The Rovers Landladies - the Runners Up

I, like many others, have not really warmed up to St. Ella of the Back room (aka Stella Price). Graeme blogged on the Coronation Street Blogthat he feels she’s a weak landlady when compared against classics like Bet Lynch and Annie Walker. They were the two most iconic landladies, for sure, but let’s not forget Vera Duckworth’s stint, which was a disaster from the word Go, Natalie Horrocks, the scarlet woman, and, another of my favourite characters, Liz McDonald. 

Vera’s sojourn as landlady was bound to fail. The Duckies were trying to be upwardly mobile, trying to make something of themselves for once, but as usual, they didn’t have the savvy to make it work. Book keeping, VAT, and their tendency to take the profits out of the till led to their downfall. It was fun to watch them but we always knew there was a limited shelf life for Vera as the Queen Bee. Still, even though she lurched from crisis to crisis, she was a wonderful character just the same. 

Natalie Horrocks was the woman that chased Kevin Webster and broke up the happy home of Kevin, Sally and the gurls. She was branded as a homewrecker and, indeed, that’s exactly what she was. She was the chaser, not the chased and let’s not get that mixed up with “chaste” because she most certainly wasn’t. Blonde, as all landladies of the Rovers must be, Natalie was probably one of the lesser landladies but still had the strength and vulnerability to carry it off. You grew to like her but perhaps Natalie was softened up a bit too much after her hard-faced introduction, and she seemed to become a bit too vulnerable for the job. She buckled under the strain and left. The talented Denise Welch played Natalie and was perfect for the character. 

Shelley Unwin was the bar manager and landlady de-facto for a few years. That was during the trifectorate of Duggie, Mike and Fred. Mike bowed out early on and Duggie played mein host, bringing Shelley in to mind the shop. Shelley was a great manager. She was blonde, of course, pretty, sparky and strong most of the time. She was confident and friendly and knew her way around a bar. She had a confidence knock back, first after new husband Peter Barlow turned out to be a bigamist and then  at the emotional hands of Charlie Stubbs and it was all downhill from there. She got her mojo back and decided a fresh start  away from Weatherfield was in order. 

Fred Elliott continued to run the bar but had so many irons in the fire that he brought in Steve McDonald’s mother, Liz  to manage the pub. Liz had worked at the Rovers several times in the past and fit the part like a glove. She, too, was blonde, this time around anyway, and gave it her all. She loved the Rovers and when Steve bought the pub after Fred died, she finally got her name over the door as licensee due to Steve’s criminal record, "Elizabeth Jane McDonald".

I think Liz is the next best of the classic iconic landladies after Annie Walker and Bet Lynch. Liz had the guts, she had the glory, she had the jubilant highs and crushing lows and still she put on a smile and greeted the punters like a pro. Liz had history in the community. She had friends and family, not just newly made up connections. She had lived in the Street for many years off and on.  She survived, she bounced back, she had terrible dress sense but we loved her anyway!

Liz fought for her family and for her business many a time. When daughter-in-law Becky’s actions threatened her livelihood, she broke out the claws and defended her bricks and mortar chick. But in the end, when her ex-husband Jim’s attempts at buying the pub to bail Steve out of a debt that Becky had instigated failed in a spectacularly botched bank robbery, she left town with tail between her legs in a  classic landlady leaving moment. A darkened room, memories surrounding her, she shut off the lights and got into a cab, doing a moonlit flit. 

In some ways, Liz may even be my favourite, certainly favourite of the post-Bet landladies and landlords. When the trifecta of men owned the pub, even when Fred alone owned it and had a manager in place, it just wasn’t the same without that woman’s name over the door.

There have been other managers and short-lived wannabes (The marvellous Lillian! Fred’s bigamist wife, Eve Sykes.) but they didn’t make the grade in the long haul. Even the 40+ tenure of Betty Turpin Williams (no matter what any rewrite of history may say)  only had her in as temporary manager now and then. None of these women were blondes and therefore not contenders from the start. Liz had the grit and the glamour and the door has been left open for her return. 

I continue to hope.

How do you deal with spoilers?

Over on t'Coronation Street blog, writer Scott has mused about the upcoming Rovers Return disaster. The spoilers are all over the media and on every cover of most magazines dealing with television. There is going to be a fire and the pub is going to burn "down", with at least one death involved.

First off, I doubt very much the whole pub will burn to the ground. It's a brick building. The last fire, in 1986, was pretty all-consuming but it was still only the inside that was gutted and I expect similar this time. That aside, it's nearly impossible to avoid this kind of spoiler which is similar in nature to the tram crash disaster in 2010.

Scott said that he loved the little scenes that are unexpected, for example, the scene where four characters re-enacted the Bohemian Rhapsody video in the building site for what was going to be Terry Duckworth's club. It was superb! Roy's recent casino foray was another such gem. We don't know about them ahead of time and  it's the small unexpected little things, a scene, or even a line, that makes Corrie so enjoyable to watch these days.

