Character Study: Royston Cropper

The character of Roy Cropper was only introduced as and expected to be a short term character in 1995. His character caught on and was kept in the show and has turned into one of the most-loved characters, half of one of the favourite couples in the show.

Roy did not have a very auspicious beginning, however. He lived alone in the top flat of a house conversion, bought by Mike Baldwin. He appeared to be somewhat creepy, drinking booze out of a paper bag and bothering Deirdre Raschid who was newly moved in to the flats as building supervisor. Roy quickly became more sympathetic, harmless, eccentric but a bit of a nutter, who was awkward, shy, socially inept but basically kind.


Over the years, Roy's background has been filled in a bit. His parents were divorced after his father had abandoned the family. The young Roy took this very hard but seems to have formed a bond with his granddad. He was a loner at school but very intelligent. He developed a love for trains and busses and could very well be called a trainspotter.

He has made a few remarks about his late stepfather, giving us the distinct impression there was no love lost between them and was the reason Roy left home as soon as he could. There have been whispers among fans and observers of the character over the years that Roy must have Asperger's syndrome, as he seems to have obsessive compulsive tendencies and takes most things at their very literal translation, missing subtleties and nuances.

When we met Roy, he was cooking breakfasts at the Imperial Hotel, which long time Corrie fans will recognize as the same place that Ida Barlow worked in the early 60s. He helped out in Jim's Cafe on occasion and when the time came that Alma wanted to sell her share of the cafe, Roy decided to buy it. Alma didn't think he'd come up with the money but it turns out he'd squirreled away cash for years, spreading it around several different banks for safe keeping. Roy was now the major shareholder in the cafe, and renamed it Roys Rolls. He moved into the flat and he and Gail chuntered along well serving behind the counter for several years. Roy once saved up enough vouchers to provide a free trip for two to Paris, but in his generosity, gave the trip to Martin and Gail.


Roy became involved in a crusade to save the Red Rec but in 1998 his life was about to change dramatically. At the age of 44, he fell in love. He met shy and awkward Hayley Patterson who was a bit of an anorak herself. They shared many things in common, including an interest in trains and bus schedules. Roy was shocked, however, when he discovered that Hayley was a transexual. He didn't know how to handle this and backed off.

Hayley went to Amsterdam for gender reassignment surgery and Roy remained in Weatherfield, clearly miserable. Alma pushed a little and Roy finally went after Hayley. The visit was awkward but Roy managed to convey his feelings. Hayley decided to return with him and they've been together ever since.

They were not allowed to marry, legally, back in 1999, but they managed to find a sympathetic vicar, Jessica, who was set to "marry" them in a blessing ceremony. Local oik, Les Battersby, alerted the press that "two blokes" were getting married and it nearly ruined the ceremony. Hayley retreated to the cafe flat but all their friends rallied and Jessica performed the ceremony in the cafe itself where Roy's full name, "Royston" was revealed.

Now... fans on the internet had taken to calling Roy this for some time and when the name was spoken on screen, many fans believed that the Powers that Be picked it up from the forums and boards and ran with it. There has never been any confirmation but fans are convinced they gave Roy his name!

Roy is loyal and once he's made up his mind to be your friend, or in Hayley's case, her partner, he stands by those he cares for, unwaveringly. He is honest, possibly to a fault, and is faithful. He is determined to do the right thing and is reliable. He has employed several of the younger crowd in the cafe over the years, including Toyah Battersby and Sarah Platt.

He and Hayley have often been at the pointed end of verbal barbs and have been the objects of ridicule but in spite of that, everyone knows that Roy is an upstanding and all around good man. Therefore, when it seemed that he had a drunken one night stand with evil Tracy Barlow, resulting in her pregnancy, the whole Street was shocked. This incident nearly destroyed Roy who felt his integrity and reputation were irreparably damaged. Hayley had left him and he felt he had nothing to live for. Luckily, Hayley returned to the flat and rescued Roy from an overdose and stood by him.


They decided to adopt Tracy's baby and paid her good money for it. Roy and Hayley had long desired to be parents. Initially, Roy was reluctant to be a parent, having had no good example and miserable memories of his own childhood but with Hayley at his side, he realized he had a lot to offer a child. They had fostered several children including Fiz Brown but got tangled up in well-meaning problems of one young lad and after running away with him, the trouble they got into as a result closed the door on any future possibility of fostering and adoption.

This could be their only chance to be parents. They knew that Tracy would be less than a stellar mother, Roy even went through with a sham marriage to Tracy so that he would have legal rights to the child but Roy and Hayley were devastated when the truth came out and the father of the baby was proven to be Steve McDonald.

