Corrie? I'm loving it

Everyone enjoys and dislikes different storylines, characters and actors. What one person loves, another finds tedious. Complaining is all easy to do. What am I loving about Corrie lately?

Loving the Gavin/Andy storyline. Lots of twists, lots of layers. I like all of the characters involved, even Michael whom a lot of you find tedious and insipid. I like that he's gentle and emotional and he's got regrets about his life. He's a nice man and Gail deserves that for once. I like that Andy is a nice man too, even though he's got himself tangled in a web of his own making. Love him and Steph as a couple. Love that David is still snarky with both Andy and Michael but also seems to have accepted them into the family.

Yep, even love the Platt story with Callum stirring things up with a very big stick. Is he believable as a drug dealer? Stereotypically, no, but there are drug dealers in all walks of life and some really are handsome and smooth. I can't wait for Kylie to get back and kick Callum's butt for trying to take Max from David.

I've enjoyed watching Steve's storyline, even when Michelle and Liz annoyed me for their treatment of him  before his diagnosis came out. It's been interesting to watch Steve try to cope and watch how everyone around him isn't sure what to say or how to treat him.

Tony and Tracy? She's not my favourite character by a long way but she's interesting to watch and she's certainly got Tony in a sticky spot at the moment. I'm hoping Liz wipes the floor with her when she finds out about the affair but Liz is also going to be hurt badly as well. I suspect that will be the end of Tony but who knows?

I like the dynamic of Sharif and is wife, Yasmeen. Kal and his kids are bit dull but I'm hoping that will change over time.

I love Tim and Sally, as do most of you.

Faye's storyline, while annoying in that teen pregnancy has been done before even if not quite this way, is being handled pretty well. It's still surprising that nobody's noticed but when there's a weight gain in someone that young, pregnancy is the last thing you think about, especially when the girl has been a "good girl" and doesn't have boys flocking around her. I also believe that Faye wouldn't have realized before now that she was pregnant because at that age, your periods are erratic and even though you're told that you can get pregnant after only having sex once, it doesn't seem real and a 12 year old wouldn't think it could actually happen to them. I am curious to find out if Anna will discover it before Faye gives birth and how. I think it would be a good twist if Tim or Sally figures it out first, or even Sophie or Izzy.  Cue more chest pounding and angst from Anna. Yeah, that's a bit annoying but the actor that is playing Faye is really good and the paring between she and the love Craig is gold.

So far, I'm enjoying the return of Jenny Bradley and intrigued as to whether she's got an agenda or not. Did she take advantage of finding Kevin's dating profile to finally make amends with Rita? If so, that's not so bad. But she also said she had a messy divorce. What was that all about? Should Kevin be afraid? 

I'm looking forward to the twists and turns in the Rodwell storyline, interested to see how Faye's pregnancy plays out, and there should still be a few bumps in Steve's recovery as well.

Instead of what you hate or what's annoying you, what are you loving about Corrie lately?

The Mini-bus slippery slope

Holy crap, Batman! I knew the minibus was going to crash (who didn't?) but wow, didn't it look convincing? I didn't doubt it would be great to watch, visually, after what they were able to pull off with the tram crash. Well, they actually did flip the bus with a stunt driver so it was real in that respect. This might not have been quite as dramatic as the tram crash but it still caught my breath. The Manchester Evening News has an article on the night shoots and some behind the scenes info here.

Here's a run down with lots of screen captures:

It's awards night and everyone's up for a party. But Beth gets drunk and misses the bus.

Never mind, Tracy Barlow bags her spot. In case you forgot, Tracy used to be an Underworld packer. I suppose the only reason she wanted to go was the free booze and drinks because I can't see any other reason she'd want to celebrate her arch enemy's success! Michelle is also an ex-employee and contributed significantly to the factory's success. She's also Carla's best mate so her presence made more sense.

We're all in the bus and off on a road trip! I'm surprised nobody started a round of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall. I bet they would have if Beth had been there!

Oh dear, joyriders acting like pillocks on the road. (I absolutely detest that term "boy racers" and have nothing but contempt for it!). Steve is cut off and loses control of the vehicle which flips over onto the side of the road.

Which.... we discover, slopes down dangerously to a cliff. With no guard rail whatsoever and if I was in that van, I'd be suing the heck out of anyone from as many government agencies as possible. Maybe the bus might still have flipped but a good, strong guard rail might also have prevented it, bouncing the bus back onto the road, who knows?

Sinead had undone her seatbelt to retrieve a phone. Texting, kills, people! Ok, she's not dead but she's very badly injured. Everyone else is mainly bruised and battered. Great stunts here, with people hanging upside down inside the bus.

