State of the Street - April 2014

Peter's stuck between a rock and a hard place. Oh boy, is he ever. Carla's up the duff and Tina thought she was too but she wasn't. Tina's getting pushier with Peter and the bottle is beckoning. And now Steve knows the secret and that really puts him in the middle. Steve doesn't do well in the middle and he's horrible with secrets. He's also Tina's boss and he sure had attitude towards her, didn't he? He was able to cover, but for how long? He won't tell, he says, because Michelle would kill him. What does he think she's going to do when she finds out? She will, you know. I would love to see her dump him but now both of their names are on the business as licensees and it's going to be more difficult to split up.

Steve also found himself in the middle of Kal and Nick's issues even though he had no idea. Kal and Leanne fancy each other rotten but Nick wants Leanne back. Problem is, she didn't get the chance to tell Nick before he really started putting on the campaign to woo her and Kal took it out on Nick by pushing him hard at the gym, leading Nick to blow up and wallop poor Stevie Mack! All Steve wanted to do was get a little fitter to beat Lloyd in the upcoming fun run! I don't know. I kind of like Kal and Leanne but it's really not a good situation since Kal and Nick got to be good mates. Too close to home. I guess I just never liked Nick and Leanne together and always felt she only went to Nick because she couldn't have Peter.

Back to Peter, for a minute, I do like how Leanne is really sympathising with Carla over Peter's drinking. Enemies they might have been, and they'll never be friends but Leanne knows what Carla's up against more than anyone else. Simon's really paying the price. Again. And maybe one small good thing might come out of this, maybe Simon may end up not being so against Carla. There were some good scenes between the two of them, Simon so angry and wanting to blame everyone but his dad so he laid into Carla. It did seem that he realized that Carla wasn't to blame, not really, and he let her comfort him a couple of times. There's hope for the two of them yet.

I don't know about this baby, though. Carla seems insistent on getting rid if Peter can't stop drinking and he's really not having it easy.  He might be in rehab at the end of April but rehab and Peter have never really seen eye to eye in the past. It's only ever been really shocking things that have pulled him up, like nearly causing Simon's death in the fire in the flat or having Si run away from Grandad George in Blackpool. Carla really thinks that her getting pregnant was what pushed Peter over the edge. We know different. It was the pressure of the possibility of his wife *and* his mistress being pregnant! If Carla has an abortion or a miscarraige, that might be the tragedy that sobers him up again. Awful that it would have to come to that, though. I might have enjoyed seeing Carla struggle with motherhood. But  there's no way of knowing yet and not even any spoilers out about the future of any baby Barlow so we'll have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, Tina is waffling between trying to get Peter back and intent on keeping away. But Carla seems to be bonding with Tina as a new bestie mate. Funny that Tina doesn't look the least bit uncomfortable while Carla's pouring her heart out. And I notice that Carla hasn't confided that she's pregnant to Tina and when Tina finds that out, after Peter gave her the song and dance about not wanting more kids, Tina's going to hit the roof. Tina does seem to be taken aback at Peter's slip into drinking again and she blames herself. She's more to blame than Carla is, that's for sure. If she had stayed backed off after Peter dumped her, he probably could have stayed sober but she pushed and pushed again and helped open that door for him to stagger through.

Sophie and Maddie end the month living at Kevin's who reckons they're better off there than under Sally's upturned nose. I do like the actor playing Maddie, but I really don't like the storyline and can't figure out what on earth Sophie sees in Maddie. They have almost nothing in common except a gobby personality. I would rather have seen Sophie bend over backwards to help Maddie than fall in love with her. It would have made more sense. Then maybe once Maddie cleaned up, got a bit more confidence and blossomed, it could have happened then. It was just to out of the blue. It feels like Maddie's using Sophie and Sophie's looking for a cause.

Maria is spinning out of control and you can hardly blame her. She has gone through the wringer and has made yet another bad choice in a man. Well at least Marcus wasn't a murderer. That's something. Now she's rebounding hard and wishing she'd never let Tyrone go and she's taking advantage of Tyrone's good nature and his fear of Kirsty. She's already driving Tyrone and Fiz apart but I really hope they don't split up over Maria's machinations. Maria needs help, not a man. And isn't it ironic that David is the one that knows her secret and actually thinks she should tell the truth? David? He's not spilling any beans, mind you, but he could at any moment if Maria crosses the line. That's not the David we've grown to know and love is it? But maybe he's actually maturing a tad.

Phelan is just about the creepiest villain that Coronation Street's ever had, I think. I think he even surpasses Alan Bradley. I enjoyed Tony Gordon as a real baddie but he had charm on top of his controlling personality. Pat Phelan is slimy, creepy, manipulative and he makes your skin crawl. That, ladies and gentlemen, is the mark of a top actor. He's one of the most watchable characters on Corrie these days because of it.

Now by the end of the month, after he's wrung Owen financially dry, reduced Gary to a gibbering wreck and made Anna give up her virtue, he's seemingly out of the picture but I don't think we've seen the last of him. We might be focusing on the Windasses trying to get back on their feet, with Anna's secret hovering over them like a Harry Potter Deatheater ready to suck the soul out of them all, but Phelan probably hasn't done his worst yet. And because he's such a baddie, I think he's going to end up dead. Likely Owen or Gary will be the accused or even Anna when it comes out. The real killer? Probably his wife. Unless Faye's cold, calculating, death stare means there's more than meets the eye with that troubled child.

Speaking of financially dry, Owen does have a few assets to sell if he has to, the house, the builder's yard and the flat. Now, luckily, there's another builder in the offing. Maybe Jason could buy the business back? There's a turn about. He could be Owen's boss! Jason's dodgey father might be a candidate, as well, though I'm not so sure the business would do any better with Tony running it. He'd probably be cutting so many corners he'd have to be building round houses. He's already doing dirty deals with Rob and Tracy and that's sure to bite Barlow's Buys on the bum before too long! 

Now that there's a gym open on the Street, everyone seems to be crowding into the impossibly small workout space to have a go. It really does feel like there's a room the size of the corner shop, two treadmills that then get substituted for two cross trainers that get pulled out of the way for the athletics and boxing and benches and whatever else someone might use to work out with. They all seem to be in more or less the same place on the set when we see each of the punters. It's kind of funny really.

