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Corrie star back as gay footballer
28 September 2000 by Jonathan Donald

Former Coronation Street heart-throb Matthew Marsden has landed a bit part in an obscure Channel 4 drama - playing a gay footballer. Marsden, 28, finished playing hunky Weatherfield mechanic Chris Collins in 1998 to pursue a music career, but was dumped by his record company.

New C4 legal drama North Square sees him return to TV as a homosexual striker facing indecent assualt charges. Producer Alison Davies said: "He is actually very good. "I know it seems a long way from the Street but when we were casting he was available and just seemed ideal." Marsden's character Stuart Pound faces indecent assault charges after landing a smacker on an opponent during a goal celebration. The series begins on October 18 and fields a cast of mostly unknown actors.

Marsden left the Street in 1998 after a year playing brooding Street romeo Chris Collins. Mumsy Sally Webster was his major conquest. Chart glory beckoned for the small screen hunk and he went on to score two Top 10 hits with She's Gone and The Heart's Lone Desire. An album was recorded but never released and his record label dropped him in 1999.

My Perfect Weekend - Gayonr Faye
23 September 2000
GAYNOR FAYE, 29, played Judy Mallett in Corrie until last year when her character died. Since then she's been in BBC1's Playing The Field and is about to be seen in Fat Friends on ITV. She lives in Leeds and is single.

What time do you get up?
Early. I'm very much a morning person. If I was to get up at 10am, I'd feel like the day was wasted. I've always been like that, even when I was younger. I do like a night out, but I like to be back home in bed by about 10.30pm.

What's the first thing you do when you get up?
I love to start the day with a cappuccino. I've always wanted one of those big Gaggia machines but I make do with this little cheap one.

How would you spend the rest of the day?
If I was at home in Leeds, I'd go shopping with mates - do a bit of serious retail therapy. We'd all have to do lunch at Harvey Nichols. We'd be ladies who lunch.

What would be your perfect Saturday night?
I love to cook for friends at home. I'd get lots of lovely ingredients together and throw a dinner party. We'd finish with games like Pictionary.

What would you eat?
I'm really into Thai food at the moment, but I also like to experiment. I'd probably do a seafood gumbo with saffron rice.

You've got a blank cheque. Where would you go?
It'd have to be somewhere gorgeous like Paris. I've only been there once. It was my 18th birthday and I went with my parents.

What's the best weekend you've ever had?
I've had so many good ones. I'm very much one of those people who tries to make the best of everything. If something turns out badly, I believe it's my own fault.

What would ruin your weekend?
If I planned a really nice barbecue outside and it rained. I love having big dos outside but living in this country, they're all too often wrecked by the weather.
It happened this summer. We all had to go scrambling inside as the heavens opened. But we tried not to let it put a real dampener on things.

What would you watch on TV?
When it's winter and the weather's cold, I tend to watch more TV. I love sitting in with a roaring fire watching stuff like Blind Date or Gladiators.
I like dramas - but not something heavy like I, Claudius. I'm also big on comedy. I love Fawlty Towers.
In the summer, I'm happier keeping busy painting. I do botanical stuff.

Granada tumbles on profits warning
28 September 2000 by George Trefgarne, Financial Correspondent

GRANADA Media, the maker of Coronation Street which floated in July, issued a profits warning yesterday and its shares dived 13pc to 438p.

The company's plunging stock price - down 135p this week - is being watched closely by Lord Hollick of Notting Hill, the chief executive of United News & Media, who is now expected to demand £1.25 billion of cash from Granada Media in return for the sale of his ITV franchises, agreed in July. When the deal was done, Lord Hollick said he would accept just £500m in cash and 213m new Granada Media shares, making a total of £1.75 billion. He is now preparing to take advantage of a cash alternative clause, allowing a full cash payment if the shares fall below 585p. They are now well beneath that level. Lord Hollick would not comment publicly, but he is said by sources who know him to believe "it would be the logical thing" to demand cash. He wants to find a tax-efficient way to pass the cash onto shareholders, rather than use it for acquisitions. United shares gained 32.5 to 744p.

The deal was approved by both sets of shareholders at extraordinary meetings yesterday. Lord Hollick does not have to decide on whether he wants cash until December 14, the proposed date for the scheme of arrangement for the transfer of the new Granada Media shares. Granada Media's listing raised £1.3 billion in new money which it could use to pay Lord Hollick. In its trading statement yesterday, Granada Media warned: "We are not expecting to match last year's revenues from broadcasting in our first half to March." It blamed this on "no major events in the coming year" and said the last 12 months had benefited from the Rugby World Cup and the Euro 2000 championships.

The share fall began on Tuesday, after the house broker Merrill Lynch slashed its pre-tax profits forecast for 2001 by 21pc to £256m. Analyst Neil Blackley said that advertising revenues at ITV were slowing following the end of the dotcom boom. He also pointed out rising competitive pressures from BSkyB and cable. But the flotation was aggressively marketed in the summer and the shares are now trading below the issue price of 515p. Some institutional investors are irritated and are raising questions about how they were persuaded to sign up. One said: "The whole presentation was extremely bullish. The fall in the shares tells you everything you need to know about what people think now."

One of the brokers co-ordinating the issue was Credit Suisse First Boston. In a note dated June 14 and entitled "Free at last to flex its muscles", analyst Carlo Campomagnani valued the company at between £6.9 billion and £7.4 billion. Yesterday it was worth £6.6 billion. Mr Campomagnani was not available to comment.

The prospectus was also optimistic about advertising revenues, saying: "The directors believe that ITV will continue to maintain its recent record of strong growth in advertising revenue which will continue to fund investment in programming which attracts mass audiences that, in turn, generate further revenue growth."

Charles Allen, the chairman of Granada, was on business in Australia yesterday. He was said to have "no scheduled trips to the Sydney Olympics" in his diary. A spokesman said yesterday: "ITV is still a premium product which advertisers will pay premium prices for."

Granada Compass, the hotel-to-catering group which spun off Granada Media, fell 27p to 609, despite an upbeat trading statement.

The Corrie gun nuts
28 September 2000 by John Mahoney

THESE are the gripping moments when Coronation Street sworn enemies Mike Baldwin and Ken Barlow make peace - trying to stay alive. Their bad blood has spilled over into countless Street scraps, but things change when they are roped together by an armed gang during a siege at Freshco supermarket. They have to form a bond of trust to get through their terrifying ordeal.

Corrie fans will see the dramatic scenes in an hourlong late night special next month when six Weatherfield favourites are held hostage in the raid, as revealed by the MegaStar last week. At first Baldwin and Barlow - played by Johnny Briggs and Bill Roache - continue their sniping. But when they both realise the chips are down it dawns on them life might be too short to keep it up.

Also caught up in the Street siege are store boss Curly Watts, Baldwin's ex-wife Alma, barmy butcher Fred Elliott and Ashley Peacock. Their lives are turned upside down when two robbers storm in demanding cash from the safe. When this fails they are bundled into a storeroom and the raiders demand £100,000 and a helicopter to guarantee the safe release of the hostages.

The Star can reveal that one Corrie character is killed in the explosive climax, but we are keeping the victim's identity a close secret. As armed police surround the store, Curly's fiancée WPC Emma Taylor is sent in to end the stick-up.

An insider said: "It is absolute dynamite - probably the most powerful scenes ever done on the Street." The spectacular storyline hits screens on Wednesday, October 11, but fans must wait 24 hours before learning who survives.

Hostage drama for Corrie
27 September 2000 by Derek Robbins

Corrie is to screen a late-night siege drama. Fans will be shocked when two armed thugs raid Freshco's supermarket and hold Curly, Alma, Ken, Fred, Mike and Ashley hostage after a bungled heist.

One of the most fascinating twists in the Corrie late-night siege occurs when arch-rivals Ken and Mike are tied up together as hostages. A Corrie spokeswoman said: "It's very dramatic, they're held together alone in a store room and Ken actually begins to soften towards Mike. "They talk about all their feuds and Mike tells Ken about Mark and Linda's betrayal. After their ordeal they act quite differently to each other."

The special is part of the build up to the soap's 40th anniversary on December 9. A Corrie spokeswoman said: "We were asked by ITV to make these special episodes to build on the success of this year's fantastic storylines. The siege heralds the start of event scheduled episodes." These will include the trial of Jim McDonald for the murder of villainous Jez Quigley.

The Corrie siege drama will end in tragedy for Linda Baldwin (Jacqueline Pirie) as one of the Freschco raiders is her younger brother Dean. Corrie makers Granada has revealed Dean (Ciaran Griffiths) is shot dead by cop Emma, Curly's girlfriend in the late-night special. "The police storm the building and a shot rings out," said a spokeswoman. "Panic-stricken Dean shoots again, instinctively Emma pulls the trigger and he collapses to the ground."

Deadly end to Coronation Street siege special
27 September 2000

A special late-night hour-long episode of Coronation Street is to focus on a cliff-hanging supermarket siege that ends in tragedy. Next month's late-night show, an unprecedented move by ITV, will see viewers gripped by the siege drama which will end in death for a Street regular.

Two gunmen hold up the Weatherfield supermarket and as the drama unfolds, arch-enemies Ken Barlow and Mike Baldwin are tied together and locked in a store cupboard. Manager Curly Watts, assistant manager Alma Sedgewick and butchers Fred Elliott and Ashley Peacock are held hostage by the two thugs armed with a gun and knife. As news of the siege spreads to Coronation Street, relatives of the hostages rush to the store, which is surrounded by armed police who include Curly's girlfriend, Sergeant Emma Taylor.

The special episode will go out on Wednesday October 11 at 10:00pm, picking up the plot from the regular half-hour screened earlier in the evening. And programme chiefs are to keep the drama of the siege at its height by following up with an extra 30-minute episode the following day. Granada said it was asked by ITV to make the special episodes.

The siege drama will herald the start of the build-up to the soap's 40th anniversary on December 9. Granada are keeping tight-lipped about the outcome. But a Street spokeswoman said: "What happens next will have a profound effect on the lives of Weatherfield residents and one of the women is left grieving as she loses a loved one."

I couldn't sit back
25 September 2000 by Peter Dyke

BIG-HEARTED Coronation Street pals Sally Whittaker and Helen Worth have secretly "adopted" two Third World children. They send letters, gifts and cash to the little children who live in extreme poverty in India. And they are planning a trip next year to finally meet the youngsters they have been helping.