Steve is the first one to regain conciousness. Looking back, he probably thought he was in hell, in a bus full of his dead friends. He crept out, completely in shock.

Julie and Sean are next out of the bus and all they can see is a spaced out Steve who, after passing Julie his phone, gets up and walks off. He can't handle it. He's probably blaming himself but we know there was nothing he could have done. Walking away isn't going to look good on him but in his current state, this kind of shock very likely could break him completely.

Maddie and Julie are the heroes of the hour, taking charge and organizing everyone.

Everyone is milling about, helping to get the last few out of the bus, freaking out as it creaks and wobbles on the edge, comforting each other while Julie hollers at the Emergency operator to come now, when she's got a signal that is. Terrifying! Kirk is frantic. Everyone has regained consciousness except Sinead. They have to move her, they can't leave her in the bus so they must risk further injury to get her out.

Michelle has gone off to find Steve and find him she does, huddled in a pile of brush. He's sitting but he's bent over himself in an upright fetal position, clearly distressed.

But where's Carla? They all think she's been thrown clear or was the first one out. No, we can see she's wedged under a seat. Tracy's out of the bus and walking around to the edge and sees her through the window. Carla's trapped and whispers to her "Help me!" going by the look on Tracy's face, we're not sure if she's going to. Will she let her worst enemy go down with the ship? We have to wait for Wednesday to find out.

It's Wednesday, now. 
Tracy saves Carla's life. The others want to help but Tracy can feel the bus rocking while she's in there trying to help Carla out. You didn't think she'd let her go over the edge, did you? It might seem odd to you but think about it. She *saved Carla's life*. Carla now owes her. That, my friends, is the ultimate leverage. Tracy will be milking that for some time to come!

But Holy Crap, it was tense. Tracy pulled Carla out but then got caught herself, a seatbelt tangling around her boot! She nearly got dragged over the edge with the bus! That's Tracy's face after she managed to get out just in time

 .while watching the bus do this. Everyone is out and that last shift in weight is all the bus needs. It goes crashing over the gorge and down, smashing at the bottom. Empty, thank Heavens.

Out in the forest, we can hear the approaching sirens of the emergency vehicles as Steve is babbling about Lloyd's heart attack and Tina's death and none of it makes any sense to Michelle who can't talk Steve into getting up. But help finally arrives (they must have been told Steve went off and Michelle off to find him)

I love listening to the background music as it's often very much related to what's going on. In the pub, just as Beth is taking the call and the news then spreads about the accident, we can  hear Bon Jovi's Living on a Prayer from the jukebox. They all rush to the hospital to find out what's happened to their loved ones.

For the passengers of the bus, mostly, everyone's ok, bruised and shocked and shaky, but ok.

One by one, they emerge to the arms of their family and loved ones. Julie is a mess, no, she's not ok, and clearly suffering from delayed shock. Sally and Maddy are surrounded by Tim and Sophie and even Kevin comes to make sure they're ok. Kal is determined never to let Alya cross the street without holding his hand ever again! (He did try to contact Gary but Gary's phone was left in the Rovers Gents' and Jason wasn't contactable either... Gary and Jason had gone into town). Beth hugs her new husband who's really worried about Sinead.  Steve is having a panic attack and he finally admits to Michelle  that he needs help and the penny drops and all the pieces now fit together. Steve has just hit bottom as hard as that empty bus did when it finally slid down the cliff and shattered on the quarry floor.

At the end, Sinead is finally awake but she's got a back injury. Kirk worries that they had to move her to get her out but there isn't anything else he could have done. She'd have gone over with the bus if they hadn't moved her. She is scared stiff and admits to Chesney that she can't feel her legs!

So we wait for the fallout (no pun intended) and the recovery. Looks like Sinead has an uphill battle in front of her.

Steve will probably face accusations of his friends for not helping get people out of the bus. I'm sure they realize down deep that the accident isn't his fault though he will blame himself anyway. Walking away while people are trapped, though. That's cold (in their eyes), something you do when you don't care about your friends. It might be something you do when you're in deep shock and in a shattered state of mind. It might take some time but they'll realize it eventually. Steve also has an uphill battle for his recovery, a very different road than Sinead will have.


I don't mind telling you, my heart was in my throat during the crash and later, while Tracy was getting Carla out. though I knew everyone would be rescued. It was a close call, though. Real edge-of-your seat stuff. Coronation Street really pulled off an exciting few shows this week. The star of the week, though, has to be Simon Gregson for his portrayal of Steve. I think it was the best stuff I've ever seen him do and he sure knocked it right out of the ballpark. (forgive me, what's the UK expression? "Back of the net" just doesn't seem enough here. )


Superb stuff. Top notch stunts and effects. All the actors nailed it, true to their individual characters and situations. Full marks, ITV, cast and crew.

