Kelly Crabtree's exit - classic Corrie at its best

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog in March, 2010, reposted with permission.)

Last night's (edited - Friday, Jan. 7 in Canada) Coronation Street was remarkable because it reminded me so much of classic Corrie scenes from the past. The scenes with Kelly Crabtree, right at the end when she left the cobbles were fantastic. Tupele Dorgu, who played Kelly, is quoted today in The Sun saying: "I would have liked my last scene to be more dramatic." Dramatic you can keep, this was classic stuff with Kelly's last line worthy of the likes of Elsie Tanner herself.

After being betrayed and sacked by Nick, the one fella she thought she could finally trust, she stormed into the Rovers and gave her workmates what-for. "I'm finished with this job and I'm finished with Weatherfield," and with that she was gone, storming off down the cobbles with Janice in tow. Janice tried to hand over a placky bag of cash that the girls had raised as a whip round but both of them knew there wasn't much more than 56p inside. Kelly didn't have many friends, she'd never been a girl's girl, always on the prowl for other women's men.

And so, as Kelly departed Weatherfield and the constraints of the cobbles, Janice was in tears watching her old mate go. Kelly was in tears too but that didn't stop her striding down the Street in her trademark mini-skirt with one of the best lines in decades. "I'm Kelly Crabtree!" she yelled to the Salford sky. "The one with the legs!" and then she turned the corner and waited for the Weatherfield Wayfarer to whisk her away from it all.

Tours to Coronation Street out of Canada

Although Granada Studios is closed to the public, there are still ways to walk the cobbles. Three companies are conducting tours around the UK this year, including stops in Manchester with a visit to Granada and the Corrie set.

Out of Toronto is Kemptville Travel's The World of Coronation Street. This tour has been running for nearly 20 years and is the Granddaddy of them all. This year's tour, which includes a few days in Ireland, runs from Sept. 8 - 20th and the full itinerary is here. The tour leaves from Toronto but I believe you can join the tour in Manchester but contact Kemptville to be sure. This is the more expensive of the three tours but you do get to go to Ireland as well. $3849 plus departure taxes, with air fare included.

Out of Halifax, the Canadian Automobile Association travel agency is running a tour as well, in conjunction with Trafalgar Tours. This runs from May 14 - 24th, startss in London, visits Cornwall and Wales and, of course, Manchester with a visit to the studio. It is hosted by a friend of mine, Mike Shacklock who is also the man that was instrumental in starting up the local Corrie scene here in Halifax. There's a link at the bottom of this page with a PDF itinerary. It doesn't say if the cost includes the airfare ($2699), I'm guessing not but check with them.

Coronation Travel, also out of Halifax, is running a tour in May as well, from May 9 - 19 with host, local florist, Neville MacKay. This is a bit more expensive ($2895 land only or $3598 plus departure taxes for airfare included) than the CAA tour but can also be joined in London without the added airfare. See the details here.

All prices are for one person sharing a room. There will be single supplements. I have known people that have been on these tours and they always enjoy themselves.

Sue Nicholls on Audrey Roberts, the Corrie tart with a heart

There's a really good interview Sue Nicholls, who plays Audrey Roberts, on Digital Spy today, and as their soap editor says about Sue at the start of the piece: "...and what a lovely lady she is."

Sue talks about the men in Audrey's life and she says: "I'm very grateful to the scriptwriters for giving me wonderful stuff and the stories that I've been part of - I don't know who thinks up the stories - but they've come up with some humdingers, haven't they?! Maybe I should hush my mouth a bit!"

Sue has been in Corrie for almost 30 years. "It's the best job to have, especially in this day and age when there are no jobs anyway. I've been so lucky and if I think back over the years all the people have been lovely and the stories have been hot. Being with Amanda Barrie was lovely, and of course Brian Mosley who sadly died - and it's thanks to Brian or whoever - if they hadn't married Audrey off to Alf, who knows I might just have been another tart with a heart passing through."

See also: Audrey Roberts' horrible hair-dos

This originally appeared on Coronation Street Blogspot in March 2010.

Vicky Binns is coming to Halifax

Vicky Binns, who plays Molly Dobbs, is coming to Halifax on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at the Halifax Westin Hotel. The Downeast Streeters are hosting the show, the ninth Corrie actor they have presented to local Corrie fans over the years.

Tickets cost $27 and you can get them at the following  locations:
Celtic Traditions, Spring Garden Place, Halifax, NS
Edgewood Cafe, 250 Baker Drive, Dartmouth, NS (cash only)
Ed's Unique Gifts, 10 Akerly Blvd, Unit 60, Dartmouth NS

Don't delay! These shows always sell out and it will be a great evening! Charge up your camera batteries and and think of a question to submit on the night of the event for Vicky to answer. Check at the Downeast Streeters for any further information and links to past events.

Vicky will fly from Halifax to Toronto and she will be the guest at the annual British Isles Show (which hasn't updated their website yet, but the dates will be the weekend of April 15-17)

Has Grandad George gone soft?

(This post was originally written by Seapenguin on the Coronation Street blog in March 2010. Reposted for the Canadian timeline with permission)

I'm on tenterhooks here. What the 'eck's going on?

In last night's episode we had Tina saying she didn't want to see either of Gail's two faces at Joe's funeral. Now we've seen George's second face (I'm hoping he has at least three) and from where I'm sitting it's not a pretty sight. Legal action dropped? Grovelling apologies? He can see that Simon belongs with the Barlows? No, no, no. This won't do at all. Anthony Valentine has been such a star turn, I think it's going to be a complete and utter waste if he backs off now. Look at those flinty little eyes, and that shifty half-smile, and tell me I'm wrong.

