Conversation Street Podcast 168

Gemma and Michael's podcast for the episodes in Canada that aired (up to last night's Canadian Corrie) can be heard here.


The podcast takes a slightly different format this week due to the live streaming podcast Michael and Gemma did after the Live episode that aired in the UK on September 23. We in Canada saw that episode this week on Tuesday and Wednesday. Their live comments are inserted where they apply during the discussion of the live episode. Of course, that means the focus this week is on the Platts, the Websters and Roy Cropper as lives are changed, with some futures uncertain and some a little hopeful.




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Confirmed: Coronation Street set to be demolished

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

In our hearts, I think we all knew it would happen.  Yesterday, Thursday 15 October, Manchester City Council's planning committee voted to approve the redevelopment of the former Coronation Street set in Manchester. 

This confirms, that despite a campaign to save it, the old Coronation Street set will be demolished, says the BBC.

The move to demolish the old set comes despite more than 2,000 people signing an online petition in the hope of preventing it from being knocked down. Campaigners had particularly called on developers to retain the Victorian terrace featuring the Rovers Return Inn and the soap's corner shop in their regeneration of the 13-acre site.

English Heritage rejected the application for listed status for the old Granada Studios site made by an anonymous individual in 2012 because it was not considered sufficiently historic.

Developer Allied London bought the Quay Street site in a joint venture with Manchester City Council. The development will form part of the wider St Johns area, which is also set to feature a new £110m theatre and arts venue called The Factory.

This means that the old Coronation Street set will be open for only a few more weeks.  It's your last chance to see it before it shuts for good at the end of the year. Buy your tickets now.  We've already got ours to say a final farewell.

If you are visiting the set for a final time before December 31st, why not make it on the show's 55th anniversary date of December 9th and you can take in a Corrie anniversary guided walk around Manchester too.  Details here.



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Craig Charles reveals why he's leaving Coronation Street

Craig Charles reveals why he's leaving Coronation Street Craig Charles, who plays Coronation Street cabbie Lloyd Mullaney, is leaving the show later this year.  Craig was interviewed on ITV's This Morning today and in a moving interview he revealed his reasons for leaving Corrie.

He said: "My brother died last year, he was 52. I'm 51 and when he died, I'm sure you know I was in Australia (filming I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here) and I just thought 'there's things I've got to do. I've got to do some things, before it's my time, you know?' And Coronation Street is such a big part of your life that there's some things you don't get the chance to do."

He also talks about bringing his love of music into Coronation Street as Lloyd and the cross-over episode of Red Dwarf which was filmed on the cobbles.

He's signed a deal with Sony records and is bringing out a record on September 18, a compilation funk and soul album.

He's also working with the 90 piece BBC Philharmonic orchestra on an epic poem called Scary Fairy and the Tales of the Dark Wood in time for Halloween.

And in November he starts filming two series of Red Dwarf which will take him up to March 2016 when he'll be free. Let's hope Corrie will have him back on the Street!

Craig has already admitted he doesn't really want to leave Coronation Street. Read that here.

You can watch the interview here.



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An Interview with Paula Lane, Post Live Episode

(This post was originally posted by Tvor on the Coronation Street Blog in September 2015.)



How did you feel when you were told that Kylie was going to be the murderer, killing Callum in the live episode? 
I was shocked, I was shocked anyway about Sean (Ward) leaving, never mind that I was going to do the need. I didn’t feel too worried because I’ve always felt really looked after on the show and wanted here, so I didn’t feel like it was a signal to say bye bye you’re going now. I was reassured that the storyline would allow for more scope for stories for Kylie so I definitely haven’t been too worried about it.

Now Kylie’s done the deed, will it lead to even bigger storylines for her?
 All I feel it provides me with is more drama, more stories to play out and I can’t wait. It’s literally pushing the boundaries as to how long you can keep a character for after they’ve committed such a big crime. It will stretch the character and that’s really flattering, the fact that they do see so much more material for her.

There were plenty of people out to get Callum, could Kylie not necessarily get the blame for Callum’s murder? 
Yeah it could be any number of people, they’ve definitely painted the picture that there were a lot of people out to get him and a lot of people looking for revenge against Callum. Todd and Tony torched Callum’s car, so that could put them in the frame. There are a lot of people who were accomplices, not just Kylie, yes she whacked him on the head but plenty of people wanted to!