The big, sensational stories are good, they're well crafted and acted, even when you know or are pretty sure what's going to happen (people dying) but it's not the same as something coming as a surprise. I wonder if, when the Rovers burned in 1986, it was heralded in the press? If it was, it wouldn't have been like it is for this go-round, not all consuming sensationalism, but if it wasn't, can you imagine the shock? The shock of the Tram crash if you didn't know it was going to happen?

 But it is what it is, and if we are going to keep watching, we just have to avoid as many spoilers as we can, if that's what we feel makes the show better, or just keep watching for the little gems. I'm a spoiler junkie and writing for the Coronation Street  blog makes spoilers unavoidable. I live in Canada, where, for many years, we were months behind the UK storyline and a lot of people here are more successful in avoiding spoilers because it isn't in the press very often aside from huge stories or a "memorable" death such as Jack, Vera or Betty's passings over the past few years.

I keep a sort of "sister" blog to the Coronation Street blog, the Bluenose Corrie Blog,  for the storylines as they happen in the Canadian timeline but I keep the blog spoiler free as much as possible. It's not always easy and when it came to the tram crash, I did break the rule but I didn't go into huge spoiler detail. It was just so difficult to avoid.

We in Canada are only 2 weeks behind the UK now so I doubt that I will post any spoilers on the Bluenose blog about the fire since there isn't long to wait. The fire will happen the week of March 18 and in Canada, we'll see the episodes from that week starting on Friday, March 30 and into the next week, I think.

I've been watching Corrie from Canada for over 25 years. When I started, we were 6 weeks behind. We fell behind further and further (I won't get into that!) but over the last year or so, we've caught up and it's great! Even though Corrie is one of the most popular tv shows in Canada, there are very few spoilers printed in the newspapers and none in the media magazines on the shelves which are mostly American though a couple of UK magazines are starting to appear including Inside Soap. Even with the American soaps, again, though spoilers are in fan magazines and on the internet, the media doesn't get all excited over soap storylines.

If there is a spoiler in a newspaper, it's never splashed on the front page. It's never on the news or entertainment shows, or very, very rarely. If Corrie is featured in a documentary or in an interview with a visiting star, they are usually careful to avoid spoilers mostly. Some of the fan events with the actors will probably witness some spoilers but even then, they are usually fairly minor in my experience. The actors, if warned, are pretty circumspect.

Canadian fans can always find spoilers on the internet if they want them but if you don't want to know the spoilers, here in Canada you can usually avoid them fairly successfully. You still need to warn your friends not to tell you, however!

If you read this blog or the Coronation Street one, you probably already do see spoilers and don't mind them. Do you mind very much the non-stop spoilers in the media? Is it a necessary evil? Would you enjoy the show more without them or do you just accept them and watch for how it's actually executed, written and acted once it's finally on screen? I do find that even though I know what's going to happen, watching how it happens and watching the actors and how it unfolds is still really enjoyable and still keeps me coming back for more.

How will Kirsty get her comeuppance?

It's a given that Kirsty will be punished for all her misdeeds. The problem is, currently, Tyrone has no real proof of her abuse. Everything else is circumstantial. But we do know that Tyrone has already been arrested for allegedly pushing Kirsty down the steps and we know there will be a court hearing.

Apparently there has been two endings filmed to court case. The only "two endings" filmed are one or two scenes outside the location shoot to try to throw off the papparazzi. The ending would never have been in any doubt realistically because they wouldn't waste days and days filming further scenes that would come afterwards back on the Street.  The question is, how will it happen? How will Kirsty get her comeuppance?

The current lot of Papprazzi photos shows Kirsty's mother Alison outside the court with her daughter and I think her mother is going to be her downfall. Her mother knows what she went through growing up, both witnessing her mother being abused and being abused herself. If you look at those photos, her mother seems to be watching Fiz and Kirsty arguing and it's very possible that Kirsty loses her rag and lets something slip in front of her mother.  If not at that point, then I think she may have said or did something prior to the hearing that made her mother realize that Kirsty is lying and has been the abuser. I think her mother will testify in court against her daughter, hoping that her daughter will get help and the cycle will stop. I do hope that her mother will also find the courage to leave her husband and, in fact, possibly that's what brings her to Kirsty's side in the first place.

I hate that we'll lose Natalie Gumede but if Kirsty goes to jail for abusing Tyrone and/or for contempt of court, lying under oath and all that, then there's a chance she'll come back in future, especially since Tyrone will have Ruby. The last of this storyline, with Tyrone going on the run with the baby is a bit tiresome, only because it's a soap cliche but we have had the main event and now we have to work towards the ending of the story that's kept me watching for over a year. Superb performances and writing, painful to watch at times but in an admiring way, and now we will see the end of it.

