The tales of Corrie that never were

(This post was originally posted by Clinkers (David) on the Coronation Street Blog in October 2016.)


How are we enjoying our Corrie at the moment? There's a feeling that the new boss has given the cobbles a bit of a 'bottoming' and a much needed kick up the rear portions. Of course not everything has been rosy (as opposed to Rosie - let's not even get started on that!) down Weatherfield way and recently we've seen that real life can impact on our favourite fiction.

Unsavoury off-screen events mean that we will never get to see the full flowering of Sharif's never-mentioned-before affair with Yasmeen's sly best 'friend'. For that we should throw up our arms and rejoice. Viewers have been saved from months of dreary, unbelievable and unpalatable storytelling together with the continuing rubbishing of Alya. Instead, we might be treated to the sudden disappearance of slimy Sharif and a nice little death. Yasmeen will emerge as a brighter and stronger character. We can but hope.

The vagaries of real life have often resulted in the need for a swift piece of re-writing or a sudden explanation. Maybe it seems a bit easier these days yet years ago it could sometimes feel a little clunky. The more vintage viewers amongst us will recall the mid-seventies when ill-health forced Violet Carson out of the programme. For most of 1975 she was referred to as still being a vibrant part of Street life despite never being seen. There were even a few scenes of closing shop doors with people calling out "Bye Mrs Sharples" and that was that. We believed.

The sudden demise of a storyline or character can often lead us down the rocky road to ruin - the pondering over what might have been. Would Martha Lonhgurst still have been cleaning the Rovers during Bet's tenure and if so, would Hilda Ogden never have existed? Could Len Fairclough have coped with Norris Cole? Had she lived, would Valerie Barlow have been Secretary General of the United Nations?

One of the most tantalising non-stories was provided by the sudden exit of Billy Walker in 1975. Reading about this forty years on makes you wonder how something so major as a contract could have been overlooked. The actor Ken Farrington was approaching contract renewal  time and decided to leave the show. Meanwhile the writers and producers had blithely carried on with their preparations for Billy's marriage to Deirdre Hunt. Suddenly came the realisation that this wasn't going to happen. Had it done so, then we would have been looking at a very different future for Deirdre. She would have been the new Mrs Walker, no doubt battling with Annie and trying to keep the peace between the veteran landlady and the very lovely Blanche. With Deirdre Walker in place, there would have been no Ray, no Tracy, no Barlow wedding, no Barlow bust-ups, no Wendy flamin' Crozier. Deirdre probably wouldn't have ended up behind the counter at the Corner Shop, or shared a home with Emily. She might well have been the landlady of the Rovers Return. An odd and frankly scary alternative vision.

At the other end of the scale though is someone having the foresight to ditch a storyline when it isn't going well or simply doesn't feel right. The odd, if not displeasing, coupling of Ken and Audrey looked like it might end up in a lovely, feel-good festive wedding come this Christmas. Yet this doesn't appear to be so. Instead the relationship fizzled out before it had really begun and Audrey's getting her jollies staring through the Round Window with Derek Griffiths from Play School. The prospect of Audrey Barlow was a cosy, pleasing one in some ways. It would have brought her more firmly into the Corrie landscape. Remember, apart from four years at number 11, Aud has spent over a quarter of a century on Grasmere Drive. Having her at number 1 might have been fun but it now looks unlikely.

Therefore the non-story of a potential Audrey Barlow will be flung into the Corrie Cupboard of those other tales that never came to fruition - single mother Emily Nugent, gay Jerry Booth, George Greenwood taking over the Corner Shop, the missing Ogden children,  Ivy Tilsley's non-marriage to George Wardle, the Ken & Deirdre reconciliation of 1993, Irma Barlow's affair with Alan Howard, the kidnapping of Freddie Peacock . . . and there may be more.

Whether or not any of those lost stories would have seriously changed the course of Corrie history is debatable - but that's part of the fun.

David Bridgman, twitter @bridglondon



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To all the men I've loved before - Deirdre's song

(This post was originally posted by Llifon on the Coronation Street Blog in July 2015, reposted with permission.)

Deirdre's friends reminiscing about her in the Rovers, and especially about her track record with men, prompted me to look up the men she dallied with over the years. 

Below is a list of all Deirdre's men with a brief synopsis, with a link to their profile on Corriepedia.