What made her hit Callum, was it just spur of the moment, reacting to what she saw him doing to Sarah? 
She could hear shouting outside, she went in quite tentatively to gauge the situation (off camera) but then the situation escalated really quickly. Sarah got up to run to the door then Callum was on top of her, the first thing Kylie clapped her eyes on was one of the builders tools, a wrench, and in that split second she picked it up and hit him. What she could hear from outside sounded so horrific to Kylie, it was just spur of the moment when she saw him on top of Kylie, she hit him on the back of the head to get him off her. I don’t think she intended to kill him, just to stop him.

Kylie feels quite guilty afterwards doesn’t she, is David the driving force in dealing with Callum’s body? 
Kylie’s just in shock. I think it’s the most challenging storyline I’ve ever had to play out, I mean you don’t murder somebody everyday, but I’ve had to play it very numb. Sarah’s hysterical and crying whereas Kylie’s more in shock so I’ve had to strip it right back. Kylie gives the game to David, it becomes his task to get them out of it. It’s been quite difficult playing Kylie’s numbness and shock, you won’t see her crack until about 3 weeks time.

Were you nervous about doing the deed, making it look real? 
I was really nervous, because Callum and Sarah were in the middle of a fight scene we couldn’t fully determine what position they were going to end up in, so I had to get myself in the right place. Sean’s quite long, so I had to get my legs in the right position to be able to reach to hit him. You’ve got to trust your co-stars an enormous amount doing a live episode. There was a lot of trust between us all.

How did you feel in the run up to the live episode, how were your nerves? 
The nerves were ok, they bubbled away underneath. I trained in theatre so I know what’s it like to go live, and if anything this has really inspired me, I’ve been given such a fix, I absolutely loved it. A lot of people said it would be the hardest thing I’d done but actually having one script to focus on has been great, it’s amazing how you really do retain it. I’ve loved it, I’ve enjoyed every single minute in the process of making the live. I took it scene by scene and tried not to let it swallow me up. On the night I just tried to be in control and take it one step at a time.

Do you think we’ll see a different Kylie going forward?
Yes, I think in a way something will have died in her too that night. Maybe a light has gone out, there’s a haunting that’s always going to be there and it’s David who’s got to try and carry her through. But as the weeks go on lots more things come into play, they start turning on each other, it just becomes one big crazy fight for survival, it’s a mess.

Will Kylie and David be able to deal with the burden of their secret? 
They’re trapped in this secret and it just escalates till they can’t control it anymore. There are too many people involved; Sarah, then unknowingly Gail, the kids, Nick, their friends. Suddenly it’s not just them covering up this secret, it feels like they’re having to cover their tracks with half the street.

How do they feel when the police come calling on Friday asking questions about Callum’s whereabouts?
 Kylie’s so on the edge but when it looks like Sarah’s going to be the one who gives the game away then Kylie’s desperately trying to hold it together, for Sarah as well.

The police aren’t the only ones asking questions about Callum’s disappearance, how does Kylie react when Callum’s mum Marion turns up on the doorstep? 
It really gets to Kylie, she’s a mum too, so seeing the worry on Marion’s face really ramps up the guilt for Kylie.

This isn’t the end of Kylie on the show is it? 
No there’s a lot more to come for Kylie. This storyline is going to provide a lot of drama for the Platts. But morally if you kill someone in soapland there has to be justice in the end so I guess I’ll just have to see what happens. I think it’s great that like me the viewers will be left wondering for a while.

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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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Corrie Canada sneak previews for Oct. 19 - 23

Without further ado here is a brief sneak preview of what you'll see on  next week's Corrie in Canada.

Callum's mother comes caling and so does Gemma. Cathy and Roy have their first date. Yasmeen wants Tracy to pay. Sally waits at the "altar" for Tim. Will he show up? Fiz and Tyrone cope with Hope's diagnosis. Tyrone decides to make Hope's Christmas wish come true. Carla discovers that Aidan's financing came from a surprising source as two new members of the Connor family arrive.



For more details and photos, visit the Moosejaw Mercury at Corrie.net



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#CorrieLive: A running commentary

I was really looking forward to the live episode (airing last night in Canada) and it didn't let me down. I wrote down a few notes while watching and I give you the running commentary:

Sarah's a brave little soldier, isn't she?

