Jenny and Johnny - I can get behind them

It's increasingly clear that Jenny Bradley and Johnny Connor are headed for a romance. We can already tell they're both starting to fancy each other and Jenny is looking for ways to entice him without making it seem like she's chasing him. "Keep 'em mean, keep 'em keen" is how Kate described the type of women Johnny likes and it seems Jenny is going to take that under advisement.

I don't think she's being underhanded or manipulative as such. Don't we all try to do things that will encourage someone that we are attracted to in order to bring them closer to us? Some people are more obvious about it than others, of course. Peacocks shake their glamourous tailfeathers, many females of the species in the animal world reject or tease the male, and stags lock horns on a mountain top. People really aren't that different.

I like Johnny and I like Jenny. I think she's grown up and matured and the tragedy she went through, losing her child, doesn't seem to have made her angry and ready to lash out like perhaps the younger Jenny might have done. Jenny is getting her spark back and is starting to stand up to bullies like Sally and that's a good thing. Johnny has been around the block a few times, done dodgey things but seems to be a good man at heart. He reminds me a bit of Danny Baldwin, don't you think?

I am pretty sure there is romance in the offing and I hope it lasts longer than a minute or two, like some relationships. I hope they don't put stupid and frustrating obstacles in the way, but it's a soap so I'm probably hoping against hope. I'd like Jenny to have a baby, too, even if Johnny is a bit long in the tooth to take on the responsibilities of being a new dad. I guess I just want Jenny to have a happy ever after, after all the heartache she's been through.

Time will tell.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

State of the Street - April 2016

Carla did manage to give Tracy the smack she's had coming for a long time and Robert is starting to put his foot down. I think, or I hope that the scales are falling from his eyes, especially after she admitted all she'd done to Carla and to get him the Bistro. I really don't understand why he keeps allowing himself to be persuaded into taking Tracy back, by Carla especially who's only desperate to keep Nick from finding out. I really have disliked this storyline.

While it's marginally conceivable that Carla would have had the fling with Robert in the first place, her being in the midst of self destructive mode, it didn't seem all that likely for him to do it even if it was angry with Tracy. But they did. The thing is, I really think that Carla would have gone to Nick and confessed. Maybe not straight away but at least at the first whiff of blackmail wafting off Tracy and then she would have gone straight to Robert to tell him what Tracy was doing. Robert's basically a decent guy overall, making it further mystifying that he would be so over the moon with Tracy. She's not evil, she's just a naughty girl? Don't buy it. Thankfully, the last couple of weeks of the month, Tracy kept herself to herself, heeding Robert's warning to stop harassing Carla and keep her mouth shut.

Sally continues to shine as Councillor Metcalfe with the hapless Tim by her side, often managing to bring her down a few pegs when she gets too high on her horse. She started off targeting her neighbours over the chickens and then the fence. She thought she could use the organizing of Gail's birthday to further her political profile but that didn't really work out. She's alienating Tim by focussing all her priorities on the Council. This might be a repeat storyline. Longtime viewers will recall Ken getting his knickers in a bunch over Deirdre spending extra time on her council duties and neglecting (in his eyes) him and the child Tracy.

Michelle nearly cheated on Steve and pulled back in the nick of time to find out that Steve had arrived home also in the nick of time for her 40th birthday. You can't blame her for feeling put upon all these months, though, with three businesses to oversee. (Mind you, the wedding planning one doesn't seem to be thriving with this being the first client we've seen or heard about in months and months).

I fail to believe, however, that Will has harboured feelings for Michelle from the time he was 14 to now, 25 years later. Surely seeing her fall for the love of her life, Dean, when she was 15 or 16 along with having a baby with him would have shot his heart right off his sleeve in no time flat. At that age, it's bound to. No, I think Will's lovelorn antics has more to do with the fact that he just didn't want to marry Saskia and he was projecting that onto Michelle, the same as she was projecting her loneliness onto Will. He broke up with his fiancee and Michelle was horrified. She did, at least, admit to Carla and to Will that she probably did lead him on a bit. No kidding!

Maria's return with a gay husband who immediately toddled off to London to be with his fella was absolutely ludicrous. I know what Immigration is like and there's no way she would register the marriage and want Pablo to be considered for permanent residency in the UK without a mountain of paperwork and proof that they had a real relationship. You do remember Deirdre's grilling at the airport when her Moroccan toyboy arrived, right? That was much more realistic and in this day and age of heightened security, this would never happen. Ever. Not even close and I hate that.

I'm willing to suspend disbelief to a degree but not all the way down the road to cloud cuckoo land. Why did they have to have Maria come back with any sort of rigamarole? Why couldn't she just come back, full stop? Glad to see you! Missed you so much! Marry me! That's too easy and by the way, did anyone ever tell Maria that Luke was racing after she left, after he promised he wouldn't?

Sarah is not dealing well with new motherhood, is she? She probably would have managed the sleepless nights if she wasn't already haunted by the bones of Callum under the unheated floor of  Gail's "Grannex". I'm pretty sure the baby is picking up on her tension and that's making him even more grizzly and wakeful, too.Babies are funny like that. Top on to that, her high expectations that a Christening would exorcise Callum's spirit from his son and you have a recipe for disaster. She's not out of the woods, yet. Her inability to maintain sanity over this could very well lead to the discovery of the body at some point. It's not a spoiler, it's going to happen because nothing stays secret on a soap for long. It's only a matter of how and when.

Aside from the patch where Paula Lane was on maternity leave last year and the storyline dragged on a bit much, I've been enjoying it a lot. I'm looking forward to seeing how it all comes out.

Tony Stewart has died off screen, throwing Jason into the depths of grief, as it would. He blamed Liz for her schemes which sent him away, heartbroken (literally). This will be just what Phelan needs to get his hands on Jason's business, you just watch and he hasn't wasted any time.  We've already seen him scamming the community centre for business, trashing it and then coming in as the "saviour" except Todd's spidey sense is picking up warning signs. Todd moved back in after Tony died and since Jason wanted him there, Eileen gave in but Phelan, knowing that Todd could very well take any opportunity to undermine him, weasled an invite to move in as well. Maybe Todd will be the one that brings Phelan down. I think Phelan already senses that Todd may be a threat.

Rana and Zeedan are a couple but then Zeedan found out pretty quickly that she's a habitual flirt and let's face it, he's pretty conservative where his views about women are concerned. There's been several scenes where she's been very aggressive and it's even implied that she would like to have sex. He won't do it. He respects her too much and she brushes it off. Now, does that mean she's not a virgin like a single Muslim woman should be? Or is she all bluff? She can't stop flirting, though, regardless.

He's not going to want his girlfriend to be all over other men, now, is he? Most wouldn't like it. I've grown to like Zeedan though I don't particularly like Rana much. However long this will go on and off and on etc, I doubt very much they'll be a long-term couple because they are ultimately very ill-suited to each other. I do like that Zeedan has found his calling in the kitchen as a budding chef. I do hope he's still hanging out with Simon now and then since we haven't seen the lad for awhile. I assume his counselling is working and he's getting his anger under control. Leanne seems far less troubled, as well.