When Hayley discovered that she had an adult son from a very brief attempt at normality when she was still Harold, Roy was unsure how to handle the news. Hayley had told him she'd been a virgin and when Christian came into her life, she kept it a secret. Honesty being extremely important to Roy, he couldn't seem to accept Hayley's actions and nearly lost her as a result of his misplaced sense of seeing everything in "black or white". His love for Hayley has allowed him to bend and before Hayley left to do charitable work in Africa, they reconciled their differences. Roy held down the fort at the cafe, missing his Hayley.

Roy was also intrinsic to Tony Gordon's downfall. When Tony had a heart attack, and thought he was going to die, he confessed to Liam Connor's murder to Roy. Roy didn't report him but needled Tony so much that Tony nearly killed Roy by drowning him in the canal. He saved Roy at the last minute and turned himself in but when he escaped from prison some months later, he tried to get his revenge on Roy by taking Hayley hostage. He relented and set Hayley free and after Carla freed herself from his clutches, Tony went up in smoke in the factory, leaving Roy outside, embracing Hayley.

Life is too short. And Roy realized that, financially, it would be better to be married now that he and Hayley could legally tie the knot. His unromantic proposal didn't go over well, as you can imagine, but after the factory incident, he realized how much Hayley meant to him and proposed properly with a proper wedding to celebrate their love in the fall of 2009.

Since then, they've been chuntering along together in the cafe, supporting their friends and neighbours after the tram crash and its fallout. They have faced another new obstacle in the form of Roy's recently widowed battleaxe mother. Roy wanted nothing to do with her and Hayley wants everyone to be all "happy families". Little by little, Sylvia and Roy seem to be creating a relationship though both continue to exasperate the other. I think Roy may have discovered a little more about why his mother was so distant with him and Sylvia is finally growing to appreciate her son and his eccentricities.

Roy blossomed under the love of a good woman and slowly over the years, the cafe decor has become a tribute to his love of trains. He's still being an advisor for young lads, Chesney Battersby Brown being the most recent. His and Hayley's faith in Becky has helped her turn her life around. He hasn't lost his integrity, and still has moments where he seems totally flummoxed by others' emotions and actions. When Mary Taylor developped a clearly obvious crush on him over the chess board, Roy was completely oblivious. When Hayley found out, in typical Hayley style, she lashed out but then persuaded Mary to stay in Weatherfield, finding sympathy for a lonely woman in a motorhome. I think Roy was secretly flattered that someone new would find him attractive (in his own way!)

Roy Cropper has a very kind side to him. He may not be outwardly in his affections but has done and said many things that have the viewer swallowing a lump in their throat. He is steadfastly loyal when he believes in someone, even if that someone, like Becky Granger McDonald, gives him reason to doubt. He supports the younger people and has earned the respect of those such as Fiz, Chesney, Gary and Izzy and even, grudgingly, David Platt! He has fears and insecurities but his rock, Hayley, can usually put them to rest with her faith and love and support.  He's got a pretty good idea about who he is and seems content wtih his lot in life these days. He tries to find the good in any lost soul.

He may not always understand the world around him and the world doesn't always understand him but he tries his best.

Roy Cropper has touched many lives and made them better for it. He is played with impeccable, understated perfection by David Neilson and could not be more perfect for the part!

Long may Roy reign over his rolls!

Will Steve and Michelle go the distance?

It's probably a no-brainer. Very few soap couples actually go the distance and if you're Steve McDonald, he of the 6-wedding record, it's very unlikely you'll ever find Ms. Right and reach your 50th wedding anniversary with her.

I think Steve and Michelle both are rebounding.  Steve got sucked in by Tracy's lies and lost his love, Becky as a result. Michelle didn't want to leave Weatherfield with Ciaran so she's at loose ends as well.


Michelle knows Steve. He's familiar. He's a nice guy. I can't help thinking that she's settling for Steve because of that, because she's lonely after hunky Ciaran left. I mean,  how could you possibly go from Ciaran to Steve?

Ok, that's not really fair, I know. But I really never thought Michelle and Steve were suited the first time around and now they're giving another go.

Steve generally tends to go for bossy women, aggressive and stronger than him and somewhat on the trampy side. I think that's the classic case of being attracted to someone very like your mother and Michelle does have a bit of all that, though in a lower key than most of Steve's women. She's got a side of her that's not afraid to fight back, probably from having to hold her own against two brothers and growing up on a rough estate. But she's also needy and always seems to have problem after problem.

That dragged Steve down last time and it's starting already this time with her struggles over her drug addicted son. Mind you, that seems to happen to Steve with all his women. They drag him down and wear him out with their issues, crises and schemes that backfire.

Last time all the angst sent him into the arms of Becky who was a lot more fun, if also a lot more trouble but Steve always seems to thrive on the excitement until he gets overwhelmed.

Except for Tracy. That's a bit too much trouble.  But that's a subject for another blog post sometime.

