Who do you think is Sally's stalker - Gina or Leah?

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

Well, I'm liking the way this storyline is unfolding.  When news first reached us that Sally's sister, gobby Gina Seddon was returning to Coronation Street, we thought it was a great idea. Two sisters reunited at last, and maybe Gina would flirt with Kevin again?  But then came the rumours that Gina was not all that she seemed. And then, finally, we thought we had her pegged as the one who was stalking Sally online, even sending her sister a pig's heart.

But hang on just a minute! 

Now we've met Gina on screen, my mind is changing, slowly. I'm thinking that there's more to that Leah one that first meets the eye. She seems cold and manipulating of Gina, who is unwell with bipolar.

So, who do we now think is Sally's online troll and the one who has caused our People's Princess weeks of grief?

Is it Gina or Leah?  My money's now on Leah, how about yours?

---

Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

The spirit of Ida Clough returns to Coronation Street

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

There's a good interview with Sally Dynevor, who plays Sally Metcalfe in Coronation Street, in this week's Inside Soap magazine.

Sally talks about getting involved with Pat Phelan as he forges ahead with his dodgy building plans.  She says  Sally enjoys the fact that Phelan talks to her like a councillor and takes her very seriously, but could it all come crashing down on her head when she gets behind his scam?

Well, the council knocks back Phelan's plans, the mag reveals, but Sally goes ahead supporting Phelan. She ends up wrapped around his little finger.  Tim, of course, sees right through Pat Phelan and doesn't believe a word he says.

And as for Ida Clough - the factory firebrand who led everyone out on strike at the drop of a silk gusset?  Her spirit lives on next week when Sally leads the factory girls out on strike too.

Ida Clough

The walk out begins when Sally accuses Jenny of spying on them all and reporting them to Johnny. The girls all leave work and head to the pub where Sally is hailed as the hero of the hour.

Could be fun to watch!




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Top 25 Favourite Corrie Females - No. 12

(This post was originally posted by Llifon on the Coronation Street Blog in March 2016, reposted with permission.)

12. SALLY METCALFE (209 VOTES)

Duration: 1986-
Played by: Sally Dynevor
2012 character poll position (women): 18

Introduced as a girlfriend to Kevin Webster in 1986. While initially not welcomed by Kevin’s landlady Hilda Ogden, they warmed to each other. After only a few months of courtship Kevin and Sally got married.

Daughters Rosie and Sophie were born in 1990 and 1994 respectively. The Websters lived a happy and quiet life until Kevin had an affair with vamp Natalie Horrocks in 1997 which led to them divorcing. 

Between 1997 and 2002, Sally had relationships with Greg Kelly, Danny Hargreaves and Martin Platt amongst others. In 2002, she remarried Kevin (for the sake of the girls initially). In 2005, Sally had a fling with Ian Davenport. While Kevin forgave Sally, she couldn’t forgive him when he had an affair with Molly Dobbs that resulted in baby Jack. 

As she grew older, Sally stepped into the shoes of Annie Walker with her delusions of grandeur and snobbishness. She enrolled Rosie to private school Oakhill and convinced the family to move across the street to 4 Coronation Street as it had a cons

ervatory and a garden.

In 2013 she began a relationship with Tim Metcalfe and a classic Corrie couple was born. Sally’s snobbishness is a stark contrast to Tim’s down to earth nature and is much very reminiscent of Jack and Annie Walker back in the 1960s. In 2015, Sally married Tim. I was surprised that she didn’t change her surname to Webster-Metcalfe considering that a double barrel name sounds posher. 

Sally has held many jobs over the years: barmaid, shop assistant, machinist, PA and factory supervisor. In 2016 she delved into the world of politics as she stood to become a local councillor. 

Are you a fan of Sally? 

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Sally Metcalfe - Star of the Show

(This post was originally posted by Ruth Owen on the Coronation Street Blog in February 2016.)

One of the best ideas the writers of Coronation Street have had in recent times is to enter Sally Metcalfe into the political arena. Actress Sally Dynevor is little short of a comedy genius - currently there is nobody who can match her for comic skill in both timing and delivery.

When the idea was mooted that Sally might stand for a council seat, there was a sudden flash of recognition in Sally’s eyes. This is what she is born for – this is her raison d’etre – this is her true calling. No one can claim that Sally lets the grass grow. No sooner has she made a decision than she is talking policies and relishing her role as a potential Weatherfield Councillor on an Independent ticket.

So how suited is Sally to the role? A councillor needs to be hard working, ambitious and energetic. Sally has all of those three attributes. A councillor also needs to be able to build up a rapport with the people he/she represents. It is this aspect of Sally’s character that might be off centre.

In Monday’s episodes she was initially suggesting that Weatherfield residents should be under contract to keep their gardens tidy, then a little later was putting forward the idea that hanging baskets should be made compulsory. Clearly, Sally wants people to take a pride in their area, but is not hitting the right note for persuading people to her view. She needs these people on her side, so should avoid annoying them. Unfortunately, her nannying approach may turn people against her – the very people whose votes she needs.

