Fat Brenda's Xin Horn

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

Sorry loveys... I was just thinking about Xin... Anyway, where was I? Sorry loveys, it's just, every time I try to get on with me life and concentrate I. Just. Can't. Help. Thinking. About. Xin. She's me best mate you see loveys, I know I've never mentioned her before last week and I know she's never been there for me when I've needed her and I also know I've never even mentioned working at the pound shop with her and that me description of her being a "right laugh" bears no relation to the Xin you've met but she's definitely me best mate!

So on top of all the worry about me best mate (Xin's me best mate you see loveys, have I mentioned that?) I've had Rita in here complaining cos Mellow Birds have changed the picture on their coffee jar and nobody consulted her! She flounced out of the cab office like she used to when she were thirteen and made Emily ring up the manufacturers of Mellow Birds to tell them how they've upset Rita, "she lost everything in that tram crash", Emily told the receptionist at Mellow Birds. I don't know how they reacted but I'm guessing they were quite rightly upset at being so selfish changing summat they owned without taking Rita's feelings into account!

I had Sophie in here last night and she was devastated about Sian. She told me that she had the audacity to mend her broken relationship with her mum and then stay the night at her mum's instead of staying at the war zone also known as the Webster's! Oooh she's a witch that Sian! I don't know what Sophie's gonna do but she looks like a lass that needs some attention and with a voice as loud as hers I reckon there's a BIG cry for help on the horizon!

The biggest news of the week (apart from me best mate Xin not being able to get a job as a psychiatric nurse and being a right laugh normally - did I mention she's a trained psychiatric nurse and a right laugh?) was the dead body at Audrey's Salon! David must do a good flamin' head massage cos five minutes under David's digits finished her off! She chomped her last bourbon and breathed in that perm solution like it was the incense at the reading of her last rites! Thank god Kylie wasn't there, she'd have removed the poor woman's fillings before the ambulance had arrived!

Audrey was so shocked she's gonna retire and give David the salon! I dont know what's got into folk round here at the moment, it's like they're not themselves - Audrey and the salon, Norris feeling bad about Rita (not like him loveys), Xin being mates with Kylie and Graeme who seems like a different person every flamin' week. Maybe everyone's got post traumatic stress after the tram crash but whatever it is, I hope things return to normal!

You see loveys, life is like a ciggie, it begins in a blaze of glory before fizzling out and ending up a pile of ashes. That's what the cobbles reminds me of at the moment, we've all enjoyed those sweet inhalations and now we're staggering towards the final gasps, I can only hope someone takes another ciggie out of the packet and lights it up before it's too late!

Right, I'm off to sell Xin's Grandma's brooch at the local pawn shop, it fell off her coat in the cab office and I'm sure she won't miss it! She said it was worth two flamin' grand! Two flamin' quid more like, they sell these in Debenhams!

Tweeter me loveys..................................................here!

Graeme Proctor - From Hero to Zero?

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

There's many facets to Graeme Proctor on  Coronation Street. Crazy fire starter, garden doctor, nutter in the hats with his home-spun philosophy and friend to David Platt.

And now, he’s – well, what?

Getting him together with Tina might have looked good on paper but he’s had a sense of humour by-pass since he got loved up. He’s not mad, bad and fun to watch any more. He’s just a bit sad. And now they’re marrying him off to a Chinese girl we’re supposed to care about - and don’t, what’s to become of our favourite Corrie bloke?

It seems it’s not just me who’s not enjoying this Graeme and Xin storyline. After asking Corrie fans on twitter it looks like there’s a lot of unhappy fans over this Xin storyline.

And following on to the following blog post by Rebecca:

I've got a few problems with the current Graeme/Tina/Xin triangle.

Firstly, I agree that the wedding probably won't happen as it's currently being talked about, because Corrie won't want to be seen condoning something so illegal, especially when it involves a much-loved character like Graeme. Secondly, I think it's a shame that it's likely to be Craig Gazey's last big story. Thirdly, although I am all for a more ethnically-diverse Corrie cast, I don't like the way that Xin has gone from being a literal nobody to a somebody within a short space of time. Fourthly, when did Tina become such a harridan?

I loved Tina and thought she was a breath of fresh air when she first came around. I think the actress is amazing and I loved Tina's scenes with Joe and her dealing with Joe's death. But a few months ago she started wearing her hair in a high ponytail and it seems like a personality change came with that, along with her new job in the Rovers. I don't like Tina anymore and I wish she was leaving instead of Graeme.