I think the main reason I don't like Steve and Michelle together is that they don't seem to have that chemistry. Steve and Karen had it in spades, so did Steve and Becky.  Steve and Tracy...not so much nor did he have any chemistry with that ex-mob wife Ronnie. She really was Trouble with a capital T.

To be fair, Steve is trying to help with Ryan. He does feel a bit step-fatherly to him because of playing that role last time around and I do think Ryan likes him. Steve could be a good support if he didn't keep running around in jealous fits and lusting after Michelle. He probably should have stayed focussed on helping Ryan rather than using it in part to get closer to Michelle.

I think Steve is very like his mother in one respect. Liz couldn't stay away from Jim, with his firey temper, his volatile ways and when she did find a nice, sedate man like Vernon (if also a bit feckless), she was bored senseless. Michelle has similar qualities to Steve's other women but she's also a bit more refined and mature, less volatile and tempermental unless provoked and I think Steve will end up bored eventually, if Michelle's non-stop crises don't push him away first.

Who was your favourite of Steve's women? Who suited him the best (until it all blew up, that is)? I think I liked Steve with Karen the best.

Forget me not

With all this angst between Michelle and Ryan lately, I kept expecting him to scream at her "You're Not My Real Mother!!!". Along with everything else he hurled at her in various bust ups, that would probably hurt the most. Because it's true, isn't it?

I've blogged about this before but it bears another outing in this context. This recent situation would be the perfect time to resurrect that whole painfully awful storyline and I suppose that's exactly why they aren't doing it. The powers that be would prefer us to forget that ever happened. We celebrate Ryan's birthday with nary a mention of Alex, and Ryan never seems to have contact with Nick, his biological dad with whom he had started to build a relationship at one time. All that has been swept under the rug.

I know sometimes they come up with storylines that they think will be "gripping" and then realize that they're more of a damp squib, or even judged by the fans as the worst storyline ever. The infamous baby switch was certainly one of those as was Hayley's long lost son, lost again to the mists of time. Another storyline best forgotten.

But the fans remember, unfortunately, and it's irksome at times when it seems as if these things never happened. Are we supposed to just forget? Well, yes, in cases like this, we are.

Of course there are hundreds, nay, thousands of storylines, short and long that are never referred to again. But there are a few that were promoted as major storylines that ran over months and those are the ones I'm thinking about here. 

There was a Post Office in the Kabin and for a couple of years, we saw the little kiosk, in a space across from the cash register. That, too, became a phantom lost to memory and now that the Kabin has been rebuilt post-tram crash, there's no longer a Post Office sign on the the building. It's gone quietly into the rubble, with Rita selling the occasional stamp from a roll she probably gets at the main PO.

Another that I hope has left town with the rest of the Baldwins, never to see the light of day again, is the near-incestuous affair between Frankie Baldwin and her stepson Jamie. It was referred to in an argument between Violet and Jamie in that London special, mind you, but as long as any character involved or related to them is not seen again, we should thankfully be able to delete that from the vaults without worrying about reminders.

There are some storylines we wish we could forget. Some of them have a fallout that will echo for years, like the outcome of the awful Molvin affair. Baby Jack is a constant reminder to Sally of Kevin's betrayal and I'm glad they didn't allow her to take Kevin back and bring that baby up as her own. Now they need to find new partners for both of them, Kevin in particular, I think. Enough of him pining after Sally and begging her to forgive him yet again.

I suppose when a television program has been running as long as Coronation Street has, there's bound to be misfires. Not every storyline is going to appeal to everyone. Not every storyilne is going to work out the way they thought it would. Some couples end up having no chemistry after all. Some awful storylines have major repercussions. Some fade away, best forgotten altogether and written off as an idea that should have been corked along with the whiskey bottle that seems to have inspired it.

My most memorable storylines were the rise and fall of Richard Hillman, the rise and fall of Tony Gordon, Stape-Gate from start to finish, the complex twists with Des, Raquel, Tanya Pooley, Bet and trucker Charlie.

State of the Street - August 2012

Ryan. Drugs. Dull. I don't care. But I'm also very glad that the rumour about Sophie getting involved with it wasn't true. Ryan is a liar and a manipulator and a tosser and a toerag and what else can I think of that's unflattering on a family-oriented blog?  He sucks everyone in, even Steve who needs to keep his mother sweet. I hate, hate, hate him! I know, I know, we're not supposed to like him. Good thing, and all.




This surrogacy storyline isn't going to be as straightforward as it seems. It was a nice gesture and in a perfect world, Katy would be an ideal candidate. She's young and healthy and has had a healthy baby already. But it's very expensive and even with Owen pouring poison in Chesney's ear to get him on board on his side, it may all come down to the cash. Owen certainly isn't going to hand over money if Katy's going to be the bio-mom but maybe he might if there was someone else chosen. Hey, maybe Kylie would go for the dough! or Fiz? I bet Beth would do it in a heartbeat. It also occurred to me that there's another young woman on the show in dire need of cash input and it seems I was right. (Spoiler)


Jason and Maria, part 2? I can't see it lasting for some reason. Maybe she's settling for Jason because she can't have Marcus?

