Bill Roache on Kate Oates, six episodes and the young cast members

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

There's an interview with Coronation Street's Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow, in today's Mirror .  In it, he talks about Corrie going to six episodes per week and he reveals his thoughts on new producer Kate Oates and the cast's younger members too.

Speaking about the new Corrie producer Kate Oates taking the show to six episodes per week, Bill says: “There’s been a lot of noise about Corrie going six days, but they will be very accommodating. It will be seamless. We’ll hardly notice it. The more the merrier, I say. The bosses are very caring. They’ll adjust the schedule and the logistics of the whole programme so that nobody gets any extra pressure on them. In the early days when we used to do two episodes a weeks we used to rehearse all week. Now it’s done like filming, there’s no rehearsals. I like that, I prefer that system I’m not shy of hard work. I’ll be there until the end if they’ll have me.”

And on the younger members of the cast, he says: “I always thought as I became the elder statesman, the longest serving member, the youngsters would beat a path to my dressing room seeking my advice. Not a chance. I feel it’s the other way around. They’re all so confident and good that I feel I should go to them for advice.”

He adds: "Acting is a real stimulus, it keeps me sharp. The stories keep coming in and they’re wonderful. It’s rejuvenated me. People seem to like me. I think they have just got used to me over the years. I’ve got generations who grew up watching me on TV. I love meeting elderly people and their eyes light up when they see you and they want to chat to you. It’s lovely one can have that effect. It’s not been an easy ride. You have to work hard at acting, you never get casual or flippant about it. I still get nervous before a take. If you don’t you shouldn’t be there.”

Speaking about the new producer Kate Oates, Bill tells the Mirror: “I think she’s wonderful. She’s a lovely person, she really bright. She’s bubbling over with ideas and we’re delighted to have her. She’s injected a new burst of life.”


And on missing Anne Kirkbride, Bill says: “Every time I go on the set there are photographs of Anne all around. She was such a vibrant personality that she’s still very much alive in our thoughts. It’s gone very quickly. It’s like in any family, if someone passes away you feel a sense of loss. That doesn’t go away. There’s a big hole there that nobody else can fill. But you go on.”




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Who's related to who in the Barlow clan? Find out here!

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog November 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

This week's Coronation Street was ace, I thought. It moved quickly and a lot happened.

And that look - that look - between Peter and Tracy as they discussed Daniel being the child that Ken had always wanted. Oh, Corrie, you spoil us. What a joy that was.

But as much as I enjoyed watching last night's Corrie I was left feeling a bit confused. We've already got the Barlow family tree - have a look here - but in a nutshell is a "who's related to who" in the Barlow clan - currently on screen.

Adam Barlow is...

Mike Baldwin and Susan Barlow's son

Ken's grandson

Peter's nephew

Tracy's nephew but they are not blood related

Daniel's nephew 

Amy cousin but they are not blood related
Simon's cousin

Daniel Osbourne is...

Ken Barlow and Denise Osbourne's son

Peter's half-brother

Tracy's half-brother but they are not blood related

Adam's uncle

Amy's uncle but they are not blood related
Simon's uncle

And I thought the Connor clan were confusing!



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Coronation Street Blog Interview: Kate Oates

(This post was originally posted by Emma Hynes on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

The Barlow family is about to get bigger to the tune of one grandson and a son in the forms of Adam Barlow and Daniel Osbourne. I travelled to Manchester to hear all about what’s to come, and am delighted to bring you a trio of interviews with Rob Mallard, Sam Robertson and producer Kate Oates.

While Kate accompanied Rob and Sam for their interviews, as she gave some great insights into the building of this male Barlow dynasty, I thought I would dedicate a separate blog to her comments on the day.

Kate confirms that it is Ken’s stroke that brings back the boys. “Adam is coming from Canada, and Daniel has been living elsewhere with his Mum, with Denise” she explains, “And they are coming back ostensibly to see Ken but there may be other reasons they’re back as well.”

Kate revealed the interesting thought processes behind the decision to go this route with the Barlow clan. “The kind of interesting thing that I found when we were talking about bringing the boys in was that sense that Adam is Mike’s son, and Daniel is Ken’s son, and the old tradition of Corrie was Ken versus Mike, and here we have sort of new fresh versions of both those personalities” she explains. “So that’s what we wanted to bring into the show really, and that they are very very different. And Ken sort of holds the family together, sometimes not ever so well as we saw in that scene between him and Peter where Peter said, ‘you know, you walk away a lot’.” She continues, “Daniel’s certainly hardly seen his father and [Adam has] hardly seen [his] grandfather so it’s not the strong family that Ken might like to think it is. But I love that idea of mini-Mike, but fresh, modern, with his own kind of swagger, and a mini-Ken with his own kind of baggage and his view of life as well. I just think that’s a really nice dynamic to bring to the street.”

So what are we likely to see the boys get up to the cobbles?

“In true Ken fashion, Daniel is a student, he’s an academic, so he’s still at university,” she reveals, “and Adam has trained as a solicitor over in Canada, so he’s got a little bit of legal knowledge. He’s also got a lot of ambition, not unlike his father, so he’ll be bringing a bit of that to the street.”

Asked who were are likely to see the pair involved with, Kate explains,

“Well it’s interesting, because obviously Adam has more history so he has pre-existing relationships with quite a few people in the street. He’s got some grudges against the Connors because he sold his section of the business to the Connor family for not a lot of money, they sort of swindled him a little bit really. So even though Liam Connor is no longer on the street he certainly has that sort of grudging relationship with them. They’re building family relationships really” she notes. “Daniel has yet to get to know Peter and Tracy and even his father really, you know, he’s never had these relationships before, so he’s building all of those from scratch. Adam has more to go on there, certainly with Peter, but it’s nice to see those Barlow bonds growing. Daniel is a bit more shy I think. and we will be growing some nice relationships for him as time goes on, but I might keep those a secret.”