And they're busy! Always a few extras floating back and forth in the camera view. Amazing for such a small place on a back street! And why is Sharif always there? He's a business man, investing his cash. Surely he has other businesses to take care of and clients to see? Maybe he's just a busybody intent on meddling in his son's life, like Sunita's aunties! He seems to have made a friend in Eva so far. And where's Dev? After his big push to get fit, we haven't seen him in the gym once after the opening day and he owns half of it!

Touring the Street

ITV has moved their production to a newn state of the art media centre over at Salford Quays and there was much speculation as to what would be done with the old studio and sets. Last year we discovered that a company that does tours, called Continuum, would be taking over the site and setting it up for tours for 6 months this summer. They opened last week and will close at the very beginning of October. They've sold out about 50% so far so I'm hoping if it really makes them money, they'll keep it open.

I was planning a visit to Manchester in April so I was really glad to find out that the tours would be open by the time I got here and I booked my tickets early! They cost 16.50 pounds which is a little high but not too bad comparing it to other UK attractions. They've got a good group of tour guides and you need to book your ticket for a date and time as well. They usher groups of about 30 through every 10 minutes.

You enter through the back of Granada on Great John Street, which is off Quay Street. That's the former staff entrance. Where the staff parking lot was is now where you wait to queue to go in to the tour. There's a little cafe to one side and some functional and accessible toilets there as well.

A quick run down of the tour: You enter through a doorway that was also used as the front entrance to Carla Connor Barlow's former flat and when you're through there, it's right next to the cast Green Room where they would be able to relax when not required on the set. You get an introduction there and there's some video showing on the wall. You are taken down a "corridor of stars", lined with portraits and photos of many of the famous faces from the 50+ years of the show and you can peek into a few of the old dressing rooms. They're so much smaller than you expect, little more than a closet.

You then come into the studio proper where you get to see a few of the old sets set up and "dressed". The first one is Carla's old flat, all reds and dark wood and pristine unused kitchen! Also on display is the living room and kitchen of Number 8, The Platt household. there's the Dobbs house, which used to be Jack and Vera Duckworth's house most famously.  You get a look at the large Underworld factory set, too, with some recorded voice from Mike Baldwin from his factory back in the day.

Of course, there's the Rovers. You really couldn't have a tour without that. Everyone gets to post for an official photo behind the bar. You can purchase them later in the gift shop for 7.50 pounds or two for 10. They print them about an 8x10 (A4) size with a nice souvenir folder for it. They will also put them on a usb stick for 8.50 I think. We managed to bag a seat in one of the famed booths while the guide chatted to us and group members took their turns behind the bar.

You then get a look at the production "nerve center" where the control panels and sound boards are, before waiting behind the door that's the entrance on the set into the Bistro. A few last minute words and they welcome you to Coronation Street and you are outside on the famed cobbles where you can spend as much time as you like wandering about and taking photos. You were not allowed to take them inside the studios because it slows down the process through the tour and there are other groups not long behind you.

Also inside the studio are displays that you can look at. That's a bit of a complaint for me. The displays are great. There are some costumes on display like Jack's jacket, Roy's jacket, some wedding dresses like Becky's pink frothy one. Hayley's flowered coffin is there as is one other one that has been used for quite a few funerals. Down further is Roy's train set complete with the hills and the little castle Hayley gave Roy. There's a glass case with iconic character trademarks like Hilda's rollers, Ena's hairnet and Deirdre's big 1970s glasses among other things. My complaint is that you really can't stop and have a good look. It's all pointed out as you walk by on to another set or room.

I think if the tours were every 20 minutes instead of every 10, you'd have that little bit of extra time to stop and look at the photos, displays and the award case. I've also been spoiled because the two times I have been fortunate to have backstage tours, they were private tours so there was no rush and we could stop and take photos  where we liked.

The guides are all very knowledgable and the one we had was very personable as well. He knew his stuff though I still could have told him a few bits and pieces. I didn't reallly get the chance but I've amassed a lot of interesting trivia over the years. One that occurred to me was when I saw the old red rotary dial telephone in the display case that was Elsie Tanner's phone. There has been a red telephone in the set of number 11 (now the Grimshaw residence) ever since. Watch for it.

I've been on the set before but it never gets old. I try to make sure I can get photos of things that have changed since the last time I was there. We walked around, explored down the ginnel, around on Victoria Street and had a peek into Sally's back garden. The medical centre at the Rosamund street end of the outdoor set has the gift shop in it and you can see from leftover signs that it was not just used as the medical centre waiting room, but also some hospital areas. In the shop are the two snowmen that were built for Roy and Hayley as well.

The gift shop itself doesn't really have a lot of merchandise and they've filled it out with some Manchester souvernirs. Perhaps as the summer moves on into high tourist season they'll be better stocked as it has only just opened less than a week ago. Much of the Corrie related items are Enesco products including the lovely Lilliput Lane miniature replicas of some of the houses and businesses.

For Corrie Fans, if you can get to Manchester this summer, it's definitely worth it. We were waiting in the cafe after the tour for the Conversation Street podcasters, Michael and Gemma, (See their tour photos here on Facebook) and one man was fairly bouncing he was so excited to get on the cobbles. I really love seeing people so excited and eager because I know what it feels like that first time, it really is magic. The cafe is inside the studio property but outside where you go into the studio. A bit pricey as you might expect and not very fancy but it's a good place to wait until your tour starts or have a cuppa and wind down after.


There are more tour reviews from others over on the Coronation Street Blog here.

 Gemma and Michael from Conversation Street

Tickets are available at Ticketmaster

More of my photos are here.

State of the Street - March 2014

Peter and Tina really are a car crash. She's so naive and she really thought that once they both said those three little words, everything would move forward without a hitch. He'd leave Carla. They would be together. Happy Families. Ha! You can tell she's not been around too many blocks. Liz knows, the true voice of experience. Steph knows and she's even less experienced than Tina. (I think). Peter was happy as Larry. Well, of course he was. He's got it all, a beautiful wife and a beautiful mistress. He's lying so much I'm surprised he keeps it all straight. But then he's good at it.