Put the knife down, Anne

For once, the real killer's name wasn't screaming at us from the headlines. ITV threw out red herrings, five possible suspects in fact, all of whom had a motive for murder, though Michelle's was the weakest of them. Carla and Peter each had pretty strong reasons to kill Frank but I knew all along it would end up being his mother, Anne. No, I didn't *know* know, but I was pretty sure because after all my years of watching soaps, I can pretty much tell how it's going to come out.

Because Anne just wouldn't kill her son with intent, I also reckoned it would be an accident, which it appears to have been. She's shown signs of lashing out and being impulsive before so it's not unbelievable that during a great steaming row, charged with anger and shock, she'd grab the nearest thing to hand and clout him with it. I don't know what she expected would happen if she whacked him with a heavy bottle half full of whiskey but I don't think she was really thinking about anything but what she'd heard and found out.

Frank raped Carla. Worry about Frank's court case contributed to her beloved husband's demise. Frank was unrepentant and scornful of his mother. Grief, anger, shock, even guilt because she believed Frank over Carla who was brutally raped, it's a clear case of a crime of passion. She may do time for manslaughter but I think it will be a light sentence under the circumstances.

By rights, Anne is Frank's next of kin. What about the factory? Even if the solicitor can say he drew up a contract for the sale, nobody can prove it because the contract has been burned. Carla won't admit it and neither will Michelle or Peter. Should they be punished for that crime? Technically you could say they contributed to stealing back the factory majority share. Anne must inherit Frank's minority share. Will she stay a sleeping partner? Will she give it all to Carla? If she does, it better be all legal and proper.

Will Carla forgive Sally after all the nasty things Sally's said in the past? Sally will grovel and apologize, and Carla will put it down to being mesmerized and under Frank's oily spell and our Sal will be back lording it over the others in the factory before you know it. Life goes on.

The whole storyline has been very good in spite of criticism that rape does not belong on Corrie. I agree with that but if you are going to have it, do it with good actors and decent writing. They built up Frank well. Cold, calculating, controlling. Carla couldn't have Peter so once again, she went with whoever was available and once again, paid a price. The rape and aftermath was horrific but well acted. The trial was full of holes but soap trials always are. Frank didn't get convicted and that happens in real life a lot, too. But as it's a soap, we knew Frank would pay in the end and he did, with his life.

Classic whodunnit but also a classic cop-out with the expendable crew member being the culprit. I did waver at one point that it was Jenny Sumner because she could very easily have been brought in to become the woman Frank tried to attack next but, no, that was too easy. I wondered if Sally would be threatened by Frank and would lash out in self defence. That could have been the second most likely scenario but I think Sally would have owned up straight away. No, it had to be Anne, Frank's own mother.

From Frank's death, over the next couple of weeks, we could see Anne swinging from a shifty look to hysteria as guilt overcame her and back again. On the day of the funeral, she tried to reach out to Carla to apologize and then she cracked open. She nearly made a clean getaway but Sally discovered the truth but fell and knocked herself out before she could raise the alarm. Carla managed to get to the house before Anne could get out and the confession came gasping out of Anne as she admitted she'd killed her own son!

It was breath taking stuff. When scenes end and I'm catching my breath, I know it's been superb, Corrie at its best.

But with the good, there's always a plot hole or two.

1. Where's Jenny? She witnessed the signing of the contract, she was Frank's lover and his collaborator. Ok, it was a dirty trick they played on Sally but you'd think she'd have at least gone to the funeral or the police would have mentioned talking to her.

2. Have you ever owned such a silent garage door as the one on Anne's house that Kevin lifted up to sneak in the back? Would you leave it  and the door into the house unlocked? There wasn't a grind or rattle inside the house to be heard when he lifted the door.

Never mind. It didn't take away from the finale of this storyline but the Jenny thing was odd.

There's been a lot written and speculated about this whodunnit as there always is when Coronation Street finishes off a long storyline with a bang. I enjoyed the storyline. I enjoyed the twists and turns as Sally fell for a calculating and dangerous man with her friends and family worried for her safety. I was amused as Frank quickly tired of her after the trial, her chuntering on about frozen entrees and him almost visibly shuddering at the thought of playing happy families with her once her respectibility helped his reputation at the trial.

Carla went through the gamut of the pain, anguish, anger, despair and fear through the rape, trial and shock of Frank's admission of guilt and then being questioned by the police. Later she thought Peter, the man she finally got her hands on, committed the crime. She struggled to be a step mother. She kept her cool at the end, knowing Anne was distraught.

And Anne...played by Gwen Taylor, she was awesome in every original sense of the word. What a smashing actor she is and what a fantastic job she's done all along! 