A pal said: "Sally and Helen are very private people and very kind. "A lot of the actors on The Street don't even know they have been doing this." The idea of helping the children came after 37-year-old Sally - who plays Sally Webster - flew to India last year as part of a fact-finding charity mission. She visited a refuge set up by Action Aid to help mums and children stricken with HIV and Aids.

Sally is married to Emmerdale scriptman Tim Dynevor and the couple have two children - Phoebe, four, and Sam, two. She said: "The whole trip was an eye-opener. "India seems so far away but when I saw the problems for myself, it was rather overwhelming and extremely emotional."

When she got back she chatted about her trip to pal Helen Worth, who plays Gail Platt, and they decided to join an Action Aid scheme to "adopt" two children in Rajastan, India. Sally is helping out a six-year-old girl Reena Bai. Helen, whose partner is actor Michael Angelis, is sponsoring nine-year-old lad Geru Nerugi.

A spokeswoman for Action Aid said: "Having kind people like Sally and Helen on board gives us a major boost."

Street couples head for France... and romance
22 September 2000

Three Coronation Street couples find themselves in the mood for love when they jet off to one of the world's most romantic cities. Soap favourites Fred and Audrey, Ashley and Maxine and Curly and Emma head for Paris and the Loire Valley for a break after the men get caught up in an armed siege at Freshco's supermarket. But the couples soon leave their worries in Weatherfield behind, and marriage proposals are not far from their minds. The trip was already planned for Curly and Emma, played by Kevin Kennedy and Angie Lonsdale, who go to France to look after his daughter Alice while ex-wife Raquel is on holiday. The others decide to join them after their terrifying ordeal at the supermarket.

Before filming started in Paris, Tracy Shaw, who plays Maxine, said: "There's a huge storyline before we come here where there's a siege, and we all needed a break. "So we came here and there's some romance. Me and Ashley are old timers, we are already married, but he does get very frisky and there's lots of kissing and cuddling." But not everything runs smoothly when Maxine stumbles across an artist called Olivier who wants to make her his muse. Shaw said: "It's a great piece of Street comedy. Maxine goes out and meets this artist. He takes her back for a picture but, when they go to pick it up, it's not how they expected."

The air of romance in Paris also begins to have an effect on Fred and Audrey, played by John Savident and Sue Nicholls. Although the pair are already good friends, the siege makes her realise just how much he means to her, which may not rule out marriage. But of the two proposals made in France only one leads to a ring on the finger. The French episodes will be screened on October 25, 29 and November 1.

Corrie couples' French romance
22 September 2000 by Annette Dasey

Romance blossoms when three Coronation Street couples visit France during a three-episode special next month. Fred and Audrey, Ashley and Maxine, and Curly and Emma jet off after the men are involved in an armed siege at Freshco's supermarket. Romance is kindled as they tour Paris and relax in a Loire Valley chateau. Two marriage proposals follow but only one leads to an engagement. The couples are looking after Curly's daughter Alice while ex-wife Raquel is on holiday.

Merry widow Audrey (Sue Nicholls) realises just how important butcher Fred (John Savident) is to her. And they both toy with the idea of tying the knot. Curly and Emma's new relationship comes under pressure during the the stay at Raquel's chateau.

Emma (Angie Lonsdale) discovers that Curly still has feelings for Raquel but has decided to move on. Kevin Kennedy, who plays Curly, said: "Curly's relationship with Emma is a real relationship, different from the one he had with Raquel, which was one-sided. This is a new experience and he's not too good at it."

Meanwhile Maxine (Tracy Shaw) and Ashley (Steven Arnold) get better acquainted during their spell in France next month. Tracy said: "There's a huge storyline before we go to France where there is a siege and we all need a break. "Me and Ashley are old-timers - we are already married but he does get very frisky and there's a lot of kissing and cuddling."

The special begins on October 25.

Natalie to make dramatic Corrie exit
20 September 2000 by TV Plus reporters

A dramatic exit is being lined up for actress Denise Welch when she quits Coronation Street in December. Denise, 42, who plays fiery Rovers Return landlady Natalie Barnes is to bow out of the soap after four years. She is expecting a baby in March but is understood to have wanted to leave before she fell pregnant. A Corrie spokeswoman said: "This has given us the chance to plan a really dramatic exit for the character." Denise said: "I am looking forward to being a mum again and spending some time with my baby and I am relishing the prospect of new challenges in my career." The child will be her second with actor Tim Healy.

Welch became suicidal after the birth of her first child after suffering a bout of post-natal depression. Her son Matthew is now 11. Her new baby is due next spring. When the pregnancy was announced earlier this year, Denise said: "It was totally unexpected, but we're overjoyed."

Despite planning a dramatic exit for the star, the door of the Rovers Return will be left open to the actress. A Granada spokeswoman said: "The character will not be killed off. We wish her well both for the birth of the baby and for her future career."

Denise spent a turbulent four years in the soap playing Natalie Barnes. She stole Kevin Webster from his wife Sally, and her husband Des was killed within a month of their marriage.

Leanne back's Natalie's quit decision
20 September 2000 by Simon Holden

Former Corrie star Jane Danson has backed Denise Welch's decision to quit Weatherfield. Jane, 21, played wild-child Leanne Battersby alongside Denise as Natalie in the soap. The pair became pals.

Danson told TV Plus: "The viewers won't like it, but soap characters leave all the time. Fans get used to the changes and new arrivals. It's definitely the right decision for her. We're meeting again at the 40th anniversary party." "I am delighted Denise is pregnant. She is a close friend and will always remain that way. I wish her well," said Jane. "I have many fond memories of Corrie and playing Leanne. Denise was my boss when I was a barmaid at the Rovers and we became good mates on set," she added.

Danson was stunned when she was chosen as the Bottoms Up Rear Of The Year winner. She said: "I burst out laughing when they told me. It's a part of my body I hate. As Leanne I wore a lot of tight trousers but you only ever saw me from the waist up at the bar." The male winner was gay TV host Graham Norton. He refused to slap Jane's bottom at the photocall for the award in London. "My bum looks like a cauliflower," he joked.

CBC buys 832 hours of Great British soaps from Granada International
20 September 2000 GMG Press Release

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's national broadcaster, has made a major investment in British soaps, acquiring an unprecedented 832 episodes - 416 each - of Coronation Street and Emmerdale from Granada International.

From October 2nd 2000, Canadian viewers will enjoy an hour of the Street and Emmerdale back to back, four times a week over two years. Coronation Street has been a major success story in Canada since 1966 and Emmerdale is set to follow in its footsteps with its debut on CBC. Viewers will join the series in 1997 with a key hour-long special that featured a dramatic and fatal car crash.

Canadian viewers are already the biggest visitors to the Coronation Street website on Granada's g-wizz, and a special welcome will now be extended to them on the dedicated site for Emmerdale.

For the past three years Emmerdale's audience share in the UK has grown to 52%. It regularly attracts over 11 million viewers. Around the world, Emmerdale has been sold to 10 countries including New Zealand, US, Norway, Sweden and Egypt.

Coronation Street regularly ranks in the Top 25 programmes on CBC where it currently runs two months behind transmission in the UK. It has been sold to more than 25 countries including Australia, South Africa, Holland and Spain. It celebrates its 40th anniversary this December with an hour-long live episode.

Nadine Nohr, Managing Director of Granada International, said of the deal: 'This is fantastic news for Granada International, and we hope Canadian viewers will continue to enjoy these great drama serials - they have real international appeal and just seem to go from strength to strength'.

Bloodbath on Corrie
20 September 2000 by John Mahoney

BLOOD will spatter the famous cobblestones of Coronation Street during a terrifying gun siege in an X-rated late-night special. Some of Weatherfield's favourite characters are taken hostage as raiders burst into Freshco supermarket and demand Curly Watts' takings. And today the Daily Star can reveal that one of the victims caught up in the gunfire will be shot dead.

Corrie chiefs are so sure the gripping siege will be a ratings-buster that they will screen six episodes in one week, for the first time in the soap's 39-year history. The stunning storyline will peak with a one-off 10pm screening that brings the hostage terror to a thrilling climax. Last night a Street insider revealed: "They will be the most dramatic, action-packed scenes ever witnessed on Coronation Street. They'll make the shooting of Ernest Bishop during a wages snatch in 1978 look like a cosy tea party in the vicar's back garden."

Butcher Fred Elliott - played by John Savident - is caught up in the siege with terrified Curly. Brave Fred tries to bring some humour to their nightmare by suggesting the hostages cook up a barbecue! Smoke from the barbie sets off the store's alarms and brings the fire brigade hurtling round to the store. And they save Ashley Peacock, played by Steven Arnold, from a savage beating by the three-man gang.

Corrie veterans Mike Baldwin, ex-missus Alma and Ken Barlow are also trapped in the shop with the gun thugs. Despite being enemies for decades, Baldwin and Barlow - actors Johnny Briggs and Bill Roache - put on a united front against the bandits. Nervous Alma - Amanda Barrie - even scents romance in the air despite staring down the barrel of a shotgun.

The dynamic plot - with the gang demanding £100,000 to free the hostages unharmed - will keep Corrie's 18 million fans on the edge of their seats. Last night an insider said: "The climax is going out later than 7.30pm because it is very dramatic, very graphic and very realistic. "It's strong stuff and the episodes will provide depths to each character not seen before. We will see just what they are made of and how much each can take."

Stephen Hancock played Corrie wages clerk Ernest Bishop, who died on an operating table in January 1978 after being shot by armed raiders. Since being killed off Stephen still refuses to discuss anything to do with the Street, bitter at the way he was axed from the soap. Yesterday a spokesman for the actor - who has since surfaced in long-running radio saga The Archers - said: "Stephen won't comment about the blockbuster siege storyline." But a pal revealed: "Stephen has strong views about the direction of the show because he was so close to it. "He was involved in a very powerful storyline, but since then it has been dwarfed by other plots. "Stephen made a decision years ago never to speak about Coronation Street again. "He was hurt when he was written out. And since then he has been hurt by several things involving Granada TV."

Danson and Norton named top of the bottoms
20 September 2000

Coronation Street star Jane Danson and TV chat show host Graham Norton have been voted top of the bottoms after winning this year's Rears of the Year award. The cheeky pair join an elite list of curvy stars to lift the title, including last year's winners Robbie Williams and Denise Van Outen.

Danson recently left Coronation Street, where she played saucy barmaid Leanne Battersby. Her next role will be as a sexy nurse in medical drama A&E. Irish comic Graham Norton is best known for his camp but sharp-tongued chinwags with the stars on his show So Graham Norton. The pair will collect their awards at London's Hyatt Carlton Tower Hotel.

