Coronation Street Blog

Coronation Street wins 2012 BAFTA

2012-05-27T20:48:00.002+01:00

Coronation Street has won the British Academy Television Award for Best Soap and Continuing Drama. The awards were held tonight at the Royal Festival Hall in London and were hosted by Dara O'Briain.

Collecting the award on stage was William Roache, who plays Corrie's Ken Barlow.

Also on stage were Corrie Producer Phil Collinson and cast members Helen Worth (Gail McIntyre), Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre), Chris Fountain (Tommy Duckworth), Natalie Gumede (Kirsty Soames) and Kate Ford (Tracy Barlow).

Corrie beat off competition from EastEnders, Shameless and Holby City.

Well done, Corrie!

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WIN! Coronation Street jigsaw competition

2012-05-27T17:37:00.004+01:00

With thanks to the lovely people at All Jigsaw Puzzles, we have a smashing double Coronation Street jigsaw puzzle to give away in an exclusive competition right here on the Coronation Street Blog.

Celebrate Coronation Street and win a special set of two 1000 piece Wasgijs by Graham Thompson. Cast members past and present are gathered in the Rovers Return but what will happen next? The puzzle in the box is not the puzzle on the box, use your imagination and puzzle the future!

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you have to do is answer these three questions correctly and email your answers to me. One correct entry will be drawn at random to win the prize. Deadline for entries is Saturday 9 June 2012 at 6pm. Note that entries from moneysavingsexpert, Loquax and all other competition websites will not be included in any of our competitions.

Q1: On the All Jigsaw Puzzles website, how many Coronation Street jigsaws do they sell?
Q2: Here on the Coronation Street Blog, name one of our "Coronation Street Fans of the Week" and where they come from.
Q3: Here on the Coronation Street Blog, name one of our Coronation Street Look-a-Likes.

As the jigsaw in the box is heavy I can only send to an address in the UK so overseas fans can't enter this one, apologies.

Good luck!

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Winners announced in our Corrie-catures competition

2012-05-27T17:22:00.000+01:00

We have these wonderful Corrie caricature fridge magnets created by talented artist Pickled Jo, to be won by in an exclusive competition here on the Coronation Street Blog.

Well done to ten lucky Coronation Street Blog readers who have each won one of Pickled Jo's Corrie-cature fridge magnets. Winners are as follows:

Allen de Young, Sue Leon (Canada), Katie North, Steve Beckwith, Maggie Mandzuk (Canada), David Finney, Heather Allen (Canada), Janice Fraser (New Zealand), Gillian Massey and Marie Ferry.

Follow Pickled Jo at her blog, on twitter, and join her facebook group.

Pickled Jo's wonderful Corrie caricatures are used by some of the Corrie cast as their profile pics on twitter. Pickled Jo has also created the poster for the Fat Brenda stage show, in Manchester.

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Corrie weekly awards: May 21 - 25

2012-05-27T17:16:00.000+01:00

And this month's drink poured over the head award goes to Nick. Well at least it wasn't the traditional pint but why does every woman think that's the answer and the last word?

Greem eyed monster award: Jealous star: Eva turned them into really HOT pots, caused a near riot and all for a misunderstanding, then wore a top cut down to her navel to make him jealous. It may have worked.
Also, Lewis staring daggers at the Mayor for chatting up Audrey and Sunita fuming over Stella and Karl's romantic evening.

Papparazzi award: Well Nick did say he wanted the publicity from the dinner party!

Too big for your boots award: Stella is threatening a lawsuit against Sean? In who's fantasy court, I ask? He owns the recipe, it's his call where and who he makes it for. I still don't think she'd win in court but it sounds like he's giving it back to the Rovers anyway.

Unreasonable award: Not sure who's dug their heels in further, Peter or Leanne but I think Peter might have the edge there.
Kirsty's father was a bit full on wasn't he?

Pants on Fire award: Simon told the court officer that he hates his dad. Karl trying to get out of the dinner party at the Alahans.

Show off award: Dev singing karaoke. That whole dinner party was sick inducing. But then so is the Karlita affair.

More than you bargained for award: The surprise party was more of a surprise for Tyrone than Kirsty. Ouch!