This is why I watch Coronation Street!

Defending Peter and Carla...sort of

I've been reading a lot of really negative reaction to the pairing of Peter and Carla and I'm here to defend them. Kind of. I am not a fan of the couple. I really prefer Leanne and Peter together but I don't think this is the worst couple "ever", as I've read some people declare. One person even said it was worse than Kevin and Molly.

At the risk of coming over all Panto, Oh No It Isn't! Nothing could be as cringeworthy as "Molvin". That had to be the most ill-conceived pairing every and that is most definitely pun-intended.

I think Peter and Carla do have a certain chemistry and and I like both characters as well, just not as a romantic couple but you have to have triangles on soaps, it's a stape plot device. We could see this one building up for over a year so at least it didn't feel like it was thrown together. Kevin and Molly should never have been a full blown affair. It would have been understandable if Kevin had developed a middle age crush on a cute young woman but all the rest was repugnant even if it did provide storyline fallout and fodder for another whole year.

Some people don't like Alison King as an actor. I didn't at first but she seems to have relaxed into her character and they've written some vulnerabilities into her character as well. I've long been a fan of Chris Gascoyne and I find he has chemistry with whoever he's on screen with. I do find it a bit out of character that Peter would disappear for 24 hours without letting anyone know he was ok, mainly for Simon's sake but he's an addict and I think he's about to replace booze with Carla.

I don't think they'll end up together long term but this will again create a catalyst for the storylines without which we wouldn't have much to watch, now, would we? With Leanne fighting her corner, and Ken lecturing Peter on his failures and Simon's disappointed little face tugging at our heartstrings, we will ride this one out as we do everything else, waiting for the outcome and fallout.

Why Peter and Carla won't work out

Right. So after that blog post from a few weeks back about who Peter will choose and who he *should* choose, he's now gone after Carla. He loves her, he thinks maybe marrying Leanne was a mistake and is going to leave her.

One of the things he said on Friday night's episode was that he was treating her like he did booze, like a bad thing he had to stay away from. That is it in a nutshell. That's why this isn't going to work in the long run.

Peter is a man of addictions and I think Carla is one of them for him. It may or may not really be love but then he really loves booze too, in a love/hate sort of way. He thinks it makes all his problems go away but really, they only make them worse and that's what is going to happen with Carla, too.

Carla understands him in ways that Leanne doesn't because she's flawed like he is. So is Leanne but it's different. Carla has a drink problem and can identify with Peter's. Pity the writers seem to have forgotten that Leanne was once addicted to cocaine but then, that was only a flash in the pan thing anyway and probably best left in the past.

If I was Leanne's friend, and Simon wasn't involved in the equation, I think I'd tell her to leave him and let him stew in his own boozy juices. Love him she may but he's going to drag her down eventually. But Simon is involved and if he's going to have to watch his father's ups and downs like this, at least he's got Leanne to hold on to and help keep a little normalcy in his life. If she can stick it out, that is. And if she can't, then she might almost have a case for getting custody. Too bad she's not formally adopted Simon yet. I know there was talk about it but I don't think it went any further than that.

You know all this business about Leanne having trouble getting pregnant, already having been assured by the doctor that though it may take a bit longer, it could still very likely happen? Don't you think it's pretty obvious that she's going to get pregnant and quite likely Carla will as well? Standard Plot device. They used it before with Maria when Carla nearly took Liam off her. Maybe that's Weatherfield's cure for infertility, have your fella fall in love with Carla and bob's your uncle!

I really don't think Peter and Carla are suited, not for the long run. I think Peter needs Leanne and Simon a lot more than he realizes. I really don't think this relationship with Carla is going to go the distance but whether he and Leanne will manage to salvage anything is still up in the air.

Who should Peter choose?

This sort-of triangle has been brewing and bubbling under the surface for a year. Every now and then it breaks the seal and bubbles over. It started off last year around this time when Leanne was busy getting ready to open the Joinery with Nick and Carla's drinking was getting out of hand. Peter was helping and supporting her but in secret, because she didn't want anyone to know. We could see Carla developing feelings for Peter, whether that was a false dependency or not, it was hard to say.

She even made a pass at him, just weeks before he was due to marry Leanne but he gently rejected her. She used her knowlege of Nick and Leanne's affair to try to drive a wedge between them and it's because of her that Nick and Peter were in the office at the club on the night of the tram crash. She'd encouraged Nick to spill the beans to Peter and he'd taken Peter in there for a quiet word just as the explosion and crash trapped them in there.

