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''Coronation Street'' is an English
soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres around a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
. Originally broadcast twice weekly, the series began airing six times a week in 2017. The programme was conceived by scriptwriter
Tony Warren Anthony McVay Simpson (8 July 1936 – 1 March 2016) publishing under pen name Tony Warren, was an English television screenwriter and actor, best known for creating the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He created other television dramas ...
. Warren's initial proposal was rejected by the station's founder Sidney Bernstein, but he was persuaded by producer Harry Elton to produce the programme for 13 pilot episodes, and the show has since become a significant part of English culture. ''Coronation Street'' is made by ITV Granada at MediaCityUK and shown in all ITV regions, as well as internationally. In 2010, upon its 50th anniversary, the series was recognised by
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
, as the world's longest-running television soap opera. Initially influenced by the conventions of
kitchen sink realism Kitchen sink realism (or kitchen sink drama) is a British cultural movement that developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in theatre, art, novels, film and television plays, whose protagonists usually could be described as "angry young men" w ...
, ''Coronation Street'' is noted for its depiction of a down-to-earth, working-class community, combined with light-hearted humour and strong characters. The show currently averages around six million viewers per episode. The show premiered its 10,000th episode on 7 February 2020, and celebrated its 60th anniversary later that year.


History


1960s

The
first episode A series premiere is the first aired installment of an episodic entertainment series, most often a television series. In the United States, many series premieres are aired in the fall time or, for mid-season replacements, either in the spring or ...
was aired on 9 December 1960 at 7 pm, and was not initially a critical success; ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' columnist Ken Irwin claimed the series would only last three weeks. Granada Television had commissioned only 13 episodes, and some inside the company doubted the show would last beyond its planned production run. Despite the criticism, viewers were immediately drawn into the serial, won over by ''Coronation Street''s ordinary characters. The programme also made use of Northern English language and
dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena: One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a ...
; affectionate local terms like "eh, chuck?", "nowt" (, from ''nought'', meaning ''nothing''), and "by 'eck!" became widely heard on British television for the first time. Early episodes told the story of student
Ken Barlow Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street''s original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anni ...
(
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
), who had won a place at university, and thus found his working-class background — as well as his younger brother
David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
(
Alan Rothwell Alan Rothwell (born 9 February 1937) is an English actor and television presenter. He played David Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' as a regular from 1960 to 1961, and again from 1963 to 1968. His other acting credits include p ...
) and his parents,
Frank Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Curr ...
( Frank Pemberton) and Ida ( Noel Dyson) — something of an embarrassment. The character was one of the few to have experienced much of life outside of Coronation Street. In some ways this predicts the growth of globalisation. In an episode from 1961, Barlow declares: "You can't go on just thinking about your own street these days. We're living with people on the other side of the world. There's more to worry about than
Elsie Tanner Elsie Gregory (also Grimshaw, Howard and Tanner) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was ...
(
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
) and her boyfriends." Roache is the only remaining member of the original cast, which makes him the longest-serving actor in ''Coronation Street'', and in British and global soap history. In March 1961, ''Coronation Street'' reached number 1 in the television ratings and remained there for the rest of the year. Earlier in 1961, a Television Audience Measurement (TAM) showed that 75% of available viewers (15 million) tuned into ''Corrie'', and by 1964 the programme had over 20 million regular viewers, with ratings peaking on 2 December 1964, at 21.36 million viewers. In spite of rising popularity with viewers, ''Coronation Street'' was criticised by some for its outdated portrayal of the urban working class, and its representation of a community that was a
nostalgic Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a learned formation of a Greek compound, consisting of (''nóstos''), meaning "homecoming", a Homeric wo ...
fantasy. After the first episode in 1960, the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' printed: "The programme is doomed from the outset ... For there is little reality in this new serial, which apparently, we have to suffer twice a week." By 1967, critics were suggesting that the programme no longer reflected life in 1960s Britain. Granada hurried to update the programme, with the hope of introducing more issue-driven stories, including Lucille Hewitt ( Jennifer Moss) becoming addicted to drugs, Jerry Booth ( Graham Haberfield) being in a storyline about homosexuality, Emily Nugent (
Eileen Derbyshire Eileen Derbyshire, MBE (born 6 October 1931) is an English retired actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She played the character for 55 years from January 1961 to January 2 ...
) having an out-of-wedlock child, and introducing a black family, but all of these ideas were dropped for fear of upsetting viewers. In 1964, ''Coronation Street'' appointed new producer, Tim Aspinall.Little. (2000) p.28. Aspinall decided on a new broom policy and 'The Bloody Purge' of 1964 began, with nine actors being sacked in total. The first cast member to be written out was Lynne Carol, who had played
Martha Longhurst Martha Longhurst (also Hartley) is a fictional character from the British soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was played by Lynne Carol from the show's inception in 1960, from the second episode until the character's death in 1964. Creation ...
since episode two and the preview of the programme. Her sacking was so controversial that fellow actress
Violet Carson Violet Helen Carson, OBE (1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress of radio, stage and television, and a singer and pianist, who had a long and celebrated career as an actress and performer during the early days of BBC Rad ...
(
Ena Sharples Ena Sharples (née Schofield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Violet Carson. She appeared in the first-ever episode, broadcast on 9 December 1960, and stayed with the show until 2 April ...
) threatened to quit, but she was eventually persuaded not to. The media reported extensively on the storyline, and when Lynne Carol took a private trip to the Daily Mail Ideal Home Exhibition in
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, she was mobbed by fans and asked to leave on the grounds of public safety.Tinker. p. 31. Many, including ''Coronation Street'' writer H.V. Kershaw, saw the killing of Martha as a desperate move to boost viewer ratings.


1970s

The show's
production team A production team is the group of technical staff who produce a play, television show, recording, or film. Generally the term refers to all individuals responsible for the technical aspects of creating of a particular product, regardless of wher ...
was tested when many core cast members left the programme in the early 1970s. When Arthur Leslie died suddenly in 1970, his character, Rovers landlord
Jack Walker Jack Walker (19 May 1929 – 17 August 2000) was a British industrialist and businessman. Walker built his fortune in the steel industry, amassing a personal fortune of £600 million. He then went on to become the owner and benefactor of Black ...
, died off screen shortly afterwards.
Anne Reid Anne Reid, MBE (born 28 May 1935) is a British stage, film and television actress, known for her roles as Valerie Barlow in the soap opera '' Coronation Street'' (1961–1971); Jean in the sitcom '' dinnerladies'' (1998–2000); and her role ...
quit as
Valerie Barlow '' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera, initially produced by Granada Television. Created by writer Tony Warren, ''Coronation Street'' first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters introduced in the sh ...
; her character was killed off in 1971, electrocuting herself with a faulty hairdryer. Ratings reached a low of eight million in February 1973, when
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
quit as
Elsie Tanner Elsie Gregory (also Grimshaw, Howard and Tanner) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was ...
and
Doris Speed Doris Speed, MBE (3 February 1899 – 16 November 1994) was an English actress, best known for her role as landlady of the Rovers Return Inn Annie Walker on ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from the programme's first episode in 1960 un ...
( Annie Walker) took two months' leave due to bereavement.Little. (2000) p.86. The audience of ITV's other flagship soap opera '' Crossroads'' increased markedly at this time, as its established cast, such as Meg Richardson ( Noele Gordon), grew in popularity. These sudden departures forced the writing team to quickly develop characters who had previously stood in the background. The roles of mostly younger characters including Bet Lynch (
Julie Goodyear Julie Goodyear MBE (''née'' Kemp; born 29 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Bet Lynch in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming ...
), Deirdre Hunt (
Anne Kirkbride Anne Kirkbride (21 June 1954 – 19 January 2015) was an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in the ITV soap ''Coronation Street'', which she played for 42 years from 1972 to 2014. For this role, she posthu ...
), Rita Littlewood (
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
), Mavis Riley (
Thelma Barlow Thelma Barlow (''née'' Pigott; born 19 June 1929) is an English television actress and writer, known for her roles as Mavis Wilton in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' and as Dolly Bellfield in the BBC One sitcom '' di ...
) and Ivy Tyldesley (
Lynne Perrie Lynne Perrie (born Jean Dudley; 7 April 1931 – 24 March 2006) was an English actress, singer and television personality, best known as Mrs Casper in Ken Loach's 1969 film '' Kes'', Mrs Petty in the television series '' Queenie's Castle'', and ...
) were built up between 1972 and 1973 (with Perrie's character being renamed to the better-known "Tilsley"), and characters such as Gail Potter (
Helen Worth Helen Worth (born Cathryn Helen Wigglesworth; 7 January 1951) is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Gail Platt in the ITV soap opera, '' Coronation Street'', a role that she has played since 1974. In 2014, she r ...
),
Blanche Hunt Blanche Hunt (also Linfield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress died by suicide after appearing in just two episodes in August 1974. ...
(
Patricia Cutts Patricia Cutts (20 July 1926 – 6 September 1974)Patricia Cu ...
/ Maggie Jones), and
Vera Duckworth Vera Duckworth (also Burton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Liz Dawn. Vera is known for her long-standing marriage to Jack Duckworth ( Bill Tarmey); they became one of the best-love ...
( Liz Dawn) first appearing in 1974. These characters would remain at the centre of the programme for many years, with Gail still being in the show nearly half a century after her first appearance.Little. (2000) p.93. Comic storylines had been popular in the series in the 1960s but had become sparse during the early 1970s. These were re-introduced by new producer
Bill Podmore Edgar William Podmore (15 August 1931 – 22 January 1994) was a British television producer. Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, he is best remembered for his long association with the soap opera ''Coronation Street'', a series he produced fo ...
who joined the series in 1976. He had worked on Granada comedy productions prior to his appointment. In September 1977, the '' News of the World'' quoted actor Stephen Hancock (
Ernest Bishop ''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1967, by order of first appearance. Steve Tanner Stephen Edward "Steve" Tanner, played by Paul Maxwe ...
) as saying '' 'The Street kills an actor. I'm just doing a job, not acting. The scriptwriters have turned me into Ernie Bishop. I've tried to resist it but it is very hard not to play the part all the time, even at home.' '' This was the first sight the public had of a bitter argument between Hancock and Granada Television. Hancock objected to the cast payment system and threatened to quit the show to safeguard his principles.Podmore. p.33. The main dispute was between Hancock and Podmore, with Podmore being nicknamed 'The Godfather' by the British media. The basis of Hancock's argument was that different actors were guaranteed different numbers of episode appearances per year, thus some were paid more than others. Actors from the earliest days of the programme, including
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
,
Doris Speed Doris Speed, MBE (3 February 1899 – 16 November 1994) was an English actress, best known for her role as landlady of the Rovers Return Inn Annie Walker on ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from the programme's first episode in 1960 un ...
and Peter Adamson, were guaranteed payment for every one of the year's episodes, regardless of whether or not they actually appeared.Podmore. p.34. Podmore was not willing to change what he called a 'complex and well-established system', leading Hancock to stand by his principles and resign. The problem now shifted, and writers had to write Ernie out but save his wife Emily (
Eileen Derbyshire Eileen Derbyshire, MBE (born 6 October 1931) is an English retired actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She played the character for 55 years from January 1961 to January 2 ...
). The decision was made for Ernest to be killed off in a bungled robbery at Mike Baldwin's ( Johnny Briggs) factory, where he worked in payroll. Ernest was killed by a single gunshot to the stomach on 11 January 1978. It was the first time that violence on such a scale had been shown on ''Coronation Street'' and after the episode was aired, Granada's switchboard was jammed by angry viewers. Letters of complaint arrived in their hundreds, and the Lobby Against TV Violence fiercely objected Granada's decision to broadcast the episode. Granada stated that the storyline was not about violence, but that it aimed to show the desolation and loss felt by Ernest's widow, Emily. ''Coronation Street'' had little competition within its prime-time slot, and certain critics suggested that the programme had grown complacent, moving away from socially viable storylines, and again presenting a dated view of working-class life.