Amy is still pursuing the violin and has made a friend. There has been a case of mistaken assumptions where Liz is presumed to be Amy's mother and of course, that's flattering to Liz so she decided to go along with it. It turns out that the man she's been dating is not Amy's mate's dad but his granddad so the white lies have been told by both sides! I would say that it was unlikely that either one at that age would have a child in early teens, both being just this side of 60 but it is possible. Late pregnancies well into a woman's 40s do happen and men, of course, can father a child at any age. I had a cousin who fathered his children when he was in his forties and was often mistaken for their granddad.

What really does stretch the limits of credibility is that a kid Amy's age still needs to be taken to and picked up from school. She's a year younger than Simon so isn't starting high school until this upcoming new school year, I believe, but surely she's old enough to walk a few blocks to Bessie Street school and old enough to know to watch the traffic. I was walking myself to school from a very young age. Even if life was simpler and safer back then, our parents still warned us about strangers in cars and traffic but left us to it most days unless the weather was really bad.

I do find that children on soaps are often treated like little kids for far longer than necessary. They had Simon crayoning cards for people up to the age of at least 10 when most kids that age these days would be figuring out how to photoshop a digital picture and sending it to the intended recipient or posting it online.

The newest love triangle is shaping up to be Sophie, Kate and Caz. Kate sort of seems to be showing signs of attraction for Sophie but she keeps running back to Caz. I think she started to feel that the commitment Caz wanted was a bit too much too soon. They haven't been together all that long from the sounds of it and long distance or not, you don't want to be jumping into wedded bliss too soon. Sophie definitely has feelings for Kate who is blowing hot and cold with Caz glowering the background now that she's back and injured. She's quite aggressive and jealous, too so there could be trouble on the horizon there. I'm pretty sure they brought Kate in as a partner for Sophie so they'll likely get together eventually.

I like Kate. She might be a bit spoiled as the baby of the family, but she's fun, too and Sophie has always been too serious and needs that in a partner. If they must pair them up, I think they'll work well together, the best partner for Sophie since Sian. Jenna was too old and mature and Maddie was sweet but damaged by her childhood. Time will tell.

Another storyline that's been interesting is Izzy's pain management by using cannabis. Oh, let's just call it what it is. Dope. Grass. Weed. (and any number of other nicknames for it). I live in a country where it can be prescribed medically for people so it really doesn't seem fair that the UK doesn't allow it under most circumstances. Izzy really got her and Gary both in a pickle. Where do  you source it if you don't know someone already? I wasn't surprised Gary knew people but I am surprised that he'd sort out the deal right outside the gym when he knows there would be CCTV and he should have known how Sharif would have felt about it even before Sharif accused him of dealing steroids. He only had to move away from the building a bit further or walked with the dealer to the ginnel.

I'm also not surprised at Anna taking such a judgmental hard line against Izzy for it. Izzy did have one bad "trip" due to probably getting hold of something laced with something nasty, so it's understandable that Anna be upset. I suppose you could make an argument that unless Izzy had a rock solid and safe supply, she could get into that sort of trouble again which *would* put little Jake into jeopardy. Anna just doesn't seem to concede anything, however, and can be very harsh and uncompromising. All in all, an interesting story and something new that we haven't seen before.

I'm thrilled to bits that Billy is starting up his very own storyline. He was great in the Polish slavery storyline with Eva and Aidan and now he seems to be taking front and centre. There's a raggedy looking man badgering him for cash handouts and it's got Billy all hot and bothered under that collar. Uncharacteristically, he even got in the middle of a fight in the bar, breaking it up and shouting the odds. It will be interesting to see where this one's going.



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

State of the Street - March 2016

Pat Phelan has succeeded in ousting Michael from Eileen's bed and inserting himself. He's buddy-buddy with Jason and acting like Everyman, all the while hissing at people like Michael and Anna when nobody can hear. Nobody that dislikes him can out and out prove anything and really, what did Phelan do exactly? Make Michael look like a weak and jealous mug, while presenting himself to Eileen as a real "man's man".

Some of you may ask why he's bothering to stick around in a small back street when he was used to the high flying lifestyle he used to have? Well, it's exactly that. He doesn't have it anymore. He hit bottom. No wife, no job, no money. I think he sees Jason's little business as a foot back in the door, that first baby step to rebuilding his empire. He's sucking up to Jason and to his mother. After all, he needs a place to live since he's likely crashing in a grotty bedsit or on someone's sofa. The mighty may have fallen but the mighty will rise again and he takes the opportunity where he sees it and if he doesn't see the opportunity, he makes it by secret sabotage.

Meanwhile, Anna is still cringing around him and shooting him looks to kill, desperate to get him out of her life while unwilling to tell the truth. In the end, though, Phelan got one step ahead of her and lied that they had a one night stand, an affair. There's just enough truth in that to be believable and it was enough that Kevin still doesn't quite trust Anna so she had to tell him the real truth. All of it. And guess what? He believed her. After all that angst. Sheesh.

What annoys me is that she managed to tell Eileen the truth to "save" her but she wasn't willing to tell Kevin given more than plenty of chances prior to now. Will anyone else believe it, though? Doesn't seem like it, which is odd in a way. But folk on the Street have often been quite willing to turn their backs on someone they've known in preference to someone that's been around 5 minutes.

Billy and Eva were trying to save a poor little Polish girl who got caught up with the wrong people. Marta was brought from Poland to work for the O'Driscoll's, Mrs. O'D being Polish herself.  But they've had her working for no money and they've confiscated her passport. Not the happy new life she thought she'd get and they've threatened her family if she tells the police. Eva found her and helped her but she's now back in the clutches of Boris and Natasha who covered their tracks as best they could but Eva is positive she saw Marta in a window.

She did, of course, The storyline couldn't be over as quickly as that. I love that they brought Billy into this. I really like him and it's good to see him in a proper storyline. He's such a nice counter part to the odious Aidan. For all he tries to be charming, I really don't like him much and I think Eva's a mug for being with him. Never mind that. Aidan's a reluctant participant in the rescue schemes because he's also under pressure due to the O'Driscolls being a huge client and they could nearly single handedly bring down the factory.

At last, though, Eva and Billy and ultimately Aidan managed to rescue Marta with Aidan taking on Richie O'D in a showdown. It's a happy ending for Marta but Underworld has taken a hit. This has been an interesting storyline, something a little different and gave Billy a great chance to be in the forefront. As ever, I also love Eva so it was great to have her featured as well.

Carla's not much help with the factory these days because she's too distracted by weddings and blackmail to be of any use there these days. And that's another thing. I really detest that Tracy has the upper hand with Carla and the restaurant. She's blackmailed Carla into pushing Nick into selling Robert the Bistro and it actually is happening as far as we know. I'm glad Robert keeps trying to knock Tracy down when she gets heavy handed with the Bistro staff but she won't give up there and she will end up driving all the staff away with the customers not far behind. I don't like Robert that much but he's still too good for Tracy Barlow.

