of cleaning up the cellar... he could give my downstairs a good bottoming any time he flamin' likes!

We needed some new fellas round here and Karl fits the bill perfectly. I mean, I do like Marcus in his black muscle-man vest, don't get me wrong, but that Karl is in a different league!

Talking of Marcus, he's a been a right godsend now that Dylan is living with him and Sean. It's like Three Men and a Little Lad with Sean as a young Ted Danson, Marcus as the quirkily handsome Steve Guttenberg and Eileen as the masculine mustached Tom Selleck!

I'm off now loveys but remember, Jesus said, "it's easy in life to ridicule others and spread nastiness about folk but it's proper hard to do it really well"

Jesus was not consulted in the making of this bloggy post and all references to him are purely coincidental!

Check out me tweeters here!

Hayley's secret is out

(This post was originally posted by David on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2011.)

Amidst the nonsense with Becky wreaking more havoc and Antony Cotton's "acting" like a concerned father during last night's visit to the street was Roy and Haley and their attempts to conceal the truth about Hayley from Sylvia.

The truth about Hayley's past coming out to Sylvia was something I was both looking forward to and apprehensive about because Roy and Haley are one of my favourite couples on the cobbles.

When Sylvia eventually started to attack poor Hayley, Roy stepped up in one of those rare moments where Roy well and truly stands up not only for himself but his wife as well. I don't think we've seen this side of Roy since all that business with Tony Gordon last year. But as a man who rarely divulges his feelings with others it is always a treat when we see a more vulnerable side to Roy, reminding us that he does actually have feelings and his often unspoken love for Hayley is something that he will not allow to come under attack by anyone, not even his mother.

That said Sylvia's insults were horrific but as we know she's not the nicest of old ladies, something which I hope will be explored in the future. I don't see Sylvia coming around any time soon but a reconciliation is bound to happen although when it does I hope that it is done so in a way where we come to know more about Sylvia and perhaps get an insight into why she is the way she is.

They may be one of the more unconventional couples in soapland but Roy and Hayley are also one of the strongest and I applaud the writers for going where they did because the Croppers really stole the show last night.

Leanne Barlow's real mum (rumours and speculation)

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog May 2011, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Comments left on this blog post have proved intriguing as to the truth behind Leanne Battersby's real mum and I thought it deserved a blog post all of its own.  And so, with full credit to http://www.corrie.net/ let's see what we can uncover!

If newcomer Stella, played by Michelle Collins, turns out to be Leanne's real mum, as rumoured, this means she obviously had a relationship with Leanne's dad, Les Battersby.  In which case, the description that we've been given of Stella as "strong, feisty and fun" can be stretched to include "a bit desperate". 

We also  know for certain that Les has fathered a son, Greg Kelly, from a relationship with Moira Wood (nee Kelly) before he met and married Janice Battersby.  But when did Les meet Leanne's mum, this Stella one, if the rumours turn out to be true? 

So what do we know about Leanne's real mum and what's been said about her in the past - can anyone recall?

Should Sally and Kevin get back together?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog June 2011, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Michael Le Vell, who plays Kevin Webster on Coronation Street told Take It Easy magazine that he's hoping for a reunion between Sally and Kev.

He told the magazine: "We're hoping so, but it's not going to be in the near future. I love working on the Webster set, so the sooner we get back together, the better. But we don't write the stuff - we just learn the lines and say it."

Now then, that's got me thinking, does anyone actually want Sally and Kevin to reunite this time or are they better off, and more interesting characters, apart?

New Rovers Return manager

(This post was originally posted by Craig on the Coronation Street Blog in April 2011.)

As you know,  we're getting a trio of new characters to take over behind the bar of the Rovers!

A brand spanking new couple Stella and Karl has joined the Street, played by former Eastenders actress Michelle Collins and Taggart star John Michie.

Steve McDonald  employed Stella as his new bar manager, and she'll give poor Steve more than he bargained for by moving in with husband Karl and daughter Eva.

Stella will have a dark secret, like they say about a lot of new arrivals, so that's bound to come out in the first couple of months! And look out for that to have repercussions for some of the Street's residents.

Exec producer Kieran Roberts said: "Karl and Stella's fiery marriage is sure to keep viewers hooked through 2011 and beyond".

What do we think over here at the Bluenose Corrie Blog? This will certainly vastly change the dynamics of the Rovers from now on, sounds like an exciting new direction for our favourite boozer! Personally I'm a big fan on Michelle Collins, so looking forward to seeing Stella especially.

........................
And my take on it:

Craig and I posted about the same thing just about the same time so here's my take on ITV's "Big Announcement". this morning introduces the couple that's going to be behind the bar of the Rovers. The couple's names are Stella and Karl and Steve hires Stella as the new manager. She and her husband, Karl, and their daughter move in. Seems they have a "fiery" relationship and Stella's got a "dark" secret that's going to "rock the cobbles".

Stella is played by former Eastenders star Michelle Collins and Karl is played by former Taggart star, John Michie. I have only a little exposure to Ms. Collins and none to Mr. Michie since I have only seen Eastenders sporadically and not seen Taggart at all. He looks a little bit Danny Baldwinish, don't you t hink?

I'm dubious. I don't really want to see Southerners behind the bar so I'm hoping they can both pull a Jessie Wallace and put on a credible Northern accent. There have been a lot of accusations from commenters here lately that Phil Collinson is making Corrie too much like Eastenders with grim storylines and this may backlash even further. Coronation Street is a soap that reflects Northern life and it's people and it shouldn't end up being a clone of Eastenders.

