The truth about the kitchen in The Rovers Return

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog January 2018, reposted to this blog with permission.)


There's an awful lot of rubbish being printed online today about the kitchen at The Rovers Return on Coronation Street.

Headlines such as these today...

BIRTH OF HOTPOTS Coronation Street’s secret Rovers Return kitchen finally revealed

(The Sun)

REVEALED! Coronation Street viewers finally get to see the mysterious Rovers kitchen 

(The Mirror)

.. are being repeated all over the internet. And why? Because last night we had a scene set in the kitchen at The Rovers Return.

Here's the kitchen back in the day when Alec Gilroy worked in the pub.

Admittedly, we don't see the kitchen at The Rovers as much as we see other parts of the pub, but we do see it regularly enough to know that it's there. It's not exactly mysterious and it's hardly secret, is it? And we have seen it more often than the tabloids report - forty years since we've seen it, they're saying today. No, I don't think so.

That's why this Coronation Street fan is so amused - and confused - that the tabloids are choosing to write about it. Have I missed something, here?

(edited to add: No, No you've not missed something. My favourite comic scene took place in that kitchen, and it relates to that last photo above with the kitchen health inspector. Read about Alec Gilroy and the Boris the Mexican Mouse Eating Spider right here, with video proof!)

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Liz back in the Rovers - Yay or Nay?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


It's a rhetorical question, well, for this fan anyway and I'm going to say right now it's a big fat YAY from me.

The Rovers without Liz running it is like Betty's Hot without the Pot, like Newton without the Ridley.

I love the way that she's wormed her way back behind the bar even though Toyah and Peter don't really want, or need her there, but they're both too scared to sack her. This reminds me of something Betty Turpin once did, or could I be misremembering things?  Anyway, I love it that she's back from behind the counter at the medical centre to behind the bar of the pub.

So what do you say, Corrie fans. Should Liz take over the Rovers again, and who knows, with Tom Ridley's help she just might.

Liz back in the Rovers - Yay or Nay?

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Top 5 Rovers Return storylines in Coronation Street

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog March 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)

It's up for sale, again.

 And so, to celebrate the most famous pub in Britain, here we go with our top five Rovers Return storylines.

1. The first ever Rovers death

The Rovers Return Inn was the scene of one of Coronation Street’s most shocking deaths, back in May 1964. Martha Longhurst was a cleaner at the Rovers Return and she’d been invited by her family on a holiday to Spain. As she sat in the Snug, passport in one hand and a sherry in the other, Martha suffered a heart attack and died in her seat in the pub. That night, for the first time in Corrie’s history, the credits rolled in silence at the end of the show. Instead of the usual exit sequence of chimney pots and roof tops, there was just a closing shot of a table top with Martha’s passport on it along with her glass of sherry and a pair of specs.

2. Little Tracy Barlow's near miss

There was chaos and carnage at our favourite pub back in 1979, when a lorry crashed into the front of the Rovers. Deirdre Barlow had popped into the pub to see landlady Annie Walker about a knitting pattern, leaving 2-year-old Tracy Barlow outside of the pub in her pushchair. When the lorry smashed into the pub, Deirdre ran through the dust and smoke screaming for Tracy, only to find a pile of timber where she’d left her baby girl. When the emergency services arrived, they called for silence but couldn’t hear any crying from under the timber and the Fire Chief warned Deirdre her baby was probably dead. Fortunately for Tracy, she’d been snatched moments before by a mentally distressed woman. And as we all know, Tracy survived to grow up into the woman that we all love to hate.

3. Inferno: Take 1

When the fuses kept blowing at the Rovers Return back in 1986, cellar man Jack Duckworth decided to replace the 5-amp fuse with a 30-amp one. DIY was never his strength. After the customers had left at the end of the night and landlady Bet Lynch was upstairs in bed, the fuse box burst into flames. Walking back home late at night from a date, it was Sally who first spotted the fire and Kevin who rescued unconscious Bet and saved her life, carrying her out of her smoke-filled room upstairs in the pub and down a ladder to safety.