You've changed your tune award: David's backed down, Audrey's offered him his job back.

High Standards award: Kirsty's father sure has strong opinions but to be fair, they sure sprung a lot on him out of the blue.

Fashion shout out. Lewis in yellow marigolds! Everyone else seemed shocked, too!

Lines of the Week:
David "There are some people that are supposed to grovel and serve. And there's me"
Tyrone "Beth wants to make a man out of Tommy" Kirsty "That explains the look of terror"
Sean to Stella "How many years did you and Betty go back?" (Yay! I still don't think there's a legal leg to stand on).
Nick to Eva "I don't do "mad, vindictive women" (he did do Tracy Barlow, however) and "you're not mad, you're unhinged!"
Stella to Karl "It feels a bit weird, trying to be romantic. Takes time to switch off" (If it's real, it's not that hard to be romantic)
Tyrone "I don't understand how someone who can love you one minute, can use you as a punchbag the next" (Like your mother you mean?) and "I'll work on trying not to get on your wick as much" (But he wasn't, really)
Leanne "You're just one big walking cliche"

Karl and Stella had their romantic meal in the downstairs sitting room. Whatever happened to that living area upstairs where Steve and Becky used to live? It appeared in the Rovers out of nowhere and it seems to have disappeared again or why would you have a romantic meal where you could be interrupted?

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Coronation Street Jubilee party pictures

2012-05-26T12:39:00.002+01:00

The official Coronation Street site has revealed pictures of the upcoming Jubilee street party, the episodes look like they're going to be fun to watch.

In the same episodes we will see the kidnap of Rita on her wedding day, will she manage to get to the church on time, or will Dennis be left standing at the altar?

It is shaping up to be a great week for the show all round, I'm hoping this can top my favourite Coronation Street episodes in all time - Roy and Hayley Cropper's wedding.

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Coronation Street double episode review, Friday May 25

2012-05-26T04:56:00.001+01:00

Sunita and Karl's affair was on the brink of being discovered after farcical scenes when their steamy tryst at Dev's flat was interrupted by the unsuspecting Dev showing Kevin round the flat.

Karl had to hid in true Brian Rix bedroom farce tradition while a flustered Sunita pretended she had been "spring cleaning". But Sophie's suspicions were aroused after she found Karl's wallet on the sofa.

Maria was set up with a handsome work colleague friend of Marcus's in The Rovers. They seemed to be getting on well but when she moved in for a kiss he somewhat inconveniently revealed he was gay and more interested in Marcus. She's not doing too well on the date front at the moment, is she?

A defiant Simon (as ever lovely acting from little Alex Bain) told the child custody officer he hated Carla whom he called a "witch" which drove Carla to offer money to Leanne to drop her fight for the little boy, divorce Peter and move away. Leanne was unimpressed.

After Kirsty's disastrous surprise 30th birthday part featuring her estranged parents after which she assaulted poor Tyrone once again, she opened her heart to Tyrone about her abusive father and he also talked about his unhappy childhood. But it's unclear whether their love will survive this latest setback. Kirsty remains such an unsympathetic character. Let's hope this issue-based (domestic violence) storyline doesn't drag on much longer and Tyrone find himself a nice girl who doesn't let her fists do the talking.

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Where have you seen Aidan before?

2012-05-25T22:26:00.000+01:00

The minute I looked at Aidan/Aiden in tonight's episode of Coronation Street, I knew I knew him, but couldn't place him at all. It was obvious it wasn't going to work out with M'reeuh, but the poor girl, having to hear that he quite liked Marcus instead. I suppose it's too much to wish that Marcus and he might run away together and leave Sean, who I love, but who recently has taken on all the personality of a wet paper bag? Marcus deserves a happy ending.

Anyway, Aiden/Aidan. I looked at him and I recognised the lisp and I trawled all the way through the backwoods of my mind through ex boy-band members and cast members of Queer As Folk (who all do turn up in Corrie sooner or later - I'm quite convinced it's written in the contract) and I finally, finally hit upon the man himself, Toby Sawyer.