Why is it that the powers that be lose interest in a character and completely ruin them? It's maddening. Carla has changed so much since she first appeared and mostly it's been good as she's developed a bit of a tender side (when nobody's looking) but now she's lost any spark and gumption she ever had. The old Carla wouldn't stand for Tracy's shenanigans and would have gone straight to Robert after confessing to Nick what she'd done. She's left it too long now. Even if she confesses, Nick isn't likely going to forgive her.

Sarah has been under stress even before she found out she was pregnant and it hasn't really eased up much, not with the knowledge of the body under the floor. One day of no movement and Sarah's freaking out but given her history, you can't blame her. They said the baby was ok but it seems to me, babies get a lot quieter just before birth, don't they?  It might be true, because a few days later, Sarah goes into premature labour and has a baby boy! He's not as much of a preemie as baby Billy was and his chances are very good but of course Callum's mom gets wind thanks to Gemma and is lurking about. You can't really blame her.

Speaking of Gemma, am I ever happy she's back! She was the one really shining thing in that whole dreary Callum storyline. Yes, I did like the storyline on the whole but the months when Kylie was missing and it was just Callum vs. David, that was beyond tedious except for Gemma and Macca and Gemma was wonderful! I think she'll shake up Chesney's world and I hope she stays for awhile, gets her act together and we see her get out of the dead end she was probably in up to now.

Sally's campaign for council has been comedy gold. Facing off against Norris was good too even if I don't like the little pillock at all and would be quite happy not to have him around. Sally was wonderful and it really showcased how supportive Tim is even if he knows she's a bit of a nag and has unrealistic asperations to grandeur. She won, too! I'm quite happy and I think in spite of the fact that she is very inexperienced in this sort of thing, she'd do a good job. Partly because she wants to impress and partly because she really is well organized. She's not stupid and she could very easily get under the skin of various bureaucrats and could get things done. I await with glee future scenes with snobby Sally throwing her weight around.

Other lesser storylines that may ramp up a bit include Izzy's pain management using marijuana with Gary helping to supply her, Rana and Zeedan's new relationship, which is something I don't buy into because I really don't think she's all that serious about him. She's an incorrigible flirt and he's going to get burned. We've got Michael deciding to leave town though the actor is just taking a break to do a play so he should be back. Dev and Erica are still circling around each other, keeping things on a low burner. Tyrone's still trying to find ways to earn extra money.

Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Gobby Mares

Since the mid-nineties at least, there has been a growing tradition of bringing in new female characters (sometimes male, but mostly female), described as "gobby". They are rude, mouthy and somewhat aggressive, not very likeable and many have often stayed the course and become characters that most of us grew to love, or at least tolerate. There were a few prior to that time period but they weren't as frequent. They tended to be more blunt-speaking rather than someone you might call "gob-almighty" though Vera Duckworth came pretty close.

I know I'm going to miss some but the more memorable ones of the last 20-some years include:

Leanne Battersby. Leanne arrived with the rest of her obnoxious family, shortly after her step mother, Janice, was introduced as a machinist. As far as gobs go, all four of the Battersby family members didn't have a Halt button on their tongues. Toyah was probably the least aggressive but she could give as good as she got. Leanne is the character that has managed to stay the course, with a few gaps in service, to become a great character due to Jane Danson's excellent performances over the years. Leanne can still shout down an opponent in an argy-bargy but she's matured and softened a bit. I like that Leanne often still has that bolshy attitude and isn't afraid to stand up to anyone.

Janice Battersby was one of the gobbiest and in fact, that was the nickname Danny Baldwin gave her. Janice had no concept of discretion. If a thought formulated in her brain, out it came, regardless of tact or lack thereof. She'd insult and offend without a thought, even those that were her best mates. It's amazing that they kept forgiving her over and over! Her mouth got her into trouble and sacked many times over the years.

Karen McDonald had attitude to spare. When her gob got her into trouble it was often because it was over something she really didn't know anything about. She was very good at opening her mouth and metaphorically inserting her foot and was often the author of her own misfortune. She pulled herself away from a troubled childhood and a religiously fanatical mother and since she never could live up to her mother's standards, she went in the other direction. She married Steve McDonald for a bet but they fell madly in love. She divorced him so that they could have another wedding and get great presents. She feuded with Tracy Barlow (doesn't everyone?). Her shouting matches with Steve were legendary but in the end, Steve found that she was just too volatile. The last we saw of her, she was pulling her suitcase down the Street, chin up and determined to prove to everyone that they were wrong about her.

Becky Granger McDonald and Kylie Turner were sisters. We met Becky first, with Kylie coming along a few years later and both women seemed to be cut from the same cloth. Self destructive, aggressive and reckless, both of them the product of a pretty lousy childhood, with an addict for a mother. They both lived by their wits on the streets at various times and both of them loved to have a loud, good time. Over their time on the Street, they both mellowed somewhat, but neither character will back down from a confrontation. Becky left the show with a fairy tale happy ending, a new fella and a little boy to love while Kylie has matured considerably with marriage and motherhood but there are still bumps in the road for her, with recent addictions of her own to defeat and the violent killing of former boyfriend Callum Logan in Sarah's defence to deal with.

One of the characters with the loudest and rudest mouth ever was probably Cilla Brown, mother of Chesney and Fiz, who was not short of a measure of attitude herself and still can be quick to mouth off. Cilla was nasty, rude, obnoxious and greedy and married someone just like her, Les Battersby. Both of them would lose a battle of wits with an unarmed person and while Cilla was fun and outrageous to watch, she was probably better in small doses.

One character that has been a gobby mare since she was a teenager is Tracy Barlow. Once puberty hit and her parents divorced, she became a typical teen, with attitude to spare. All that anger she held for her parents flowed off her tongue in the form of insults and general nastiness. It didn't change as she got older and now, nearing middle age, she doesn't have teenage hormones as an excuse. There are not a lot of redeeming qualities to this selfish cow. You can say she loves her daughter and she loves/loved her parents and she does but mostly it's all about her and what she wants and there's no helping anyone that gets in her way.

Carla Connor used to have attitude by the bucket with a gob to go along with it. Over the years, she's been tamed by all her troubles but if her strong sense of self preservation wasn't in place, she'd probably have been either sectioned or dead long ago. Fire, rape, violent fellas, accidents and Tracy Barlow on your back are more than any one person should have to endure.

Anna Windass is another one who doesn't know when to be discreet, especially when she's angry or drunk. She speaks as she thinks but that's not always a good thing and it's not served her well over the years. She can be lovely, maternal and protective and then turn vicious and spiteful with little provocation. To viewers, it seems like loyalty is a moving target for Anna but she will always speak up to defend the ones she loves.

These are just some of the gobby mares we've met on Coronation Street and there are plenty more (Eileen Grimshaw, Tina McIntyre, Beth Tinker, Kelly Crabtree). Many classic characters have had their moments, too. Consider Bet Lynch, Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples, Gail (pick one of her last names), Liz McDonald and Hilda Ogden were never backwards in coming forwards. The difference is that the newer characters tend to have a physically aggressive side in addition to their verbal pugilism, women that are quick to push, smack, and even rage with a sledgehammer or other weapon are becoming more likely to be on our screens these days.