4. The reign of the Duckies

The Rovers Return survived death and destruction, but could it survive the Duckworths? The unlikely publicans took over in 1995, when Jack was left a windfall by his brother Cliff. When Veronica Duckworth put her name as licensee above the door, it was the proudest day of her life. Together the Duckies felt respect from their community for the first time, but their moment of glory was cut short when debts from tax troubles caught up with them. They weren't away from the pub for long though, with Jack returning as cellar man, and Vera as a cleaner.

5. Sunita's murder

Jealous Karl Munro was revealed as the arsonist who started the devastating blaze earlier this year. In a bid to get revenge on love-rival Jason and win back his beloved ex Stella, Karl tried to frame Jason for the fire, claiming that the blaze would be blamed on faulty electrics which Jason had fitted in the pub. When Karl was caught in the act by Sunita, he knocked her down the stairs and left her unconscious with the life-threatening flames spreading around her.

And not forgetting... the legendary hotpot!

We can’t mention the Rovers Return without its best-selling pub grub – Betty’s hotpot. Fixtures and fittings may change as the pub is renovated after the fire, but one thing we hope will surely remain the same – Betty’s hotpot served up at the bar.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Vote in our poll: Who should take over the Rovers Return?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog March 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)

There's a For Sale up outside of Coronation Street's pub as Steve and Michelle head for a war of divorce.  This week in Corrie, we'll see Liz show some prospective buyers around the pub...

...and there's even been a hint that Peter Barlow will throw his hat into the ring to purchase his favourite pub.

But who should run it? Who would you like to see behind the bar? Vote in our poll and have your say!


In our last poll, we asked What is Shona's Secret. As you can see from the results below, the majority of fans reckon she's the mum of Clayton, who killed Kylie Platt.

NEW! Coronation Street Blog - the book.
A must for all Corrie fans!

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Build your own Rovers Return

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

Put your phone down and turn off your computer (after you've read this of course) because we've got something for you to build.

Yes, you can build your own Coronation Street pub, the Rovers Return. It's made with real brick and roof tiles. You will build your kits stone by stone the same as the originals were constructed, using the same building materials as the original buildings. Domus kits come complete with clay bricks, flat ceramic roof tiles, wooden foundations, mortar powder, and greenery.

The kits come with heavy cardboard templates to support the walls, paints, glue, scenery and step-by-step instructions.

All the details are here.



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Who Owns the Rovers: A Definitive Answer

In the past few days on one of our blog posts, the The Top 10 Mysteries of Coronation Street,  there has been a discussion on the mystery of who owns the Rovers Returns. There has been a lot of confusion over this since it was never clear if Carla did go through with the offer to buy Liz's share of the pub after Steve sold his share to "Travis, Ltd. " aka Tony.

Many thanks to a commenter, Corriefan, who pointed the way to a post that was made on the Coronation Street Guestbook on August 2 by Daphne. This was information obtained by email straight from ITV's David Nugent:

"Many thanks for the e-mail about the ownership of the Rovers and I do hope the below clarify matters.
Liz paid off the debts Steve had run up using Street Cars money. Steve then had a huge tax bill, which Tony paid off. He then also agreed to help pay for the wedding. Tony then pretended that all this strain on his finances had forced him into dodgy deals with loan sharks who were now threatening him with violence if he did not pay them back. Steve sold his half of the Rovers to Travis Ltd. (Tony's bogus company). Steve gave the proceeds to Tony, who effectively paid himself! Liz was about to sell her half of the Rovers to Carla but before they could sign on the dotted line, she learned of Tony's plan to get the pub. Therefore, Liz still owns her half of the pub, while Tony owns the other half."

So there you have it straight from the studio. Liz does still own half of the pub and Tony owns the other half at the moment. We do know that Liz is trying to keep Tony out of it and we've suspected that she'll get back together with Tony only to get Steve's share back for him somehow. Watch this space!



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Is Liz the best Rovers landlady since Bet?

I've always enjoyed Liz McDonald. She is fiery, she's fierce, she's strong, she's tough. She's a classic Corrie woman who can snap the lid of a smile over a scream and carry on serving. She's got a terrible sense of fashion but she can pull it off with the confidence of a runway model.