All the dirty little secrets came out and Leanne has been resentful and defensive about Carla all year. Peter has always been awkward around Carla but has always been faithful to Leanne. Lately, Carla's feelings have simmered over again and we saw Peter and Carla in a smokin' hot kiss in the flat while Leanne was in hospital, having lost her baby. Was Peter really giving in to his inner feelings or was he feeling guilt and pain over the loss and needed someone to reach out to?

Because she can't have Peter, Carla is feeling cornered into marrying Frank, a man she doesn't love, in much the same way as she married Tony Gordon after losing Liam. Now she's got all that guilt over having run over Stella and destroyed the betting shop and she's trying desperately to get Peter to see that he loves her, not Leanne. Is this yet another reaction to knowing she's marrying someone she doesn't love? Does she truly love Peter or is it still that dependency attachment and infatuation?

That's what I believe. I think Carla became infatuated with Peter and is attracted to him but I don't think what she feels is true love. She's always hankered after men that she couldn't have and married the ones she didn't really want as compensation.

Does Peter secretly love Carla? I don't think so. I think he does care for her and I'm sure he is attracted to her but I really think his heart and soulmate is Leanne. When he tries to talk sense to Carla, it seems to me that he isn't really torn between two loves and is staying with Leanne out of a sense of duty or guilt. He loves Leanne and they are a strong couple. Sure, he messes up sometimes as does she but they're good for each other and they're there for each other and they both know it.

I think Peter would have liked to be mates with Carla if Leanne hadn't been so insecure about it, but who could blame her? She knows Carla wanted her husband and she knows Carla still does. Women know these things. Should Peter have told Leanne that Carla was still after him? Probably, but it wouldn't really have helped the situation. It would only serve to push it back into out and out war and when they've all got to live and work and drink on the same Street, it's counter-productive.

So, I think Peter should choose Leanne. There maybe Peter/Carla fans out there, though. Anyone? What's your argument if you are on that side of the fence? (and I refuse to make those silly co-joined names of the couples, k? Just sayin'!)

Defending Corrie

There's been so much garbage in the media lately about Coronation Street - low ratings, bad accents, too many gay characters, and all of it's pure rubbish. As reported on t'other blog, ITV has stoutly defended it's flagship soap. Some question why they even need to. I reckon it's because the media, once they've got something in their grip, don't want to let it go and they all pick it up and run with it. Nothing better to do, I guess.

I've been enjoying the show of late.

Do I like all the characters? No, but then I never do. I've never liked Norris Cole. I've never warmed up to Michelle Connor. I don't like Eva Price so far but it's early days yet. I've not always been too fond of Kevin Webster. There's some characters that have always been kind of pointless for me, but partly, that's because the writers never really did much with them so they never really gelled.   (Chris, Cheryl, Russ for a start but they're clearing out soon anyway, and Tommy has never made much of an impact either.)  Since the Graeme/Xin debacle, Tina is getting on my nerves. I can't stand Tracy Barlow and I hate that they've brought her back. Mary seems to have lost her quirkiness of late. I don't like Owen but I'm hoping that Anna will soften him up a bit.

Do I like all the storylines? No, but then that's also normal. I never enjoyed the immigration story and am very glad that's over. I'm not too happy about the return of Dennis Tanner only because they've really not done much with him and I'm afraid he'll get fed up and leave. I've never been all that keen on Chesney and Katy's romance and the direction it's taken. (Oh, and now Fiz is in the nick, have they moved into the house? If so, have they given up the flat? There were murmurings but it's all confusing me.) So far, Sean has had minimal struggle dealing with a little boy, even with Marcus' help. Chris and Maria have not clicked, either but that's nearly over.

As always, most of the actors do an excellent job, whether I'm enjoying the storyline or not, whether I like the character or not. There are always weak links, but everyone has different opinions on what they are. I have never felt that Kate Ford is a strong actor but she's apparently a very nice person so perhaps she is better than I think?

Michelle Collins seems to be a bit weak on the emotional scenes but perhaps that's to do with the chemically frozen features that seem to be increasingly common in women of a certain age although, thankfully, Corrie doesn't seem to have many. I don't mind her Northern accent at all, and since I was only ever an occasional EE watcher, I don't see her as Cindy Beale. And anyway, wasn't that a lot of years ago? Surely she's got past that typecasting now? I'm looking forward to seeing how she and Leanne get on. I think it was a great move to make her Leanne's mother and there's lots of emotional potential there. I really like Leanne and Peter and I feel emotionally invested in them as a family. I'll not like that they seem to be throwing Carla into the mix again but conflict is what soaps are all about. I just cross my fingers that the younger Barlow family will manage to stick together.