Looking a bit older these days but still quite pretty, he's best known to me as having played Bazz in Hollyoaks way back in the beginning when everyone was a Benson or dating a Benson or fathering a Benson. I absolutely adored Bazz. I must have been about 12 when Bazz came out, and it was one of the first gay characters I remember seeing on the TV. It was important for me personally, in the same way that Queer As Folk would be a couple of years later.

Toby's been in lots of things, although I don't remember seeing him so it's nice to see he's still an actor. Please, Corrie Powers That Be, can we keep him?

Alison King and Chris Gascoyne to take four month Corrie break

2012-05-25T18:21:00.001+01:00

Coronation Street actors Alison King and Chris Gascoyne, who play Carla Connor and Peter Barlow, will be taking a four month break from Corrie this summer.

The official ITV Corrie website say that both Alison and Chris will be taking time away from filming to spend time with their families this summer. They will return towards the end of the year.

As for their on-screen characters Carla and Peter, the custody battle for little Simon hots up. Peter and Carla try to flee the country, but it's not clear if Simon will be going with them or if Leanne wins the battle to become Simon’s full time carer.

Many Corrie fans at Manchester's Victoria train station watched these scenes being filmed earlier this week when Corrie went out on location.

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Sacha Parkinson returns to TV

2012-05-25T11:49:00.000+01:00

Sacha Parkinson, who played Coronation Street's Sian Powers, is returning to our television screens.

This week's TV Times says that Sacha has filmed a guest role in Casualty. She'll play Laura, a beautiful girl with a secret, in an episode that's due to air in September.

Sacha left Coronation Street at the end of last year when her Corrie charcter, Sian, was driven away from Weatherfield by her mum after her wedding to Sophie ended in tears.

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Video preview for tonight's Corrie - are Karl and Sunita busted?

2012-05-25T11:00:00.000+01:00

Here's a short sneak video preview from tonight's Coronation Street.

Karl and Sunita are in bed in the flat and hear someone unlock the door and run up the stairs. They panic, and Sunita tells Karl that the only other person that has keys to the flat is Dev. Are they busted?

Read the full double episode preview here

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Fab Photo Friday - May 25th 2012

2012-05-25T10:30:00.000+01:00

It's Friday again so it's time for this week's fab Coronation Street photo. Deirdre looks like she's lost something. If only that something hadn't been found then poor old Charlie Stubbs would still be alive.

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Sneak preview of tonight's double Corrie - Friday 25 May

2012-05-25T08:00:00.000+01:00

Coronation Street, Friday 25th May at 7.30pm

Watch the preview video here - will Karl and Sunita get busted?

DEV’S ABOUT TO WALK IN ON SUNITA AND KARL…Unable to face Karl, after last night’s rejection, Sunita calls in sick. Seeing Stella rushed off her feet Karl's irked and collars Sunita who agrees to meet at the flat to talk. Desperate not to lose him Sunita promises not to push Karl again, insisting she knows the boundaries of their affair now. Karl's adamant the affair is over but as Sunita moves closer will he be able to resist? Meanwhile Dev's agreed to show Kevin round the flat as he's looking for somewhere for him and Jack. Are Sunita and Karl about to be caught in a compromising position?
SIMON TELLS THE COURT OFFICER HE HATES PETER. Peter's nervous, knowing the custody officer is visiting Simon at school today. What will Simon tell them about Peter?
KIRSTY BREAKS DOWN AS TYRONE BLOCKS HER EXIT. As Kirsty begs for Tyrone's forgiveness, blaming her anger on pregnancy hormones, he's disgusted that she lashed out again and refuses to accept her apology. But when Tyrone finds Kirsty packing will she open up about her past and will Tyrone let the woman he loves walk away with his unborn child?
Elsewhere Eva and Nick struggle to work together at the Bistro. Marcus is keen to set Maria up with a new sonographer he's working with. Arranging to meet him in the pub Marcus instructs Maria to 'accidentally' bump into them.