I don't think we were ever meant to support Tina and Peter as a couple. It's clear he was just infatuated by a pretty face and she's not the love of his life. It's clear they don't have the chemistry that he had with Leanne and Carla. Tina was always meant to be his bit on the side and he's rapidly tiring of her but he's backpedalling furiously trying to keep Tina on side so that Tina doesn't tell Carla. That's why he's hanging on, now, I think.

I wonder if Carla will suspect before it all comes out? After all, she was in Tina's shoes and heard all those lies when she was the mistress and Leanne was the wife. It really does all come around full circle. Ah, but she's distracted by the time it starts getting heavier. She's pregnant! Now what? She prevaricated for several weeks and was nearly determined to have a termination but backed out at the last minute and the month ends with her telling Peter who looked shocked as hell. Now he's got a mistress and a pregnant wife!

Kind of thought that would happen. She really doesn't think she could be a parent and I'm sure down deep she's still scared to bits and it will be a very uphill battle for her to get her head around motherhood. I hope they don't make her an instant Earth Mother when she sees that baby. I want her to have a difficult adjustment. I want to see her struggle and for it not to go away in a few months. I want to see her fiercely love that baby but despair of ever getting it right and scared that she'll damage her child the way her mother damaged her. I want to see her succeed against her fears and better judgement. I think Carla can do it.

I still don't trust Tony and neither does anyone else. Even Liz says he's got his measure but it doesn't put her off. Tony proved he does have a dodgy side still, by stealing the tools from the other builder that Kal's dad hired thereby allowing Jason to get the refit back. He's even getting help from Tony which makes sense, I guess, because I doubt very much Jason is a qualified electrician so he'd have to hire one anyway. It's amazing that the gym was nearly finished in a matter of weeks with a total renovation by just two guys, or so it seemed.

Steve likened Liz and Tony to a car crash as did a few others and Tony played the heavy and warned Steve off. I don't think Tony will do anything to Liz directly but I imagine she'll find out about him doing something dodgy, letting Jason down, and kick him to the curb. The actor is very good, though, and the storyline is interesting to watch.

After Gary nearly killed Phelan, or at least gave him a nasty bruise, Phelan has them just where he wants them. No profit for you! Pushing and winding up Gary and Owen both is not going to help matters. Gary will be pushed to the edge I reckon. This building deal is going to get very messy. I think Owen will get back the money he put into it by contract, but that's it and he might not even get that if he starts trying to rip off Phelan and gets caught at it. Gary didn't get caught breaking into the house but something's bound to give.

I speculate that Phelan is going to end up really dead the next time but though it will likely be Gary or Owen accused, I also speculate that the "expendable crew member", aka the real killer, will turn out to be his wife, Valerie. I'm still enjoying the storyline, too. Phelan is such a watchable villain that even though it's frustrating watching Anna, Gary and Owen blunder around like idiots, i don't mind!

Now a few short notes: I like Steph. A lot. She's a bit dim but she's turning into a loyal friend and can tell you some home truths when you need it. I wonder how she learned all that at such a tender age? Inquiring minds want to know. I like her bother Luke so far, too. He could be a good addition to the show depending on what they do with him. I'm not overly bothered that Kevin's back. I hope they keep Sally and Tim together and give Kevin a new direction. Sally and Kevin are so over. While the actress playing Maddie is very good, I really hate the pairing with Sophie. If Jenna and Sophie had nothing in common, Maddie and Sophie have even less. There's no chemistry and we've done the redemption of the down and out girl with Becky and even Kylie.

I could understand Todd keeping his relationship with Marcus a secret from Sean as a kindness since they used to be together, but only if Todd were serious about Marcus, which he isn't and only if Todd were a truly kind and thoughtful person. Which he's not. And now Todd has successfully proven his point, that he could get Marcus back to the "dark" side. He's making out that he really cares about Marcus but I don't buy it. Ok. To be fair, maybe he's developed a bit of a crush but it certainly wasn't that way to begin with and I'm glad Marcus figured out straight away that Todd was playing games with him. Will he still end up with Todd? I don't know, possibly, but not for long I shouldn't think.

Maria is in bits after yet another disastrous relationship and this one looked like it might actually work out. Marcus is certainly one of the nicest men she's ever been with, other than Tyrone. The rest have all be selfish, in love with someone else, or even, in Tony's case, murderous. Many of them had an agenda and probably Marcus did too, because he wanted the family but I believe he truly does love Maria. It was never meant to be.

And finally, it seems we're going to see the end of Stella, she who used to be the Mistress of Beighe and has turned into the Black Almost-Widow. Have you noticed? I wonder if the Powers That Be  have switched her wardrobe from mostly beige to mostly black for a reason. It seems to have happened after the Karl calamity. She's not been a favourite of most fans. I can't say I hated her as much as some but she never gelled for me. I, like many, resented the fact that she was pushed into every storyline in an attempt to get the viewers to like her and get used to her. Instead, it felt like she was intruding, especially when Betty died. Since Betty Driver had mostly been off screen, we never bought that Stella and Betty made friends because we never saw them on screen together. Logically, of course, they would have but nobody accepted it.

I wasn't a fan of the actress herself, her methods and acting style. I found her lacking in emotional scenes and that whispery little voice drove me nuts. Funny, though, when I think of that, Gail's voice doesn't bother me and it's fairly whispery most of the time, too, but Gail is a far more interesting character.  I also felt kind of bad for Janice Battersby who raised Leanne and never gets so much as a mention anymore. She may be off screen, but Leanne did used to speak her name now and then, or call her. Janice did all the hard work raising Leanne, not Stella.

I did like her and Gloria together as mother and daughter and I thought that worked, though that could have a lot to do with Sue Johnston who has chemistry in buckets. I enjoyed Gloria but she was very underused. I also love Eva and I hope she stays with the show. She's a great character.

But Stella?

I won't miss her.