1. Jimmy Frazer (1972)

When we first met Deirdre, she was Jimmy Frazer's floozy. It is unknown if this was just a one-time association. Jimmy was around 40 years older than Deirdre. When she returned in 1973, she was no longer tied to Jimmy.

2. Alan Howard (1973)

She made a pass at Elsie's husband during a party at No.11.

3. Ray Langton (1973, 1975-1978)

Deirdre briefly dated Ray in 1973 and he later secured her a job at the Builder's Yard. The relationship ended when she caught the eye of Billy Walker. After Billy fled for Jersey, Deirdre had whirlwind romance with Ray and they married 1975. Daughter Tracy was born in 1977. Ray had an affair in 1978 but they reconciled. Deirdre refused to join Ray when he got a job in Holland and they divorced in 1979. Ray returned in 2005 to make amends before he died. 

4. Billy Walker (1974-1975, 1979, 1984) 

Deirdre caught the eye of publican son Billy who was 17 years her senior. After a whirlwind romance, they got engaged and planned a big wedding, to the chagrin of Annie Walker. But weeks before the wedding, Billy got cold feet and fled to Jersey leaving Deirdre heartbroken. When he visited in 1979, he asked newly divorced Deirdre to join him in Jersey but she refused. In 1984, he made a pass at her while Ken was away but she rebuffed him. Who knows, if things had worked out differently, Deirdre might have become landlady of the Rovers! 

5. Maurice Gordon (1975)

With her engagement to Billy broken, she sought solace in Maurice and had a few drinks with him. A few weeks later she was mortified to see Maurice again and when he tried to force himself on her, Ray stepped in. When Ray comforted her, they kissed and they were married in a month!

6. Mike Baldwin (1979, 1981, 1982-1983)

She briefly dated Mike in 1979, but then chose Ken. They dated again in 1981, but fed up of Mike messing her around, she chose Ken again and they later married. But after 15 months of marriage to Ken, Deirdre was bored and began an affair with Mike that gripped the nation. Deirdre eventually confessed and with the nation was on tenterhooks wondering who she would choose, she decided to stay with Ken. Despite divorcing Ken years later, she never rekindled with Mike and instead became a good friend and confidante to him, to Ken and Alma's annoyance. It is disputed who was Mike's true love: Deirdre or Alma. Who do you think?

7. Ken Barlow (1979-1980, 1981-1990, 1993, 1996-1997, 1999-2015)

After an on/off romance, they eventually married in 1981. The marriage survived Deirdre's affair with Mike in 1982/3. Ken adopted Tracy in 1985. In 1987, Deirdre was elected councillor and this annoyed Ken as she was now on the same social level as he was. With Deirdre constantly in meetings, Ken had an affair with Wendy Crozier which ended the marriage in 1990. They had brief reconciliations in 1993 and 1996 but didn't reunite properly until 1999, thanks to Blanche's matchmaking. Despite Deirdre's fling with Dev in 2001, they married again in 2005. While both Ken and Deirdre strayed once again, they stayed together until Deirdre's untimely death. 

8. Dirk van der Stek (1981)

A colleague of Ray's in Holland. He updated Deirdre on Ray's life and took her out once or twice. While Ken warned him off Deirdre, it didn't stop him offering Deirdre to come to Holland for a visit. Deirdre never took up the offer.

9. Dave Barton (1990)

Dave was hired to fit in a new kitchen at No.1 and struck up a friendship with Deirdre. Deirdre was reluctant to go out with Dave alone as she had only separated from Ken. But they did and they kissed. Despite Ken wanting to reunite, Deirdre had no intention and continued to be romanced by Dave. Growing tired of Ken's presence, Deirdre began divorce proceedings. Dave proposed but dumped her when she rejected. 

David Beckett, who played Dave Barton, married Anne Kirkbride in 1992.

10. Phil Jennings (1990-1991)

Suave businessman Phil was attracted to Deirdre's feistiness when she campaigned against his amusement arcades. Ken once again interfered, but to no avail. Phil and Deirdre spent New Year in Paris. He later helped Deirdre with her council campaign against Alf in 1991, but she lost. Phil hid the fact that he was in debt and indeed married. Deirdre found this out before he fled the country and came to the conclusion that she was just one of his mistresses.

11. Doug Murray (1992)

She dated Doug for a while and Tracy had a crush on him. Deirdre dumped him when he used Tracy for his financial gains.