I'm clinging on to the hope that this is a bluff, and that George has still got some evil plan secreted somewhere up the sleeve of that creepy black coat.

Writing for all ages

This originally appeared on the Coronation Street Blog in March 2010, with links to my UK timeline blog.

Inspired by a comment from one of our regular readers, John, made on this post, as always, I got thinking and my reply grew so long that it warranted a blog post of its own. I'm just like that! John mentioned that the new producer of Corrie, Phil Collinson, remarked that he would like to re-focus on the older characters.

I rather think that "older" doesn't necessarily mean age-wise but seniority wise and in that, I think Corrie does quite well with the mix, both age wise and seniority wise. They not only introduce new young aged characters but characters of all ages. Maybe the problem isn't age at all but the recent trend to continually focus on a flavour of the month/year time and again and leaving other great cast members in the storyline closet? Anyway, you can read more about it here.

Sunday Comments, January 3

Lines of the week:

• Sean "Teresa luv, Coming from someone with a face like a blind cobbler's thumb, it's a bit rich, *you* questioning my pulling power!"
  
• Carla to Nick "I can see why you're in the rag trade, because you couldn't make a living reading minds"
  
• Ken "Who would want to take a child?!" (Huh? This man thrives on reading the news!)
  
• Molly "I didn't do anything wrong!" (huh?)
  
• Kelly "I'M COMING!!!!" Nick (*wince*)
  
• Eve to George "It's about you"
  

Audrey actually praises David for his support and all Gail can talk about is Nick coming home. The police aren't letting up, though, they think Gail killed Joe and are trying to get evidence to prove it even if they are barking up the wrong tree. And Tina is looking increasingly suspicious at Gail, and all. All the evidence is circumstantial. Isn't there dna evidence on the boom that hit Joe? Anyway Tina has told Gail not to attend the funeral. Harsh.

So it's definite. George decided to go for a temporary custody order. Even Eve didn't know he was going to do that and she doesn't really approve but she's not crossing him either. Peter wasn't drunk the night before, he was just angry. seeing Peter taken away by the cops isn't doing Simon any good. What does George do? take Simon to Blackpool and oh, take a bag in case we decide to stay over... or run away with the lad. Only the lad overhears George's plans and runs away on his own! Serves George right and even Eve is incensed. Just for good measure, one of my rants over here, all about George!

I don't think it's a matter of the judge thinking Simon might be better with George, I think it's a matter of the judge being a friend of George and George exaggerating the situation. Good scenen with Leanne telling Peter off about wanting to drink and how it's all just an excuse to drink. What really ticked me off, George wasn't going to call Peter as not to worry him! He really just didn't want his own idiocy to come to light.

Carla gets to go out with that lovely Trev but Janice gets her heart broken yet again! Nick gets off with skanky Kelly to try to get her to steal Carla's files. That seals it. He's officially a user, isn't he? Wants what he wants when he wants it, uses women to get it. Sounds just like his father, Brian, too!

I thought Teresa got sacked? Did CBC drop a scene again or did i miss something? Anyway i went and looked and it seems Teresa apologized and Fiz backed her up. All of this upset is more conflict than usual for Kelly and it's leading to her exit. She never was a very nice person but she was never boring!

Well, what did Molly expect would happen when everyone finds out she's left Tyrone who clearly did nothing wrong? Did she think she'd find some new best friends? She didn't really have any before. Whine, whinge. I don't know why she stayed round there in the first place.

John's getting that single minded thing on again. He wants to teach and nothing is going to stop him, not even a life long ban! It's a classic narcissistic syndrome. He never thinks what he wants is actually wrong and will put Fiz through anything to get what he wants, regardless of the lies he tells and the stress she goes through and yet she puts up with him. So he thinks adult education would be ok, but i'm sure they still have to do background checks.

Sunday Comments, December 26

I hope you all had a lovely and peaceful holiday!

Lines of the week:

• Dev "I got stuck in a jumper!" (sweater)
  
• Leanne to Peter "So you think i want to spend the rest of my life with some useless lush? Grow up!"
  
• Sunita "It's your birthday. What else can you give a man that has everything!"
  
• Norris about Gail: "If there is such a thing as Karma, she must have been very wicked in her past lives"
  
• Steve: "There are some things you don't want in your head. And your mum molesting someone half her age is one of them."
  
• Norris about Gail: "Another chat? They're not going to break out the Garibaldis, they've hauled her in for questioning. She didn't go willingly, either, I thought they were going to haul out the tasers!"
  
• Kelly laughing at Teresa "I have never loved another woman as i love carla Connor at the moment"
  
• Graeme: "Thanks for ringing, Candy!" Kirk: "That's ok"
  
• Norris "whatever happened to concern for your neighbours!"
  
• Trev to Norris: "If I told you where to put your bin, would you do it?
  
• Mary: "Any news of Gail?" Emily: "No. Just the old news. Recycled. Endlessly"
  
• Norris "There's only one place this monstrosity is going" Mary "He seems a little unsure" Emily "Maybe it'll grow on him!" (HA!! Best line of the week!)
  