I think she's probably the best landlady of the Rovers Return that we've seen since Bet-Lynch-Gilroy. They're very much cut from the same cloth though I think Liz is probably a bit stronger in that Bet always seemed like, underneath it all, she expected everything to be taken away from her, like she didn't really deserve to own and run the pub, not really.

Liz believes she's meant to be the landlady and nobody's going to get the better of her.  Well, they didn't until Tony managed to wear her down - but that was just a blip.
 
Her tenure at the pub has been rocky, to say the least. Liz has had several lengthy retreats to Spain causing a bit of upheaval behind the bar at times. I've written more about Liz and the interim landladies / managers over here on State of the Street. 

Liz, at the moment, may or may not be one of the owners of the pub, but I have confidence that she will be once again and it won't be long coming.



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Who owns the Rovers Return?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog June 2015, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Last night on Coronation Street when Steve McDonald return from Spain, he railed at the thought of Tony owning half of the Rovers.  As well he might.

What he didn't rail against, and what no-one seemed to mention, is that Carla owns the other half.  I put this thought out on twitter last night and one of our other bloggers replied to say that he thought Carla hadn't bought it.  In our house, we were convinced that she did.

I then posed the question to the twittersphere - did Carla buy into the Rovers? And I received a mixed reply. Some fans thought she had and others thought she hadn't.

I do remember most definitely Carla and Michelle turning up at the last minute to stop Travis Ltd (Tony) from buying the remaining 50% of the pub, as in the picture above. And Carla offered to buy the 50% to keep Liz and Michelle in a job.  That's why, when Tracy found out that Carla had bought into the Rovers she was so incensed she broke into Carla's flat with Michelle's keys intent on killing Carla for knocking her and Tony's plan on the head to buy the Rovers outright.

So does anyone have proof of what actually happened? Did Travis Ltd (Tony) buy 50% and did Carla buy the other 50%? If so, this leaves Steve and Liz not owning the pub at all, just running it. Someone needs to tell Steve!

Can anyone clarify for sure with episode details? It looks like it was Friday May 22 and Monday May 25.  On the clip at the Radio Times website here - it shows Carla stepping with her offer to buy half of the pub. But did she make good on her offer?

If you view the clip below from 1.35 onwards, Steve clearly tells Tracy "Carla's bought into the pub."  But was all of this before Liz found out about Tony and then it wasn't necessary for Carla to buy into the pub after all?





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Could Tracy Barlow really run the Rovers Return?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog April 2015, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Kate Ford has been interviewed this week about the upcoming storyline on Coronation Street in which she gets Tony to ask Liz for his money back that he loaned to Steve.

When Tony has the money returned to him, Steve knows he's skint and in trouble.  However, he does have the pub to sell if he gets desperate and Tracy decides it could be time for her and Tony to buy the Rovers for themselves.

Kate says this about Tracy: “She definitely has more power, maybe because Tony’s realised just how far she’ll go and that she really does stop at nothing to get what she wants.” 

So Tracy’s got Tony wrapped around her little finger!
“Definitely. The balance of power has changed. The situation at the Rovers is also a factor. Tony’s fed up with Liz constantly putting Steve first and taking advantage of him in the process. He’s tiring of Liz and he’s lusting after Tracy even more.”

Does Tracy genuinely care for Tony?
“In her own way… She thought they’d be good together before. But when he started lying to her, Tracy quickly reminded herself to look after number one. Right now, they’re both using each other to get what they want – and both enjoying the sex!”

And it’s after some passionate rumpy-pumpy that Tracy reveals her desire for the Rovers, isn’t it?
“Yes. Tracy announces they should get their own pub. Tony agrees, but he says he’ll dump Liz  in his own time. When Tracy then tells him she wants the Rovers rather than any old pub, Tony’s taken aback.”

Why’s Tracy so set on the Rovers?
“It would be the ultimate success for Tracy. To win the Rovers from the McDonalds and become its landlady would mean she could show everyone what she’s really made of. She loves showing off and she wants to be the wealthiest, most successful person in the Street, not least because she’s determined to outdo Carla [Alison King]."

And what does Tony want?
“He seems to go along with Tracy. Like I say, she has him where she wants him. She also has a plan of action. She tells Tony to lie to Liz and tell her he needs the money he lent her back as a loan shark is after him.”