Asked if these are temporary or more permanent returns for the characters, Kate jokes, “They’re never allowed to leave, I’m keeping them forever. They’re never allowed to go anywhere. I repeat” adding, “no, I’m super excited. The reason that I wanted these guys back, and this may trip me up come next contract negotiations, is because I wanted to strengthen that family dynasty. I think that the show needed that and I’ve said before in interviews that when you’re working on the country’s longest running show and this is the longest running family, you strengthen it. There’s no bringing in the secret son that no one knew existed, or the secret sibling that no one knew existed, these people already exist and have been seen in one way shape or form and have all that great history already and it’s just there for the taking. So it’s just a case of bringing it to the show and deciding what they’ve done over the last few years and months and making sure that their back stories and their biogs were nice and rich and that they turned up with a secret or two.”

Asked if we are talking a major dysfunctional Barlow clan, she laughs, “Oh God yeah!”

Kate continues, “It is a little bit like Ken Lear. Well, that was very much what we were thinking, because Ken is at an age now where he is sort of thinking about his mortality and the fact that he’s had a stroke will compound that massively, and he loves his children and his grandchildren but he hasn’t necessarily done right by them all the time.” She notes, “He’s not necessarily been brilliant or exemplary, they’ve certainly got baggage of their own. But I think ultimately they all still have desires to be there and be part of that family and look for a root and a home. So there’s lots of nice conflicting layers, things that people can really relate to on a very day to day level. But also we’ll be adding a nice splash of drama in there two which will hopefully elevate it from the everyday.”

I was interested to know how they would interact with Tracy, and Kate told me “She thinks that Daniel’s really weird and really nerdy and really bookish and like a mini-Ken which she doesn’t think is necessarily a good thing and I think she thinks Adam’s a bit more glitzy, and a bit more fun and a bit more worth hanging out with. So yes, they know each other from old as well, so there is a bit of an existing relationship there.”

Remarking on the expanding households of Corrie, Kate assures us they won’t all be in number one for long. “We’ve sorted out the geography, we’re fine, we’re good” she smiles. “No, there is sometimes a little bit of artistic license with how many people we shoehorn into various properties. They’re going to be roommates on their own really, which is quite a nice dynamic I think. They’re going to be the odd couple.

So, what can we expect to happen in the Barlow household coming up to Christmas?

“There’s a lot of them sorting out the dynamics of their relationships” she reveals. “Peter has come back with a bit of a secret, we’ve seen that he’s come back with a bit of an injury, we’ve seen he’s got no money and we saw that he went to go and meet somebody in the middle of the night and possibly wasn’t completely honest about who, so there are little clues there.” She continues, “His bond with Leanne is still pretty strong and he’s still very fond of her. She’s obviously in a very different place now. She’s pregnant and she’s with Nick, so maybe she’s in a very different headspace to him. But there’s going to be a story for him which these guys will be involved with. It’s about people trying to work out their relationships with Ken and him maybe not handling that ever so well. And as we pass through sort of up to Christmas and into the beginning of next year, we’ll see cracks forming in the family which could prove quite dangerous, so these are the building blocks of stories into winter.”

With regard to Adam, Kate reveals that he may wish to settle some old scores, and something may prevent him from returning to Canada leaving him having to earn a living in Weatherfield.

It’s great to hear the new producer eager to build upon the history of, and focus on, such a legendary Corrie family, and I look forward to seeing it all unfold.

Read my interviews with Rob Mallard and Sam Robertson.

By Emma Hynes
www.emmahynes.net
Twitter: @ELHynes
Facebook: @EmmaHynesWrites
Instagram: emmalouhynes

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Conversation Street Podcast 226

Gemma and Michael's podcast for the  episodes that aired up to last night's Canadian Corrie can be heard here.


In this podcast, we find out that Michael Rodwell is getting close to finding out all Phelan's secrets but Phelan has ammunition of his own. The Barlow family increases by two this week, with the arrival of Adam Barlow and Daniel Osbourne, chips off the old blocks, perhaps? Maria's troubles continue to get worse and worse as she's arrested for murder! Sarah and Gary find honesty isn't always the best policy. The character profile is Adam Barlow.

Remember, you can also listen to Conversation Street on iTunes (leave a fab review if you do!)





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Who are Adam and Daniel? See our Ken Barlow family tree!

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Confused by Ken's family tree? Be confused no more, Corrie fans. Here's our family tree and explanations as to whom Adam Barlow and Daniel Osbourne are - and where Peter fits into it all.

Ken Barlow's first wife was Valerie. They had twins - Peter and Susan.

Ken and wife Valerie Barlow with their twins Susan and Peter Barlow

 Susan grew up to a right little madam. She married Mike Baldwin and they had a son, Adam, pictured below. Then Susan died in a car crash. Adam is Ken's grandson. He was born in 1988 which makes him 28 years old now.

Ken's grandson Adam Barlow with his dad, Mike Baldwin.

Ken had a fling with hairdresser Denise Osbourne and he fathered a child with her, Daniel Osbourne. Daniel was born in 1995 which will make him 21 years old now.

Ken with Denise Osbourne and their son Daniel Osbourne

Ken married Deirdre and adopted Tracy. Tracy is not blood-related to Peter, Adam or Daniel.

Ken with Deirdre and adopted daughter Tracy

Ken also had a fling with Susan Cunningham and fathered Lawrence Cunningham.  Lawrence has two children - James and Chloe.  We've never seen Chloe on screen.

Ken with his grandson James Cunningham (left) and son Lawrence Cunningham (right)

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The new Barlow clan of Coronation Street

(This post was originally posted by Emma Hynes on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

This week on Coronation Street, the Barlow boys are back in the show.