I've been enjoying the Stape, and now, Fiz storyline. Some people hate that she's moaning and crying all the time, but wouldn't you if you were in her shoes? Her life has completely crashed around her. She married an asshole and he's done nothing good for her and left her holdling both the baby and the blame. We all know she won't be convicted because it's soap law and as soon as John walked away from the 6 storey fall (oh, come on, it's a soap, you really do have to expect these things!) I knew he'd eventually come back to confess and keep her from jail. That's predictable as well but I'd have been disappointed otherwise. My only fear is that when he does that, Fiz will soften and bleat "See? He does love me!" and forgive him because he's the father of her baybeh! Stupid woman. I hope she gets angry. Really angry, and gives him the telling off of his life. I'll help.

I'm enjoying Sophie's misadventures with the homeless shelter. It seemed harmless enough but then it took a twist and turned out to be a scam. Angry  young man James is about to be revealed as a scam artist. Maybe his father Lawrence was right about him all along! He certainly won't be surprised to hear his son is about to try to rip off his newly found grandfather. I don't think he'll get away with it, though.

I'm eagerly waiting for Brian the teacher to come back into Julie's life. I think he's one of the best new characters. He's feckless and silly and a real classic Corrie bloke and I think he and Julie are absolutely made for each other. I really like her and this will give them more airtime. I love how she's forging ahead and has determined that Dennis Tanner is indeed a relative while Dennis is quite clearly not quite enthralled with her and her antics but is bemused and slightly exasperated in conjunction with much eye rolling. I think the two of them could become quite good mates in the end, though, don't you?

I'm loving the arrival of Roy's mother to put the cat in amongst the pigeons. We've needed the gruff older battleaxe as Greek Chorus, acidly observing the comings and goings from one of the key neighbourhood meeting points. She will be developed and has already shown that there's a bit of a kinder underside to her. She's no Blanche. But then, Blanche was no Ena. I think, in fact, Sylvia is probably closer to Ena's character than Blanche was in some ways. Little by little, they're having her make "friends" with a few of the older characters who are including her in their circle at the Rovers. There were rumours of a romantic triangle between Dennis, Rita and Emily but I rather think Sylvia may replace Emily in that, if it happens, though I still have a hard time wrapping my head around Dennis being old enough to date women in their 70s as his peers!

The breakdown of Steve and Becky, while it saddens me, was probably inevitable. He is attracted to women like her but they are loose cannons and very self destructive. Has he not made a connection to the fact that Tracy has been instrumental in both of his most recent marraige blow outs? Steve is weak and spineless, he always was. It's frustrating seeing him buckle under the least little bit of pressure from any of the women in his life but that's who he is. I never used to like his character but the actor has come along so well and about the time he and Jim started the building business, about 10 years ago or a bit more, I started to come around. As Steve matured (and I use that term loosely!), the actor has really settled in and Steve is now one of my favourites in spit of, or probably because of his flaws.

I miss Liz but since she's barely been on screen for over a year, her parting was less of a wrench that it would have been. I wish she'd have been able to go off happy with Jim, though. That made me a little sad.

Although I hated the Molly-Kevin affair, as did we all, you have to admit it had a lot of far reaching consequences. I'm very afraid that Sally will soften towards Kevin and take him back. After what he's done, she really shouldn't and I don't care how much history they have. She may be a shrew, a snob and a pain in the arse, but Kevin doesn't deserve her and he doesn't deserve to get his whole family back after his betrayal. I shall be very disappointed if this happens. I love Sally always sniping at him and cheer every one of her backhanded remarks at his expense. I do find it hard to believe that he and Tyrone could possibly continue to work together.

In a real world, Tyrone would have sold his share back to Kevin and left. It would have been too difficult working with the man and too hard to see that hated man bring up the baby he thought was his. It's not the real world, though, so sometimes things just have to be accepted. I'm glad they're going to give him a new love but i don't think it will be smooth sailing and so it shouldn't at first.

One last thing I'm really loving (yes, I know this is rambling on!) is Kylie and David. I always enjoyed Paula Lane, I think she's a fabulous actress and the character of Kylie is great! One of those you like to hate because she's so gobby and full of attitude. Perfect for David who really gets her. And I love her battles with Gail, the mother in law that is a carbon copy nearly, of her own ex mother-in-law, Ivy, the woman that couldn't let go of her children because her own life was empty. I've always liked Gail and I'm just chuffed that she's still getting great storylines. It looks like Helen Worth is having a lot of fun with this one!

There's a lot more that I like about the show, lots of characters, and other storylines but I've run on long enough for today. Watch this space!

Character study: Elizabeth Jane McDonald

Now that we're about to say goodbye to Liz McDonald, it's fitting that we look back on her life on Coronation Street.