Tyrone is the good guy, he must come out on top. If this was a murder, then possibly we would go down the  "Deirdre Barlow 'I didn't do it'" extremely tired route of the wrongfully imprisoned. It isn't, and I think the court hearing will be the finale. I may be wrong, of course, but I don't think they'll drag this out much further as it's been going on for this long already.

State of the Street - January 2013

Lewis and Gail. After everything he's done with Audrey, the initial scam where he ran out on her, and past women coming and revealing his shenanigans, Gail falls for him? Well if it was anyone else but Gail I'd say she wouldn't fall for it but it *is* Gail we're talking about. How could she fall for his smooth, oily line? How could she do that to her mother who still loves Lewis and whom Lewis probably still loves as well.

She protests, she can't do it to her mother, so he continues to work on her. He knows it's just a matter of time. I can't believe she fell for the Hotel in Italy dream job line, almost the same thing he tried on Audrey! And she offered do the same thing Audrey did, get money against the house only this time, Lewis is determined to follow through. Deja Vu anyone? You'd think she'd connect the dots but it *is* lonely, desperate Gail we're talking about. And this time it's not going to end up well.  The month ended with Audrey finding out about the "romance" and  Lewis admitting what his plans were because he was blackmailing Kylie!

There's no surprise that Kylie was pregnant. It always happens if you have sex with the wrong person. The birth control pill question was covered with "I missed a few". I can't believe Nick had the temerity to insist Kylie have an abortion because it might be his baby! He hasn't really changed at all has he?

Whether she got pregnant or not isn't going to make David's reaction any worse. Or maybe it will with the added insult to injury of her having Nick's baby when she wouldn't have his. He'd be like that wouldn't he? Add the twist that Lewis found out and can hold that over her head, all in the most contrived manner possible, hiding under a spindly desk for a couple of hours. Did Leanne not miss him? He said something about being in the cellar with the bottles. I didn't think the viaduct had a cellar. A back room for storage, yes. Other than that clunker, and the standard soap cliche, I am enjoying this storyline as it dovetails with Gail's. 

Nick spends a week or so after the non-wedding licking his wounds, watching Leanne with hurt, puppy dog eyes. Down deep he wants her, he really wants her. His pride and his pain wouldn't let him accept her apology at first and I can't blame him. I'm sure he felt that if Peter were available, she'd go back to him. Leanne tried everything and her last ditch effort, in typical Leanne fashion, was to run away, probably hoping he'd either prevent her or come running after her. And he did.

They got married in the end. I do hope she can finally shake off Peter. There has been enough of her back and forth with him. I'd hate for them to be the Ken and Deirdre of the future, lurching back to one another all the time. It seemed like once the wedding happened, Leanne is now over the moon for Nick when just a few weeks back, she was willing to fall back for Peter. I still don't think this will end well, never mind what will happen when the Kylie thing comes out but Leanne doesn't really have a leg to stand on up on that moral high ground, not really.

It was all about Kirsty and Tyrone this month as Tyrone careened towards marrying someone he didn't want to in order to get a claim on his daughter but Kirsty turned the tables on him. She fell and had Tyrone arrested for it, claiming he often was violent with her. But even without the photos Fiz had taken, there were scars, so Fiz had said anyway. Kirsty has managed to besmirch the reputation of a gentle young man that the neighbours have known for years yet Deirdre did have doubts, having seen what looked like Tyrone shove Kirsty in the yard and Eileen has heard the fighting through the wall many times. But has she actually heard Kirsty crying in pain?

All in all, though, some rivetting performances and Alan Halsall won an acting award for his work this year, well deserved. Natalie Gumede was robbed of her "Best Newcomer" award, though. Unfortunately, Kirsty has now crossed the line and this will be Ms. Gumede's exit storyline at some point. Baddies can't get away with it, Tracy Barlow aside. I don't know how this will end but it could still leave Tyrone child-less and certainly it will take awhile for his reputation to recover in any case. It just annoys me to no end how his friends are so willing to believe the worst on a bit of circumstantial evidence. It's been a very good storyline all around.

I'm not even going to get into Karl and Sunita. I hate this storyline, always did. That burned toast was appropriate. Both of the characters and the storyline have gone up in smoke. Hayley returned (for a minute) and made Roy and Mary make up.

This Jenna and Sophie thing really leaves me cold. There's no chemistry whatsoever between them that I can see. I can understand how Sophie would get a crush on Jenna, that makes complete sense. What is absolutely baffling is how a 28 year old professional who has absolutely nothing in common with an 18 year patient that only barely finished school and dropped out of college would find her attractive and fancy her, risking her whole career. Sophie is not what you'd call a dynamic personality. Jenna is out on her own, building her career, she owns her own house, (at least I thought she owned it but now it seems she's moving in with Lloyd to save money) and, prior to this, struck me as a pretty sensible woman. Nope. I don't buy it. And in this day and age, why would Jenna be so worried about coming out? Apparently her late father was homophobic but he's gone. Mandy seems a bit opinionated and she's obviously going to have some trouble getting her head around it but she'll accept it. I do like Mandy and I do like Jenna, I just don't like Jenna with Sophie.