Sam Robertson reprises his role as Ken's grandson Adam Barlow.  Adam's dad, you'll remember is Mike Baldwin and his mum was Susan Barlow - Ken's daughter and Peter's twin sister.

Rob Mallard joins the show as Daniel Osbourne, Ken's son.

And here's the clan all together on the cobbles.  Ken, Tracy, Peter, Adam and Daniel.

Confused by who's who in the Barlow clan? Have a look at our handy Barlow family tree.



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Corrie Canada Weekly Awards for Nov. 21 - 25

His Fathers' Son award: Adam arrives in a Jaguar (Mike's favourite, which he has to have rented seeing as there was no time to ship it from Canada), cigar in hand, radar for the scotch in the factory and an inherent talent for winding people up while giving them a cheeky grin.

Reality check: Sally challenged Kevin that he is probably better off without Anna if he would have stayed with her out of duty or pity. It gave him something to think about. He is sticking by Anna and made her realize she needs him.

Throwback: Sally talking about Kevin's affair with Molly and how humiliated it made her feel.

Cougar award: Tracy's at it again.

Close the barn door now that the horse is already out: Aidan is arranging to have Maria's locks changed NOW??? *shakes head in despair*

Practicalities award: I know why Anna wanted to go to her own flat. There's a chairlift there for her to navigate the stairs. Kevin doesn't have a chairlift and the bedroom and loo is up steps. I see she has a wheelchair in the flat when she's not using crutches so it must work well.

Musical ambiance: Glory Days playing when David comes out sporting a black eye courtesy of Gary.

Definition Fail: My definition of Private and Phelan's are obviously miles apart. His idea of somewhere more private than the cab office was the pub.

Lines of the week: 
David to the police "Maria Connor, a murderer? There's a dog over at Number 1 that's more capable"
Eileen "D'you know how hard it is to find a man with a drill?"
Gail "Now I know what the invisible woman felt like" Eva "Is it not the invisible man?" Gail "I doubt that very much"
Michael "I don't play for money anymore" (anymore? You kept that quiet)
Michael "Nobody likes a sore loser, Pat" Phelan "That's true, trouble is, I haven't had as much practice as you" (But he did beat you at poker quite soundly)
Peter to Luke about Tracy "You've got no chance. She'll eat you for breakfast" (she already did judging from the leer on that face!)
David "Sarah, do you think it would be possible for you to get a boyfriend that doesn't have some sort of beef with this family?"
Gail "Gary Windass??!! He's been in more trouble than your brother!"
Adam to Eva "You almost dropped your knickers!" Eva *giggle* (spot the chemistry there, it leaped off the screen)
Aidan about Adam "Did you see the way he looked at Eva?" Johnny "The way you look at Maria?" (I knew he'd noticed!)


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Sunday Comments November 27

I see Bethany is making up the exams she missed. She's so crushing on Gary, though he's just nice and friendly with her. Every compliment goes right to her heart, mind you. That's what happens when you're 16. I remember it well! Leanne offered the flat to Sarah for a break and a bubble bath. where's this going? Sarah ended up having to work and Bethany had an idea. She invited Gary to Nick's for a chat, mystifying Gary but he said he'd go. Bethany went to a lot of trouble to set the table, put on nice music and she was dressed quite nicely as well. It backfired. Sarah ended up at the flat after all as did Gary and they thought Bethany had set it up for the two of them. Bethany saw them snogging on the balcony and you could hear her little heart break! It's tough being 16!

Gary and Sarah also spent the night together at Nick's but they're all loved up, contrary to Luke and Tracy. They admit they are falling for each other and in the interest of full disclosure, Sarah tells Gary that David was on his way to blow up Clayton at the time of the accident. Gary's furious. I don't really see how it makes things any different. David lost control of the car which could have happened whether he was in an obsessive rage or not. It was an accident! But Gary isn't going to leave it alone and he hunted David down and thumped him one. As long as they can keep Gary from going to the police, I'm sure David will take the punch.

Might mean that Gary and Sarah are back off again, though. She even has the nerve to blame David for yet again causing her to be on her own. Um. I think that's got more to do with her ill advised taste in men and bad decisions. Gary has to see his mother in pain, feeling very sorry for herself and unsteady where she's not in the safe environment of the hospital. He knows that if David hadn't been bent on revenge, his mother would be ok but he can't add to her problems by telling her, can he? Not now.

Now David's sporting a black eye, again. I swear that lad gets beaten up more than anyone else on the show! Gail was no happier to find out about Sarah and Gary than David was. Now they have to hope Gary keeps his mouth shut and Sarah is begging him not to dump her.

Wherever it is Caz is staying looks really nice.Maria has the statement from that credit card Caz stole from her and it proves that Caz used it in London near where Pablo lives. Stalker, much? Caz seems like someone that is more impulsive, not a long term planner so buying a tablet and webcam weeks ago doesn't seem like something she'd have done. How long did it take Maria to cancel the stolen card, anyway? And yep, the police think that Caz knowing about the sham marriage is a good motive for murder. Seriously, though, the evidence isn't even strong enough to be considered circumstantial.

As crazy as Caz was to Kate, i'm surprised Kate doesn't believe Caz could be setting up Maria, which Aidan pointed out. Maria going about the neighbourhood full of accusations and shouting doesn't make her look very stable, either. She needs to keep her dignity about her. Aidan is starting to come round and visit Maria regularly. Three times in one day, obviously, and he really wants to help her and comfort her, even taking her out and about looking for Caz though that was a fruitless effort. He's walking a fine line and I wonder if Johnny is starting to pick up signals. Now Eva is throwing Aidan at her, insisting he stay with her because she's so upset. Caz is watching all this, and it looks to her, I think, that Maria's still landing on her feet.