It is the 18th time the award has been made and previous winners include Barbara Windsor in 1976, singer Lulu in 1983 and comic Frank Skinner in 1998. The pair were selected by sponsors Bottoms-Up, the wine and spirits chain.

Gaynor Faye makes rover's return
14 September 2000 by Jonathan Donald

Former Corrie star Gaynor Faye is returning to the Street - but not as the ghost of her former character Judy Mallet.

Gaynor, 29, left the soap in 1999 when Judy died tragically after a car crash. But new ITV drama Fat Friends, written by her mother Kay Mellor, sees her return to Weatherfield. Gaynor said: "I play budding actress Lauren who lands a part in the Street. It's all quite surreal. "We thought about having me standing in The Kabin with Rita, but decided that would be too much. "In the end, it became some in-joke. You see us all watching my scene in a pub and cheering when I come on."

Gaynor starred as mother-of-twins Judy in the Street from 1995 to 1999.

Coronation Street villain killed off
14 September 2000

Coronation Street's arch villain Jez Quigley will meet a sticky end on Friday as he tries to snuff out rival Steve McDonald. The evil drug dealer tries to finish off Steve as he lies in hospital after Quigley's thugs gave him a savage beating. But Quigley - played by Lee Boardman - is himself finally overcome by the injuries he received in a struggle with Steve's dad Jim.

Boardman, who plays the show's unrivalled nasty, has asked for show bosses to kill him off rather than keep him coming back for evil cameos. He said: "I thought if I kept hanging around the Street, the character would have to be diluted in some way. I wanted Jez to be remembered as a really evil villain. "I didn't want to undermine all the work I'd done to make him so evil."

Viewers saw Steve, played by Simon Gregson, put in hospital after being ambushed by Quigley, and just days later Jim took revenge for his son. In Friday's episode, Quigley will be seen sneaking into a terrified Steve's ward and fiddling with the drip which is keeping him alive. Steve, who is in terrible pain, tries to hit a panic button but Quigley lunges to stop him, telling him he should not wake up the other sleeping patients. Wicked Quigley then picks up a pillow to suffocate Steve but the exertion aggravates his own injuries and he punctures a lung, collapsing on his petrified victim.

His demise puts Jim in the frame for his killing. Charlie Lawson, who plays Jim, is to be written out of the series in the coming months.

Street's Jane joins hit medical series
13 September 2000

Actress Jane Danson, who found fame as Coronation Street tearaway Leanne Battersby, is to join the cast of ITV's hit medical drama A&E. Jane, 21, left the street last month in emotional scenes after three years of playing Janice and Les Battersby's wayward daughter. The role saw her sinking her teeth into hard-hitting storylines, with Leanne running off to Gretna Green to marry teenage boyfriend Nick Tilsley (Adam Rickitt), making the heartbreaking decision to have an abortion, getting divorced, and becoming a drug addict.

Jane decided to leave the soap in a quest for new challenges, and last month viewers saw her character setting off to travel Europe. She will now join the cast of ITV's gritty medical drama A&E as nurse practitioner Samantha Docherty, playing alongside Martin Shaw (consultant Robert Kingsford) and Niamh Cusack, who plays Dr Christine Fletcher. Stunning nurse Sam will turn heads at the fictional St Victor's Hospital, where the action is set. The hyper-efficient nurse is set to be at the forefront of the action when the new series of A&E hits screens in spring next year.

Jane said the role was a great challenge and added: "My new character in A&E is so far removed from Leanne I couldn't have wished for a better challenge coming out of the Street. "I'm really looking forward to playing Sam and joining the cast of A&E. I've watched it avidly and can't wait to get stuck in."

Street's wedding showdown attracts two million extra viewers
11 September 2000

Mike Baldwin's nail-biting Coronation Street showdown with his new bride and son has proved a ratings triumph - by piling on an extra two million viewers. Unofficial surveys found the programme attracted 16.8 million viewers who tuned in to see factory boss Mike, played by Johnny Briggs, hear that his bride Linda had been having an affair with his own son.

Mark Baldwin confessed all in a drunken outburst last night just moments after his father had tied the knot. Viewers had watched the storyline unfold over the past few months and it exploded in the hour-long special. Programme bosses are promising more fireworks with the fall-out from the wedding.

A show spokeswoman said: "We're thrilled. It's exactly what we expected because everybody has been waiting for the climax to the Mike, Mark and Linda love triangle. "

Baldwins clash and Jez is beaten in Corrie thriller
10 September 2000

In one of Coronation Street's most dramatic shows, Linda Sykes (Jacqueline Pirie) got married to Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) after rejecting last minute appeals from Baldwin's son Mark (Paul Fox), with whom she had been having an affair. But viewers saw Mark confront the couple after the reception to tell his father that he had had sex with Linda.

Scriptwriters tied this plot in with dramatic scenes showing Steve McDonald with horrific injuries following a beating ordered by drug dealer Jez Quigley. Steve's father Jim then exacted revenge.

Granada said it would be tomorrow before they had a indication of viewing figures.

After a lifetime of lies, Alma's real age is... 65
10 September 2000

Street star Amanda Barrie's oldest and best kept secret can be revealed for the first time today... her age. The evergreen actress, who plays Mike Baldwin's ex-wife Alma, is SIXTY FIVE on Thursday.

The news will come as a surprise to friends and millions of Street fans who believe she is now only 60. According to TV biographies and the official Corrie Street website, Alma was born in September 1939. But we can reveal she was in fact born a full four years earlier. Her birth certificate, under her real name of Shirley Anne Broadbent, records she was born on September 14, 1935.

The revelation may also surprise Amanda'a ex-husband, actor Robin Hunter, who believed his bride was still in her 20s. The marriage certificate records her age as 27 on their wedding day - June 19, 1967 - when in fact Amanda was nearly 32. Even rival EastEnders star Barbara Windsor might raise an eyebrow or two at the news of Amanda's real age. When the pair appeared together as showgirls at a London nightclub in the 1950s, Amanda said she was only 16. But we have unearthed a brochure from the notorious Winston's Club in New Bond Street showing Amanda and Barbara dancing back to back. The brochure is advertising a New Year's Eve Gala dated 1957 - when Amanda would have been 22. According to official Coronation Street archives, her screen character Alma Baldwin is nearly 10 years younger than Amanda. The archives show she was born Alma Halliwell on October 18, 1944 - making her 56.

Alma has of course led an interesting life but Amanda's own has been equally as dramatic. She was born in Ashton-under-Lyne. Her father was an accountant and her mother Connie took every opportunity to put Amanda on the stage. By the time she was 13, Amanda had joined the Theatre Girls' Club in London's Soho. In 1967 she broke into television. She received enduring fame appearing in Carry On Cabby and Carry On Cleo. Her first serious love was at the age of 17 when she fell for a scriptwriter. Later she had a passionate fling with Sixties pop idol Billy Fury. She married briefly in 1967, but the marriage soon collapsed. A Street friend said last night: "Amanda has led one of those lives that scriptwriters couldn't make up. "Mind you I think a lot of people will be surprised she's 65. She looks nowhere near that age."

Death of Street star Bill Waddington
9 September 2000

Former Coronation Street star Bill Waddington, who played Percy Sugden, has died. Mr Waddington, who was 84, died at Rotherham Hospital, South Yorkshire, this morning after an illness. A Granada spokesman said: "The Coronation Street team sends their deepest condolences to Bill's friends and family."

Mr Waddington played grumpy pensioner Mr Sugden for 14 years. He left the soap in 1997 after reportedly objecting to its racy storylines. Despite starring in a Little Chef television advert, the veteran soap star retired from full-time acting after quitting Coronation Street. The spokesman added that he believed Mr Waddington, who lived in South Yorkshire, had been ill for several years. He added: "The family are very upset and do not wish to talk about it." Mr Waddington was married with two daughters.

Bill Roache, who has played Ken Barlow for the last 40 years, said: "This has come as a shock. He was one of television's great characters and even though he has not been in the show for a while it is an amazing sense of loss when you hear something like that. "He was in the show for 14 years which is a big chunk of his life. We will miss him."

Win the Rovers in Corrie Monopoly
6 September 2000

The leafy avenues of Mayfair and Park Lane have been replaced by the cobbles of Coronation Street in a new version of the board game Monopoly. Soap fans will be able to snap up the Rovers Return when the customised Coronation Street version of the game goes on sale this month. The four London stations become well-known Corrie icons - Betty's hot pot, Hilda Ogden's flying ducks, Ena Sharples' hair net and Bet Lynch's famous earrings.

Makers Hasbro decided to make the board game to help celebrate the Street's 40th birthday in December. There are already more than 140 editionalised versions of Monopoly around the world. British versions include Manchester United, Pokemon and regionalised games, including Glasgow, Birmingham, Cardiff and Newcastle.

In the Weatherfield version of Monopoly, London properties are replaced by the famous houses, businesses and shops of the soap. Mayfair, the most expensive property on the Monopoly board at £400, is replaced by the Rovers Return, complete with former landlady Bet Lynch, while exclusive Park Lane is instead the pub's former Snug, the haunt of battleaxe Ena Sharples. For Street fans who have not kept up to date with who lives where on Weatherfield a history of the ownership of each property is included with the game.

Monopoly brand manager Sue Jones said: "Until now Coronation Street hasn't been a property developer's dream but that is all about to change. "Who'd think that the Corner Shop could change hands for the same amount as Bond Street?"

Street star Denise "expecting baby"
5 September 2000

Coronation Street star Denise Welch and her actor husband Tim Healy are expecting a baby. The 42-year-old actress, who plays landlady Natalie Barnes, and the former Auf Wiedersehen star had longed for a second child after the birth of their son Matthew, who is now 10. A Coronation Street spokeswoman confirmed the unexpected good news but refused to give any more details.

It is believed that Welch, who also starred in Soldier Soldier, wanted another child but had suffered from post natal depression after Matthew was born. She told The Sun: "About a week after Matthew was born this terrible black cloud descended on me and wouldn't budge. "I thought about committing suicide a lot because it was the only way I could think of to stop the pain."

Liz back to save Jim
4 September 2000 by John Mahoney

LIZ McDonald has breezed back into Coronation Street - to save her ex-husband's neck. Flighty Liz is rallying to Jim's side after hearing he has been charged with murdering drug-dealer Jez Quigley. Mini-skirted Liz, played by Bev Callard, brings her new-found wealth with her to splash out and get Jim the best barrister in town. Ulsterman Jim, played by Charlie Lawson, is leaving the soap this autumn - and the storylines surrounding Liz's return and Jim's trial will give him a sensational exit.