I'm willing to wait and see, and willing to give them a chance, but they've got pretty big shoes to fill and high expectations to meet.

Edited to add a few comments streaming from the ITV Twitter page with quotes from Collins and Michie:

>>John Michie: "...I am from even further north so it is the only soap for me.” #Corriebignews

>>John Michie: “My mum is from Rochdale, my wife is from Grimethorpe they are both northerners and huge fans..." #Corriebignews

>>Michelle Collins: “I am honoured to be joining.. it's been part of my life since I was a child.. it is extremely exciting.” #Corriebignews

Fiction mirrors life for Charlie Condou

(This post was originally posted by me on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2011.)

There's a nice interview in the Mirror today with Charlie Condou who plays Marcus Dent on Coronation Street. Marcus has returned to our screens and I'm very chuffed that he's back. He's reunited with his ex, Sean Tully and Sean has had to take on caring for his son with Violet, Dylan, while Violet recovers from a car accident injury.

Marcus is fully supportive of Sean and is more than willing to help and his portrayer, Charlie, can relate. Off the screen, Charlie is in a very similar situation, co-parenting a toddler with his long time partner Cameron Laux. Charlie and a very good friend decided to have a baby via IVF and he and Cameron do their part in bringing their little girl up. In the interview, he relates that same sex parenting is getting more and more comming, and the high profiles of some celebrity gay parents is really bringing the issue to the forefront.

He says “It’s a great thing to have on TV, ­especially with a soap like Coronation Street which ­reaches so many people.” and finishes with “It’s the best thing I ever did. I don’t think you ever know love like it until you have children.”

It looks like Sean will have Dylan on board for a few months, so we should be seeing all the ups and downs of the couple suddenly taking on parenthood. I reckon they should rent that flat that Jason and Tina still own that seems to have been forgotten since the Kabin was rebuilt around it.

There's something (not quite right) about James

(This post was originally posted by David on the Coronation Street Blog in May, 2011.)

Okay, I’ll admit it – I actually like James Cunningham (and it's not just because his hair can rival that of Rita, Audrey and Claudia combined in the 'who's got the biggest hair' contest). I think it has something to do with how posh he is, it just makes me smile how out of place his accent is on the Street. And he works for a charity so he can't be that bad. Or can he?

It is becoming particularly obvious now poor Sophie and Sian are involved with him and the soup kitchen that there’s definitely something up with him.

It is a bit suspicious that he’d leave two teenage girls on their own to look after the kitchen (when they have only been there a couple of weeks as it is) on the day that they just happen to get robbed. I don’t buy it and I will be incredibly surprised if this isn’t revealed as some big plot to fund the halfway house that James keeps going on about.

In many ways I am happy that they are showing his darker side, but at the same time I am disappointed that they are taking the character down this route. When James first returned to the Street I was looking forward to lots of scenes between him and Ken discussing politics and the world beyond the cobbles of the street and I think they could have made a fun (if not a bit pretentious) double act. But if what has been (spoiler through the link) previously reported turns out to be true, then I doubt Ken will ever be as welcoming to James as he was this time around.

Just think, Ken and his mini-me discussing the important issues of the world while Deirdre witters on about her stuffed marrows in the background.

Corrie Canada weekly awards: Dec. 19 - 23

Slow burn, big explosion award: Gold Star: Becky.

Loyalty award: Gold Star: Kirk and all of Fiz's friends rallying round.

Vulture award: Gold star: Mary and Norris and the cookies in court.

Pants on Fire award: Flaming star: Fiz must have had pants on fire, she told the cops so many lies at first!
Smouldering Star: Dev and Sunita are lying to the Aunties again!

Plonker award: Gold star: Steve. He called the Social. What did he expect Becky to do? Take it lying down?



The Penny Drops award: Copper Star: Tina figured out that Graeme and Xin have it goin' on before he admitted it.

Baiting the bear award: Kylie playing "Turning Japanese" on the jukebox to wind up Tina. She really can be a little bitch!

Hypocrite award: Tina was practically pushing Xin out the door while saying how much she'd miss her.

Fashion Don't - Dev's pink checked shower cap.

How far the Mighty have Fallen award: Dev - one shop, one kebab shop. But he still owns the posh flat, the house and the big house doesn't he? And if he's sold the house and shops, shouldn't the cash flow be somewhat abated? 

Green eyed monster award: Gold Star: Gary is looking at Izzy's mate Will with narrow suspicious eyes.

Guilt much? Award: Fiz gave Sally a few things to think about, but she defended herself quite well.

Incidental music award: "I just want to say Hello" as Graeme was leaving.

Rubber band man award: How on earth could John survive a fall and be able to disappear that quickly?

Pleased as Punch award: Steve got one over on Tracy!