I thought the break up scene last night between Graeme and Tina in the pub was laughable. Xin, for instance, didn't join in, which I found unrealistic, and she was smiling the entire time, which I didn't think was helpful. Graeme was on the verge of laughter too, although I couldn't work out if that was Craig corpsing or not.

I think that the rumours about Graeme and Tina breaking up for good are probably true, especially given Graeme's jibe about her dad, which may just be the straw that breaks the camel's back.

How the street could have looked in 1980

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

Digital Spy member screech2009 has found a real gem of a picture from a 1970's edition of TV Times, which celebrated 1000 episodes of Coronation Street.

The picture to the left is how the original set designer Denis Parkin pictured the street would look by 1980. though proved wrong, some of the things he predicted did happen.

For instance, he mention that a new block of flats would have been built around the corner, and we have that now with Victoria Court. He also predicted the viaduct will have been filled in with a shop.

(Click the picture below for the text from the article)

Corrie Sisterhood

How fantastic was Carla in Tuesday's episodes?  I'm willing to overlook the stupidity of her sending the new girl to a client's house, because we all know this would have been Michelle's storyline but for Kym Marsh's hasty departure.  Sometimes you have to accept plot contrivances because of the back story.

When I first heard about the "Maria is assaulted by a top client" storyline, I was really worried that Carla would be unsympathetic.  She'll do anything to support Underworld, and I figured the scriptwriters would make her put Maria under pressure to keep schtum.

Instead, she did quite the opposite.  Maria practically had to wrestle her mobile from Carla's hand to stop her from calling the police.  Carla was caring, understanding and full of anger towards Frank and his actions.  She didn't hesitate or waver; she stepped up to a woman in distress and supported her, no matter what decision she took.

And when Frank finally turned up, she was a seething ball of anger, back to the ice cold queen we love. Carla really is a classic character to me, cool and elegant and sexy, but with a strong sense of purpose and duty (remember her emptying her purse to pay for food and supplies following the tram crash?  Or giving Sally whatever time she needed following her cancer scare?).  I loved that she was firmly on the side of a woman she once dismissed, as a sister under the skin.  She allowed Maria to do what she felt was right, and kept her own opinions to herself.  Kudos to Alison King, and kudos to the writers for the way they handled it all.

Kylie and David: I can't wait!

So, we know now that David's new love is none other than Kylie Turner, Becky's sister. You remember Kylie, the one that blackmailed Becky and Steve into loads of dosh for her little boy, Max? Somehow, she got from Cypress to Teneriffe and was discovered cage dancing in a club David went to.

She obviously got tired of trying to teach that Greek fella English, took the money and ran. Probably went through all the cash as well, which is why she was dancing in a tawdry club, no doubt. The question now is, does she really love David or has he managed to convince her that he's the heir to the kingdom and she's using him as her next meal ticket? We already know they're going to help Xin and Graeme scam immigration with their double wedding. It's probably love on David's part, or at least, what passes for it in his mind. Kylie, being the loose cannon and sly witch that she is, is probably the ideal mate for David and the only one that could finally make him move on from his Tina obsession.

What a pair these two would make, eh? I'm fairly drooling with anticipation at the thought of Gail's face when she finds out and gleefully looking forward to Gail putting up with Kylie over the breakfast table! Between Kylie and David, it's going to be attitude overload. By rights, they should get their own place but David likes his home comforts too much and Gail will never throw him out.

I like Jack P. Shepherd and I like Paula Lane. Both of their characters are a "love to hate" thing for me. I also love Helen Worth and I love Gail even if she can be a miserable old thing. I'm looking forward to the interaction on this storyline.

Ten Corrie characters we might have forgotten

With the big anniversary now only a couple of weeks away, there's been a fair amount of attention lavished on the iconic Corrie stars (and rightly so) such as Annie, Ena, Elsie and Ken. However, here's a chance to remember some of those characters who passed through, maybe only briefly, but who have stuck in the memory - and not always for the right reasons!

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

Shirley Armitage arrived as the replacement for Elsie at the factory, she rose to prominence when she, shock, lived ‘over the brush’ with Curly Watts. Plus she had to contend with a shockingly racist landlord, Alf Roberts. Intellectually she was never Curly’s equal and eventually disappeared.

Debs Brownlow was the sister of Rovers landlady Natalie Barnes. She was played by former ‘Brookside’ actress Gabrielle Glaister who went from posh Patricia Farnham to ‘eeh-bah-gum’ northerner . . . unconvincingly. Apparently she had spent years as a hairdresser on cruise ships (Jane McDonald should have sued). No real storylines to speak of save for a dalliance with Duggie Ferguson.