12. Samir Rachid (1994-1995)

A holiday romance in Morocco that led to her third marriage. Samir was 18 years her junior. After they married, they moved to Morocco, fed up of being gossiped about. Deirdre had to return months later when Tracy took a drug overdose and lost a kidney. The marriage was strained, and once again Ken's involvement didn't help matters. When Tracy had to have a kidney transplant, Samir was a match and was happy to help. But he was attacked one day and eventually died. Devastated Deirdre had to consent for the operation to go ahead. During many heated arguments in the future, Deirdre blamed Tracy for Samir's death.

13. Stephen Reid (1996)

She reluctantly went on a few dates with Stephen Reid, her first since Samir's death. But she ended things when she sensed he only asked her out out of pity.

14. Jon Lindsay (1997)

Undoubtedly one of Deirdre's biggest mistake as a boyfriend. Charming Jon swept Deirdre off her feet by telling her he was an airline pilot. Ken once again was concerned about Deirdre and investigated Jon - to find out that he worked in an airport tie shop! Jon confessed that he was no longer a pilot (he never was!!) due to an ear problem. Viewers soon found out that Jon was leading a double life and Deirdre moved into a new house with him and they planned to marry. Deirdre later found out that he was married and to her horror had framed her for fraud. Deirdre was found guilty (despite being innocent) and it was only when another woman who was duped by Jon came forward that Deirdre was freed. Jon was later jailed and Deirdre had to begin life again.

15. Dev Alahan (2001)

Deirdre returned to work in the Corner Shop in 2000 and found herself falling for new owner Dev. Dissatisfied with her life with Ken yet again, and after rowing with him and Peter, she slept with Dev. She was disappointed when Dev later rejected her. She kept the fling a secret until 2003 when Tracy began dating Dev. Ken was furious but forgave her.

16. Lewis Archer (2010)

After charming Rita and beginning a relationship with Audrey, Deirdre found herself under escort Lewis' spell. He pretended that he fancied her, but in reality he was only using her to get his hands on the bookies' money. When he feared that she had found him out, he kissed her which was videoed on a CCTV camera. Lewis eventually stole £4000 from the bookies and fled. Peter sacked Deirdre and she also got a tart in the face by Gail. 

And there we have it, Deirdre's conquests. But who was Deirdre's true love? In my opinion, it was good old Ken!

by Llifon

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Should Billy Walker make a Corrie comeback?

(This post was originally posted by Llifon on the Coronation Street Blog in August 2013.)

There is one character that I'd like to see make a return to the cobbles. And that is Billy Walker, the wayward son of former Rovers landlady Annie.  He last appeared in 1984 and I think it's time that he pays another visit to Weatherfield. I don't know about becoming a regular character but very much a guest appearance.

And I've come up with a scenario:

Nick finds out that a new wine bar has opened at the other side of town and goes to investigate. The new owner is Billy Walker, who's been running a bar in Jersey for nearly 30 years. Nick tells him that he's running a wine bar on Coronation Street. Billy is intrigued and comes to visit the competition. While visiting he bumps into Rita and Dennis. Billy is shocked to see Dennis back on the cobbles and both ask about their mothers. And thus we find out the fate of Annie. Billy also makes a comment that it's ironic that Rita has married the son of the woman her husband chased in the 60s.

Billy asks about Deirdre and Dennis puts his foot in it by stating that she's on her own as Ken is in Canada for a few months. Billy is interested and leaves the bistro and goes to No. 1. Deirdre is shocked to see her old flame and fiancée and they enjoy catching up. Unknown to her, Billy is on a quest to win her back.

As well as his story with Deirdre, Billy will also bring bad memories back for Emily. If you remember, Billy blackmailed Emily to get money she got after Ernie's murder. He threatened to tell everybody about Mike's affair with Deirdre but Mike stopped him. Billy tries to make amends with her but is thwarted by a suspecting Norris.

Billy takes an interest in Nick's bistro and wants to be involved. Nick refuses but Billy charms Audrey and reminisces about Alf and he tells Audrey to persuade Nick to make him a business partner.  Who knows if it'll work?

Or maybe he could be interested in the Rovers - reclaiming his parents' pub?

I'm getting carried away...

Maybe you've got other ideas? Would you like Billy back on the cobbles?

Who knows? Maybe TPTB at Corrie Towers will be reading this!

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