Flavour of the Month

There's news over the weekend that Kym Marsh has signed on to Corrie for another year. No big deal, you would think, but the unnamed anonymous "inside" source spoke to the media saying that Michelle, Kym's character, is the very center of Coronation Street and everyone is pleased she's staying on. Um. I would beg to differ there but the thing is, sources like that are usually an agent or publicity spin doctor paid by the actor, at least, that's what I think. For nearly the entire time that Ms. Marsh has been on Coronation Street, we've seen her face plastered in the newspapers, photo shoots, on every red carpet and carpets of all colours. She's very good at getting her name and face out there.

Then you remember that Michelle has been the focus of a great many storylines in the past. For a year or two there, it really did feel like Michelle was the center of the show but it wasn't in a good way. It was overkill and Corrie seems to be doing a lot of that lately. They really over-use a character to the point where most of the fans are truly sick of them and it turns them off the character.

I never had a problem with Michelle at first, she wasn't an actor that would win major acting awards but she wasn't that bad either. But then it started. She was everywhere though not shoved into everyone else's storyline as well, like they did with Stella Price, at least. It culminated in the very ill-conceived (and yes, pun very much intended) storyline about her biological son being switched in the hospital with another. The Ryan/Alex storyline was awful and although it's been completely swept under the rug by the writers, fans remember and wonder why Michelle never contacts her biological son on his birthday and why a stroppy Ryan never screamed "You're not my real mother" back when he and she were feuding.

After that, Michelle took a back seat for awhile and it was All Becky All the Time. Again, overusing the character but for me, in this case, I liked Becky and Katherine Kelly a lot more so it didn't bother me. It was a bone of contention for a lot of fans, however, and Ms. Kelly's face wasn't plastered over the media nearly as much as Ms. Marsh's. This isn't a new phenomenon though.

If you think back to the 1990s, you may recall an actress called Tracy Shaw who played Maxine Heavy Peacock. She was the first media darling that I remember and she was all over the tabloids. There were rumours that she herself was the "anonymous" source for some of the stuff that got into the papers.

Another point that seems to crop up with these women is that, as an actor, their skills are not that strong. Some were/are better than others but most of them, when they decide to leave the show to persue other projects, don't really get very far. It's a testement to their ability, not their popularity, that they make a successful career outside Coronation Street, like Katherine Kelly, Sarah Lancashire (Raquel) and another former favourite of mine, Suranne Jones. The rest spend some time working the media then fade quietly away.

At the moment, Helen Flanagan, who played Rosie Webster, seems to be her own publicity machine and making sure her name, face and body are a staple of the salivating tabloids and social media. She wanted to be famous. She is, but it's for her face and figure, not for all those acting jobs that haven't really appeared yet. She, too, will eventually fade as the flavour of the month turns to a new face.

Some of the women realize their limits and stay with Coronation Street as long as they can. The security is good, whether or not they like to keep their name in the spotlights. Most of them, in fact, keep their private lives private though disappointingly, even the ones that seem the most sincere still end up selling their stories or their wedding/baby pics to one of the glossier magazines. It's that last bit that kind of makes me feel let down. Sometimes, they do have a message to tell, like when Sally Dynevor went through her cancer treatements. Seeing her story in Hello magazine got her message of hope and survival out to a lot of people and that is a good thing. Selling your wedding photos offsets the cost of your big day and that just feels cheap.

I guess I've got off track a bit I hate pandering to the media and the ones that do it the most deserve it the least. I certainly think a lot less of the actors that do it and when the Powers that Be shove a character down our throats in storyline after storyline, especially silly storylines that make no sense, only serve to make us sick of them, not love them more and it's moreso when it's an actor that isn't up to the workload nine times out of ten.

Here's what I think about Corrie lately

Owen has insisted that Tina get a roommate to help her make her rent payments. I don't think he has the right and she certainly should have the right to say no, I can make the rent on my own. And what happened to the money she seemed to have leftover? Maybe that's what she's been using to pay the rent. I like Steph, though, I do. Tina's being very rude to her so far but then we know why. She won't have a convenient place to have clandestine meetings with Peter.

It's a never ending reality check for Tina. Just as she says, it's a truth she doesn't want to hear but she hears it straight from a loved up Carla's lips when she was gushing to Michelle about how romantic her husband is. She won't listen to Liz, the voice of experience. She pretends to her friends that her mate is having a fling with a married man and gets a dose of their disapproval, too. She sort of defends her friend and sort of agrees it'll end in tears. 

She tells him she loves him and he can't say a word. Why does she put up with it? Because every time she tries to back off, he turns on the charm and draws her back in and he will this time, too. He's like most every bloke that's cheating. He wants it both ways and doesn't want his wife to find out because he never had any intentions of leaving her.

The Windass disaster is holding my interest, too. Phelan is a wonderful villain and something Michael and Gemma from Conversation Street podcast said this week had me nodding my head in agreement. When Phelan came out of the shadows, all cocky and ready for revenge was a Jez Quigley moment. I think Phelan is probably what Jez would have been had he lived to middle age.

The Windass family is already imploding in on themselves, blaming each other but especially Gary. Really, though, if Anna hadn't kept secret the fact that Phelan came on to her, none of this would have happened. We know we're seeing the slippery end of this and it's going to roll downhill faster than a plastic toboggan on ice and I speculate that Phelan could very well end up dead. Who might be the culprit? My money's on his wife.

She's a fierce thing and may get to the point where she's just had enough of his manipulation and womanizing. She's great, too, though, isn't she? She's hard as nails, calculating and uncompromising. She is fully aware of her husband's shortcomings and sticks with him, probably for the perks and status she gets in her big home. But there has to be money worries if he's had bankruptcy problems even if he manages to slip out of it with loopholes.

Most people seem to really dislike Maddie and Sophie's storyline because most people seem to dislike Sophie herself. I don't mind her and I don't mind the storyline but what I do find fun to watch is Sally's reactions to it all. I also find Tim's reactions interesting. It seems to me he and Sophie aren't as antagonistic as they were at first and he actually seems quite supportive of her. I think Tim is growing to like Sophie and she might even be warming to him. They could be good allies.

I don't like Tony. I haven't trusted him from the start. No matter how many times he pretends he's just there to get back into Jason's life, I keep siding with Eileen. He's trouble. He's already proved it by sabotaging the new builder and stealing his tools so that Jason could get the job back (and probably worm his way in to helping Jason as well).