1980s

Peter Adamson, who had played
Len Fairclough Leonard Franklin "Len" Fairclough is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Peter Adamson between his introduction in 1961 and the character's axing in 1983. Storylines Len was from Liverp ...
since 1961, was sacked in 1983 for breach of contract. He had been warned by Granada Television for writing unauthorised newspaper articles criticising the show and cast. ''Coronation Street'' producer Podmore sacked Adamson when it was revealed he had sold his memoirs after the previous warning.Podmore. p.78. The sacking coincided with allegations of Adamson having indecently assaulted two young girls. In April 1983, a newspaper reported that Adamson had been arrested for indecently assaulting two eight-year-old girls at a swimming pool. The police complaint was that Adamson's hands had strayed while giving the girls swimming lessons. Granada Television gave Adamson financial support through his legal problems, with a Crown Court jury finding him not guilty in July 1983. Adamson's dispute over his memoirs and newspaper articles was not known to the public and the media reported that Adamson had been dismissed because of the shame indecent assault allegations had brought onto Granada and the ''Coronation Street'' brand. Len Fairclough was killed off-screen in a motorway crash on 7 December 1983. To demonise the character, it was revealed that he had been returning home from an affair, cheating on his wife Rita (
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
). Adamson celebrated the character's death by delivering an obituary on
TV-am TV-am was a TV company that broadcast the ITV franchise for breakfast television in the United Kingdom from 1 February 1983 until 31 December 1992. The station was the UK's first national operator of a commercial breakfast television franchis ...
dressed as an
undertaker A funeral director, also known as an undertaker (British English) or mortician (American English), is a professional involved in the business of funeral rites. These tasks often entail the embalming and burial or cremation of the dead, as ...
. During 1988, actor
Christopher Quinten Christopher Quinten (born Christopher Bell; 12 July 1957) is a British actor, best known for his role as Brian Tilsley on '' Coronation Street'', which he played from 1978 to 1989. Career Quinten started his career as a dancer in West End prod ...
, who had played
Brian Tilsley 1978 saw several characters making their debuts on the British Soap Opera '' Coronation Street'', including Ed Jackson, Ida Clough and Brian Tilsley, among others. Ed Jackson Thomas Edward "Ed" Jackson was one of two robbers who staged a robb ...
since 27 December 1978, told bosses at Granada that he was going to move to the United States to marry his then-fiancée, American
talk show A talk show (or chat show in British English) is a television programming or radio programming genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Sh ...
host
Leeza Gibbons Leeza Kim Gibbons (born March 26, 1957) is an American talk show host. She is best known as a correspondent and co-host for ''Entertainment Tonight'' (1984–2000) as well as for having her own syndicated daytime talk show, ''Leeza'' (1993–20 ...
and to build an acting career in
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. In announcing his resignation, Quinten tried to ensure that his role would be left open for him to return in the event that his stint in America failed. At the time, his character was married to Gail and the story conference called to write Brian out struggled to find a justifiable way to write him out while still leaving enough scope for a possible return. The decision was made that Brian should die.Podmore. p.136. Quinten was in Los Angeles when the storyline was decided, and upon his return to the United Kingdom, he was shocked at Brian's fate and threatened to fly back to America so that scenes could not be filmed. He was talked round by co-star Helen Worth, who pointed out that he might be blacklisted by Equity if he quit the programme abruptly. Brian Tilsley's death was broadcast on 15 February 1989. After the breakdown of his marriage to Gail, Brian started spending his evenings going to discos and meeting up with various women. He tried to protect a young lady from a group of thugs outside a nightclub, but was stabbed in the stomach. He died as a result of his injuries. The stabbing brought massive complaints from viewers and Mary Whitehouse delivered an angry sermon about television violence. Between 1980 and 1989, ''Coronation Street'' underwent some of the most radical changes since its launch. By May 1984, William Roache stood as the only original
cast member In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenpla ...
, after the departures of
Violet Carson Violet Helen Carson, OBE (1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress of radio, stage and television, and a singer and pianist, who had a long and celebrated career as an actress and performer during the early days of BBC Rad ...
(
Ena Sharples Ena Sharples (née Schofield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Violet Carson. She appeared in the first-ever episode, broadcast on 9 December 1960, and stayed with the show until 2 April ...
) in 1980,
Doris Speed Doris Speed, MBE (3 February 1899 – 16 November 1994) was an English actress, best known for her role as landlady of the Rovers Return Inn Annie Walker on ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from the programme's first episode in 1960 un ...
( Annie Walker) in 1983, and both
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
(
Elsie Tanner Elsie Gregory (also Grimshaw, Howard and Tanner) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was ...
) and Jack Howarth ( Albert Tatlock) in 1984. Albert Tatlock's departure came when his character's off screen death was announced several months after the death of actor Jack Howarth at the age of 88. While the press predicted the end of ''Corrie'', H. V. Kershaw declared that "There are no stars in ''Coronation Street''. The show had also gained a new rival on
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
with the launch of ''
Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Br ...
'', and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
was preparing to launch '' EastEnders'', which would first air in February 1985. " Writers drew on the show's many archetypes, with established characters stepping into the roles left by the original cast.Little. (1995) p.172.
Phyllis Pearce ''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera created by writer Tony Warren. It was first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1982, by order of first appearance. Caroline Clegg Ca ...
( Jill Summers) was hailed as the new Ena Sharples in 1982, the Duckworths moved into No.9 in 1983 and slipped into the role once held by the Ogdens, while
Percy Sugden Percy Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Bill Waddington. He appeared between 1983 and 1997. Creation The character was introduced to ''Coronation Street'' as a potential caretaker ...
(
Bill Waddington William Joseph Waddington (10 June 1916 – 9 September 2000) was an English actor, comedian and co-author who was born in Oldham, Lancashire. In later life he achieved stardom as the pompous ex-serviceman Percy Sugden in Granada Televisi ...
) appeared in 1983 and took over the grumpy war veteran role from Albert Tatlock. The question of who would take over the Rovers Return after Annie Walker's 1983 exit was answered in 1985 when Bet Lynch (who also mirrored the vulnerability and strength of Elsie Tanner) was installed as landlady. In 1983,
Shirley Armitage Shirley Armitage is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Played by Lisa Lewis, the character appeared for a period of six years between 1983 and 1989. Shirley became the programme's first regular black ...
(Lisa Lewis) became the first major black character in her role as machinist at Baldwin's Casuals. Ken Barlow married Deirdre Langton (
Anne Kirkbride Anne Kirkbride (21 June 1954 – 19 January 2015) was an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in the ITV soap ''Coronation Street'', which she played for 42 years from 1972 to 2014. For this role, she posthu ...
) on 27 July 1981. The episode was watched by over 15 million viewers – more ITV viewers than the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana two days later. In the 1980s relationships were cemented between established characters:
Alf Roberts Alfred Sidney "Alf" Roberts, OBE is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Bryan Mosley. He ran a grocery shop at No. 15 and was involved in local politics, including two spells as mayor of ...
(
Bryan Mosley Bryan Mosley (25 August 1931 – 9 February 1999) was a British actor, best known for his role as grocer Alf Roberts in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Early life Mosley was born in Leeds, an only child, to Agnes Basquil ...
) married Audrey Potter (
Sue Nicholls Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls (born 23 November 1943) is an English actress, known for her roles on British television in ''Crossroads'' (1964–1968), '' The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' (1976–1979) and, '' Rentaghost'' (1981–1984), ...
) in 1985; Kevin Webster ( Michael Le Vell) married Sally Seddon ( Sally Whittaker) in 1986; Bet Lynch married Alec Gilroy (
Roy Barraclough Roy Senior Barraclough (12 July 1935 – 1 June 2017) was an English comic actor. He was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy, the devious, mournful landlord of the Rovers Return in the long-running British TV soap '' Coronation Street'', ...
) in 1987; and 1988 saw the marriages of widowed Ivy Tilsley to Don Brennan ( Geoffrey Hinsliff), and the long-awaited union of Mavis Riley and
Derek Wilton Derek Bernard Wilton is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Peter Baldwin. He appeared in the show intermittently between 1976 and 1987, before becoming a regular from 1988 until the char ...
( Peter Baldwin), after over a decade of on-off romances and a failed marriage attempt in 1984. In 1982, the arrival of
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...
, and its edgy new soap opera ''
Brookside Brookside may refer to: Geography Canada * Brookside, Edmonton * Brookside, Newfoundland and Labrador * Brookside, Nova Scotia United Kingdom * Brookside, Berkshire, England * Brookside, Telford, an area of Telford, England United States * Br ...
'', sparked one of the biggest changes for ''Coronation Street''. Unlike ''Coronation Street'', which had a very nostalgic view of working-class life, ''Brookside'' brought together working and middle-class families in a more contemporary environment. The dialogue often included expletives and the stories were more hard-hitting, and of the current Zeitgeist. Whereas stories at this time in ''Coronation Street'' were largely about family affairs, ''Brookside'' concentrated on social affairs such as industrial action, unemployment, drugs, rape, and the black market. The BBC also introduced a new prime time soap opera, '' EastEnders'' in 1985.Little. (2000) p.165. While ratings for ''Coronation Street'' remained consistent throughout the decade, '' EastEnders'' regularly obtained higher viewing figures due to its omnibus episodes shown at weekends. The ''Coronation Street'' episode broadcast on 2 January 1985 attracted 21.40 million viewers, making it the most-watched episode in the show's history based on a single showing. Subsequent episodes would achieve higher figures when the original broadcast and omnibus edition figures were combined. With prime time competition, ''Corrie'' was again seen as being old fashioned, with the introduction of the 'normal' Clayton family in 1985 being a failure with viewers, being written out the following year. Between 1988 and 1989, many aspects of the show were modernised by new producer
David Liddiment David Liddiment (born 20 September 1952) is Creative Director of the independent production company All3Media. He is also an associate of The Old Vic Theatre Company and a member of the BBC Trust, the governing body of the British Broadcasting Cor ...
. A new exterior set had been built in 1982, and in 1989 it was redeveloped to include new houses and shops. Production techniques were also changed with a new studio being built, and the inclusion of more location filming, which had moved the show from being shot on film to
videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasse ...
in 1988.Little. (2000) p.188. Due to new pressures, an introduction of the third weekly episode aired on 20 October 1989, to broadcast each Friday at 7:30 pm. The 1980s featured some of the most prominent storylines in the programme's history, such as Deirdre Barlow's affair with Mike Baldwin ( Johnny Briggs) in 1983, the first soap storyline to receive widespread media attention. The feud between Ken Barlow and Mike Baldwin would continue for many years, with Mike even marrying Ken's daughter, Susan (
Wendy Jane Walker Wendy Jane Walker (born 1964, Manchester, Lancashire) is an actress who became well known during the 1980s for playing Susan Barlow in the ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. She originally played the part as a child from 1970 to 1974, and af ...
). In 1986, there was a fire at the Rovers Return. The episode that aired on Christmas Day 1987, attracted a combined audience (original and omnibus) of 26.65 million – a figure helped by the fact that this episode heralded the departure of immensely-popular character
Hilda Ogden Hilda Ogden (also Crabtree) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the serial, whose name became synonymous with a classic hard-working Northern ...
(
Jean Alexander Jean Margaret Hodgkinson (11 October 1926 – 14 October 2016), known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera ''Co ...
). Between 1986 and 1989, the story of Rita Fairclough's (
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
) psychological abuse at the hands of Alan Bradley (
Mark Eden Douglas John Malin (14 February 1928 – 1 January 2021), known professionally as Mark Eden, was an English actor. He was best known for his portrayal of villainous Alan Bradley in ''Coronation Street'' from 1986 to 1989. Early life Mark Ede ...
), and then his subsequent death under the wheels of a Blackpool tram in December 1989, was played out. This storyline gave the show its highest combined viewing figure in its history with 26.93 million for the episode that aired on 15 (and 19) March 1989, where Alan is hiding from the police after trying to kill Rita in the previous episode. This rating is sometimes incorrectly credited to the 8 December 1989 tram death episode.


1990s

In spite of updated sets and production changes, ''Coronation Street'' still received criticism. In 1992, chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Council,
Lord Rees-Mogg William Rees-Mogg, Baron Rees-Mogg (14 July 192829 December 2012) was a British newspaper journalist who was Editor of ''The Times'' from 1967 to 1981. In the late 1970s, he served as High Sheriff of Somerset, and in the 1980s was Chairman of th ...
, criticised the low representation of
ethnic minorities The term 'minority group' has different usages depending on the context. According to its common usage, a minority group can simply be understood in terms of demographic sizes within a population: i.e. a group in society with the least number o ...
, and the programme's portrayal of the cosy familiarity of a bygone era, particularly as many comparable neighbours in the real life
Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county and combined authority area in North West England, with a population of 2.8 million; comprising ten metropolitan boroughs: Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tam ...
area had a significant percentage of black and Asian residents. Some newspapers ran headlines such as "''Coronation Street'' shuts out blacks" (''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper '' The Sunday Times'' (f ...
''), and "'Put colour in t'Street" (''Daily Mirror''). Patrick Stoddart of ''The Times'' wrote: "The millions who watch ''Coronation Street'' – and who will continue to do so despite Lord Rees-Mogg – know real life when they see it ... in the most confident and accomplished soap opera television has ever seen". Black and Asian characters had appeared from time to time over the years, but it was not until 1999 that the show featured its first regular non-white family, the Desai family. New characters Des ( Philip Middlemiss) and Steph Barnes (
Amelia Bullmore Amelia Mary Bullmore (born 31 January 1964) is an English actress, screenwriter and playwright. She is known for her roles in ''Coronation Street'' (1990–1992), ''I'm Alan Partridge'' (2002), '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2009), '' Twenty Twelve ...
) moved into one of the new houses in 1990, being dubbed by the media as
Yuppie Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...
s. Raquel Wolstenhulme (
Sarah Lancashire Sarah-Jane Abigail Lancashire (born 10 October 1964) is an English actress from Oldham, England. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1986 and began her career in local theatre, whilst teaching drama classes at the ...
) first appeared at the beginning of 1991 and went on to become one of the most popular characters of the era until her departure in 1996, followed by a brief comeback three years later. The McDonald family were developed and the fiery relationships between
Liz Liz is a female name of Hebrew origin, meaning "God's Promise". It is also a short form of Elizabeth, Elisabeth, Lisbeth, Lizanne, Liszbeth, Lizbeth, Lizabeth, Lyzbeth, Lisa, Lizette, Alyssa, and Eliza. People * Liz Balmaseda (born 1959), Pu ...
( Beverly Callard),
Jim Jim or JIM may refer to: * Jim (given name), a given name * Jim, a diminutive form of the given name James * Jim, a short form of the given name Jimmy * OPCW-UN Joint Investigative Mechanism * ''Jim'' (comics), a series by Jim Woodring * ''Jim ...
(
Charles Lawson Quintin Charles Devenish "Charlie" Lawson (born 17 September 1959) is an actor, from Northern Ireland, who is best known for playing Jim McDonald on the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. Early life and education Lawson was b ...
), Steve (
Simon Gregson Simon Alan Gregory (born 2 October 1974), better known by his stage name, Simon Gregson, is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Steve McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' since 1989. He has re ...
) and Andy (
Nicholas Cochrane Nicholas Marc Cochrane is an English actor, known for his role as Andy McDonald in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Career Cochrane had appeared as an extra on TV for ''Coronation Streets production company, Granada TV, prior to hi ...
) interested viewers. Other newcomers were wheelchair user and pensioner
Maud Grimes The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 1993, by order of first appearance. Maureen Holdsworth Maureen Webster (also Grimes, Naylor, Holdsworth and Elliott) was played by S ...
(
Elizabeth Bradley Elizabeth Bradley (20 May 1922 – 30 October 2000) was an English actress, perhaps most famous for playing battle-axe Maud Grimes in the fictional soap '' Coronation Street''. Early life Bradley was born Joan Abraham in Macclesfield, Cheshire ...
), middle-aged cafe owner
Roy Cropper Roy Cropper is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by David Neilson. He first appeared on-screen on 19 July 1995. Originally a secondary character, he was given a more prominent role in 1997, by ...
(
David Neilson David Neilson (born 13 March 1949) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as cafe owner Roy Cropper in the long running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', which he has played since 1995. Early life Neilson was born in Loughbo ...
), young married couple Gary and Judy Mallett (
Ian Mercer Ian Cameron Mercer (born 10 July 1961) is an English actor. He is known for playing Gary Mallett in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1995 to 2000, having previously appeared in 1987 as Pete Jackson. His other television credits i ...
and
Gaynor Faye Gaynor Kay Mellor (born 26 August 1971), better known as Gaynor Faye, is an English actress and writer, best known for playing Judy Mallett in '' Coronation Street'' from 1995 until 1999 and Megan Macey in ''Emmerdale'' from 2012 until 201 ...
), as well as middle-aged butcher
Fred Elliott Fred Elliott is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' played by John Savident. He made his first appearance during the episode airing on 26 August 1994. Savident quit the role in 2005 and Fred died on-scre ...
(
John Savident John Savident (born 21 January 1938) is a retired British actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera '' Coronation Street'' from 1994-2006. He is also known for his performance as ...
) and his son Ashley Peacock ( Steven Arnold). The amount of slapstick and physical humour in storylines increased during the 1990s, with comical characters such as supermarket manager Reg Holdsworth ( Ken Morley) and his water bed. In 1997, Brian Park took over as producer, with the idea of promoting young characters as opposed to the older cast. On his first day, he cut the characters of
Derek Wilton Derek Bernard Wilton is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Peter Baldwin. He appeared in the show intermittently between 1976 and 1987, before becoming a regular from 1988 until the char ...
( Peter Baldwin), Don Brennan ( Geoffrey Hinsliff),
Percy Sugden Percy Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Bill Waddington. He appeared between 1983 and 1997. Creation The character was introduced to ''Coronation Street'' as a potential caretaker ...
(
Bill Waddington William Joseph Waddington (10 June 1916 – 9 September 2000) was an English actor, comedian and co-author who was born in Oldham, Lancashire. In later life he achieved stardom as the pompous ex-serviceman Percy Sugden in Granada Televisi ...
),
Bill Webster Bill Webster is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', played by Peter Armitage. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 February 1984 and remained in the show until 1985 when ...
( Peter Armitage), Billy Williams (
Frank Mills Frank Mills (born June 27, 1942) is a Canadian pianist and recording artist, best known for his solo instrumental hit "Music Box Dancer". Early life and education Mills was born in Montreal, Quebec. He was raised in Verdun, Quebec and started pl ...
) and
Maureen Holdsworth The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 1993, by order of first appearance. Maureen Holdsworth Maureen Webster (also Grimes, Naylor, Holdsworth and Elliott) was played by S ...
(
Sherrie Hewson Sherrie Lynn Hutchinson (born 17 September 1950) is an English actress, television personality and novelist. She is known for her roles as Maureen Holdsworth in '' Coronation Street'' (1993–1997, 2006), Virginia Raven in '' Crossroads'' (2001 ...
).Little. (2000) p.235.
Thelma Barlow Thelma Barlow (''née'' Pigott; born 19 June 1929) is an English television actress and writer, known for her roles as Mavis Wilton in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' and as Dolly Bellfield in the BBC One sitcom '' di ...
, who played Derek's wife Mavis, was angered by the firing of her co-star and resigned. The production team lost some of its key writers when Barry Hill, Adele Rose and Julian Roach all resigned as well. In line with Park's suggestion, younger characters were introduced during 1997 and 1998. A teenage Nick Tilsley was recast, played by
Adam Rickitt Adam Peter Rickitt (born 29 May 1978) is an English actor, singer and model. He portrayed the role of Nick Tilsley in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' from 1997 to 1999, and again from 2002 to 2004. He later joined the pop group 5th St ...
following the departure of original actor Warren Jackson, single mother
Zoe Tattersall The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' in 1997, by order of first appearance. Janice Battersby Brad Armstrong Bradley "Brad" Armstrong is the son of Terry Duckworth (Nigel Piv ...
(
Joanne Froggatt Joanne Froggatt (born 23 August 1980) is a British actress. From 2010 to 2015, she portrayed Anna Bates in the ITV period drama series ''Downton Abbey''. For this role, she received three Emmy nominations for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a ...
) first appeared, and the problem Battersby family moved into No.5. Storylines focussed on tackling 'issues', such as drug dealers, eco-warriors, religious cults, and a transsexual woman.Little. (2000) p.241. Park quit in 1998, after deciding that he had done what he intended to do; he maintained that his biggest achievement was the introduction of Hayley Patterson ( Julie Hesmondhalgh), the first
transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...
character in a British soap. The character married Roy Cropper soon after her arrival. Some viewers were alienated by the new ''Coronation Street'', and sections of the media voiced their disapproval. Having received criticism of being too out of touch, ''Corrie'' now struggled to emulate the more modern ''Brookside'' and ''EastEnders''. In the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'', Victor Lewis-Smith wrote: "Apparently it doesn't matter that this is a first-class soap opera, superbly scripted and flawlessly performed by a seasoned repertory company." One of ''Coronation Street''s best known storylines took place in March/April 1998, with Deirdre Rachid (
Anne Kirkbride Anne Kirkbride (21 June 1954 – 19 January 2015) was an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in the ITV soap ''Coronation Street'', which she played for 42 years from 1972 to 2014. For this role, she posthu ...
) being wrongfully imprisoned after a relationship with con-man Jon Lindsay ( Owen Aaronovitch). The episode in which Deirdre was sent to prison had an audience of 19 million viewers, and 'Free the Weatherfield One' campaigns sprung up in a media frenzy. Then Prime Minister
Tony Blair Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
even passed comment on Deirdre's sentencing in Parliament. Deirdre was freed after three weeks, with Granada stating that they had always intended for her to be released, in spite of the media interest.