The chemistry does seem to be intensifying between them even if Maria says she considers them just mates now. And as mates, she offered to cut his hair and discovered the bloody scissors. And why didn't she ever change the locks? Surely this will get that done, at the very least. Aidan thinks cleaning them won't work. But bleach will, I tell the screen. He doesn't hear me. He manages to take the scissors and he tucks away the scissors case (which will still have blood in it, remember) and dumps the scissors in the bin outside the factory. The police turned up to search the flat and the salon on a tip off which they didn't follow up on so I guess they didn't find the bloody scissors case in the flat. It wasn't that well hidden, was it?

Aidan is kipping on Maria's sofa. And yet when Kirk was staying there at the same time Caz was, they couldn't both have been on the sofa so is there another room/bed or not? Maybe Kirk shared the bed with little Liam. Anyway, it seems like this is going to be ongoing until Caz is caught. Aidan gets a message or email from Maria thanking him for going above and beyond the call of duty but when he mentions it to Maria, Maria denies sending it so they deduce that Caz did but how did she know to use the same phrase Maria had recently used? Well, she must have been hiding in the flat at the time, they decide. That's creepy. It'll be even creepier when they find out about the webcam. And it's strange that Caz knew Aidan's work email. Yet another plot hole in this storyline that's a mere spider web it's so thin with gaps.

Johnny finds the bloody scissors in the bin outside Underworld because the bin pickup day has changed. Aidan and Eva think it will be ok but obviously not since Johnny and Jenny discover what they discover. Jenny insists to Johnny that they call the police. Earlier in the cafe, Jenny made a wise ass remark at Aidan's expense but he snapped right back at her and she knew it. I wonder if she insisted on the police out of spite? Maria's well and truly in trouble now. Johnny was furious to find out that it was Aidan that hid the scissors and him passing them over to the police could dob Aidan right in it.

Aidan is now, just NOW, arranging to have the locks changed. I despair, I really do. And he's even paying for a hotel for her and Liam for a few days. I don't think he's going to have to worry about that. Maria got arrested for murdering someone where there's not actually a body yet, the latest in wrongful arrest on a soap.

The next day, Aidan is surly, Kate seems smug and Kirk is utterly devastated. Adam stirred things up a bit and there was most definitely chemistry between he and Eva and Aidan noticed straight away. And I just knew Johnny had noticed the sparks between Aidan and Maria! He's right, Aidan has only made Maria's case worse.

Anna's on her feet, with well wrapped legs and crutches. Got to be painful as well as difficult. Debbie Rush is doing a great job. Hard to imagine she's going home already. I also wonder that it would only take the one skin graft operation. Do we know if there will be further operations? IN real life, with burns as bad as hers, there would be. Kevin took his time deciding to go see Anna. Perhaps he really did have doubts in spite of his feelings for her. Sally seemed to reinforce those doubts but it make Kevin think about how he really feels and he's determined to stand by her. He really does love her. She does need him and the end result is they're back together.

Anna's home from the hospital and has decided to go to her own flat rather than Kevin's house just for a few weeks until she is further down the road to recovery. Kevin doesn't seem happy about it but accepts it. I should think Anna will be using the automatic chair lift to navigate the steps. We did see that she had a wheelchair in the flat though she also uses crutches to get around. Kevin has stairs to the bedroom and loo but she probably can't manage them very well. That's a good reason as any though it's not mentioned. Anna might be home but she doesn't want to go outside and deal with people looking at her and gawping and answering endless inquiries as to how she is, with other people not really knowing what to say or how to talk to her.

In other news, Faye invites Seb to Craig's as a way of getting some face time. Craig is going to be accepted into the constabulary, having appealed their rejection decision and had it overturned so he's not very happy to find that the dvds Seb has brought are all illegal pirated movies. Seb is thoroughly despicable isn't he? He's controlling and he's exaggerating Craig's attitude because he knows Craig is in the right. He's determined to keep Faye to himself, I think. Craig just sees his mate getting in over her head. And he's right. He challenged her to prove she was worthy of hanging out with him. She nicked Phelan's phone, which he'd left on a table and forgot.

And in another dawning of a storyline that's starting off as a brief and angry encounter which inevitably led to something more, much to my regret, is a few chance encounters between Luke and Tracy Barlow. I know she's got form for flinging with younger men (David Platt, Nick Tilsley, both one night stands, and Ryan Connor, even if it was just to wind up Michelle) but I hope this isn't leading to a grand passion. I suppose I can stomach it if it's just going to keep to a physical fling, designed for the rest of us to reinforce the disgust and disapproval many of us viewers have for her. It's a soap. it's inevitable that some sort of relationship starts with dislike. They did it with she and Rob, remember? But that actually worked really well. They were two peas in a pod. Robert even warned him off Tracy so what did he do? Go to apologize and end up in bed with her. *sigh*

Thankfully, Luke and Tracy's fling seems to have been just that. A one nighter. Tracy doesn't want him to call and he didn't seem overly upset and they both had a "phwoar" look on their faces with the satisfaction of the events they did share. I Laughed at the leer Luke gave after Peter commented that he had no chance with Tracy who would have him for breakfast. She already did, mate, she already did! Meanwhile, Peter's still spending nights out somewhere and disappearing regularly and we don't know where yet.

Ken still isn't seeing his family. Adam Barlow, the grandson Ken spent all that time with in Canada while Adam was ill, is flying over next week. Tracy thinks it's a good idea if they just barge into Ken's room. Peter thinks they need to give Ken his space for the time being. But Tracy is impatient and she finds out someone has been seeing him. Who might that be?

Tracy is furious and she thinks it's Peter because he keeps disappearing. Except it's not Peter, is it? Then who is it? Tracy's determined to find out. Peter's feeling guilty about a lot of things, not just Ken. Adam arrives looking like his father's son, Jaguar and cigar (though he barely gave it lip service) and a nose for the scotch, knowing exactly where it was hidden. I guess it was a case of a nod to his old dad. He certainly was being presumptious going into the office at the factory and helping himself to the scotch considering none of the Connors that are there now have any idea who he is. I got thinking, who in the factory would remember him from back in the day, just Sally and Fiz and Sean I think. Kirk might have been around as well.