Becky didn't think it was so weird that Liz was flirting with Ciaran but we all know, he's not serious, it's just the way he is. Meanwhile, Becky miscarried. That's tough. But why would Steve think Becky would react any differently? He's just as bad for keeping stuff from her when he's upset. Having said that, Becky was irritating me with her over the top reaction but i guess it is typical of Becky. Some really nice scenes between Liz and Becky. Nicest scene of the week i think.

Tina is really having a hard time with Joe's death. I want to know where her mother is! She did talk to her on the phone but you'd think her mother would come see her. I think going to the lake to see where her dad died is not such a bad thing really. All the things she's uncovering about what David did (text, flowers) that Gail took the blame for, mind you, is starting to gel together in Tina's mind as a conspiracy.

Gail wishes she'd taken time to really enjoy being with Joe but let's face it, he didn't really make that easy. I do feel for Gail in one way, losing her husband but on the other hand i have no sympathy for her for lying and making things worse. And looky there, the police know about the life insurance policy taken out just after the wedding. THey're using that as pretty hard evidence. Ever hear of handwriting experts? Joe certainly wasn't one, so it's a pretty safe bet an expert could tell it wasn't Gail's writing. Gail also gets all affronted because she's the talk of the local gossip but what does she expect?

Kelly was laughing out of the other side of her face when Teresa won the job hunting bet and got a job as Underworld's cleaner. She tried to sabotage Teresa but that didn't work either. Kelly's being more obnoxious than usual, don't you think?

Norris and Dev share a birthday? I think Dev got a much nicer gift than Norris did but he's still a drama queen for grumbling about gifts people were kind enough to give him. Ok, A packet of toe spreaders, a callous knife and bed socks were a bit naff but considering how much he complains about his feet, is it any wonder? Mary bought him a hairpiece!! For once, I actually laughed at a scene with Norris in. No surprise to see him trying it on in the gents'.



Peter signed himself out of rehab and finished early. Again. Now is he in denial or is he really ready to tackle sobriety? I can see why Peter would be angry that George is off with Simon. I don't trust George either! He has no right to keep Simon. Peter's instincts are spot on. Was this George's plan all along or is he just a control freak? Peter wasn't drunk, he was just angry that George had Simon and wouldn't give him back. Dev is such a girl! What does he do to feel better? Retail Therapy! Meanwhile it looks like Sunita is missing him. I didn't suppose Sunita would be too crazy about Dev telling his troubles to his staff but why shouldn't he? Molly is a friend as well and Sunita would be talking to her friends about it all if she has any. Typical, though, Dev runs to the Rovers to see Sunita and finds her chatting and laughing with her ex.

I laughed at Kirk and Graeme both getting the other's mobile number instead of Candy's. Daft as a pair of brushes but Graeme at least had one clue once he realized Candy ripped both of them off, but i didn't think the two of them actually were matey enough to go out on the tiles together.

Ok, we're now going to see Stape moan and whine about not being a teacher. Wait until you see where that's going to lead. And, for one last word in praise of Graeme Proctor, read my assessment of an old soul in a young body.

Corrie Christmas

My fella is a musician and graphic artist and every year he writes me a song for one of my Christmas presents. Usually it's a song about us and our relationship but this year he's written one about my Coronation Street obsession and called it Corrie Crazy. You can hear it here, and check out my blog here for the lyrics and a photo of the two other Corrie related items he gave me this year!

Sunday Comments, December 19

Lines of the week:

• Mary "Google ganglions, Natasha"
  
• Connie about Jackie "She's a bit full on" Jack "You ain't seen nothing yet!"
  
• Gail: "What on earth has he got us all into?" (No, YOU have got you all into it by not going along with the plan.)
  
• Carla: "I'm just the lowly cleaner" (Even in marigolds and a tabard, she still looks too posh to be a cleaner!)
  
• Jackie about Molly: "She's done up like Joan Collins at Elton John's Christmas Party." Tyrone: "Don't be weird, or any weirder than usual."
  
• Jackie to Molly: "You're a plate faced slapper with elevator knickers." (she is, you know. The slapper bit at least) Molly "It takes one to know one" Jackie "Exactly!"
  
• Lloyd to Liz "And I thought bitter only came on tap"
  
• Molly about Trev "That's a bit of all right?" Sunita "You're not wrong, kid" Dev (churlishly) "He's a binman"
  
• Jackie to Dev "How does it go? Prices up, knickers down"
  
• Steve about Liz giving Ciaran the glad eye "Can't leave her alone for a minute" Becky "She's an optimist, i'll give her that!"
  

So Joe's fingerprints fingered him as the dead body. (Does anyone else think the writing on the boat makes it look like Gail Farce? seems a bit appropriate!) Anyway, he's dead for sure now. David actually seemed upset to have to tell Tina such an awful thing. He hated Joe but i'm sure he didn't want him to go away in this manner. Gail and Tina identified the body. Horrible thing for anyone to have to do let alone a teenager. For Gail, it must be old hat. (sorry!)

I laughed at David pointing out to Gail that she would probably be better off doing the exact opposite to what she thinks is a good idea. He's probably right. But no, Gail insists on finally telling the police the truth. You know what that's going to sound like, don't you? David makes matters worse by throwing away Joe's mobile. So Gail's running around the house looking for the phone. I"d have rung the phone if i couldn't find it and knew it was in the house somewhere. It sounds so strange, though, hearing David defending Gail, and being worried about her getting into trouble.