Gobby mares are a long standing tradition and women with big gobs are, if nothing else, never boring!



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

State of the Street February 2016

Even though Simon has been in counselling for a few months now, he's clearly still got some work to do on his anger issues. Well, you wouldn't expect this all to disappear right away. Or, you might considering how most storylines get pushed into a closet and never referred to again. But seriously, a kid tells his mother not to come to the football match, she does and flirts a bit and he gets enraged? Ok, it turned out he didn't hurt the other kid on purpose but that's not the point. He still hasn't managed his anger very well. Teenagers are supposed to be stroppy and moody but Simon's recent history has proven that he has more anger than the average 12 or 13 year old child.

In real life, of course this would be ongoing, with good days and bad but on a soap, where you don't want things dragging out too long, this is getting old. I hope this is the last we see of this storyline though the occasional reference over the next 6 months wouldn't go amiss, that is, someone asking how's Simon and Leanne mentioning that he's getting to grips with it all. End of. I do hope that Leanne does find someone that makes her happy but I also think it's probably a bit too soon, if only for Simon's sake.

Soaps always rely on standard plot devices to cause conflict. Thus, the lie, that lie that one of a couple refuses to tell the other one so that it comes out at the worst possible time from the worst possible person, usually. Viewers constantly shake their heads and wonder why people insist on keeping secrets if they love someone given every opportunity to reveal and clarify something. I can get why someone might not tell their partner that they're actively cheating or that they've killed someone. Other types of lies might be lies of omission where you did something dodgey and are ashamed and feel your partner won't want you anymore if they know. It might be difficult to tell the tale, naturally, but if someone really does love you, they'll understand.

I'm referring to Anna sleeping with Phelan to absolve Owen of debt and Gary of a prison sentence, of course. Kevin, being a level headed, kind and understanding man, (*cough*) will forgive her. Ok, maybe he'll be pretty upset that she didn't tell him and maybe even think less of her that she did it. At first. But I do think that Kevin will also realize what a bag of scum Phelan is for engineering it all. I have a feeling that Phelan will twist it and say that Anna came on to him and they had a passionate affair, but something will happen at some point to make Kevin realize what a lowlife he is and he'll come crawling back to Anna, begging forgiveness. Kevin already saw a bit of the rougher side of him when he threatened her in the cafe.

Everyone else seems to think the sun shines out of Phelan's backside, especially Jason. Eileen has been seen to defend him as well though Michael's nose was put out of joint when Phelan was the one to fix the kitchen cupboards. Not one of life's DIY experts, Michael so he's going to feel a bit unmanned with a macho dude like the Patster around. 

Jenny's return has been interesting. Kevin now holds nothing against her but Sophie is really upset. You can understand why but with Sophie, you also think she should be practicing that Christianity that she metaphorically speaks but her mother is egging her on and stirring the pot. A new friendship between Sophie and Kate might work but Kate's trying to see both sides of the situation and Sophie doesn't like that. My way or the highway? She's turning into a character that's not very pleasant and she's still showing a lot of immaturity for her age. Yeah, I get that she lost a loved one because of Jenny, at least indirectly, though she doesn't really even know that for sure like the viewers do.

As for Jenny, I'm pretty sure she won't have changed all that much. She might not go back to being obsessed with small boys but I wouldn't count her out of the manipulation game, either. We saw Johnny make overtures of friendship with her. I reckon she'll see a path to security and latch on to him for what she can get. Yet another reason for Aidan to kick off at his father, which is also getting old. Grow up, lad. Nobody's perfect, including you.

Aidan is swiftly becoming a character I really don't like. I think they're trying to make him a mini-MikeBaldwin and it doesn't wear well on him. Mike Baldwin could be pretty nasty at times, for sure and he was ruthless when it comes to business but I still think Aidan has a long way before he's as savvy a businessman as Mike was. Aidan doesn't have that cheeky ducking and diving side that Mike had though it is something that Johnny has. Johnny doesn't have the ruthless side though I think he's pretty business savvy, it just doesn't seem to show as much.

I really don't buy Eva giving in to Aidan's flirting, not after finding out he slept with her for a bet with his sister. I would never trust him but she seems to have got over it. Now she's getting involved with the young Polish girl. I suppose these sorts of things go on, this "slavery" scheme though I expect it happens more often with young prostitutes. I'm not sure what I think of this storyline yet. I do suspect that Eva will get in over her head in short order. 

Another thing that's getting old is Tracy's vendettas against Carla. So much for her having a new outlook on life after her mother's death. That lasted about 10 minutes but nobody really wanted a kinder, gentler Tracy Barlow anyway, right? I know I've said all this before. Tracy, move on. You've got your fella, you heard him say how much he loves you, isn't that enough? I really hate how she's pushing Carla around and the old Carla would never have put up with it. I really think if Carla had told Nick straight away what she'd done with Robert, he'd have understood. The lie has gone on too long now. Carla should go to Robert and tell on Tracy but Tracy would certainly tel Nick so Carla needs to tel Nick and tell him now but apparently this storyline is going to drag on until their wedding in May. Or thereabouts. Make it stop!

Sally's council campaign has been infinitely fun to watch. She's also bought Lloyd's share of Streetcars for Tim who's infintely more interested in the biscuit tin. Steve will be back, and I think he'll be pulling his hair out.Tim really doesn't seem to want the responsibility of that sort of business. As for the election, I'm not so sure i'd vote for either Sally or Norris but I might lean towards Sally. Having her unable to decide where she stands on any issue is quite amusing but I think she'd be a fairly good councillor just the same.

We've been relatively Platt-free this month aside from Gail moaning about under floor heating now and then. Chesney is getting a bit green eyed now that Sinead seems to be launchinga modelling career. Zeedan has been struck by Cupid's arrow when he saw Alya's friend Rana. Not sure what I think about her but I'm not impressed so far. I hate women that flirt with anyone and everyone. She's already showing herself irresponsible, pulling sickies when she's not. She's conveniently a nurse and there was conveniently a job going at the medical centre. Now we just have to find her a flat near the street and maybe Alya can be her roomie. I think the flat that Julie and Brian owned over the Kabin is still empty and there is another one over the butcher shop I think.

Finally, we have another "issue" based storyline with Izzy using illegal marijuana for her pain. There is no legal medical use of the drug in the UK though there is in Canada and some of the states in America as well as in Europe elsewhere. Izzy has a syndrome where she experiences chronic pain which is getting worse as she gets older and her condition worsens. She's discovered that the drug helps with the pain but it's a dodgey prospect, as she discovered, trying to get her hands on it. I wonder if this is going to lead to she and Gary getting back together? I can see him moving in to help with Jake at first and he still thinks a lot of her. Time will tell.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Here's how it should go down

Tracy is holding Carla hostage and it just isn't right. Carla is nobody's bitch and there's no way the Carla we all know and love would put up with Tracy's blackmail. The funny thing is, I think if Nick had found out about Carla and Robert's one night stand, he'd have understood. He knew that Carla was in a bad way and he knows that she lashes out and gets self destructive when she's in a state. I don't think he'd have dumped her for the infidelity though he might have sacked Robert.