We first met red headed Liz McDonald in 1989 when she and her family moved to Coronation Street. Her husband, Jim, had just got out of the army and was determined to give his loved ones a more stable family life and a fresh start. Liz and Jim were married very young when Liz got pregnant for twins at 16 and by all accounts they've always been passionate people, both in love and marital war. Jim had a violent temper but Liz had a fire to her too and their battles were legendary. Liz was a strong woman, having to be both father and mother to her two energetic tearaway boys because Jim was off on maneuvers and courses much of the time.

During their first few years on the show, It was never stated for a fact that he was physically abusive to her or the children. Later on, it was implied that he sometimes would get a bit physical, maybe a bit of pushing around, especially when he was drinking. Liz was definitely not beaten down and victimized by Jim, so I always believed that he did more shouting and wall-punching than knocking her or the children around. Liz has never said that Jim was an abuser, either and she was not afraid of him. She would stand up to him toe to toe if the situation called for it, especially if she was defending one of her chicks and wasn't above a roundhouse slap across the chops when he really messed up. Most of the time, Jim seemed to know just how far he could push her and mostly only crossed the line when he was roaring drunk.

She stoutly defended her lads but she also knew when they were to blame, as one or the other would often get into trouble. When they arrived, the lads broke Alf Roberts' shop window twice accidentally. They later started a pirate radio station that made fun of local teacher, "Captain" Kenny "carpet slippers" Barlow. As they got older, Steve emerged as the main cause of trouble, getting on the wrong side of the law more than once. The stress of this may have caused Liz to go into early labour when she was pregnant unexpectedly. The baby, wee Katie, was born too early and died. Liz still has moments of grief for her lost daughter.

In 1993, she was hired by Alec Gilroy to help with the food in the pub and often worked behind the bar as well. This eventually led to an offer to run a Newton and Ridley pub, the Queens. Liz was thrilled. Finally, something she could find of her own! She had spent years being wife and mother and now that Steve and Andy were grown, this was something that she could do and do well. But Jim's endless jealous rages spoiled it for her and after a blazing row, she threw him out and handled the pub on her own. On the rebound, she even had a fling with Des Barnes' brother, Colin. She had to give up the pub when Jim knocked ten bells out of a brewery executive but she eventually forgave Jim and they gave things another try. (In a little nod to history, this was actually revisited recently when Liz and Jim met with the manager, Richard Willmore and Betty Williams told Tina behind the bar about the time Jim gave him a thumping.)

It wasn't to last. On the way home from an army reunion, Jim discovered that Liz had had a brief affair years ago with his best mate, Johnny. In a drunken rage, he lashed out and hit her, leaving her on the side of the road at night. That was the end of their marraige. Spitefully, Liz even enhanced the bruise to mke it look worse and went out in public so people could see what he'd done. Liz struck out on her own, barely tolerating Jim when he would turn up, wanting to reconcile. She'd have none of it or his temper anymore. His jealousy and temper were dragging her down. The lads waivered their support between their parents but mainly disapproved of their father's antics, especially when he broke into the house in another rage. She had him arrested for that.

To be fair, Liz had done her fair share attracting attentions of other men and though she didn't do it deliberately while she was married, she also knew it would bait Jim, both before their split and after. She worked in the betting shop for awhile. Flirtations with Des Barnes and his boss, Sean Skinner caused Des to lose his job.

Liz always kept herself in shape and always dressed attractively. But as she got older, she's clearly decided that she is fighting advancing age with her hair and wardrobe choices. She continues to wear the same trendy hair do's that women in their early 20s sport and continues to wedge herself into short tight skirts and low cut tops.

At one point, she became involved with criminal Fraser Henderson who had been in prison with Steve. Fraser's interest in her then got Sean Skinner beaten up as a warning to leave Liz alone. She worked for Fraser later in his wine bar, and though knew he was on the shady side of the law, didn't seem to realize how deep he was in. When she did, she half heartedly passed on information to a police detective, Alan McKenna who was dating Fiona Middleton, another of Steve's on-again off-again girlfriends. It all blew up when Fraser skipped town and his henchman held Liz and Andy hostage. Never one to cower, Liz helped take him down with a lethal stiletto!

Jim had an accident that left him in a wheelchair for awhile and it seemed like Liz's sympathies were leaning his way. Jim even bought a ring to ask her to marry him again but by that time, Liz was having it off with Jim's physical therapist. She broke Jim's heart when she left town with Michael Wall. We didn't see her again until a few years later though we did hear that she and Steve's new wife, Karen, absolutely did not get on well. Too much alike, I would hazard to guess. I think Liz saw a lot of herself in Karen and it seems like Steve basically married a woman just like his mother!