So did Simon hit Josh or just push him? Is George trying to manipulate things to get Simon? You bet he is. Yet Leanne, though she seemed suspicious, fell for his "vacation" trick. Will they come back from Spain?
Carla has her hair changed a bit, she's got bangs (a fringe). Kind of suits her. And she's certainly made an impression on Trev who's made more than one set of eyelashes bat! He *is* rather dishy, isn't he? Plot Device alert! There's no way anyone would have left a coffee spill on the floor of the factory all morning, Hayley or Julie wouldn't even if the others would. It might be dried on but Carla looked like she'd been scrubbing the paint off the floor when Trev came in and though she was the cleaner.

Molly has been living in the flat about a month. Wouldn't she just walk over the road to the Post Office counter and have her address changed? Andddd Jackie's back!!! Poor Connie thought she was doing Tyrone a favour telling his mum. Her Royal Pinkness is back! I gotta say i love Jackie Dobbs! She's horrible and awful and over the top and great in small doses! And she's got Molly's number, too. Tyrone really does believe that Molly just stopped loving him. That part is true but there's soooo much more to it. And Tyrone must be messed up, he thinks Jackie's changed.

Norris is on high gossip alert, between this new fella Audrey's been seen with and the police visiting Gail. As soon as he scurried into the pub, Audrey wanted to know what he was hoping to find out! LOL!

The Aunties farce continues. Sunita darns socks? Sounds like an excuse to me. She probably needs a little alone time. Liz asked Lloyd who the aunties were. She served them "vegetarian" hotpot 24 hours earlier. Well it looks like the inevitable, Dev and Sunita will get back together but instead of going slowly like she wants, he's telling the children, telling his friends, bringing her flowers... Dev... ok, flowers are too much. How about a holiday to Disney instead? I think it's more than just enthusiasm, i think he's a control freak. Or just highly selfish and self centred.

Gary's friend has his eye on Rosie. Trev's brought two adorable kittens home for

Janice only she's allergic. It must be love! Ciaran just can't help himself flirting and you'd think he wouldn't flirt with Liz who's plainly falling for his patter. You'd think he'd have learned from the upset he went through with Bev. What did Becky expect Liz to do, with her swinging the lead and Steve running around waiting on her, Liz is doing it all herself though Michelle is supposed to be working there. We've not seen her much until she has to share bar time with him. Funny, that. Ciaran is a lovely addition i think but Trev... Phwoar!! :))

I laughed at Gary and Quinny making fun of "old fashioned" names. Oh dear, Quinny's soldier brother has been seriously injured in Afghanistan. I bet that makes Gary's toes curl. Quinny's reaction was quite good, shock, disbelief. Wait, there's seagulls in Weatherfield? Imagine it. David advising someone NOT to lie!

And that's the end of February (in the UK). You can read more obvservations about the month's events here. Be warned there are a few upcoming spoilers.

Sunday Comments, December 12

Lines of the week:

• Tina texting "Your loan shark just tried to kill me. Please call." (try calling yourself!...yes... i do know.)
  
• Eileen to Jesse: "You're an animal lover, a parrot lover. I want an Eileen lover." (And you deserve it, too!)
  
• Steve to Eileen: "You can't have the time off because you're rubbing it in far too much."
  
• Gail: "You're angry, David, I can see that." (That's the only thing you can see.)
  
• Norris: "I don't gossip!" *koff* Mary "Of course you do! You'd be very poor company if you didn't!"
  
• Jesse "I think the world of you, Eileen" (no words of love then. Big sign there Eileen!)
  
• Gail about Joe: "He'll be home soon." and "He must be out there somewhere." (But not quite how you thought)
  
• Becky about Tina: "Mouthy cow. I like that in a woman." (You would!)
  
• Jason: "Whatever you like, Mrs. Grimshaw." Tina: "My God. That sounds minging."
  
• Deirdre to Audrey: "You've got more bling on than Barbara Cartland."
  
• Liz: "He's probably wondering what Camilla Parker Bowles is doing in Weatherfield." (Great in-joke. The resemblence is remarked on a lot!)
  
• Dev "I love to mow, weed and hoe.."
  
• Nick to Tina "You're the daughter of the man married to my mother" (stepsister, wouldn't that be so much easier to say?)

Though i'm glad to see the back of Joe, i can see this storyline is going to drag on eternally. *sigh* How can you have a successful faked death if you haven't got a missing persons report or a boat floating abandoned in the lake? Someone isn't thinking this through very well. It's time to get the police involved because the threats are escalating to trying to burn the flat down! It's just not on! and then David texts Tina using Joe's phone and sends her flowers? Talk about digging an even deeper hole and it's going to come back to bite him, mark my words. In amongst all this, David is having a hissy fit because Tina is marrying Jason. That aside, David seems to be the only one talking sense, for once, pointing out that Joe can't love Gail very much if he's putting her through this. And it doesn't make sense anyway. Why fake your death to get the insurance money if you can't be declared dead for seven years!

Gail protests that she wouldn't put up with a man beating her but i think she just might. She certainly puts up with everything else men throw at her, at least emotionally. I think she's inherited Ivy's blinders. And Tina...complaining because her father hasn't had a birthday present for her yet she knows he owes his soul to the loan shark. So when she does get flowers (from David pretending they're from Joe) she complains they're too expensive and they're not flowers she likes anyway. Selfish cow. She doesn't believe the "fake your death" excuse when they finally have no choice but to tell her. Her logical conclusion is that he committed suicide, considering the crushing debt and history of depression, but by the end of the week, though, Joe's body was bobbing about in the lake. He's dead, Jim! Er. do you not think it's odd that he sailed out quite a long way away from the cottage, Gail certainly couldn't see the boat from it, yet his body bobbed to the surface within a stone's throw of the cottage?