Now, it's gone on too long and Carla is manipulating Nick at Tracy's command. Tracy wants to be the Lady of the Manor, ruling the Bistro with an iron fist like she had hoped to do with the Rovers. That fell through and I sincerely believe that the powers that be will not allow Tracy to "win" and be the pseudo-owner of the Bistro. So, something has to happen to blow her out of the water. I think Nick will ignore Carla's nudging and will sell to Leanne in the end. He may accept Robert's bid in theory but for once, maybe real estate transactions won't be pushed through unrealistically fast as is the norm in Weatherfield.

I would like to see Carla get a grip. Barring that, I would like to see Nick overhear something or otherwise find out about Carla and Robert but not from Tracy. A miss-sent text from Michelle, perhaps? I want him to be the one to confront Tracy and Robert, or just Robert, tell him what his beloved has been up to. Have it out with Carla. I'd like to see him want to marry her anyway, give her a happy-ever-after but it probably won't go down that way. He'll probably finish with her, with a great puppy-dog sad face and she'll do what she always does and skip town.

If there's any justice, Robert will finish with Tracy once he finds out what she's been up to, and he and Leanne will get together. I think they're a much better fit.

How do you think this *should* play out? Do you think Robert and Tracy will end up owning the Bistro? How will Nick find out about Robert and Carla (because it's going to happen, it's soap law!)


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

State of the Street - January 2016

Carla's parentage has been revealed. She got pissed off with the world and she didn't handle the news very well. There was a really good scene when she went to the prison to see Rob. There's always been such great sibling chemistry between the two actors and each character always knows how to push the buttons of the other, even if neither of them will show that a point has been scored. I suppose that's the last we'll see of Rob because they won't be able to keep coming up with new reasons to show him in prison causing trouble for the 15 or so years he's been sentenced to serve. They can't get away with a release on a technicality because he confessed.

So now Aidan and Kate have a new half sister. Aidan is really angry with his father for betraying his mother and inadvertently causing her death (after a row she left the house, still angry, and got hit by a drunk driver. She wouldn't have been on the streets if they hadn't rowed). Kate's head is spinning but she doesn't have many memories of her mother and she's already coming around and forgiving her father. I think she's pleased to have a sister and she and Carla seem to be building a relationship, very slowly but it's coming. Aidan doesn't seem to be bothering on that score at all, too involved with his own war against his dad, I guess. Johnny? He's just treading water, hoping that Aidan will come round. I expect he will sooner than later.

But Carla's one night stand with Robert over New Year's is also having repercussions. We all know how Carla handles guilt. Badly. She tried to break it off with Nick but he talked her back because he doesn't know the real reason. He thinks she's just getting cold feet and if you'd had as many bad marriages and relationships as she's had, you probably would as well.

Secrets come out because they have to on a soap  and Tracy overheard Robert and Carla talking in a closed Bistro (after a power cut). Before she could go raging after Carla, burglars came raging in and she fled. That's another story, we'll get to that in a minute. What annoys me, but which is typical of Tracy, is that she's going to plot revenge on Carla but she seems to be giving Robert a pass. It takes two, and he should wear some of her anger, too, but she doesn't want to lose him. I suppose she could justify it to herself because they had been split up at that point so technically, he wasn't cheating on her. Carla was the only one cheating on a partner and that's nothing to do with Tracy. But Tracy needs to direct her hurt and anger somewhere and Carla's the one she's had it in for in the past, so why not go for the jugular?

She almost didn't have to worry, though, because of the accident following the break in, Carla was in pretty bad shape. She'll survive, of course.

That burglary was the doing of Jamie and his mate whose name I've forgotten. Jamie, you remember, of the porn pictures he posted of Steph, his ex girlfriend when he was blackmailing Luke into the illegal racing in November and early December. Once Luke and Andy found out Jamie was bailed they went out ham-fisted and got Jamie sacked from his job. Jamie hadn't told the manager of the bar that he had a court case pending (or why) and his mate, who knew, vouched for him anyway. Both of them lost their jobs so Luke decided to take it out on Steph  because he thought she sent them to do her dirty work.

That just proves he never knew Steph at all because I figure she'd have gone to the bar herself and done her own dirty work if she wanted to upset things for Jamie. And because Jamie's a bully, he'd naturally prefer to go after a woman than two men. They broke into a restaurant that had been closed for hours due to a power cut so there was no cash to be taken and no Steph to be scared. Carla ended up the victim because they took her handbag in desperation and she wouldn't let it go. I think that bottle of wine she'd consumed clouded her better judgement. She ran after them and grabbed the bag before the car door could close and Jamie drove off while she was dragged along and then pushed out. Not very bright, are they?

They got caught thanks to something they said that Carla remembered and told the police. That sent them to Steph and Steph knew Jamie probably had a grudge against her for getting him arrested etc. They even confessed once all that came out and Carla's going to recover. We await Nick's discovery of her infidelity because that's going to come out, too. It always does. I did enjoy Steph giving Luke and Andy yet another dressing down. I do love Steph.

 Tyrone and Fiz struggled through the month with Hope's chemotherapy and then another operation to remove the shrunken tumour. Her prognosis is looking very good but just as things might be looking up, Fiz has discovered the depth of the debt Tyrone has racked up and she's horrified, as you would be. Over £10,000 is a lot of money for a couple that don't have high paying jobs. Fiz will have to go back to work and Tyrone will have to make a comfortable bed in the doghouse for awhile. Hope was supposed to start school but didn't due to her illness. I don't know if she'll start late or if she'll be going to the same childminder that Ruby will be with until the next school year.

We have welcomed back the villain of last year, Pat Phelan who has lost everything in a divorce after losing everything to bankruptcy before that. He's working as a regular builder for someone else that has the contract for Kevin's new garage under the viaduct arches and he's just as smarmy and cocky as ever. He really does know how to insinuate himself and wasted no time doing it. He outed the gaffer for ripping off Kevin and he and Jason are going to team up to finish the job. I assume there must have been some way Kevin could get out of the contract he signed with the original guy. That seemed to be glossed over though it was mentioned.

The big thing is that Anna is freaking out. I mean, really freaking out. Phelan told Kevin some of the history but not the whole thing, nothing about his blackmailing Anna into bed to let Gary off the hook for assault and Owen off the hook for a big debt. Phelan really is a piece of work. Did you see him pretending to cower when Gary attacked him? "No, Gary! Not again!!!" then walked away with a smirk that made you want to smack it off his face. Come on,  as *if* he couldn't hold his own in a fight like that!  He's an excellent bad guy and the actor is superb!