2000s

On 8 December 2000, the show celebrated its 40th anniversary by broadcasting a live, hour-long
episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...
.
King Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to a ...
(then Prince of Wales) appeared as himself in an ITV News bulletin report. Earlier in the year, 13-year-old Sarah-Louise Platt (
Tina O'Brien Tina Michelle O'Brien (born 7 August 1983) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sarah Platt in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' (1999–2008, 2015–present). She also appeared in the BBC One dram ...
) had become pregnant and given birth to a baby girl,
Bethany Bethany ( grc-gre, Βηθανία,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā'') or what is locally known as Al-Eizariya or al-Azariya ( ar, العيزرية, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the West B ...
, on 4 June. The February episode where Gail was told of her daughter's pregnancy was watched by 15 million viewers.Little. (2000) p.256. From 1999 to 2001, issue-led storylines were introduced such as
Toyah Battersby Toyah Habeeb (also Battersby) is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Georgia Taylor. Toyah and her family were introduced to the serial by executive producer Brian Park in a bid to increase falling ...
's ( Georgia Taylor) rape,
Roy Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin. In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...
and
Hayley Cropper Hayley Cropper (also Hayley Patterson) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Julie Hesmondhalgh. The character first appeared in the episode first broadcast on 26 January 1998. Hayley was the ...
(
David Neilson David Neilson (born 13 March 1949) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as cafe owner Roy Cropper in the long running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', which he has played since 1995. Early life Neilson was born in Loughbo ...
and Julie Hesmondhalgh) abducting their
foster child Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home ( residential child care community, treatment center, etc.), or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent" or with a family ...
, Sarah Platt's Internet chat room abduction and Alma Halliwell's (
Amanda Barrie Amanda Barrie (born Shirley Anne Broadbent; 14 September 1935) is an English actress. She appeared in two of the '' Carry On'' films before being cast as Alma Halliwell in ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', which she played on and off for ...
) death from cervical cancer. Such storylines were unpopular with viewers and ratings dropped and in October 2001, Macnaught was abruptly moved to another Granada department and Carolyn Reynolds took over. In 2002, Kieran Roberts was appointed as producer and aimed to re-introduce "gentle storylines and humour", after deciding that ''the Street'' should not try to compete with other soaps. In July 2002, Gail married
Richard Hillman Richard Charles Hillman is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Brian Capron. He first appeared on 20 June 2001 and became the show's main antagonist until his eventual departure on 14 March 2 ...
(
Brian Capron Brian Capron (born 11 February 1947) is an English actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is best known for his role as serial killer, Richard Hillman, in the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', ...
), a recently introduced
financial advisor A financial adviser or financial advisor is a professional who provides financial services to clients based on their financial situation. In many countries, financial advisors must complete specific training and be registered with a regulatory ...
who had already left
Duggie Ferguson The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 1999, by order of first appearance. Ian Bentley Ian Bentley, played by Jonathan Guy Lewis, first appeared on 29 January 1999. He is introd ...
( John Bowe) to die after he fell down a set of ladders during an argument, and murdered his ex-wife
Patricia Patricia is a female given name of Latin origin. Derived from the Latin word ''patrician'', meaning "noble"; it is the feminine form of the masculine given name Patrick. The name Patricia was the second most common female name in the United State ...
(
Annabelle Apsion Jane Annabelle Apsion (born 17 September 1960 in Hammersmith, London) is an English actress best known for playing Monica Gallagher in the hit television comedy-drama '' Shameless'' (2004-2013), Joy Wilton in '' Soldier Soldier'' (1991-1995), a ...
), before going on to kill neighbour
Maxine Peacock The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 1995, by order of first appearance. Daniel Osbourne Daniel Osbourne is the son of Ken Barlow (William Roache) and Denise Osbourne ( De ...
(
Tracy Shaw Tracy Shaw (born 27 July 1973) is a British actress and singer. Early life Shaw was born into the hotel and pub trade, at the time when her parents ran the Talbot Hotel in Belper, Derbyshire. She attended Saint Ralph Sherwin Comprehensive Schoo ...
); and attempt to kill both his mother-in-law
Audrey Roberts Audrey Roberts (also Potter) is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Sue Nicholls. Audrey made her first appearance on 16 April 1979 and appeared on a recurring basis for three years until April 1982. ...
(
Sue Nicholls Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls (born 23 November 1943) is an English actress, known for her roles on British television in ''Crossroads'' (1964–1968), '' The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' (1976–1979) and, '' Rentaghost'' (1981–1984), ...
) and her longtime friend,
Emily Bishop Emily Bishop (also Nugent and Swain; originally credited as Miss Nugent) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Eileen Derbyshire, the character is the longest-standing female character in ...
(
Eileen Derbyshire Eileen Derbyshire, MBE (born 6 October 1931) is an English retired actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She played the character for 55 years from January 1961 to January 2 ...
), for financial gain due to his mounting debts. After confessing his crimes to Gail in a double episode
two-hander A two-hander is a term for a play, film, or television programme with only two main characters. The two characters in question often display differences in social standing or experiences, differences that are explored and possibly overcome as ...
in February 2003, Hillman left the street for two weeks before returning with the intent of killing himself as well as Gail, her children Sarah and
David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
( Jack P. Shepherd), and granddaughter Bethany, before driving them into a canal – though the Platt family survived whilst Richard drowned. This came just months after Sarah had survived serious injuries after being passenger in a stolen car which crashed. The storyline received wide press attention, and viewing figures peaked at 19.4 million, with Hillman dubbed a "serial killer" by the media.
Todd Grimshaw Todd Grimshaw is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'', formerly played by Bruno Langley from 2001 to 2017, and now played by Gareth Pierce. The character's debut was broadcast on 14 January 2001. He was intro ...
( Bruno Langley) became ''Corrie's'' first regular homosexual character. In 2003, another gay male character was introduced,
Sean Tully Sean Tully is a fictional character from the British soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Antony Cotton. He made his first appearance during the episode broadcast on 13 July 2003. Following that appearance, the character returned full-t ...
(
Antony Cotton Antony Cotton (born Antony Dunn; 5 August 1975) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Sean Tully in ''Coronation Street'', as well as portraying Alexander Perry in the original ''Queer as Folk'' series. In 2007, Cotton hosted ...
). The
bigamy In cultures where monogamy is mandated, bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another. A legal or de facto separation of the couple does not alter their marital status as married persons. I ...
of Peter Barlow ( Chris Gascoyne) and his addiction to alcohol, later in the decade,
Maya Sharma Maya Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Sasha Behar. Maya is known for her disastrous relationship with Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) and her dangerous feud with Dev's wife Sunita ...
's (
Sasha Behar Sasha Behar (born 25 September 1971) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Maya Sharma in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Career Behar portrayed the character of villain Maya Sharma in the ITV soap opera '' Coro ...
) revenge on former lover
Dev Alahan Dev Alahan is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Jimmi Harkishin, the character's first appearance was broadcast on 10 November 1999. He is the ex-husband of Sunita ( Shobna Gulati) and ...
(
Jimmi Harkishin James "Jimmi" Harkishin (born Rajan Harkishindas; 19 March 1965) is an English actor best known for his role as shopkeeper Dev Alahan in ''Coronation Street'', which he has played continuously since 10 November 1999. He also played Ranjit in t ...
), Charlie Stubbs's ( Bill Ward) psychological abuse of
Shelley Unwin Shelley Unwin (also Barlow) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Sally Lindsay. She is the daughter of Bev Unwin (Susie Blake). Shelley's storylines included a bigamous marriage to Peter ...
(
Sally Lindsay Sally Jane Lindsay (born 8 July 1973) is an English actress and television presenter known for her roles as Shelley Unwin in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', Lisa Johnson in the Sky One comedy series '' Mount Pleasant'' a ...
), and the deaths of Mike Baldwin ( Johnny Briggs),
Vera Duckworth Vera Duckworth (also Burton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Liz Dawn. Vera is known for her long-standing marriage to Jack Duckworth ( Bill Tarmey); they became one of the best-love ...
( Liz Dawn) and
Fred Elliott Fred Elliott is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' played by John Savident. He made his first appearance during the episode airing on 26 August 1994. Savident quit the role in 2005 and Fred died on-scre ...
(
John Savident John Savident (born 21 January 1938) is a retired British actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera '' Coronation Street'' from 1994-2006. He is also known for his performance as ...
). In 2007,
Tracy Barlow Tracy Lynette McDonald (also Barlow, Preston, Cropper and Langton) is a fictional character and a main antagonist from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 January 1977. ...
(
Kate Ford Kate Ford (born 29 December 1976) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Tracy Barlow in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' (2002–2007, 2010–present). Ford was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. She attended Qu ...
) murdered Charlie Stubbs and claiming it was self-defence; the audience during this storyline peaked at 13.3 million. At the 2007 British Soap Awards, it won Best Storyline, and Ford was voted Best Actress for her portrayal. In July 2007, after 34 years in the role of
Vera Duckworth Vera Duckworth (also Burton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Liz Dawn. Vera is known for her long-standing marriage to Jack Duckworth ( Bill Tarmey); they became one of the best-love ...
, Liz Dawn left the show due to ill health. After conversation between Dawn and producers Kieran Roberts and
Steve Frost Steve November (born Steven Frost) is a British television producer and executive. Originally known as Steve Frost during his early career, he became a writer for the Sky One drama ''Dream Team''. He also took roles as an assistant director until ...
, the decision was made to kill Vera off.
Tina O'Brien Tina Michelle O'Brien (born 7 August 1983) is an English actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Sarah Platt in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' (1999–2008, 2015–present). She also appeared in the BBC One dram ...
revealed in the British press on 4 April 2007 that she would be leaving ''Coronation Street'' later in the year. Sarah-Louise, who was involved in some of the decade's most controversial stories, left in December 2007 with her daughter, Bethany. In 2008, Michelle learning that Ryan ( Ben Thompson) was not her biological son, having been accidentally swapped at birth with Alex Neeson ( Dario Coates).
Carla Connor Carla Barlow (also Connor and Gordon) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Alison King. She made her first appearance on screen during the episode airing on 1 December 2006 and introduced ...
(
Alison King Alison Rosamund King (born 3 March 1973) is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles as Lynda Block in the Sky One drama series ''Dream Team'' (1998–2003, 2005–2007), and Carla Connor in the long-running ITV soap opera ''C ...
) turned to Liam for comfort and developed feelings for him. In spite of knowing about her feelings, Liam married Maria Sutherland (
Samia Longchambon Samia Maxine Longchambon (''née'' Ghadie, previously Smith; born 13 July 1982) is an English actress. She has played the role of Maria Connor in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since 2000. Early life Samia Ghadie was born in Eccles ...
). Maria and Liam's baby son was stillborn in April, and during an estrangement from Maria upon the death of their baby, Liam had a one-night stand with Carla, a story which helped pave the way for his departure. In August 2008, Jed Stone (
Kenneth Cope Kenneth Charles Cope (born 14 April 1931) is an English retired actor and scriptwriter. He is best known for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'', Jed Stone in ''Coronation Street'' and Ray Hilton in '' Brookside ...
) returned after 42 years. Liam Connor and his ex-sister-in-law Carla gave into their feelings for each other and began an affair. Carla's fiancée
Tony Gordon Tony Gordon is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on-screen on 16 September 2007. He appeared as a regular character for two years befor ...
(
Gray O'Brien Gray O'Brien (born Gerard O'Brien, 11 August 1968) is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his portrayal of the villainous Weatherfield businessman Tony Gordon in the popular ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2007–2010 ...
) discovered the affair and had Liam killed in a hit-and-run in October. Carla struggled to come to terms with Liam's death, but decided she still loved Tony and married him on 3 December, in an episode attracting 10.3 million viewers. In April 2009 it was revealed that
Eileen Grimshaw Eileen Grimshaw (also Phelan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Sue Cleaver, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 3 May 2000. Her storylines have often i ...
's (
Sue Cleaver Susan Owen ( Cleaver; born 2 September 1963) is an English actress. She is best known for portraying the role of Eileen Grimshaw on the ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', which she has played since 2000. Early and personal life Cleaver wa ...
) father, Colin (
Edward de Souza Edward James de Souza (born 4 September 1932) is a British character actor and graduate of RADA, who is of Portuguese-Indian and English descent. Early life De Souza was the only child of Annie Adeline Swift (née Calvert) and Edward Valentine De ...
) – the son of
Elsie Tanner Elsie Gregory (also Grimshaw, Howard and Tanner) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was ...
's (
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
) cousin Arnley – had slept with Eileen's old classmate, Paula Carp (
Sharon Duce Sharon Duce (born 17 January 1950) is a British actress. Born in Sheffield, she trained at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art then became a stage actress at the Sheffield Repertory Theatre, the York Theatre Royal, and the Theatre in t ...
) while she was still at school, and that Paula's daughter Julie ( Katy Cavanagh) was in fact also Colin's daughter. Other stories in 2009 included Maria giving birth to Liam's son and her subsequent relationship with Liam's killer Tony, Steve McDonald's (
Simon Gregson Simon Alan Gregory (born 2 October 1974), better known by his stage name, Simon Gregson, is an English actor. He is best known for his portrayal of Steve McDonald in the long-running ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' since 1989. He has re ...
) marriage to Becky Granger ( Katherine Kelly) and Kevin Webster's ( Michael Le Vell) affair with Molly Dobbs ( Vicky Binns). On Christmas Day 2009,
Sally Webster Sally Metcalfe (also Seddon and Webster) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Sally Dynevor. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 27 January 1986, when Kev ...
(
Sally Dynevor Sally Jane Dynevor (née Whittaker; born 30 May 1963) is a British actress, she is best known for her role as Sally Metcalfe in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', which she has played since 1986. In 2022, Dynevor competed in the fourt ...
) told husband Kevin that she had breast cancer, just as he was about to leave her for lover Molly.


2010s

The show began broadcasting in high-definition in May 2010, and on 17 September that year, ''Coronation Street'' entered ''
Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
'' as the world's longest-running television soap opera after the American soap opera ''
As the World Turns ''As the World Turns'' (often abbreviated as ''ATWT'') is an American television soap opera that aired on CBS for 54 years from April 2, 1956, to September 17, 2010. Irna Phillips created ''As the World Turns'' as a sister show to her other s ...
'' concluded. William Roache was listed as the world's longest-running soap actor. ''Coronation Street'' 50th anniversary week was celebrated with seven episodes, plus a special one-hour live episode, broadcast from 6–10 December. The episodes averaged 14 million viewers, a 52.1% share of the audience. The anniversary was also publicised with ITV specials and news broadcasts. In the storyline,
Nick Tilsley Nick Tilsley (also Platt) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He was born off screen during an episode broadcast on 31 December 1980, but made his first appearance on 5 January 1981. He was played b ...
and
Leanne Battersby Leanne Battersby (also Tilsley and Barlow) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Jane Danson. It was announced in February 1997 that a "family from hell" would be introduced to ''Coronation ...
's bar — The Joinery — exploded during Peter Barlow's stag party. As a result, the viaduct was destroyed, sending a Metrolink tram careering onto the street, destroying D&S Alahan's Corner Shop and The Kabin. Two characters, Ashley Peacock ( Steven Arnold) and Molly Dobbs ( Vicky Binns), along with an unknown taxi driver, were killed as a result of the disaster.
Rita Sullivan Rita Tanner (also Littlewood, Bates, Fairclough and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by veteran actress Barbara Knox, the character first appeared onscreen as "Rita Littlewo ...
(
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
) survived, despite being trapped under the rubble of her destroyed shop. Fiz Stape (
Jennie McAlpine Jennie Elizabeth McAlpine (born 12 February 1984) is an English television actress, comedian and businesswoman. She is known for her role as Fiz Brown in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She also took part in the seventeenth series o ...
) prematurely gave birth to a baby girl, Hope. The episode of '' EastEnders'' broadcast on the same day as ''Coronation Street'' 50th anniversary episode included a tribute, with the character
Dot Branning Dorothy "Dot" Branning (also Cotton) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by June Brown. In a special episode entitled ''EastEnders: Dot's Story'' (2003) a young Dot was played by Tallulah Pitt-Brown in fl ...
(
June Brown June Muriel Brown (16 February 1927 – 3 April 2022) was an English actress and author. She was best known for her role as Dot Cotton on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (1985–1993; 1997–2020). In 2005, she won Best Actress at the '' ...
, who briefly appeared in the show during the 1970s) saying that she never misses an episode of ''Coronation Street''.