Lines of the week:
Kirk "I could murder a brew" (Poor choice of words, there!)
Owen about Katy "I know she thinks I'm King Herod of Weatherfield..."
Becky "Ladybird, ladybird, fly away home. Your house is on fire, your children are all.....gone."
John "Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday and all is well. ...ish"
and about Charlotte "She was nuts. Half woman, half pistachio" and the classic "I only wanted to teach! People died because I wanted to teach"
Rita "If you can have Mary, I can have Dennis"
Tracy "Despite what you think, I'm not a complete witch" (yes you are, taking every opportunity to throw Max back in Becky's face)
Becky "Talk to the sledgehammer"

Sylvia about Tina "Strumpet!!" (Love it!)
Graeme to Xin "I don't want you to go" (oh PLEASE go!)
David "Graeme Proctor, Stud of this Parish"
Brian "Who knows what goes on in the dark and murky mind of a master criminal!"
Rita to the Aunties "You two are going to have to get your Gaydar sorted!"
Kylie to Tina "You Dim sum you lose some!" (Ha! yeah she provoked Tina but it *was* a clever line!)
Julie "It's a back street Romeo and Julie-tte!"
Tracy "I like to be pro-active" Tina "Oh yeah. I read the graffiti in the men's bogs"
Auntie "It's a rare mango that rots in the barrell alone"
Sally "If one of John Stape's victims being unearthed isn't an Act of God, I don't know what is!"
Julie "Don't you use those puppydog eyes on me! I'm more of a cat person, but that aside..."

T'ra Graeme. You were a little belter, so you were!

Sunday Canadian Corrie Comments, December 25

It's Christmas Day, all the best to you, wherever you are!

But on Canadian Screens it's still June...

Steve didn't expect that Max would be taken from them so it backfired big time. David is going to use the "Steve and Becky bullied you" to try to get Max for Kylie. Did they bully? Sort of but only because Becky was terrified that Kylie would change her mind and take Max back. And Steve roughing up David isn't helping Steve's case any. Becky promised the social workers she'd wait patiently but she also figured out that they put Max back with the family that had him before and tried to take him back. Wrong move, Becks and finding out it was an anonymous call sent her over the edge. No suprise there and she naturally leaped to the conclusion that it was Kylie but then, she knew Kylie wasn't lying so Tracy was the next logical suspect. Under other circumstances, you might think that as well after Steve stymied her London getaway and Tracy certainly encouraged it by her constant digs when Becky accused her.That's it, Becky trashed the Barlow house and when Steve finally confessed, I thought she'd take the sledgehammer to his head. It was pretty stupid that the cops weren't called to Number 1 at the first smash of the window. And Steve waited an awful long time to confess too. It was Ken that tried to stop her, not Steve.

I don't blame her for walking out on him and as much as he's begged and pleaded, she won't come back and takes up residence in the cafe for now. Steve called Social Services not expecting how it came out but was at the end of his rope. The truth is out as far as it goes so Tracy can't hold it over his head anymore but he's lost both Max and his wife. Becky feels betrayed in the worst way but she was to blame too. As much as she thought she was doing it for the right reasons, paying Kylie for Max twice, stealing the money from the Alahans on the second go round was the wrong thing to do and the financial pressure put her marraige in as much danger as anything Steve has done. Maybe they'll find their way back together and maybe they won't. But as much as i love them together and think they're suited, she's just as damaging to Steve as Karen was in the long run. Tracy isn't much better, either. 

Steve really really wants Tracy to sign that access/visitation agreement so he's dangling a full time bar position under her nose, letting her even assume that he wants her to be bar manager when really, he's hired a new manager to get a new name over the door seeing as how Becky's disappeared to lick her wounds. It was a dirty trick he played on Tracy, really. Not that i'm sympathetic, she's had that coming and more but the problem is, she always gets her own back and it's never pretty. 

Kylie still thinks she's not going to get Max back, she still doesn't have any confidence in her abilities and i'm sure she's scare she'll screw it up again but she does have a support system now that she never had before, not in her life, really. David is certainly there for her and Gail could be if she wanted to. Too late. Max is in care, and Becky has left Steve and really, though it was all such a mess, I can see why she feels so betrayed. Steve was in a very hard place and she's thinking he's putting Amy before her and Max and he probably did. It really is a tough one to call but in the end, he  did the right thing, bring the truth out even if it has cost him Max and his wife.

Graham is really having a hard time with Xin leaving. He's had sex with both her and Tina and felt hugely guilty. What he's feeling guilty about is his  feelings for his wife which have grown into love. Tina can't get rid of Xin fast enough because even she can see it though she wouldn't admit it. It took him a long time but he finally admitted how he felt and spent the rest of the day hiding from Tina, avoiding the inevitable. By the time he went to look for her, she knew, she'd figured it out. It was bound to happen, though. It's kind of a soap law really. Standard plot device. Graeme believed Tina might really turn them in for the immigration fraud and it ended up being Gail that talked her out of it. We see Graeme and Xin leave the street for good, with one last goodbye between the former lovers on the cobbles. After that, Tina looks to be using Tommy to get over Graeme. Not a great idea. 

Fiz has a ghost in the attic, well, John, who's lurking around the house undetected. Never mind those 100 year old houses should be creaking under his weight overhead, both in the attic and in Hope's bedroom. I also want to know if Fiz bought that bed from the same place they all buy those teeny tiny couches. It didn't look much bigger than a single! But I digress...Fiz is really getting herself in deep by lying to the police (the lovely D.C. Redfearn, by the way). If she hates John so much, she should have told the truth, confessed to the fraud and she might get off a bit easier. By lying, it's not going to help her any. It's lovely that her friends are all rallying round her, though the usual suspects are slagging her off left right and centre (Sally Webster). I love that Fiz at least stands up to Sally most of the time.