All in all, I'd rather remember January as the month I visited the real Coronation Street (well, Granada Studios aka ITV in Manchester).

Well Done, Mr. C

I've been reading blog comments and forum comments on The Coronation Street Blog criticizing some of us bloggers as being "bitter" and negative towards Phil Collinson. Some have pointed out that while overall, that blog seems to be negative towards him and his tenure, he did end up helming Corrie to an NTA this year.

I've never really come out for or against Collinson before now, not that I can remember. I know that I tend to be more neutral about such things but thinking of the storylines over the past couple of years since he's been at the "con" makes me realize I've liked an awful lot of what he's done even if there's been things I didn't like as well.

He gave us Natalie Gumede and this great storyline she's in with award winning Alan Halsall. It's a pity we'll lose her but it's Soap Law for villains. He has given David and Kylie some great stuff and I've always enjoyed Lewis' storylines. He also married Roy and Hayley well and truly. 


He gave us a new Mrs. Tanner for the Street and I loved Rita and Dennis' romance. I can't say I've been over fond of Tina and Tommy's capers with the loan shark though I enjoyed Terry Duckworth's return prior to that. I don't mind the surrogacy storyline aside from Tommy sulking all over the place and I always enjoy Gary and Izzy. 

Obviously the tram crash was another highlight as was the Peter and Leanne and Carla fallout. I've enjoyed watching those three and Nick's part in the ensuing tales. He was the producer during much of the truly bizarre John Stape/Colin Fishwick twists and turns. I really enjoyed seeing what was coming up next in that storyline, too.

He's been roundly criticized for bringing in Michelle Collins as Stella to run the pub. I dislike Stella because she's a dull character and not very well acted. She doesn't have the kind of chemistry that past landladies have had. She is thrust into all kinds of storylines where she doesn't belong and it really felt like she was being pushed on us and that was to force us to like her. I've gotten used to her but I still don't like the character or the actor over much. Score one against Collinson for this.

Score another one against him for bringing back the detestable Tracy Barlow. I won't even get started on that one. He's completely ruined Sunita with that horrible affair with Karl, another waste of talent on both parts. Oh, and the Graeme and Xin method of exiting the lovely Mr. Proctor was ill-thought out,  too.

The icky Molvin storyline was absolutely awful and I hated it from start to finish but we also got some great fallout from it and Molly's death with the breakdown of the Webster marraige and Ty and Kevin's friendship which has only recently been tentatively mended. That has to be a neutral score there.

I liked the introduction of Mandy for Lloyd but so far this Jenna and Sophie thing isn't very believable for me. I didn't care for the Alzheimer's storyline though the actor playing Lesley was very, very good. I thought it was out of character for Eileen to be involved with that whole situation the way she was.

Frank Foster was a cold and calculating villain and his mother was a joy to watch in her bitchiness and ultimate breakdown. While having Carla raped wasn't very enjoyable to watch, we did get some excellent performances and it was the ultimate straw that broke the back of Peter and Leanne. 

There were storylines that left me flat (Marc/Marcia), characters I don't/didn't like and actors I don't feel have a lot to contribute. That's normal, isn't it? There are far more that I do like, both storylines and actors. Other wonderful characters that have either been introduced or developed further include Marcus, Julie, Brian, Beth, Craig, Eva, Gloria (and I look forward to her return!), Gary, Izzy and even Owen though he isn't a likeable person but well performed. All good things.

There have been annoyances and downright irritations during Collinson's tenure but overall, I have never been tempted to give up Corrie for a dead loss and overall, I've enjoyed far more of it than not. You can't please everyone with everything you've done.

What I've disliked, others have enjoyed and vice versa so from me, well done Mr. C.

It was a cold day in Weatherfield

(Cross posted to the Coronation Street Blog and Bluenose Corrie Blog)

As you may or may not know, I contributed to the Coronation Street Blog along with  a number of other people. Today, thanks to the lovely Flaming Nora, editor of the CSB, some of us bloggers were very lucky to be part of a group visit to the ITV studios in Manchester. There are loads more of my photos here.

Here we are, chilly and cold and very happy. Left to right, Pickled Jo, Mersytart (also blogs as Scott Willison), Mr. Tvor, Tvor, Flaming Nora front and centre, Sunny Jim, David/Clinkers peeking from behind, Craig247, Mark Llewellin in back, Kathryn S, Rebecca and Chewy.

We had a look around the street set which was rather frosty around the edges. It had snowed a bit overnight but not so bad as to hamper the trains, luckily. Our guide from ITV showed us around and later, saying he was chilly, took us inside to one of the studios where we got to see a few of the iconic sets such as the pub, the Kabin, Underworld and a number of the houses sets. We were unable to see the other studio with the rest of the sets as they were still filming there.