Friday 25th May at 8.30pm

SUNITA AND KARL’S SECRET IS ALMOST EXPOSED. Dev's showing Kevin around the flat as Sunita emerges from the bedroom, claiming she was giving the flat a spring clean. Dev thinks nothing of it but as Karl hides it's a close call. Sunita breathes a sigh of relief as it looks like they've got away with it but when Sophie finds Karl's wallet on the sofa she's suspicious. Calling at the pub Sophie explains she found Karl's wallet at the flat. Panicking Sunita quickly spins a lie but will Sophie see through it?
CARLA OFFERS LEANNE MONEY TO LEAVE. When Simon tells Peter what he said to the custody officer Carla visits Leanne at the pub and implores her to drop her fight for Simon. Leanne scoffs but Carla's serious, Peter's at rock bottom and the rows aren't doing Simon any good either. Admitting she's sorry for how things have turned out Carla suggests Leanne would be better off divorcing Peter and moving away, she could even offer money as an early divorce settlement. Seeing this as a bribe, how will Leanne react?
MARIA'S DATING DISASTERS REACH A NEW LOW. Marcus arrives at the pub with Aiden and pretends to spot Maria. She joins them and while Aiden's somewhat confused by her presence they get on great. But all isn't what it seems with Aiden!
Elsewhere as Tyrone tries to get to the bottom of things with Kirsty they both open up about their childhood. Can their love be salvaged or is it time for Kirsty to go? When Jason asks Eva out on a date she sees an opportunity to make Nick jealous.

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Spot the Corrie prop - May 25th 2012

2012-05-25T07:47:00.000+01:00

Another tricky prop puzzle last week as nobody guessed that the stereo can be found in the Alahan's house.

For this week's prop poser all you have to do is tell us where on Coronation Street you'd find this fancy fruit formation.

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Where have you seen Kirsty's parents before?

2012-05-24T21:28:00.001+01:00

Did Kirsty's mum Alison Soames or dad Edwin Soames look familiar to you tonight on Coronation Street? Well, they should do, or at least Kirsty's dad should jog a memory or two. He's played by actor David Lonsdale who's been on Coronation Street before - as Peter Barlow! This was back in 1986 to 1988 and was David's TV debut appearance. He's also appeared on Corrie as an investigator looking for John Stape, which we blogged here.

Check out his other work at his personal website.

Actress Dawn Hope, who's playing Kirsty's mum Alison Soames, also has a wealth of TV and stage work under her belt. Check out her IMDB entry here.

See also: Where have you seen...?
Jenny Sumner, Corrie's prison Governor, Sunita's Aunties, Ken and Deirdre's pottery teacher, Tommy Duckworth, Mrs Hargreaves who died in Audrey's salon, Sally Webster's fella Jeff, Joy Fishwick's investigator, Charlotte's Parents, Ken Barlow's grandson James, Ken Barlow's son Lawrence, Dr Matt Carter, Saucy Charlotte, Izzy's dad Owen Armstrong,The Corrie coppers, Colin Fishwick, Trevor the binman, Connie Rathbone, Uncle Umed,Julie Carp's mum, Luke Strong, Sophie Webster's boyfriend, Eileen Grimshaw's dad, Norris' girlfriend, Graeme Proctor,Molly's Aunty Pam, Maria's mum and dad, Gail's dad, Scary Brian, Tina's dad, Tony Gordon's henchman, Little Simon Barlow

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Fat Brenda's big night in Manchester

2012-05-24T18:30:00.003+01:00

Fat Brenda's stage play's on in Manchester tonight and we wish her, and Steve Huison, all the very best from everyone here at the Coronation Street Blog.

If you're at the show and you're on your "hi-phone" (as Brenda likes to say) then check out her Fat Brenda's Cream Horn blog posts here.

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Samia Ghadie signs up to Corrie until September 2013

2012-05-24T18:26:00.000+01:00

Samia Ghadie, who plays Coronation Street crimper Maria Connor, has signed a new contract that ties her to the soap until September 2013.

In an exclusive interview with Digital Spy, Samia said today: "I've just signed until September next year, so I'll definitely be here until then. After that, who knows? But I've got no plans to leave at the moment."

Samis has been in Corrie as Maria since 2000, when she was initially signed up on a three-month guest contract. Remeber when she played the kennel maid who had been bullied by Fiz at school?

Reflecting on her early days at the programme, Samia told Digital Spy: "I thought I'd do my three months and then I'd be off. I was a jobbing actress when I joined and was really pleased to have a job for three months. I never imagined I'd still be here now."