Peter was fussing about the housework and Tracy is more concerned with this mystery person visiting Ken. The person is a young man, pale, sandy hair. He even looks a little bit like Ken don't you think? Good reason for it. Tracy took matters into her own hands and all three, she, Peter and Adam came barging into Ken's room to find the young man reading to him. He's Daniel Osborne, Ken's son by Denise.

Eileen is off to the doctor to see about her hearing. Turns out she had a wax build up, that's all. I think it's starting to look to me like Phelan must have some feelings for her which is going to make it more difficult for him to take the money and run. I firmly believe he's going to end up claiming to be Vinny's victim in all this and though he's a villain, he hasn't killed anyone yet so he's still got a chance of hanging in there and turning things around. Michael can barely stand to be in the same room as Phelan and Phelan continues to take great delight in winding Michael up.

Freddie came looking for a game of cards and Eileen pulled Phelan into it. Phelan pulled Vinny into it. Rummy turned into poker. Michael ended up in the mix, not wanting to see Freddie get ripped off. Turns out, Michael is a very good poker player, much to the surprise of Phelan and Vinny. Sounds like Michael has had a poker playing card shark past which he picked up in prison. Except he was only in prison for a few months wasn't he? Michael certainly kept his dignity and faced down Phelan.

Michael finds it chilly at Gail's and so needs his electric blanket only the electric cable is missing. Naturally he has to go to Eileen's to get it and asks Todd to let him in to fetch it himself since Todd has to go to work. This he does and guess what? Phelan nips home to get something, while on the phone (to Vinny though he doesn't mention him by name) and Michael overhears Phelan say he's putting up a pretense for Eileen and he and the person on the phone will be sunning themselves in Mexico very soon. The plot is afoot!

So what does he do? He drags Anna into it, a woman who is in rough shape and needs all her energy while she recovers. She doesn't have the energy to deal with Phelan. How does he think she is going to be of any help? Michael then took great pleasure in poking sticks at Phelan without actually winding him up, pretending everything was above board and just wanting to talk about maybe buying a flat himself. He looked quite satisfied when Phelan got snappy with him and it seems to have put the wind up Phelan.

He's sure Michael knows something and he's suspicious but he doesn't want Vinny to take it in hand. And Vinny, he's called "time" on the project and they're off to Mexico on Monday. Phelan has his ticket in the backpack but he snapped Eileen's head off when she picked it up. He did apologize the next day.

Meanwhile, Michael is investigating the building site. The only things working there are two doberman's. Pinky and Perky, apparently. He then told Eileen what he overheard, about a trip to Mexico that he wasn't going to tell Eileen about. She defended him but it sowed a seed. Pat obviously was one step ahead of her, though, pre-booking her off work for Monday so she's going to think he's suprising her and Michael just got the wrong end of the stick. What he was doing, was trying to get her out of town so he'd be gone before she got back. She's not going. She wants to see Peter Andre at the Good Samaritan awards.

Tim overheard bits and pieces and he's alerted Michael that there was something in the rucksack and he's been fobbing Eileen off her questions. He wants to go somewhere private. So he brings up the subject again. At the pub. Even more not private than the cab office! Michael takes the opportunity to try to pull secrets out of Phelan's rucksack in a confrontation. He covered. He had a ring box and proposed to Eileen! See Michael. See egg on Michael's face.

Yasmeen's friends are sympathetic and shocked to hear Sharif has done a bunk. Sonia is still lurking around, too. Even Alya has her allies and is getting sympathy, mainly from people that don't know the whole truth, though. She didn't know Sharif had left but Sally was the one that told her. I appreciated Sally talking about Kevin's affair to Molly, too, and how humiliated she felt after it came out. She had a final confrontation with Sonia who was her usual smug self even though pretending to be apologetic and sympathetic and got a smack across the face for her trouble. I cheered. I'm not an advocate of violence but I've been in Yasmeen's shoes and sometimes wish I'd had that same opportunity myself. Alya was there but Yasmeen soon rejected her again with harsh words about her late father being disappointed in her. Ouch.

Clayton was sentenced to life with a minimum of 15 years. Gemma has won runner up for that Good Samaritan award!



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Who are Adam and Daniel? See our Ken Barlow family tree!

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog November 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Confused by Ken's family tree? Be confused no more, Corrie fans. Here's our family tree and explanations as to whom Adam Barlow and Daniel Osbourne are - and where Peter fits into it all.

Ken Barlow's first wife was Valerie. They had twins - Peter and Susan.

Ken and wife Valerie Barlow with their twins Susan and Peter Barlow

We know that Peter Barlow is returning. Susan grew up to a right little madam. She married Mike Baldwin and they had a son, Adam, pictured below. Then Susan died in a car crash. Adam is Ken's grandson. He was born in 1988 which makes him 28 years old now.

Adam Barlow has returned to Coronation Street.

Ken's grandson Adam Barlow with his dad, Mike Baldwin.

Ken had a fling with hairdresser Denise Osbourne and he fathered a child with her, Daniel Osbourne. Daniel was born in 1995 which will make him 21 years old now. 

Daniel Osbourne has returned to Coronation Street

Ken with Denise Osbourne and their son Daniel Osbourne

Ken married Deirdre and adopted Tracy. Tracy is not blood-related to Peter, Adam or Daniel.

Ken with Deirdre and adopted daughter Tracy

Ken also had a fling with Susan Cunningham and fathered Lawrence Cunningham.  Lawrence has two children - James and Chloe.  We've never seen Chloe on screen.

