Issue #0015

Yet Another Round of Awards

The downside of being a soap star involves spending endless hours learning your lines. Then even longer hours are spent at the studio recording the show.

Your storyline may be intense for weeks on end and then you are left painting your fences for several months because you aren’t needed in the story at all.

The whole show hangs on audience ratings. Soaps are very competitive indeed. Lose the ratings and jobs may be lost. Your life can turn from international stardom to homelessness in a matter of months.

Fortunately, there is an upside too. The public loves soaps (well that’s no surprise). So does the media and nowhere more so than in Coronation Street’s home and native land – the United Kingdom.

So this week another set of awards were handed out at the Inside Soap Awards and our Corrie took a beating. The Best Soap award went to Corrie rival EastEnders (for those who don’t watch it, EastEnders is a similar show set in London in which every female seems to be as bad as our Carla and every male seems to be as evil as our Tony).

But the good news is that Blighty’s Corrie Fan Newsletter’s favourite Corrie actor Gray O’Brien (yes, the one and only best bad guy Tony Gordon) won best actor. Well done Gray, we think you are tops (well, at least Corrie Fan Newsletter reader Josie in Calgary and I think so anyway).

Michelle Keegan (Tina McIntyre) won Sexiest Female award. Michelle, dressed like she was ready to eat poor helpless young men alive, said: “I’m really not sexy. I’m honestly not. You should see me during the day, I look more like a scruff”.

Is it dangerous to watch Coronation Street?

Statistics compiled in the UK would have us believe so. Researchers in Britain have concluded that 50,000 Corrie fans die every year!

So what is behind this startling statistic? Well, first of all – don’t panic! It is perfectly safe to watch Corrie. The facts are that the average age of Corrie fans is quite high; in fact the average Corrie fan is over 65 and a full half of all Corrie fans are over 50!

The UK’s National Office of Statistics says that people over 65 are 160 times more likely to die. Linking this to the number of Corrie fans and their average age enabled them to compute how many Corrie fans pass away each year.

But don’t give up hope because Bill Roache (Ken Barlow) is 77 years old, Maggie Jones (Blanche Hunt) is 75 and Bill Tarmey (Jack Duckworth) is 68. And all three are still working.

Michael Le Vell Threatens to Quit the Show

We don’t quite know how to tell this story because it is full of spoilers. Let’s just say that Michael Le Vell (Kevin Webster) has threatened to quit Coronation Street because he doesn’t like the way his character is being developed by the writers.

The story involves two major spoilers and we don’t do spoilers here at Blighty’s Corrie Fan Newsletter. But, if you are curious, then click on the “Comment on this story” link below and ask us to send you the sordid details. [Teaser: 26 year grease gun veteran Kevin warms the sheets with .....]

Sexy Strip Scene Cut

So who is the biggest minx on the set right now? Could it be Tina McIntyre, played by “Sexiest Female’ award winner Michelle Keegan. No. What about the dark and alluring Carla Connor who curled cheating Liam’s toes before he was suddenly whisked up to heaven? Again no.

Could it be Liam’s poor suffering widow Maria? Once again no. So who is left? Could it be the juvenile temptress Rosie Webster? Bingo! And in a raunchy scene shot on the set then left on the cutting room floor, Rosie strips down to her very sexy lingerie to seduce a character who has not yet appeared on our screens in Canada.

So men, if you want to see Rosie looking her best (or should that be her worst) you can find the pictures on several UK websites.

Rita to Quit the Kabin

Aging actress Barbara Knox may be getting sidelined by cash-strapped ITV television network. It was announced this week that her character Rita Sullivan will be announcing her retirement soon.

Rita has been selling cigarettes and newspapers at the Kabin for 36 years. She first appeared on the show in 1964 and in 1973 she began work at the shop under boss Len Fairclough. Len and Rita married four years later.

Actor Peter Adamson, who played Len Fairclough in the show, was involved in a real life scandal and was written out of the show. On the screen, Len, a builder by trade, fell asleep at the wheel of his van and was killed in a collision.

Where is Jack Duckworth Going?

He isn’t leaving the show, but news that good old Jack will be moving out of #25 has been circulating recently. Jack, played by 68 year-old actor Bill Tarmey, is on the move. Could it be that he will fulfill Vera’s dream and go to live in Blackpool?

Jack is one of the show’s most popular characters. But, could it be that actor Bill is feeling the strain of the high pressure schedule on the show? In reference to the article about the soap awards at the beginning of this newsletter, Bill gets all the hard work of being a soap actor but very little of the glamour.

The young stars are the ones who get all the awards. The older cast members sit in their shadow. Well, here’s a piece of advice for Granada bosses: never forget that half of Corrie fans are over 50 and many are over 65. These fans identify with the likes of Bill Tarmey, Bill Roache and Eileen Derbyshire. Do not make the mistake of turning our Corrie into a teen soap!