Michelle and Steve, part 2? I can't see that either. They never did suit but again, nothing else to do with Steve I guess. It *is* a good storyline having Steve trying to look out for Ryan. It's just too bad he has to be involved with Michelle at the same time. He was moaning about blowing it with Michelle but five minutes ago he was hollering at Tracy that he still loved Becky. Rebound much?

I don't even think it's all about Steve and Michelle, I think it's all about Tracy, yet another go around with Tracy lusting after Steve and Steve lusting after someone else and giving Tracy mixed signals when he KNOWS what she's like! It's pretty clear that the powers that be don't know what else to do with Tracy, as one dimensional as she is. It's old and it's boring. Get rid of her or give her something new to do. And no, making her use Ryan as revenge against Michelle isn't anything different.

The domestic violence storyline has moved along.  It's so painful watching Tyrone blame himself for Kirsty's violence and blaming her hormones. She needs to remember, he's lived with a pregnant woman before and she didn't beat on him.  But it's been done in a very realistic way. After a few more incidents and Tina finding out accidentally, Tyrone and Kirsty argued and she stumbled and got hurt and now Deirdre, at least, thinks that Tyrone is the culprit. Well, that's the usual way of it so that's what people would think by default.

Kirsty left Tyrone but was persuaded back in the end by Tommy himself and Tina finally admitted to Tommy what she knows and Tommy has admitted to Tyrone that he knows after Tyrone injured himself. Tommy, bless'im, assumes Kirsty was at him again and tried to defend his best mate. Tyrone and Tommy are now officially on the outs. It's too bad that Kirsty is managing to push all Tyrone's friends away (though that, too, is a typical move in these situations...isolation), he's going to need all the support he can get. 

This storyline is really, really well acted and thought out, I think. Although it's a grim subject, it's a rivetting storyline. Again, and I can't say this enough, major kudos to Natalie Gumede and Alan Halsall!

What's all this palaver about Karl's debt being Stella's and now it's Sunita's? Karl's debt is Karl's and isn't anyone else's responsibility. If he'd used the pub as surety against something, yes it might be Stella's. If he used a credit card with both their names on, then yes, some of it might be Stella's but the whole debt isn't and it certainly can't be transferred to Sunita but Karl is willing to bend to Stella and he signed his share over to her anyway. Eva getting Karl fired was well out of order, as well. Doesn't matter what he's done, she had no business getting him fired. She lost a boyfriend over it and she should have lost her job. 

It's really clear that Karl doesn't want to be with Sunita and he didn't have anywhere else to go. I don't even think Sunita loves him though she thinks she does. He was a way out of her marraige and it's a crush or infatuation. She's really going to hit bottom hard when it all falls apart. Playing petty games like drinking in the Rovers in front of each other and canoodling with tarts from the cash and carry is just childish. So is taking money from the joint bank account to finance a dodgey business deal. Stop it. Grow up. Get on with things. It's clear Karl and Sunita aren't going to go the distance. Should the two couples reunite? It's a soap, at least one probably will, if not both.

Roy survived Mary's infatuation. He was completely oblivious to it though Anna clocked on what was happening and Hayley went for Mary in a jealous rage. Well, I say rage, it was more like a snit but that's a emotional as Hayley gets. It was a nice storyline, though. Nobody expected that Roy would ever be unfaithful to Hayley and it showed Hayley's insecurities bubbling up. She trusts Roy and trusts their love but clearly still has a frisson of fear that Roy will prefer a "real" woman if she throws herself at him. Sometimes you just can't help yourself when those old insecurities haunt you.

There were some lovely scenes where Mary bared her soul to Hayley, admitting she knows what people think of her and was so happy that Roy didn't see her in the same way, "Scary Mary". Hayley was the one that persuaded her to stay even thought Norris was clearly upset that she might leave. I don't think Norris has any hidden "love" for Mary but I do think he considers her a very good friend.

SurrogaTina?

I have to say I really didn't see this coming though I should have.

I didn't think that Katy would end up carrying a baby for Izzy in the end. I thought it would probably come down to the cash. It's so expensive and neither of the couples has any money. Katy doesn't have a job, Chesney sells dog collars on the market, Gary works with Owen as a builder and Izzy sews knickers. I thought there might be an outside chance that Katy carries the gene for the syndrome that Izzy has and that might come into play but my money was on the cash. So to speak.

Now it seems that Owen does have the cash but he's not willing to part with it to give Katy the opportunity to give her sister a baby but he is willing to donate it so that Izzy can have the baby she wants, just with a different surrogate mother.