Yesterday delighted Bev, 42, back with her old pals in front the Corrie cameras and said: "It feels as though I have never been away. I have missed the show and all the cast. "I am thrilled to be back. Liz McDonald is a great character. I have watched her suffer from terrible hardships over the years, but she always picks herself up again. "The scriptwriters have created some amazing storylines for her in the past. And her return into Jim's life this time is no exception."

Liz quit Weatherfield two years ago to start a new life in Milton Keynes with physiotherapist Michael, the man helping Jim back to fitness after a building site fall left him wheelchair-bound. Since the couple arrived on the Street in 1989, Liz has caused Jim no end of heartache. Her affairs and Jim's temper led to plenty of explosive scenes - and excitement for viewers. "Viewers can rest assured there is plenty of meaty stuff in the weeks ahead as Jim prepares for court," said a Street insider.

Liz McDonald returns to the Street
3 September 2000

Actress Beverley Callard has made an emotional return to Coronation Street on her first day of filming after two years away from the TV soap. Mini-skirted barmaid Liz McDonald left the Street to run off with her husband Jim's physiotherapist, Michael Wall, in November 1998 but flame-haired Liz has now returned for a highly-charged reunion with Jim - played by Charlie Lawson - which will be screened early next month.

On set at a disused hospital in Cheadle, Greater Manchester, Beverley said it was "fantastic" to be back playing Liz, a part she played for nine years. The 42-year-old actress wore a trademark leopard-print top and black suit, proclaiming: "I'm back - but the skirt's a bit longer." Beverley told how she had had just three hours' sleep after travelling up from London, where she is filming a new BBC series, to make it to the cobbled streets of the Granada Studios set for 6.30am.

Beverley said: "I was asked to come back last year but I couldn't do it at the time. When I left I said I would come back, I never said never, I just wanted some time off to do something different. "But this time around when I was told what my storyline would be I couldn't resist - I couldn't wait to get back."

Beverley would not reveal the details of her first episode, in which Liz, who is engaged to Michael, storms back into Jim's life, but it is said to rival Raquel Watts' reappearance at the New Year, which drew 20 million fans. She said: "Liz McDonald is a great character. I've watched her suffer from terrible hardships over the years, but she always picks herself up again. The scriptwriters have created some amazing storylines for her in the past and this will be no exception."

Street's Curly set for Christmas wedding
2 September 2000

CORONATION Street's Curly Watts is set for a real Christmas cracker by walking up the aisle on December 24. The lovelorn star, played by Kevin Kennedy, will wed attractive police sergeant Emma Taylor. Bosses hope the tear-jerking episode will prove a winner in the festive ratings war.

A highly-placed production source said: "Everyone loves a wedding and a marriage at Christmas should be a sure-fire hit with viewers. "They love Curly and the fact that he marries in a church, despite being divorced, will add to the occasion".

Emma, played by Angela Lonsdale, helped Curly mend his broken heart after he split from first wife Raquel. Viewers will see the pair discussing wedding plans in December. Curly returns one day to tell her that he can't find a church until the summer. When Emma looks close to tears romantic Curly tells her he's only joking and that their big day is all set for Christmas Eve.

Curly proved a ratings winner last New Year when 18 million fans saw Raquel return from France to tell him he was a father. But she dashed his hopes for a reconciliation by returning to their daughter Alice and her new life.

The latest storyline is a terrific boost for 38-year-old Kevin, who has battled a personal booze problem. The actor went for treatment at a private clinic but has since convinced bosses he is fine. The Street source added: "Curly's love life has led to laughs and tears. We see no reason for a change

Coronation Street star Tina collapses
31 August 2000

Coronation Street writers have been working round the clock after Tina O'Brien was struck down by appendicitis. The 16-year-old actress, who plays young mum Sarah-Louise Platt, collapsed in the middle of filming and needed an emergency operation. The teenager was due to begin a dramatic new storyline when she was taken ill and now scriptwriters are frantically rewriting scripts.

A source told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "We're confident viewers wont notice any difference." Tina is now out of hospital and eager to return to work.

ITV commissions two new soaps
30 August 2000 by Jonathan Donald

Two new soaps, including a revamped version of Crossroads, have been commissioned by ITV. Trafalgar Road will fill the teatime slot vacated by Australian serial Home And Away, sold to Channel 5. It will focus on the trials of a group of young families living in south east London. Crossroads, which first ran from 1964 to 1988, will be on for half an hour five times a week.

Director of programmes David Liddiment said: "This is a major investment by ITV in original, UK-produced drama. "Soaps play an important role in connecting channels with their audience. We've chosen two strong, but very different dramas and I look forward to seeing them develop."

Trafalgar Road and Crossroads have been selected by ITV after months of trawling for new soap ideas. Controller of drama Nick Elliot said: "We saw some really strong ideas during the commissioning process, leading us to choose two shows for different parts of the ITV schedule. "Trafalgar Road is a fresh and vibrant drama about today's young families in London." Crossroads is to be brought up to date.

Benny wants to book back into Crossroads
by Simon Holden

The man who made Benny Hawkins a household name in the 1980s wants to return to the new, revamped Crossroads. Paul Henry, now in his early fifties, has not worked for a year. The dim but good natured motel employee was voted the top UK soap character in his heyday. But Paul told TV Plus: "I enjoyed playing him so yes, I'd love to go back into it. I've not contacted the producers but if they want me they're welcome to ring me up."

Paul, from Whitchurch, Shropshire, told TV Plus: "Benny was a child in a man's body. His body has got older but his mind is still the same. "I'm in my early fifties but I look like I'm in my thirties."

Benny drifted out of the motel in 1987. "I just finished in it. They didn't do a big story on me going. The show ended the following year." "I see no reason why it can't return. It was on at the same time as Corrie and Emmerdale 12 years ago. It will do the same now. "In the 1980s there were certain issues in the programme where decsions were never made. the audience was left to make up its mind. If a character wanted an abortion she left the show. and you didn't know what happened." Despite not working in the last year Paul Henry is determined to pursue the career. He told TV Plus: "I was in a play called Ghost of a Chance at the Edinburgh Festival last year. Being Benny again would be like going back to my roots."

40 years of Coronation Street by Daran Little
30 August 2000 GMG Press Release

The only official guide to the anniversary...

Daran Little's 40 Years Of Coronation Street is a glorious celebration of each and every momentous year on one of the world's most famous streets. Published to coincide with the anniversary celebrations, 40 Years Of Coronation Street presents, for the very first time, every single storyline ever featured in the show.

• Year by year this book chronicles every major and minor event, linking themes and forming a complete encyclopaedia of street history.
• Follow the lives of specific characters from their first appearance on the street to the present day - Ken Barlow's ever-eventful life with his variety of careers and 23 girlfriends and three wives.
• Revisit classic Coronation Street storylines - the famous Ken, Deirdre and Mike love triangle.
• Discover the colourful history of the Street's landmarks - The Rover's Return, the corner shop or the factory.
• Source essential dates with complete listings of every birth, death and marriage.
• Learn about every character that has ever walked on the famous cobbles with a comprehensive Who's Who.
• Explore the houses on the street with a street plan and a profile of each of the houses' history and residents.

Daran Little has been the Coronation Street archivist and programme associate since 1988. He works with the producers, writers and cast in monitoring each character's history. He is the author of many other books on Coronation Street, including most recently Coronation Street At War and as co-author with Betty Driver on Betty: The Autobiography both published by Granada Media. He lives in Manchester.

Corrie nearly kills me
29 August 2000 by John Mahoney

SOAP nut Darren Fitzgerald has been ordered to stop watching Coronation Street - after it nearly KILLED him. Telly addict Darren became so obsessed with the goings-on in TV's Weatherfield that he almost keeled over. His weight ballooned as he gorged mountains of junk food while glued to the four-times-a-week soap. Darren, 27, then goggled at videos and re-runs of the Granada TV plots until 5am every day. He even turned his home into a Street shrine - spending all his cash on photos of the stars, autographs, souvenirs and other memorabilia.

Darren claims he only saved himself when worried docs warned him to cut out Corrie before it killed him. Ex-pub landlord Darren put the Weatherfield capers before everything else in his life so that he could claim to be Corrie's No1 fan. While he was slumped in front of the box gazing hour after hour at videos he piled on more than three stones as he munched chip butties and guzzled cans of lager. Street-obsessed Darren would not even consider looking for a girlfriend - just in case she got in the way of his round-the-clock viewing.

Then doctors warned him he was heading for a heart attack - just like Alf Roberts, one of Corrie's most loved characters. Now the penny finally seems to have dropped because Darren has eased off the junk grub and even joined a gym. But he still reckons he's the soap's top fan after collecting an amazing £15,000 worth of keepsakes and turning his home into a Street shrine. Stacked from floor to ceiling in his pad in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffs, are mags, mugs, plates, photos and props used on the Street set in Granada's Manchester studios.

Daft Darren has also been on the studio tour an amazing 282 times. Last night he admitted: "Every night after work, I'd sit in front of the telly, a can of lager in one hand and chip butty in the other, and watch Corrie until 5am. The Street was my life. "By my 27th birthday, my spare room was groaning. And so was I. Pillows of flab were flopping over my jeans waistband." But Darren realised he was heading for trouble when he started struggling for breath, he told That's Life mag. "I couldn't believe it when my weight shot up to 14.5 stone. I used to be 11 stone. When I started at the gym it was agony. I was losing time watching Corrie! "But now I'm back to 11.5 stone . . . and looking for a girl."

Coronation Street goes live
27 August 2000

Coronation Street is to turn back the clock with a live episode as part of its 40th birthday celebrations. The popular ITV soap marks its anniversary on December 9 and the episode is a key element in the build-up to that date, although show bosses are keeping the exact timing a secret.

The first episode of Coronation Street in 1960 went out live, as did many other shows of the era. When hugely successful drama series ER recently tried broadcasting live, it pulled in 42 million viewers in the US. Coronation Street producer Jane Macnaught broke the news to the cast on Friday and they were delighted with the idea.

The length of the show and details of the plot are not being made public but a show spokeswoman said one much-loved character will have a critical health condition and one of the Street's most notable couples face a personal dilemma as cracks appear in their relationship. She added: "It's going to have people on the edge of their seats, it's gripping stuff." Macnaught said: "This is a wonderful tribute to Coronation Street and one that befits the programme's standing as the greatest soap in British television history. "We have some gripping storylines planned for the autumn and winter months and viewers don't want to miss an episode."