You can really feel the energy, can't you?

Yes, Sarah, he does scare you!

Cathy took Roy to Blackpool, she mentioned the Blackpool Tower... and everyone groans.

All that screaming and hollering, why can't the Nazir families hear them? Uh oh, it went quiet awfully suddenly. Holy crap, Kylie!

Now the first break. You know, I've been predicting Callum's death for months. I never expected it to be one of the main characters. But on the other hand, after all their history, it's probably poetic justice that Kylie was the one that killed Callum.

Aw, in spite of everything, Sarah still wants to call the ambulance and save him!

Tina O'Brien and Paula Lane are knocking it out of the park, i gotta say.

Poor Craig. Is he getting stood up? He looked great, didn't he?

Roy's driven to use exclamation marks. He really *is* wound up!

There's Eva, back where she belongs behind the bar!

I'm glad it was Carla left with Roy to put his world to rights. Poor Cathy. You have to feel for her. It wasn't her fault her timing was so off. And Carla's right, Roy is feeling more for Cathy and he's scared of it.

Oh typical. It's almost Keystone cops, isn't it? Key the car? How old are you? 12? Then, because it's so conveniently running, steal the car. You couldn't make this stuff up! Now what will they do with the body? Pull a John Stape and put him in the wheelie bin?

Liz and Lloyd were a good couple, weren't they?

Ah yes, the manhole cover that Tony conveniently found under the garage. Nobody is surprised Callum corked it and it was obvious that's where Callum was ending up.

Kylie in a panic, wants to run again?

Sarah's not fooling anyone, she's clearly not all right.

Anna does not "do" drunk very well. Anna drunk and Sally making digs has the inevitable result, Anna letting the Kevin Kiss Kat out of the bag. Uh oh! Had to happen.

There's a body in the kitchen and the neighbours at the back door.


I thought Lloyd had been around longer than 10 years!

Yet another relationship going down the tubes over just a kiss. Knowing it was Sally that did the kissing made it worse. I can understand Tim feeling like that.

Yep, Craig got stood up.

Sinead sure is walking well, and on heels, for someone that was wobbling on crutches a month or so ago.

Down the rabbit hole for Callum. Are they sealing that over? Otherwise, it's going to start to smell pretty soon.


What? Who takes a taxi back from committing a crime? Seriously? Too bad they didn't wait a few more minutes to steal the car. Callum would have been in the back and he'd have gone up in smoke, too!

Cake is never a bad thing to try. Well, maybe if it's soaked in rum and you don't like rum.

Oh, please, don't put Tim and Anna together. I have a bad feeling about this if he and Sally don't get back together.

Awwww a little kiss for Roy and Cathy!


Awesome old car! And it's good bye to Lloyd (and Andrea)

Mistakes always come back to bite you in the backside. That goes for Sally and it probably goes for David and Kylie. David says he's going to get Callum out of the hole and miles away. Wanna bet?

Ok. It's done.

Overall? Excellent. The bit with Todd and Tony stealing the car was contrived, obviously so that the manhole would be used. The neighbours that kept interrupting were also a bit "Keystone Cops" but you know... David, Kylie and Sarah really carried the episode and really nailed it. All three actors were fabulous.

The other main story involving Roy and Cathy was also really nice, Roy clearly at a turning point in his grief, as is Cathy. Both of them have found a way to understand that they can move on without forgetting their loved ones. It's going to be difficult for viewers to see Roy with someone else, but perhaps she's the right one. Hayley was the making of Roy, and now the tables have turned and Roy is the one that's giving Cathy the helping hand. It could work. I guess it will depend on how long Melanie Hill wants to stay with the show. David Neilson was in top form as usual, and was a joy to watch.

Sally's kiss with Kevin came back to bite her and Tim's heart is broken, not just because of what Sally did but because it was his new best mate, Kevin. That's the ultimate betrayal, isn't it?

And finally, Lloyd and Andrea leave the street for a new life. Off they rode in an antique car with arms full of balloons. I will miss Lloyd a lot. I won't really miss Andrea. I didn't dislike her but I never really warmed up to her, either. They had a happy ending, though, and that's enough for me.