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Steve McDonald gurn of the week - Thursday May 24

2012-05-24T12:30:00.000+01:00

It's Thursday and that means it's time for the Steve McDonald gurn of the week. Thanks go to Coronation Street fan Martin for capturing this week's gurn.

If you've captured a good Corrie Steve gurn and want to share it via the blog, do email it in.

To see more gurnage from Stevie McGurn, have a look here, there's loads. Some good, some bad and some really very funny.

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Video preview for tonight's Corrie - Kirsty hits Tyrone again

2012-05-24T11:43:00.000+01:00

Here's a video preview from tonight's Coronation Street:

It's the day after the surprise party and Kirsty is in a rage. Tyrone apologises but he thought she'd said her parents knew about the job and baby. She screams at him for sticking his nose in, knocks a drink out of his hand and shoves him violently up against the wall. He storms out and she collapses in tears.

Read the full episode preview here.

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Video: Stephanie Cole at Chelsea Flower Show

2012-05-24T08:13:00.001+01:00

Coronation Street actress Stephanie Cole, who plays Sylvia Cropper, took a starring role in this week's Chelsea Flower Show.

She was interviewed in her own back garden and took viewers on a tour of it, explaining what she liked about it most and the areas she wanted to change.

She talked about how hard it can be at tmes leaving the garden for so long while she's away filming up north for Corrie and then she went up to London to the Flower Show itself for a chat with Alan Titchmarsh.

Stephanie's clearly a knowledgable gardener but talk turned of course to Coronation Street and that's when her eyes sparkled and she told Alan how much she loved, absolutely loved, working on the show.

You can watch Stephanie's star turn at the Chelsea Flower Show on the BBC iPlayer here. Stephanie's bit comes on around 19:29.

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Interview with Chris Fountain on playing Tommy Duckworth

2012-05-24T08:04:00.003+01:00

There's an interview with Chris Fountain, who plays Coronation Street's Tommy Duckworth, in today's Sun. It's one of those interviews with a lot of words, that takes up a lot of space, but doesn't say much at all. It does however have a picture of Chris Fountain with his top off, which if you're a Chris/Tommy fan is probably worth a look.

Chris talks about his kissing scenes with soap's official sexiest woman Michelle Keegan, who plays Tommy's girlfriend Tina, and says he misses his own girlfriend as they have a long distance relationship.

What I did find interesting was that Chris was a child stage actor. He was in a tour of Les Miserables when he was ten and played the Artful Dodger in a tour of Oliver. At 13, he had his first TV role in Bob & Rose, before going on to appear in Emmerdale, Where The Heart Is and The Royal before joining Hollyoaks at 15.

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Sneak preview of tonight's Corrie - Thursday 24 May

2012-05-24T08:00:00.000+01:00

Coronation Street, Thursday 24th May at 8.30pm

Watch the video preview here.

TYRONE FEELS THE STRONG ARM OF KIRSTY’S LAW. With the factory girls in on the act Tyrone has everyone in position at no.9 when Fiz walks in with Kirsty. As they shout surprise Kirsty smiles politely. As everyone makes a fuss a proud Tyrone reveals he couldn't let the day pass unmarked. Oblivious to her annoyance Tyrone then reveals the special guests – Kirsty's parents! They're shocked to see she's pregnant and Kirsty can't contain her horror. As Ed and Pat belittle Kirsty it's clear they don't get on. Tyrone tries to stick up for but they're clearly unimpressed by Kirsty's choices and march out. Finally alone with Tyrone how will Kirsty react?
SUNITA’S HURT WHEN KARL CHOOSES STELLA OVER HER. It's Stella and Karl's anniversary, which has been forgotten by Karl. Feeling guilty he's forced to go along with the romantic meal Stella has planned. But as Karl relaxes into the evening he realises how much he really does love Stella. As they head upstairs what does this mean for Sunita?
EVA REALISES SHE’S MADE A HUGE MISTAKE. At work Nick sits Eva down and explains that after what she did he thinks it's best if they break up. Gutted will Eva be able to talk Nick round? Meanwhile will Kylie be able to repair her relationship with David and can the Platts put all their recent acrimony behind them?
Elsewhere Carla worries that Peter's on the edge when he reveals he's attending extra AA meetings. Sean's torn when Rita tells him Betty would be turning in her grave if she knew he'd taken her hotpot away from the Rovers. Feeling guilty he talks to Nick about Betty's legacy but will Nick be quite so sentimental?