Does Liz fall for this?
“Yes. She has no reason to think Tony’s lying, as he’s helped them out with money before. She knows he’s never really short of cash as he’s got fingers in loads of pies. Liz even suggests to Tony that Steve [Simon Gregson] sell his half of the Rovers so he can repay Tony from when Tony settled Steve’s tax bill. She has no suspicion whatsoever of him being up to no good, nor does she know about Tracy being behind it all.”

Is Tracy cut out to be a pub landlady, though?
“Oh, she’d be awful! The pub wouldn’t last a week. Tracy would be so rude to everyone they’d have no customers left!”

Glenda Young 
Flaming Nora Blog / Twitter   



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The best Rovers team Corrie ever had

(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in June 2014.)

It was decided unanimously on Twitter yesterday that this blog post was long overdue. Today we're going back in time to look at what many believe to be the best team of characters the Rovers Return ever had. 

While I loved the Bet and Alec era of the late 1980s and early 90s and for me Raquel will always be up there as one of the best barmaids, the team of Annie Walker, Betty Turpin, Bet Lynch, Fred Gee and Hilda Ogden reigns supreme. Annie had of course been landlady on screen since Corrie began in 1960. She was joined by Betty in 1969 and Bet the following year. However the period from 1976 to 1983 is, for me, the golden era of the Rovers. The chemistry between these characters was pitched perfectly and the storylines, both whimsical and dramatic, showed off the talents of the Rovers ensemble to perfection. 

This was the heyday of the classic Rovers scenes. Staff chatted with each other and the regular punters over nothing at all. The dialogue and interaction between characters was key and the result was often funny, sometimes sad and poignant but always real and believable. The writers trusted the actors and the characters they played to sparkle onscreen and bring their scripts to life. And that they did.

I know it wasn't perfect. Fred Gee was always a tad coarse for my liking and sometimes the idea of Annie Walker being in charge of the pub did stretch credibility. However despite the fact our Betty walked out of the Rovers in a huff 68 times between 1976 and 1983, it was always good fun and the viewers were glued.

So here's a quick run down of the best Rovers team ever and some of my favourite recollections:

We must of course give top billing to the landlady par excellence, Mrs Ann Walker. Doris Speed gave stunning performances as the wonderfully stuck up Annie from her first appearance in December 1960 until her last towards the end of 1983. Annie was a loveable snob. Her heart was in Cheshire but her body remained firmly planted in the back streets of Weatherfield. She was regal (particularly in 1977 when she dressed up as Elizabeth I), snooty and above herself but Doris always managed to keep us onside as there was a touch of warmth and humility lurking there too. 

She talked fondly of her dear late husband Jack, coped with the disappointments of absent daughter Joan and errant son Billy and ruled her Rovers team with a rod of iron. I adored her oneupmanship with fellow landlady Nellie Harvey, her disdain for some of her more earthy punters and the constant scrapes with her staff. My favourite memory is when Eddie Yeats palmed off some old carpet from the Alhambra Bingo Hall onto Mrs Walker, claiming it had been specially monogrammed, just for her. Her reaction when the truth emerged was priceless.

Betty Turpin will always be one of my favourite Corrie ladies. Betty was just a natural behind the Rovers bar. It often felt like she really did work there. She filled the screen with warmth, but she could also be fierce if the situation demanded it. She stood up to Fred Gee and famously took on Annie when the imperious landlady accused her of stealing. Barely an episode went by without her reminiscing about her late husband Cyril and we loved her for it.  She was like an older sister to Bet Lynch and their relationship developed over the years. They looked out for one another and it was often very touching. Of course she is best remembered for her hotpot, but that was to come later. I will always remember her for her mother earth presence behind the Rovers bar, listening to the latest woes from Bet or Elsie and doling out advice to all that needed it.

Bet Lynch needs no introduction. Brassy, blonde and full of vim. "It's not a smile, it's the lid on a scream". That sums her up perfectly to me. She was always "on" front of house but very often concealing a heartbreaking disappointment or failed romance. Her outfits were as legendary as her affairs. Who can forget the day she walked into the Rovers wearing her frock back to front? She was wisecracking and could hold her own against the likes of Len, Rita and Ray Langton but underneath it all she was soft as butter. 