All in all, well done to the cast and crew!!!

There's a longer, more detailed blog post with more thoughts over here on State of the Street.



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#CorrieLive - What did you think of it?

It's been months in the planning and it happened over the last two nights airing in Canada. Of course it wasn't "live" for us, but it was when it aired in the UK on September 23 and was a big event.

It's now all over - so what did you make of it all?

Who gave the best performances, in your opinion? Was anything better than you expected and were there any storyline shocks along the way you weren't expecting?

Let us know what you thought of Coronation Street's live episode #Corrielive by leaving your comments below.



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Coronation Street Live - Sneak Preview photos of Rehearsal Scenes (spoiler for tonight's episode)

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog in September 2015.)

Dramatic new images have been released of rehearsals of some of the opening scenes of Coronation Street’s exciting live episode.

Behind the scenes photos show actors Sean Ward and Tina O’Brien rehearsing the thrilling fight scenes which will be aired in the first part of the episode on Wednesday September 23rd.

In last night’s episode (Monday 13th) viewers saw Sarah lure Callum to the Platt’s house by sending a message from Kylie’s phone, leading him to believe they are going to pay him the £20k he has demanded.

The Live episode (airing tonight and tomorrow night in Canada) will pick up at the point where Callum has arrived at the house and is furious to discover he has been duped.

A terrified Sarah is determined to put an end to Callum’s reign of terror and has hatched a plan to record his every word as evidence for the police. But when Callum realises what she is up to things take a sinister turn.

The fight scenes were choreographed during the rehearsals for the hour-long live episode and see a petrified Sarah trying to escape from the clutches of the desperate and furious drug dealer.

Is Callum about to take the ultimate revenge on the Platt family? Whatever the outcome of this shocking showdown lives on the street will never be the same again.

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One Hour "Live" Corrie tonight in Canada

The one hour episode of Coronation Street airs on CBC tonight. This episode originally aired live on ITV in the UK on September 23. Obviously it's not live for us but watching it, you can feel the adrenaline and the energy that surrounded the set when they were filming/broadcasting it. Last night's Corrie saw Callum being lured to the Platts' by Sarah, Tonight's episode takes up where that left off, in a confrontation.

I went to CBC's website to double check that this was indeed the day and discovered a list of video extras that they have on their video site. These are all short interviews that ITV made and had on their site in the weeks leading up to the live broadcast. There are interviews with Jack P. Shepherd (David), Sean Ward (Callum), Lucy Fallon (Bethany, Shayne Ward (Aidan), Paula Lane (Kylie) and Sair Khan (Alya) as well as footage of rehearsals. Colson Smith (Craig) also has a video diary. There won't be any spoilers in these if you want to watch before tonight's episode or the weekend omnibus if you wait until Sundays.

Oh, by the way, the omnibus on Sunday will air a half hour earlier than usual to take the extra half hour into effect.

Bluenose Corrie Blog will be tweeting tonight as well in the Atlantic Canada time zone (that's one hour earlier than when Corrie airs in Ontario/Quebec).


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Coronation Street Blog interviews with Sean Ward and Lucy Fallon

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

After a more complicated journey than usual, Emma, my fellow blogger, and I arrived at Media City, more than a little excited, it has to be said, at the prospect of interviewing several actors on the cobbles about the forthcoming Live Episode.

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Corrie producer Stuart Blackburn addressed us all in his usual enthusiastic way, praising the actors and the writers. We were treated to an edited recording of the events leading up to the live episode, so we could see how certain storylines will play out on 23 September. (October 13 and 14th in Canada) It became clear that the Platts will take centre stage in the live episode due to their shenanigans with Callum.

All of the actors interviewed confessed to being nervous as the episode approached and on August 11, the day of the interviews, not one of the actors had received a script, so as yet, not one line had been learned.

The common thread amongst all the actors was fear of addressing their fellow actors by their real names, not their Corrie names. Viewers of East Enders will recall that that actually did happen in their live episode. I’m happy to report though, that there was no crowing about this accident, only understanding and sympathy from the Corrie actors.