She also approached Steph and Andy who were enjoying a quiet drink in The Rovers, talked politics at them and had the audacity to ask them if they planned to have children. Steph reflected that she had come for a relaxing drink, not an edition of Question Time.

For viewers, these suggestions make for great comedy, but if Sally wants to be taken seriously as a   councillor, then she needs to think about more pressing needs concerning hospitals, schools, potholes, waste disposal and all the other local issues that matter to people.

Ken, after initially agreeing to be Sally’s campaign manager has now backed out which is good for viewers because the comedy potential of Norris now having gained that poisoned chalice, will be far greater. They are bound not to get on, both having huge egos and less than reasonable personality traits. Sally chose Norris over Mary, viewers will remember. Neither Norris nor Mary seemed particularly suitable, but had Sally chosen Mary it might have helped Mary distract herself from thoughts of Brendan.

As Mary and Norris waited in Sally’s house for her decision as to which of them Sally would choose, Tim was wanting his house back and for it all to be over. Massively exaggerating her own importance Sally told Tim that she had to make them wait, make then sweat a bit. 

Should Sally succeed in her ambitions to take up a role in political life, it will be interesting to see how it might affect her work in the factory. Will she have to be demoted or work part time?  Council meetings are frequent and often long so it will be hard to see the Connors tolerating too many away days. That said, the machinists might be relieved to have less of her.

And how will it affect Tim? Will he be resentful that Sally is breaking out of her conventional wifely role? More household tasks for him? Might he be full of pride that his wife has secured a seat on the council?   

Whatever the outcome, these three things are a must :-
     
                   1.More screen time for Sally
                   2.More screen time for Tim
                   3. More screen time for Sally and Tim

Ruth Owen, twitter @Ruth1722




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Sally Dynevor on 30 years in Coronation Street

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

In today's Mirror there's a long interview with Sally Dynevor who talks about working on Coronation Street as Sally for 30 years. 

Our blogger Graeme wrote a beautiful tribute to 30 years of Sally and you can read that here.

In the Mirror interview, Sally talks about finding out she had breast cancer in real life, after she had been filming scenes as the Street’s Sally found out she had the illness.

She says: “I was completely in denial and shock. It was really just the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me. You couldn’t make it up. I remember saying to the doctor ‘are you sure you haven’t got this wrong? That is my character, not me’.”

Sally also reveals cast insecurities about whether their contracts will be renewed and talks her relationships with some of the other cast members too.

She also reveals that she once thought about leaving Corrie: “Once Sally and Kevin had got married they didn’t do much for a few years. I was in my twenties and thought about leaving. Instead I got a part in the play Taste of Honey in Bolton.But then I came back and had the children and the storylines seemed to be better.”

So what next for the two Sallys? Speaking for both, she said: “I think I will stay for the next 30 years. I am having the best time. I feel as if Sally has found herself. I am really happy.

“I am so grateful to Corrie. It has been 30 wonderful years.”

In celebration of 30 years of Sally on Coronation Street, the Mirror have part two of the interview with actress Sally Dynevor.

Today, Sally reveals she was terrified of Jean Alexander who played Hilda Ogden. She says that Elsie Tanner helped get her to the cobbles and that she started off with just four episodes. 30 years later, she's still there, a national treasure.

She also talks about some of her favourite scenes from her 30 years on the show. It's well worth a read and it's here.     





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Celebrating 30 years of Sally

 

(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in January 2016.)


Next week marks a very special milestone for both Sally Metcalfe and the actress who plays her. On Monday 27th January 1986 Sally Dynevor debuted in Coronation Street as the gobby Sally Seddon. Yes, it's nearly thirty years since Kevin Webster splashed that little madam in his van. The rest as they say is history.

These days it's a rare thing for an actor to play the same part for three decades. During her tenure Sally must have experienced huge changes in the way Corrie is produced. Don't forget that back in January 1986, Corrie only went out twice a week, Hilda Ogden was still resident at number 13 and the street was still recovering from the loss of such legends as Annie Walker, Albert Tatlock and Elsie Tanner. Sally's arrival bolstered the next generation of young Corrie stars as she worked regularly with the likes of Michael Le Vell (Kevin), Kevin Kennedy (Curly), Sean Wilson (Martin) and Sally Ann Matthews (soon to return again as Jenny Bradley).

I tend to think Corrie is best when it focuses on long running characters that the viewers have invested time in getting to know, experiencing their ups and downs over the years. Sally is right up there for me and both the character and the actress are major reasons that keep me watching. As with the recently departed Emily Bishop, Sally has matured appropriately over the years and she is extremely believable now in middle age. You can see the natural progression in her character and her reactions to all that she has experienced. And to date that's been quite a life.