Enter Tina McIntyrel

Her boyfriend Tommy owes Tyrone big bucks and he was working several jobs to try to pay him back but he's going to be injured in a car crash and won't be able to work. The debt is hanging over their heads. Owen is offering money to the one woman on the Street who really needs it and it looks like she's going to consider it. Why didn't I see that coming? It does make sense, doesn't it?

Tommy's not going to be too happy, though I reckon he'll come around in the end. Will she be able to get pregnant the first time? That's £7,000 PER SHOT, as it were. Owen isn't made of money.  Will she be able to carry the baby full term? Will we end up with yet ANOTHER sprog on an already crowded cast of under-5s?

Some have said this storyline is very unbelievable. I don't think it is, necessarily. What's wrong with Katy and Izzy, Chesney and Gary exploring the possibility? Family members certainly have gone this route for each other so it's not out of the realms of possibility. Is it probable in this case? Not likely, because, as many have pointed out, none of them have the money, and there are a lot of huge road blocks in the way to make it more difficult.

For once, I'd like to see the storyline play out but not with a happy ending. It's a soap, it's allowed. I don't want things to work out for them. I think there are more than enough little sprogs on the street now. We don't need yet another one. I can understand Tina making this huge decision to help Tommy. He won't be happy with it. Will he find some other way to stop it happening? If she's only doing it for the money, will someone else step up to the plate and lend it to her? Rita's been known to do that for Sally and Kevin, why not Tina, whom she thinks of as a daughter/granddaughter/great-granddaughter?

I still don't think it's going to happen in the end. I'd like for it not to happen in the end.

But I could be wrong.

No more babies on Corrie, please

We're heading into another baby storyline. Izzy recently miscarried and decided she didn't want to risk a pregnancy but Gary really wants a baby. They're about to investigate adoption and were told that because of Gary's criminal record, they will not be qualified.

That's a direct turnaround. Have the writers forgotten that Becky and Steve, both holders of criminal records, were told that it wouldn't necessarily be held against them? They were turned down in the end but there was no particular reason specified and that wasn't it or they'd have never got as far through the process as they did. And I'm pretty sure it was mentioned that Eddie Windas had a record, anyway.

So, ok, they're looking at adoption and then the prospect of surrogacy comes up with Katy offering to carry the baby for them. I say no. And it's got nothing to do with Izzy's health or criminal records or any other objection on screen or off so far. My objection is that there are too many children and babies on Coronation Street at the moment.

There are always a few, so that as the show progresses and the children grow up, there can be a new generation of characters (if the show lasts that long!). But currently we're almost overrun with the little blighters and I think we're more than reached our limit.

Let's examine the current roster, shall we?
School aged kiddies: Max, Asha, Aadi, Simon, Amy, Faye, Craig though the last two are a bit older than the first group, but they're still attending Bessie St. I think, yes?
Babies: Liam, Jack, Joseph, Hope, and Kirsty's pregnant and due soon.

I don't think I remember ever having that many little ones on Corrie, do you? This leads me to believe that I don't think this baby will happen.

As an aside, while writing this, it occurred to me that Leanne could be the next one up the duff, with a baby by Nick which would make up for the one he insisted she get rid of when they were first married. And there's a possibility that Carla could be pregnant when she returns. (Oh gosh I hope not!) Again, I'd object on the above mentioned overpopulated cobbles.

What say you?

State of the Street - July 2012

Marcus and Sean's breakup was so painful to watch. It was very real, wasn't it? Tears, acceptance, pain and heartbreak. No screaming or throwing things or temper tantrums like everyone else has. Well, not at the end, anyway. Sean pushed Marcus to the brink when he confronted him at the hospital but later, when they both knew that it was over and they loved each other but wanted different things, it just broke my heart. Leaning on friends. In real life, of course, Marcus really would probably have left town but I'm glad he's staying around because I really like the character and the actor. Maria's crush really didn't come to much. Audrey pointed it out and it seems to have died off, as they do, I suppose. It would have been interesting to follow it up a bit more though. By the end of the month, Marcus might be seeing Aiden and Sean is still struggling.


Lloyd's back! I'm quite glad to see him. The story that brought him back was a bit silly but I don't care. Seeing Lloyd, Steve and Eileen in the cab office together was worth it! They had a rough start, though, which sunk to childish behaviour and pettiness and subterfuge. But really, though having three cabs sabotaged by Tracy costs a bomb to fix, did Lloyd really start up the company with only three cars? Lloyd and Steve ended up on top of each other on the school playing field after a full body tackle after Lloyd found out. When you hit bottom, there's only one way to go! And yes, they did repair the damage and merged the two companies. Hopefully they kept on the lady drivers and could supply them when asked for one.