Dev is such a faker! moaning about his back and then leaping up to the bed. There's more ducking and diving and trying to fool the Aunties again this week but honestly, they can't be that stupid. Hilarity ensues. Meanwhile, as one couple inch slowly back together, another is marching apart.

Jesse and Eileen seem to be doing the slow dance to the end, don't they? Mind you she's being inordinately rude to him lately, especially about his job. It's no wonder he's considering his parents the most important people in his life and Eileen surely can see where she stands. Why did Eileen think Jesse would pick her over his parents? Well her rudeness aside, he's been attached to them by the apron strings all along, anniversary or not. And it was pretty childish of him to be quoting divorce statistics to Tina and Jason, newly engaged. He complained, he was miserable, Eileen deserves better and i'm glad she found her self respect and chucked him out.

Becky is certainly taking advantage of the pregnancy too, ducking and diving work, and Steve must know this but is happily pandering to her.  The Auntie who's son is a dancer in Vancouver with a Norris has got a point... young people really do talk about every tedious detail of their life on their mobiles. I hear them on the bus all the time. How much tea was drank in various places on screen this week? Bucketloads! Natasha has the hots for Nick and she's not even met him yet!

Audrey has booked the smooth and ever so slick Lewis again. She seems to be a sucker for his silver tongue. It was pretty funny seeing Liz and Deirdre and Audrey eyeing Lewis and him picking up Audrey and not Liz. Of course it was a set up but didn't it set the other two's complexions a bit greenish?


Nick seems to have his eye on Carla. I don't think she'd give a little weenie like him the time of day, frankly. He used to run the factory *for* Mike Baldwin? Mike Baldwin taught him everything he knows? Mike Baldwin sacked the little toerag, if you may recall. He wasn't much more than a toady.


If the Alahan house is a 3 bedroom house, then the twin must share a room if the Aunties are installed in the third bedroom. Roy needs to reduce the hours of his staff. Wouldn't it be better not to have them all working at the same time and

Sunday Comments, December 5

Lines of the week:

• Peter "I don't suppose Sorry's going to help?"
  
• Gail "I bet whoever called it that (boom) was just hit in the head by it" (Phrase of Doom, anyone?)
  
• Peter "If i was seriously drinking i'd be on the whiskey" (you mean that bottle that you already finished?)
  
• David to Gail "You married yet another head case!" (and still she defends him)
  
• Sunita "I'm remembering why i divorced you!"
  
• Tina about Joe: "He's a dead man next time I see him." (Um, yes)
  
• Audrey: "I'm THE Audrey of Audrey's!"
  
• Nick: "Expecting romance by a roaring fire, ending up with a sausage roll in the pouring rain"
  
• Peter: "Help me!" (finally!)
  
• Deirdre: "I'm sure he's found somewhere warm and dry." Leanne: "Depends on what you mean by dry!"
  
• Sunita "They (the children) don't do baths, they do tsunamis!"
  

Ohmygod Joe is such a loser he couldn't even fake his own death properly! David figured his mother had lost her marbles going sailing in February and look where it got her? Joe was that horny to get away and of course that's when the phone rang off the hook. You notice he also rented a big SUV to tow the boat as well. I guess if Gail's in for a penny, she, or her credit card, are in for a pound or three! Joe told the loan shark to give him a week and he'd have it sorted. He wants Gail to use the life insurance to pay off the debts and later, after a few years, he'll send for her. Now if you were an insurance company, and someone took out a big policy, made one payment and then wanted the payout, wouldn't you be suspicious? Anyway Gail was horrified at Joe's plan and fought him. Because she fought him, he hurt his arm and because he hurt his arm, he couldn't get back on the boat when the boom knocked him over.

I really do think Joe has lost his marbles completely with all the pressure and desperation. It's got to be illegal, what the loan shark is doing and Gail can't imagine lying to everyone. Geez, if she thought being married to a homicidal maniac was bad, at least she could be open and honest about that. Did you see that couple that witnessed Gail and Joe's argument? Remember that they saw Gail on the boat with Joe and drove away before he threw her back off. It'll come back to haunt her. I don't know why Joe didn't just chuck the mobile into the lake, too.

Gail doesn't think Joe did the right thing but she thinks he'll come to his senses and come back. Nothing David can tell her can change her mind. Lying to say Joe stayed behind because he'd got some work yet he's not answering his phone. And David giving her tips on how to lie lol and the lies just get deeper and deeper and now Nick is back on the scene, obviously lost his job and flat so he thinks Joe and Gail had a row.

I can't say i'm sorry to see the back of that whinging whining Joe, though. He's been a loser from the start. Ok, ok, i know people fall on hard times and they should be supported by their friends and families but he's just been a total idiot! This loan shark business should have been taken to the police at the first threat but Noooooooo. We have to put up with this face for months! I've got a blog post that delves into this a bit more over here. (There is one future spoiler mentioned!)