John is clearly doolally. He's completely round the twist isn't he? You can see the madness in his eyes. He ran with the baby and Fiz got knocked down in the fakest set up accident i've seen in ages. Nobody would think he'd hurt the baby but he's a loose cannon. His justifying all his crimes was just mad rambling. He brought the baby to her in the hospital, pretending to be a doctor but it all ended badly. Why on earth were there no police right outside Fiz's room? Why on earth when she pressed the help buzzer didn't the nurses and cops come running. They all knew he was on the run with the baby and that he was probably dangerously psychotic. And how did they all end up on the roof of the hospital? There's no frigging way John could survive a six story fall and disappear in the time it took the cops to get to where he landed. That's the one part of this storyline that really is ridiculous (I know, not a lot of the rest of the storyline was all that logical but it was farce, black humour and twists and turns but this was just beyond that)

Now they've arrested her for fraud which, at least, she *is* guilty of by her own admission. Of course the neighbours are rife with gossip, Norris being at the forefront of it all. I really detest him and even more when i see him eagerly sitting in court with Mary lapping up all the gory details and pretending it's for support when it's really just wanting a front row seat to watch someone else's suffering. Now Fiz has to find a way to keep going with the heavy shadow of a trial and other charges looming. Luckily Carla wasn't going to take no for an answer and sorted her out.

John's coworker Brian is back! I loved him! He was a great character. He wasn't in the house 5 minutes when he wasn't hinting for a cuppa! Brilliant! And Julie has already clapped eyes on him. They MUST keep him in the show and get them together! Owen doesn't have much choice but to accept Katy's pregnancy now that Chesney is back. It's got to be difficult for him and I can understand where he's coming from but he does tend to go about it the wrong way, doesn't he? Looks like Sean is going to be looking after Dylan for awhile. Being a full time daddy is going to be a steep learining curve even with Marcus to help! Cheryl has Lloyd busy painting. And he said there's a package for her in the cab office and she says it's a 42 inch plasma tv. Could he not tell that? And the cab office is so small it must have taken up the whole office! Gary's got the green eyed monster on his back, narrowing suspicious eyes at Izzy's friend Will.

Sunita's aunties are back and nagging for India. I don't understand why everyone has to drive their kids to school. Bessie Street school is only a couple of blocks away and yet Sunita was griping about roadworks. She could have walked them there! The  aunties despair of Sunita. Unmarried, Divorced which is worse (why? don't they have divorce in India?) with a man who's in dire financial circumstances and they  now have decided Devendra is no longer a suitable husband for her and they're out to find her a new one! I also think Sunita has selective memory, saying how good a dad Dev was even when they were apart. She sure didn't have good words for Dev when we first got Sunita back on screens again. In order to head off the Aunties, Dev decided to propose very publically but Sunita said no!!!

Sophie and Sian are doing lots of volunteer work but they were left in charge and the soup kitchen was burgled. James took their advance pay packet though Kevin thought he asked for it, when it was volunteered. But it seems like they are getting more and more involved with it. Is that a good thing, do you think? They were a bit young to be left in charge though. Kevin and Sally are putting their foot down now, no more charity but James is tempting them with even more responsibility, making them feel important. As usual, Sophie does what she wants and jacks in her job to work full time with the charity.

Nice to see Sylvia making friends. She clearly doesn't know about Hayley's past but it's going to come out soon.

Merry Christmas Bluenose Corriebloggers!!!!!

From us at Blog Towers to all of you that take the time to read and comment here, Have a Merry Christmas, if this is your holiday, and a peaceful 2012 to all!

Your verdict: What did you think of Michelle Collins on Coronation Street?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog May, 2011, reposted to this blog with permission.)

So, she's here.  Michelle Collins finally turned up in tonight's Coronation Street as Stella Price.  Come on then, let's have it - what did you think?

And in a related post:

There's an interview with Michelle Collins in Closer magazine, and via this site, we find out that Michelle Collins is working hard to get to grips with the Manchester accent for her upcoming part on Corrie as the new Rovers manager, Stella. Sounds like a bit of an uphill battle, but it's not an easy thing. I, for one, plan to cut her a bit of slack on this one, knowing she's working with a dialogue coach and trying to get it right.

Tonight's episode, or how I fell back in love with Corrie

(This post was originally posted by Chewy on the Coronation Street Blog in May, 2011.)

(Again, posted in error, this contains a SPOILER for tomorrow night's episodes!)

Tonight was the first episode I had seen since the night John fell off the roof of Weatherfield General, I stopped watching the show for a week, as I didn't feel like the show had anything for me (also for coverage of the Electronic Entertainment Expo over in L.A.).

Everything about tonight's Corrie contained everything I loved about the show from the second half of last year - sunny streets, sunny people, drama and the show looking nice and cinematic.

I think Graeme's exit was perfect, for such a warm character it feels only right that he left under a bright blue sky, with all his errors forgiven. Was also good to have a mention of poor 'Ash', or Ashley to me and you, and to hear the history of Graeme and his days at the Casa Del Platt.

Farewell Graeme!

The Silence of The Cheryl (spoiler at the end)

(This post was originally posted by Scott Wilson on the Coronation Street Blog in May, 2011.)

Anyone who watched the latest series of Doctor Who will know about the Silence: a race of creepy aliens who only exist when you are looking at them.  You can chat to one for hours on end, and the minute you turn your back, they are forgotten.

Steven Moffat has got a lot of kudos for this brilliant idea.  However, it's one that Corrie has successfully used itself for the past year.  Except their version is called Cheryl.