I interviewed Sean Ward who plays Callum and Lucy Fallon who plays Bethany Platt. As we all know, Bethany has, under great pressure from Gemma and Callum, given Callum an alibi. She has told the police that on the night that Jason Grimshaw was beaten to a pulp and hospitalised, unconscious, that she was actually with Callum and Gemma watching films, so therefore the assault on Jason had nothing to do with Callum. Of course, we know differently.

I asked Sean and Lucy how they felt about the live episode and though ‘petrified’ they both said they’re looking forward to it and are confident that when the time comes, they will be ‘on point’. The adrenaline rush will be like no other and will see them through. It will be both ‘a buzz and a challenge’ agreed the actors.

Though they have no script as yet, Sean thinks that he and Lucy are in the first scene of the live episode. Sean revealed that he learns his lines by writing them out, pretty much like you revise for an exam. It was amusing to think of bad boy Callum labouring over his lines and to imagine his neatly filed notebooks with his lines in, in his best handwriting.

Asked why Callum behaves as he does, Sean Ward said that, ‘Maybe he didn’t get enough hugs off his mum.’ He added that we will see a vulnerable side to Callum. Sean said he wanted to create a balance and that if he played Callum ‘just right’ then, like other soap villains, notably, Richard Hillman, he would go down in history.

Regarding him and Bethany, there never has, in Callum’s eyes, been a relationship. Bethany has a crush on him, and as he does with most women, he manipulates her and exploits the fact that she has a crush on him. Still on the women in his life, I asked him about his relationship with Gemma. He said that they had always been friends, that it was entirely platonic and that there is a codependency operating between them. Further down than him in the food chain, Gemma does his bidding, while simultaneously, there are people above Callum in the drugs food chain, which will become evident. There is tremendous pressure on Callum from those in the drug world more senior to him.

Still on the subject of women, Sean was amazed that women like a bad guy and said all women were crazy. Did women throw themselves at him? Sean managed that question well and said that he is now a one-woman man so he ignores ‘all that.’

Callum threatens the Platts that they are to do exactly what he says, or their lives will be in danger. Callum goes on the rampage and smashes up Audrey’s salon and the Platt’s house. And there will be more.

Sean has been involved in 12 hour days, working with the fight co-ordinator for over a month to get some good moves in the fights he has with Tony.  He claims too, that both he and the actor who plays Tony are enjoying the choreographed moves very much, putting together their fights. Sean even suggested that we might begin to feel a little sorry for Callum as Tony launches further savage attacks on Callum. Terence Maynard, who plays Tony, and Sean, have had to stagger home on those days. Nevertheless Sean has found these long working days thrilling and satisfactory. It is not usual for the character of Callum to be involved in fights as usually he orders his boys to do his dirty work. While his boys are at work Callum makes a point of being seen so that no one will accuse him and that he has witnesses. Clever Callum!

In real life, Sean said that he is often approached, sometimes jokingly, sometimes not, by people asking him, ‘Got any drugs mate?’ To which Sean replies, ‘No, it’s not real!’

Lucy Fallon was asked about people’s reactions to her character. She said that reactions were split. Young people thought she was ‘cool’ but older people were unimpressed by her and think that she is ‘rude and ungrateful’. She loves being at Coronation Street though and enjoys working with the Platts very much.

Lucy said that Bethany will grow up after the Callum rampage and begin to mature. She expressed a wish to have Craig, played by Colson Smith as her boyfriend, because ‘he is just so nice.’ Nobody can argue with that.

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How the Corrie Live Trailer should have been done

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

Coronation Street aired a live episode a few weeks ago. We're getting it this week in Canada. They issued a "trailer" that was more of a promo than anything to do with storyline spoilers. As always, non-UK viewers couldn't see the trailer but a fan has reworked the audio of the trailer and this is what he came up with. You get to see the trailer plus the new soundtrack which is quite good. The live episode will bring the Platt/Callum story to a head.

With thanks to TV's ANDY GIBSON ‏@AndyGibsonTV on twitter for this little gem.

It's how the Corrie Live Trailer should have been done.   

You can watch the original here.


 


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Coronation Street Blog Interview: Michael Le Vell and Brooke Vincent

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

There are few father-daughter onscreen relationships that are, to my mind, as authentic as the one between Kevin and Sophie Webster. I have enjoyed watching their bond over the years, and when my fellow blogger Ruth and I travelled to ITV in Manchester to interview the pair, I was interested to see if this same chemistry existed between the two actors, Brooke Vincent and Michael Le Vell.