2020s

On 7 February 2020, with its 60th anniversary less than a year away, ''Coronation Street'' aired its landmark 10,000th episode, the runtime of which was extended to 60 minutes. Producers stated that the episode would contain "a nostalgic trip down memory lane" and "a nod to its own past". A month later, ITV announced that production on the soap would have to be suspended, as the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
was put into a national lockdown due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
(see
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on television The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial impact on the television industry, mirroring its impacts across all arts sectors, shutting down or delaying production of television programs in many countries with consequent negative impacts on reven ...
). After an 11-week intermission for all cast and crew members, filming resumed in June 2020. The episodes would feature
social distancing In public health, social distancing, also called physical distancing, (NB. Regula Venske is president of the PEN Centre Germany.) is a set of non-pharmaceutical interventions or measures intended to prevent the spread of a contagious dis ...
to adhere to the guidelines set by the British government, and it was confirmed that all actors over 70, as well as those with underlying health conditions, would not be allowed to be on set until it was safe to do so. This included ''Coronation Street'' veterans
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
(
Ken Barlow Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street''s original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anni ...
) at 88,
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
( Rita Tanner) at 87,
Malcolm Hebden Malcolm Hebden (born 21 December 1939) is an English former actor. He is known for portraying the role of Norris Cole in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' on and off between 1994 and 2020. Aged 81, he announced his retirement from act ...
(
Norris Cole Norris Gene Cole II (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. A 6' 2" point guard, he is a two-time NBA champion, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami ...
) at 80 and
Sue Nicholls Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls (born 23 November 1943) is an English actress, known for her roles on British television in ''Crossroads'' (1964–1968), '' The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' (1976–1979) and, '' Rentaghost'' (1981–1984), ...
(
Audrey Roberts Audrey Roberts (also Potter) is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Sue Nicholls. Audrey made her first appearance on 16 April 1979 and appeared on a recurring basis for three years until April 1982. ...
) at 76.
Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespea ...
( Evelyn Plummer) and
David Neilson David Neilson (born 13 March 1949) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as cafe owner Roy Cropper in the long running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', which he has played since 1995. Early life Neilson was born in Loughbo ...
(
Roy Cropper Roy Cropper is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by David Neilson. He first appeared on-screen on 19 July 1995. Originally a secondary character, he was given a more prominent role in 1997, by ...
) returned to set slightly earlier due to being 73 and 71 respectively, as it was deemed safe to do so. By December all cast members had returned to set and on Wednesday 9 December 2020, the soap celebrated its 60th anniversary, with original plans for the episode forced to change due to COVID-19 guidelines. The anniversary week saw the conclusion of a long-running coercive control storyline that began in May 2019, with Geoff Metcalfe (
Ian Bartholomew Ian Bartholomew (born 23 August 1954) is a British actor and musician from Portsmouth, England who has worked widely in both theatre and television. In March 2018, Bartholomew joined the cast of ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', as Geoff ...
) abusing
Yasmeen Nazir ''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that appeared in 2014, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by series producer Stuart Blackburn. Shar ...
(
Shelley King Shelley King (born 25 September 1955) is a British actress, known for her roles as Jay Harper on the BBC drama series ''Angels'' and Yasmeen Nazir on the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Early and personal life King was born in Calcutta, ...
). The showdown, which resulted in the death of Geoff allowed social distancing rules to be relaxed on the condition that the crew members involved formed a social bubble prior to the filming. In late 2021 series producer Iain MacLeod announced that the original plans for the 60th Anniversary would now take place in a special week of episodes in October 2021. On 12 October 2021, it was announced that ''Coronation Street'' would partake in a special crossover event involving multiple British soaps to promote the topic of
climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
ahead of the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. During the week, beginning from 1 November, social media clips featuring
Liam Cavanagh ''Emmerdale'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 16 October 1972. The following is a list of characters that first appeared or will appear during 2014, by order of first appearance. William Makepeace (Dudley Sutton) and his grandson, Se ...
(Jonny McPherson) and
Amelia Spencer The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the British soap opera ''Emmerdale'' in 2011, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by the soap's executive producer, Steve Frost. Flynn Buchanan Flynn Bucha ...
(Daisy Campbell) from ''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...
'', as well as Daniel Granger (
Matthew Chambers Matthew Guy Charles Chambers (born 20 August 1968) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Daniel Granger in the BBC soap opera '' Doctors''. Early and personal life Matthew Guy Charles Chambers was born in London on 20 August 19 ...
) from '' Doctors'' were featured on the programme, while events from '' Holby City'' were also referenced. A similar clip featuring
Maria Connor Maria Connor (also Sutherland) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Samia Longchambon. The character made her first appearance during the episode broadcast on 19 May 2000. During her tim ...
(
Samia Longchambon Samia Maxine Longchambon (''née'' Ghadie, previously Smith; born 13 July 1982) is an English actress. She has played the role of Maria Connor in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since 2000. Early life Samia Ghadie was born in Eccles ...
) was also featured on '' EastEnders''. On 24 January 2022, ITV announced that as part of an overhaul of their evening programming, ''Coronation Street'' will permanently air as three 60-minute episodes per week from March 2022 onwards.


Characters

Since 1960, ''Coronation Street'' has featured many characters whose popularity with viewers and critics has differed greatly. The original cast was created by Tony Warren, with the characters of
Ena Sharples Ena Sharples (née Schofield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Violet Carson. She appeared in the first-ever episode, broadcast on 9 December 1960, and stayed with the show until 2 April ...
(
Violet Carson Violet Helen Carson, OBE (1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress of radio, stage and television, and a singer and pianist, who had a long and celebrated career as an actress and performer during the early days of BBC Rad ...
),
Elsie Tanner Elsie Gregory (also Grimshaw, Howard and Tanner) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was ...
(
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
) and Annie Walker (
Doris Speed Doris Speed, MBE (3 February 1899 – 16 November 1994) was an English actress, best known for her role as landlady of the Rovers Return Inn Annie Walker on ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from the programme's first episode in 1960 un ...
) as central figures. These three women remained with the show for at least 20 years, and became archetypes of British soap opera, often being emulated by other serials. Ena was the street's busybody, battle-axe and self-proclaimed moral voice. Elsie was the tart with a heart, who was constantly hurt by men in the search for true love. Annie Walker, landlady of the
Rovers Return Inn The Rovers Return Inn is a fictional pub in the long-running British soap opera '' Coronation Street''. The Rovers Return occupies a corner of the fictional Coronation Street and Rosamund Street set location in the show. The pub was built by ...
, had delusions of grandeur and saw herself as better than the other residents. ''Coronation Street'' became known for the portrayal of strong female characters, including original cast characters like Ena, Annie and Elsie, and later
Hilda Ogden Hilda Ogden (also Crabtree) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the serial, whose name became synonymous with a classic hard-working Northern ...
(
Jean Alexander Jean Margaret Hodgkinson (11 October 1926 – 14 October 2016), known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera ''Co ...
), who first appeared in 1964; all four became household names during the 1960s. Warren's programme was largely matriarchal, which some commentators put down to the female-dominant environment in which he grew up. Consequently, the show has a long tradition of psychologically abused husbands, most famously
Stan Ogden Stanley Josiah Ogden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Bernard Youens. He debuted on-screen during the episode airing on 29 June 1964 and remained for twenty years until his death on 21 ...
(
Bernard Youens Bernard Arthur Popley (28 December 1914 – 27 August 1984), better known by his stage name Bernard Youens, was an English character actor of stage and television, and briefly appeared in radio plays and had cameos in film. He was also a TV ...
) and
Jack Duckworth John "Jack" Duckworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Bill Tarmey. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 28 November 1979. Jack was introduced by executive pr ...
(
Bill Tarmey Bill Tarmey (born William Piddington; 4 April 1941 – 9 November 2012) was an English actor and singer, best known for playing Jack Duckworth in the soap opera '' Coronation Street''. First appearing in the role in November 1979, he played ...
), husbands of Hilda and
Vera Duckworth Vera Duckworth (also Burton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Liz Dawn. Vera is known for her long-standing marriage to Jack Duckworth ( Bill Tarmey); they became one of the best-love ...
( Liz Dawn), respectively. Coronation Street's longest-serving character,
Ken Barlow Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street''s original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anni ...
(
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
) entered the storyline as a young radical, reflecting the youth of 1960s Britain, where figures like
the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
,
the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...
and the model
Twiggy Dame Lesley Lawson (''née'' Hornby; born 19 September 1949) is an English model, actress, and singer, widely known by the nickname Twiggy. She was a British cultural icon and a prominent teenaged model during the swinging '60s in London. ...
were to reshape the concept of youthful rebellion. Though the rest of the original Barlow family were killed off before the end of the 1970s, Ken, who for 27 years was the only character from the first episode remaining, has remained the constant link throughout the entire series. In 2011,
Dennis Tanner Dennis Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was introduced in the first episode on 9 December 1960. Lowrie remained in ...
(
Philip Lowrie Colin Philip Lowrie (born 20 June 1936) is an English former stage and television actor, best known for playing Dennis Tanner in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', from the programme's inception in 1960–1968, and again fro ...
), another character from the first episode, returned to ''Coronation Street'' after a 43-year absence. Since 1984, Ken Barlow has been the show's only remaining original character.
Emily Bishop Emily Bishop (also Nugent and Swain; originally credited as Miss Nugent) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Eileen Derbyshire, the character is the longest-standing female character in ...
(
Eileen Derbyshire Eileen Derbyshire, MBE (born 6 October 1931) is an English retired actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She played the character for 55 years from January 1961 to January 2 ...
) had appeared in the series since January 1961, when the show was just weeks old, and was the show's longest-serving female character before she departed in January 2016 after 55 years. Rita Tanner (
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
) appeared on the show for one episode in December 1964, before returning as a full-time cast member in January 1972. She is currently the second longest-serving original cast member on the show. Roache and Knox are also the two oldest-working cast members on the soap at 90 and 89 years-old respectively. Stan and Hilda Ogden were introduced in 1964, with Hilda becoming one of the most famous British soap opera characters of all time. In a 1982 poll, she was voted fourth-most recognisable woman in Britain, after Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales. Hilda's best-known attributes were her pinny, hair curlers, and the "muriel" in her
living room In Western architecture, a living room, also called a lounge room (Australian English), lounge (British English), sitting room (British English), or drawing room, is a room for relaxing and socializing in a residential house or apartment. Su ...
with three "flying" duck ornaments. Hilda Ogden's departure on Christmas Day 1987, remains the highest-rated episode of ''Coronation Street'' ever, with nearly 27,000,000 viewers. Stan Ogden had been killed off in 1984 following the death of actor
Bernard Youens Bernard Arthur Popley (28 December 1914 – 27 August 1984), better known by his stage name Bernard Youens, was an English character actor of stage and television, and briefly appeared in radio plays and had cameos in film. He was also a TV ...
after a long illness which had restricted his appearances towards the end. Bet Lynch (
Julie Goodyear Julie Goodyear MBE (''née'' Kemp; born 29 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Bet Lynch in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming ...
) first appeared in 1966, before becoming a regular in 1970, and went on to become one of the most famous ''Corrie'' characters. Bet stood as the central character of the show from 1985 until departing in 1995, often being dubbed as "Queen of the Street" by the media, and indeed herself. The character briefly returned in June 2002 and November 2003. ''Coronation Street'' and its characters often rely heavily on archetypes, with the characterisation of some of its current and recent cast based loosely on former characters.
Phyllis Pearce ''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera created by writer Tony Warren. It was first broadcast on ITV on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that first appeared in 1982, by order of first appearance. Caroline Clegg Ca ...
( Jill Summers),
Blanche Hunt Blanche Hunt (also Linfield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress died by suicide after appearing in just two episodes in August 1974. ...
( Maggie Jones) and Sylvia Goodwin (
Stephanie Cole Patricia Stephanie Cole (born 5 October 1941) is an English stage, television, radio and film actress, known for high-profile roles in shows such as '' Tenko'' (1981–1985), ''Open All Hours'' (1982–1985), ''A Bit of a Do'' (1989), '' Waiti ...
) embodied the role of the acid-tongued busybody originally held by Ena,
Sally Webster Sally Metcalfe (also Seddon and Webster) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Sally Dynevor. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 27 January 1986, when Kev ...
(
Sally Dynevor Sally Jane Dynevor (née Whittaker; born 30 May 1963) is a British actress, she is best known for her role as Sally Metcalfe in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', which she has played since 1986. In 2022, Dynevor competed in the fourt ...
) has grown snobbish, like Annie, and a number of the programme's female characters, such as
Carla Connor Carla Barlow (also Connor and Gordon) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Alison King. She made her first appearance on screen during the episode airing on 1 December 2006 and introduced ...
(
Alison King Alison Rosamund King (born 3 March 1973) is an English actress and model. She is known for her roles as Lynda Block in the Sky One drama series ''Dream Team'' (1998–2003, 2005–2007), and Carla Connor in the long-running ITV soap opera ''C ...
), mirror the vulnerability of Elsie and Bet. Other recurring archetypes include the war veteran such as Albert Tatlock ( Jack Howarth),
Percy Sugden Percy Sugden is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Bill Waddington. He appeared between 1983 and 1997. Creation The character was introduced to ''Coronation Street'' as a potential caretaker ...
(
Bill Waddington William Joseph Waddington (10 June 1916 – 9 September 2000) was an English actor, comedian and co-author who was born in Oldham, Lancashire. In later life he achieved stardom as the pompous ex-serviceman Percy Sugden in Granada Televisi ...
) and
Gary Windass Gary Windass is a fictional character from the British soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Mikey North. He made his first appearance on November 14, 2008, the same episode where his parents Eddie (Steve Huison) and Anna Windass (De ...
(
Mikey North Michael "Mikey" North (born 27 September 1986) is an English actor best known for his role as Gary Windass in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' since 2008. Early life North was born in the Cayton area of Scarborough and began acting ...
), the bumbling retail manager like Leonard Swindley ( Arthur Lowe), Reg Holdsworth ( Ken Morley),
Norris Cole Norris Gene Cole II (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. A 6' 2" point guard, he is a two-time NBA champion, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami ...
(
Malcolm Hebden Malcolm Hebden (born 21 December 1939) is an English former actor. He is known for portraying the role of Norris Cole in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' on and off between 1994 and 2020. Aged 81, he announced his retirement from act ...
), quick-tempered, tough tradesmen like
Len Fairclough Leonard Franklin "Len" Fairclough is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Peter Adamson between his introduction in 1961 and the character's axing in 1983. Storylines Len was from Liverp ...
( Peter Adamson), Jim McDonald (
Charles Lawson Quintin Charles Devenish "Charlie" Lawson (born 17 September 1959) is an actor, from Northern Ireland, who is best known for playing Jim McDonald on the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street''. Early life and education Lawson was b ...
), Tommy Harris ( Thomas Craig) and
Owen Armstrong Owen Armstrong is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Ian Puleston-Davies. He made his first on-screen appearance on 9 June 2010 and left the show on 15 April 2015. During his time on the sh ...
(
Ian Puleston-Davies Ian Puleston-Davies (born 6 September 1958) is a Welsh actor and writer. He is best known for his role as builder Owen Armstrong in the ITV (TV network), ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2010 to 2015. In November 2014, ITV announced ...
), and the perennial losers such as Stan and Hilda, Jack and Vera,
Les Battersby Leslie Nelson "Les" Battersby (formerly Battersby-Brown) is a fictional character of the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', who appeared from 1997 to 2007, played by Bruce Jones. The character is best known for his outspoken opinion ...
( Bruce Jones),
Beth Tinker Beth Sutherland (also Tinker) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Lisa George. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 5 August 2011. Storylines Beth previ ...
( Lisa George) and
Kirk Sutherland Kirk Sutherland is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 22 May 2000, played by an uncredited actor and originally referred to as Mark. ...
(
Andrew Whyment Andrew "Andy" Whyment (born 2 April 1981) is an English actor, known for portraying the role of Darren Sinclair-Jones in the BBC sitcom ''The Royle Family'' and Kirk Sutherland on '' Coronation Street''. Career Whyment trained at the Laine John ...
).Little. (1998) p.7. Villains are also common character types, such as
Tracy Barlow Tracy Lynette McDonald (also Barlow, Preston, Cropper and Langton) is a fictional character and a main antagonist from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 January 1977. ...
(
Kate Ford Kate Ford (born 29 December 1976) is an English actress. She is known for her portrayal of Tracy Barlow in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' (2002–2007, 2010–present). Ford was born in Salford, Greater Manchester. She attended Qu ...
), Alan Bradley (
Mark Eden Douglas John Malin (14 February 1928 – 1 January 2021), known professionally as Mark Eden, was an English actor. He was best known for his portrayal of villainous Alan Bradley in ''Coronation Street'' from 1986 to 1989. Early life Mark Ede ...
),
Jenny Bradley Jenny Connor (also Bradley) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Sally Ann Matthews. She made her first appearance on-screen on 6 January 1986. Originally fostered by Rita Fairclough (Barb ...
(
Sally Ann Matthews Sally Ann Matthews (born 19 September 1970) is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Jenny Bradley in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Career Matthews was born in Oldham, Lancashire. She played Jenny Bra ...
),
Rob Donovan Rob Donovan is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Marc Baylis He was introduced as the brother of Carla Connor (Alison King). He made his first screen appearance during the episode broadc ...
( Marc Baylis), Frank Foster ( Andrew Lancel),
Tony Gordon Tony Gordon is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by actor Gray O'Brien. The character first appeared on-screen on 16 September 2007. He appeared as a regular character for two years befor ...
(
Gray O'Brien Gray O'Brien (born Gerard O'Brien, 11 August 1968) is a Scottish television and film actor, best known for his portrayal of the villainous Weatherfield businessman Tony Gordon in the popular ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2007–2010 ...
),
Caz Hammond '' Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that appeared in 2015, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by series producer Stuart Blackburn. Beth ...
(
Rhea Bailey Rhea Bailey (born 12 July 1983) is a British actress. She is the younger sister of singer Corinne Bailey Rae. Her father is Kittitian and her mother is English. She is best known for her roles as PC Mel Ryder in ''The Bill'' between 2008 and ...
),
Richard Hillman Richard Charles Hillman is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Brian Capron. He first appeared on 20 June 2001 and became the show's main antagonist until his eventual departure on 14 March 2 ...
(
Brian Capron Brian Capron (born 11 February 1947) is an English actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is best known for his role as serial killer, Richard Hillman, in the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', ...
),
Greg Kelly Gregory Raymond Kelly (born December 17, 1968) is an American conservative television anchor, television host, and retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. He is the host of ''Greg Kelly Reports'', on Newsmax TV. He ...
(
Stephen Billington Stephen Billington (born 10 December 1964) is an English actor, best known for playing Greg Kelly in ''Coronation Street'' (for which he won the 1999 British Soap Award for Villain of the Year). Career Born in Farnworth, Lancashire, Billing ...
),
Will Chatterton The following is a list of '' Coronation Street'' characters introduced in 2016, by order of first appearance. All characters are introduced by series producer Stuart Blackburn, or his successor Kate Oates. Marta Zarek Marta Zarek, played by E ...
(
Leon Ockenden Leon Ockenden (born 16 August 1978) is an English actor, director and writer who works in TV, film, theatre and radio. He grew up in the resort town of Looe, Cornwall. He is best known for his role as Norman Jayden in ''Heavy Rain''. Career Ocke ...
),
Nathan Curtis Nathan Robert Curtis (born 7 February 1996) is an English footballer who last played for Belper Town as a winger and striker. Career Curtis made his senior debut for Bradford City on 18 December 2012 in the FA Cup, appearing as a substitute ...
( Christopher Harper),
Callum Logan ''Coronation Street'' is a British soap opera first broadcast on 9 December 1960. The following is a list of characters that appeared in 2014, by order of first appearance. All characters were introduced by series producer Stuart Blackburn. Shar ...
(Sean Ward),
Karl Munro Karl Munro is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by John Michie. Michie's casting was announced in April 2011. He signed an initial one-year contract and began filming his scenes in May. Upon jo ...
(
John Michie John Michie (born 25 October 1956) is a Scottish television and film actor, known for his roles as DI Robbie Ross in the STV detective drama series '' Taggart'', as Karl Munro in ''Coronation Street'' from 2011–2013 and his role as CEO Guy ...
), Pat Phelan (
Connor McIntyre Connor McIntyre (born 30 November 1960) is an English actor, best known for playing Pat Phelan in the ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'' from 2013 to 2014 and again from 2016 to 2018, but has also had large roles in TV shows such as '' ...
),
David Platt David Andrew Platt (born 10 June 1966) is an English former professional football coach and player, who played as a midfielder. Born in Chadderton, Lancashire, Platt began his career as an apprentice at Manchester United before moving to Crewe ...
( Jack P. Shepherd),
Maya Sharma Maya Sharma is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Sasha Behar. Maya is known for her disastrous relationship with Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin) and her dangerous feud with Dev's wife Sunita ...
(
Sasha Behar Sasha Behar (born 25 September 1971) is an English actress, known for portraying the role of Maya Sharma in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Career Behar portrayed the character of villain Maya Sharma in the ITV soap opera '' Coro ...
), Kirsty Soames (
Natalie Gumede Natalie Gumede (born 20 March 1984) is an English actress. She is known for playing Kirsty Soames in the ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', from 2011 to 2013. She previously played China in BBC Three comedy show ''Ideal''. She has also ap ...
),
John Stape John Stape is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by actor Graeme Hawley. He made his first on-screen appearance during the episode airing on 6 May 2007. The character departed on 3 June 2011 after four y ...
(
Graeme Hawley Graeme Hawley (born 28 November 1975) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as John Stape in the British soap ''Coronation Street''. Career Hawley graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University in 1996 with a degree in Drama, b ...
), Geoff Metcalfe (
Ian Bartholomew Ian Bartholomew (born 23 August 1954) is a British actor and musician from Portsmouth, England who has worked widely in both theatre and television. In March 2018, Bartholomew joined the cast of ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', as Geoff ...
) and
Gary Windass Gary Windass is a fictional character from the British soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Mikey North. He made his first appearance on November 14, 2008, the same episode where his parents Eddie (Steve Huison) and Anna Windass (De ...
(
Mikey North Michael "Mikey" North (born 27 September 1986) is an English actor best known for his role as Gary Windass in the ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'' since 2008. Early life North was born in the Cayton area of Scarborough and began acting ...
). The show's former archivist and scriptwriter
Daran Little Daran Little (born 11 May 1966) is a BAFTA-winning and Emmy Award-nominated British television writer. He is the only writer to pen more than 100 episodes of both '' Coronation Street'' (from 2000 until 2010) and '' EastEnders'' (from 2010 onwa ...
disagreed with the characterisation of the show as a collection of stereotypes. "Rather, remember that Elsie, Ena and others were the first of their kind ever seen on British television. If later characters are stereotypes, it's because they are from the same original mould. It is the hundreds of programmes that have followed which have copied ''Coronation Street''."