While we waited to get onto the property, Sue Nicholls drove up and waved at us and as we trooped up to the Street, Shobna Gulati walked by and said hello and hoped we enjoyed our tour. I peeked into the green room as we walked by and spied Jack P. Sheppherd and Ben Price.

The door to the Rovers Return on the outside set was open! The wall behind it is decorated so that if they film someone going it, it looks like it should but did you ever wonder what is inside the actual buildings? Many of them are just shells with the doorway decorated correctly. Here's a photo of what's inside the Rovers.

I've been on the outside set a few times before and inside the studio once before. Many of the rooms have changed since then and it was great to see the Kabin which I had not seen my last visit. Our guide related lots of interesting information like how they make sure the room or kitchen of a house matches the personality of it's owner and what the way a room is decorated can tell you about that person. The somewhat chaotic mixture of patterns and lines in the Windass house was devised when Tracy Barlow lived there, just before she murdered Charlie Stubbs!

After we left the set, Mark escorted us on a 2 hour tour around Manchester and Salford to show us locations that have been used for filming over the years including the location used for the Red Rec,  and the Salford Quays area including a walk near the new Corrie studios still under construction by the BBC Media City.

Huge thanks go out to Mark Llewellin for his time and effort and for the tour,  and to ITV for escorting us around and telling us loads of interesting things about the show including the fact that orange is used on every set where there has been a fire!

There are loads more of my photos here.

Goodbye Hayley

News broke this morning from ITV that Julie Hesmondhalgh has decided to leave Coronation Street to persue other projects full time. She's only just back from an extended leave during which she'd done a play and as it was successful, realized she wanted to do more of this. I truly don't believe this was any decision on the part of the new producer that started this week, either. I'm sure this comes straight from Julie herself.

This makes me very sad. Roy and Hayley have the most stable relationship on Coronation Street and are one of the most loved couples and characters. I can't imagine Roy without Hayley and I'm sure I'm not alone in that. ITV will have plenty of time to plan her exit since she's not going until the end of the year, I'm guessing in a dramatic Christmas exit.

I do hope they won't break up this couple. It just would not do to have them separate and divorce. Given that, it is probably inevitable that Hayley will die somehow, either by illness or accident, leaving Roy bereft. I feel gutted already, just thinking about scenes where she'd die in his arms! I hope at least, that his mother, Sylvia, is still in the show as Roy will need the support.

The character of Hayley was a bit of a ground-breaker back in 1998 when she was introduced as a transexual. Julie H. did lots of research and made friends with several trans-gender folks, ensuring she got the character just right. The publicity around the character and Julie's involvement in several charity and support groups helped change the laws around being able to change the gender on birth certificates and other rights. We were all rewarded when Roy and Hayley were finally able to marry legally two years ago!

One of my favourite Hayley moments was when she was in Amsterdam and Roy came to see her. He finally got the courage to ask her to come back to Weatherfield and be with him and she hesitated at first but came after him to the airport. She caught his eye through the window and wrote on the glass in lipstick "I'm coming with you" and Roy's face broke into the most heart warming smile, full of love for her.

Another wonderful moment was, just after their first "wedding" in the cafe, when Hayley told Roy that she changed her name by deed poll since they weren't able to marry legally at the time.

Hayley had a wonderful relationship with Becky McDonald, who fiercely defended her on more than one occasion. Hayley and Roy maintained faith in Becky and gave her the confidence to "grow up" as it were. The only really regrettable storyline was giving Hayley a long-forgotten son, Christian and that storyline has been pushed into the closet as best forgotten all around.

Her red anorak is now iconic, her frumpy dress sense and clip cloppy shoes echoing along the cobbles are her signature style. Her giggle and sunny smile to anyone and everyone and her dignity in the face of insults and adversity are legendary. Hayley always finds and brings out the best of people, she forgives and understands. She supports. She mothers lost waifs and strays. She's ever the optimist. All of these qualities are those that make me admire her greatly. She is a good example of womanhood to follow!

I know the Street will go on without her but there will most definitely be a Hayley shaped hole in it for a long time to come. 

State of the Street - December 2012

December sees the return of Carla and Peter and Carla hasn't been too successful beating the bottle. Five minutes back and she's popping the cork! I don't blame Leanne for being pissed off at Carla for trying to pick up Simon at the school while drinking. I'd have had a go at her too and I have to say, that was a great fight!

Peter was only planning to visit and they were going to move to L. A. permanently but you knew that wasn't going to happen. Peter stayed so Carla left and came back in a Christmas Eve surprise. While she was gone, though, Peter wasted no time trying to make inroads into Leanne's feelings. Sort of felt like "Carla Who?" Peter's not happy about Leanne marrying Nick and Peter's appearance has sparked up that old Black Magic in Leanne's heart and doesnt Peter know it!