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Coronation Street schedule change for first week of June

2012-05-23T19:43:00.003+01:00

There's some changes to Coronation Street for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and the launch of Euro 2012.

Friday, June 1 at 7.30pm only
Sunday, June 3 at 8.30pm
Monday, June 4 at 7.30pm and 8.30pm
Wednesday June 6 at 7.30pm
Thursday, June 8 at 8.30pm
Friday, June 8 No Corrie tonight.

These schedule changes are correct as at May 24 and confirmed by ITV.

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Winner announced in our Fat Brenda competition

2012-05-23T13:06:00.000+01:00

Congratulations go to Coronation Street Blog reader and Fat Brenda fan, Suzanne Guest.

Suzanne has been drawn at random from all correct entries received to win two tickets to see Steve Huison live on stage as Fat Brenda in Manchester tomorrow night, Thursday, 24 May.

There's still a handful of tickets left on sale so it might not be too late to buy tickets for this fab show.

Fat Brenda - My Flamin' Story, stars ex-Coronation Street actor Steve Huison as Fat Brenda and is on at the Trafford Waterside Arts Centre in Sale on Thursday May 24th. I've had it on good authority from Brenda herself that there'll be a sprinkling of Street celebrities in the audience for her Manchester debut.

Fat Brenda - My Flamin' Story is a fantastic play and you can read both my review and our blogger Rebecca's review here. But don't take just our word for it, there's an external review here too.

Find out more about the Manchester show - and buy your tickets here.

The Fat Brenda stage play poster has been designed by talented artist Pickled Jo. You can win some of Pickled Jo's fab Corrie-cature fridge magnets. Enter here.

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Coronation Street fan of the week - Hannah from Dorset

2012-05-23T11:07:00.002+01:00

It's Wednesday and time to meet another Corrie fan of the week. If you would like to be our Corrie fan of the week, have a look here.

Who are you and where are you from?
I'm Hannah from Dorset.

How long have you been watching Corrie?
My mum and dad would always watch Corrie in the evening and I would occasionally watch it but was too young to take it in.. I’m now 15 and have been watching for at least 5 years, not missing an episode! I love the programme and have it set to record the episode so I can watch it over and over again! It will never get boring. If I’m out I make sure it’s the first thing I do once I’m in. I love reading and watching spoilers to find out what’s happening before the programme is actually shown. My family say I don’t really need to watch it because of all the spoilers I see.

Who are your favourite female and male characters - and the reasons why?
I could pick the whole cast but my favourite female would defiantly be Carla Connor (Alison King). I’m a huge fan of Ali herself and have watched most of her previous programmes she appeared in. If you ask anyone I’m sure they’ll agree that I love Ali and Carla. I have everything to do with her. I’ve also met her 3 times which was the best day of my life. I’m also a huge fan of the whole Connor family.. Michelle and Maria. My favourite male character would be Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne). Again I’m a huge fan of him. I particularly enjoyed watching his scenes with Blanche, especially the AA meeting, couldn’t stop laughing. Recently Carla and Peter finally got together so I was really pleased to see that my two favourite characters together.

What's been some of your favourite Corrie storylines over the years?
I’ve enjoyed all the storylines over the past years, could list them all, but some of my favourites were when Tony held Carla and Hayley hostage in Underworld, The whole Carla and Peter affair and rape and death of Frank, Gail in Court for wrongly going to prison, the tram crash celebrating a wonderful 50 years, Liam with Maria, nd also Becky and Steve paying for Max.

And what would your fantasy Corrie storyline be?
I would love to see Carla and Peter eventually marry and settle down and one day have children. Also would be nice to see Carla’s family.