Tracy still has hopes of getting Steve back and you'd think after all these years, she'd have figured it out. Steve is often quite nasty to Tracy but with her tenacity, he probably needs to be and yet it doesn't sink in. And Steve sold Number 13 back to Kevin in a matter of minutes. I really can't get over the real estate dealings on the Street. Kevin offered more money to move in straight away but there's procedures! Sometimes it's just so contrived, isn't it? Beth and Tracy have rights as tennants and Tracy's name is on the deed, she must have some say. But no. We have to play the unreality card. I do hope Tracy has a solicitor to ensure she gets her half of the proceeds as much as i hate her, she's legally entitled, I would think, if only as a future divorce settlement. She may not deserve it but they are legally married.

Peter hates Nick. That's a given. He's got good reason to. Over and above Nick having the affair with Leanne there's the stunt Nick pulled, encouraging Peter to drink while he was recovering from the tram crash injuries. That's pretty low. Now he's playing substitude daddy to Simon which *really* rubs Peter the wrong way and doesn't Nick love stirring it and pushing all Peter's buttons? Was it more about his dislike or more about jealousy that Leanne had someone new/old and the fear that Simon would like Nick better? Probably a bit of each. I pretty much love every storyline with these characters, there's so much chemistry and the acting is superb.

It was interesting to see Peter whine about making sacrifices for Simon and how Simon is the most important thing all the while causing more upheaval in the little boy's life. If he hadn't kicked off so much at Nick, Leanne wouldn't have decided to move away. It sent Peter back to the bottle yet again, it sent Carla the other way.

He's finally come around to realizing that Simon really should be the priority but it's too bad he didn't think of that when he was crawling up Carla's skirts. He railed against his father for abandoning him, he pushed Carla away, accusing her of being glad he could lose Simon forever, he even tried to "abduct" Simon himself. For all that Carla has been demonized as the other woman, she managed to persuade him to let Simon go in the end. I did wonder why he didn't tell Simon that he would write and phone him. Now Leanne and Nick can settle in but you notice, she still can't say she loves Nick?

Another couple I really like is Izzy and Gary. Her getting pregnant and his reactions to it were wonderful. The doctor says she should be ok but Owen of course hit the roof, even harder than when Katy got pregnant. This time around he's got even more reason to worry, though he always reacts in the worst way. What parent wouldn't be frantic when a child whose health is precarious wants to do something that could very well jeopardize that health? I think that if anyone is up to a challenge like that, Izzy is. Plenty of people with far more serious disabilities than hers raise children successfully. But sadly, the pregnancy failed. They're one of the better couples on the street so it's nice to see them in a good storyline even if it's a sad one.


A couple i don't like the thought of is Mary and Roy. Mary has clearly got a crush on Roy and is doing everything she can to try to impress him, between learning about things he likes, to hanging around him all the time, giggling. Roy is oblivious of course but Mary just makes me ill to watch. She's so long past her sell-by date that she's rotting. She's not funny anymore and should be got rid of. I don't know why she hasn't been run out of town already. Hayley, while it took awhile, twigged what was up.

The bullying story really didn't go in too deep. Faye was being picked on for being adopted which makes no sense considering how many kids in school have step-mums or dads. Not a lot of difference really. There would be far more reason to bully her if they found out her mother died of a drug overdose, I would have thought.

Two new faces on the cobbles this month, a new brother for Carla, renamed from the fore-mentioned Darren unless there's another brother in the woodpile somewhere and a new face for Ryan Connor. I think i like Rob, though he doesn't seem to be everyone's cup of tea judging from various fan reaction. I like the actor as well though I do think he needs a better haircut. Still, he's been in prison, so you have to cut him slack for that.

NuRyan is being played by a very competent actor as well but the character? He's an obnoxious arrogant oik and seems set to be the new bad boy on the Street to replace David Platt. Why do we need one? Why do we have to have drugs on our Street? It's all too Eastenders if you ask me. I don't like him but then he's not meant to be likeable but I like even less his storyline so far.

Sunita and Dev hit the wall. She manipulated it so that Stella caught her and Karl in a "compromising position", shall we say. Beds changed hands, Karl is living in Number 7 mainly because he's got nowhere else to go. I really think if he did, he'd be elsewhere but she's living in a dream world. Again, yet another couple doesn't really put their kids first yet Sunita gets teary that she's torn their world apart. Well if she'd thought of that first, she wouldn't have done it. I was dreading that scene where Dev would get drunk and pathetic and sad because I really don't rate Jimmi Harkishin's acting but to tell you the truth, he was very good and not cringeworthy at all! One scene out of many, though, doesn't make an Oscar performance.

Corrie's Not Big Week

It wasn't billed as a "Big Week" but this week on Coronation Street was awesome! It was filled with emotional ups and downs, drama and comedy. It was probably the best full week of Corrie I can remember in ages. No explosions, no murders, no hostage situations, no Stella (or very little).