I think if Anna had told Kevin outright, Kevin probably could have understood after a think about it. But she is continuing to lie to him and he doesn't understand why she's so upset all the time. When it comes out, and it will, he'll be pretty pissed at her. I don't know whether they'll come out the other side as a couple or not and it's too bad because I think they suit each other. The other fun bit is Sally's reaction and continued contempt though really, it's nothing to do with her is it? I think she just likes the idea that all of her exes are pining for her!

To add a slice of comedy to our show, we have Sally dipping her oar into the political maelstorm. She's running for the local Council in the great tradition of Corrie councilors, (Len Fairclough, Alf Roberts, Deirdre Barlow, Audrey Roberts and Curly Watts!) She's already started sucking up to potential voters. I think Sally actually has the means to be a decent councilor. She certainly has the drive and ambition to push her views across and would stand up and defend her district. She might not be the brightest button in the box but she isn't stupid, either. She's very organized and has held down many a responsible job even if she does irritate the hell out of her managers! I really hope she wins. I'm going to enjoy the campaign, in any case.

Brendan is still stringing Mary along. All of us viewers along with Rita and Norris have the measure of him. He's so clearly using her. I hate seeing single women get involved with married men but occasionally, as in the case with Eileen and Paul, you could see that there was real love on his part even if he was stuck in a difficult position with an ailing wife. It was, however, pretty rotten of him to have said wife right under Eileen's nose but never mind. Water under the bridge.

I'm only comparing the situation, because I don't believe for a minute that Brendan is passionately in love with Mary. If he was, he'd leave his wife. He's stringing her along and the end of the month proved it. His wife confronted Mary and he defended his wife, dismissing Mary cruelly as a rabid fan. It's too bad. It would have been nice to have found a man for Mary, someone as quirky as she is. He could have been just the right one but instead, she's been left humiliated and heartbroken, another woman who's been done wrong by a married man.

The month ended with the return of Jenny Bradley, fragile and shaky but back on her feet. She wants forgiveness and she wants to get her life back. I reckon it's going to be a very steep uphill battle and I doubt very much she's changed all that much. Leopards don't change their spots and Jenny has always had a manipulative streak. She might not be on the edge of a breakdown anymore, but she's still fully capable of causing mischief. Bring it on! If Anna and Kevin break up, she'll be in there like a dirty shirt but I don't know if Kevin would ever trust her around Jack again.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

Revenge of the Stupid

Late last year we had a storyline that was a bit different for Corrie, that of the "revenge porn" photos that Steph's ex boyfriend Jamie used to blackmail her brother into illegal car racing. It didn't go on too long  but it was long enough to paint Jamie as a selfish idiot who seems to be one of those men who feels entitled and is ticked off if the world doesn't comply.

He got himself into debt and used Luke's ability as a racer boy to try to get himself out of it. Luke was coerced because of Jamie's threats to post online some intimate photos he'd taken of Steph when they were together. Once online, it's there forever. You might take them down off the original site but these days, things get saved, shared, posted and otherwise filtered around the interweb.

Steph finally found out and was horrified, mortified and pissed off, but more the first two, initially. Taking sexy photos isn't a new thing. Lots of couples do it, in addition to things like video-recording themselves. You are in love, you are passionate about each other, you trust each other, so why not? Age is no restriction on this either. You don't have to be young and naive.

Back to Jamie. Steph found the courage to call the police, with Leanne's support and he was arrested. It's illegal to do that, you see, post photos with the intent to embarass or blackmail or bully someone. That's what Jamie was doing, on all accounts. He said he was very sorry but he was desperate and when Luke and later Steph wouldn't give him what he wanted, he followed through with his threats and he'll now have a criminal record. He's also down one girlfriend because Luke and Andy busted him in the bar where he hangs out just before the arrest.

Jump ahead a month or so. Luke and Andy have discovered that Jamie is out on bail. I'm not sure why they were so shocked and outraged. He was likely bailed shortly after the arrest, which is pretty normal. He might be a toe rag but he's not a dangerous axe murderer. The dynamic duo decide Steph's honour hasn't been completely defended, find out where he's working and proceed to get him and his mate who vouched for him sacked. Job done, right?

It's interesting to remember that the girlfriend that was told about the photos dumped him immediately and the bar manager, also female, did likewise.  Part of that was him not telling her about the arrest and pending trial. It might have been more interesting if the manager had been a male and been equally outraged about the reason for the arrest, just to put both sides' points of view out there, that it isn't just women that would hold this sort of thing against you, but never mind...

Now we come to the most recent chapter. Jamie is pretty ticked off that he's lost his job and he drags his friend along with him to suss out the area where he knows Steph, Luke and Andy live and work. Jamie may have said he learned his lesson but he hasn't and we can clearly see that. He's still intent on revenge but now his bullying side shows up again. He's not going after Luke and Andy who are the ones that caused him to lose his job (and previously, his girlfriend). He's going after Steph to teach her a lesson because he thinks she sent them to do her dirty work. Teach *her* a lesson. Because it's easier to go after a woman than two men, isn't it? Easier to go after a woman you've already victimized.

He wants to scare Steph so he decides to stage some sort of robbery or invasion of the place where she works, probably at closing time but they sit in the car over several days, for hours at a time watching the place. I'm not sure why nobody actually noticed and questioned it. If i saw two men in a car on my street  or in the vicinity sitting there for hours on more than one occasion, I'd be calling the police. It's a soap so we would have to suspend disbelief on that point. At the last going off, it looked like they were parked outside the Kabin (see photo below, you can tell by the type of things in the shop window), with Jamie watching the Bistro through the rear view mirror. Surely Norris would have been in there like a dirty shirt!

That was also the day that the Bistro was closed most of the day due to the power cut. They must have missed the lunchtime event when the restaurant had emptied out. They sat there, and for hours never really questioned why there were no customers going in our coming out, nor staff or deliveries. By the time they saw Robert come out, it was now later in the day and getting dark. They knew, somehow, that he was the chef though how they knew is another mystery though I suppose they had been in and out of the Bistro a couple of times back when the blackmail was going on. They still didn't figure out that the restaurant was closed. Jamie still thought Steph must have been inside all day.

Let's do it! Though Jamie's friend wasn't too keen on it by this time, he went along with it instead of walking away. In they go, into a dark restaurant with nobody there except Carla who decided, after a confrontation with Robert, to stay on and drink by herself. She'd locked the door when she arrived but Robert had unlocked it to leave, giving her the keys to lock up behind herself. I wonder if she was going to check the door in the kitchen? that was open because Tracy was able to let herself in and out when she heard them burst in. Why didn't she make an anonymous call to the police? Well, that's Tracy for you. She could have said she had gone there to surprise Robert and didn't have to reveal she'd overheard the conversation between he and Robert. But then we couldn't have had the action that came next.

Jamie was in a rage, now, because there was no Steph, no money in the till (duh, closed most of the day, why would you leave the money there?). At least there was a woman there you could push around and scare but Carla being Carla, with a good gutfull of red wine in her, did put up a good front. Because Jamie hadn't already seen the candlelight bouncing off that huge rock on her finger when he first pushed her on the ground, she slipped it into her handbag to prevent it being taken if they did notice it but they end up stealing the whole bag instead. They didn't really hide much of their faces and Carla would have a very good look at their eyes and their face a few times, and the other guy mentioned Jamie's name at least once.