Production


Broadcast format

Between 9 December 1960 and 3 March 1961, ''Coronation Street'' was broadcast twice weekly, on Wednesday and Friday. During this period, the Friday episode was broadcast live, with the Wednesday episode being pre-recorded 15 minutes later.Kershaw. p.30. When the programme went fully networked on 6 March 1961, broadcast days changed to Monday and Wednesday.Little. (2000) p.10. The last regular episode to be shown live was broadcast on 3 February 1961. The series was transmitted in black and white for the majority of the 1960s. Preparations were made to film episode 923, to be transmitted Wednesday 29 October 1969, in colour. This installment featured the street's residents on a coach trip to the Lake District. In the end, suitable colour film stock for the cameras could not be found and the footage was shot in black and white. The following episode, transmitted Monday 3 November, was videotaped in colour but featured black and white film inserts and title sequence. Like
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
, the ITV network was officially broadcast in black and white at this point (though programmes were actually broadcast in colour as early as July that year for colour transmission testing and adjustment) so the episode was seen by most in black and white. The ITV network, like
BBC1 BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
, began full colour transmissions on 15 November 1969.
Daran Little Daran Little (born 11 May 1966) is a BAFTA-winning and Emmy Award-nominated British television writer. He is the only writer to pen more than 100 episodes of both '' Coronation Street'' (from 2000 until 2010) and '' EastEnders'' (from 2010 onwa ...
, for many years the official programme archivist, claims that the first episode to be transmitted in colour was episode 930 shown on 24 November 1969. In October 1970, a technicians' dispute turned into the
Colour Strike The Colour Strike was a period of industrial action by technicians at all ITV companies from 13 November 1970 to 8 February 1971 (although some shows made during this period in black-and-white were having their first transmission as late as Dec ...
when sound staff were denied a pay rise given to camera staff the year before for working with colour recording equipment. The terms of the work-to-rule were that staff refused to work with the new equipment (though the old black and white equipment had been disposed of by then) and therefore programmes were recorded and transmitted in black and white, including ''Coronation Street''. The dispute was resolved in early 1971 and the last black and white episode was broadcast on 10 February 1971, although the episodes transmitted on 22 and 24 February 1971 had contained black and white location inserts. From 22 March 2010, ''Coronation Street'' was produced in 1080/50i for transmission on HDTV platforms on
ITV HD ITV1 HD is a British free-to-air high-definition public broadcast television network operated by ITV plc, the company which is contracted to provide 13 ITV1 services across the UK. ITV1 HD simulcasts them in high-definition (excluding former Ch ...
. The first transmission in this format was episode 7351 on 31 May 2010 with a new set of titles and re-recorded theme tune. On 26 May 2010 ITV previewed the new HD titles on the ''Coronation Street'' website. Due to copyright reasons only viewers residing in the UK could see them on the ITV site.


Production staff

''Coronation Street's'' creator,
Tony Warren Anthony McVay Simpson (8 July 1936 – 1 March 2016) publishing under pen name Tony Warren, was an English television screenwriter and actor, best known for creating the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He created other television dramas ...
, wrote the first 13 episodes of the programme in 1960, and continued to write for the programme intermittently until 1976. He later became a novelist, but retained links with ''Coronation Street.'' Warren died in 2016. Harry Kershaw was the script editor for ''Coronation Street'' when the programme began in 1960, working alongside Tony Warren. Kershaw was also a script writer for the programme and the show's producer between 1962 and 1971. He remains the only person, along with John Finch, to have held the three posts of script editor, writer and producer. Adele Rose was ''Coronation Street'''s first female writer and the show's longest-serving writer, completing 455 scripts between 1961 and 1998. She also created ''
Byker Grove Byker is a district in the east of the city and metropolitan borough of Newcastle upon Tyne. Home to the Byker Wall estate, made famous by TV series '' Byker Grove'', Byker’s population was recorded at 12,206 in the 2011 census. Byker is borde ...
''. Rose also won a BAFTA award in 1993 for her work on the show.
Bill Podmore Edgar William Podmore (15 August 1931 – 22 January 1994) was a British television producer. Born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, he is best remembered for his long association with the soap opera ''Coronation Street'', a series he produced fo ...
was the show's longest serving producer. By the time he stepped down in 1988 he had completed 13 years at the production helm. Nicknamed the "godfather" by the tabloid press, he was renowned for his tough, uncompromising style and was feared by both crew and cast alike. He is known for sacking Peter Adamson, the show's Len Fairclough, in 1983. Iain MacLeod is the current series producer.
Michael Apted Michael David Apted, (10 February 1941 – 7 January 2021) was a British television and film director and producer. Apted began working in television and directed the '' Up'' documentary series (1964–2019). He later directed '' Coal Miner's ...
, known for the '' Up!'' series of documentaries, was a director on the programme in the early 1960s. This period of his career marked the first of his many collaborations with writer
Jack Rosenthal Jack Morris Rosenthal (8 September 1931 – 29 May 2004) was an English playwright. He wrote 129 early episodes of the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and over 150 screenplays, including original TV plays, feature films, and adaptations. ...
. Rosenthal, noted for such television plays as '' Bar Mitzvah Boy'', began his career on the show, writing over 150 episodes between 1961 and 1969.
Paul Abbott Paul Abbott (born 22 February 1960) is an English television screenwriter and producer. Abbott has become one of the most critically and commercially successful television writers working in Britain, following his work on popular series such as ...
was a story editor on the programme in the 1980s and began writing episodes in 1989, but left in 1993 to produce '' Cracker'', for which he later wrote, before creating his own dramas such as ''
Touching Evil ''Touching Evil'' is a British television drama serial following the exploits of a crack squad on the Organised & Serial Crime Unit, a rapid response police force that serves the entire country. The serial was produced by United Productions f ...
'' and '' Shameless''.
Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include ''Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scien ...
was briefly a storyliner on the programme in the mid-1990s, also writing the script for the
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...
special " Viva Las Vegas!" He, too, has become a noted writer of his own high-profile television drama programmes, including '' Queer as Folk'' and the 2005 revival of '' Doctor Who''.
Jimmy McGovern James Stanley McGovern (born September 1949) is an English screenwriter and producer. He is best known for creating the drama series '' Cracker'' (1993–1995), for which he received two Edgar Awards from the Mystery Writers of America. He als ...
also wrote some episodes.


Theme music

The show's
theme music Theme music is a musical composition that is often written specifically for radio programming, television shows, video games, or films and is usually played during the title sequence, opening credits, closing credits, and in some instances at so ...
, a cornet piece, accompanied by a brass band plus clarinet and double bass, reminiscent of northern band music, was written by
Eric Spear Eric Spear (18 April 1908 – 3 November 1966), was an English composer best known for his film scores and the theme of the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Early life and career Spear was born in Croydon in 1908. He participated ...
. The original theme tune was called "Lancashire Blues" and Spear was paid a £6 commission in 1960 to write it. The identity of the trumpeter was not public knowledge until 1994, when jazz musician and journalist Ron Simmonds revealed that it was the Surrey musician Ronnie Hunt. He added, "an attempt was made in later years to re-record that solo, using Stan Roderick, but it sounded too good, and they reverted to the old one." In 2004, the ''
Manchester Evening News The ''Manchester Evening News'' (''MEN'') is a regional daily newspaper covering Greater Manchester in North West England, founded in 1868. It is published Monday–Saturday; a Sunday edition, the ''MEN on Sunday'', was launched in February 20 ...
'' published a contradictory story that a young musician from Wilmslow called David Browning played the original version but after investigating further his story was found to be false, Mr Browning not knowing that the original trumpet player Ronnie Hunt was still alive and proved without a shadow of a doubt he was the true and rightful player that performed the solo. With his union pay stubs and contract Mr Browning was proved a false A new, completely re-recorded version of the theme tune replaced the original when the series started broadcasting in HD on 31 May 2010. It accompanied a new montage-style credits sequence featuring images of Manchester and Weatherfield. A reggae version of the theme tune was recorded by The I-Royals and released by Media Marvels and WEA in 1983.


Viewing figures

Episodes in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, regularly attracted figures of between 18 and 21 million viewers, and during the 1990s and early 2000s, 14 to 16 million per episode would be typical. Like most terrestrial television in the UK, a decline in viewership has taken place and the show posts an average audience of just under 9 million per episode , remaining one of the highest rated programmes in the UK. '' EastEnders'' and ''Coronation Street'' have often competed for the highest rated show. The episode that aired on 2 January 1985, where Bet Lynch (
Julie Goodyear Julie Goodyear MBE (''née'' Kemp; born 29 March 1942) is an English actress. She is known for portraying Bet Lynch in the long-running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Bet for nine episodes in 1966, before becoming ...
) finds out she has got the job as manager of the Rovers Return, is the highest-rated single episode in the show's history, attracting 21.40 million viewers. The 25 December 1987 episode, where
Hilda Ogden Hilda Ogden (also Crabtree) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the serial, whose name became synonymous with a classic hard-working Northern ...
(
Jean Alexander Jean Margaret Hodgkinson (11 October 1926 – 14 October 2016), known by the stage name Jean Alexander, was a British television actress. She was best known to television viewers for her long running role of Hilda Ogden in the soap opera ''Co ...
) leaves the street to start a new life as a housekeeper for long-term employer Dr Lowther, attracted a combined audience of 26.65 million for its original airing and omnibus repeat on 27 December 1987. This is the second-highest combined rating in the show's history. The show attracted its highest-ever combined rating of 26.93 million for the episode that aired on 15 (and 19) March 1989, where Rita Fairclough (
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
) is in hospital and Alan Bradley (
Mark Eden Douglas John Malin (14 February 1928 – 1 January 2021), known professionally as Mark Eden, was an English actor. He was best known for his portrayal of villainous Alan Bradley in ''Coronation Street'' from 1986 to 1989. Early life Mark Ede ...
) is hiding from the police after trying to kill Rita in the previous episode.