Ken with his grandson James Cunningham (left) and son Lawrence Cunningham (right)

And as for little Simon? He's Ken's grandson, Peter's son.

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Coronation Street Blog Interview: Sam Robertson (minor spoilers)

(This post was originally posted by Emma Hynes on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

The Barlow family is about to get bigger to the tune of one son and a grandson in the forms of Daniel Osbourne and Adam Barlow. I travelled to Manchester to hear all about what’s to come, and am delighted to bring you a trio of interviews with Rob Mallard, Sam Robertson and producer Kate Oates.

Here, I chat with Sam Robertson who reprises his role as Adam to hear all about what might lie ahead for his character, with Kate on hand to give some further insights into the return of Mike Baldwin's son and Ken’s grandson.

Adam has been living in Canada since he left Weatherfield in 2007, and it sounds like he has done well for himself, having trained as a solicitor, before Ken’s stroke brings him back to Weatherfield. It seems, however, he may have some scores to settle, and something might occur that sees him need to earn a living in Weatherfield and prevents him returning to Canada.

So, was Sam surprised to get the call to return to the cobbles?

“I think whenever you leave you half expect the character to die on screen, but my character left in the back of a taxi, so the door I felt was always potentially there to come back” he explains. “But I think the longer it goes without it happening, you think it’s not going to happen. So when the opportunity arose this summer it was quite a surprise.”

Despite playing the role before, Sam had to go through the audition process during which he enjoyed doing a screen test with Chris Gascoyne. While this was to allow Coronation Street to ensure he was right for the part, Sam explained how he too wanted to be sure a Corrie return was the right fit for him. “I think I’m very different as an actor compared to when I left the show” he explains, adding “well, I class myself as an actor now whereas when I left I felt like I was basically a trainee or a runner of some kind, I was pretty useless wasn’t I. So yeah, it was good to do that because I felt a lot more confident and secure as a performer. But, I was back in this old environment which brought back memories of being the opposite. So it was nice to actually be able to express myself a bit more and I felt that, okay, maybe this could work, maybe this will be exciting.”

Asked if Adam has more of an edge this time round, Sam reveals “yeah, I think the character is a bit more fully formed. When the character first came into the show, no one knew even what his second name was. Sometimes I’d get a script and it would be Adam Baldwin, and then the next week it would be Adam Barlow. One minute I think the idea was that he was going to be a bit of a cool kid and a hit with the ladies and the next minute he was a little bit bookish and he was a bit nerdy. I don’t think anyone quite had an idea what to do with him. And I felt that really I never got the momentum going from that beginning and, ultimately, I decided it would be best if I left. So for it to come back again, I wanted to have assurances that it was going to be a lot more fully formed and a lot more involved, and already that’s clearly happened. So for me, it’s a lot more exciting to be here this time than it was last time.”

Speaking of his on screen relationship with Rob Mallard in the role of Daniel, Sam reveals, “it’s been fun, it’s been quite natural.” The pair met on their first day filming and Sam explains how he felt the scripts were written before they had been cast. “Obviously as actors become more involved with the show, then the writers start writing for the actors and so on and so forth” he explains. “So what we were bringing was basically what was just on the page and it was just us, as actors, naturally sparring off each other. Personally, speaking for myself, and Rob can answer for himself, it’s been fun.” He turns to Rob, laughing, “so, no pressure for you to say that”, but Rob heartily agrees.

With regard to who Adam is likely to get involved with, we’re told by Kate that Adam has grudges against the Connors after they swindled him out of his share of the business for a small sum. She also explains how he builds on his existing relationship with Tracy who considers Adam to be “glitzy” and fun to hang out with. We’re also told that Daniel and Adam will end up sharing a room in an “odd couple” style scenario.

Having lived in Australia and LA over the past few years, Sam relied on his Mum and a crash course catch-up with Corrie, to get up to speed. For him, the prospect of the show under Kate Oates is an attractive one. “I thought Emmerdale was fantastic when I watched it, and I thought Corrie was a little lacklustre and I was a little bit concerned at the direction it was going” he reveals. Asked what he thought the show was lacking, he explains, “Well, I don’t know if it was necessarily lacking something, I just thought the episode of Emmerdale outshone it really. That was my personal opinion.” He adds, “I just think this show under Kate for me personally will be a lot more exciting and a lot more interesting. Not to diss anyone else’s history, but for me, personally, that’s what I think.”

Speaking of the difference between soap and other productions he explains, “I think like any actor, most jobs I’ve done you’re starting the job with the rest of the production so what’s on the page is all you can gauge as far as doing your job, but with this you can watch it and you can see, oh okay, well this the show that I might possibly be joining," He continues, "having discovered that Kate was in charge of Emmerdale and then she was the one moving over, I thought the synergy here is perfect for me, and hopefully I’ll be proven right.”

Sam tells us that Adam is “very much a ladies man” with a “few less scruples” than Daniel.

In playing Mike Baldwin’s son, Sam plans to look back at old clips. “I’m trying to get some footage of Mike. I mean, I remember Johnny Briggs quite well it’s quite a hard character to forget, but moreso I wanted to revisit his early days in the show when he first arrived, when he was younger; obviously I worked with him he was a bit older” he explains.

I like the idea of a young Mike Baldwin on the street, and it will be interesting to see what Sam brings to the role of Adam this time round.

Read my interview with Rob Mallard, and hear more about the Barlow clan from Kate Oates.

By Emma Hynes
www.emmahynes.net
Twitter: @ELHynes
Facebook: @EmmaHynesWrites
Instagram: emmalouhynes

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Coronation Street Blog Interview: Rob Mallard (Daniel Osborne)

(This post was originally posted by Emma Hynes on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

The Barlow family is about to get bigger to the tune of one son and a grandson in the forms of Daniel Osbourne and Adam Barlow. I travelled to Manchester to hear all about what’s to come, and am delighted to bring you a trio of interviews with Rob Mallard, Sam Robertson and producer Kate Oates.

