Coronation Street missing episode found in archive

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog April 2014, reposted to this blog with permission.)

With thanks to Corriefest organiser Gareth Kavanagh for letting us know about this amazing bit of Coronation Street history which has been unearthed.

Copyright Kaleidoscope:

"Ten years ago ITV gave us a lot of tapes, several thousand titles made by Granada. We have catalogued everything listed on the tape labels. So imagine our surprise when he found an extra programme on a tape, unlisted. Despite ITV giving us this tape ten years ago, it turns out they had not kept the master and were amazed when we asked about the show.

It's a missing episode of Coronation Street.

A missing episode of Corrie? "Impossible?" you say, "They all exist"

We have now returned the footage to ITV so it can be used by them. The Corrie archivist said she had no record of this missing episode ever being made. The archives say they don't hold it, except for a few stockshots of Manchester Airport.

Production numbered 1/0061/0008: A Coronation Street promo, possibly for a screening in New York, or America at least. It’s in colour and runs for about 18 minutes. It’s mainly shot from the point of view of an unseen air traveller who has arrived at Manchester Airport on a BOAC flight from New York.

After disembarking, he (she?) is picked up by a taxi driver (played by Fred Feast) and is taken to the Rovers Return in Coronation Street where Annie Walker introduces whoever it is to various folk in the bar. As well as the newly-shot material there are what I think are three or four clips from the series to help illustrate what some of the Corrie characters are like. It ends with the American leaving the Rovers and getting back in the taxi.

I’m not sure exactly when it was made but from what Annie Walker says it’s clearly after Ernest Bishop first gets together with Emily Nugent (sometime in 1969) but before they’re married (April 1972).

The cast includes Bet Lynch, Ena Sharples, Albert Tatlock. Billy Walker, Ken Barlow, Maggie and the Ogdens, all in new material.

Gareth Kavanagh is hoping to be able to show the missing episode at this year's Corriefest alongside other rareities and studio tapes.

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