As we talked about the live episode, how they feel about the show, their characters, and future storylines, there proved to be a lovely bond that was at once cheeky and respectful, and made interviewing them rather entertaining.

Both agreed that it was time for Sophie to grow up a bit and that, after a number of relationship traumas, she needs time to herself rather than having a new love interest. “People forget how long it takes to get over things like that” says Brooke as she recalls Sophie’s experiences with Sian, Jenna and Maddie.

Brooke saw it as a “massive honour” to be trusted with the lesbian storyline at the age of 16, and her progression into a young women now seems timely. “I’m two years older than my character so I’m constantly like, ‘right, when can she wear make-up? When can she wear red lipstick?’" Brooke tells us. "It’s going to be nice for me to grow up finally and wear stuff that I’d wear maybe when I was 21”. It will also help that she's to leave her job at Dev’s behind, as we’re told she’ll play a big part in the expansion of the garage where she’ll be working alongside her Dad helping him to run the business.

With regard to the live episode, Michael doesn’t feel having done one before eases the pressure, and really puts the viewership into perspective when he notes “We’ve all done live theatre before, but to fill a theatre with how many people are going to watch that one episode, you’d probably have to fill a West End theatre for the next 20 years 7 nights a week.” He revealed that they have a two week rehearsal time leading up to the episode which takes place on 23 September, and they never normally have this. He continues, “this is so different as well because I think a lot more people have a lot more lines to say because there’s no big stunt in it and it is all character driven storylines, and so people will have a lot more words and will definitely be on their guard.”

Recalling the Eastender’s live episode in which an actor’s name was said instead of the character being addressed, both vehemently agree about how easy it is to do this, and reveal that it happens all the time on set. Michael tells us “That’s what the public want in some perverse kind of way, they want to see these mistakes. And because the tram crash did go so smoothly last time, everyone thought it was recorded.”

Brooke adds, “It’s so easy for people to sit at home and judge, ‘cos I do it, when you’re watching, say, I’m a Celeb’. If something like that does happen, we’re not going to get sacked, are we?” she laughs, “I’ll just say ‘sorry Mum’ and carry on”.

While they’re worried Sally and Joe’s capacity for corpsing could be their downfall, Michael loves that they brought him into the Tim and Sally storylines, as they all have such a laugh. Brooke talked about how strange it was to have a new man join their family. “It was like real life” she tells us, “I was like, I’ll sit up straight and I won’t be lounging, and it was like my Mum got a new boyfriend in a way. And then we just really quickly gelled together”. Both agree that it would have been so easy to have the men at odds, but that it works so much better that they don’t hate each other.

I asked Michael what he thought of the decision to have Sally and Kevin kiss. Joking that “she’s not made of wood” he tells us “I love the partnership with Sally and Tim, they’re fantastic to watch and they make me laugh a lot. I don’t want to see them split up as a viewer.”

Michael talked about his pride in being part of Corrie, how much he loves it, and how moving to Media City UK has been great for bringing everyone involved closer together. His advice for any budding Corrie actors is to know your lines which proves humorous to Brooke who recalls him messing up during the Jenny Bradley balcony scene despite drumming it into her that she must remember hers. He can’t wait for the return of Sally Ann Matthews, and neither can I. Describing her as fantastic to work with, he adds, “She’s a such a wonderful person to be around, and a wonderful actress...and she did know her lines, every day.”

This cheeky parting shot summed up what was an enjoyable interview, and the relationship that exists between Brooke and Michael.

See also my interview with Joe Duttine and Sally Dynevor.

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

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Corrie's Bill Roache: "I don't enjoy live episodes"

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

Bill Roache, who plays Ken Barlow in Coronation Street, spoke to the Daily Mirror at the weekend about the upcoming live episode of Corrie this September. 

He confirmed he will be in it but said: "I've been in all three. I don't enjoy it. It's a bit too much. You feel as if the viewers are all sadists waiting for something bad to happen.It is stimulating, though. It's a challenge. When we first started in 1960, we used to do the first episode live and record the second one. That happened for the first few months."