Other events to mark the anniversary include a documentary about the life of actor Bill Roache, the soap's longest-serving star, who has played Ken Barlow since it began, and a tribute programme called Forty Years of Coronation Street.

Live Street show marks 40 years
27 August 2000 by Simon Holden in Edinburgh

A special one-off episode of Coronation Street will be screened live this winter - to celebrate its 40th birthday. It'll mirror the first epsiode of the soap, broadcast on December 9, 1960. The cast will rehearse, then shoot the programme without redoing any scenes. A Granada spokesman told TV Plus: "No one will die and there won't be any explosions but viewers will be on the edge of their seats." Storylines will include a major character who's critically ill and of the Street's best-loved couples having to grapple with a profound personal problem.

Live episodes of TV shows are rare. But top US medical drama ER showed two live episodes on the same night, recently. They were watched by 42 million people in the States. The special live episode is central to ITV's plans for the 40th anniversary of Britain's oldest TV soap. A documentary about the life of Bill Roache (Ken Barlow) will be shown plus a tribute programme called 40 Years of Coronation Street.

Producer Jane MacNaught told the cast about the live episode on Friday. And they were said to be "really up for it". The time of the broadcast is a closely guarded secret.

Who's the dad?
25 August 2000 by John Kelly

CORRIE'S love-torn bride Linda Sykes faces fresh turmoil when she tells pals she is pregnant . . . but doesn't know who the dad is. Scheming Linda's cheating on her intended Mike Baldwin with his son Mark gets even more complicated when she discovers she's expecting.

Linda, played by sexy Jacqueline Pirie, can't work out whether it is Mike or Mark who is responsible for the baby. And she is terrified of telling Mike - played by Johnny Briggs - after he hits the roof on their wedding night when told his new bride has been playing away with his son.

A Coronation Street insider said: "This is a storyline that is sure to have viewers on the edge of their seats for weeks. "Linda can't tell Mike about her missed period because she can't promise him he's the likely father. "Instead, she confides in her friends, who all start to give her advice. "Mike is still coming to terms with the fact that his new wife has been unfaithful. The only comfort he has is that he thinks no one else knows - but half the street is in on the secret. "Linda's problems are just going from bad to worse."

The wedding day bust-up comes when Mark, played by actor Paul Fox, turns up drunk in the honeymoon suite and confesses to his dad. The two are involved in a scuffle and Mike tells his son he never wants to see him again. The story, with pregnant Linda desperately trying to unravel her love and baby torments, will form a one-hour special next month.

Stars in lather of love
25 August 2000 by Jamie Charles

LIFE really does imitate art, according to a new survey of telly soaps. More and more stars are falling for each other on the sets of our top shows. The showbiz poll was triggered by Corrie stars Jennifer James and Lee Boardman announcing their wedding plans.

In the BBC's EastEnders Steve McFadden - alias Phil Mitchell - fell for actress Lucy Benjamin, who plays his girlfriend Lisa Sha. And Nadia Sawalha, who played Annie Palmer, and Marc Bannerman, alias Gianni di Marco, became a couple after meeting in 1998.

Emmerdale stars Peter Amory, who plays Chris Tate, and Claire King, his stepmum Kim Tate, wed in 1994.

The Street's Sue Nicholls, alias Audrey Roberts, shares her life with Mark Eden, who played villain Alan Bradley.

And Jane Danson - Corrie's Leanne Battersby - and Robert Beck, Emmerdale's Gavin Ferris, met at a soap awards and are due to marry.

Ken Barlow blighted my life
23 August 2000

Stephanie Beacham claims her career has been blighted by her decision not to marry Ken Barlow. Beacham, who played Sable Colby in Eighties soap The Colbys, reckons turning down the chance to appear in Coronation Street during the 1970s has played havoc with her career .

She says it meant she missed out on prestigous work for ITV. She claims the Coronation Street casting director stopped her from getting a part in a drama made by Granada Television. "This has gone on for years. I can't remember the last time I worked for ITV. It is very irksome, " says Stephanie.

Beacham is currently starring in the West End in the period comedy Fanny Burney's A Busy Day. "Being in the West End on stage is the final accolade. " she insists. "I am a very happy lady."

Vinny to quit Street
23 August 2000

Coronation Street actor James Gaddas is leaving his role as builder Vinny Sorrell to spend more time with his family, according to reports. The actor, who plays the partner of Rovers landlady Natalie Barnes, will make an "explosive" exit from the ITV soap in October. He decided to leave the soap after 15 months to spend more time with his four-month-old daughter Cate Olivia.

The 40-year-old star told The Mirror that travelling from his London home to the Granada studios in Manchester was taking its toll on his family life. He has no other acting jobs lined up but would rather spend more time with the baby and ballet dancer wife Deborah, 33, than carry on in the soap. "Obviously I want to work but a longer stint in Coronation Street would have meant me being permanently away from Cate," he said. "I'm not going to turn into a house husband but new roles will hopefully mean I can be with her more."

James, a former Shakespearean actor who has also appeared in Peak Practice and The Bill, admitted he had "itchy feet" and was ready to take on new roles. The actor, from Stockton-on-Tees, Cleveland, refused to give away details of how his character will leave the soap. But he said: "Vinny turns out not to be the decent bloke Natalie thinks he is. It's very explosive but I can't reveal any more."

I'm quitting Corrie for the sake of my girl
23 August 2000
CORONATION Street star James Gaddas is walking out on his role as red-blooded builder Vinny Sorrell because he has a new woman in his life... his baby daughter. The actor has no job lined up but can't bear being 200 miles away from four-month-old Cate Olivia.

Rather than miss out on her growing up, he is putting his family above the financial security and high profile that comes with a part in the famous Street. He will leave the ITV soap in October. "It's true I have no work to go to but having a baby puts everything into perspective," says James, 40, who lives in London with his wife Deborah. "A lot of friends said: 'You've just had Cate, why are you quitting? You're walking out on security.' "But I don't want to play it safe and concentrating too much on money because we have a baby is not me, I want new challenges in my life. "I've learned more in the Street than in my previous 20 years of acting. Now I want to use that experience. "Obviously I want to work but a longer stint in Coronation Street would have meant me being permanently away from Cate. "I'm not going to turn into a house husband but new roles will hopefully mean I can be with her more. "My father worked in Saudi Arabia for 12 years to provide for us but he told me he regrets it now and wishes he hadn't missed out on us growing up. "Last week I went home to Muswell Hill and my baby had learned to prop herself up on her elbows and lift her head. I had missed that moment."

And James believes it isn't fair to ask his ballet dancer wife to move to the North West. "She comes up a lot. I have a cottage just outside Manchester, but if I'm in the studio from seven to seven, she's on her own without the support she has in London. "I know there is a part of me that should go for financial security but that attitude is not right for me. "In a way I have itchy feet now and I'm ready to take on other roles. "I've always had short-term contracts before and I like having that edge. All in all Cate arriving has made me reassess everything."

The little girl who has turned his life upside down was born four weeks early in April. With her blonde hair and blue eyes, she weighed 61b 3oz. Deborah, 33, gave birth within three hours of her first contraction. "I couldn't believe it was all happening," says James. "I asked the midwife if I should park the car and she said: 'Yes. You're going to have a baby - now'." James admits he blubbed when Cate arrived and can't believe how his life had changed since. "You become less selfish. You suddenly realise that your baby is just totally dependent on you and you would do anything to make their world happy. Everything else just pales in comparison. Nothing comes close."

While James and Debbie, who married two years ago in a register office followed by a blessing at London Zoo, are madly in love, the actor admits that having Cate has been tough on their relationship. "Suddenly you have no time for each other. "We argued more than ever to start with but usually we look at the baby, then each other and it gives us the giggles. It's all wonderful."

James's character Vinny is currently supporting girlfriend and landlady of the Rovers, Natalie Barnes - alias Denise Welch - after Jez Quigley was cleared of killing her son. But he will leave in a sensational storyline being kept under wraps. James originally told bosses he wanted to leave when his contract finished at Christmas but when offered the chance of a gripping finale in October, he grabbed it. "Vinny turns out not to be the decent bloke Natalie thinks he is," reveals James. "It's very explosive but I can't reveal any more."

The former Shakespearean actor, who has also starred in Grafters, Peak Practice, The Bill and Medics, says he will particularly miss working with Denise Welch, who is now a good friend. "Kissing her was definitely the best moment, working with her has been terrific," he confesses.

James, who joined the Street last July, admits he wasn't prepared for the instant stardom which came with joining a top soap. "Everybody warned me but I didn't take it in. The day after my first appearance, people started stopping me for autographs," he says. But he is adamant that the attention has not contributed to his decision to leave, but rather his desire to spend time with his family.

The actor says his favourite time is Saturday morning when he leaves his wife to have a much-needed lie-in and takes charge of Cate. "I bathe her, dress her and we go out for coffee in the park with our golden retriever, Tess. "I sit proudly with my arm round her thinking: 'Hey! I'm a New Man, I'm going to change her nappy soon.' "Then she embarrasses me by doing Chernobyl in her knickers and I think: 'That's my girl.'"

James was born in Stockton-on-Tees, Teeside. His dad Tom was a carpenter and a wrestler going by the name of Earl Warwick in Sunderland or Tony Royale in Hartlepool. His mum, Audrey, looked after James and his brother and sisters. James left school at 16 to study drama at Billingham Technical College. He was then accepted at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School where his contemporaries were Miranda Richardson and Daniel Day-Lewis.

After a spell at the Royal Shakespeare Company, he landed small TV roles. But it was during his four-year stint as Dr Robert Nevin in the hit series Medics that James met Deborah. She was starring in the Manchester production of Phantom Of The Opera. The pair were supposed to meet on a blind date but she stood him up. A few weeks later he saw her in a restaurant and was so impressed he went to her show, hung around the stage door and took her for a meal. Two weeks on, they were in Venice and three years later they returned. James proposed in a gondola at midnight under the Bridge of Sighs.

But the days of posh hotels and romantic holidays are a long way away, what with the lack of sleep and spats over whether Cate can wear her baby West Ham strip. But he says he wouldn't have it any other way. "I love her so much. I could just sit and watch her for hours and I do, so I'll have something to do when I'm not working." As far as James can see there is only one problem on the horizon and it's not whether he will get a job. "I can't help it but I'm already tormented by the thought that some guy is going to take my little girl away from me. "It's a bloke thing. Maybe I'm not the New Man I thought I was."