But it's annoying too. Peter couldn't live without Carla. He had to have her even over the needs of his son and within minutes of seeing Carla run for the airplane he was making doe eyes at Leanne again, pretending he just had her best interests at heart but he moved on her fast when he caught her drunk, disorderly and very vulnerable on the eve before her wedding to Nick. Yes, she was making a mistake but Peter so obviously had ulterior motives telling her that.

As her and Nick's Christmas wedding approached, we all waited with bated breath. Would she marry Nick or would his heart be broken yet again? Yep, thought so. Peter tried to work his magic and nearly succeeded and if Carla hadn't come back when she did, it's very possible Peter would have been quite happy to have her back.

But since she did, Leanne went running back to Nick at the last minute and she would have gone through with the wedding but spiteful Eva couldn't stand it. She had to spill the beans and blew the whole thing out of the water and even then, tried to get hold of Nick in case he needed a shoulder to cry on but Nick found comfort in Kylie who needed comfort from the vileness David was heaving at her during the stag night.

Personally, I don't want Peter and Leanne to get back together. He's done too much to hurt her and it's so hard to come back from that again. But there's Simon and that's a strong pull, too. Peter has been maintaining the Zen calmness all through this but it's amazing how fast he went running back to Leanne when Carla left him. I do believe he loves Carla but Leanne has a lot of pull for Peter as well.

David has a bee up his arse about being a father to a tyke of his own and Kylie has discovered she's good at something and wants to build a career on it. What's David's hurry, really, when both of them have barely cracked the edge of 21. They've got years to make more babies. David pushed and pushed so hard that Kylie ran, as was her usual M.O. and right into the arms of Nick who was in great need of comfort after ditching Leanne. What's the end result? Yep. A shag under the Christmas mistletoe.

Now, anyone who knows anything about soaps knows where this is going. A shag with the wrong person almost always results in pregnancy and with Kylie almost leaving David and returning, you can bet there was some make up sex. It'll be a case of "Who's the daddy" and even Kylie won't know. That's just the way these things *always* work so it's no spoiler. It's anyone's guess how this will turn out if Kylie goes through with the pregnancy. I think if she gets pregnant and terminates it and David finds out, that's her out on her ear and there will be no going back, not after Tina did the same thing, but I don't think they'll do that to David twice and where would be the drama in that, after all? 

It was inevitable. Fiz and Tyrone, Redux. After her strong support in his time of need, you knew they would get together. I did wonder if Tyrone has a death wish, though, what with Kirsty's propensity for using bunt objects and booted feet. I mean, if you were with a partner that beat you, would you start up an affair with someone they already suspected of doing just that and who lived 2 doors down? Probably not but poor Tyrone is about to go under and Fiz is his lifeline.

But then Fiz ended up unconscious on the floor, overcome from a gas leak after Tyrone fixed her boiler. Was his repair faulty or did Kirsty find out about their affair and try to kill Fiz? As we end the month and year we are going to have to wait until January to find out. It could just be that Ty made a mistake but it could be the mistake that gets him caught out by Kirsty if she wasn't the culprit herself.

January sees their scheduled wedding. Will they or won't they? Some comments I've read indicate people think the storyline will be over one way or the other by then but I don't think so. I think it's still got a ways to go and a few more twists in the road, especially if they don't get married. Then Tyrone still needs to do something so he won't lose Ruby and he'll still be tied to Kirsty but Kirsty is bound to find out about Fiz soon, at least. 

We had a little comedy this month too, with Dennis the lollipop man feuding with Steve the taxi man. So Dennis is banning Steve from the Kabin and Steve is banning Dennis from his cabs. I think Steve is the winner here, doesn't Dev still sell cigs? Mike Baldwin always shared his custom between the Kabin and the corner shop for his cigars. Steve wouldn't have to go far for them at least. It's all a bit silly but a little light hearted silliness is waranted when there's a lot of aggro going on and I absolutely loved Dennis' cohort Malcom, the leader of the lollipops.

Kirkys Turkys was also fun. I don't know why some people look down on stories like this one. Back in the day, this is the kind of story Corrie would have on a regular basis, someone with a hair brained scheme to make money and have it all go pear or, in this case, turkey shaped. I am surprised that one plug from Beth's flat could keep the electricity running in the old butcher shop including an industrial freezer. How come the circuits in the flat didn't blow out? It's quite a load on them. Anyway, good fun all around and it gave us some good lines.  I won't forget that army of frozen turkeys floating down the canal in a hurry!

Speaking of silly, though, what the hell is that with Stella shagging Jason???? No No No NO NO! Talk about the worst rebound affair ever! It's ludicrous!! Even getting to see Jason in his wherewithall isn't worth it and it's got nothing to do with the age difference.  It feels like a rebound on both their parts with the additional advantage of Stella being able to rub Karl's nose in it.