 

When Sally Seddon first arrived Hilda warned Kevin against her. The Seddon family were from the wrong side of the tracks and it took Mrs Ogden quite a time to warm to our Sally. She really didn't like the cut of her jib. She eventually did take to her and they became close. When Hilda left Weatherfield in 1987 she even sold her house to the newly married young couple. The next few years were relatively quiet for the Websters as they struggled with money worries and started a family. Sally showed early signs of the rather demanding, upwardly mobile character she would later become, pushing Kevin to own his own business and move them away from the back streets. It would also be fair to say that for much of the early 1990s Sally was mainly known for dishing up fish fingers and beans for Rawsie and Sawphie. 

All that was to change however, with the arrival of the man mad Natalie Horrocks in 1996. By 1997, with Sally away nursing her sick mother, Natalie had got her claws into Kevin. The storyline went on for months and culminated with Sally taking revenge. When she slapped Natalie in front of the corner shop everyone cheered. It was such a satisfying moment and really was the making of Sally. The character was soon rejuvenated and transformed. What followed was a long line of dangerously inadvisable dalliances with deeply unsuitable men. Over the years Sally has been involved with the dreary Danny Hargreaves, one of Gail's cast offs Martin Platt, the psychotic son of Les Battersby Greg Kelly who she eventually thumped with a chair leg, the sleazy factory boss Frank Foster who who raped Carla Connor and the hideously oily Ian Davenport with whom she had an affair whilst working in his car showroom. 

 

I loved Sally's time as a pushy parent, spending her time forcing daughter Rosie into a life as a private school girl at Oakhill. She was completely out of control, ignoring her other daughter Sophie and basically wanting everything for Rosie that she never had herself. As with all the best Corrie characters, Sally is no better than she ought to be and her long history of misdemeanours frequently come back to haunt her whenever she gets above herself. She is still playing the snob these days, having moved to the "better" side of the street, owning a house with a conservatory and dreaming of ending up a resident of Hale Barns. Who else in Corrie could be ashamed of her neighbours finding evidence of instant mashed potato in her wheelie bin?! I also love Sally's interactions at the factory. She is insatiable in her desire to get a permanent spot in Carla's office but no matter how hard she tries she always ends up back on the factory floor with the rest of the rogue's gallery. 

What makes Sally Dynevor so perfect for Corrie is her ability to be so equally adept at comedy and drama. She is highly capable of making us laugh like drains and yet she also tugs at the heartstrings. In 2010 this latter quality reached its peak when not only did Sally develop and fight breast cancer but she also learned Kevin had been having an affair with Molly Dobbs. Those scenes filmed around the 50th anniversary episodes were some of Sally's finest.

 

It was always going to be hard to find Sally a new, permanent love interest following the final fizzle of her relationship with Kevin. Then along came that excellent actor Joe Duttine and a wonderful new double act was formed. Sally and Tim are my favourite Corrie couple of recent times. The actors have terrific chemistry and I love their chalk and cheese characters together. Sally is very much channeling the dear departed Annie Walker while Tim is the next generation Eddie Yeats. Long may they continue to delight us with their exploits. 

So as both Sally Metcalfe and Sally Dynevor approach thirty years on the cobbles, what does the future have in store? I am thrilled with the most recent plot development which will see Sally launch her campaign to become a local councillor. As recalled in last night's episode, this story continues a long line of Corrie councillors, from Alf Roberts and his wife Audrey through to Deirdre Barlow and Curly Watts. I am sure this new storyline will bring out the very best in Sally and despite her dreadfully snobbish, tactless ways, the viewers will be rooting for her as they always do.

Happy Anniversary Sally and here's to many more years of Corrie magic. 

You can follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82





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Muriel Sparks

(This post was originally posted by Scott Willison on the Coronation Street Blog in January 2016.)


Obviously, like any sane humanoid, I'm thrilled at Sally Webster's* burgeoning political ambitions.  The snobbish Street harridan knocking on doors, disapproving of their nets, then asking for them to vote for her?  Amazing,  Count me in.  Let's get her all the way to Parliament.

What I don't approve of is the way this began, and the way men washing Maddie's mural off the wall of the ginnel was presented as the Big Evil Council treading on the Little People.

Let's think back to how this started.  Kevin's garage got spray painted.  He reported it to the council - despite Tyrone reminding him that as a private business, it was their responsibility to clean up any graffiti.  Kevin went on the warpath.  The council arrived, and, while assessing the area, noticed a wall covered in spray paint.  They removed it.  This is, in fact, their actual job.

The Websters were horrified.  Craig offered to repaint the mural.  The Council turned up to remove the paint again, and it turned into the Gunfight at the OK Corral, only with Karcher water sprays.

Again, this is the council's actual responsibility.  Craig didn't get permission from anyone to paint that muriel.  No application to the council, no written authorisation.  He did it off his own back.  Fair enough - he wanted to commemorate a dead friend.  But don't be surprised when it gets noticed and scrubbed off.