Jamie finally realized he ought to get away from the scene of the utter disaster he'd wrought with  armed robbery (baseball bats) and  assault now added to his criminal record, not to mention the possibility of attempted murder when Carla ran after them to retrieve her bag in a pretty stupid move, really, but again, you can probably blame the wine and the adrenaline for that,  and she got dragged along by the car until she landed on the cobbles. I couldn't see whether she got the bag or not but she's in pretty serious condition.

Jamie is obviously a bully and obviously not the sharpest tool in the box. This is not out of the realms of reality. A lot of law breakers are not very smart. I expect this is the last we'll see of Jamie. I hope Steph is strong and testifies at his trial but I don't suppose we'll get to see that.

All in all, I thought this was a good storyline and the actors involved were great! It was something different and something relevant for this day and age. Keep your knickers on, boys and girls, the internet is out there just waiting to salivate over your bits and pieces!


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

A bit of a stretch

Carla's 40, nearly 41. Aidan, the older of the two Connor siblings must be about 30 and Kate is 26 I think, or thereabouts. She was 4 when their mother died 22 years ago, I seem to recall. Aidan wasn't much older, still a child so though I don't think it's been said, I'm going to put his age at 30 as stated. If he was 8 when he lost his mum, he'd definitely have memories of her.

Therefore, a solid 10 years between Carla and Aidan. We know that Johnny and Carla's mother had a one night stand, producing Carla 9 months later. Therefore, nearly 42 years ago, 20 years before Mrs. Connor (Lou) died and probably about 12 years before she had Aidan. We don't know how old Lou and Johnny were when they got married and there's been no comment that they waited a long time to have children, either by choice or by nature taking its time. It seems like Lou must have been into her thirties when she had her children unless there were miscarraiges before that, more information we don't know.

It's all conceivably fathomable (yes, I know, terrible pun) but it feels a bit patched in and contrived which is almost par for the course for Stuart Blackburn's reign on Corrie. It would have made a lot more sense to have Johnny unmarried at the time of the fling, perhaps being a good friend to Carla's dad (though, yes, we've also had that before with Lloyd and Mandy and her husband, Lloyd's good friend). Or perhaps he could have been a teenager, unmarried, part of a group of mates from the housing estate that included Carla's mother and her future husband, and living an 'on the edge' lifestyle of drugs and booze which he was able to kick, something Carla's mother never did.

It's bad enough that a long lost parent is one of the soap cliches and almost always feels less of a shocking surprise than a "Here we go again" storyline. At least they could use a bit more imagination. I'm not even going to bother discussing Aidan and Kate's predictable reactions and what will probably happen. You can all guess without too much trouble.


Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)

2015 Yearly Sum Up

I usually keep a running note of odds and ends throughout the Corrie year, with silly awards, and a quick run down of major storylines and by-house storylines, mostly for my own amusement but you might like it.

Best Wedding

Beth and Kirk’s 80s themed wedding

Wedding WTF

Kirk went missing on his wedding day but only so he could get the perfect fancy dress outfit for his Beth.

Gail missed her first wedding to Michael and then had a wobble at the next one. She did say I Do in the end.

Steve and Michelle’s wedding. The best man got stranded on a fishing boat headed for the Arctic Circle.

Sally and Tim’s wedding. The groom almost didn’t show up

My most embarrassing moment

Anna bringing Faye’s baby to her at school. As if she wasn’t bullied enough before!

Sally getting sacked for having an annoying voice

Worst storyline

Jason thinks Eva slept with Tony

David and Callum fight for custody of Max

Todd’s “revenge” on his family for that tiny nearly invisible scar.

Sharif's chickens

Comedy relief:

Tim and Sally

Amy

Best new couple (still together at year end)

Steph and Andy

Billy and Sean

Surprise reunion

Liz and Lloyd but it didn’t last

Something New award:

Cathy’s a hoarder! We haven’t seen that one before.

Serious illness of a young child (there have been injuries but not an illness like Hope’s cancer)

Physical abuse of a child to a parent.

Jamie blackmails Luke with nude photos of Steph.  

Most doomed couple

Leanne and Kal. Obviously. Saying Yes to the proposal seconds before the groom-to-be was blown up.

Eileen and Adrian - with Todd pulling the strings to ruin it, it didn’t have a chance.

Gail and Michael - too many big secrets

Surprising twist

Gavin Rodwell is really Andy.

Tracy leaving a candle burning in Carla’s flat which caught fire. She didn’t know Amy was in the flat.

No surprise that Callum got killed. It was a surprise that it was Kylie that did it.

Audrey fancying Ken after years of being just friends

Nessa had an affair with her sister’s husband (though we shouldn’t be that surprised considering she’s a man-chaser)

Most mismatched or boring couple

Gary and Alya

Callum and Sarah

Luke and Maria

Michael and Eileen

Great villain/bad guy

the Late Real Gavin Rodwell

Top Recurring Character:

Gemma

The John Stape Trophe

Gavin/Andy twists and turns

Burying Callum in a hole, cemented over. (echoes of Colin Fishwick under the factory floor)

Best return of a former character

Jenny Bradley

Peter Barlow for Deirdre’s funeral - short but sweet

Rob Donovan, causing trouble from prison

You Could See That Coming

Jenny went doolally over Jack,  had (another) breakdown and ran away with him

Sally kissing Kevin

Callum getting killed.

Sarah getting pregnant (cliche soap plot, pregnant by the worst person possible)

Brendan is a married man, cheating on his wife with Mary

Deja Vu storylines

“Barely a teenager” pregnancy - Faye (Sarah Lou)

Kidnap a child and go up in a high place - Jenny (Claire’s friend Casey, Bethany’s other granny Brenda)

Fire out of control causing death or injury - Victoria Court flats (Rovers twice, Barlows Bookies, Underworld several times, explosion in the Bistro causing the tram crash and fire in Number 13, Corner shop via Mad Maya)

Vehicle disaster causing multiple injuries - Minibus crash (Bus crash in the 60s, tram crash)

Tony beating up Callum in retaliation for Jason’s beating (Jim beating up Jez Quigly in retaliation for Jez beating up Steve)

Getting pregnant after sex with entirely the wrong person - Sarah with Callum’s baby (re: most unexpected soap pregnancies)

Carla is really Johnny’s daughter (Danny is really Mike Baldwin’s son, Ashley is really Fred Elliott’s son)

This Year's Exits:

Owen

Katy

Julie

Kal

Maddie

Andrea

Lloyd

Tony

Best exit

Maddie, in that it was a surprise, sad though it was.

Julie got her happy ever after.

Most missed character

Julie

Kylie (was SO glad when she finally got back!)

Make it stop!

Callum and David custody story

Covering up the Callum killing. Literally and figuratively.