The main focus of the week was the Barlow storyline. There was booze, abduction, arguments, fear, and anger. There was the dragging up of history between Peter and Ken. We had Peter hurling accusations at Carla for tempting him away from Leanne and blaming her for all his problems. Her crush, his turned head.  He was horrible to her, through the booze and disappointment and anger. He then tried to lure Leanne back with a cufflinked shirt and a belly full of booze. He told Leanne he'd never taken her ring off. He didn't. I wondered why Carla never mentioned that.

He went on a bender and I think everyone's heart broke when Simon took one look at him and accused him of being drunk. He lurched around the cobbles, getting into public and private arguments. Nobody plays drunk as well as Chris Gascoyne. He disappeared and they all thought he might have killed himself. Because of a recent tragedy where a young man was found in the canal near Manchester, they edited out any visual and verbal reference to Peter being in the canal as the original story went but it still worked. And now Peter's disappeared with Simon, which was the root of all Peter's angst this week anyway.

Kirsty and Tyrone had another bust up when he was helping Fiz and she thought she might be going into labour. You can see her rage building and her jealousy fuelling it and even she doesn't understand why she's doing it.

With the Windass group, we got a bit of Owen railing at Izzy about being pregnant and the discovery and finish of the bully story. That was a bit of a damp squib really. We've only seen it for a couple of weeks but it's been going on for months? Brian, who is supposed to be the head of the school, was kowtowing to the bully because her grandmother is the chair of the school governors. Did anyone find it ironic that he was bullied by Julie into doing the right thing?  The governor did the right thing as well. She made her granddaughter apologize and that had to be the snarkiest and least heartfelt one I've ever seen! Wasn't the little girl great!? But it's done and dusted now.  Game over. Happily ever after until the next crisis.

Carla's brother has appeared and there's old history, a connection with Michelle and family obligation. He got qualifications while in prison and now he's working at the factory and messing up, flirting with the girls and recovering the lost contract. Michelle told him about Carla's recent troubles with Frank. That isn't even the half of it when you think about what Tony put her through) Rob's a serious flirt, though it was nice to see Eva laugh and smile again. Half the factory girls were giving him the eye as well and he wasn't adverse to giving it back.

One brief scene that struck me: 

Gail about Leanne "She let you down." Nick "No she didn't, it was the other way around!"

It's about frigging time I heard Nick admit that the breakdown of their marraige was his fault!!! Hey may have said it in more or less those words in the past but this seemed more direct even if it was an offhand remark.

Miscellanous good stuff:

Tracy winding up Norris under long suffering Emily's roof. It constantly amazes me how much room these houses seem to have. All of the old side houses only have two bedrooms upstairs, and a small bathroom. Emily's downstairs has a more formal sitting room and the back room has the dining table. Norris has a bedroom. Where's Tracy staying?

Kirk and Marcus were good too, bonding over steak and kidney pie, trifle and bad beer. Kirk hasn't been on our screens in far too long. I think he needs a storyline of his own!


It's so nice to see Tyrone reconnect with old friends like Fiz and with Tina and Tommy. I like it when Corrie shows these easy friendships. They don't do it often enough. These particular ones are meant to fuel Kirsty's insecurities and jealousy. I wonder if they'll persue this if things fall apart with Kirsty and Tyrone?

I hate Mary these days. But the little storyline with Mary and Roy finding a common interest in chess is going to be good although I don't look forward to the inevitable crush Mary is quickly developing on Roy. Roy is not going to notice because he's oblivious to things like that but Hayley sure is and she's already not Mary's biggest fan.

State of the Street - June 2012

Why can't people just have a happy wedding day? Why is there always some problem? At the very least, one of the couple is late, at the worst, and this was the worst, someone is kidnapped. Will someone PLEASE just call the flamin' police! This must be breaking all the laws of storyline decency!

And with the more dire storyline! I liked the Tommy and Terry bits last month but the Rick thug storyline was just as bad this time around as it was last time when Rick was coming after Joe and then Tina for money. If there was any justice, Tina dumped Tommy for good and then took him back and she had to get involved and it (nearly) ruined Rita's wedding day. At least she dumped him again but will it stick? Of course not. It only lasted a few days. In real life, I think it would have been a tough one to forgive. It was bad enough what he did but with Rick, the man she's had prior tragic dealings with due to her father?

The wedding did happen, though and wasn't it lovely?


The custody battle was in full force. Leanne and Peter at each other's throats, Carla actually trying to be the peacemaker. Peter was willing to drag up all of Leanne's dirty past but he's no saint. On top of the alcoholism, and let's face it, he can't seem to keep off the booze for more than a few months at a time, he's got that fire he started while drunk, he confessed to a murder he didn't commit, effectively ready to abandon his child, and there's the whole bigamy thing where Lucy only gave him Simon back because she was dying.