The Websters turned this into an unfeeling government body stamping all over the wishes of the locals, but it's a ginnel, not the Tate.  It's someone's wall - please note that the mural is not painted on the wall of a Coronation Street resident, but on the back of a Mawdsley Street house.  Those people might not be that keen on a big piece of spray painted art mucking up their property.  And Sally's being very choosy about what is good graffiti and what is bad graffiti; she was absolutely furious when Craig spray painted her house last year.  Graffiti-ing is a crime, and just because Craig's a bit artistic doesn't make it right.  If he'd just scrawled RIP MADDIE in two foot high pink paint on the side of the chippy would we be having this debate?

If you want to put up a memorial to Maddie, fine, get permission first, like any sane person.  If you can't be bothered, don't complain when the authorities come along and remove it.  Or put some varnish over it; that'll really fox them.

*yes I know she's called Sally Metcalfe now but I've been calling her Sally Webster for nearly thirty years and I'm not about to change.




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An Outcry over what Sally said to Alex in the Cafe.

(This post was originally posted by Ruth Owen on the Coronation Street Blog in January 2016.)




There's a bit of a furore broken out from last night's episode. It concerns a moment so brief that it might have been missed by many viewers. Sally was ordering a sandwich in the cafe and it is Alex who serves her. She says to Alex, 'Are you enjoying working here? He replies, 'Great.'
Sally then says,' Nice you've got a job.'  It was this response which has upset so many people. Some disability campaigners say that Coronation Street was showing itself to be anti - employment for disabled people. I believe they are wrong.

What Coronation Street was intending to do was to show Sally's lack of awareness, sensitivity and inhumanity. Sally is renowned for her snobbery, her putting her foot(feet?) in it and, despite her belief in her own unsurpassable abilities, she is often wrong. May I refer you to the occasion of the Vienneta and the red sofa and the Banksy. Social climbing and saying an inappropriate few words, is what Sally does and is part of the mismatch between her perception of herself and the perception others have of her. For instance, recently  her comments to Anna about having a date 'at your age,' were crass, patronising and downright rude.

Her bid to be a councillor, amusing though it is, demonstrates Sally's desire to climb the rungs towards the top,  in her view, of  Weatherfield's ladder. She sees Ken as a fellow intellectual, but doesn't realise that she will never be in his league.

Maybe the point was made too subtly. We needed it to be more obvious that Sally was in the wrong and that there is no reason on this earth why a person of any often marginalised group should be more grateful for a job than anyone else, including Sally Metcalfe.



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Pics: Sally Webster's Corrie weddings

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

Pictures released by ITV showed Sally in her wedding dress waiting at the altar for Tim. Will he turn up? Who knows, but I rather hope he does. I like these two together.

Sally's been married twice before, to the same fella, Kevin Webster. 

With her upcoming nuptials to Tim on the horizon, let's have a look back at her wedding frocks from the last two times she was wed.

Here's Sally Seddon marrying Kevin Webster for the first time back in 1986

And here's Sally marrying Kevin for the second time on 9 December 2003.  (9 December is a nice touch, being Coronation Street's birthday).

During wedding preparations in 2003, Sally developed a crush on Alex the builder, who was redecorating number 13. She nearly left Kevin for Alex. Kevin found out just before the wedding and assured Sal that he would still marry her. Sally did the right thing for her family and said goodbye to Alex and remarried Kevin.


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Coronation Street Blog Interview: Joe Duttine and Sally Dynevor

(This post was originally posted by Ruth Owen Emma Hynes on the Coronation Street Blog in September 2015, reposted with permission.)

When the opportunity arises to interview Corrie’s couple-du-jour, as Sally might have it, you’re going to make sure you’re there with bells on, and that is precisely what my fellow blogger Ruth and I did when we travelled to ITV in Manchester to get the low down on the live episode - and much more.

I wish I could say we lounged on Sally's Manhattan range sofa eating Viennetta while she looked disapprovingly at Tim for cracking open a couple of cans of lager and plonking them in front of us as they frothed at the mouth, but as Sally herself knows only too well, you can’t have everything. What we experienced, in fact, was even better; we got to interview Joe Duttine and Sally Dynevor about the live episode, the action to come for Tim and Sally, and what it’s like to play contemporary Corrie’s most popular couple.

The minute they sat down, it became clear that these are two actors who enjoy one another’s company, and the chemistry between them was a platonic version of that which we see on screen. It came as no surprise when Sally remarked “we work so well together and I feel like we bounce off each other.” I asked them both if they felt the chemistry between them contributes to how well liked they are by the viewers. “Definitely” Sally told me. “I think [it’s] because we get on so well.” Joe agreed, adding “If you don’t get on with people it’s hard to work with them, but especially playing comedy. If you don’t get on with someone it’s going to be tricky.”