Sets

The regular exterior buildings shown in ''Coronation Street'' include a row of terrace houses, several townhouses, and communal areas including a newsagents (''The Kabin''), a café (''Roy's Rolls''), a general grocery shop (''D&S Alahan's''), a factory (''Underworld'') and ''Rovers Return Inn''
public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and wa ...
. The Rovers Return Inn is the main meeting place for the show's characters.Little. (2000) p.73. Between 1960 and 1968, street scenes were transmitted/taped before a set constructed in a studio, with the house fronts reduced in scale to 3/4 and constructed from wood.Tinker. p.95. In 1968 Granada built an outside set not all that different from the interior version previously used, with the wooden façades from the studio simply being erected on the new site. When the show began broadcasting in color, these were replaced with brick façades, and back yards were added in the 1970s. In 1982, a permanent full-street set was built in the Granada
backlot A backlot is an area behind or adjoining a movie studio containing permanent exterior buildings for outdoor scenes in filmmaking or television productions, or space for temporary set construction. Uses Some movie studios build a wide variety of ...
, an area between Quay Street and Liverpool Road in Manchester. The set was constructed from reclaimed
Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
brick. The set was updated in 1989 with the construction of a new factory, two shop units and three modern town houses on the south side of the street.Little. (1995) pp.194–95. Between 1989 and 1999, the Granada Studios Tour allowed members of the public to visit the set. The exterior set was extended and updated in 1999. This update added to the Rosamund Street and Victoria Street façades, and added a viaduct on Rosamund Street. Most interior scenes are shot in the adjoining purpose-built studio. In 2008, Victoria Court, an apartment building full of luxury flats, was started on Victoria Street. In 2014, production moved to a new site at Trafford Wharf, a former dock area about two miles to the east, part of the MediaCityUK complex. The Trafford Wharf backlot is built upon a former truck stop site next to the
Imperial War Museum North Imperial War Museum North (sometimes referred to as IWM North) is a museum in the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester, England. One of five branches of the Imperial War Museum, it explores the impact of modern conflicts on pe ...
. It took two years from start to finish to recreate the iconic Street. The houses were built to almost full scale after previously being three-quarter size. On 5 April 2014, the staff began to allow booked public visits to the old Quay Street set. An advert, with a voiceover from
Victoria Wood Victoria Wood (19 May 1953 – 20 April 2016) was an English comedian, actress, lyricist, singer, composer, pianist, screenwriter, producer and director. Wood wrote and starred in dozens of sketches, plays, musicals, films and sitcoms over se ...
, appeared on TV to advertise the tour. The tour was discontinued in December 2015. On 12 March 2018, the extension of the '' Victoria Street'' set was officially unveiled. The new set featured a garden, featuring a memorial bench paying tribute to the 22 victims of the
Manchester Arena bombing On 22 May 2017, an Islamist extremist suicide bomber detonated a shrapnel-laden homemade bomb as people were leaving the Manchester Arena following a concert by American pop singer Ariana Grande. Twenty-three people were killed, including ...
, including ''Coronation Street'' super fan Martyn Hett. The precinct includes a
Greater Manchester Police Greater Manchester Police (GMP) is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement within the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester in North West England. , Greater Manchester Police employed 6,866 police officers, 3,524 memb ...
station called ''Weatherfield Police station''. As part of a product placement deal between three companies and
ITV Studios ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadca ...
, new additions include a Tram stop station which is named ''Weatherfield North'' with ''
Transport for Greater Manchester Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is the public body responsible for co-ordinating transport services throughout Greater Manchester in North West England. TfGM is responsible for investments in improving transport services and facilities ...
'' '' Metrolink'' branding, and shop front facades of
Costa Coffee Costa Coffee is a British coffeehouse chain with headquarters in Dunstable, England. Costa Coffee was founded in London in 1971 by Sergio Costa as a wholesale operation supplying roasted coffee to caterers and specialist Italian coffee shops. I ...
and the Weatherfield branded Co-op Food store interior scenes have been screened and exterior scenes at the new set first aired on 20 April 2018. On 20 April 2018, ITV announced that they had been granted official approval of planning permission to allow booked public visits to the MediaCityUK Trafford Wharf set. Tours commenced on weekends from 26 May 2018 onwards. The set was further expanded in March 2022 with the addition of the Weatherfield Precinct, which took six months to build, and was inspired by Salford. The new section of the set included a two-storey construction featuring maisonettes, a staircase and balcony leading to the properties, a piazza and an array of shops and units.


Broadcast


United Kingdom

For 60 years, ''Coronation Street'' has remained at the centre of ITV's prime time schedule. The programme is usually shown in the UK in six episodes, over three evenings a week on ITV. Additional episodes have been broadcast at other times, such as between 22 and 26 November 2004, when eight episodes were shown. Occasional late night episodes of ''Coronation Street'' begin at 10 pm, due to the watershed. From Friday 9 December 1960 until Friday 3 March 1961, the programme was shown in two episodes broadcast Wednesday and Friday at 7 pm. Schedules were changed and from Monday 6 March 1961 until Wednesday 11 October 1989, the programme was shown in two episodes broadcast Monday and Wednesday at 7:30 pm. A third weekly episode was introduced on Friday 20 October 1989, broadcast at 7:30 pm. From 1996, an extra episode was broadcast at 7:30 pm on Sunday nights. Aside from Granada, the programme originally appeared on the following stations of the ITV network:
Anglia Television ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
,
Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...
,
Television Wales and the West Television Wales and the West (TWW) was the British Independent Television (commercial television) contractor for a franchise area that initially served South Wales and West of England (franchise awarded 26 October 1956, started transmissions o ...
,
Scottish Television Scottish Television (now, legally, known as STV Central Limited) is the ITV network franchisee for Central Scotland. The channel — the largest of the three ITV franchises in Scotland — has been in operation since 31 August 1957 and is th ...
, Southern Television and
Ulster Television UTV (formerly Ulster Television, branded on air as ITV1) is the ITV region covering Northern Ireland, ITV subsidiary and the former on-air name of the free-to-air public broadcast television channel serving the area. It is run by ITV plc an ...
. From episode 14 on Wednesday 25 January 1961,
Tyne Tees Television ITV Tyne Tees, previously known as Tyne Tees, Channel 3 North East and Tyne Tees Television, is the ITV television franchise for North East England and parts of North Yorkshire. Tyne Tees launched on 15 January 1959 from studios at a converte ...
broadcast the programme. That left ATV in the Midlands as the only ITV station not carrying the show. When they decided to broadcast the programme, national transmission was changed from Wednesday and Friday at 7 pm to Monday and Wednesday at 7:30 pm and the programme became fully networked under this new arrangement from episode 25 on Monday 6 March 1961. As the ITV network grew over the next few years, the programme was transmitted by these new stations on these dates onward:
Westward Television Westward Television was the first ITV (TV network), ITV franchise-holder for the South West England, South West of England. It held the franchise from 29 April 1961 until 31 December 1981. After a difficult start, Westward Television provided a ...
from episode 40 on 1 May 1961,
Border Television ITV Border, previously Border Television and commonly referred to as simply Border, is the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 service provided by ITV (TV channel), ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Anglo-Scottish border, England/Scotland border region, ...
from episode 76 on 4 September 1961,
Grampian Television Grampian Television was the original name of the Channel 3 service for the north of Scotland founded in 1961 and now named STV. The northern region's coverage area includes the Northern Isles, Western Isles, Highlands (except Fort William a ...
from episode 84 on 2 October 1961,
Channel Television ITV Channel Television, previously Channel Television, is a British television station which has served as the ITV contractor for the Channel Islands since 1962. It is based in Jersey and broadcasts regional programme for insertion into the ...
from episode 180 on 3 September 1962 and Teledu Cymru (north and west Wales) from episode 184 on 17 September 1962. At this point, the ITV network became complete and the programme was broadcast almost continuously across the country at 7:30 pm on Monday and Wednesday for the next twenty-eight years. From episode 2981 on Friday 20 October 1989 at 7:30 pm, a third weekly episode was introduced and this increased to four episodes a week from episode 4096 on Sunday 24 November 1996, again at 7:30 pm. A second Monday episode was introduced in 2002 and was broadcast at 7:30 pm to usher in the return of Bet Lynch. The Monday 8:30 pm episode was used intermittently during the popular Richard Hillman storyline and became a regular feature from episode 5568 on Monday 25 August 2003. In January 2008, ITV axed the Sunday episode and instead aired a second episode on Fridays, at 8:30 pm, with the final Sunday episode airing on 6 January 2008. From 23 July 2009 to September 2012 the Wednesday show was replaced with an episode at 8:30 pm on Thursdays. A sixth weekly episode was added on Wednesdays at 8:30 pm from 20 September 2017. In March 2020, it was revealed that episodes that were currently filming for future broadcast (as episodes are filmed a few weeks in advance) during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...
would be shown differently. Instead of six episodes a week, only three episodes would be broadcast, airing as normal on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the normal timeslot of 7:30 pm. The actions provided would be made effective starting from 30 March. Simultaneously, the announcement also mentioned that the elderly cast of the show would be "written off" due to health advice issued by
Public Health England Public Health England (PHE) was an executive agency of the Department of Health and Social Care in England which began operating on 1 April 2013 to protect and improve health and wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. Its formation came as a ...
and the
NHS The National Health Service (NHS) is the umbrella term for the publicly funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom (UK). Since 1948, they have been funded out of general taxation. There are three systems which are referred to using the " ...
. On 22 March, ITV released a statement confirming that filming of both ''Coronation Street'' and ''
Emmerdale ''Emmerdale'' (known as ''Emmerdale Farm'' until 1989) is a British soap opera that is broadcast on ITV1. The show is set in Emmerdale (known as Beckindale until 1994), a fictional village in the Yorkshire Dales. Created by Kevin Laffan, ...
'' was suspended. In June 2020, ITV announced that filming will resume on 9 June. However, due to the new health and safety measures, cast members over the age of 70 or with underlying health conditions did not come back on set, until the production could determine it is safe for them to return. In July 2020 ITV announced ''Coronation Street'' would return to the normal output of six episodes a week in September 2020. In October 2020,
Maureen Lipman Dame Maureen Diane Lipman (born 10 May 1946) is an English actress, writer and comedian. She trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and her stage work has included appearances with the National Theatre and the Royal Shakespea ...
and
David Neilson David Neilson (born 13 March 1949) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as cafe owner Roy Cropper in the long running ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', which he has played since 1995. Early life Neilson was born in Loughbo ...
made their first appearances since July as all cast members over the age of 70 had temporarily left the series earlier in the year.
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
,
Barbara Knox Barbara Knox, MBE (''née'' Brothwood, formerly Mullaney; born 30 September 1933) is an English actress, best known for her long-running portrayal of Rita Tanner in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She first appeared as Rita Littlewo ...
and
Sue Nicholls Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls (born 23 November 1943) is an English actress, known for her roles on British television in ''Crossroads'' (1964–1968), '' The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin'' (1976–1979) and, '' Rentaghost'' (1981–1984), ...
returned in December. On 22 January 2021, ITV announced that filming would be suspended from 25 January in order to rewrite "stories and scripts as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic" and to "review all health and safety requirements". ITV also confirmed that this decision would not affect their ability to deliver six episodes a week. In January 2022, it was announced that after 60 years in the 7.30 pm slot, ''Coronation Street''s transmission time would move to 8pm due to the ''
ITV Evening News The ''ITV Evening News'' is the evening news programme produced by ITN on the British television network ITV. It airs Monday to Friday from 6:30pm, covering British national and international news stories and is presented by Mary Nightingale. ...
'' receiving a longer duration, which pushes ''Emmerdale'' into the 7.30 pm slot on weeknights. The double-bill episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays have merged into hour-long slots on these days. The new scheduling went live on Monday 7 March 2022.


Repeats and classic episodes

Repeat episodes, omnibus broadcasts and specials have been shown on various ITV channels. After several years on ITV2, in January 2008 the omnibus returned to the main ITV channel where it was aired on Saturday mornings/afternoons depending on the schedule and times. In May 2008 it moved to Sunday mornings until August 2008 when it returned to Saturdays. In January 2009 it moved back to Sunday mornings usually broadcasting at around 9.25am until December 2010. In January 2011 the omnibus moved to Saturday mornings on ITV at 9.25am. During the Rugby World Cup, which took place in New Zealand, matches had to be broadcast on a Saturday morning, so the omnibus moved to Saturday lunchtimes/afternoons during September and October 2011. On 22 October 2011 the omnibus moved back to Saturday mornings at 9.25am on ITV. In January 2012 the omnibus moved to ITV2 and then moved to ITV3 in January 2020. In January 2022 the omnibus moved back to ITV2. Older episodes were broadcast by satellite and cable channel
Granada Plus Plus was a digital channel run by Granada Sky Broadcasting. It was launched on 1 October 1996 under the original name of Granada Plus, and during its availability it underwent successive rebrands as G Plus, G+ and then simply Plus. However, it ...
from its launch in 1996. The first episodes shown were from episode 1588 (originally transmitted on Monday 5 April 1976) onwards. Originally listed and promoted as ''Classic Coronation Street'', the "classic" was dropped in early 2002, at which stage the episodes were from late 1989. By the time of the channel's closure in 2004, the repeats had reached February 1994. In addition to this, "specials" were broadcast on Saturday afternoons in the early years of the channel with several episodes based on a particular theme or character(s) were shown. The latest episode shown in these specials was from 1991. In addition, on 27 and 28 December 2003, several Christmas Day editions of the show were broadcast. ITV3 began airing afternoon timeslot sequential reruns of ''Classic Coronation Street'' from 2 October 2017. Two classic episodes were retransmitted from Mondays to Fridays at 2:40 pm until 3:45 pm, starting from episode 2587 (originally transmitted on Wednesday 15 January 1986) onwards. To mark the 60th Anniversary of ''Coronation Street'' between 7 and 11 December 2020 at 10:00 pm–11:05 pm ITV3 aired special episodes of the soap including: ''
Episode 1 ''Episode I'', ''Episode 1'' or ''Episode One'' may refer to: * '' Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'', a 1999 film * '' Half-Life 2: Episode One'', a 2006 computer game sequel * "Episode 1" (''Ashes to Ashes''), (2008), the first episod ...
'', the tenth anniversary episode from December 1970, two episodes from the twentieth anniversary in December 1980, two episodes from the thirtieth anniversary in December 1990, the '' 2000 live episode'' from the fortieth anniversary in December 2000, and the '' fiftieth anniversary episode'' which aired after a repeat of '' The Road to Coronation Street''. On Easter Monday to commemorate the upcoming 90th birthday of
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
. Eight special ''Coronation Street''
Ken Barlow Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street''s original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anni ...
episodes were aired on 18 April 2022, at 10:25 am–2:35 pm. The episodes shown were ''Episode 1'' from December 1960, ''Ken and Deirdre Tie the Knot'' from July 1981, ''Ken's Affair'' from December 1989, ''Deirdre's Fling'' from January 2003, ''Steve and Karen's Wedding Shocker'' from February 2004, ''Ken and Deirdre's Second Wedding'' from April 2005. ''Ken and Deirdre's Hoilday'' from August 2014, and '' Deirdre's Death'' from July 2015.