Cheryl is almost completely forgettable.  It's fascinating to see her turn up on screen, because every single time you ask yourself, "who's that?".  Barney, David Platt's rabbit, had a greater impact on the Street and its history, and he's been dead for ten years.

She first entered the show as a friend of Leanne's from their escort days.  Like Leanne, she's moved up in the world, though while Ms Battersby had found herself a fiance and a business, Cheryl had become a lap dancer.  Not so much a step up as a leg up.  StreetCars got a contract with Cheryl's club to ferry tired businessmen back to their hotels in time to tell their wives they really loved them, and soon Lloyd was becoming besotted by the lady of the night.

What followed was a low-rent version of Mona Lisa, the classic 1986 British film.  Bob Hoskins was nominated for an Oscar for his part in the film; the Corrie version had Lister from Red Dwarf instead, so you can imagine how well that turned out. The Weatherfield version shied away from giving Cheryl an underage lesbian lover, and instead gave her a dodgy husband and an irritating child.

Within weeks she was sporting a black eye, courtesy of husband Chris, and she was sleeping on Lloyd's sofa.  Why she ran to Lloyd (a man who was clearly obsessed with her) instead of, for example, Leanne Battersby, or perhaps any other humanoid in the solar system, was never made clear; all we knew was that in her time of need Lloyd was there for her, putting her up rent free and making puppy dog eyes in her direction, which she blatantly ignored.

Dev gave her a job in the kebab shop; her years of sex work had given her a great deal of experience in handling rancid meat.  She paused in her work at giving bits of dodgy beef to Jason Grimshaw only to bawl abuse at her ex-husband, who'd taken work with Owen the builder, and who kept coming into the kebab shop and making threatening gestures with a Doner.  During all this, Cheryl slept with Lloyd, because the best way to keep a man at arm's length is to get underneath him.  She claimed it was a mistake and she should never have done it, but at some point changed her mind and moved into his bed permanently; we were never told why she relented, so I've assumed Lloyd used Jedi mind tricks.

Soon Cheryl wanted to do more than just ask people if they wanted salt on that, so she did what any forthright career minded girl would do: she got her boyfriend to give her a job.  She elbowed Eileen off the switch in the cab office and was soon redecorating the place to her own vision; it seems that public transport's gain was interior design's loss.  Fat Brenda's views on the new pastel coloured walls and soft furnishings remain, sadly, unrecorded.

Throughout her onscreen appearances, Cheryl managed to display zero charisma, charm or personality; when Chris and Lloyd began fighting over her, their fellow punters in the bar spent most of the time asking "who?".  The intervention of a tram into the Joinery was all that stopped the two men from beating each other to death in the most pointless battle since the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Chris moved onto Maria, while routinely glowering in Lloyd's direction, often with his shirt off.  While he acted with his pecs, Cheryl chose to act with her hair, and her joyously curly tresses are the most interesting thing about her.  In fact, there are rumours that Phil Collinson is negotiating with the hair to continue its role on the Street after Holly Quin-Ankrah leaves.

Now that she had her claws into Lloyd, Cheryl was able to reveal her true, shrew-like personality.  It had been kept relatively under wraps before because (a) no-one likes to be harangued by a stripper and (b) Chris threatened to belt her every time she got uppity, but now she was able to unleash the full force of her Hyacinth Bucket pretensions.  She dismissed Sally Webster's taste in decorating, pushed her son Russ into the school production like Dina Lohan on uppers, and forced Lloyd to buy the shell of number 13.  She conveniently overlooked the fact that her son nearly burned to death in the same house on the night of the tram crash; presumably his psychological well-being is less important than a through lounge.

She's now manageress of Nick's Bistro, once again proving that prostitute and restauranteur are all part of the same service industry.  Gail was keen to take the role, but Nick felt that her years owning and running her own cafe were insufficient experience for such a demanding job; besides, Cheryl did a trick with some ping pong balls at the interview and he was sold.

The recent announcement that the actress's contract wasn't going to be renewed was met with bewilderment by Corrie fans, mainly because no-one realised she was an actress; most thought she was just a production assistant who read other people's lines when the proper actress didn't turn up.  She won't be missed.  In fact, give it a few minutes, and you'll forget she was even there.

Sneak Preview of next week's Canadian Corrie, Dec. 26 - 30

In brief, Here's what's happening next week on Canadian Corrie screens:

The Rovers has a new landlady, Stella Price and she moves her family in to the pub. Becky finds out and takes advantage of Steve's absence to put Stella in an awkward position. It's not long before all hell breaks loose. Meanwhile, Stella does Leanne a good deed and we start to realize that Stella has a secret.

Becky and Steve can't seem to patch things up. Becky lashes out, Steve leaves town and Becky goes on a tear again. It looks like the end for Becky and Steve.

Gary's jealousy and paranoia start to get out of control. Marcus and Sean deal with parenting. Dev and Sunita deal with the Aunties. Sylvia deals with Hayley's reality. Peter and Carla are friendly and Leanne isn't happy about it. Dennis may be related to someone on the street. James encourages Sophie and Sian to push the fund raising

Carla deals with grief and Frank supports her and later, when Peter can't step in, Frank does and gets closer to Carla as a result. The investigation against Fiz continues.


For more detail and photos, check out the Moosejaw Mercury on Corrie.net

Crying at Corrie

(This post was originally posted by IamSimon on the Coronation Street Blog in May, 2011.)