Both Annie and Betty knew it and the bond between all three was never broken. I loved that for years after Annie moved away Bet kept a framed photo of her in the Rovers back room. Such opposites in almost everything, but somehow it worked. 

Now we come to pot man Fred Gee. Fred Feast played himself I think - the result was a very authentic portrayal of a coarse, uncouth middle aged man, but underneath that, "Fredface" as Bet called him, was as vulnerable as the rest. He desperately craved female attention, rarely succeeding. He did marry Eunice Nutall in the early 1980s but it wasn't to last. 

While he was never a favourite of mine his presence behind the Rovers bar was a vital element. His constant clashing with Betty, the raft of bitchy comments from Bet and withering looks from Annie, were often the backbone of the Rovers storylines. I loved Annie making him dress up as a chauffeur when he took her out in the Rover. Fred's attempt at turning back time thanks to a dreadful wig was also obvious but hilarious. He had to handle a volley of rude remarks from the likes of Albert Tatlock, Rita and Vera Duckworth. Corrie gold. 

Of course we must not forget the most famous Rovers char of them all, Hilda Ogden. She spent a lifetime bottoming out the Select for Mrs Walker, singing out of tune and sticking her nose in where it wasn't wanted. I used to love it when she'd pop up from behind the bar or appear down the stairs, always when something juicy was being discussed. 

Fred Gee called her Super Nose and while she loved a gossip and could be cruel from time to time, she really had a heart of gold and worked hard to keep Stan in fried slice and pint pots of ale. I'll never forget Hilda inviting Bet and Annie to the unveiling of her new muriel. Like Annie, she was always trying to better herself and the result was often funny and touching. 


I doubt we'll ever see their like again. 

So what are your favourite memories of these wonderful characters? 

Tweet me @GraemeN82



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Bring back the dimpled beer glass to The Rovers Return

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

The BBC is today heralding the return of the dimpled beer glass.

In an article on their BBC News magazine, it says that the dimpled pint glass, the symbol of the British pub is back. I know I'd love to see it return, I'm a big fan of the dimple.

Surely it's time to get a dimple revival going in the Rovers Return on Coronation Street.  It used to be popular with Jack Duckworth:

And with Eddie Yeats:

And with Kevin, Curly and Terry Duckworth too.

But sadly the dimpled beer glass has been out of favour for some time on Corrie, and nationwide too. Below is just one of many pictures I found showing dimple-less glasses being used on Corrie right now.

It's time to bring back the dimpled beer glass!

Read the full article here.



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Facts about the Rovers Return

Here's a few interesting facts about the Rovers Return and the new set, according to the ITV website

The current set is the fifth version of Coronation Street.

The new Street set is a bit bigger, closer to real life dimensions. The previous set was about a third smaller than normal streets would be. This new set also has the light standards set back a bit and the kerbs dropped to make it easier for the production staff and cameras to move around.

The tree in front of Audrey's Salon has been replanted. ITV says "The tree outside Audrey's salon is an Alnus Icana, delivered from Holland it weighs six tonnes and stands 40 feet high. It is around 25 years old and is one of the largest trees ever planted in the UK"

About a quarter of the bricks used were reclaimed from Salford de-constructions and most of the cobbles are reclaimed as well.

Both Streetcars and Underworld sets will no longer be housed in the large indoor studios, they will be behind the doors on the outdoor sets. (I hope they have installed heating. That was one of the complaints when Underworld was in the same place in the old set so they finally moved it indoors).

And yes, the Rovers has a second upstairs window and not before time. With living areas and kitchens and bedrooms for all and sundry up there, it wasn't very realistic looking. It still doesn't seem like the building is big enough to house everything and everyone but that's television for you. At least we're back downstairs in the pub living quarters instead of in the upstairs pseudo flat we saw when Steve and Becky were married. 

There's a good book now out by Tim Randall about the Rovers Return. Read our book review of it here. It's a great Christmas gift for any Corrie fan!

Photo from the ITV Corrie website.



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Top 5 Rovers Return moments

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog May 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

As Coronation Street plans the reopening of the nation's favourite pub tonight on TV - yes, Corrie's on at 9pm tonight - Sunday 26 May, my Top Five Rovers Return 'moments' are listed on the official Coronation Street website at itv.com/corrie today.