I'm not surprised Liz is attracted to him. She even said Tony's a bit rough and we all know that's exactly Liz's type.  Is Eileen jealous? Perhaps a little though I don't think she wants Tony back. I do think perhaps she still fancies him even though she knows all his bad points. And then there's the fact that if he gets involved with Liz, that's more reason Tony has to stick around, upsetting everyone.

There does seem to be a bit of a turn around in the comedy lately. Deirdre playing peacemaker and referee between Eileen and Liz was good. She's right, they're all too long in the tooth to fall out over men! I also laughed at Steve trying to be romantic after Michelle went a bit green over Peter's apparent generosity with Carla. Steve hasn't got a clue about romance, does he? I continue to fail to understand what Michelle sees in Steve and why she continues to stay with him if all she can do is criticize him.

I felt bad for Dev fancying Stella and getting the wrong end of the stick, and ending up making a fool of himself in front of all his friends. I really did think he and Stella would have a fling but i guess that's not going to happen. It looks like Stella is giving Kal the eye and it looks like Kal is giving Leanne the eye. Three guesses how this one is going to come out.

So there you have a few comments I've had running around in my head over the past week or two. I'm actually enjoying the show quite a lot. Even though I hate the Peter and Tina pairing, it's a classic triangle storyline and it's playing out pretty much the way you would expect, with Peter ducking and lying and diving and all the predictable ups and downs that Tina's having as she deals with the reality of being the other woman.

State of the Street - February 2014

Creepfest this month with Pat Phelan sliming all over Anna every chance he gets. Does he really think Anna wants him and is just playing games or is it just him trying to convince himself? Is he really one of those men that thinks they're God's Gift to women and no woman could possibly NOT want him? And of course, since they do, he'd be glad to spread himself around. I suppose his wife is used to it. But here's the thing, even though it's his wife's name on all the contracts, he's got considerable pull and he could pull, all right, the rug right out from under the Windasses. That is, if he's alive. The month ended with him doing a face plant in the dirt after Gary thwacked him with a pipe. But, then, he did disappear and he couldn't have done that unless he managed to drag his sorry behind under his own steam. I don't think this will end well.

But having said that, isn't Pat Phelan a great bad guy? He's really got that abhorrent personality, manipulative, forceful, and he's a total ... to be blunt, asshole. The actor is doing a really good job, I must say. He's very believable. 

Roy went into a tailspin after burying Hayley and disappeared for two weeks. Poor man. You know he can't stand people fussing over him and I reckon that bit of alone time was what he needed. He hasn't dealt well with Hayley's decision to end her life before nature did it for her and that's a hard thing to come to terms with. Now he's got to find a way to make a life for himself alone. Hayley sent a present from beyond the grave, some pieces to a train set and that seems to have sparked his interest, at least, and he's going to immerse himself in train tracks for awhile. Whatever gets you through the night, eh?

Todd has been slowly insinuating himself into Marcus' thoughts and he finally broke through. The flirting and doe-eyed smiles appealed to Marcus' lust and he gave in to his attraction to Todd. Nobody can  understand why Marcus would fall for such a manipulative toady but it happens all the time. People seem to often be attracted to the "bad boy/girl", someone that is nasty or treats them like dirt, that element of danger, sometimes. Todd isn't dangerous, not in that manner but he's certainly got Marcus' number. He felt that Marcus was with Maria more for the little family than anything else and he was determined to rise to the challenge of breaking Marcus and Maria up just because he thought he could. And it looks like it will happen.

Affairs always come out. Marcus is going to be broken all right and he's going to feel like the worst kind of fool when he realizes Todd doesn't love him, he was using him to prove a point. Maria's going to be heartbroken. She's made the wrong choice yet again. Audrey will have puddles of tears to mop up yet again.

Dev's gone into business with Kal but Kal couldn't finance his part of it and brought his father into the mix and that's going to be trouble. Kal's dad, Sharif, is a ruthless businessman in the mold of Mike Baldwin from the old days, I think. Dev is too much of a softie to stand up to him so poor old Jason got the shaft on doing the work for the gym and that's down to his father Tony. Families! Meanwhile, Tony and Liz keep making eyes across the bar. Eileen told her Tony was trouble and that only piqued Liz's interest. You know she likes them bad! (see above)

Dennis has flown the coop after a dip into the music business and an infatuation with Gloria. You can hardly blame him on that score. Rita has been treating him like a child since they married and harping and bitching at him even more since he started his music project. Why not let him do a sideline in a business he has had his fingers in many times over the years? If she'd been more supportive from the start, he might not have fallen for Gloria's charms but now, facing a long and dull future as Rita's pet behind the Kabin counter, he bolted.

There are rumours he may be back and if that's true, I hope she doesn't take him back. He doesn't deserve it, even if just for the way he left her, right out of the blue with only a wave from the car on the way past. That really was cruel and Rita didn't deserve that.

And we come to Peter and Tina. I really have noticed that they're making Peter really look his age, nearly 50. The hairline is receding and they're styling his hair to really show it off. It makes the different between he and Tina look even more pronounced and he looks more like a dirty old man as a result. He is acting like a dog, too, isn't he? He's really playing Tina, smoothly lying to both she and Carla. Tina's falling in love and thinks he is too. No, he's not. He's in lust. He's a Barlow.

I can't help feel that if Ken had been here, huffing and puffing, sighing over Peter's folly, this might not have happened. By the time Ken returns, it'll be too late. It is already, since the deed has already been done. Several times. I wonder if anyone had warned Carla, "If he runs *with* you, he'll run *on* you" because Peter is doing exactly that and I hope Leanne gets to say I Told You So.

Marcus and Todd up a tree

Like the prodigal son, Todd came back. Todd came back in disgrace and he's changed. Not for the better. When we first met Todd Grimshaw, he was a gentle, nice boy without a malicious bone in his body. He tried to do the right thing, make his Mum proud, and do what was expected but it just wasn't in him. He gave it all up for a girl, and then gave all that up for a boy.

Todd realized and accepted he was gay but in the wake of that discovery, his life and that of lover Sarah's was looking like ground zero after the wars. He left for That London to make a new life. Turns out that new life wasn't quite the climb up the ladder of success that he thought it would be. We saw a glimpse of that when he returned with posh Jules in tow. Todd was acting very snobby, trying to be like Jules but Jules took him down a peg or two for disrespecting his family.