Oh yes, and reminiscent of the past, there was Emily, babysitting, and nodding off on the sofa. The last time that happened, Richard Hillman snuck in and nearly killed her, first with a pillow and next, with a crowbar when he also killed Maxine. You'd think she'd have had all the doors locked and would stay alert but Fiz had no problem slipping out the back.

2012 Wrap up and awards

This is a list of off beat awards I find myself making notes on through the year. Most of them are not the usual "Best Actor, storyline" etc. though there are one or two of them. Some have two winners. They're just for fun and my own opinions. Down the post further is just a quick summary of the storylines by family unit, again mostly just to jog my own memory, and not really to touch on every single storyline, just the more prominent ones.

Conversation Street podcast also did a year end awards and wrap up with 2013 predictions, it's good fun and you can listen to it here. 


Shortest marraige ever:
Tracy and Steve. It blew apart at the reception.

Disaster wedding: (Tie)
Tracy and Steve. See above.
Leanne and Nick.

When will it be over storyline:
Karl and Sunita's affair

Creeped out award:
Stella and Jason.
Eileen's relationship with Paul while dealing with his wife's Alzheimer's.

Creating the most havoc award:
Ryan Connor
Eva Price

Best right hook:
Leanne and Carla's most recent fight

Best (Worst?) plot twist:
Tina to be Izzy's surrogate
Marcus and Maria get together

Stupidity thy name is...
Steve MacDonald. How many of his "cunning plans" come back to bite him?

Rewriting history:
Annie Walker could not bequeath the Rovers to Betty because she didn't own it, Newton and Ridley did.
Ryan never once mentioned that Michelle wasn't his real mother during their many arguments

Best return:
Gordon Clegg (but for sad reasons)
Terry Duckworth (I know he's horrible but he always makes things interesting for me)
Wendy Crozier (for giving Deirdre jealous hissy fits)

Most ruined character:
Sunita Alahan

Curly Watts Loser in Love award
Jason Grimshaw (two in one year)

Mary Taylor

Love the one you're with Award:
Leanne got back together with Nick.
Steve got back together with Michelle.

Most enjoyable couple:
Julie and Brian

Best Wedding
Dennis and Rita, even with all the loan shark angst.

Deirdre Barlow "I Didn't Do It" Award:
Peter Barlow who was arrested for killing Frank Foster.

Best suited new couple:
Tina and Tommy (even if they ended the year apart)
Kirk and Beth

Worst suited new couple:
Karl and Sunita

Most missed character:
Becky McDonald

Least missed character:
Rosie Webster

Best new characters
Beth and Craig
Gloria Price

Dullest new character
Rob Donovan

New character with potential:
Mandy

Bizarre couple:
Tracy and Ryan
Stella and Jason

My Most Embarassing Moment:
Hayley calling out Mary on her crush on Roy

Bad Decision award:
David taking over the Salon when Lewis and Audrey get back together.

Best Actress:
Natalie Gumede

Best Actor:
Alan Halsall

Best Exit:
Becky popped Steve and Tracy's happiness balloon and then jetted off to the Barbados with her handsome prince and little lad.

Best storylines:
Domestic Abuse
Rita and Dennis' romance
Frank's downfall (trial and murder)
Salon Wars


Major storylines:
Becky's Exit
Frank's rape trial
Frank's murder
Peter and Leanne's breakup over Carla/custody battle/
Steve and Tracy's war

Paul and Eileen and Lesley
Katy's Post Natal problems
Gary and Izzy's baby/surrogate
Terry Duckworth's return/Rick the loan shark
Kirsty and Tyrone's domestic abuse storyline
Salon Wars
Sophie's car accident
Ryan's return and drug struggle/Tracy Barlow
Peter and Carla's return/Nick and Leanne's non-wedding
David's baby blues
Marcus finds love with Maria
Lewis' return and potential revenge on Gail for breaking up he and Audrey

Storylines by family:

Barlows of Number 1
Deirdre supports Tracy's lies about Becky.
Tracy and Steve marry but Becky exposes Tracy's lies.
Tracy makes friends with Beth when they are temporary housemates
Tracy continues to chase Steve, gets ill, Steve raises her hopes yet again
Tracy chases Ryan Connor to get back at Steve and Michelle, pretend she's pregnant and dumps Ryan when he proposes.
Ken encounters old flame Wendy Crozier and chooses Deirdre!

Barlows junior
Peter and Carla's affair revealed. Leanne leaves Peter, Simon wars with Carla
Peter on and off the wagon
Peter confesses/arrested for Frank Foster's murder
Peter and Leanne custody battle over Simon leading to...
Peter and Carla leave town for awhile.
Leanne and Nick reunite
Peter and Carla return, Carla leaves, Peter stays for Simon
Peter makes beeline for Leanne
Carla returns.
Leanne still wants Peter who knocks her back for Carla which Eva reveals at Nick and Leanne's wedding.
Leanne re-proposes to Nick.