Every time Simon kicks off or is caught stealing or whatever, Peter says he realizes what it's doing to Simon but then Leanne gets his dander up again and he gets stubborn all over again and Simon suffers some more. Was it any wonder Simon decided to drink a bottle of wine he'd found after the example he's been given? Finally, Peter's thick skull has been penetrated. Finally, he listened to Simon, and did the right thing. What powerful scenes they were, too, when he talked to the lad and gave him to Leanne later, collapsing in tears as Simon left. But the the problem is that Leanne let St. Ella pour poison in her ear and she wouldn't let Simon go out with Peter. Talk about being a hypocrite! She can't have it both ways.



I could see that one coming. Nick never lost that soft spot for Leanne. Since it looks like Leanne and Peter aren't going to get back together and Leanne's confidence has really taken a beating, I'm not surprised she reached out to him for comfort, at the very least. She's been the love of his life but I don't think it goes both ways. He's still head over heels but I think she's using him as a consolation prize. Or is it just leftover unclosed issues for her first love? Is she just looking for someone to take care of her? Nick is only too happy to comply.

Well at least that romance has a remote chance of getting somewhere. Possibly. Maria developing a crush on Marcus is understandable but it's a dead end. She knew it down deep but she's lonely and he's lovely. Sean's jealous radar had more to worry about with Marcus' coworker. I don't want to see Marcus and Sean split up because it might mean Marcus would leave the show but Sean's jealousy is going to push Marcus right out the door. It's happened before and it's happening again.


Sunita's lies caught up with her. It's one thing to sneak around and make excuses, but once she got caught with the wad of Karl's gambling proceeds and had to pretend it was hers, she scrambled and excused and bluffed but Dev was suspicious and rightly so. Nothing is going to make that go away now. He's going to be watching her like a hawk. What's her modus operandi? Leave him. Anyone with eyes can see her and Karl giving each other smouldering looks but the only one to catch on was Eva.

But Sunita's plan of camping out at the pub, hoping to persuade Karl to unreject her didn't work. He never loved her and really, I don't think she loves him, she just saw him as a way out of a dead end. That didn't work so she went back to the dead end and sealed her fate by asking Dev to marry her. As heartbroken as he was, and as much as his trust is crushed, he snapped it up and all is forgiven. But is it? You know the affair will be discovered. These things always are. Then we'll be in for some extremely painful emoting as Dev's heart breaks.

Stella has Karl out on his backside, binbags at the ready because xhe thinks the only problem is his gambling. He can't see the problem because after all, he won, didn't he? And he whined that he did it for her. Typical. He really can't see he's got a problem, can he, not if he can go around blaming everyone else for his decisions. But you know, St. Ella will take him back. She always does.

Eva and Nick broke up but let's face it, yet again, Nick had a girlfriend that he wasn't really that into. He was already shying away from her push for committment and her jealousy over Kylie gave him the excuse he needed. Now he's back with Leanne and Eva's feeling very betrayed. I can't really blame her there but that didn't stop Leanne.

Sister or no sister, she was re-bound and determined. I bet she wouldn't have done it had it been Toyah's ex, though. Leanne's going to break Nick's heart and he knows very well she's not in love with him but he'll do anything to be in her life. The fact that it winds up Peter is only a bonus and Peter's insecurities are not going to make it easy.

You didn't *always* want to be a dad, Nick

Everyone has been screaming all week about Nick telling Leanne he always wanted to be a dad, especially when he was the one that used emotional blackmail and pressured her into a termination when they were married.

But let's be fair about this.

They were kids. They weren't even 20 years old. Leanne was 16 when they got married, Nick 17 and the marraige ended just a year or two later. Nick buggered off to Canada and Leanne was left to pick up the pieces of her life.

It's something people say. "I always wanted..." or "I never wanted...." when they don't mean it literally. Not really. But they probably mean "For a long time" and Nick, once he finally grew up and gained a bit of maturity, probably does regret what he did back then, how he handled everything and how much he hurt Leanne. They did revisit some of that when they had an affair before the tram crash.

I'm taking the view that Nick didn't mean it literally and just wanted to make sure Leanne knew that he was willing to take the whole package, she and Simon. It's always been obvious that Leanne is the love of his life. I'm not so sure he's the love of her life. 

Having said that, Leanne really did seem to be talking herself into it. Stella was right about her not having Peter so she's settling for Nick and I think that's really the way it is. The word is "Rebound" and it's classically obvious that's what she's doing. The more Stella scolded her, the more Leanne made up her mind. Nick will take any piece of Leanne that he can get and he's going to get hurt again, sooner or later.

This isn't to say that I think it's a bad storyline because I do like it and it'll throw another wobbler into Peter and Carla's little world, too, because Peter will not like Nick playing daddy with Simon.