Todd and humble apparently had a parting of the ways. He's back in Weatherfield, tail between his legs, having turned into a manipulator and a user. His mum is not proud and can see it as much as it pains her to admit it. He's been using people for jobs, drinks and money and now he seems to be using Marcus. He strung Sean along for a bit before letting him down and started making eyes at Marcus. But we can see that he's not falling for Marcus and indeed, he admitted to Eileen at one point that it was more of a challenge. He didn't think a gay man could have a successful relationship with a woman and seems out to prove it.

Enter Marcus. He's a lovely bloke. He is gay and still insists that is true even though he's fallen in love with Maria though to be honest, it's probably more about the little family package he so badly wanted. Still, it must be working in all aspects of the relationship. She seems happy enough and all loved up. But the clouds are on the horizon and it looks like Maria's about to realize she's chosen wrong yet again.

Todd started off flirting with Marcus and he's continued to make inroads. It seems like Marcus is starting to warm to Todd. Why doesn't he see that Todd is a scheming toady? And why hasn't Eileen warned him yet? She's fully aware that Todd is playing with Marcus.

Todd is a very good looking man. Marcus would have to be blind if he hasn't noticed. And when a good looking man chats you up and it seems like they really fancy you, it's flattering. You may develop a crush, an infatuation, and under those circumstances, you don't usually look at the negative traits. After all, Bad Boys (or Girls, depending on your choice) are always more attractive, right? They have that element of danger, of excitement. I wouldn't really class Todd as a Bad Boy. I'm going to be blunt here. He's just an asshole. But a lot of people are still attracted to assholes as much as or even more often than Bad Boys. Unfortunately true.

I know Todd "confessed" to Sean that he was falling for someone but I don't believe it's true. He's using Sean again, knowing that Sean, as Marcus' ex, doesn't approve of M&M. When Todd lures Marcus away and back to the gay bus and Maria's heart is broken, Marcus is going to lose that family he treasures. Todd will be triumphant and have no further use for Marcus who will be humiliated that he was suckered by Todd into his schemes and Sean will probably be used to engineer the discovery. The scales will fall from the eyes of all concerned and Todd will be the Street "pirhana" (Les Battersby reference, there. Anyone remember that?).

Will that change Todd? Will it 'eck. He'll smugly revel in the chaos he's caused, if the actor is planning on staying. If not, he'll swiftly fade into the night in a black cab in disgrace. At this point, as far as we know, the actor is staying so I wouldn't bet on that second scenario. He will likely stick around to cause more embarassment to his old Mum.

As much as I don't like Todd, I don't mind this storyline. I know it's facilitating Charlie Condou's exit but even if it wasn't, it's a good storyline, I think. Or maybe it's like watching a tram crash. Either way, it's holding my interest. That might be contrary to a lot of viewers but that's ok. To each their own, right? I'm waiting to see the inevitable fallout to see if I'm guessing correctly, and poor Maria, another lousy relationship up the pipes. She's far too naive when it comes to men, isn't she? Kirk will look properly disgusted at Todd and Marcus and Audrey will have her work cut out for her supporting Maria again, mmm???

State of the Street - January 2014

Peter, cold hearted cheating manipulating bastard. Loves and is in love with his wife, but like a dog in heat. Tina is only infatuated no matter what she herself thinks and he knows it. He's  using it, pouring on the charm so that she won't leave town. She tried but she left anyway but I'm sure she'll be back. She can't stay away. Just as well she left before Hayley died so we didn't have to have that distract us from the important stuff.


Hayley went downhill very quickly from New Year and it was so hard to watch. Only the actors themselves and some top notch writing kept me glued to the screen, tears often streaming down my face. Talk about pulling out all the stops! We've been through a month of an amazing story, top notch performances and writing and it isn't over.

At the end of the month. Fiz has discovered the truth of the timing of Hayley's death. I've read that some fans were angry that Fiz made it all about her at first but wouldn't you do the same? Wouldn't you react that way to find out someone that close to you decided to die at their own chosen time and didn't tell you? That's the kind of reaction people have to the suicides of their loved ones and add to that the fact that two people knew and didn't stop her? If you'll pardon the pun, that is a very bitter pill to swallow.

But I loved the scene between Carla and Fiz with Carla gently making Fiz understand and later, Roy explaining Hayley's true motivation. Fiz is coming around to it but Roy is not only angry, he's resentful as hell. We weren't sure he wasn't going to blow the whistle at the funeral but he didn't and he made as touching and as appropriate a speech as he did at their wedding. It doesn't mean he's over it though because he's gone walkabout. I'm surprised he's not been sleepwalking and maybe we'll see a recurrence of it in the weeks to come as he grapples with it.

Some thoughts on the funeral episodes:

As usual, there's always people glaringly missing. This time, it was Liz. Where was she? Neither Todd nor Eva was there. Todd I can understand, but Eva worked with Hayley. I guess David and Kylie kept the salon open and the Price lot kept the Bistro going so that's fair enough. I guess the corner shop was closed during the funeral because everyone else possible that could have been working was somewhere else. The Kabin was clearly closed as was the Garage and factory. No Owen or Gary that I saw. Odd that they wouldn't be there to support Anna. Didn't see Marcus or Maria either but maybe they were working as well. I thought, even though Rob had to keep the shop open, we might have seen a scene somewhere this week where he gave his sister a hug of comfort.

Funeral music. Don't Stop Me Now by Queen? I guess that's appropriate considering she wouldn't let Roy talk her out of taking her own life. But she touched Roy's heart with a Bach violin concerto because he thought it was the perfect duet. Just like them. "Close to You" as a singsong at the wake was heartbreaking. Nice, but just that little bit too much for Roy I think. I think it would have been better, though, to have Chesney as a pallbearer rather than Beth. She didn't quite fit in, for me. And laughed at Sally squabbling about being a bearer but only because she was put at the back. It was nice that Sean was one of them, too. Roy brought his satchel to the service. It seems to be his security blanket, doesn't it?

On with the show...