Jez: I'm not psycho
22 August 2000 by Tony Brooks

CORONATION Street's "Mr Evil" Lee Boardman is being given a wide berth on and off screen because of his psycho image. The 28-year-old star, who plays mad-eyed Jez Quigley, frightens people in real life as well as in Weatherfield, where the murderous drug-dealer has everyone twitching.

While other Corrie stars get mobbed, Lee is avoided by worried fans who think he's just like the nasty villain with the shaved eyebrows who is stalking Leanne Battersby (Jane Danson) and has turned Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) into a gibbering wreck. "People think I am psychotic so they are very wary of me," he said. "They don't threaten me - I just get pats on the back from people who seem to want to make sure I am their friend. "I am just the opposite of Jez. I don't go out clubbing because I am too old and haggard."

But he does admit he used to have a "hair-trigger" temper when he was a teenager, which has helped him to understand what was needed to portray Jez. He explained: "As a teenager I got into all sorts of mischief. I got into fights and I got drunk. "I went out boozing from the time I was 14 and once ended up in casualty with a busted nose. "It was drunken foolishness, immaturity really. When I reached adulthood I couldn't be doing with that any more."

Lee is engaged to co-star Jennifer James, who plays Rovers Return barmaid Geena Gregory, and they plan to get married in May. "It's just fantastic. I would thoroughly recommend getting married to anyone," he said. Jennifer also wants everyone to know Lee is nothing like Jez. "He's very romantic and he's a big softie," she said. "He's so caring and sexy and I love him to bits."

Lee can look forward to a warmer welcome from viewers when he leaves Corrie next month, bumped off by Jim McDonald (Charlie Lawson), who ends up getting life for murder. He will be seen next appearing in a romantic comedy when he plays what he describes as "a stupid, lovable lad - a celluloid version of Gazza - so very different from Jez".

Corrie's Vik first auditioned for role of Steve McDonald
21 August 2000

Coronation Street actor Chris Bisson, alias Vikram Desai, got quite a surprise when his agent first sent him up to the Granada Television Studios to audition for a role in the soap. He was auditioning for the prize role of Street rogue Steve MacDonald, now ironically his extremely dodgy partner in Weatherfield's latest mini-cab company . "It was so stupid looking back. I was totally unsuitable." he grins. "My agent then was clueless. She had come under a bit of pressure trying to get me a job. Here I was with all these very white kids with blond hair in this hall and I knew I was in the wrong place."

At the studios he saw casting director Judy Hayfield, now a senior casting executive at Granada, who instead gave him a leading role in the daytime series Children's Ward. "I had to play this lad with two broken arms who was called JJ and had to be spoon-fed Shreddies. It was what you would call a 'no movement ' role". "Originally , they wanted me with my arms up in the air in plaster swinging around quite a lot as a joke but they were scared I might whack too many other kids. Can you imagine... all the lawsuits pouring in as I broke a jaw in every episode. What a laugh! "

Bisson, 25, has played Vikram for almost two years in the Street but reckons his part in the award-winning movie East is East has to date been his proudest on-screen moment.

Book to make history
17 August 2000 by Ross Kaniuk

CORRIE'S greatest spiv could be heading for the top of the bestsellers list. Bosses of the ITV soap are to publish an "autobiography" of Weatherfield tycoon Mike Baldwin - now preparing to wed his latest conquest, cheating Linda Sykes.

The book, called Mr Heartbreak: My Life Before Coronation Street, will hit the shops next month. TV chiefs expect Street addicts to snap up the book, which promises to fill in mysterious gaps in his life.

A Granada spokeswoman confirmed last night: "This is the story of Mike's early life and loves, the wonderful ups and the terrifying downs. "Readers will discover how and why he picked up the nickname Mr Heartbreak. It gives a unique insight into his hard-living, hard-drinking, womanising ways."

Although bed-hopping businessman Baldwin first arrived in Weatherfield in October 1976, little is known of his life before Coronation Street. Now the official book - allegedly penned by Mike, but with rather a lot of help from his real-life ghost-writer Norman Giller - will tell all. It reveals how he was born in 1942 in south London and graduated to trendy Petticoat Lane market, before earning a packet in the music biz and the rag trade. But he blew a fortune on booze and birds.

Mr Heartbreak is published on September 18, priced £7.99.

Corrie wedding drama
16 August 2000 by Eugene Henderson

CORRIE schemer Linda Sykes finally tripped up the aisle yesterday - still wondering which of the two men in her life she should marry. Fans will have to wait until next month to find out whether she ties the knot with megabucks boyfriend Mike Baldwin - or runs off with his skint son and best man Mark. Linda, played by gorgeous Jacqueline Pirie, has tried every trick in the book to keep father and son happy - but matters really come to a head as she arrives at the church.

Factory boss Mike, played by Johnny Briggs, has forked out a fortune for the wedding. But behind his back, his bride-to-be has been having a steamy affair with his own son. Last month, guilt-ridden Mark Redman - played by 21-year-old Paul Fox - left to start a new life. But he promised to return to be best man at dad's wedding, setting up a big day drama for Linda.

The wedding was filmed at historic Arley Hall, near Knutsford, Cheshire, with all of the show's big names on hand, armed with confetti. Mike's former lover Deirdre Rachid was even in the congregation - but without her other half Ken Barlow, who has been Baldwin's arch-enemy for years. Linda arrived in a beautiful ivory wedding dress and matching veil, accompanied by her bridesmaid, tasty barmaid Geena (Jennifer James).

And we can reveal that no one at Baldwin's factory laid a stitch on the gown. Linda's dress was created especially for the episode by Manchester designer Nicky Hill - at a cost of £2,500.

So does she marry Mike or follow her heart to be with Mark? All will be revealed in an hour-long ITV special in September. Actor Paul, who is being written out of the show, hinted: "Weddings never go smoothly, so who knows what will happen?"

Fourth better and for worse
16 August 2000

SOAP smoothie Mike Baldwin was filmed getting hitched for the fourth time yesterday. But TV viewers WON'T see the happy posed shot of the Coronation Street boss with new bride Linda Sykes and son Mark. For as the Mirror exclusively revealed yesterday, Mark fails to turn up as best man. The newly-weds find him sozzled on their bed and Mark blurts out that he has been having a torrid affair with Linda. The hour-long special, to be shown next month, was filmed at Arley Hall, Cheshire.

There was no hint of the storm to come as Johnny Briggs, who plays Mike, posed with Linda, (Jacqueline Pirie) and Mark (Paul Fox) at a photocall.An insider said : "Granada want to entice viewers along right up until the special episode - and Mark's role will be a corker. "The happy photos of him with Mike and Linda can only be something that his dad will dream about after the terrible event."

Mike, who joined the soap in 1976, first married 10 years later. He infuriated arch rival Ken Barlow by wedding his daughter Susan, alias Wendy Jane Walker. They split after a year and in 1991 widow Jackie Ingram, played by Shirin Taylor, became his second wife. That lasted a week, and a year later he married Alma Sedgewick, alias Amanda Barrie.

Mr Heartbreak
16 August 2000 GMG Press Release

Publication Date: 18 September 2000 Price: £7.99 paperback

'This is the story of my early life and loves, the wonderful ups and the terrifying downs. You will discover just how and why I picked up the nickname Mr Heartbreak. It is a story that will, I hope, amuse, occasionally amaze and always entertain you. This is my life. Enjoy.'
Mike Baldwin, Weatherfield, Summer 2000

The character Mike Baldwin first appeared on Coronation Street on 11 October 1976. Since then his torrid affairs, ruthless business tactics and constant bickering with his arch-enemy Ken Barlow have kept viewers gripped and made Mike The Street's most loveable rogue. However, until now little has been told about Mike Baldwin's 'forgotten years', his life before Coronation Street. Where was he born? Who were his family and how did he come to settle in Weatherfield's most famous street? Now, for the first time, all is about to be revealed in Mike's new, fictitious autobiography, Mr Heartbreak.

Born in South London during the blackout of 1942 Mike Baldwin was a Bermondsey boy with lots of cheek but no cash. Mike came of age in the swinging sixties, graduating from conning punters on Petticoat Lane to dabbling in the music business and making a fortune in the rag trade. Oddly for such a tough character, Mike has always had a soft spot for the ladies. A handsome and dashing young man, his love life was usually a tangled web, and he talks candidly about all the girls he has loved and usually lost ­ and the one who broke his heart and nearly bankrupted him.

Mr Heartbreak offers a unique insight into Mike Baldwin's character and his hard-living, hard-drinking, womanising ways. Love him or hate him, Mr Heartbreak is a 'must have' for all Street fans.

The Author
Norman Giller is from Mike's generation and grew up in London's East End. He has had 64 books published including ten novels and the best-selling Don't Shoot the Manager. Norman was a This is Your Life scriptwriter for 14 years and is an experienced Fleet Street columnist, specialising in the world of sport.

How Curly Watts nearly wrecked a marriage proposal
15 August 2000

Coronation Street star Lee Boardman says his wedding proposal to co-star Jennifer James was almost ruined - by Curly Watts and Oasis.

Boardman says his plans to stage a romantic surprise were nearly wrecked when actor Kevin Kennedy rang up to offer the couple tickets for a show by the Manchester supergroup. The 28-year-old, who plays villainous Jez Quigley in the long-running soap, told Hello! magazine: "I wanted to get the ring first and I looked around for ages before I got the right one, then booked a suite at the Malmaison Hotel in Manchester. "But the night before I was all set to go there, Kevin Kennedy (who plays Curly Watts) phoned up and said 'Jenny asked me for some Oasis tickets and I've got them'. "I just thought 'We can't do this' and told Jenny I didn't want to see Oasis."

James, 22, said she was puzzled when Boardman turned down the tickets, but cried tears of joy after he bent down on one knee to propose to her amid 50 metres of red roses scattered in the hotel suite.She said: "There was romantic music on the CD in the room - Earthless by Ginare, which has such romantic words - and we are going to have it played at our wedding."

Mike sees wed
15 August 2000

SMUG Mike Baldwin is set for wedding night heartbreak in one of Coronation Street's most explosive episodes. The factory boss will be left devastated when drunken son Mark confesses to romps with his father's sex-mad wife Linda Sykes (Jacqueline Pirie). Street bosses hope the episode, to be screened next month, will pull in a record audience. A source said: "We expect the wedding night to be remembered as a Street classic. Everyone will be talking about it."