They are naturally fully aware of how popular they are as a couple, and I asked them if they’d had any interesting reactions from fans. “Yeah, I think they like Sally and Tim together” Sally noted, “we get a lot of feedback on Twitter which is nice.” Joe related a funny experience he’d had when, while driving on the motorway, he spotted a car full of lads with baseball caps alongside him giving him some very enthusiastic thumbs up, adding “I thought I had a flat tyre or my lights were off or something”.

So how does it feel to play Sally and Tim, both of whom have clearly changed as characters over the past two years? “I love it” responds an enthusiastic Sally, “I had all the drama a few years ago, now I’m getting all the comedy. It’s so weird how you develop and evolve, I never had that kind of stuff.”

Joe was similarly enthusiastic and astute about the development of his character. “When you come into the soap the writers find out what they want to do with you and they can change it, can’t they” he explains, “they clearly did that with Tim. I was only here for three months and it felt like I was going to be the new bad guy and then they put Tim with Sally and his characteristics changed so they started writing for him differently.” Joe sees this character development as influential on his relationship with Anna, “[it] meant that it was difficult for her to dislike him. They came together over Miley” he explains.

So should we be concerned about a potential relationship between the two? “I think Tim and Anna are good friends” Joe notes, “It’s alright to be good friends. I don’t think we need to see people having it off with everybody just to get drama.” Hear hear!

We’re told that while it won’t be plain sailing when he learns about the kiss between Kevin and Sally, he doesn’t see Tim as a man who would turn violent, and explains, “I don’t think Tim is the fighting type. I don’t really want to see Tim become aggressive and I don’t want to see him become a player either. I just think he’s a decent bloke that just likes his creature comforts and the simple life. I think there’s lots of other characters in the show that can be the ones that are promiscuous and commit adultery, but I don’t think Tim’s the type to do that.” Yet again, I find myself nodding in agreement.

It’s great to hear Joe expressing such opinions, and to learn that he has this depth of interest in his character. Sally adds, “I think that’s why Sally’s attracted to him, cos he’s a really genuinely nice guy.”

Sally and Joe like the fact that Sally, Tim and Kevin work well as a trio. “I think that’s really good, 'cos you’ve not really seen that before, it’s quite nice that people can actually get on” Sally tells us, and Joe agrees, adding “I think it would’ve been a bit obvious to make Tim and Kev enemies, 'cos they’ve got no history, why should they fall out? They’ve got something in common, they’ve dealt with it, and now they’re friends”.

So what do they think of the kiss which, we’re told, will come out in the live episode? “It was only a moment of madness, it didn’t mean anything” Sally replies, “I think she’s really worried about Tim’s reaction, ‘cos he is quite a sensitive soul. I think there are feelings for Kevin. They were married for 20 odd years, and they were remarried, so they’ve gone through a lot. There is a connection there but he’s more of her friend and it’s a case of overstepping the mark.” We also learn that Anna finds out, and both Sally and Joe agree that she’s the worst person who could have.

With the live episode fast approaching how do they feel about it? Despite already having one under her belt, Sally is naturally nervous. “It’s the scariest thing you’ve ever done because you just don’t want to be the one that messes up Coronation Street. There’s a lot to worry about” she explains. While her biggest fear is corpsing, because when Joe makes her laugh, she can’t stop, his is losing concentration. Joe hasn’t done live TV before, but plenty of theatre and is up for the challenge.

Neither had received the scripts when I spoke with them, and Sally revealed, “I would love to be a fly on the wall when the writers get together for their meetings, because we’re in their hands really.” Joe adds, “There’s a lot of secrecy around this show. They just drip feed you information, that’s the truth.” There were nevertheless still things they knew about but on which their lips were very firmly sealed, and we were provided with no certainty as to whether or not their wedding will go ahead.“It’s so hard when we want to talk about things to you but we can’t” laughs Sally. When it comes to this pair, I happily welcome the element of surprise, as it makes the enjoyment of this brilliant couple all the sweeter.

See also my interview with Michael Le Vell and Brooke Vincent.

By Emma Hynes
www.emmahynes.wordpress.com
Twitter: @ELHynes

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Sally Dynevor reveals her home life secrets

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

The Express today has a lovely little Q&A with Sally Dynevor, who plays Sally Webster in Coronation Street. 
  
She reveals some home truths about her real-life, including who her best friend is, her first kiss, what her nickname is, what she likes doing on a Friday night at home, all that kind of thing.

She says the bravest thing she's ever done is to jump out of an aeroplane for charity.

She also says this: "I could pass any law I would...save the Independent Living Fund, which helps disabled people to live on their own. It’s just about to be cut.

"Cherylee Houston who plays Izzy in Coronation Street has been campaigning about it on Twitter." Find out more about that here.

It's a lovely little read and it's here.



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Quinoa and Kale Crisps - the Genius of Sally

(This post was originally posted by Ruth Owen on the Coronation Street Blog in August 2015.)