Kylie also hit rock bottom and when did David grow up? Man, even though he went off the rails last year, he sure pulled himself together after the shock of what happened to Nick. It was clear, as he said, that Kylie couldn't forgive David because she couldn't forgive herself and once she could admit that, it seems like she and David will rebuild their life together. I've really enjoyed this whole storyline in the whole year it's been ongoing. It's not over, because Nick is still dealing with his recovery which I feel has been shown quite well. Leanne's bruises lasted far longer than most bruises on the show and served as a daily reminder to Nick that he's damaged the one he loves the most.

Meanwhile Nick has managed to push Leanne away and is now walking around like a sulky child. It's your bed, mate, you lie in it. He's going to push her right into someone else's bed, I reckon and I figure it's going to be Kal's. I like him. I think he could be good for Leanne, as well. I know you should support your husband/wife through better, worse, sickness and health and she tried but it just wore her out. Gail's going around blaming Leanne and ranting that she should have stuck with Nick no matter what and Nick was only testing her when he said he was leaving. Then she That's not a bluff anyone should try if they don't want to lose and maybe that's exactly what he was doing, going by his miserable sour face after she let him leave. But it's too bad. He asked for it.

And while we're at it, as everyone else is pointing out, if Nick's too volatile to live with Simon, why is it ok for him to be around Max and a baby? Never mind, he's going back to the flat and Gail's even more upset because she's blaming Leanne that Nick is leaving mummy now! Is anyone else getting creeped out?


So Beth, Kirk, Craig and the caged rat are moving in with Chesney and Sinead and sometimes Joseph. Where are they putting everyone? That's a two bedroom house and they do this all the time in the Street, Someone's going to have to sleep on the sofa, and it's going to have to be Craig unless he's kipping in the old outhouse in the back yard. Same thing down the street where Leanne and Simon are moving in with Stella, Gloria and Eva.

Character Study: Nicholas Paul Tilsley

Nicholas, or Nick as we all now know him, is the oldest son and firstborn child of Gail Potter Tilsley Platt Hillman McIntyre, or Gail, to make life easier. Gail married Brian Tilsley, the son of "Saint" Ivy Tilsley (later Brennan) in 1979 and as per usual for soap characters, didn't wait too long to get pregnant. Nick was born on New Year's Eve, 1980 looking into 1981.

The character of Nick has had three heads over the course of his lifetime. Warren Jackson played him from infant to mid teens. Adam Rickett was cast after Nick returned from finishing his schooling in Canada, hoping his pinup good looks would draw in the younger viewers. He stayed a few years, left and returned for a few more before taking off for New Zealand and made a name for himself in a soap there called Shortland Street.  While on Corrie, Adam had a lot to learn about acting and let's just leave it at that. Ben Price is the current Nick, having arrived at Christmas 2009. Coincidentally, Nick Tilsley was born on Dec. 31. Ben Price's birthday is January 1 though he's older than Nick is by 9 years and, to be honest, looks it! Never mind. He's done well as Nick.

Nick was the golden boy, blonde and blue eyed as a child and young adult and the apple of Granny Ivy's eye even if she didn't approve of Gail's motherhood methods. She was apalled when Gail decided to go back to work at the caff and marraige to Brian had many ups and downs though Brian did love his son. During a rocky patch, Gail had an affair with his cousin and about the time she and Brian got back together, she realized she was pregnant and wasn't sure who the father was. When that all came out, Brian left her and took Nick with him, even though the baby, daughter Sarah Louise, was proven to be his. Brian did forgive Gail and they remarried in 1988 but it didn't really go well. After another row, Brian went clubbing and got stabbed to death while trying to stop some thugs from bothering a woman.

At the age of 8, Nick had lost his beloved dad and had a difficult time adjusting.  This was one of the first storylines I remember when I started watching the show in 1989. By the end of that year, Gail had taken up with Martin Platt whom she married. Nick didn't mind Martin and agreed he wouldn't mind being adopted. Granny Ivy was horrified that her precious grandchildren, the last connection to her beloved Brian, would not carry his name. She held it against Gail for the rest of her life.

Nick entered his teenage years with a growth spurt and an attitude problem. He ran away once but came back a few weeks later, broke. He and Martin clashed many times and he seemed to resent Martin's authority when, of course, he wasn't Nick's "real" dad.

When Ivy died, she left her house to Nick on the proviso that he change his name back to Tilsley. Nick felt very entitled, thinking that, at the tender age of 15, he could live in his own house but Gail put her foot down. She did allow him to take back the name Tilsley because he wanted that but she sold the house to Ivy's husband, Don and saved the money for Nick's education. With all the stress and rowing, Gail and Martin's marraige was suffering. When they went to Canada with her new-found brother, Stephen, Nick decided to stay there and go to school. Gail seemed relieved at the distance and Nick seemed to be happy.

About a year later, Nick (now played by Adam Rickett) returned for Don's funeral, having completed his schooling and now was looking forward to some kind of post-secondary college or uni, at least, that's what Gail hoped for. Nick, now nearly grown, handsome and full of hormones, laid eyes on teenage tearaway, Leanne Battersby and fell in love. Leanne would prove to be the love of his life over time but not just yet. The Battersby family were not well liked and thought of as common. Gail was not amused to find that her son had taken up with Leanne but there wasn't much she could do about it. The young couple ran away to Scotland to get married. They kept it secret for a few weeks but it came out as secrets do and Gail was furious that Nick was on his way to ruining his life.

Cue further aggro and tension between mother and son. Never mind. Nick and Leanne settled into married life and lodged at Number 4 with Ashley Peacock. Leanne seemed to take to marraige well and matured while Nick still seemed more self centered.

He nearly got her into a bad situation when he contacted the man in prison who killed his father but pretended he was pretty young Leanne writing so the man would not recognise his name. When released, that man came looking for him and found Leanne but in the end, everyone was safe and by breeching parole, he was back in jail. Nick also did some life modelling at the art college to make extra money and found himself at the hands of a sexy art teacher. He stayed faithful but he flirted just the same and Leanne didn't like it one bit.