Watching Coronation Street's 'explosive week' climax last night with my mum was a sad experience. She wouldn't stop crying when John fell to his 'death'. Moments before his fall she kept shouting at the TV; 'I know what's going to happen...I know what he's going to do...DON'T DO IT JOHN!'.

I had an idea that John would survive, so it wasn't a big shock when it was revealed that John's body was not found. My mum rejoiced, thank goodness.

It got me a little emotional to be fair, as John has been a great character, he is really, underneath all the murderousness, a nice guy. It has been sad, as well as humorous, to see his downfall.

It got me thinking of other emotional moments in Corrie. Recently Jack Duckworth's death was very emotional. I thought I was going to cry, but I didn't. I did however shed a tear...or two with the deaths of Fred Elliot, Mike Baldwin and Liam Connor.

I also remember being really upset during the Tram Crash week during the deathbed wedding of Peter and Leanne's, I honestly thought Peter was going to die. The acting of all involved in that scene was astounding.

Coronation Street does emotion well, with a few exceptions. Because, being in its 51st Year, we have grown to love and care about the characters.

Although I do not watch any other soaps, I have heard that the same can not be said for some of them. Recently a character was murdered in Hollyoaks, after only being in the show 5 minutes. That is not enough time to care about the character.

Graeme/Tina/Xin: A Positive view (spoilers)

Now, I know there has been a lot of criticism of this storyline but I have to admit that for the most part, I have enjoyed it.

Although the ending has been very predictable, probably because Craig Gazey is leaving soon, it has been enjoyable and I think if this storyline was played on any other soap, it would not work.

Why? Because this storyline, played out on any other soaps, could have been totally serious. Now, I don't want to bash other soaps, but everyone knows that Coronation Street is the king of comedy in soaps, and this comedy has been shown throughout this storyline.

From hiding behind sofas, to staging fake parties and break-ups, there have been plenty of funny scenes.

There has been criticism of the acting of Elisabeth Tan in the role of Xin which I don't think has been fair, there are plenty of worse actors on the street!

Michelle Keegan, with all her sexiest female awards, is often ignored on the acting stakes but tonight she shone in the role of a broken hearted woman. Although we all know it was her idea for Graeme and Xin to get married, she would never have expected this to happen and all she wanted to do was help her friend.

Craig Gazey...well, all I can say is that he is going to be missed. He has had some great scenes and storyline's during his time on the street and there will be a comedy void left behind when he leaves the street for good next week.

Fab Photo - Group Hug!

 

Hope doesn't look so excited about the group hug Julie was endorsing! It's like she's saying "Group Hug, Julie? Seriously? Who does that anymore!".

And didn't you just want to smack that smug look off John's face when Fiz was lying to the cop?

Corrie Canada weekly awards: Dec. 12 - 16

Darts and Laurels award: Gold Star: I think Becky's been practicing using Tracy's photo on the dartboard.

Shine is off the apple award: Dull Star: Sally does not seem to be loved up with Jeff after a romantic holiday. I don't think the Mona Lisa is to Sally's taste.

Worry wart award: Gold Star: Gary is fussing over Izzy. Bless!

Fashion Don't award: It may be trendy but that t-shirt of Tommy's is annoying me.

Reality check award: Gold Star: Kevin is finally having a few regrets for real. Look where it's got him.
Silver Star: Amy making herself sick still doesn't seem to have brought about a truce between Steve and Tracy. Tracy's solution is to take Amy away from her father altogether!

Pushing the envelope award: Gold Star: David is going to push until the ugly truth comes out.

Midnight Flit award: Gold Star: John thinks disappearing will solve all his problems. Because...

Your worst nightmare come true award: They're digging up the factory floor so John got straight in there on the job and uncovered the dead and decaying body. And Fiz found him!

Blackmailing Manipulating Abusing Control Freak In Spades: John really twisted Fiz and put her in the worst place possible, forcing her to help hide the body and coercing her into leaving.

Selective Sight award: Blinders star: Owen was so worried about health and safety that he didn't want to leave John in the factory working on his own and said exactly nothing when Fiz stood there talking to John without a stitch of safety gear on.

What money problems? award: Brass star: I know why Steve was in the casino, but why was Dev there, on his own as well! He's just as broke, isn't he?

The whole truth award: Shaky star: Or almost the whole truth. Fiz didn't tell the cops about the fraud but you know darn well it will come out and make it look even worse. How could you like to the lovely D.C. Redfearn!?

Lines of the week:
John "I've been thinking...." (The start of a new plan to disappear and more lies, very, very big and wild ones)
Claudia "Don't hate me cause you ain't me, Aud. I'd like to say it's been nice but i've never been a very good liar"
Tracy "Why do I always have to be the bad cop?" (How can I count the ways)
Eileen "Who goes to Paris for a dirty weekend and spends the whole time in the Louvre? It wouldn't be the Mona Lisa, it would be the Moaning Eileen!"
Tracy to Sylvia "Before you turned out to be real, the rumour was Roy'd been raised by wolves"
Xin "Pretend is a dangerous game"
Faye "Anything goes wrong, blame me!" (because it's usually you that causes the trouble)
Kevin "You can't pull the wool over my eyes" (Yes you can!)
John "Why does everyone have to keep asking me questions?!" (Um.. liar? Doolally?)
John "Charlotte was nuts. She was every variety of nut that ever existed; half woman, half pistacio." (You should talk!)
Dev "You're saying Tracy is calling all the shots? Who handed her the gun?" (Point to Dev)
Fiz "This isn't GCSE coursework, we're disposing of a corpse!"
Graeme "I'm just a slow starter in the morning"
Becky "First time i can think of the future without worrying about Social Services" (Phrase of Doom, anyone?)
John to Fiz "You're a loose canon sometimes!" (her? HER??)