The morning after the night before, and the wreckage after the hard hat party is spread across the Barlow fields. Ken is regretful and a bit smug and Leanne is heartbroken that Peter's drinking again and feeling guilty that her dream contributed. Deirdre figured there was one positive, with Blanche still in Portugal. I guess we find our bright spots where we can. George has his mitts on Simon and wasn't giving him back. I wonder if that was his plan all along or if it was just a lucky result.
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Poor little Simon, having to see his dad drunk and pathetic. Chris Gascoyne played a very good and believable drunk, though, didn't he? How did Peter get all those bottles and cans of beer stashed in the betting shop office when he'd only been off the wagon 24 hours and was out roaming the streets for most of it? Peter's lucky George hasn't called Social Services! Peter tried to convince Leanne he is only drinking because he can't see Simon and tried to make a deal with George, he'll go into rehab if he gets Simon back. Any little excuse except the real reason. He is addicted. This is really being handled well, I think. Much better than being reformed and recovering after one bout and never slipping again. No amount of talking to him is working, either. He wasn't ready to accept he needs the rehab and he needs help until Simon rejected him and he saw fear on his son's face.

Sunita used a pretty lame excuse to go see Dev. Why? Because her old aunties are coming and nobody ever told them that she's divorced. It's been nearly 5 years, and nobody has slipped up or anything? Hard to believe they've never called Sunita in that time, not asked to speak to Dev, or had an excuse why not every single time and they've not been suspicious? A bit contrived, really. Lucky for Dev, he was there when they arrived so he jumped right in with his plan to pretend they were still married in front of them and Sunita didn't have a choice then. But pretending they're married? You can just see where that's going, can't you? Probably the reason for the ridiculous storyline. Um...Auntie Grishma is apparently 72. She's Sunita's great-aunt. Sunita's parents must be pretty young for one of them to have an auntie that age or someone's lying about their age! and "They" came to the wedding yet one of them was introduced to Dev as if it was the first time.

I did wish that Joe's and Gail's phones would pick a ring tone and stick with it or at least choose one more modern. Do any phones still have that ringtone anymore as a default? You could see it was a fairly new style phone. I also don't think Joe's phone would still have a charge a day after both Tina and Gail were ringing it non stop. At least two people had a good week. Tina and Jason got engaged! It's a cute little ring but it's almost not even there!

Sunday Comments, November 28

Lines of the week:

• Molly "If you ever need me, you know where i am" (That means YOU Kevin!)
  
• Betty (looking at Michelle and Liz's cleavage) "Some things never change behind the bar!"
  
• Becky to Steve "I married ya cause I like living with Liz!"
  
• Steve "You mean we might have poisoned the oldest barmaid in Manchester?"
  
• Ciaran eyeing Michelle, to Peter "If i'm not back in 30 minutes, make your own plans!"
  
• Janice to Sean and Julie "Shotgun? You two wouldn't even add up to a water pistol"
  
• Ciaran to Carla "Where's the boyfriend?" Carla "Husband. He's in prison for murder. Insanely jealous" Ciaran "She's kidding right?" Peter "Yeah, he's not been convicted yet"
  
• Peter "Here she is, Night of the Living Dead"
  
• Betty "I've seen gargoyles with a pleasanter look than yours!"
  
• Gail "I thought this was a Valentine's treat, not a geography lesson"
  
• 
  
• Deirdre to Ken "What's the view like from that high horse?" Ken "It's very clear" Deirdre "I should keep your eyes open. Because once you fall off, it's a long way to the ground!"
  
• Steve "I've got a good mind to go down to that wine bar and drive a JCB through a window!" (**HA!!)
  

Becky's pregnant and Steve is over the moon but Becky's not. Now she's going to have Claire on her case as well but Claire was supportive. Sounds more like Becky does want the baby but is scared to death she will be a crap mother due to her upbringing and she knows she can go off on a mad rampage herself at the drop of a hat. She doesn't always take pressure well. Thing is, she really is a good mother already but feels because Amy isn't hers, it's different. IT's not, you know. It's harder to be a step mother. Steve couldn't help but tell his mother but it's only fair, Becky told Claire (who probably told Ashley!) and Roy and Hayley and Steve told Betty and the news is most definitely getting around! That baby book she got off Claire sure took her aback!


Ciaran's back! Peter was reluctant to admit to his old drinking buddy that he's off the sauce. But it didn't take being around his mate for 5 minutes and Peter was diving into the bottle again, on the sly. Ciaran proceded to pour on the Blarney to Michelle but, having Irish roots herself, she seems immune. He tried it on with Carla too, but after she told him about her murdering husband, he backed off. Especially when it was confirmed as true! I'm actually glad Peter is off the wagon again, only because most of the time in soaps, an alcoholic gets help, gets sober and it's never really an issue ever again. This slipping is more realistic i think. As much as Peter doesn't think he would ever drink again because of what happened to Simon, alcoholics sometimes still think they can handle just one drink.

Well, they can't and neither can Peter and he ended up ruining the bar party and that's Leanne's dream gone up in a boozy cloud of smoke. And to make matters worse, Ken witnessed it, too, making his view from the high horse even higher. (I'm sure it must be against regulations to have a party in a construction site!) It's too bad, he finally started to think that his attitude was only adding pressure to Peter and it probably was.


Lots of awkward with Tyrone and Molly both visiting Sally. Does nobody work these days? Why would either of them stay if they've come to see Sally and she's lying down? For someone that doesn't want Molly anywhere near, Kevin sure goes around Molly a lot. Janice is looking for a lodger and look who it is! Trevor the binman! It didn't take her long to fancy him, and why not! He's gorgeous! Why is Mary upset that the yogurt is "live"? She knows loads about all kinds of things, why wouldn't she know that it comes in all sorts? Deirdre is always so funny when she's drunk!