So impressed by Sally’s performance last night and by the brilliance of her script. Sally Dynevor was superb. Her comic timing is second to none on the cobbles.

Carla was clearly deep in thought but Sally, who misread the situation chats on about the pronunciation of quinoa and kale. She even mentions the avant garde notion of kale crisps.

At root, of course, is Sally’s snobbery and her sense of self-importance. The brightest scripts the writers produce for Sally are those where she thinks she is being fashionable, in the swim, keeping up with the Jones’s and in actual fact is failing. Remember the sofa? She hated the red sofa but on discovering it was expensive and pre-owned by a woman she thought of good stock, all of a sudden Sally loved it! It’ll be Farrow and Ball paint next, which will be essential to Sally’s existence.  

Later, when Tim and Kevin arrive back at Sally’s and there is a sense of relief about the kiss and the buying of the factory is in prospect, Sally says, ‘I’ve got a Vienetta in the fridge.' Alan Bennett would be delighted.

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Michael Le Vell: "Sally should stay with Tim"

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

Last night on Coronation Street we saw Kev and Sally have a snog on the sofa.

Michael Le Vell, who plays Kevin Webster tells Radio Times about the kiss and how, in soap, it can't remain a secret for long.

Michael says this about the kiss: "Kevin does respond at first. But after about five minutes, he realises that what he's doing is wrong. He's feeling total shock and disbelief. He knows deep down that Sally didn't mean it and that it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing. But they're full of remorse and they do feel bad afterwards for Tim. Even though it's not really Kevin's fault - Sally does pounce on him!"

"He'll always have feelings for her. They were together for a long time. So he'll always love her - they just hurt each other too many times. Too much water has passed under the bridge. Never say never, but I think Sally and Tim are a great couple and Kevin enjoys seeing them together as well. And he's got a new best mate in Tim."

"I don’t think it will stay a secret, no - I’m not sure who will tell who, but I do know Sophie is quite suspicious. Whether anyone else close to Sally or Kevin will be brought into the loop, I don’t know. But if Tim finds out he’s not going to be happy.

"It could end up putting the wedding in jeopardy. Tim would be left always doubting Sally’s true motives for marrying him and wondering whether she loves him or still has feelings for Kevin. It would stir a lot of emotions up and bring out a lot of insecurities in Tim."

And if it came down to Sally choosing between the two men in her life, then who does Le Vell think she should be with? "That's a big question…Tim! I think Sally and Tim should be together."



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Vote: Who's the right man for Sally - Kevin or Tim?

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


It's a no-brainer really. We all want Sally and Tim to stay together.

But pictures released by ITV today show Sally snogging her ex-husband Kevin on the soft furnishings.

Could they be getting back together again? Let's hope not!

I want Sally to marry Tim. They're Coronation Street gold.  Vote for the man you'd like Sally to be with, in our fun poll, below. It's biased, you say? Of course!





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My favourite Coronation Street scene, ever

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

This is my favourite Coronation Street scene, ever.  It was after Sharon Gaskell had jilted Ian Bentley at the altar on their wedding day. She'd found he'd been having an affair with that well-known husband-pincher (and at the time, a grieving widow) Natalie Barnes.

Sharon stormed out of the church before she could say 'I do' to Ian, ran down the aisle and out into the frosty cold air. She found her way back to the Rovers to yell and scream at Natalie 'You've ruined my life!' before Betty tried to console with her with a brandy. But Sharon wouldn't be consoled, and Sally shepherded her out of the Rovers and away from Natalie, the woman who had caused her so much pain when she had her fling with Kevin years before.

The reason I'm posting this today is that I've just found the scene on an old episode of Corrie that I was watching. It's from March 1999 and the scene where Sally and Sharon emerge from the Rovers, I remember at the time, was one that had me in tears. It was the beauty of the shot, the two women united in their hatred for harlot Natalie, Sharon in her wedding dress and veil, and the snow falling softly, adding a freezing cold edge to an already bitter day.

When I found the scene today, it brought the beauty of it all back and I knew I had to rewind it and pause, take it all in again, and then here I am sharing it with you now too.

If there is one screen-grab that sums up your favourite Coronation Street scene, do please email it in with a few paragraphs about what makes it so special to you. I'd love to hear all about it.  And now, I think I'm going to console myself with a brandy.




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Sally Dynevor and Joe Duttine talk British Soap Awards nominations

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

Sally Dynevor and Joe Duttine (Sally and Tim) were interviewed on ITV's This Morning today. They talked about their nominations for the British Soap Awards 2015. 

When Phillip asked Joe if he's desperate to win, he replied: "Yeah we're going to smash it!"

Sally added she was 'really nervous' about the upcoming live episode to promote ITV's 60th anniversary later in the year.

The awards takes place on Saturday May 16th and will be screened on ITV next week.  Sally and Joe are nominated for Best Soap Partnership and Sally is nominated for Comedy Performance.