In 2000, Steve was badly beaten by Jez Quigley. In retaliation, Jim beat Jez badly who then died of his injuries. Jim confessed and was sent to prison. Liz returned to see him and the old spark was still there. They remarried in prison and Liz vowed to wait for him. She worked in the Rovers for awhile but ended up leaving town again to move closer to the prison where Jim was transferred.

She popped up on our screens a couple of years after that, in a bar in Blackpool. Jim had been suspicious of her relationship with her boss and escaped prison to confront her. Liz was indeed having relations. You can't keep a passionate woman down for long, so it seemed. In the end, Liz decided to try to run off with her husband but they were thwarted when, on a boat to Ireland, they encountered the young Peacock family in trouble in a small boat. They rescued them and Jim was arrested on the wharf and sent packing back to the nick. Liz went to Brighton with Bet Lynch for a time.

She returned in 2004 for Karen and Steve's second wedding. There was a bit of upset because she was spending time with her new granddaughter and Karen didn't like that one little bit. It also caused a bit of tension between Liz and her old best mate, Deirdre who was little Amy's other grandmother. Liz worked at the Rovers for awhile until she came along the wrong side of Charlie Stubbs who was living with Shelley at the time. She left there for the Weatherfield Arms and roomed with Maria for awhile in the flat over the cab office since it was owned by Steve. She also tried to get Steve and Tracy together, for Amy's sake but Steve was having none of that until he thought it might get him custody.

Eventually, she divorced Jim again because his temper kept getting him into trouble in prison, and his sentence was extended. She was lonely and wanted to find someone new. She had a few disastrous dates but has landed with a musician, drummer Vernon Tomlin who is the complete opposite of Jim in temperment. Vernon is mild and peaceful, if a bit feckless. The only problem is, he's also a lot less passionate than Liz herself and Liz was often bored and less than respectful of Vernon who cared for her quite a bit.

She had a fling with a delivery man, Derek but finished that when his wife found out. Vernon wasn't too happy about it either but forgave her and she decided to accept his marraige proposal, thinking that at her age, she really did need to settle down in a stable relationship, even if it wasn't as full of fire as she was used to.

Finally, too, she had her dream job. Steve bought the Rovers from Fred Elliott and Liz was the one that got to have her name over the door. There was one hiccup when Jim was released from prison just before her wedding. He seemed to have changed. He seemed to have accepted that she moved on.

Liz always remained close to her lads, as they grew up and settled down. She has always been fiercely loyal and though does admit that they don't always make the smartest choices, will defend them with every last breath, even if she's smacking one of them up the earhole for doing something stupid (usually Steve!). She's never really got on with any of Steve's wives. Karen was probably the most like her but Becky is just over the top troube, in Liz's eyes. She maybe right. Time will tell.

But Big Jim still loved Liz and so he always would. When he tried to convince her that she shouldn't marry Vernon, Vernon caught him attempting to kiss Liz and pulled him away. Red rag... bull... Vernon got a bloody nose for his trouble and Liz ejected Jim from her life altogether. Although she still had doubts about marrying Vernon, she knew she would never reunite with Jim either. She nearly called off the wedding but after Vernon took an injury for her, knew she couldn't hurt him and married him. He discovered she was going to call it off and was very hurt but they seem to have made up their differences and they were happy for a short while.

Liz was yet again tempted by a handsome man and realized that Vernon really wasn't the man for her, even though good looking bookie Harry wasn't either. Liz has found herself with affable Lloyd for a time but in the end, felt he wasn't the right one for her, either. Rough and Ready Owen might have been the closest to being someone Liz could really fall for, since he's cut from much the same cloth as Big Jim but due to Bev Callard's absence, that died a quiet death as did a potential clash between Owen and a brief return by Jim.

Liz returned from Spain and walked into a financial crisis. Steve and Becky were backed into a corner,having got themselves way over their heads in debt because Becky's sister, Kylie, insisted on 20,000 pounds to let them have her little boy Max. Becky stole an additional 3000 from Dev and Sunita's safe, which was broken open after the tram crashed into the corner shop. Tracy, recently released from prison, found out about Max and was holding it against them, using it to keep Amy from Steve.

Jim came back into the picture. It looked very much like there was a reconciliation on the books. Jim suggested that Liz buy the pub off them but she was unable to raise the cash. They tried to get the brewery to buy it back and when that was unsuccessful, Jim tried to get Kevin Webster to invest some of his recent lottery win. No dice. In desperation to give his beloved Elizabeth her dream, Jim committed armed robbery, was caught and went back to prison. There is nothing left for Liz in Weatherfield now. She blames Becky for all the bad things that have brought her to this point and there's no pub, no Jim and no dream.

Spain beckons and she's answering the call once and for all.

Digital Spy has a good gallery of McDonald photos.
ITV has a nice good-bye gallery here.