Happy Birthday Betty! 90 and still working! But is she really the oldest barmaid in Weatherfield? What were the odds that there was actually another one over 90 still working? Pretty slim, it seems to me. Anyway, she might have been a little older than Betty but probably just jealous that her boss never thought of putting her in the paper! And she stuck around at the party. I bet she wouldn't have that many locals at the Parson's Arms that would club together for a party for her!

Why did Tina tell Joe she could put her flat on the market and give the money to Joe? She just finished telling him she had a buyer for it so isn't it already on the market? Mind you, i think the loan shark is the one she thinks is the buyer. Joe's conversation with his daughter seemed to have a bit of finality to it. Was he really saying goodbye? What sort of plan does he have up his sleeve and will it have something to do with that insurance policy?

**If you will recall, when Steve and Andy first moved into the Street, they jumped on a JCB (earth mover on the construction site for the new side of the street) and drove the blade/bucket of it through Alf Roberts' shop window!

Sunday Comments November 21

Lines of the week:

• Tyrone "No fear... no fear...."
  
• Kelly "Sorry to break up Nerds Aloud..."
  
• Sophie "Good as gold? Dad do you actually know how old we are?"
  
• Gail about Joe "He's just in a slump" (which has lasted most of the time she's known him)
  
• Joe to Gail "When it comes to the male of the species, you're the equivalent of Tutankhamen's curse!!!!"
  
• Joe "I can explain" (pathetic but it worked)
  
• Michelle "she might be a brainless slapper but that's Kevin's daughter you're talking about!"
  
• Rosie "I'm nil by mouth" Sophie "and nil by brain"
  
• Steve "You are MY WIFE ..." (then start acting like a husband!)
  
• Kevin "They've been good as gold all afternoon" Sophie "Good as Gold?!! Dad, d'you actually know how old we are??"
  
• Gail "I just feel that you've been lying to me!" (Feel? FEEL???)
  
• Graeme "I'm not staring. I'm drinking in your loveliness" (yeah, but she loves the attention, really)
  
• Dead as a doornail... door knob? Everyone getting them confused!
  

Becky is acting out but i think mostly she's reacting to Steve being so childish. These two need a course in how to communicate because they do love each other to bits. And first he's spending 1000 quid on golf clubs then he buys a motorcycle and acting like a twit. Rubbing Becky's face in it by flirting with Kelly, her old adversary, really was a low blow. He better be careful. He could get his wish to be single if he keeps on like that! He got bladdered and couldn't even stay on the bike! Doesn't he look a prat in those leathers? I do wonder why Steve went all over the neighbourhood looking for Becky and never tried the cafe! Most obvious starting point, i would have thought. But Finding out that Becky's mum died, not
from Becky herself, though, kind of took him back short. For all her blustering about her non-relationship with her mother and though her mother wasn't much of one, Becky still ended up crying into Amy's bathrobe. It's still a wrench.

Finally she sat and talked to Steve like a grownup. She's even admitted she's pregnant. Maybe that will get the pair of them talking again. But with all the things she said about not wanting kids, is she even going to keep the baby? If she does terminate, i think that would probably drive Steve out the door.

Poor Tyrone. He's just devastated. And all alone in that house, the only noise being his snappy rice breakfast cereal! Kirk's advice was strangely appropriate, though. Use your head instead of your heart.

Sophie and Kevin have made up and Rosie didn't have the boob job. (Who calls their surgeon by his first name?) She was nervous, really. I expect though Kevin went with her, that was probably a rewrite and i am guessing that it would have been Sally originally if the actress hadn't gone off on sick leave. You didn't really think she'd go through with it, did you? And her getting upset about her mum's illness is probably one of the few times you really get to see Rosie with genuine feelings.

Dev keeps working on Sunita but then still doesn't think about anything but himself when he thinks he'll be the one to suffer if a reconciliation went wrong. Of course he tells everyone else he rejected Sunita, not the other way around. Twit. You noticed Mary singing about the Eye of the Tiger with a line that was akin to stalking being sung quite vigorously!

How would letting David rent the salon flat be making it akin to helping Gail bail out Joe? If she didn't, David would find somewhere to stay or Audrey would just take him in anyway. Gail keeps saying she wants David to stand on his own two feet, i expect that meant he should just persuade Audrey himself but wouldn't living in the flat do that? She wants to move and him having a place to stay would facilitate that. She never minded sticking her beak in on behalf on one of her chicks before! What Joe tried to do by selling the house to a broker is basically what you do with an old car when you sell it for parts. Well it backfired on him when Gail found out what he was doing. That and all Audrey's niggling little points. The penny might actually be dropping and she's going to pull the house off the market.

Joe really can be a nasty sod, can't he? He has shown flares of this side of him in the past, too. Quick tempered and vicious tongued. I'm not one to advocate violence but it seems to me after his remarks about David deserving a medal for trying to kill his mother, he had that slap coming. But you know? for her hitting him that hard, he never even flinched let alone have his head jerk backwards even a hair!

What *really* gets me annoyed is how Gail then turned around and blamed herself for Joe's outburst. She didn't lash out at Joe in any way. And she wonders why she keeps getting involved with total losers. Joe keeps scurrying around out of sight of the loan shark and making furtive phone calls to the insurance people. So now you know why he saved that sheet of paper on which she was writing her new married name. Now he wants to go out on the boat with Gail. No money. But he wants to go for a second honeymoon on a boat. He's using Gail's money seeing as he can't pay Ted back what he borrowed from him.