Vote for Coronation Street in the British Soap Awards here.



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The Burton/Taylor Effect

(This post was originally posted by Scott Willison on the Coronation Street Blog in February 2015.)


Richard Burton and Liz Taylor met on the set of Cleopatra in 1962; they were both married to other people.  Soon they were embroiled in a passionate, insane affair that was condemned by the Pope.  They married in 1964 and spent the next nine years screaming at one another, having noisy sex, and lazing around on yachts in glitzy Eurotrash resorts.  She wore turbans and kaftans to cover her decadent curves; he took parts in terrible films so that he could afford to buy her diamonds.  They divorced in 1973, with Burton sending her a truly heartbreaking goodbye.

Sixteen months later they were married again, unable to stay apart; nine months after that they divorced again, unable to stay together.  They were bawling, passionate balls of lust, and even after they separated - even after they married other people, again and again - they always suspected that they'd return to one another.  Burton was rumoured to have written a final letter to Liz before he died; she, in turn, was buried with his letters.

This doesn't seem to have much to do with Coronation Street, I admit - apart from, perhaps, my never-ending quest to see Audrey Roberts in a silk turban.  It's more to do with the power of some relationships that mean the end is never the end.  Characters chop and change their sexual partners with barely a ripple from those around them; it's the way of all soaps.  People are able to swap to a new wife or husband without any effort at all and the Street and its community act as if things have always bee that way.  It's hard, now, to remember that Eva used to go out with Nick, or that Tyrone was engaged to Maria, or that Rita once went to bed with Ken.  It's all stuff that happened in the past.

Sometimes, though, a couple split up and you're just marking time until they get back together.  There's a connection there that means we're eagerly waiting for them to reunite.  The greatest example is, of course, Ken and Deirdre.  After Barlow was evicted from number one for his affair with Wendy Crozier, that should have been it for the couple.  Yet everyone knew, somehow, that Ken and Deirdre belonged together.  Even when she was with Samir, or he was with Denise, we were waiting.  When they were both single at the same time, the audience quietly willed them back together.  When they finally remarried, it completed their characters once again.  Ken and Deirdre.  They came as a pair.

It's not just down to both halves of the couple remaining on the Street.  After Gail and Martin split up, there was never a clamouring for them to reunite; that was it and we all knew it.  It's about a connection.  When Kevin and Sally split up in 1997, again following an affair, there was a feeling of loss and confusion.  From the perspective of 2015, it's odd to think that Kevin was married to someone else before he and Sally reunited in 2002.  They were a couple who seemed to be stuck together.  Even now - and I speak as Tim's number one fan - they seem to have their engines idling, ready to reconnect.  There's chemistry and history and charm there and we're all waiting for them to stop mucking about and marry for a third time.

These aren't the full Burton/Taylor, though.  These are couples who belong together like matching sling backs.  To be a real Liz and Dick there has to be an animalistic, uncurbed passion underneath.  Peter and Carla had this relentless, unable to part lust, coupled with self-destructive instincts that hurt the both of them.  We all know that if Peter had hung around a couple more months, he and Carla would have had a sloppy reunion, probably immediately followed by a noisy separation.  That was just the way they worked.

Similarly, if Karen or Becky returned to the Street, there would be a Steve-shaped hole in the side of the Rovers as he rushed to their side.  What he has with Michelle can't compete.

The real Burton and Taylor of Weatherfield, though, are his mum and dad, Liz and Jim.  For twenty odd years they've crashed into one another all over the cobbles, screaming, violent, lusty.  She left Jim to run a pub; they reunited.  He beat seven bells out of her; they separated.  They grew closer, then divorced, then remarried while he was in prison.  That's a level of insane commitment.  They divorced again, but always, always, we knew that Jim was her true love, even as Liz married Vernon.  He robbed a building society for her, for heaven's sake.

Even when Jim returned a few months ago, and Liz spat disgusted words at him across a formica table, we didn't really believe it.  They're a pair of screaming cats who finish fighting and immediately start doing something else that begins with "f".  Everyone knew it - even Liz's current boyfriend, Tony, viewed her prison visits as tantamount to foreplay.  We're all just waiting for Big Jim to turn up at the Rovers and for the cycle to start all over again.  Liz and Jim, Liz and Dick - never ending passions.



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Missing the point?

(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in November 2014, reposted with permission.)

I have to thank Emma's excellent review of last Friday's Corrie for making me sit up and think about this issue. Although I love Tim and think Joe Duttine is superb, his current storyline is really missing the point as far as I'm concerned.

Tackling adult literacy is a very important move for a programme like Corrie, which still has the power to educate and inform as well as entertain. For many people like Tim, school didn't work out well for him for a number of different, complex reasons. Many people struggle by with poor reading and writing skills for much of their adult life. If Corrie publicising this issue can help people then it's all for the good.