Have a look at them here.


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Are you excited to see the Rovers return?

(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in May 2013.)

It feels like the Rovers Return has been closed for an age. Maybe that's why I think Coronation Street has been lacking something recently. For me, the good old Rovers is the centre of the Corrie universe.

I know Corrie has other meeting places where characters can interact (in various different forms!) but none of them come close to the Rovers. I love Roy's Rolls, mainly because we're bound to see Roy, Hayley or Sylvia, currently all playing a blinder and showing others up where they are seriously lacking. The Kabin is also a favourite although, like the Corner Shop, it doesn't feature as prominently these days as perhaps it should. Then there's Nick's Bistro.

I don't know about you but I've never taken to the Bistro. It just sits awkwardly with the Street. At the moment it features in nearly every episode it seems and everyone is in there all the flipping time! Ok, I can see Stella, Carla and Michelle frequenting the Bistro regularly, but Norris and Emily? Nah. The Bistro also boasts the most unprofessional staff I've witnessed anywhere. So many arguments are conducting behind that tiny bar I'm surprised they have any customers at all. After the tram landed on the place back in 2010 I'm shocked they shift any Lancashire tapas whatsoever.

No, it will always be the Rovers for me. It may not be in it's prime these days, it's crying out for an Annie Walker. Step forward Sally Webster with all that lottery cash! The Rovers Return is such a strong brand that somehow it doesn't really matter who is behind the bar. I can't wait to see it re-open its doors to the punters of Weatherfield once again. After all, it's been several months since anyone has had a pint of best bitter tipped over their head. 

So, have you missed the Rovers? Are you excited about its return?




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The new Rovers Return - small changes make a big difference

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

If you were to take a quick look at the new Rovers, you wouldn't think there was much of a difference, but if you look closely, there are a lot of little changes.

My favourite change would be the new portrait of Betty, the controversial "Landlady" caption has been removed, now leaving just a proper tribute to Betty's many years as a barmaid.

The new booths are probably the most notable change, as the old dividers had been quite a recognisable backdrop to many hours of drama and gossip, now replaced with a new art deco style border, they almost resemble the original dividers that were in place after the 1986 fire.

There's a few new changes which help the Rovers look like a pub you would expect to see in 2013, there's a newspaper rack by the bar, where residents can read up on the latest news, or more likely, look up the latest goals and transfers in football.

The new jukebox has a bit more of a modern look, though not too modern, it looks as if it has been rescued from another pub, which was the look that the pub was going for, according to Corrie's art director in an post from earlier today.

Another big change is that the pub has wooden panelling that now covers some of the walls in the bar, I think this is a nice change as the wallpaper will no longer cover each wall, and wooden panelling on the walls is something you would commonly see in a real world pub, further adding to the realism of the pub and the soap itself.

All in all, the new Rovers has manage to mantain the classic "Rovers" style, while also looking more like a pub you would see in modern day Manchester.



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Behind the scenes at new Rovers Return on Coronation Street

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog May 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Coronation Street Art Director Rosie Mullins-Hoyle explains how she and the design team created the new look Rovers Return.

 “The redesign of the Rovers was a massive challenge firstly because it was the first time in 25 years that the set had come out of stage 1! For myself it is an iconic set and perhaps the most famous in the country so there is a lot of pressure to get it right and do it justice.

 I was given a brief from Producer Stuart Blackburn that the pub needed to feel like the Rovers - it needed to keep its character, the changes needed to be subtle and people had t notice new things about it after seeing a few episodes. Stella had made a conscious effort to try to make it feel like the same pub. In the back room she has picked out the the same wallpaper she had before as this is her home and she wants it to feel like it did.

We had an additional Rovers set built for the Fire which then became the Rovers building site allowing us time to recreate the new Rovers on the original set. The work took approximately 6 weeks and a team of 3 painters, 4 Chippys, an upholster, construction manager, setting team of 4, a dressing team of 4, 2 Production Buyers, a Graphic Designer and Myself. Every aspect of it was carefully thought out down to the detail on the panelling and bar top and the colour samples of wood grain were done to get the colour perfect, every detail was considered.