Connors
Ryan returns from uni, struggles with cocaine addiction, causes Sophie to be hit by a car.
Carla's brother Rob gets out of prison, runs factory with Michelle
Rob dates and dumps Eva, chats up Stella
Rob sabotages factory accounts to get a low evaluation in order to buy it
Carla and Peter's affair
Frank's rape trial
Carla contends with Frank back in the factory
Frank's murder - Carla and Peter both suspects but his mother did the deed


Windasses/Armstrongs
Gary and Izzy reunited, miscarraige, surrogate (Katy, Tina)
Anna and Owen breakup over his rough handling of Faye, reunite at Jubilee party
Faye bullied at school
Katy's post natal depression

Platt/McIntyre/Tilsley
Lewis Archer returns, makes up with Audrey, instigating the Salon wars
Lewis and Audrey broken up by Gail and Gloria's scheming/Lewis plotting revenge on Gloria and Gail
Kylie and David deal with Brian re Max's school lunches
David at war with Audrey over the salon, Kylie and David temporarily separate.
Nick and Leanne reunite and almost marry.
Kylie wants to make something of herself but David wants a baby
Kylie's one night stand with Nick

Websters
Sally and Frank's affair
Sian and Sophie breakup
Rosie and Jason breakup, Rosie leaves Weatherfield
Sally and Kevin almost reunite but Sally can't accept baby Jack
Kevin buys Number 13.
Sophie car accident with back injury
Sophie's crush on physio Jenna

Prices
Stella supports and advises everyone
Karl's gambling escalates
Karl and Sunita's affair/ Stella and Karl's breakup
Eva and Nick breakup
Eva and Rob breakup
Eva working at factory
Stella's mother Gloria arrives, enters Rovers in Pub of the Year contest
Eva breaks up Nick and Leanne by outing Leanne wanting Peter


Stape/Battersby
Katy struggles with motherhood, later offers to be surrogate for Izzy.
Fiz supports Tyrone
Fiz and Tyrone affair
Fiz gets carbon monoxide poisoning

Alahans
Amber leaves
Sunita's affair with Karl
Alahans break up

Dobbs
Tyrone and Kirsty pregnant and engaged.
Baby Ruby born
Kirsty manipulates Tina and Tommy out of Tyrone's life
Kirsty abuses Tyrone.

Grimshaws
Eileen moves Paul and Lesley in
Jason and Rosie break up and Rosie leaves.
Jason moves into his flat with Tommy and Tina
Jason sells flat to Julie and Brian
Sean and Marcus break up
Jason and Maria reunite
Julie has cancer scare, operation, cannot have children.
Eileen and Paul together after Lesley dies.
Jason and Maria break up.

McDonalds
Steve and Tracy at war because she won't agree to an annullment.
Steve reconciles with Michelle while helping her with Ryan, moves in with Michelle.
Lloyd returns and he and Steve partner up again after a brief falling out.


Kabin
Rita and Dennis become engaged and marry

Croppers
Sylvia meets Milton, nearly leaves with him but stays in Weatherfield
Sylvia flies to U.S. to nurse Milton.
Mary crushes on Roy
Roy and Hayley visit California

Miscellaneous
Tommy and Tina get together and break up over Surrogacy
Tina supports Tyrone's affair with Fiz
Terry Duckworth returns, runs off with Tommy's money and much of Tyrone's
Tommy and the Loan Shark
Weatherfield in Bloom
Cafe theme nights
Lloyd finds old flame Mandy and daughter he didn't know he had, Jenna
Kirk and Beth get together.
Beth and son Craig move onto the Street, Beth works in factory
Death of Betty Williams

Corrie Christmas

My Christmas this year, as usual, had a Coronation Street element to it. In addition to the 2013 calendar, I also found these under my tree. They're made by Lilliput Lane and the detail in them is exquisite! They each sit up to 2 inches high and have detail all around front and back.

The corner shop has the pillar post box and a cat lurking. The back "yard" is empty.

The Kabin doesn't have anything behind besides the bricks and doesn't have the side doors to the flats but there are lots of little bits in the windows at front as you can see.

Now here, you can see the Duckworth house in all it's yellow and blue glory. The back is exquisite, with the little pigeon loft and a few birds on the ledge.

Last but not least is the Rovers Return. The signs, the windows, the frosted glass. Lovely! In the back is the yard with the empty barrels. No smoking shelter but this is the classic pub!

Each of the houses comes with a little deed and description of the houses. Unesco sells the houses and you can get them from H. Samuel which is where these were purchased. Other good gift stores that carry the Lilliput Lane brand will also carry them and there are various places online that sell them including Amazon.co.uk, Edwards China and Gillygifts. There are many other sites as well, just put "lilliput lane coronation street" into your favourite search engine. There will be a few more released in 2013.