More Sylvia-love

I am SO Loving Sylvia running the cafe with her no nonsense regimen. She orders the customers about. She insists on manners.

And she called Tina a "Strumpet" recently! Marvellous!!

Fat Brenda's Cream Horn

(This post was originally posted by Fat Brenda on the Coronation Street Blog in May, 2011.)

There's someone on't loose loveys, they must not be approached as they are extremely dangerous and will do owt to protect 'emselves - they'd even use violence... But that's enough about Becky McDonald for now loveys! Oh, I almost forgot, John Stape's somewhere out there an' all, bless him, but to be honest, I'm more frightened of Becky!

Poor Fiz, as if she's not had enough to put up with, she's been charged with murder and flamin' fraud! I tell you what, I bet she regrets giving that cash to charity. If I'd nicked that much I'd have bought meself so many packets of ciggies and bottles of gin me living room would look like a Bargain Booze! At least she got bail, it's no comfort though, not when the only thing you've got to look forward to is spending loads of time with Maria round yer house followed by a lengthy jail term! I'd prefer jail if I'm honest loveys, she gets on me wick that Maria!

It's nice to see Dev and Sunita's kids have woken up from their winter hibernation. Just in time to see their lovely great aunts an' all! They're a right pair them two old gals aren't they, a reminder of why it's best to put elderly relatives in a home.

Xin ordered a taxi and then didn't even get in it, I hate it when folk do that! She spent ages on the phone trying to spell her name to me an' all. Like I'm daft!

"Yes Xin love," I was saying to her, "Piccadilly it is. I'll get it booked for you."

"My name? It's Xin, would you like me to spell it?" she asked.

"No. I didn't ask yer name, Xin love. It won't be necessary lovey, I'll get it booked for you." I said to her.

"It's Chinese," Xin said, "it's like Sheen: S. H. E. E..."

"Look lovey, I flamin' know yer name and I flamin' know you! We've spoken! I do know how to flamin' spell it!"

She didn't pay the driver who waited outside the flat either! That is just cruel! Ten minutes he waited!

Social Services are a bit weird in Weatherfield, loveys. They took our Max when he wasn't in any danger (apart from the life threatening bone-crushing hugs Becky gave him every ten seconds) but when the police arrested Fiz, they didn't even turn up to see that Hope was looked after.

Talking of Hope, I've thought of a belting solution to everyone's problems. Fiz could sell Hope to Steve and Becky if she gets sent down! That way, Hope will be brought up in a loving home (if Becky and Steve get back together) and Fiz will have a bit of a nest egg when she finally gets out of the nick! I suggested it to Becky but her response wasn't very enthusiastic... she hit me loveys, she hit me with the first thing she could grab from the back of Owen's van... fortunately it was just his cheese and pickle sandwiches so it didn't hurt too much. If only she'd grabbed that when she attacked Ken and Deirdre's house! I'd like to see her smash her way through a door with medium sliced white bread and a Kraft Cheese Slice!

Steve told me Becky spat in his face! That is flamin' disgusting and Becky's spit is over 50% proof an' all. If Steve would have got behind the wheel of his car he'd have been over twice the legal limit after a face-full of that!

Not that the Weatherfield Constabulary would catch up with drunk drivers loveys, they're flamin' useless! They didn't even find John and he was in the loft! Let's be honest, loveys, there's not much to search in them terraced houses, is it too much trouble to stick yer head in the rafters? To top off their week of incompetence they left Fiz and Hope without any protection at their house and then left Fiz on her own in't hospital with her crackers husband stalking the area like that Michael Myers from Halloween! Add to that the fact that they didn't actually catch up with John who was dressed as a doctor with blood pouring from his head, limping away from Weatherfield General after falling from a building and getting back up... just like that Michael Myers from Halloween again - the similarities are uncanny!

"All I wanted to do was teach... and kidnap folk... maybe kill 'em... sort of..!"

Remember loveys, there are some folk put on this earth who make us happy, who you can love and settle down with... or there are them that appear to be belting but are in reality, fraudulent, murdering, calculating, compulsive liars with deep rooted issues and bodies buried all over the place... Make sure you choose the right one loveys! Bye.

Tweeter here!

Sunday Canadian Corrie Comments, December 18

Nobody knows where Chesney is except us and John of course. He doesn't want Fiz going to look for Chesney because he's got to find an excuse to get out and bring food to the hostages. His next plan is to convince Fiz to move away from Weatherfield, run away as it were. Freaks out because Fiz wants to go to the police because Chesney is missing so he distracts her by saying Colin's back and is bent on revenge, hoping that will encourage Fiz to run away. The lies and emotional blackmail were way over the top. Poor old Mr. Hoyle took a tumble down the stairs and John came home to the news that the factory floor is going to be dug up to check the drains. And why are the drains blocked? Could it be a dead body decomposing and causing no end of trouble?