Have you any snippets or news about meeting any of the Corrie cast, or trips to the set, etc., that you'd like to share?
I visited Manchester earlier this year with my dad in February and waited outside the gates for 2 days. I travelled for about 5/6 hours and booked into a hotel to allow me to meet more of the cast. When we arrived we were driving around for a while – we couldn’t find the studios but we finally came across it. We parked in a nearby car park and walked to the gates, looking out for any of the cast walking around on our way, and we saw John Michie (Karl) walk past a few roads away from us. We arrived outside the gates and were greeted by many other fans waiting. A few minutes after arriving Michelle Collins (Stella) drove out and I got a chance to meet her. I just put the camera away and out drove Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald). I had photos with all the cast I met and even got some autographs from them.

From Wearside to Weatherfield, Sunderland's Corrie connections

2012-05-23T10:24:00.001+01:00

Corrie fans might have heard my home city of Sunderland mentioned on Coronation Street in the last few months when Peter Barlow was planning a naughty night away with Carla Connor.

Peter lied to wife Leanne, saying he had to stay overnight in Sunderland "to see a man about a greyhound".

But it’s not the first time that Sunderland’s been mentioned on Coronation Street.

Back in 2006, factory girl Jessie Jackson left the cobbles for a bumpy landing thanks to some out-of-date research in the scriptwriting department. Jessie told the Corrie factory girls she’d landed a job as a trolley dolly with Majestic Airlines flying “from Sunderland”. I bet Nissan, whose factory is located on the long-gone Sunderland airstrip, were a bit surprised.

But hang on, there are even more connections between Corrie and Sunderland, with some of the Street’s leading men being born and bred in the city.

Alan Browning
Born in Sunderland, he played Elsie Tanner’s on-screen husband Alan Howard and in real-life was married to the actress who played Elsie, Pat Phoenix.

William Russell
Born in Sunderland, he played Rita’s second husband, Ted Sullivan, who died of a brain tumour. Russell was also one of the four original cast members of Doctor Who in 1963, starring opposite William Hartnell as the Doctor for the first two seasons of the legendary series.

Malcolm Terris
Born in Sunderland, he played Eric Firman, owner and head of Firman’s Freezers. In real life before going to drama school, Malcolm started out as a reporter on the Sunderland Echo.

Ian Embleton
Ian, who played Des Barnes’ brother Colin, was born in Jarrow and grew up in Boldon.

But we're not finished yet, there are even more connections between Salford and Sunderland.

The Coronation Street spin-off DVD Romanian Holiday was a Corrie caper set in Transylvania and released in 2009. Both Sunderland football club and FA Cup winning Sunderland manager Bob Stokoe get a warm and friendly mention in the DVD so you do start to wonder if Corrie has recruited some Mackems to the writing team.

Back in 2008, Michael Le Vell, who plays Corrie garage owner Kevin Webster, also donated one of Kevin’s outfits from the soap to raise funds for a charity for young, homeless people in Sunderland. The outfit was auctioned off to raise money for the charity at the Black Bull pub.

And there’s been a recent saucy Street revelation when the tabloids reported that Coronation Street actor Jimmi Harkishin, who plays corner shop owner Dev Alahan, had been spotted out on the town in London with Sunderland porn star Kat Lee.

Meanwhile Bruce Jones, who played Corrie layabout Les Battersby, swapped the Rovers Return for Agadoo in Vine Place when he opened up his own Sunderland bar with Black Lace singer Dene Michael.

And Sunderland band The Toy Dolls released a song about Coronation Street’s Miss Sexy Specs herself, Deirde Barlow. The song was called, “Deirdre’s a Slag” and released in 1984. The song takes a pop at Deirdre Barlow and the blokes in her life – Ray, Mike and Ken.

And finally, I’m indebted to Colin Randall, editor of SAFC fanzine Salut! Sunderland for this wonderful snippet about Coronation Street actor Joe Simpson who was once booed by 47,000 Mackems at Sunderland AFC's Stadium of Light. Why did Joe deserve all that grief?

The poor fella had only been invited onto the pitch at half-time in a match against Ipswich in the 2001-2 season, to make the lottery draw. But he was introduced to the crowd by his Corrie character persona “the evil Alex Swinton” and the crowd rose to the bait with a chorus of pantomime booing. He didn’t mind though – Joe is a Sunderland fan and took it all in good fun.

See also: Exclusive pictures of Corrie cast in Sunderland Bistro

Check out: Sunderland R&R Life Magazine

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