Super-sized nanny Kelly Thomson moved into number one to look after Ken and Denise’s baby. She was a bit dopy and resorted to having a dull relationship with Ashley. Kelly moved slowly through every scene, possibly dazed by the fact that her employers had once enjoyed carnal relations. What happened to her? Presumably she was either sacked, locked in a cupboard or melted down for candles.

Tricia Hopkins was the offspring of Nora Batty and the Welsh bloke from ‘Please Sir’. She originally arrived in order to hero worship Ray Langton and took a job at the Mark Brittain Warehouse with Gail Potter. Notable storylines included one special Christmas when Deirdre gave her a black eye plus the disastrous way in which she mis-managed the Corner Shop with the assistance of Gail. She was eventually sent packing by the doughty Renee Bradshaw.

A cheerless old boot who towed the trade union line at Baldwin’s Casuals, Ida Clough was Arthur Scargill in a tabard. She was usually found jabbing her finger in someone’s face or scowling. However she was a pivotal part of the Tilsley/Duckworth years at the factory before disappearing, only to return around a decade later to work alongside Janice Battersby. The years may have aged her but her misery remained intact.

A bizarre old harridan by the name of Amy Burton was shoe-horned into the script as a replacement Hilda Ogden in 1987. Amy was Vera Duckworth’s mother and was soon employed as the cleaner at the Rovers. However, it was soon apparent that she was little more than a petty thief and was jettisoned out of the show in 1988, never to be seen again. Hurrah!

No, not the leggy blonde but the short, wrinkled pensioner. Played by veteran actor Sam Kydd, Frankie Baldwin was Mike’s ‘cor blimey ‘ave a banana’ dear old dad, from down the Smoke. Frankie liked a drink, a bet and the ladies so obviously the apple didn’t fall far from the tree. He was a blueprint for any ‘EastEnders’ character over the age of fifty five . . . male or female.

Tanya Pooley was the type of woman who made Cilla Battersby look like a fluffy bit of nonsense. She was hard-faced and then some. Most fans will remember her for rubbishing Raquel in front of everyone in the Rovers before doing a runner with Bet’s Sean Connery-lite trucker boyfriend. Tanya is quite rightly remembered as one of Corrie’s über-bitches.

Feisty Angie Freeman was the fashion student who arrived in 1990 to share number 7 with Jenny Bradley. She also ended up sharing Curly Watts’ bed in a never-to-be-repeated romp.  For a time she worked for Mike Baldwin before leaving for Mexico. Three years later she returned, much to Mike’s displeasure, as a designer for Kbec. She rented Des Barnes’ house for a while and the Street was a less joyous place when she left for good in 1998.

After Kevin Webster had been promoted at Casey’s garage, the owner’s son Mark Casey was installed as the new grease monkey. However it wasn’t long before the roles were reversed and Mark ended up as boss, firing our Kev and his moustache in the process. Poor old Mark wasn’t lucky in love, having a dalliance with Flick Khan before Jenny Bradley turned her attentions on him. Jenny enjoyed having him as her personal cash dispenser-cum-taxi driver for a while. Mark disappeared from the Street when his business folded and our Kev refused to employ him at Baldwin’s Garage. Served him right!

Do you have any forgotten favourites? Or maybe characters who the rest of us have long forgotten?

10 Things You Might Not Know About Granada TV

As we digest the news that Granada is moving from Manchester city centre, I thought I'd share some facts about Granada Television and its current home.

1. Granada Television was founded by the Bernstein brothers, Sydney and Cecil.  They already owned the Granada Cinema Chain when they set up their TV company.
2. When commercial television came to the UK each region was auctioned off.  The Bernsteins bid for the north west region because they thought as the region had a higher than average rainfall people would be more likely to stay inside watching TV.
3. Their first Manchester headquarters was not where the studios are today.  The first Granada building was near the Town Hall.
4. The current site has been enlarged over the years and has obliterated a street called Grape Street.  The original name of the street was Grope Street and it was once Manchester's 'red light district'.
5. The original outdoor Corrie set was built on railway sidings on the opposite side of Grape Street.
6. The original outdoor viaduct was later used as the frontage of Ian Davenport's car dealership when Sally had an affair with him.
7. At one time Granada ran a theatre company in 'The Stables' which put on lunchtime and evening stage shows.
8. They even had their own bowling green - it's been built on now and it's where Dev and Sunita were married.
9. Granada used to own the hotel opposite, the Victoria and Albert, and the nearby Harry Ramsden's fish and chip restaurant.
10. The main Granada building was designed as a hotel then if commercial TV didn't take off that's what it could have been sold on as.