Simon looked cute in the hard hat, the fashion award of the week, I think! Amazing how it seemed to fit his little child sized head perfectly! The bar is starting to take shape and Leanne wants to have a hard hat party before it opens for the publicity. I shouldn't think that would be legal, if it's not sanctioned for occupancy yet by the council permit people. Meanwhile, George is making inroads into persuading Peter to send Simon to a private school. He figures it's an "in" to Oxford... well he can get that anyway if he's smart enough.

Trevor the binman. He *is* rather gorgeous, isn't he? We haven't seen the last of him! Kelly might love motorbikes but riding it with her legs flung out to the sides is only going to have her flying off it! If Becky's mother died living rough and had next to no possessions, A. how did they identify her and B. how did they find Becky's mobile number? Her mother certainly wouldn't have had it if they'd not had contact for years.

You probably didn't notice but the car that Kevin and Tyrone were working on earlier in the week is the same car they were working on 3 weeks ago. See?

And Here's a bit more commentary on what happened in Weatherfield in January (UK timeline, which we're seeing now).

Sunday Comments, November 14

Lines of the week:

• Molly "Everyone's already looking at me like i've stomped on a kitten" Pam "'appen you 'ave!"
  
• Dev about Matt "He was a womanizer... God's Gift" (pot? Kettle?)
  
• John "never a dull moment, especially with Roy" (I do hope he was being facetious!)
  
• Ryan to MIchelle "If you're trying to embarass me it won't work. I'm too used to it!"
  
• Jack "Widows, nuns and lesbians...steer well clear of em"
  
• Rosie: "I can't wait to tell John Stape that he's paying for my new boobs. He'll feel like a pimp!"
  
• Julie: "I can tell it's going to be one of those days when I have to have a little cry before I can thread the needle"
  
• Kevin to Sally: "It's made me realise how much I love you" (And that's the first truth he's told Sally in months! Ok, but you know what I mean
  
• Kevin to Sophie: "Why does this God of yours do this in the first place?" (To make you see what an ass you've been, maybe? Guilt, much, Kevin?)
  
• Molly to Tyrone "I don't love you" (awwwww)
  
• Jack to Tyrone "They always come back, lad, you just gotta give them some time"
  
• Norris "It's horrible being the bearer of bad news. It's exhausting!" (Norris you old gossip, you love it!)

Joe's gone and done it. He's got a new life insurance policy! Did he insure them both or just him i wonder? Ha! David sure scuppered the house sale and everything he said was true, well more or less. Stape isn't a paedophile but his history is certainly pretty jaded! Then Joe was eyeing up the charity collection jar with it's tenner and collection of coins, as if that was going to help him any. He's already ticked off Peter by suggesting money up front for a "Maybe" job and Bill isn't going to go that route either. A desperate man will take desperate measures. (Does anyone wish the thugs had actually caught Joe?)

Molly's gone and done it, too. She left Tyrone and he thinks, rightly, she had an affair but wrongly, he thinks it's with Dev! I suppose Dev offering her a free flat didn't help but really. Dev? I nearly burst into tears right along with Tyrone! She was horrible to him! IT really would have been the best if Molly had just left altogether. Leaving Tyrone and staying in the street at her job and living there, it's just torture and it's just not fair. If her father would have let her work at his bakery, that's where she should be and shouldn't have let Dev talk her into staying. It just gets worse. Ty begged Kevin to talk to Molly and she kept trying to persuade him to be with her by blackmailing him into giving Ty her wedding ring back! It seems Fiz finally remembered she's good friends with Tyrone except how would she even think Tyrone would ever turn vegetarian? Hasn't she seen him chowing down a full English in the cafe?

Molly is still delusional, she thinks because she's left Tyrone that Kevin will come round. Pam told her straight and don't you love Pam? I'm firmly on Team Pam!

Aw, Lloyd and Teresa shook hands on not getting serious but did you see her face fall when he turned away? The cancer collection..er..jug, so much for anonymity when Betty broadcasts all the donations! Mary is still hovering around Norris and has talked him into letting her help in the Kabin. I thought Tina still worked there?

Rosie is still planning on having a boob job. Did you see the photo on the shelf behind Sophie of Rosie back in her school days? A sweet little schoolgirl? Good news for Sally though, they seem to have got it all and it hasn't spread. Just radiotherapy to get through now to make sure! Kevin's drunken rant against God is understandable. It's hard to understand how bad things happen and people want someone to blame. Kevin feels if God helped make Sally well, He shouldn't have let her get sick in the first place.

Sunita and her fiance has broken up... how on earth can Dev even keep a straight face calling Matt a womanizer? So Sian's father is sending her to stay at her Mother's in Southport and Ryan takes a righteous strop over it, trying to emotionally blackmail her. Poor kid feels bad enough as it is.

Becky and Steve are still at daggers drawn. I don't think she quite got it right, doing all the bar work to spite Steve lol!

Awww Jack really is still broken up over Vera's death, isn't he? And Betty knew... thus, the little kiss. Oh i see Sian's father is a total ignorant idiot! I don't think Gail really has to consult David for permission to sell the house. He's 18, he can live on his own! Ok, yes maybe she should have at least been more up front with him but object or not, it's not like he's a little kid to be considered.