A big challenge we had was time as due to tight filming schedules we had just one week to get the Rovers building site set out of studio and the new Rovers in, up, lit, dressed and ready for filming! It was well and truly all hands on deck! It had to be carefully planned and systematically done with a tight deadline and the dedicated construction and dressing teams worked through the night and gave up their Bank Holidays to make it happen.

The wallpaper was picked by the show’s Head of Design Alan Davis and approved by Stuart. The wallpaper was bought in bulk in case it discontinues as it potentially needs to last us for the next 50 years! A couple of gallons of paint were used. The Rovers hallway was given a new look with the continuation of wood panelling from the bar and a change in wallpaper which tied in with the pattern in the Rovers bar. I was careful to make sure that the colours used in the hallway are the same as the colours used in the old hallway bringing splashes of orange in the artwork on the walls. All of the wallpapers were tested on camera prior to filming to see how they looked under studio lights and we checked that we were technically able to shoot with them.

Stuart wanted it to feel like it had been kitted out with items from a pub that had shut down. I sourced a stained glass bay window online  from a pub in Birmingham that had been knocked down . This was then used to create the glass partitions in between the booths. Additional reclaimed stained glass was sourced and used in the back bar optics which were redesigned. Both the seating and the new back bar have an art deco detail to them adding to the theme that these have come from another old pub and are continuing their life in the Rovers.

When picking the upholstery with upholsterer Alan Eccleston I must have looked through hundreds of samples to get the perfect one - a traditional gold fabric with repeat flower pattern which colours tied in with the Rovers wallpaper. Once selected it then underwent flame tests to check it was suitable for use on a set. The curtain fabric was sourced from a local company that provided us with upholstery and curtain fabric for the last Rovers redesign.

The dressings were all sourced with the original Rovers in mind and with us not wanting it to look shiny and new. The Buyers sourced across the country to get every detail right - old Salford prints, brassware, hot plates, old pub stools and tables, pictures, establishing a pub poser table and a new juke box.

Look out for the Rovers continuing to change in its first 4 weeks on screen and then subtly in time as it gets its life back. For instance the back room with vintage beer posters and day to day life and memorabilia that will be added to over the years. We have just added a hand painted 'Rovers Return' dartboard. All of these details add to the character and history of the Rovers Return Inn. “



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FIRST PICS of new Rovers Return on Coronation Street

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog May 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes these are the first pictures of Coronation Street’s Rovers Return restored to its full glory. It’s been more than two months since an explosive fire ripped through Britain’s most famous pub, causing the deaths of two people and leaving a scorched out shell where the boozer once stood.

But from the flames emerges a new refurbished Rovers and on Sunday 26th May the pub will re-open its doors to the residents of Coronation Street.

It’s a re-opening which landlady Stella Price (Michelle Collins) has been dreaming about for months but in true soap style the opening night isn’t without its dramas as barmaid Tina McIntyre (Michelle Keegan) goes into shock premature labour.

Tina is carrying Gary Windass (Mikey North) and Izzy Armstrong’s (Cherylee Houston) surrogate child, but after a row over Gary’s misjudged pass at Tina she’s suddenly overcome with crippling pains and an ambulance is called to the pub as the birth of the baby looks imminent.
As Tina’s raced to hospital the rest of the residents get into the spirit of the evening, but some are still emotionally scarred from the events of the fire on that fateful night.
Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) lost the mother of his children, Sunita, and is still struggling to come to terms with that loss, while arsonist Karl Munroe (John Michie) who was responsible for her death is enduring his own personal battle with his conscience as he fights to keep his crime uncovered.
The Rovers may have had a facelift but the secrets and lies hidden there remain.
Actress Michelle Keegan says of Tina’s birth: “She’s probably been in labour all day, certainly since the start of the Rovers opening, but it’s a slow labour and she doesn’t know that’s what it is. It’s not until it all kicks off that the pain suddenly worsens and she goes into labour behind the bar.

“She’s not due for another two months and she’s scared. Tina doesn’t understand why the baby’s coming so early, she’s only 7 months gone and she’s only a 21 year old girl so she is very frightened.”

How it once was - the Rovers Return from days gone by.

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