In related news:

Ian Wylie of the Manchester Evening News has an inteview with Coronation Street's Executive Producer Kieran Roberts.  In it, Kieran tells us what will be involved in the move to Media City and what exactly this means for Coronation Street.

Kieran says: "I would certainly want to reassure viewers that it won’t lose anything, and it will gain. We’re not going to do it in such a way that the viewers will notice any changes that they’re uncomfortable with."
Read the interview here.

See also:
Coronation Street's new home on Google maps
Coronation Street move to Media City confirmed

Sneak Preview of next week's Canadian Corrie, Nov. 7 - 11

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

Kevin and Sally call a truce, for now, for Sophie. Kevin thinks he can talk Sally out of the divorce, will she move ahead or back off? Kevin gets a bit of luck but will he tell Sally?

Liz is back on the Street but shocked to find out Tracy's back too. Liz and Becky are at war and when Liz finally has had enough, she retreats and leans on a familiar old face who tries to help.

Graeme and Xin's sham relationship pulls in the neighbours while Tina  pretends to hate them. Meanwhile, they get the help of David and Kylie. Trevor returns to Weatherfield, Janice gets the sack and they leave town together.  John comes home from hospital. Jeff and Sally are loved up. Tracy sets her eyes on Frank Foster and each of them is warned about the other. Roy receives a letter from his estranged mother.


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

What do you make of "Norris's News"?

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

Tonight we got our first look at Norris's News, first thought? "Shouldn't that be Norris' News?" Second thought? "Poor Rita" though you can't blame Norris for wanting to put his own stamp on the place. He wouldn't have thought Rita would have minded, but she did, Mary on the other hand wouldn't have cared either way.

Anyway, I'm glad they dropped the whole Post Office brand from the place anyway, since the post office counter was never really used. The inside looks a lot tidier and modern, in fact it reminded me of Emmerdale's cafe/post office set a little, I hope Norris decides to change it back to 'The Kabin', it feels wrong without it there.

Fat Brenda's Cream Horn

There are some things that we can't do owt about loveys - death, taxes and Becky McDonald's bi-monthly breakdowns. "I've ruined yer flamin' life Stevie, you'd all be better off without me." I'm not one to argue loveys cos let's be honest, she has and we would!

I've got Lloyd moaning cos Steve's taken all the money at the cab office, I've got Steve moaning that Lloyd's moaning and then on top of all that I've got Cheryl putting potpourri all over the place so me sinuses are bursting with the stench of sweet flamin' bergamot or summat!

This is the knock-on effect of life with Becky! Things were simple when she worked at Roy's Rolls, she went out, got leathered, had a laugh, shared her ciggies and went off the rails once in a while. What's happened? Where has the Becky we loved gone? She spends more time wringing out a snot and tear stained hankie than she does having a laugh nowadays and that's only gonna get worse now that the runt of the litter, Kylie, has turned up.

So David's big surprise wasn't that Candy was Kylie, no, the big surprise was that Kylie turned up looking browner than Dale Winton's fake tan tester! I barely recognised the lass! Her and David have been doing wonders for the local dieters by putting 'em off their flamin' hot-pots whenever they lock lips! It's gruesome loveys, I half expected Kylie to have whipped out one of David's kidneys (she'd probably try and sell it an' all) with her tongue! It wasn't a kiss it was a tongue driven organ mining operation!

When did Rita turn into a flame-haired Yoda?! She just seems to be shuffling around the cobbles dishing out advice and 'wisdom' to every unfortunate that'll listen, "folk'll still have their memories" she said to Dev who was just trying to remain upbeat after nearly losing everything. And as for her advice to Sophie Webster, well, let's just see if Sophie putting "more faith in folk" will pay off cos I don't reckon it's looking that way loveys!

Weatherfield will soon have it's own version of The Liver Birds (googley it young 'uns) when Janice moves in with Julie! What a barrel of laughs that'll be, Julie punching Janice every time she opens her foghorn when Jeremy Paxman's on the telly and Julie cleaning up Janice's fifteen empty vodka bottles!

Tina is continuing with her unhealthy Xin obsession. WE DON'T CARE LOVEY! (sorry) "She's had that coat since 1897 Graeme." SO WHAT! (sorry again loveys) "What would Ken do?" I'll tell you what Ken would do, Graeme love, he'd walk Eccles round Weatherfield, pop into The Rovers for half a bitter and put off going home cos he lives with Deirdre and Tracy! Let's face it loveys, wouldn't we all? It'd take more than a walk and half a bitter to steady me nerves for a night at the Barlows!