The ultimate end came when Leanne found herself pregnant. Nick was adamant that he was not ready to be a father and insisted that she have an abortion. She did, but the marraige broke down anyway. Nick left for Canada to work for his uncle Stephen and Leanne did not go with him.

Nick returned several years later, when his mother married Richard Hillman. He had a fling with Maria Sutherland whom he persuaded to return to Canada with him but  he worked long hours and neglected her so she came back. He didn't return again for another 2 years and soon found himself in a brief fling with Candice, a friend of his sister Sarah and then he took up with Maria again. He worked for Mike Baldwin for a short while, saving the life of his former mother-in-law Janice from a factory fire.

Leanne did her best to break them up because Maria had stolen Leanne's sister's boyfriend but Nick and Maria nearly got married anyway. It was not to be. He took a job in Nottingham without talking to her and she decided he was too selfish and she wanted to stay in Weatherfield. That was that.

In 2009, Nick returned to Weatherfield with a new face (Ben Price). He was almost 30, single and a grown-up business man now. He seems to have developed a somewhat ruthless streak as befits his new image, possibly taking a page out of Mike Baldwin's book, or trying to at least. He decided he wanted to buy into Underworld and when Carla refused, he used machinist Kelly Crabtree to steal information, using bribery and flattery. When he finally gets his hooks into the factory, Carla made him fire Kelly!

About this time, his mother was on trial for murdering her husband, Joe McIntyre. Joe had actually attempted to fake his own death and was accidentally killed but the police weren't buying it. Nick let his brother David talk him into bribing a witness and Nick took the money from Underworld to do it. Not a good move. He and Carla were on the outs but after Tony Gordon burned down the factory and Carla fled to L.A., Nick pulled the machinists together and set up the factory in the premises under the viaduct where ex-wife Leanne had tried to open a bar. Carla returned, took back her factory and there ensued a war with Nick over the staff and business contracts. They eventually settled their differences and Nick took the money and ran.

He ended up buying the bar premises and persuaded Leanne to help him open it as the Bistro. He still had old feelings for her and it turned out, probably due to pre-wedding (to Peter Barlow) jitters, so did she. They launched into an affair that came to a head just before her wedding. Nick was going to tell Peter about the affair but before he could, the Bistro caught fire, exploded and sent a passing tram crashing down over their heads. Peter nearly died and Leanne married him in hospital, much to Nick's anguish.

Nick, selfish as always, decided Peter wasn't good enough for Leanne and started a campaign to lure recovering alcoholic Peter, who was temporarily paralysed, into drinking again, hoping it would push Leanne away for good and back to him. Peter found out about the affair that happened months before and jilted Leanne at the altar when they were going to renew their vows. Nick's glee was short lived though, because Peter and Leanne made up even though Carla was waiting in the wings, just in case.

Nick continued to keep his eye on Leanne but dated hairdresser Natasha for awhile since the one he really wanted was unavailable. Natasha knew Nick was still drawn to Leanne so just when Nick was going to break up with her, she told him she was pregnant. She was but Nick wanted nothing to do with the baby so she had a termination. When Nick had second thoughts about the baby, Natasha pretended she was still pregnant. That lasted a short while until Gail blew the secret out of the water, having snooped in Natasha's medical records. Natasha attempted suicide but Nick found her and got her help in time. He begged forgiveness but knowing he didn't really love her, Natasha walked away.

Nick also had a brief fling with Becky McDonald after her marraige to Steve fell apart, horrifying Gail but Becky and Nick agreed they really would be better off as friends. Still, when Becky found herself drunk and alone on Christmas and caused a fire in her flat, it was Nick that pulled her out, saving her life.

Nick dated Eva Price for awhile but eventually she realized he really wasn't that into her and finally, after Peter and Leanne broke up over his affair with Carla Connor, he got the girl he really wanted.

Leanne seemed to lean back to Nick in rebound and though she insisted she loved Nick, still had a last minute wobble over Peter on her Christmas wedding day to him. Nick, hurt and angry, jilted her but soon forgave her when she professed her feelings for him profusely. They got married and seem to be strong together, now.

>But here's the thing. On that aborted wedding day, Nick and David's wife, Kylie, had a drunken one night stand. Kylie's baby could be Nick's and David has been wreaking havoc taking his revenge on his brother.

In a confrontation, Nick was determined to tell Leanne and everyone else what happened but, panicked, David caused the car nearly to crash. While catching their breath over the near miss, a large truck crashed into them, leaving Nick in a coma. It was a close call and even though most of his physical injuries are healed, he has brain damage that may or may not ever be repaired. He can be surly, stressed and he has trouble holding his temper. He's not himself and Nick is worried he'll hurt Leanne even more than when he lashed out and slapped her on Christmas Day. 

He knows Kylie's baby isn't his and he knows David's part in everything. He can see that Leanne is pulling away from him, though she professes that she still loves him. The disappointment, stress and resentment has added to the personality change caused by the damage. Will Nick pull out of this or will he remain a "bad boy"? I think he will improve over time, gradually but it's going to be an uphill battle for both him and all the people he loves. Whether he will ever forgive David is yet to be known. I'm guessing not.

Nick has always had a selfish streak, most likely because his mother Gail has always treated him like the golden boy who could do no wrong. It's kind of creepy the way she still fawns over him!  Everyone knows Gail can't seem to let go of the apron strings but nobody can really accuse Nick of being a Mama's boy. He respects his mother but is pretty much his own man.

He's been a bit less arrogant in this latest incarnation and his brain injury seems to have humbled him quite a bit. He was never all that close to his sister and brother, mainly due to the age difference and living away from home for much of his adult life but he still felt some degree of loyalty towards them up until now, as far as David is concerned and David has always resented Nick so their relationship will likely  always be difficult.

Whether Nick and Leanne will keep their marraige intact after all the stress remains to be seen. Nick isn't always a very likeable person but he's a good, classic Corrie character.

Thanks to Corriepedia, Corrie.net and several of Daran Little's excellent books.

I'm in floods, me

I've just seen tonight's two episodes, ending with Hayley's death.

All I can say is that it was full of love, pain, dignity and grief. Perfection from David Neilson and Julie Hesmondhalgh. It will break your heart and impress you in equal parts. If they don't win awards for this, there is no justice. That is all.