John is determined to get to the body first so he sabotages the equipment and takes a sledgehammer to the floor himself and he does what he intended, only Fiz caught him! What a great scene, too, as John nearly heaved his guts over the smell...you can imaginen, right? What does John do? Admit everything? Well, sort of and then he blackmails Fiz into helping him dump the body in the canal. After making her do all these things, you'd think she'd tell him to leave and never come back, wouldn't you? But noooo, she decides to leave Weatherfield with him, not without him, Except it didn't quite work that way. She's still worried about Chesney.

Meanwhile in the bomb shelter, er.. cellar that you can't break out of, the hostages managed to get themselves untied. Mr. H couldn't have had planning permission for that room. No window for a fire escape. He sound proofed it and put a pretty strong door on, too. You wouldn't think he'd have put that strong a lock on it would you if it's just the cellar for a lounge type room. John really freaked out and blurted out all his secrets and Fiz, having followed him, now knows it all. If she was horrified before, she's really got a nightmare on her hands now. John tried to bully Maria to get the baby and then escaped. yet again. And Fiz never left that house so how did John get back in and into the attic where he was reading, oh the irony, Paradise Lost. And where did he get the book? He's sneaking around the house at night. Is he going to take the baby and run?

Owen sure is taking advantage of Katy's feeling sick and scared and vulnerable with Chesney gone. He almost managed it, too, to get her to the abortion clinic but Fiz found Chesney and he stopped her in time. Owen is bullying Katy and he's bullying Anna but Anna stood toe to toe up to him and talked sense. Will he listen? Meanwhile Gary is starting to get overprotective of Izzy. Is that normal? At least Chesney managed to stop Katy before she got the abortion.

Amy got caught, red, or white handed and locked herself in her room. Mother of the year Tracy threatens her with Nanny Blanche's ghost. Nice. Now that they know she's been doing it for attention do you think things are going to change between Steve and Tracy for more than 5 minutes? Thought not. It didn't take long for them to be bickering over her poor little head. I'm glad Ken gave Tracy what for at least. Steve's right though, Tracy might do a lot of things but she wouldn't give Amy milk on purpose to make her sick. And how exactly is taking Amy away from her home and family the best thing for her? And Becky trying to talk to Tracy did no good at all. Probably only cemented her resolve.

David's taking advantage, too. Max nearly got hit by a car because he ran out on the road and David is quick to blame Steve for not watching him but we all know how fast a little kid can get away from you. Just what David needs, though, to put more pressure on everyone. Kylie is desperate that David not find out what she's done. Thing is, she probably wouldn't mind that David find out that Becky and Steve bought Max but the problem is, she sold him to them and i suppose she reckons David will think badly of her. Well he knows how because Steve spilled the beans and he reacted exactly as you'd expect David Platt to react. He didn't think worse of her at all. After all, it's exactly like something he'd do anyway and he's all about using the information wisely now.

Now Becky's freaking out because of the Social worker and so she should be. David's plan was to tell the truth and now they've taken Max away from both Becky and Kylie and Becky is torn to bits and gone over the edge and she thinks Tracy was the one that grassed them up in the first place.


Kevin's broken his collarbone and can't manage with the baby so now he's got his feet back under Sally's table while he recovers. Meanwhile Tyrone is terrified that what he did caused the lift to crash on Kevin and reckons Kevin will think he tried to kill him. It's a fair supposition, too. Certainly looks like circumstantial evidence even though we know Tyrone wouldn't hurt a fly no matter how angry it made him. Ok, he'd thump Kevin into a grave, but he'd not try to kill him but the police wouldn't see it hat way. Attempted murder indeed. Is there such a thing as attempted manslaughter? I guess that's what it would be since it was accidental. Kevin's first thought is that Tommy did it but sacking isn't nearly as much of a grudge as Tyrone has. He sure got a shock when he found out it was Tyrone and heard how much Ty hated him, his former best mate. I had to laugh when Kevin hollered "Don't insult my intelligence".. like he's shown so much of that himself, eh?

Can you believe Kevin actually thought Tyrone's accidental sabotage was the same as his affair with Tyrone's wife? I really dislike Kevin. A lot. Did your heart break for Tyrone, a tear on his cheek, telling Kevin they'll never be mates after what he's done to him?

Sally has got to look after Jack and that has to be very painful but it's hard, isn't it? It's not the baby's fault, he's innocent. I'm not quite sure why Norris is so bothered by the factory drains. Surely he can't smell it through the garage and into the Kabin? Tyrone and Kevin haven't complained nor has Gail living on the other side of it.

Sally doesn't seem to be all loved up after her romantic Paris holiday but Jeff is ready to go down on his knees and propose! Oops! Maybe that's the last we're going to see of Jeff, i'm guessing. Marc seems intent on wooing Audrey, too and now Claudia knows, or thinks she knows. Too bad Claudia is so bigoted, she could have had a lovely man there.

Tina's getting awfully sharp with Xin isn't she? Not even hiding it anymore either. Graeme finds himself defending his wife and is wife is making doe eyes at her husband. Tina was really happy that Xin got a job in Scotland, or so she said. Turns out she just decided to leave but Graeme, it seems, now doesn't want her. The thought of her leaving brings home that he's developped real feelings for her. The thing is, that big row at the party made no sense on the surface of it. Xin moves to Edinburgh. Graeme... what? Can't leave his job as a window cleaner? Surely he could do that anywhere. Of course we know what's going on. Graeme ends up sleeping with both of them (separately of course) and then wallowed in his guilt.