Here, I chat to Rob who will be playing Daniel to find out what it’s like to be joining Coronation Street and what might lie ahead for his character, as well as gaining some additional insights into the return of Ken’s son from Kate Oates.

It has been nine years since we last saw Daniel when Ken went to visit him and his mother Denise. Kate explains that, up to now, he has continued to live with his Mum but, like his uncle Adam, returns to see Ken after his stroke. However, there maybe other reasons why both boys are back.

So what is Daniel like? “In true Ken fashion, Daniel is a student, he’s an academic” Kate explains, “so he’s still at university”. With regard to who he’s likely to get involved with on the street, she reveals, “Daniel has yet to get to know Peter and Tracy and even his father really, you know, he’s never had these relationships before, so he’s building all of those from scratch. Daniel is a bit more shy [than Adam] I think, and we will be growing some nice relationships for him as time goes on, but I might keep those a secret.”

I asked Kate how Tracy was likely to receive him. “She thinks that Daniel’s really weird and really nerdy and really bookish” she told me, “and like a mini-Ken, which she doesn’t think is necessarily a good thing”.

Kate remained tight lipped on whether there were any plans to bring his Mum Denise back. “You’ll have to keep watching” she grinned before making reference to actress Denise Black’s role in Emmerdale adding “She’ll be bringing Zack Dingle with her and you’ll be really confused, and no one will know what’s happening. It’s that soap cross-over that everyone’s always saying we’re going to do. Jamie/Denise.” Kate is certainly a witty woman with a wry smile and a good sense of humour, and interviews with her are engaging.

So, was Rob nervous about joining an iconic soap family like the Barlows? “Yeah, very nervous, but excited at the same time because the audition process (with Chris Gascoyne) was so enjoyable, it was a lot of fun, that it didn’t seem like something that I thought ‘I’d love to get this, but I won’t ever want to have to be responsible for joining in with that family, or anything’. I really wanted to do it.” He continues, “So, yes, I am nervous about it, but more excited.”

Rob appeared in three episodes of Emmerdale last year, which gave him a flavour for working on soap. “They were the first sort of consistent blocks that I’d done on something and I was working with someone like John Bowe, for example, who was great.” Kate adds, “He was working with a director called Tracy Rooney at the time and I was obviously working on Emmerdale at the time, and when we were in the viewings Tracy said to me, ‘watch him, and if you don’t cast him in something, someone else will’. So she spotted you first” she told Rob, “she was always a champion of him, really enjoyed working with him obviously.”

Considering Rob will go from being relatively unknown to appearing in front of an audience of millions, has he received any tips on coping with the recognition and stardom that comes with that? “Yes,” he confirms, “Chris took me out for a drink and I basically just got to see how he handled it. I don’t know whether it’s one of those things - I think everyone probably does it and responds differently to it. I don’t know, I mean this is new for me, I’m still anonymous, so I have been thinking about it.” Asked if Chris had many people coming up to him when they were out, Rob confirms, “Yeah, but I mean, all nice people just recognising him and saying ‘I love watching the show, can I have a picture?’ He’s just really courteous about it.”

Rob studied drama in Birmingham and graduated in 2014, but is originally from Oldham. His family are very excited and proud to see him joining Corrie, particularly his 89 year old Grandma who has watched from the first episode, never misses it and always told him that’s what he should be going for. Rob himself has always watched the programme and has viewed some back episodes in taking on the role.

We’re told that Daniel’s main interest on his return is his relationship with his Dad which puts paid to the possibility of any immediate love interest for the character. Rob explains, “I think it feels important that Daniel is single for a while. Because of his history, there are certain points in development where he would be stuck, it would be a bottleneck, so it’s important from those positions that he’s not got an eye on the field for that kind of thing.”

This interview took place at the same time as those concerning my David’s entrapment in the Bistro cellar. For a bit of fun, the people at Corrie brought us to Breakout Manchester where small groups of us were locked in rooms and had an hour to escape. I was on Rob’s team, and we had a great afternoon trying to figure our way out of a Madchester themed room. While David Platt had more success in rather more dramatic circumstances, it was lots of fun. As I did at the time, I’d like to again wish Rob the very best of luck as he embarks on this new role, and I look forward to seeing the Barlow dynasty come to fruition.

Read my interview with Sam Robertson, and hear more about the Barlow clan from Kate Oates.

By Emma Hynes
www.emmahynes.net
Twitter: @ELHynes
Facebook: @EmmaHynesWrites
Instagram: emmalouhynes



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The return of the Barlow - Baldwin feud to Coronation Street

I loved, absolutely loved, the return of Adam Barlow and Daniel Osbourne to Coronation Street last week. Indeed, I may have remarked something along the lines of 'ooh, man totty overload on the street at last' when Adam turned up and hugged Peter round the cobbles.

And what a return it was, for both Adam and Daniel.

The first we saw of Adam Barlow - son of Mike Baldwin, let's never forget - was his very flash Jaguar as it rolled up outside of Underworld.  Mike was a fan of the Jag too.  Before Adam waltzed into Underworld as if he owned the place (which he surely will, he must!), he stopped and lit up a cigar, just like his dear old dad did too.

And then inside the factory office, Adam sniffed out the scotch. Some traditions live on. And then he made himself very comfortable in the management chair, too comfortable for the likes of Aidan and Johnny's liking.

And what of Daniel's return to Ken's bedside, reading to his father as he lay in his hospital bed? A lovely touch, the contrast being made right from the off between the Baldwin (Adam) and the Barlow (Daniel) to replay the best love-hate rivalry that the Street's ever known, that between Ken and Mike.

Surely we won't have too long to wait before this happens now...

What did you think of the return of the Barlow-Baldwin feud to Corrie last night?