Optimist award

Gail planning her sixth wedding, Michael thinking he might be one of her husbands that just might survive (though he’s got a dicky heart)

Steve marrying for the sixth time (five wives, Vicky, Karen, Karen, Becky (one attempt and one completed ceremony), Tracy, Michelle)

Tracy thinking she had a chance at owning the Rovers

Major storylines:

Van crash

Gavin/Andy twists and turns.

Faye’s pregnancy

Callum vs. David (and Kylie) custody battle/murder coverup

Simon abuses Leanne

Jenny’s return, involvement with Kevin and Jack, breakdown

Tracy and Tony’s affair and Rovers takeover attempt/Victoria Court Fire/Tracy’s guilt

Carla’s gambling addiction/Aidan buying into the factory

Hope’s illness

New Connors in the factory

Nick and Carla’s romance

Storylines by family/address

Barlows/Number 1

Tracy affair with Tony

Deirdre’s death

Return of Robert Preston

Ken involved with Nessa weeks after Deirdre dies.

Emily/Norris/Number 3

Emily goes to Peru

Battersbys/Sutherlands Number 5

Sinead’s serious injury in the van crash

Chesney gives up Joseph, lets Katy take him to Portugal

Kirk and Beth marry

Carry on camping

Craig is Faye’s pregnancy confidant

Craig falls in love

Alahans/Number 7

Dev visits India

Dev loses Julie and his new crush, Talisa

Dev dates Erica (sort of, in a friendly manner)

Dobbs/Brown Number 9

Fiz returns

Carry on camping (with Number 5 gang)

Hope’s illness (cancer)

Tyrone's financial problems

Grimshaw/Number 11

Jason and Eva break up due to Todd’s manipulation of a misunderstanding

Eileen tries internet dating, Todd manipulates it.

Sean dates Billy the Vicar

Eileen together with Michael after his breakup with Gail

Jason has sex with Alya

Jason gets beaten badly by Callum and thugs

Webster/Number 13

Kevin dates Jenny Bradley who tries to take Jack away and has a breakdown

Maddie killed after the Victoria Court fire causes a fire and explosion at the builder’s yard.

Sophie given a share in the garage business.

Kevin expands garage, tries singles dating, flirts with Anna

Webster/Metcalfe/Number 4

Tim proposes to Sally, wedding

Sally gets sacked,  wants to buy into the factory, Kisses Kevin, nearly loses Tim

Sally gets her job back, nearly gets sacked again due to annoying voice.

Nazirs/Number 6

Kal moves in with Leanne and Simon, dies in the Victoria Court fire

Sharif raises chickens

Sharif and Roy share an allotment, leads to introduction of Cathy Matthews

Alya engaged to Gary, sleeps with Jason, Alya and Gary split up when the truth comes out.

Zeedan runs the gym, becomes brother figure to Simon, helps Leanne with Simon

Yasmeen opens and runs the community centre

Gary is given a share in the gym as a wedding gift. Contract says he gets to keep it even though he and Alya split up

Zeedan hands over the management of the gym to Gary, gets a job in the Bistro kitchen

Platts  Number 8

Michael’s health problems

Gail and Michael’s weddings

Real Gavin shows up, Steph, Andy, Gail, Luke, David all know,  and then Gavin dies.

Michael finds out about Gavin, leaves Gail, has another heart attack and operation and takes up with Eileen.

Michael does deeds for Dee whom he burgled. 

Dee nominates Michael for Good Samaritan but discovers the truth on the night of the awards.

Bethany returns from Milan, followed by Sarah who gets job in the pub

Callum tries to get custody of Max, (affair with Sarah, Callum uses Bethany, Kylie returns)

Callum’s death and coverup

Sarah’s pregnancy

David and Kylie fall out then make up at Christmas

Nick fling with Erica who gets pregnant but miscarries.

Nick falls for Carla and they get engaged.

McDonalds/Pub

Steve gets help for depression, reunites with Michelle, they get engaged and married

Tony and Tracy affair, Tony works to take over the pub, Carla saves the day, Liz kicks Tony out

Liz new boyfriend turns out to be a former client of Leanne’s

Liz and Lloyd, part 2, briefly

Liz pretends to reunite with Tony to get the pub back for Steve

Steve spends time in Spain

Connors:

Carla nearly dies, twice. (bus crash, fire in flat)

Carla offers to buy Liz’s share of the pub which stops Tony and Tracy’s takeover

Maria and Luke on and off and on again.

Maria goes to Cyprus

Carla and Nick, almost on, off,  then on again with engagement

Carla’s guilt thinking she started the fire that killed two leading to...

Carla gambling addiction, sells part of factory to Aidan Connor, Michelle’s cousin

Aidan Connor buys into Underworld with his father’s money.

Aidan’s father Johnny and sister Kate arrive.

Rob Connor causes trouble from prison (Tracy, Johnny)

Carla finds out Johnny is her father, goes gambling and drinking and sleeps with Robert

Windass/Armstrongs

Owen’s ex Linda returns, Katy and Joseph move to Portugal with her

Faye finds out she’s pregnant and continues to hide it until giving birth at Easter.

Owen leaves

Faye gives baby Miley to Jackson’s family to raise. They take her to Canada for good.  

Gary and Alya engaged and split after the truth about Alya and Jason comes out

Gary given a share in the gym as a wedding present, continues to work there after the split

Anna starts dating, crushes on Kevin

Cropper / Cafe

Roy scatters Hayley’s ashes

Roy hires Gary at cafe

Roy shares an allotment with Sharif, meets a woman/friend Cathy Matthews

Carla shares flat with Roy after the fire

Roy’s friendship with Cathy develops into a low key romance

Cathy’s sister and nephew on the scene.

Her sister, Nessa, pursues Ken Barlow and works in the salon while Maria is away.

Roy discovers Nessa had an affair with Cathy's late husband. 

Brittons/Builder flat

Steph and Andy continue to pretend he’s Gavin. Andy moves in after Gavin’s death.

Luke finds out about Andy

Steph and Andy keep their jobs after Nick finds out about Gavin.

Michael moves in.

Luke gets back into car racing, much to Maria’s disapproval.

Luke’s friend and Steph’s ex, Jamie, blackmails Luke into racing, using nude pics of Steph

Kabin /Rita

Rita’s not happy to see Jenny return

Rita finds out Mary's dating a married man

Others:

Julie and Mary clash while Dev is away

Mary’s motorhome is towed away, moves into Number 7

Mary meets (married) Brendan, editor of a magazine about paranormal phenomena.

Julie finds out about Dev’s feelings for Talisa,  leaves with Brian to travel. They move to Wales permanently.

Lloyd returns from Spain to find the wreckage Steve has wrought financially.

Lloyd stranded on a fishing boat at Steve’s stag

Andrea and Lloyd break up, Lloyd sleeps with Liz, reunites with Andrea who is pregnant and they move to Jersey

Eva leaves for France (maternity leave for the actress), returns, gets a job in the factory, flirts with Aidan

Kal moves in with Leanne and Simon then dies in a fire

Simon physically abuses Leanne

Former client of Leanne’s takes Leanne and Simon hostage



Tvor (Twitter @tvordlj)