Trouble brews when Mark (Paul Fox) fails to turn up as best man. Mike (Johnny Briggs) puts it down to work but when the newlyweds enter the honeymoon suite they find Mark drunk on the bed. He hits his dad with the bombshell news. The source said: "Poor Mike is dumfounded. "There's a massive row and a scuffle before Mike tells Mark he never wants to set eyes on him again." Mike's misery will continue as he doesn't realise the factory girls know all about the love triangle.

Mark is being written out of the series as actor Paul Fox, 21, told Street bosses earlier this year that he wants to pursue other interests.

Life's really Taff
15 August 2000

CORRIE'S Rita Sullivan has a shock in store for viewers . . . she's a TAFFY.

Newsagent Rita has been a familiar face in the Manchesterbased soap for over 30 years. But she is set to be revealed as Welsh after tracing her family roots to the West Wales town of Fishguard. Rita, played by actress Barbara Knox, is investigating her family tree with the help of new man friend Anthony Stephens.

Brian Howells, of Fishguard's the Chamber of Trade and Tourism, said: "This will really put Fishguard on the map."

Mike makes an honest woman of schemeing Linda
15 August 2000

Coronation Street's Mike Baldwin is to tie the knot with scheming Linda Sykes who has been bedding his son, Mark, behind his back. Mike, played by Johnny Briggs, and Linda, played by Jacqueline Pirie, are getting married in a lavish ceremony at a Cheshire country house.

But their journey to the altar has not been a smooth one. Fiery Linda seduced Mike after his divorce last year from third wife Alma, played by Amanda Barrie, following his fling with a blackmailing sales rep. Since their relationship began, Linda has been promoted from machine operator at Mike's underwear factory, Underworld, to sales executive.

Unknown to him she has also been sharing steamy clinches with his son, Mark Redman, played by Paul Fox. In gripping episodes viewers saw Linda deciding to start a new life with Mark but her plans were foiled when Mike collapsed with a suspected heart attack before she could tell him the truth about her relationship with his son.

Following his health scare she decided to stay with Mike but schemed to make Mark stay in Weatherfield after he announced he was going abroad to make a fresh start. Mark saw through her lies, when she told him his father did not have long to live, and left The Street last month in emotional scenes.

Gay 'marriages' for the street set
12 August 2000

Gay couples will soon be able to "marry" on the set of TV's Coronation Street in Manchester. The "weddings" will take place for one day only during the city's GayFest 2000 later this month. The Reverend Andy Braunston, of the Metropolitan Community Church, Manchester's only lesbian and gay church, will perform the ceremonies.

He told the Manchester Evening News: "Many gay couples feel the need to celebrate and affirm their relationships in the same way that heterosexual couples do. "Sadly the law, and most other churches, do not recognise our relationships and deny us the right to marry. These ceremonies at GayFest 2000 will provide a wonderful opportunity to celebrate our love."

The services at the "Treat in the Street" party will take the form of a blessing because the law does not recognise gay marriages.

Five-year stalk hell
9 August 2000 by John Kelly

GORGEOUS Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw was pestered for five years by celebrity stalker Kevin Sedgwick, a court heard yesterday. Sedgwick, 42, whose victims include pop icon Geri Halliwell and eight Corrie actresses - including Tracy, pictured right - has been charged with harassment and bailed after police repeatedly warned him he would be arrested if he continued with his obsession that the stars really loved him.

Wearing a scruffy, green checked jacket, grey flannels and a dirty white shirt, he refused to comment as he left Manchester City Magistrates' Court. The infamous stalker was finally arrested after being warned about his obsession with Street star Tracy, who complained about his behaviour. When police went to his home he pleaded: "Please don't arrest me, I won't do it again . . . I know I will be locked up this time."

The magistrates heard yesterday how Sedgwick would wait outside the soap's Granada Studios for Tracy to arrive and then throw his arms around her and beg for a kiss. Prosecutor Philip Dobson said Tracy, who plays hairdresser Maxine Peacock, tried coming to work by car but Sedgwick would stand in the middle of the road and stop her getting to work as he tried to get yet another autograph. She told police: "I'm constantly looking over my shoulder. He has become such a nuisance . . . my life has been turned upside down." In a statement, she added that Sedgwick would give her letters which read "as though we were in love". In the letters he called her "babe", "love" or "darling".

During her five-year ordeal Tracy battled the killer slimming disease anorexia nervosa. Her weight plummeted to just six stones before she conquered the problem - only to fall victim to binge-eating condition bulimia. She also suffered from the abrupt end to her high-profile romance with Darren Day.

Loner Sedgwick, who admits harassing Tracy over the last five years, is also facing charges of harassing Street co-stars Jennifer James, who plays Geena Gregory, and Jacqueline Pirie - who appears as Linda Sykes. The court heard how he had been a regular visitor to the studios since 1994 but his campaign of terror started the following year when he sent actress Beverley Callard - who played Street barmaid Liz McDonald - a pair of scrissors in the post.

Sedgewick, who has learning difficulties, has been bailed until September with a warning not to contact any of the actresses he is accused of stalking. He is well known for his oddball behaviour. He regularly sent dozens of letters every day to actresses on the Street, but hurled foul-mouthed abuse if they refused to sign his grubby autograph book. He especially targets young actresses and follows them around Manchester city centre during their lunch breaks. His other victims have included former Street star Thelma Barlow, who played dithery Mavis Wilton. She once tried to avoid him only to hear him shout: "Well, f*** you, bitch".

Former legend Julie Goodyear, who played Bet Gilroy, was called a "cow" by the obsessed fan. And actress Sally Whittaker, alias Sally Webster, has also complained about his behaviour. Earlier this year Sedgwick was accused of writing spooky letters to Tina O'Brien, who plays 13-year-old schoolgirl Sarah-Lou, and of stalking Georgia Taylor, who plays Toyah Battersby. Georgia received a love letter from Sedgwick teling her: "I would die for you." She also said Sedgwick lurched at her as she walked into studios and tried to get his hand under her coat. Georgia, 19, spoke out after 20 names in the soap held a summit meeting to discuss their fears about Sedgwick in April this year. Police were told of their concern. They confronted him at the Granada TV gates as he pestered the stars as they came and went and warned Sedgwick he could face five years in jail unless he left his idols alone.

Last year, Sedgwick sneaked into Manchester Cathedral memorial service for the late Bryan Mosley, and sat leering at the Coronation Street stars. His most infamous moment came when he lunged at former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell outside a Manchester hotel as she and the rest of the group made their way to a theatre to perform in front of Prince Charles. Yet, when he was later confronted by the Daily Star, he said: "The stars really love me. They love the attention. "I'm just an autograph hunter. I've being doing it 21 years and I can't see what the bother is."

Last night a Granada TV spokeswoman said of Sedgwick's arrest: "It's in the hands of the police now." Sedgwick was not at his home in Wigan, Greater Manchester last night.

Street star cautioned over stag night prank
7 August 2000

Coronation Street's Gary Mallett has been arrested and cautioned by police after a barmaid was hit with an ashtray during a stag night. Ian Mercer, who plays taxi driver Gary, was at a friend's stag night at the Tara Leisure complex in Shaw, near Oldham, Greater Manchester, when the incident happened. Barmaid Sharon Bridge, 27, received a cut to her head after she was hit on the head with the ashtray.

The 37-year-old was arrested at his home in Oldham and taken to Chadderton police station where he was questioned about offences of common assault and criminal damage. He was given a police caution before being released. A Coronation Street spokeswoman says he has apologised to the barmaid. "Ian has apologised and sent flowers to the lady in question", she said.

Mercer is to leave The Street later this month after five years in the role. His character has been left to bring up twins alone after the death of screen wife Judy.

Coronation Street in poster row
3 August 2000
ITV soap Coronation Street has been criticised for a fly-poster campaign publicising an on-screen murder storyline. Posters promoting the drama were attacked by Manchester City Council because fly-posting is illegal. The posters, which have been posted around the UK, are in the form of mock newspaper placards referring to a murder storyline on the soap. "No consent has been granted for this material and we will be pursuing legal action where they are posting on the city council's property," a spokeswoman for the council said. The council has an ongoing Bright and Clean Campaign to tidy up the city, and has put up signs to warn fly-posters away.

Headed Weatherfield Gazette - the fictional Manchester district in which Coronation Street is set - the bills pose the questions: Will Steve Testify?, Will Natalie get Justice? and Will Jez Get Life? In an episode of the soap due to be screened next week Jez Quigley, played by Lee Boardman, goes on trial for the murder of Natalie Barnes' (Denise Welch) son, Tony Horricks, played by Lee Warburton. Steve McDonald (Simon Gregson) is called to give evidence despite his fear of reprisals from Jez, hence "Will Steve Testify?" Granada Television, which makes Coronation Street for ITV, denied any involvement in the campaign, saying ITV's central promotions unit in London was responsible for it.

A spokesman for the ITV Network Centre said they had not received any formal complaint about the posters. "They are currently being removed in order to avoid causing any inconvenience. We trust that this is the end of the matter," he said.

Granada gives the game away
3 August 2000 by Derek Robbins

The soap trial of the year is about to start - but publicists at Granada Television have given the game away. Jez Quigley faces overwhelming evidence in Coronation Street when his murder case opens on Monday. Jez, played by Lee Boardman, is accused of murdering Tony Horrocks. The soap's 17 million fans are desperate to know the outcome - but Granada revealed the result in its advance press information this week.

In press information for the August 13 episode Granada discloses the verdict in the murder case. A spokesman told TV Plus: "The advance information is embargoed and is intended to help newspapers meet their deadlines." If you want to know what happens to Jez, take a look at this week's Weatherfield Gazette, right here on corrie.net.

Coronation Street was today at the centre of a row over fly posters used to promote the forthcoming trial. Mock Weatherfield Gazette bills have been put up around Manchester and the city council is considering taking legal action against Granada. The posters read: "Will Steve testify? Will Natalie get justice? Will Jez get life?" "All fly posting in the city is illegal," said a spokesman.

Corrie posters chaos
3 August 2000 by John Mahoney

TV CHIEFS are in hot water after a fly-posting campaign to boost Corrie ratings went horribly wrong. Furious council bosses pledged immediate action after hundreds of illegal posters were plastered in city streets.

They publicise the sensational murder trial of Jez Quigley at Weatherfield Crown Court, due to be screened in the soap next week. But executives who thought up the stunt could end up in court themselves after council chiefs insisted: "No consent has been granted." Bills are plastered all over Manchester - where Corrie is made - and they have also appeared in London.