"But we must help her Graeme, let's involve everyone in the plight of this person I've never mentioned before and make it worse by getting her fired from her only source of income by constantly going in the restaurant she works in and distracting her from her job in front of her boss who looks like he's never laughed in his life!" Xin's a trained psychiatric nurse loveys so she must know Tina's losing the flamin' plot and if she doesn't, she shouldn't get a job as one anyway!


The good news is that Dev's is open again so I can now be overcharged for goods without having to travel! You can say what you like about Owen but he was certainly quick finishing the shop considering he downed tools last week! Dev's restocked and he's even on the into-net in his little office and what they've done with the space?! It'd make Doctor Who scratch his head in wonder, it's massive inside innit!

So all in all it's been a bit of a funny week round here, I've enjoyed seeing Eddie in all his finery now that Fay(e) has been coming over and after his win on the horses he gave me £5 and told me treat meself to summat nice from the shops... I got ciggies.

I'm off now loveys so just remember this, life is summat that passes while yer waiting for a bus or queueing in the post office, you just turn around and before you know it yer wearing support tights and drinking cranberry for medicinal reasons and not just so you've got summat to mix with yer vodka so enjoy yer youth and steer clear of Becky and Kylie!

Tweeter me here or here or maybe here or here!


Bye then.

1970s Interviews with Corrie actors

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog December, 2010, reposted to this blog with permission.)

With thanks to John at http://coronationstreet.wikia.com/ for sending this to me. It's a 1972 edition of the Ulster Television arts programme "Spectrum" which features long and fascinating interviews with Doris Speed, Violet Carson, William Roache, Peter Adamson and, from the production side, Harry Kershaw and two unidentified writers who John suspects are Susan Pleat and Malcolm Lynch .

Ken Barlow: A fascinating prism?

(This post was originally posted by me on the Coronation Street Blog in November, 2010.)

Many people have long thought the character of Ken Barlow as boring. Joe Moran of the Guardian doesn't think so. In this piece, he talks about how Ken is reflective of his generation. He was a student, wanting more than his working class roots.Yet those roots kept him on the ground instead of achieving and lofty upperclass (or at least upper middle class) life. He still believes in the rights of the everyday person. He sticks with the intellectual snobbery and doesn't buy into the upwardly mobile trend for voracious consumerism. But because Ken never did get all that far from his roots, the public has seen him as dull, boring, and even cowardly when he just can't bring himself to follow his dreams.

By the way, William Roache became the record-holding actor playing a single role for the longest period of time on November 22, 2010 though he was given the award a month earlier. Coronation Street is also now the longest running soap currently on television after the American soap, As The World Turns finished it's 54 year run in September 2010.

Canadian Corrie fan T-shirt available

Blighty's Tuck Store is a chain of stores in the Greater Toronto area that carry a wide range in British goods and items, food and collectibles. They also have some Coronation Street memorabilia and have designed a t-shirt to celebrate Canadian Coronation Street fans. This is the design, a Rovers Return view with a maple leave behind it.

Blighty's also sells online and, just in time for Christmas giving,  this t-shirt is available here in sizes S, M, L and XL only. They're charging $14.95 plus taxes and shipping which isn't too bad for a "branded" shirt.

They also have the new 2012 Corrie calendar but here's a tip, I've seen the calendars in places like Costco for quite cheap. (Sorry, Blighty's!)

For other Corrie items, you can also try the CBC store Coronation Street boutique. Books and calendars are often available in bookstores such as Chapters and Indigo, dvds and box sets in various retailers,  and online at Amazon.ca as well.

State of the Street - February 2011

The month, (February 2011, but the last two weeks in Canada) the Street was in quite a state. Upsets, breakups, and angst. Secrets and lies kept and told. The War of the Websters threw the whole family into chaos. Fiz's family is barely hanging on by a thread and the Alahans are annoying me!

Read more about it over at the State of the Street blog.

Corrie general news catch up

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog January 2011, reposted to this blog with permission.)
(There may be spoilers through the links)

Here we go with a round-up of Coronation Street news and chit-chat.

Paula Lane, who plays Kylie Turner, says she fancies William Roache and that her mum tells her off if she acts like Kylie at home. Read more.

Mikey North, who plays Gary Windass, says he gets grief from the locals when he goes home to Scarborough. Read more.

Craig Charles, who plays Lloyd Mullaney, confirms he'll be in the new series of Red Dwarf. Read more.

Andrew Lancel, who plays Frank Foster, says his new character is trouble for the Street's women. Read more.

Coronation Street wins Law Society award for getting legal matters right in storylines.  Read more.

Keep Britain Tidy wants Corrie characters to pick up their trash. Yes, that includes, you, Peter Barlow and your flicking ciggie-butts.  Read more.