He said: "It's great that Corrie still want me. I've got some good stories coming up which I'm excited about. People always ask when I'm going to retire, and I say not any time soon. If you want to keep young, you have to keep going. The fact I have to learn so many lines is good for me. I love the Street and everybody in it. I'm very fortunate to have been in it so long. I still film from 7am to 8pm just like I did when I first started."



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Coronation Street Blog Interview with Paula Lane and Jack Shepherd, aka Kylie and David Platt

 

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

Immediately noticeable on meeting Jack Shepherd and Paula Lane is the fun they have together. They came into the room, laughing, they laughed a lot during the interview and at the end of the interview, they went through the door laughing.

Also noticeable was that Jack Shepherd looked very much like David, which might be an odd thing to say until you see what I have to say about Paula - and that is that Paula Lane looked much nicer that Kylie does. Her hair wasn’t scraped back off her face and she was wearing hardly any makeup. 

It is clear that the two of them are close and, in fact, Jack did point out that they saw a good deal more of each other that they did of their real life partners. Paula lives quite a distance away and is often not home until 9 pm and that is after an early start and also having just had a baby and coming back to work from maternity leave.  She summed it up in one word – tough.  She doesn’t have enough sleep and has to have significant support at home to do the job she does. 

It is though, a job that Paula loves, as does Jack. On several occasions when I have interviewed people from Corrie they have referred to how much the cast and crew feel as if they are a family, where everyone looks out for and supports each other. It is a consistent thread and it makes me feel very content that that is the case.

Naturally, the majority of the questions centred around the Live Episode. Paula was very excited about it, Jack just a little less so, but there was no doubting their will to do their very best. Earlier, Stuart Blackburn had revealed the fact that the Platts would be the main focus of the episode. At the time of the interview though, August 11^th they had not as yet received their scripts. Ten days is what they have to learn their lines. Both actors were keen to wrap up what they are currently working on and then free their minds to deal wholeheartedly with the live episode.

‘It’s an adrenaline rush like no other. It’s massive. It’s insane!’ said Paula, and the excitement and apprehension were almost tangible. Jack agreed but expressed himself in a more measured way, because, I would guess, his nature is such that he is calmer about life in general and also because he has been on the cobbles for so long. Paula has been Kylie since 2010, coming in as Becky’s sister and Jack has been on the cobbles since 1999.

Asked if they thought that Callum was capable of murder, they both agreed and said too that they thought that David was also capable of murder. Kylie has always known just how cut throat and  dangerous Callum can be when riled. After all David has been no angel and as Stuart Blackburn said himself, it was most unusual to have David Platt as the good guy for once! Callum though wants power and he wants the last word. Callum demands £20,000, as viewers saw on the double episode of 11 September, and this is the start of our introduction to the food chain of the world of the drug dealer. Callum warns that he will ruin the Platt family and begins to carry out his threat. He ransacks Audrey’s salon, for starters.  Max’s not wanting to see his biological dad, infuriates Callum even more.

Viewers will have noticed Kylie saying all along that Callum would do anything to get what he wants and so far we have seen that determination and strength of will in his aim to secure Max. Whether he really wants Max seemed to be unclear.

Max is 10 and the little boy actor fully understands that it’s all pretend. Paula has known him for 5 years and is very protective of him and very fond of him too, as is David.

Both are feeling the pressure of the forthcoming live episode, though relished ‘the buzz and the challenge.’  They both feared saying someone’s real name instead of the character’s name and they expressed sympathy for the East Enders actor who said the actor’s real name instead of the actor’s name in the live episode. There was only sympathy for the actor and Jack pointed out that even though that mistake was made, it did create more publicity for the show. Maybe he was saying that there is no such thing as bad publicity.

Asked if there was any chance for David and Sarah to come together as they undergo the horrors that Callum unleashes, Jack replied that there was no chance of that. They have never and will never see eye to eye.  Somewhat contrarily, to his statement about his half sister, Jack pointed out that David had always craved his own family unit and part of his problems stemmed from the divorce of his mum and dad, Gail and Martin.

In the preview to the live episode we see that Max runs out into the road in front of the van that Nick is driving. There were no revelations as to the outcome of that scene.

It’s going to be good, it’s going to be great, it’s going to be fantastic. There are some great actors on the cobbles and to see them do their stuff live will be a buzz for the viewers too.

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