Stunning New Image

Actress Jenny McAlpine (Fizz Brown) may have come home empty-handed from the recent Inside Soap Awards (see article above) but she did reveal a stunning new, lighter figure. Jenny has lost over 28 pounds in weight and dropped three dress sizes.

She looked quite stunning in a tight, figure-hugging blue dress at the awards ceremony. Rumour has it that she was inspired by an on-screen event in which her character would be wanting to look her very best for a very special day. That’s the teaser. Want to hear the spoiler? Just ask using the “Comment on this story” link below this article.

Samia Smith is Tops

As we have all seen, Maria Connor is pregnant with Liam’s baby. In real life, actress Samia Smith was wearing a false tummy bump for filming. And then, in real life, actress Samia Smith became pregnant by husband and property developer Matthew.

Of course, a real life bump didn’t fit the storyline so Granada camera crews shot scenes in which only the top part of Maria can be seen. Watch out for it on CBC screens in the next few months as the post-pregnancy storyline unfolds in Canada.

20 Minutes, Commercial Free

How long is an episode of Coronation Street? Thirty minutes? No, actually each episode is actually closer to twenty minutes if you cut out the commercials.

So how can you watch Corrie without commercials? On the CBC website! But of course you also need high speed Internet and a little patience. The CBC streams recent episodes on the Internet but only after a one week delay.

But still, if you have been on vacation or you had to miss an episode, you can catch up. You can also watch favourite recent episodes again and again. Luxury!

Corrie Gifts in Jeopardy

Christmas is coming up quickly and fans are going to be asking for Corrie merchandise in their stockings. But, there is bad news. ITV has set up a new merchandising office for North America in Los Angeles.

Two of our suppliers have told us that the LA office is too difficult to deal with and have stopped carrying Corrie merchandise. We will try to find alternative sources but many of our Corrie gifts may be unavailable soon. Another good reason to shop early for Christmas.

Fan Feedback

Josie in Calgary writes:
fave = Tony Gordon (I know I know)
Comments = Growing up in Belfast, my Aunt and Gran used to watch it and we had to be quiet when it was on. I believe each episode was 15 minutes. Years later my own children had to do the same thing – they ran when the music would come on Sunday mornings. Now they are avid fans and wouldn’t miss an episode. In fact, I had to update them on the history of the “older characters” on Corrie.
Buy them the “Coronation Street The Complete Saga” book for Christmas. They will be able to read the entire history of the street! – John

Marian in Georgetown writes:
fave = Eileen
Comments = She is such a natural and ever since her arrival has been a real asset to the show, She has a lovely personality and is a delight to watch.
She also has a lot of patience but Gail Platt would probably volunteer to pay her one-way bus fare out of Weatherfield! – John

Dianne in Guelph writes:
fave = Tyrone
Comments = I have watched Corrie for many years and hate to miss an episode. I like Tyrone, but wonder what is going to happen when we get close to wedding time. I think the aunt is up to something with all her wheeling and dealing. Will Tyrone and Molly will lose out again?
Tyrone and Molly will be in the mainstream of the story over the coming months. Molly is giving Tyrone an undeserved hard time right now. But, in the future, it is Molly who goes off the straight and narrow. – John

Lorin in Summerside writes:
fave = Carla Connor
Comments = I love the show, really grown attached to it since I was a teenager, the drama is great, I look forward to it every night and sometimes watch it again on Sundays. My favorite character is Carla Connor she’s so mischievous
Now that is the understatement of the month! Carla is the kind of woman my mother warned me to stay away from. Tony is dealing with an unexploded bomb by marrying Carla. But then Tony can handle her; he is even more evil than she is. – John

Noreen in Paris, Ontario writes:
fave = Each and every character play their parts so well
Comments = I started watching Corrie when Alec and Bette were the Rover’s proprietors. I would love to know the date of that era as so many people ask me how long I’ve been watching it. I try not to miss my evening “fix” of the street but when I do I know I can catch up on Sunday mornings. Keep up the good work…it’s so enjoyable.
Bet Lynch (played by Julie Goodyear) and Alec Gilroy (played by Roy Barraclough) were licensees of the Rovers Return between 1985 and 1995. Their relationship was a little complicated. Perhaps we’ll tell that story in the newsletter one day. – John

Christine in Ottawa writes:
fave = Steve Comments = Love Corrie, watching from day one now my husband loves it too.
Corrie is very addictive. I am afraid there is no known cure. Don’t worry, some addictions are actually good and our Corrie is one of them! – John

Danielle in St Catherines writes:
fave = Amber Alahan
The Windasses have just blown onto the Street. Is there a new Battersby family?
No Danielle, absolutely not! The Windasses are way, way worse than the Battersby family. Les was a hapless idiot, Cilla was a bad mother but the rest of the Battersby family weren’t too bad at all. The Windasses are animals! – John