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Coronation Street plot hole hell

Reposted from State of the Street with permission

I initially thought this storyline with Caz and Maria was good. It kept my interest as Caz became more obsessed with Maria, manipulating and lying. But in the past few weeks it's getting rather bizarre. Now Maria is being suspected of Murder with no body (because we know Caz isn't dead) and plenty of evidence that isn't even strong enough to be considered circumstantial. I can usually suspend disbelief for the most part but this storyline is starting to get out of control. I hope when Caz is discovered alive, Maria gets an apology from the police and from that self righteous Kate but I doubt it will happen.

Caz was only gone a few hours and everyone was hopping up and down saying she'd disappeared mysteriously. Then, after the bloody handprint and blood on the wall (surely a blood splatter expert could tell something from that), Fiz finds a bloody rug in their wheely bin. I don't understand it, though. If it was Maria that had really killed Caz, she wouldn't hide the bloody rug in Tyrone and Fiz's bin. I guess where it's a set up by Caz, I can see her doing it to bring more attention to doubt Maria's state of mind. It's not as if that bin was near either end of the ginnel, it's in the middle! Wouldn't any old bin do?

Caz must have an Invisibility Cloak. She's been hanging out and lurking in the ginnel.

She must have slipped into Maria's just after she left for work. Nobody saw her. Maria was at work, left again, went to the pub, left again so she wasn't gone all that long and there was Caz about to make her escape from the flat in broad daylight. Yet, Maria got pulled away for a cuppa by Eva so Caz didn't leave after all, she went back upstairs. Why?

She ended up using Maria's scissors to open up a cut that was already on her hand and then replaced the scissors in Maria's case with a half-hazard swipe at the handle of the scissors and later, another swipe at the top of the case, presumably to wipe fingerprints off.

In this day and age of technology and DNA, it would be pretty obvious that wouldn't get rid of any evidence that Caz had touched the case. You just know that the police will not find a thing, though, right?

And another thing. How long was Caz in that flat? Must have been hours, yet we saw her put the scissors in the case and later, much later it must have been, after we saw Maria finish her police interview, Caz was only folding up the case just then. I do wonder why Maria never had the locks changed in the flat once she got home and all this started up.

Oh yes, the case. It's a bit odd that someone that has a permanent job in a salon would carry their work gear back and forth each day, especially when she only lives over the shop anyway. We've never seen Audrey carry hers in of a morning nor David nor anyone else in the history of the salon.

We also found out that Caz has installed a remote webcam and is monitoring it on a tablet from a room somewhere. At the very least it might be a shelter or hostel though it looks much nicer than that. Caz is broke, no job, no mates. The stolen credit card explains the tablet and webcam but Maria was in London a few weeks ago now, was she planning on video spying on her even then? Caz doesn't seem like a planner, more of an off the cuff kind of woman. And did it take Maria that long to cancel the credit card? If Caz's paying any sort of rent, I'd like to know how. Was she on benefits? I doubt the army would have given her a severance if they dishonourably discharged her. Perhaps she had pension money due.

She was buying things in London using Maria's credit card, where's the CCTV footage? London's full of it!

The police turned up to search the flat and the salon. They claimed it was a tip off. Doesn't that raise alarm bells? And Aidan managed to get the bloody scissors out the door and into the nearest bin, the one outside the factory. Yet the police didn't find the scissors case which still had blood in it, in the flat where it wasn't really well hidden.

It's all confusing and though I did like the storyline, it's getting more and more difficult to ignore the plot holes, as deep as the Mariana trench.

Tvor - twitter @tvordlj



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Corrie Canada sneak peaks for November 28 - December 2

Without further ado here is a brief sneak preview of what you'll see on  next week's Corrie in Canada.

Anna discovers Phelan and Vinny's scam and tells Michael who looks for evidence. Phelan desperately races to stop him. With the plan rumbled, will Phelan and Vinny make it out of town before the mob comes looking for them? Ken is allowed to recouperate at home and is quite happy to see Adam and Daniel. Adam causes trouble at the Bistro. Daniel seems to have secrets. The awards ceremony is cause for disappointment for Gemma but Rita takes her under her wing. Brian has a new career. Roy helps make wedding plans with Cathy but his heart may not be in it.


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



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Katherine Kelly on Corrie: "I've been asked back a lot"

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Katherine Kelly, who played Becky McDonald in Coronation Street, hasn't ruled out a return to the cobbles.

Katherine tells Woman's Own magazine that she's been asked back to Coronation Street "a lot".

She says: "I've always said that I'd never say never to it. Logistically it's not as simple as it seems. Manchester never really worked for me long-term because I'm not from there, I'm based in London. I've been asked back a lot and I've always been working, but I would definitely never turn my back on that show - it has a huge place in my heart."



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Conversation Street Podcast 225

Gemma and Michael's podcast for the  episodes that aired up to last night's Canadian Corrie can be heard here.

This week, Sharif's affair is revealed and Yasmeen reels in the aftermath. Michael and Gemma are loving the Caz and Maria storyline which ramps up when Maria is questioned by the police but not before Caz plants more damning evidence. Anna and Kevin are off and on again and Bethany finds out about Sarah and Gary. The character profile is Sharif Nazir and there is news and feedback as usual!
.
Remember, you can also listen to Conversation Street on iTunes (leave a fab review if you do!)





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Calls for statue to honour Coronation Street legend

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

A statue of Jean Alexander has been called for in her home town of Stockport.

BBC News reports that ex-Corrie actor Andrew Lancel, who played Frank Foster in Coronation Street, has called for a statue to the late actress.

Andrew said: "I'm very proud that I spent some time with Jean over the years in Southport - she was always charming and unassuming and lovely. There's been an incredible outpouring of love and affection. Let's celebrate a local lass who did wonderful things."

That sounds like a wonderful idea!



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