However so far, despite Joe Duttine and Debbie Rush being very good actors, I really don't think Coronation Street are hitting this head on. It feels like Tim's struggles with reading are really only a means for Sally suspecting them of having an affair. If the story continues along these lines it will be a total and utter disappointment for me and a missed opportunity. 

Corrie is traditionally not an issue led programme. Past attempts at this, such as Alma's cervical cancer or Toyah's rape, have backfired. There was a period in the late 1990s and early 2000s where Corrie changed focus and became more issue based, like EastEnders. Not a great time for us loyal Corrie viewers. So while I'm all for stories being character led, I can't help but feel that these days important issues are being raised only to be used as plot devices for more typical soapy scenarios such as adultery or murder. Sensationalist and unsatisfactory. 

Sally will find out very soon what has really been going on between Anna and Tim and as usual will have to dismount from her high horse for a large slice of humble pie. I hope the writers will then focus on Tim's real issue and show Sally being supportive of her partner. I also really really hope this isn't just a precursor for a full-blown Anna and Tim affair. I adore Sally and Tim together and think they have so much potential for the future. The combination of Sally's twenty-first century misguided Annie Walker snobbery and Tim's modern day Eddie Yeats works so much better than another Sally/Kevin rehash.

Follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82 

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Are Sally and Tim the new Jack and Vera?

We have a guest post for you today, from Beth and Paul Irving from Canada. They have a video podcast on YouTube called Lost in Coronation Street, short and snappy opinions on what's going on lately on the Street in the Canadian Timeline.  They think that Sally and Tim are the new Jack and Vera on the Street.. Here's their theory. Do you agree?

With all the talk of Coronation Street straying too far from it’s original charm, we would like to submit the following.

There have been many couples over the years that embodied this original charm. Jack and Vera come to mind immediately, although we realize that there have been others. It appears to us that the couple best suited to carry on the tradition of Jack and Vera is Sally and Tim. We can hear many of you shouting “Tyrone and Fizz”, “Kirk and Beth”. Through no fault of their own, Michelle and Steve are simply too modern. They are all great characters, but allow us to expound on our theory.

Jack and Tim are dedicated to the old “duck and dive”, unlike Tyrone and Kirk who are both dedicated grafters.

Jack and Tim have no problem telling their women a “porky” which gets them what they want in the short term, but a world of trouble and strife in the end. Tyrone and Kirk are simply too honest with their women.

Jack and Tim both love their women, but do not wear their hearts on their sleeves. You need to scratch at the surface which is frustrating but worthwhile. Tyrone and Kirk are open and obvious with their love.

Jack and Tim will sneak away for a cheeky pint with a passion that makes us want a pint. They are charmingly mischievous. Tyrone and Kirk cannot enjoy a cheeky pint without constantly worrying about “getting home”.

Sally and Vera are working class, but with pretensions. Vera claimed lineage to the Royal Family and dubbed her house “The Old Rectory” with a plaque. Sally craves being the P.A to her boss, being the office manager or being “left in charge”. And of course, she has her “conservatory”. Fizz and Beth are proud grafters, without pretension or any belief in elevating their station.

While seeming rather straight on the surface, Sally and Vera both posses a charming “wackiness”. Fizz (at least, before motherhood) and Beth appear wacky but underneath are straight and solid.

Sally and Vera suffer their men’s flaws but always forgive them and "make up" in the end with a certain original Corrie charm. Fizz and Beth seem much more “modern" about it all. We are surrounded by “modern”, we want that old Corrie charm.

This is our theory and we present it with respect and a willingness to listen to your thoughts over a cheeky pint.

Cheers
Beth and Paul




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Time to bring back Sally's sister?

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

I don't know why I've never seen this before. It's almost uncanny. Do you agree that Jane Horrocks (Bubble from Absolutely Fabulous) would be perfect casting as Sally Webster's sister? 

I know back in the 1980s Gina Seddon did make an appearance, portrayed by actress Julie Foy, staying with Sally and Kevin and helping out in the cafe. However the stint was quite brief and long ago now so a spot of re-casting wouldn't be a massive issue. I think seeing a bit of Sally's back history would be great. 

Going back to the early days of Sally and Kevin, Hilda Ogden made it clear the Seddon family came from the wrong side of the tracks, so wrong that the Ogdens looked down their noses at them!

Given Sally's modern day pretensions and hanging basket snobbery, wouldn't it be terrific for her dodgy past to be explored? I've given up hope that we'll see Kevin's sister Debbie again even though the fantastic Sue Devaney is still around and working. I think scenes of Sally bickering with her sister would be terrific and if you throw Tim into the mix it could make for a fun, interesting dynamic.

Jane Horrocks would be perfect casting and quite a coup for the Street. She's from the right part of the world, is a super actress with great comic timing and capable of so many different things.

So what do you think? Would you like to see Sally's sister return to Weatherfield? And if so, would Jane Horrocks do it for you?




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