In 1973 Len Fairclough bought Biddulph’s, a run-down newsagent cum café cum lending library at 16 Rosamund Street and installed his lover, Rita Littlewood as manager. Rita wasn’t much impressed by the place at first, calling it ‘a grotty little hole’ but was won round when the upstairs flat was thrown in as well. Rita wanted to call the place Rita’s but was overruled by Len who decided upon ‘The Kabin’. Rita soon realised that she couldn’t run the shop single-handed and despite suffering from a severe bout of hiccoughs during her interview, Mavis Riley was taken on as her assistant. 
In 1990 Rita closed down the Rosamund Street premises and relocated The Kabin to Coronation Street itself and moved into the flat above the shop. Two years later the business brought romance into her life when she was wooed by confectionery salesman Ted Sullivan. The pair married but the marriage was short-lived as Ted had a brain tumour and only had months to live. In 1999, Rita’s long-term foster daughter, Sharon Gaskill returned and in an attempt to keep her in Weatherfield, Rita gave her The Kabin, working there as her assistant. When Sharon was reunited with her fiancé, Ian Bentley, he forced her to sell the shop so they could buy a house together. Rita swallowed her pride and bought the shop back from Sharon for £40,000. 
1972 saw the arrival of a new producer, Eric Prytherch, and he decided that the current cast was getting a bit long in the tooth and needed some younger characters. To this end he brought in Diana Davies to play Norma Ford and Anne Kirkbride as dolly-bird Deirdre Hunt. Diana was a northern actress who had been seen regularly in Family at War and so was a well known face to TV viewers. As soon as the series finished, Prytherch snapped her up. Eighteen-year-old Anne, like many Street actors, had trained at Oldham Repertory Theatre though she had been spotted in TV play Another Sunday and Sweet FA, written for Granada by Jack Rosenthal. She was originally given just one episode but was such a hit that her part was built up over the next year with the plan to be a love interest for Ray Langton. 
On April 3rd, Miss Emily Nugent, spinster of this parish married, Mr Ernest Bishop. Ernest caused some worries amongst the bridal party by nearly being late for the wedding. Wracked with last minute nerves he had to be driven round and round Mawdsley Street Chapel several times before steeling himself for the ceremony. The wedding went without any other hitches and after honeymooning in Edale, the Bishops took up residence in No. 3.
1971 promised a fresh start for Ken Barlow and family as he accepted a job as a teacher in Jamaica. Valerie was concerned about leaving Uncle Albert behind but the thought of a better lifestyle away from Weatherfield for her and the twins won her over to the idea. They sold their car, bid farewell to the family and left the twins with Uncle Albert so they could enjoy their last night on the Street partying with their neighbours in the Rovers. Ken waited in the pub while Valerie got ready at home. She tried to mend the plug on her hairdryer with a vegetable peeler but this didn’t work and she ended up jamming the plug into an already overloaded socket. She let out a single gasp as the electricity shot through her and as she fell, she knocked an electric fire into a packing case. The credits rolled as flames licked around a teddy bear. 
Gail has turned into the nosy neighbour peeking through the blinds at Deirdre and other neighbours. And i wonder if she would qualify for benefits if she was sacked. Maybe not. She needs to get a job. And David is probably sorry he learned about head massage. Audrey says he read it at college. When on earth is he at college? He's in the salon every day. 
Christmas 1970 saw the conclusion of a story that had started some 2 years earlier. When Steve Tanner had been found dead at the bottom of a flight of stairs in September 1968 there had been no evidence to condemn anybody of foul play. In November Joe Donnelli, a friend of Steve Tanner’s from the American base at Burtonwood turned up on Coronation Street and lodged with Minnie Caldwell. A dangerous and violent man who enjoyed going to war, he locked Irma Barlow in the flat above the shop and confessed to how he had murdered Steve over a gambling debt. Threatening her with a pair of scissors he told her he would not let her share her secret with anyone. 
In June 1970, the 1000th episode was transmitted. John Braine, author of Room at the Top wrote in a TV Times supplement: ‘The most important character in the Street is the Street itself. No matter who comes and goes, the Street remains.’ Words that still hold true as we head towards the 50th anniversary. 
Many of you enjoyed the ITV drama, Downton Abbey which aired this past winter on PBS stations in the US. 
And writer Julian Fellowes is also a huge Coronation Street fan. I know we won't have spotted them all, so did you seen any more Downton Abbey / Corrie connections?
In 1969, Coronation Street transmitted its first episode in colour. To mark the event a special episode was scripted by H. V. Kershaw which took the cast on an outing to the Lake District to show off its incredible beauty in full colour for those people fortunate enough to have a colour TV.
This year saw the first appearance of Manchester’s oldest barmaid, Betty Williams nee Turpin. Betty and her policeman husband first came to Coronation Street to help out her sister Maggie Clegg in the corner shop but she so took over the place and tried to organise Maggie’s personal life that Maggie sold Jack Walker the idea of her working in the Rovers when Annie went away on holiday. On her return Annie tried to get rid of her as she feared Jack would find Betty attractive. Although it feels like she’s been there ever since, Betty has been sacked, reinstated, stormed out in a huff and been begged to return more times than it would be seemly to remember.