International

''Coronation Street'' is shown in various countries worldwide.
YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by Google, and is the second mo ...
has the first episode and many others available as reruns. The programme was first aired in Australia in 1963 on
TCN TCN is the flagship television station of the Nine Network in Australia. The station is currently located at 1 Denison Street, North Sydney. The licence, issued to a company named Television Corporation Ltd headed by Sir Frank Packer, was one o ...
-9 Sydney, GTV-9 Melbourne and NWS-9 Adelaide, and by 1966 ''Coronation Street'' was more popular in Australia than in the UK. The show eventually left free-to-air television in Australia. It briefly returned to the Nine Network in a daytime slot during 1994–1995. In 2005
STW STW is an Australian television station owned by the Nine Network that is based in Perth, Western Australia. ''STW'' broadcasts from a shared facility transmitter mast located in Carmel. The station callsign, ''STW'', is an acronym of Swan Tel ...
-9 Perth began to show episodes before the 6 pm news to improve the lead in to Nine News Perth, but this did not work and the show was cancelled a few months later. In 1996, pay-TV began and
Arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
began screening the series in one-hour instalments on Saturdays and Sundays at 6:30 pm EST. The series was later moved to pay-TV channel UKTV (now BBC UKTV) where it is still shown. ''Coronation Street'' is shown Mon-Thu at 7:20 pm EST and a double episode on Fridays, with episodes on the channel being one week behind UK broadcast. In
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, ''Coronation Street'' is broadcast on CBC Television. Until 2011, episodes were shown in Canada approximately 10 months after they aired in Britain; however, beginning in the fall of 2011, the CBC began showing two episodes every weekday, in order to catch up with the ITV showings, at 6:30 pm and 7 pm local time Monday-Friday, with an omnibus on Sundays at 7.30am. By May 2014, the CBC was only two weeks behind Britain, so the show was reduced to a single showing weeknights at 6:30 pm local time. The show debuted on Toronto's
CBLT CBLT-DT (channel 5) is a television station in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, serving as the flagship station of the English-language service of CBC Television. It is part of a twinstick with Ici Radio-Canada Télé outlet CBLFT-DT (channel 25). Bo ...
in July 1966. The 2002 edition of the '' Guinness Book of Records'' recognises the 1,144 episodes sold to the now-defunct CBC-owned
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Yellowhead Highway, and has served as th ...
, TV station CBKST by Granada TV on 31 May 1971 to be the largest number of TV shows ever purchased in one transaction. The show traditionally aired on weekday afternoons in Canada, with a Sunday morning omnibus. In 2004, CBC moved the weekday airings from their daytime slot to prime time. In light of austerity measures imposed on the CBC in 2012, which includes further cutbacks on non-Canadian programming, one of the foreign shows to remain on the CBC schedule is ''Coronation Street'', according to the CBC's director of content planning Christine Wilson, who commented: "Unofficially I can tell you ''Coronation Street'' is coming back. If it didn't come back, something would happen on
Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their archit ...
." Kirstine Stewart, the head of the CBC's English-language division, once remarked: "''Coronation Street'' fans are the most loyal, except maybe for
curling Curling is a sport in which players slide stones on a sheet of ice toward a target area which is segmented into four concentric circles. It is related to bowls, boules, and shuffleboard. Two teams, each with four players, take turns slidi ...
viewers, of all CBC viewers." As of mid 2022, Canada is about three weeks behind the UK and airs six episodes per week. In the
Republic of Ireland Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 Counties of Ireland, counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern ...
, ''Coronation Street'' is currently shown on
Virgin Media One Virgin Media One, also called Virgin One, is an Irish free-to-air television channel owned by Virgin Media Ireland (part of Liberty Global), operated through its subsidiary Virgin Media Television. The channel was known until 30 August 20 ...
. The show was first aired in 1978, when
RTÉ2 RTÉ2 is an Television in the Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel operated by public service broadcaster RTÉ. It was launched in 1978 as the Republic of Ireland's second television channel. History In the 1970s, the Iri ...
began showing episodes from 1976, although Ireland caught up with the current UK episodes in 1983. In 1992 it moved to
RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís ...
, but in 2001 Granada TV bought 45 percent of TV3, and so TV3 broadcast the series from 2001 to 2014. In 2006, ITV sold its share of the channel but TV3 continued to buy the soap until the end of 2014 when it moved to
UTV Ireland Virgin Media Three, also called Virgin Three, is an Republic of Ireland, Irish free-to-air television channel owned by Virgin Media Ireland, Virgin Media Television. The channel was first launched by Northern Irish broadcaster UTV Media on 1 ...
. Coronation Street has broadcast on each of the main Irish networks, except for the
Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
network
TG4 TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond. TG4 was formerly known ...
. In December 2016, ''Coronation Street'' returned to TV3 (now Virgin Media One). The show is consistently the channels most viewed programme every week. Two
Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...
stations have broadcast ''Coronation Street'':
VARA Vara or VARA may refer to: Geography *Vara (river), in Liguria, Italy * Vara Parish, former municipality in Tartu County, Estonia * Vara, Estonia, village in Peipsiääre Parish, Tartu County, Estonia * Vara Municipality, municipality in western S ...
showed 428 episodes between 1967 and 1975, and
SBS6 SBS6 is a Dutch free-to-air, free-to-cable commercial television channel, TV channel and is a part of Talpa TV, formerly known as SBS Broadcasting B.V. and now owned by Talpa Network. Other channels of the group in the Netherlands are Net5, Vero ...
ran the show for a period starting in 2010. From 2006 the series was also broadcast by
Vitaya VTM 3 is a Flemish television station. The station got its license for 9 years in 1999 and it started to broadcast on 25 August 2000. VTM3 can be seen on Flemish cable and satellite services. The station is part of DPG Media (formerly Medialaan, ...
, a small Flemish Belgian channel. In
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, ''Coronation Street'' has been shown locally since 1964, first on NZBC television until 1975, and then on TV One, which broadcasts it in a 4-episode/2-hour block on Fridays from 7:30 pm. In September 2014, TV One added a 2-episode/1-hour block on Saturday from 8:30 pm. Because TV One did not upgrade to showing the equivalent of five or six episodes per week, New Zealand continued to fall further and further behind with episodes, and was 23 months behind Britain as of March 2014. During the weekday nights of the week ending 11 April 2014 and previous weeks, Coronation Street was the least watched programme on TV One in the 7:30 pm slot by a considerable margin in comparison to other weeknights, The serial aired on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 pm until October 2011, when the show moved to a 5:30 pm half-hour slot every weekday. The move proved unpopular with fans, and the series was quickly moved into its present prime-time slot within weeks. Episodes 7883, 7884, 7885 and 7886 were screened on 16 May 2014. These were originally aired in the UK between 4 and 11 June 2012. On 10 May 2018 it was announced that the current 2016 episodes would be moved to 1 p.m. Monday-Friday titled 'Catch-up Episodes' and for primetime Wednesday-Friday express episodes would be airing in New Zealand a week behind The United Kingdom titled '2018 Episodes' these changes would be taking place from 11 June 2018. In
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...
, ''Coronation Street'' episodes were broadcast three days after the UK air date on ITV Choice until the channel ceased broadcasting in June 2020, episodes temporarily went off the air until they moved to
M-Net City Me is an African television channel created and owned by M-Net, exclusive to their DStv satellite service. History The channel launched as The Series Channel on 1 April 1998. It then was explicitly branded with M-Net in 2005, becoming M-Net Ser ...
starting October 2020. In the
United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, ''Coronation Street'' is available by broadcast or cable only in northern markets where CBC coverage from Canada overlaps the border or is available on local cable systems. It was broadcast on CBC's US cable channel, Trio until the CBC sold its stake in the channel to Universal, before it was shut down in 2006. Beginning in 2009, episodes were available in the United States through
Amazon.com Amazon.com, Inc. ( ) is an American multinational technology company focusing on e-commerce, cloud computing, online advertising, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. It has been referred to as "one of the most influential econo ...
's on-demand service, one month behind their original UK airdates. The final series of shows available from Amazon appears to be from November 2012, as no new episodes have been uploaded. On 15 January 2013, online distributor Hulu began airing episodes of the show, posting a new episode daily, two weeks after their original airdates. For a time, Hulu's website stated: "New episodes of ''Coronation Street'' will be unavailable as of April 7th, 2016", with the same being said for British soap ''Hollyoaks'', but Hulu is once again showing new episodes of ''Coronation Street'' as of April 2017, two weeks behind the UK airdate. The BBC/ITV service
Britbox BritBox is an online digital video subscription service, founded by BBC Studios and ITV plc, operating in nine countries across North America, Europe, Australia and South Africa.
shows new episodes on the same day as the UK airing. ''Coronation Street'' was also shown on
USA Network USA Network (simply USA) is an American basic cable television channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. It was originally launched in 1977 as Madison ...
for an unknown period starting in 1982.
HM Forces The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, su ...
and their families stationed overseas can watch ''Coronation Street'' on ITV, carried by the British Forces Broadcasting Service, which is also available to civilians in the
Falkland Islands The Falkland Islands (; es, Islas Malvinas, link=no ) is an archipelago in the South Atlantic Ocean on the Patagonian Shelf. The principal islands are about east of South America's southern Patagonian coast and about from Cape Dubouze ...
. It used to be shown on BFBS1.
Satellite A satellite or artificial satellite is an object intentionally placed into orbit in outer space. Except for passive satellites, most satellites have an electricity generation system for equipment on board, such as solar panels or radioi ...
channel ITV Choice showed the programme in
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
,
Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...
,
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ge ...
, and
Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...
, before the channel ceased broadcasting in 2019.


Merchandise

''The Street'', a magazine dedicated to the show, was launched in 1989. Edited by Bill Hill, the magazine contained a summary of recent storylines, interviews, articles about classic episodes, and stories that occurred from before 1960. The format was initially A5 size, expanding to A4 from the seventh issue. The magazine folded after issue 23 in 1993 when the publisher's contract with Granada Studios Tour expired and Granada wanted to produce their own magazine. On 25 June 2010, a video game of the show was released on Nintendo DS. The game was developed by Mindscape, and allowed players to complete tasks in the fictitious town of Weatherfield.


Discography

In 1995, to commemorate the programme's 35th anniversary, a CD titled ''The Coronation Street Album'' was released, featuring cover versions of modern songs and standards by contemporary cast members. The album charted a Top 40 hit when "The Coronation Street Single" (a double a-side featuring a cover of Monty Python's " Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" by Bill Waddington - with various cast members on backing vocals - on one side and " Something Stupid" by Johnny Briggs & Amanda Barrie on the other) reached number 35 in the Official UK charts. In 2010, an album featuring songs sung by cast members was released to celebrate 50 years of ''Coronation Street''. The album is titled ''Rogues, Angels, Heroes & Fools'', and was later developed into a musical.


Spin-offs


Television

Granada launched one spin-off in 1965, '' Pardon the Expression'', following the story of clothing store manager Leonard Swindley ( Arthur Lowe) after he left Weatherfield. Swindley's management experience was tested when he was appointed assistant manager at a fictional
department store A department store is a retail establishment offering a wide range of consumer goods in different areas of the store, each area ("department") specializing in a product category. In modern major cities, the department store made a dramatic app ...
, Dobson and Hawks. Granada produced two series of the spin-off, which ended in 1966. In 1967, Arthur Lowe returned as Leonard Swindley in '' Turn Out the Lights'', a short-lived sequel to ''Pardon the Expression''. It ran for just one series of six episodes before it was cancelled. From 1985 to 1988 Granada TV produced a sitcom called '' The Brothers McGregor'' featuring a pair of half-brothers (one black, one white) who had appeared in a single episode of ''Coronation Street'' as old friends of Eddie Yeats and guests at his wedding. The original actors were unavailable so the characters were recast with Paul Barber and
Philip Whitchurch Philip Whitchurch (born 30 January 1951) is an English stage, film, and television actor. He is best known for playing Captain William Frederickson in three episodes of the Sharpe series between 1994-1997 and the role of Chief Inspector Philip ...
. The show ran for 26 episodes over four series. In 1985, a sister series, ''
Albion Market ''Albion Market'' was a British soap opera, set in a covered market in Salford, in the northwest of England. It was intended as a companion to fellow ITV soap '' Coronation Street'', starting at 7:00 pm on Fridays and 7.15 pm on Sundays. Howe ...
'' was launched. It ran for one year, with 100 episodes produced.


Crossovers

In 2010, several actors from the show appeared on ''
The Jeremy Kyle Show ''The Jeremy Kyle Show'' is a British tabloid talk show presented by Jeremy Kyle and produced by ITV Studios. It premiered on the ITV network on 4 July 2005, and ran for seventeen series until its cancellation on 10 May 2019. It was the most ...
'' as their soap characters:
David Platt David Andrew Platt (born 10 June 1966) is an English former professional football coach and player, who played as a midfielder. Born in Chadderton, Lancashire, Platt began his career as an apprentice at Manchester United before moving to Crewe ...
( Jack P. Shepherd),
Nick Tilsley Nick Tilsley (also Platt) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He was born off screen during an episode broadcast on 31 December 1980, but made his first appearance on 5 January 1981. He was played b ...
( Ben Price) and
Tina McIntyre Tina McIntyre is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Michelle Keegan, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode that was shown 7 January 2008. The character was central to ma ...
(
Michelle Keegan Michelle Elizabeth Keegan (born 3 June 1987) is an English actress, known for her roles as Tina McIntyre in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and Sergeant Georgie Lane in the BBC drama series '' Our Girl''. Keegan also starred as Tra ...
). In the fictional, semi-improvised scenario, David accused Nick (his brother) and Tina (his ex-girlfriend) of sleeping together. ''Coronation Street'' and rival soap opera '' EastEnders'' had a crossover for '' Children in Need'' in November 2010 called " East Street". ''EastEnders'' stars that visited Weatherfield include
Laurie Brett Laurie Brett (born 28 March 1969) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles as Jane Beale in the BBC One soap opera '' EastEnders'' and Christine Mulgrew in the BBC One school-based drama series '' Waterloo Road''. Early and personal life ...
as
Jane Beale Lesley Jane Beale (also Clarke and Collins) is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera, ''EastEnders'', played by Laurie Brett. She made her first appearance on 22 June 2004. Brett took maternity leave in 2011 and departed on 19 May. Sh ...
, Charlie G. Hawkins as
Darren Miller Darren Miller is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Charlie G. Hawkins. He made his first appearance on 6 September 2004 and departed in the episode broadcast on 20 September 2011. Storylines The Miller f ...
,
Kylie Babbington Kylie Jane Babbington (born 13 December 1987) is a British actress best known for her single television role, performing on '' EastEnders'' from June 2010 to November 2011. Babbington was born in Havering, London in 1987. She studied acting and ...
as
Jodie Gold Jodie Gold is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Kylie Babbington. She first appeared on screen on 7 June 2010. On 24 October 2011, it was announced that Babbington's contract would not be renewed and Jodie ...
,
Nina Wadia Nina Wadia (born 18 December 1968) is a British actress and comedian. She is known for portraying Zainab Masood in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', Aunty Noor in Citizen Khan Mrs Hussein in the BBC comedy '' Still Open All Hours'', and for ...
as
Zainab Masood Zainab Khan (also Masood) is a character from the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'', played by Nina Wadia.
and John Partridge as Christian Clarke. On 21 December 2012, ''Coronation Street'' produced a
Text Santa ''Text Santa'' was a charity initiative set up in 2011 by ITV to support UK-based charities during the Christmas period. The appeal to the public is to donate money mainly via text donation and profits from merchandise. The telethons have been h ...
special entitled ''A Christmas Corrie'' which featured
Norris Cole Norris Gene Cole II (born October 13, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for Grand Rapids Gold of the NBA G League. A 6' 2" point guard, he is a two-time NBA champion, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013 with the Miami ...
in the style of Scrooge, being visited by the ghosts of dead characters. The ghosts were Mike Baldwin,
Maxine Peacock The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 1995, by order of first appearance. Daniel Osbourne Daniel Osbourne is the son of Ken Barlow (William Roache) and Denise Osbourne ( De ...
,
Derek Wilton Derek Bernard Wilton is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', portrayed by Peter Baldwin. He appeared in the show intermittently between 1976 and 1987, before becoming a regular from 1988 until the char ...
and
Vera Duckworth Vera Duckworth (also Burton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Liz Dawn. Vera is known for her long-standing marriage to Jack Duckworth ( Bill Tarmey); they became one of the best-love ...
. Other special guests include
Torvill and Dean Torvill and Dean (Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean) are English ice dancers and former British, European, Olympic, and World champions. At the Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics the pair won gold and became the highest-scoring figure skaters of a ...
,
Lorraine Kelly Lorraine Kelly, (born 30 November 1959) is a Scottish journalist and television presenter. She has presented various television shows for ITV, including '' Good Morning Britain'' (1988–1992), '' GMTV'' (1993–2010), ''This Morning'' (2003 ...
and
Sheila Reid Sheila Reid (born 21 December 1937) is a Scottish actress, known for playing Madge Harvey in the ITV sitcom ''Benidorm'' (2007–2016). An original member of the Royal National Theatre in 1963, she played Bianca in the National's 1965 film ve ...
. The episode concluded with Norris learning the error of his ways and dancing on the cobbles. The original plan for this feature was to have included
Jack Duckworth John "Jack" Duckworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Bill Tarmey. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 28 November 1979. Jack was introduced by executive pr ...
, along with Vera, but actor
Bill Tarmey Bill Tarmey (born William Piddington; 4 April 1941 – 9 November 2012) was an English actor and singer, best known for playing Jack Duckworth in the soap opera '' Coronation Street''. First appearing in the role in November 1979, he played ...
died before filming commenced. In the end a recording of his voice was played.


Documentaries

''Coronation Street: Family Album'' was several documentaries about various families living on the street. "Farewell ..." was several documentaries featuring the best moments of a single character who had recently left the series—most notably, Farewell Mike (Baldwin), Farewell Vera (Duckworth), Farewell Blanche (Hunt), Farewell Jack (Duckworth), Farewell Janice (Battersby), Farewell Liz (McDonald), Farewell Becky (McDonald), and Farewell Tina (McIntyre). Most of these were broadcast on the same day as the character's final scenes in the series. ''Stars on the Street'' was aired around Christmas 2009. It featured actors from the soap talking about the famous guest stars who had appeared in the series including people who were in it before they were famous. In December 2010, ITV made a few special programmes to mark the 50th anniversary. ''Coronation Street Uncovered: Live'', hosted by
Stephen Mulhern Stephen Daniel Mulhern is an English television presenter, magician, and comedian. He began his television career on CITV, presenting the children's shows ''Finger Tips'' (2001–2004) and ''Tricky TV'' (2005–2010). Mulhern has presented vario ...
was shown after the episode with the tram crash was aired on ITV2. On 7 and 9 December a countdown on the greatest Corrie moments, ''Coronation Street: 50 Years, 50 Moments'', the viewers voted "The Barlows at Alcoholics Anonymous" as the greatest moment. On 10 December
Paul O'Grady Paul James O'Grady MBE DL (born 14 June 1955) is an English comedian, broadcaster, actor, writer and former drag queen. He achieved notability in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his drag queen persona Lily Savage, very popular in ...
hosted a quiz show, ''Coronation Street: The Big 50'' with three teams from the soap and a celebrity team answering questions about Coronation Street and other soaps. Also, '' Come Dine with Me'' and '' Celebrity Juice'' aired Coronation Street specials in the anniversary week.