Publicising Jez's trial for murdering Natalie Barnes's son Tony, they copy news-paper billboards with "Weatherfield Gazette - Trial Latest" across the top. Three separate versions ask: "Will Natalie Get Justice?", "Will Jez Get Life?" and "Will Steve Testify?"

Horrified Street bosses are now investigating why they have been splashed all over roadside junction boxes that control traffic lights instead of on authorised hoardings. A bill-sticker plastering the posters near Manchester's Piccadilly Station said: "It's all down to ITV - they're behind this. "It's not a legal practice in this country. You can't go around putting stuff up on any old wall without permission."

A Street insider said: "It really is very embarrassing. ITV understood the posters would be completely above board and of a much larger size. "Somewhere along the line communications seem to have broken down with the firm they hired."

Last night ITV were refusing to comment. A spokesman for Manchester City Council said: "All fly-posting in this city is illegal. No consent has been granted for this material, and we will be pursuing legal action."

Bad boy Jez isn't mummy's boy
2 August 2000 by Derek Robbins
Lee Boardman who plays Corrie villain Jez says his mum is horrified by his portrayal of the evil drug dealer. The 27 year old is centre stage next week when Jez goes on trial for the murder of Natalie Horrock's son Tony.

Lee said: "My mum is mortified by Jez. She's a mad keen Corrie fan but she hates to see me looking so mean. But I don't know where I got his evil leer from! He also looks more sinister as I shave off a bit of my eyebrow so I look scary."

Boardman says fans of the ITV soap will get a shock when they see Jez on trial for murder in Monday's episode. Lee said: "I've shaved my beard off and I come across all innocent, angelic even. I'm dressed up all smartly and I try to be all sweetness and light. "But the evidence against him is overwhelming. He's really going to have to pull something out of the bag to sway the jury."

Lee Boardman's TV hero is super baddie J R Ewing of Dallas. He said: "Larry Hagman was brilliant as J R. I loved his confidence and intelligence. I also like Gary Oldman as he's ther main man for playing villains as you can tell he gets such a kick out of it. "It's great playing a villain as you get to vent loads of spleen at work and you get paid for it. I couldn't be more different from him in real life. I'm an absolute sweetheart."

While playing nasty Jez, the actor has found love with co-star Jennifer James, 22, who plays barmaid Geena Gregory. The couple are now planning a big church wedding in Cheshire. He proposed just two hours after their first kiss in June. He said: "I knew I'd met the woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We'd definitely like to start a family. I'd like two children."

Granada and BBC team up
1 August 2000
Granada Television is to create a joint venture company with the BBC to offer production facilities in the North West. The venture, to be called 3sixtymedia, will be based in Manchester and is expected to launch in the autumn. It will offer services including studio, post production, graphics and creative facilities.

Brenda Smith, managing director of Manchester-based Granada Television, which is owned by media group Granada Media, said: "The creation of this new independent with the BBC will enable Manchester to compete strongly with London facilities businesses and secure creative and technical jobs in our region." She added: "It underlines Granada Television's commitment to production in the North West."

About 340 staff from Granada Television and 85 staff from the BBC will transfer into the new venture. The deal is subject to approval from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport.

Top of the Flops
1 August 2000 by Peter Dyke

CORRIE star Curly Watts' floppy hairdo has become an amazing new fashion fad for supermodels, sexy actresses and pop singers. The shortat-the-back and floppy-at-the-front style has been sported by the supermarket boss for several years. But now the stars are lining up for the Curly Cut - much to the delight of actor Kevin Kennedy. Catwalk model Kate Moss, Men Behaving Badly actress Leslie Ash and telly presenter Mariella Frostrup are the latest in a long list of celebrities having the new hip snip at the hairdressers.

Soap star Alexandra Fletcher who plays Brookside's Jacqui Dixon and Watchdog presenter Alice Beer are great floppy fans. Curly's classic cut has also been copied by EastEnders stars Letitia Dean (Sharon), Gillian Taylforth (Kathy) and Michelle Collins (Cindy). And it's not just the girls who like the look. A mass of boyband members and male singers enjoy following the Corrie crimp craze. H from the pop group Steps is a big fan of the blond bouncy look. Three members of Irish boyband Westlife love being top of the floppies and ex Take That star Gary Barlow enjoyed huge chart success when he flew the flag for Curly's crop. Even David Beckham sported the blond floppy look before having his head shaved.

A spokesman for Corrie star Kevin Kennedy said: "It's great news. Who would have thought that Curly Watts' hair would be such a trendsetter?"

Coronation Street star 'wept' at proposal
31 July 2000
Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw has revealed how she broke down in tears of joy after being proposed to by director Robert Ashworth. The 26-year-old star, who plays hairdresser Maxine in the long-running soap, has told OK! magazine she was overwhelmed by the proposal during a dream break in Dubai. "I kissed Robert before he put the ring on my finger," she said. "I cried then, the next morning and when we came home."

Shaw, who has had a string of high-profile relationships, including an earlier engagement to actor-singer Darren Day, said she hoped to marry in the near future. But she said she could not imagine her dream of a white wedding coming true - because of the "family complications" caused by her parents' divorce. "I have always wanted a big white wedding, but now I think I would like it to be just between us," she said. "I don't want family issues to interrupt our special day."

Mum's death broke my heart
28 July 2000

AS Coronation Street's Spider Nugent heads off for a new start in India, the actor who plays him has reached a crossroads in his own life. Martin Hancock, who has starred as the lovable eco-warrior for nearly three years, is quitting the soap to pursue a career in movies. Tonight his character - based on real-life anti-motorway protestor Swampy - will be seen leaving Weatherfield following a tearful showdown with girlfriend Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor).

For 27-year-old Martin, the decision to quit was tough - but definitely the right one. He feels his character had started to become "too normal". When Spider arrived in Weatherfield, he stunned residents with his tough stand on vegetarianism and protests to save the Street's common, Red Rec. More recently, however, Spider has transformed himself into a new man, found a permanent job as a clerk at the dole office and a live-in girlfriend. "I thought long and hard about leaving," says Martin. "But Spider working in the dole office was not working out. The character started to meander. It is better to go. "My intention wasn't to stay for three years, anyway! So I was quite chuffed to stay this long."

We are sitting in the offices of Martin's ex-employers Granada Television. He has already smoked several cigarettes and is now sipping a can of Diet Coke. While many actors like the trappings associated with a soap, such as attractive salaries and permanent work, Martin knows he is entering unchartered waters. It is made all the more difficult because he is on his own. Two years ago, his mother Vi died suddenly after suffering two strokes. "I was heartbroken - it was horrible," he says softly. "I think about her all the time. I was so close to her, she was my best friend."

His grief is heightened because he has no brothers or sisters to turn to for comfort and his other relatives live in New Zealand. He says: "I am finding it very hard coming to terms with her death. People always say you never get over your parents' deaths and they are right. "The pain gradually becomes less but the grief is always there. It pops up when you least expect it. "The other week I was in London and walked into my local laundrette when I burst into tears - it was where me and my mum used to do the laundry when I was a kid. "It was an unexpected moment and it whacks you on the head."

As an only child, he enjoyed a particularly close relationship with his mother in their family home in Fulham, London. Times were tough but his childhood was a happy one. Like any schoolboy, however, he gave his mum hell on occasions. But he always knew his limits. "My mum was my sound board for everything. Your parents are your reference point - even if you reject what they say which frequently, being a snotty-nosed, ungrateful kid, I did. "Suddenly, though, that is not there and it is terrible. Anyone who has feuds with their parents, I would just say sort it out. "The great thing with mum was that we were best mates. We had no unfinished business."

His mother's death, he adds, has taught him not to take life too seriously. "I've no time for bother. There are more important things in life. I catch myself getting angry and I just say: 'Shut up'." Yet it's easy to see how cut up he is about his mum. His face is pale, body tense and he regularly looks up towards the ceiling. It's not long, though, before he reverts to his jovial self, recalling his mum's delight when he landed a job on her favourite TV show - Coronation Street, of course: "She was so proud of me when I got Corrers - she couldn't believe it." Martin, wafer-thin and wearing blue jeans, grey shirt and brown jacket, is a jokey, laid-back actor whose sense of humour is so infectious, it's hard not to laugh with him. His take on life is hilarious - albeit often eccentric.

He talks about his two-year-old dog Archibald at every available opportunity. "I have built an assault course for my dog in my apartment," he tells me proudly. But it's this exuberance that has helped Martin keep going in the darker moments. His friends have also been a major support. Apart from reading the odd book, I quickly discover Martin spends his spare time doing nothing other than going out with them. Travel? Gardening? No, comes the reply. "When I have done my graft, I go out - getting life experience for my character! I am always out, getting up to mischief." Is it true he once spent £2,300 on a night out with friends? "Mmm... sort of. It was over several nights. My friends have been so good to me. "Most of them are not in acting. If you start to hang around with too many actors, you start wearing corduroy jackets and granddad shirts. My mates are there any time for me. And I am a bit of Mancophile. I love the city."

Nights on the town have taken on a new significance now Martin is single. He split up with his girlfriend Gaynor Britt Royle last year after a six-month relationship. She blamed his long filming schedules.Martin doesn't want to talk about it, insisting they are still good friends. Does he find it difficult meeting people because of his soap fame? "It's six of one and half a dozen of another. I can understand why famous people date famous people. They understand the pressures. "It is not that easy for partners, they are constantly being sidelined. Sometimes you can be out with a girl and guys will come up and say: 'She is only with you because you are in Coronation Street'. So I look them in the eye and say: 'Yes, I know'. That shuts them up. I know the state of my relationships and what they are. People are entitled to think what they want." Martin laughs, embarrassed by his profound statement. It is not in his nature and I express my surprise.

In the autumn, Martin will shoot a low-budget movie with John McCormick called Daddy Fox. There are also plenty of TV dramas lined up, including a one-off called First Signs Of Madness, and further theatre and movie projects. And Martin will return to Coronation Street as Spider on special occasions. "You haven't got much on, have you?" I quip. He gets my irony and we both laugh. He says: "I was really worried I would go from Corrie's dole office to the real-life dole queue. But I'm a happy bunny - everything is ticking along nicely."

Any ambitions? He looks at me and starts giggling. Clearly a daft question. The next night out is the most important thing on Martin's mind - at least for now. What about settling down and starting a family to fill the void left by his mum's death? "Yes, I have always wanted to have children," he says before joking: "I have always thought of myself as a breeder. "I wish I did have a brother or sister - so I'll just to have make my own family!"