International adaptation

The German TV series ''
Lindenstraße ''Lindenstraße'' (literally "Linden Street") was a long-running German television drama series, broadcast by Das Erste. The first episode aired on 8 December 1985 and since then new episodes were broadcast weekly until 2020. Its last timeslot ...
'' took ''Coronation Street'' as the model. ''Lindenstraße'' started in 1985 and broadcast its final episode on 29 March 2020, after airing for nearly 35 years.


Films

Over the years ''Coronation Street'' has released several straight-to-video films. Unlike other soaps which often used straight-to-video films to cover more contentious plot lines that may not be allowed by the broadcaster, ''Coronation Street'' has largely used these films to reset their characters in other locations. In 1995, ''Coronation Street: The Cruise'' also known as ''Coronation Street: The Feature Length Special'' was released on VHS to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the show, featuring
Rita Sullivan Rita Tanner (also Littlewood, Bates, Fairclough and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by veteran actress Barbara Knox, the character first appeared onscreen as "Rita Littlewo ...
,
Mavis Wilton Mavis Wilton (also Riley) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Thelma Barlow. A long-running series regular, Mavis appeared in the show for 26 years from 1971 to 1997. Introduced for ...
, Alec Gilroy, Curly Watts and Raquel Watts. ITV heavily promoted the programme as a direct-to-video exclusive but broadcast a brief version of it on 24 March 1996. The
Independent Television Commission The Independent Television Commission (ITC) licensed and regulated commercial television services in the United Kingdom (except S4C in Wales) between 1 January 1991 and 28 December 2003. History The creation of ITC, by the Broadcasting Act ...
investigated the broadcast, as viewers complained that ITV misled them. In 1997, following the controversial cruise spin-off, ''Coronation Street: Viva Las Vegas!'' was released on VHS, featuring
Vera Duckworth Vera Duckworth (also Burton) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', portrayed by Liz Dawn. Vera is known for her long-standing marriage to Jack Duckworth ( Bill Tarmey); they became one of the best-love ...
,
Jack Duckworth John "Jack" Duckworth is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Bill Tarmey. The character debuted on-screen during the episode broadcast on 28 November 1979. Jack was introduced by executive pr ...
,
Fiona Middleton Fiona Middleton is a fictional character from the British television soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Angela Griffin. The actress secured the role following an audition. She was sceptical that it would lead to much and initially presume ...
and
Maxine Peacock The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 1995, by order of first appearance. Daniel Osbourne Daniel Osbourne is the son of Ken Barlow (William Roache) and Denise Osbourne ( De ...
on a trip to Las Vegas, which included the temporary return of
Ray Langton Ray Langton is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Neville Buswell. Storylines Ray Langton was born at Number 2 Gas Street. Throughout his childhood, he was in trouble with the police most o ...
. In 1999, six special episodes of ''Coronation Street'' were produced, following the story of Steve McDonald and
Vikram Desai The following is a list of characters that first appeared in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' in 1999, by order of first appearance. Ian Bentley Ian Bentley, played by Jonathan Guy Lewis, first appeared on 29 January 1999. He is introd ...
in Brighton, which included the temporary returns of, Bet Gilroy, Reg Holdsworth and Vicky McDonald. This video was titled ''Coronation Street: Open All Hours'' and released on VHS. In 2008, ITV announced filming was to get underway for a new special DVD episode, '' Coronation Street: Out of Africa'', featuring
Kirk Sutherland Kirk Sutherland is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. The character first appeared on-screen during the episode airing on 22 May 2000, played by an uncredited actor and originally referred to as Mark. ...
,
Fiz Brown Fiona 'Fiz' Dobbs (also Brown and Stape) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Jennie McAlpine, the character first appeared on screen on 20 April 2001. Initially appearing for five epis ...
,
Chesney Brown Chesney Brown (also Battersby-Brown) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Sam Aston. He made his first on-screen appearance on 10 November 2003. The character is named after the singer, Ches ...
, which included the temporary return of
Cilla Battersby-Brown Cilla Petunia Aurelia Brown (formerly Battersby-Brown) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by Wendi Peters. She made her first appearance on 20 October 2003. After three years in the role, ...
.
Sophie Webster Sophie Webster is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 4 November 1994. She was played by Ashleigh Middleton from 1994 until 1997 and by Emma Wood ...
, Becky Granger and
Tina McIntyre Tina McIntyre is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Michelle Keegan, the character first appeared on-screen during the episode that was shown 7 January 2008. The character was central to ma ...
also make brief appearances. In 2009, another DVD special, '' Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday'', was released. The feature-length comedy drama followed
Roy Roy is a masculine given name and a family surname with varied origin. In Anglo-Norman England, the name derived from the Norman ''roy'', meaning "king", while its Old French cognate, ''rey'' or ''roy'' (modern ''roi''), likewise gave rise to ...
,
Hayley Hayley (pronounced ) is an English given name. It is derived from the English surname Haley (surname), Haley, which in turn was based on an Old English toponym, a compound of ''heg'' "hay" and ''leah'' "clearing or meadow".Katie Martin-Doyle, '' ...
and Becky as they travelled to Romania for the wedding of a face from their past.
Eddie Windass Eddie Windass is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by Steve Huison, the character's first appearance on-screen was broadcast on 14 November 2008. On 5 December 2010, it was announced that Ed ...
also briefly appears. The BBC commissioned a one-off drama called '' The Road to Coronation Street'', about how the series first came into being.
Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Kat Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' since 2000. Her role as Kat won her the Natio ...
plays
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
(
Elsie Tanner Elsie Gregory (also Grimshaw, Howard and Tanner) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was ...
) with
Lynda Baron Lilian Ridgway (24 March 1939 – 5 March 2022), known professionally as Lynda Baron, was an English actress and singer. She is best known for having played Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC sitcom ''Open All Hours'' (1976–1985) and its sequel ...
as
Violet Carson Violet Helen Carson, OBE (1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress of radio, stage and television, and a singer and pianist, who had a long and celebrated career as an actress and performer during the early days of BBC Rad ...
(
Ena Sharples Ena Sharples (née Schofield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Violet Carson. She appeared in the first-ever episode, broadcast on 9 December 1960, and stayed with the show until 2 April ...
),
Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...
as
Doris Speed Doris Speed, MBE (3 February 1899 – 16 November 1994) was an English actress, best known for her role as landlady of the Rovers Return Inn Annie Walker on ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from the programme's first episode in 1960 un ...
( Annie Walker) and James Roache as his own father
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
(
Ken Barlow Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street''s original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anni ...
). It was broadcast on 16 September 2010 on BBC Four. On 1 November 2010, ''Coronation Street: A Knight's Tale'' was released. Reg Holdsworth and Curly Watts returned in the film.
Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...
tries to take Norris to an apparently haunted castle where she hoped to seduce him. Rosie gets a job there and she takes
Jason Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea. He ...
with her.
Brian Capron Brian Capron (born 11 February 1947) is an English actor who trained at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art. He is best known for his role as serial killer, Richard Hillman, in the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'', ...
also guest starred as an assumed relative of
Richard Hillman Richard Charles Hillman is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Brian Capron. He first appeared on 20 June 2001 and became the show's main antagonist until his eventual departure on 14 March 2 ...
. He rises out of a lake with a comedic "wink to the audience" after Hillman drowned in 2003.
Rita Sullivan Rita Tanner (also Littlewood, Bates, Fairclough and Sullivan) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. Portrayed by veteran actress Barbara Knox, the character first appeared onscreen as "Rita Littlewo ...
also briefly appears.


Online

On 21 December 2008, a web-based miniseries ran on ITV.com; called ''Corrie Confidential''; the first episode featured the characters Rosie and
Sophie Webster Sophie Webster is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street''. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 4 November 1994. She was played by Ashleigh Middleton from 1994 until 1997 and by Emma Wood ...
in ''Underworld''. ITV.com launched a small spin-off drama series called 'Gary's Army Diaries' which revolves around Gary Windass's experiences in Afghanistan and the loss of his best friend, Quinny. Due to their popularity, the three five-minute episodes were recut into a single 30-minute episode, which was broadcast on ITV2.
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
and
Anne Kirkbride Anne Kirkbride (21 June 1954 – 19 January 2015) was an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in the ITV soap ''Coronation Street'', which she played for 42 years from 1972 to 2014. For this role, she posthu ...
starred as Ken and Deirdre in a series of ten three-minute internet 'webisodes'. The first episode of the series titled, ''Ken and Deirdre's Bedtime Stories'' was activated on Valentine's Day 2011. In 2011, an internet based spin-off starring
Helen Flanagan Helen Flanagan (born 7 August 1990) is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Rosie Webster in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 2000 to 2012; she reprised the role in 2017, before going on maternity leave o ...
as
Rosie Webster Rosie Webster is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. She was born on-screen during the episode broadcast on 24 December 1990. She was played by Emma Collinge from 1990 until 27 December 1999. Helen Fl ...
followed her on her quest to be a supermodel called ''Just Rosie''. On 3 February 2014, another web-based miniseries ran on ITV.com; called ''Streetcar Stories''. It showed what Steve and Lloyd get up to during the late nights in their Streetcar cab office. The first episode shows Steve and Lloyd making a cup of tea with "
The Stripper "The Stripper" is an instrumental composed by David Rose, recorded in 1958 and released four years later. It evinces a jazz influence with especially prominent trombone slides, and evokes the feel of music used to accompany striptease artist ...
" playing in the background, referencing Morecambe and Wise's Breakfast Sketch. The second episode involves the pair having a biscuit dunking competition. During the 'Who Attacked Ken' storyline, a mini series of police files was run on the official Coronation Street YouTube channel. They outlined the suspects' details and possible motives.


Stage

In August 2010, many ''Coronation Street'' characters were brought to the stage in Jonathan Harvey's comedy play ''
Corrie! ''Corrie!'' is a comedy stage play written in 2010 by award-winning playwright and ''Coronation Street'' scriptwriter Jonathan Harvey. The play premiered at The Lowry' in Salford Quays in August 2010. Written as part of the 50th Anniversary Celebr ...
''. The play was commissioned to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the TV series and was presented at
The Lowry The Lowry is a theatre and gallery complex at Salford Quays, Salford, Greater Manchester, England. It is named after the early 20th-century painter L. S. Lowry, known for his paintings of industrial scenes in North West England. The complex ope ...
in Salford, England by
ITV Studios ITV Studios is a British multinational television production and distribution company owned by the British television broadcaster ITV plc. It handles production and distribution of programmes broadcast on the ITV network and third-party broadca ...
and Phil McIntyre Entertainments. Featuring a cast of six actors who alternate roles of favourite characters including Ena Sharples, Hilda Ogden, Hayley and Roy, Richard Hillman, Jack and Vera, Bet Lynch, Steve, Karen and Becky, the play weaves together some of the most memorable moments from the TV show. It toured UK theatres between February 2011 and July 2011 with guest star narrators including
Roy Barraclough Roy Senior Barraclough (12 July 1935 – 1 June 2017) was an English comic actor. He was best known for his role as Alec Gilroy, the devious, mournful landlord of the Rovers Return in the long-running British TV soap '' Coronation Street'', ...
, Ken Morley and
Gaynor Faye Gaynor Kay Mellor (born 26 August 1971), better known as Gaynor Faye, is an English actress and writer, best known for playing Judy Mallett in '' Coronation Street'' from 1995 until 1999 and Megan Macey in ''Emmerdale'' from 2012 until 201 ...
.


In popular culture

The British rock band
Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...
produced a single "
I Want to Break Free "I Want to Break Free" is a song by the British rock band Queen, written by their bassist John Deacon. It appears on the album '' The Works'' (1984), and was released in three versions: album, single and extended. The track became a staple of ...
" in 1984 which reached number 3 position in UK charts and which is largely known for its music video for which all the band members dressed in women's clothes, which parodied the characters and is considered an homage to the show. The video depicts Freddie Mercury as a housewife, loosely based on Bet Lynch, who wants to "break free" from his life. Although Lynch was a blonde in the soap opera, Mercury thought he would look too silly as a blonde and chose a dark wig. Guitarist
Brian May Brian Harold May (born 19 July 1947) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and astrophysicist, who achieved worldwide fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen. May was a co-founder of Queen with lead singer Freddie Mercury and ...
plays another, more relaxed housewife based on
Hilda Ogden Hilda Ogden (also Crabtree) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', one of the best-known of all the regular characters in the serial, whose name became synonymous with a classic hard-working Northern ...
. As an
April Fools' Day April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is an annual custom on 1 April consisting of practical jokes and hoaxes. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fools!" at the recipient. Mass media can be involved in these pranks, which may ...
joke in 2019,
TheJournal.ie ''TheJournal.ie'' is an internet publication in Ireland. It was a mixture of original and aggregated content, before moving to entirely original content. The website was founded in early 2010. It was edited by Jennifer O'Connell in 2010–2011, ...
claimed that Leader of the Opposition and Labour
Jeremy Corbyn Jeremy Bernard Corbyn (; born 26 May 1949) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Opposition and Leader of the Labour Party from 2015 to 2020. On the political left of the Labour Party, Corbyn describes himself as a socialist ...
had made an attempt to appear in an episode of ''Coronation Street'' in response to
Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...
's supposed appearance in a special live episode, where she was to issue a final plea for unity on
Brexit Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...
. In the joke, Corbyn's plan had not come to fruition, with members of ''Coronation Streets crew deeming his request inappropriate in light of the devastation already wreaked upon the soap opera's characters following its most recent knicker factory tragedy.


Sponsorship

Cadbury was the first sponsor of ''Coronation Street'' beginning in July 1996. In the summer of 2006, Cadbury Trebor Bassetts had to recall over one million chocolate bars, due to suspected salmonella contamination, and ''Coronation Street'' stopped the sponsorship for several months. In 2006, Cadbury did not renew their contract, but agreed to sponsor the show until ''Coronation Street'' found a new sponsor. Harveys then sponsored ''Coronation Street'' from 30 September 2007 until December 2012. In the ''Coronation Street: Romanian Holiday'' film, Roy and Hayley Cropper are filmed in front of a Harveys store, and in ''Coronation Street: A Knights Tale'', a Harveys truck can be seen driving past Mary Taylor's motorhome. Compare The Market took over as sponsor from 26 November 2012 until 30 November 2020. On 10 December 2020, it was announced that
Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...
would be the new sponsor of ''Coronation Street'', starting on 1 January 2021. In November 2011, a
Nationwide Building Society Nationwide Building Society is a British mutual organisation, mutual financial institution, the seventh largest co-operative banking, cooperative financial institution and the largest building society in the world with over 16 million members. ...
ATM in Dev Alahan's corner shop became the first use of paid-for product placement in a UK primetime show. In 2018, the shop fronts of Co-Op and Costa Coffee were added to the sets, along with characters using shopping bags with the respective logos on as props. Hyundai have been the sponsor since January 2015 in the Republic of Ireland, aired on
Virgin Media One Virgin Media One, also called Virgin One, is an Irish free-to-air television channel owned by Virgin Media Ireland (part of Liberty Global), operated through its subsidiary Virgin Media Television. The channel was known until 30 August 20 ...
.


Awards and nominations


Footnotes


Print references

* * * * * * * * * * *


Video and DVD references

* ''This Is Coronation Street'', Dir: John Black (DVD) Acorn Media Publishing, 2003 * ''Coronation Street: Secrets'', Dir: John Black (DVD) Morningstar Entertainment, 2004 * ''Coronation Street: Early Days'', (Video) Granada Media Group, 2001 * ''Coronation Street: The Jubilee Years'', (Video) Granada Media Group, 1985 * ''Coronation Street: The Magic of'', (Video) Granada Media Group, 1985


External links

* * * {{Soap operas in the United Kingdom 1960 British television series debuts 1960s British television soap operas 1970s British television soap operas 1980s British television soap operas 1990s British television soap operas 2000s British television soap operas 2010s British television soap operas 2020s British television soap operas Alcohol abuse in television BAFTA winners (television series) Black-and-white British television shows British television soap operas English-language television shows Fictional streets and roads History of Manchester ITV soap operas Social realism Television shows produced by Granada Television Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in Greater Manchester Television productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Television series impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic