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Denise's Corrie treat
31 March 2001 by John Mahoney
LITTLE Louis Welch was fast asleep in his Corrie cot when he met his mum's pals from the top TV soap yesterday. It was the newborn tot's first public bow since leaving hospital following a health scare.

Denise Welch, 42, who played sexy Rovers landlady Natalie Barnes, took her four-week-old son for lunch with Street mate Vicky Entwistle, alias Janice Battersby. Denise, 42, told Vicky of her fear when Louis was rushed to Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital two weeks ago with a suspected tummy disorder, and of her joy when he was given the all-clear.

Husband Tim Healy collected mum and baby and drove them home to Wilmslow, Cheshire. One onlooker said: "Denise looks great. She's obviously very proud of Louis."

Corrie rape storyline under attack
30 March 2001 by Peter Simmonds
Ex-Corrie stars have blasted a storyline in the soap in which Toyah Battersby is raped. The plot will be shown by ITV over Easter.

Jean Alexander, 75, who played Hilda Ogden, said: "A lot of youngsters watch the show and rape is no fit subject for them. It's not necessary in the programme. "What the Street is desperate for is more humour. It's not a place you'd want to live in any more."

Peter Baldwin, 67, who was Derek Wilton, said: "It's not the programme I knew - the character of the show's gone."

Rovers barmaid Toyah (Georgia Taylor) will be attacked at the end of the episode screened on Good Friday, April 13. The rape occurs when she walks home alone after a date with Sam.

A Corrie spokeswoman said: "The rape and attack aren't shown. The story focuses on how Toyah comes to terms with what happens and the excellent counselling she has. "It's very frustrating that people who haven't seen the episodes jump on to a bandwagon and make these comments."

Street chiefs plot revenge
28 March 2001
CORONATION Street bosses want a new scriptwriter after a ratings lashing by EastEnders. And insiders say bosses are also considering giving Helen Worth's long-running character Gail the axe. The ratings gap is so wide ITV chiefs want a script "troubleshooter" to stir things up in Weatherfield.

Hundreds of thousands of extra viewers have tuned in to BBC1 soap EastEnders to watch the "Who Shot Phil Mitchell?" mystery unfold. Last week, it attracted 15.82million viewers to Corrie's 13.63million.

Romance for TV soap couple
28 March 2001 by Caroline Barrett

Emmerdale actress Anna Brecon has been secretly dating Coronation Street star Stephen Beckett for more than a year. Anna, who plays siren Lady Tara, and Stephen, who is the Street's new doctor Matt Ramsden, say they have never known love like it.

The couple met when starring in The Blue Room at a small theatre in Bolton. "We saw each other naked for the first time before we became intimately involved," Anna, 29, told Hello! magazine. "We both found being naked hugely liberating." Then, after spending the weekend away, Stephen, who plays doctor Matt in Coronation Street, said they were "inseparable".

Love for Anna and Stephen was cemented when she was involved in the Hatfield train crash. Stephen, who starred in The Bill as PC Mike Jarvis, said: "It made me realise how much I loved Anna." The couple have no plans to move in together. "We know we are incredibly lucky to have met and feel very positive about the future together," said Stephen.

Platt's it !!
27 March 2001 by Nigel Pauley

CORRIE veteran Gail Platt's future hung in the balance last night. Bosses are thinking of dumping actress Helen Worth after 26 years in the top ITV soap.

They have already drawn up plans to write out her character. One idea is for Gail to suffer a serious illness, such as breast cancer, and lose her brave fight for life. It is part of their plan to come up with strong storylines to break EastEnders' domination of the ratings.

ITV has told Coronation Street chiefs the show has lost its sparkle and must improve. It has trailed in the charts to EastEnders for nearly six months. But producer Jane McNaught is furious that the plan to kill off Gail has leaked out - and has hinted she may change her mind and give her a reprieve. A Street spokeswoman insisted last night: "No decision regarding Gail's future has been made."

To make matters worse for the show, two stars - Jacqueline Pirie, who plays Linda Baldwin, and Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Cropper) - are expecting babies and will be taking a break later in the year.

Helen, 50, whose character has transformed from giggly teenager to granny over the years, is thought to know of the plot. A source revealed: "Gail could go out with a bang, but it was felt it might be more shocking if she was to suffer a terminal illness, such as breast cancer. "Viewers would be gripped by her brave fight and an important message could be put across."

Gail, first seen on the show in 1975, has been married three times - twice to Brian Tilsley, played by Chris Quinten, who was killed outside a club. Her second marriage, to male nurse Martin Platt (Sean Wilson), hit the rocks when he had an affair. Gail's last major storyline came last year, when her 14-year-old daughter Sarah-Louise (Tina O'Brien) had a baby.

Corrie hit by Foot & Mouth crisis
26 March 2001
FOOT-and-mouth has hit Coronation Street.

Writers on the ITV soap had created a political storyline for May's local elections. But they may be cancelled, forcing last-minute script changes.

A source said: "We'll look silly if our election goes ahead and the real ones don't."

G-Wizz to close
26 March 2001

Granada is to pull the plug on its portal and Internet service provider G-whizz-net on Wednesday, after just twelve months. Last year Granada spent around £4 million launching the brand, but it will close in two days encouraging users to subscribe to BT Internet. Granada will now channel its energies towards programme-related websites and will work closely with Carlton to build up itv.co.uk

BBC in £ 1/2 million battle for Denise Wealth
25 March 2001
ITV and BBC bosses are locked in a bidding war over Coronation Street star Denise Welch, I can reveal. New mum Denise, 42, who gave birth to son Louis at the beginning of the month, has been offered five major new projects and is now deciding whether to defect to the Beeb or to stick with ITV. Corrie bosses have left the door open for a comeback as her popular character, Rovers landlady Natalie Barnes, too.

My insider tells me: "Denise literally has her pick of roles. Actors like Ross Kemp have made the jump from soap to general drama and both BBC and ITV bosses want to do the same with Denise. "If she defects she could probably command a huge pay rise and pick up around £500,000. The money's on the table if she wants it." The showbiz pal added: "I'm delighted that Denise has faced none of the post natal depression that plagued her after the birth of her first child Matthew."

Baby Louis had a health scare last week when Denise and actor husband Tim Healy, 48, rushed him to Liverpool's Alder Hey Hospital near their home for tests. But he's safe and well after getting the all clear. Denise's pal tells me: "Louis was just having a few problems feeding, so Denise and Tim panicked like new parents do."

Soap wars are making us sad
25 March 2001
TOP psychologist Dr Raj Persaud has furiously attacked the bitter TV soap ratings war - for turning Britain into a nation of depressives. The This Morning shrink says EastEnders, Brookside and Coronation Street are too gloomy. He adds: "Research indicates that people's understanding of the frequency of abortions, divorce and adultery is distorted by watching soaps. They think these bad things happen a lot more frequently than they actually do in real life."

EastEnders viewers are currently waiting to discover who shot Phil Mitchell while Mike Baldwin and Ken Barlow are involved in a bitter custody battle in Corrie Street over Mike's son Adam. Dr Raj warns BBC2's talkshow Esther: "Soap writers can make people unnecessarily pessimistic." But BBC head of drama Mal Young said: "It's not true that people believe what they see on soaps. That's insulting."

Former soap star's 'skimpy' new TV role
22 March 2001

Former Coronation Street star Jane Danson says the outfits in her new TV role are too skimpy. The actress, who plays nurse Samantha Docherty in ITV's medical drama A&E, says she hopes show bosses will revamp the uniform. Danson, who played Corrie's Leanne Battersby, says the skirts are too short. She said: "I'm campaigning to wear trousers in the next series."

The 22-year-old said leaving the Street after three years, had been a "huge and difficult decision". And she admitted her new role would not appear vastly different to Leanne to viewers at the beginning of the series, although that would change as the series progressed. To research the role of Sam, whom she described as "feisty, strong and confident", she went along to a real accident and emergency unit. But Danson admitted filming the series had not all been plain sailing - she struggled to measure blood pressure and talk to camera at the same time.

The series, which also stars Martin Shaw, is filmed in Manchester, just a few hundred yards away from the Coronation Street set.

Street's link to Popstar Suzanne
21 March 2001
POPSTARS' Suzanne Shaw nearly missed out on chart glory - because she almost landed a part in TV's biggest soap.

The 19-year-old missed out on the plum role of Tyrone's girlfriend on Coronation Street by a whisker. But five months later she spotted the Popstars ad - and the rest is history.

Her dad, Vinnie, said: "She was so disappointed not to get the Corrie part. She thought she might really be in with a chance after she got down to the last two or three. "I said, 'It may be a blessing in disguise. Something better could be just around the corner'. And boy, was it!"

He says Suzanne's success came as no surprise to him. She was a star from the age of 18 months, when Vinnie bought a video camera and let her watch herself on screen. He said: "She saw herself on telly and obviously thought that's the way it should be."

After small parts in Holby City and City Central, as a corpse, came the ill-fated Coronation Street audition and one for Emmerdale. Underneath her bubbly, confident exterior she is, says dad, a sensitive girl who needed a shell to protect her from the rejections.

He said: "She never thought she'd get a job she went for. She disciplined herself not to get carried away - but she was a bit frustrated over Coronation Street. "But I remember when Popstars started to happen. I told her I had a good feeling about this one. 'Don't say that dad,' she groaned. "It was as if she couldn't allow herself to feel lucky."

TV soaps "ruin kids"
19 March 2001
EASTENDERS, Brookside, Emmerdale and Coronation Street were yesterday blamed for increasing violence and disorder in schools.

Ralph Surman of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers said: "These shows teach young people nothing except poor relationships and violence are part of everyday life. "I see many youngsters whose behaviour now mirrors soap characters."

Corrie stars in lake powerboat horror
18 March 2001

CORONATION Street stars SIMON GREGSON and SUE CLEAVER were almost killed in a horrific boat accident.

Simon (Steve McDonald) and Sue (taxi controller Eileen Grimshaw) were enjoying a day on Lake Windermere with LEE BOARDMAN, who played evil drug pusher Jez Quigley. But the powerboat Simon was driving spun wildly out of control - and the three were knocked unconscious.

Sue says: "Simon invited me and Lee for a trip on his boat. Simon tried a sharp turn and we hit a wave as though we'd slammed into a brick wall. I smacked my head and so did the other two. We were out cold for a couple of minutes." Luckily, the three regained consciousness before they veered into any further danger.

A Street pal said: "They were all very lucky but there was no real harm done. "It could have been a lot worse and they were all pretty shaken up but it hasn't put them off powerboating at all. Simon and Lee are such good mates and they love going up to the Lakes to escape from the stress of work. "They were back in the boat again the following weekend."

SUE NICHOLLS, who plays Audrey Roberts in Corrie, tells me she's planning a little lift and tuck around her eyes. She says: "I'm certainly considering plastic surgery. My eyes are a bit heavy and make me look tired. "Trouble is I've got the money - but not the time."

Adam plans Rovers return
18 March 2001
ADAM RICKITT is in talks with Corrie bosses about a return as heart- throb Nicky Tilsley. He says: "I never wanted to be a pop pin-up."

Thank goodness for that then. His last single only just scraped into the Top 100.

Coronation Street's 5,000th script auctioned for Comic Relief
16 March 2001
Coronation Street fans have until Sunday to snap up the script from the 5,000th episode of the soap. The historic script is being auctioned online by This Morning to raise funds for Comic Relief. It was signed by all the Coronation Street cast members.

Bids can be made at www.eBay.co.uk by clicking on the charity icon. Bidding closes at 4pm on March 18.

Street baby boom
15 March 2001
CORONATION Street star Julie Hesmondhalgh is expecting a baby - thanks to a comfy red chair. The actress plays the soap's first transsexual, Hayley Cropper, who can't have children of her own. But off-screen, Julie, 31, fell pregnant only weeks after falling in love with Tetley beer ads actor Ian Kershaw.

And insiders on the Manchester-based show reckon it's because she shared the same Street chair as two other stars who joined the baby club. Denise Welch, 42, the former Rovers Return landlady Natalie Barnes, gave birth to her second son, 7lbs 3oz Louis, two weeks ago at a hospital in Salford, Greater Manchester. Denise, married to Auf Wiedersehn Pet star Tim Healy, quit the show after finding she was in the family way. Last week, Jacqueline Pirie, 25, who plays scheming Linda Baldwin, revealed she is also expecting just months after meeting her new fireman boyfriend Simon Chadwick.

All three girls have used the chair in Granada TV's Green Room, where the cast rehearse their lines. A senior cast member said: "It's amazing. It's quite a hat trick."

Julie moved into Ian's home at Broadbottom, Greater Manchester, only weeks after meeting him last December. Soon afterwards, he escorted her to the Street's 40th birthday party and then had a romantic New Year's Eve in Paris. She learned she was pregnant last month while they were on holiday at Santa Barbara in California. The baby is due in October.

Last night, delighted Julie smiled and waved as she left the studios on the arm of her screen hubby, actor David Neilson. Clutching a bouquet of flowers, David, who celebrated his 52nd birthday two days ago, jokingly pushed out his stomach. Julie said: "I'm thrilled to bits. It's wonderful."

Millions of viewers have seen Hayley and Roy go through hell to get official permission to be foster parents. They won through and looked after 15-year-old Jackie Mosley, played by schoolgirl Rebecca Bellamy. The TV couple are now due to have a second foster child.

But the real-life twist has left script- writers facing their biggest-ever headache. Last night, a Street source laughed: "This is one problem we've never had before. At the moment, no one knows what's going to happen. "Obviously Hayley can't have a baby and I think you can safely say a miracle birth is out of the question."

But the job of weaving the pregnancy into the script will most likely fall to the costume designers rather than the writers. A spokeswoman for the soap explained: "Hayley sits behind machines a lot in the factory and wears a tabard - we will just have to get her a bigger anorak to cover the bump." She added: "Everyone here is thrilled for them."

Chairs chuck
15 March 2001 by John Mahoney

CORRIE'S baby boom struck for the third time yesterday...and it's all being blamed on a comfy red chair where the girls learn their lines. Julie Hesmondhalgh, who plays sex-swap Hayley Cropper in the soap, is expecting her first child. A senior Coronation Street cast member said last night: "A transexual having a baby! And I thought we'd seen everything in this show!"

Thrilled Julie, 30, discovered she was pregnant during a two-week holiday in Santa Barbara, California. The baby is due in October. And the actress told Corrie chiefs it was all down to a seat at Granada TV's Manchester studios. She realised she had been rehearsing her script on the same sofa as two of her Weatherfield pals, who have also become pregnant. Jacqueline Pirie, 25, who plays Linda Sykes, last week discovered she was expecting her second child in September. Two weeks ago, 42-year-old Denise Welch, who quit as Rovers boss Natalie Barnes to have her second child, gave birth to a son, Louis.

Julie, who has been living with her actor boyfriend Ian Kershaw for three months, told a pal: "Everyone thinks it's hilarious that we girls share the same seat in rehearsals."

In the Street, Julie's character Hayley and husband Roy have struggled to become foster parents. Yesterday, David Nielson, 44, who plays Roy, joined in the baby hysteria - by leaving work with a cushion stuffed up his jumper.

Helen Worth - My Story (part 3)
14 March 2001

I Sat Down In A Comfy Chair In The Green Room And An Awful Silence Fell... I Was In Ena's Seat

The Helen Worth Story: Agony On My First Day In Corrie

HELEN WORTH had successfully negotiated the famous cobbles, delivered her lines without a single fluff and been terribly polite to the Coronation Street producer who had given her the most important job of her life. The shy young woman breathed a sigh of relief before collapsing into a comfy chair in the green room between takes on her first day on the Corrie set. And that was her big mistake.

"This awful silence descended," recalls the actress, who has now notched up an incredible quarter century on the soap. "Then someone came over and told me it might be better if I moved. That was Vi Carson's seat. I was horrified, and I just wanted to crawl away and hide."

Her faux-pas cost her dearly. For the next three months, Helen - now one of the most long-serving and respected cast members on the street - didn't dare even go into the green room. Instead, between filming, she perched on a radiator outside the door. "It was the most terrifying experience walking into Coronation Street. I certainly knew my place. "I sat on that radiator for three months, too scared to even go in. "Working with the likes of Vi Carson and Pat Phoenix was quite scary. "They were wonderful and used to glide into the studio like superstars, all mink coats and big hats. "They didn't like my jeans and felt standards had to be kept high."

Coronation Street couldn't have come into Helen Worth's life at a more appropriate time. Just a couple of years before she landed the job, Helen's mother - her mentor and best friend - had died in a car accident, devastating Helen's life. She was just 20 at the time. The Corrie role, secured after years of working in rep and radio, provided a stability and close-knit community that she enjoyed.

Moreover, the strong female characters who so terrified her at first quickly became like a second family. "There was, and still is, a particular Coronation Street woman. A really strong character who carries the whole family and is the very foundation of the community. "I saw that in women like Vi Carson, Doris Speed and Pat Phoenix."

And it was a world where the young actress was eventually accepted. Once she had served her dues, the young actress was welcomed into the fold. "It was the warmest feeling. As well as being brilliant professional role models, they became really good friends. "I couldn't have asked for a more supportive environment. I used to be thrilled just to be a part of it. "Every morning I'd watch Vi Carson arrive. She would come in with her hair immaculately done - then she'd put on that famous hairnet. "She was an institution and here was I, little Helen Wigglesworth, sharing the same set."

These days, of course, it is Helen who is regarded as one of the Street's institutions. Her tiny dressing room is on the ground floor of the Granada studios. Although she has homes in two cities, it is in here that Helen spends much of her time when she is working in Manchester.

It is a tradition on the Street for cast members to decorate their dressing rooms, painting the walls a favourite colour and adding bits of furniture from home. Tellingly, Helen has resisted this for over a quarter of a century, and her little room remains strangely impersonal. "I suppose I'm a bit superstitious about the whole thing," she reveals. "I keep thinking that I must do it up - but then I get cold feet. "I worry that the minute I paint the walls, they will ask me to leave." But she laughs at suggestions that she is a similar inspiration for today's young Corrie stars as Vi Carson was for her all those years ago.

Although her screen daughter Tina O'Brien, who plays Sarah-Louise, insists that she is. "I think the atmosphere now is more healthy," says Helen. I'd be horrified if Tina thought like that about me."

In fact, Helen seems determined not to take herself too seriously. As a youngster she never imagined she would end up in Coronation Street. As a teenager, she was obsessed with Shakespeare. Her big dream was to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. But she is honest about the fact that she would never have made the grade. "I wasn't good enough to reach that level," she admits. "I went to drama school at 15 in London. I was just this little northern girl who was OK at a few things. "All the other girls knew so much more than me. I stood out like a sore thumb."

But Helen adapted. Before long, the Yorkshire/Lancashire accent had gone and she had acquired the clipped tones of her Southern counterparts. Ironically, she still speaks in that voice, only putting on a northern accent when her role in Corrie demands it.

Helen's years in the soap have been good to her. She acknowledges that this is why she has stayed for so long. "People have this idea that I must be terribly ambitious and I've been described as a workaholic, but I am not. "I have just cruised along, letting life happen. The simple truth is that I only joined the Street for eight episodes, but they still wanted me after that. It was a nice feeling. "It is fair to say that when you are in a programme for this length of time there are ups and downs. "Sometimes, in a quiet time for Gail, I did wonder if this was the end of the road for Gail. Was I being put out to grass? "When the Tina pregnancy storyline came along, I couldn't have been happier, although it was quite scary too. "You always doubt your ability to do the writing justice. "One day I might have yearned to go on the stage with the RSC, Corrie gives me a security that I would never have had in any other form of this industry. "It's weird, because you don't go into this game to be looked after or kept financially secure. "But I found that I loved that."

Now she leads a very comfortable life indeed, dividing her time between her Manchester flat and the London apartment she calls home. And she would be the first to admit that it is a very nice life indeed.

Her screen character may be famous for her dowdy image and put-upon manner, but Helen is a complete contrast. "I do like the nice things in life. "I love shopping in Bond Street and eating out in the best restaurants - Coronation Street allows me to do that. "If I could have my way, I'd do a television series on the best restaurants in the world - and believe me I know them! "I love the sort of world I live in, and it's a world that my parents never knew. "I might work in Manchester, but London is my city. I can go to the theatre and the ballet and be in the middle of everything. "I just love it."

And giving up the role that has made her famous would jeopardise that lifestyle. "I have no plans to leave Coronation Street just yet. What would I do? I'm not sure I would want to start all over again somewhere else."

But there are other advantages too. More personal ones. Coronation Street has given Helen a confidence that isn't just confined to her work. "A lot of actors are quite insecure, deep down. This profession definitely gives you a mask to wear," she reveals. "When I walk into a room at an official function it is easy because I don't have to be Helen Worth, the person - I can be Helen Worth, the actress. "I have something to hide behind."

Surprisingly, for someone who comes across as so assured, Helen has a definite shyness. As a child, she had to psyche herself up to perform. "I remember going on stage in London for the first time at the age of 12 and I threw up in the wings. "I was absolutely terrified. "Every time I went on it was like that. I had to open this door and every night I'd think my hand was freezing and I wouldn't be able to move. But, somehow, I did. "And when I did it was the most fantastic feeling. It sounds cliched but there was this immediate warmth from the audience and it just wrapped itself around me. "The heat of the lights somehow added to it. "I felt safe, secure and as if I could do anything. That feeling has never left me."

For the record...
14 March 2001
A READER thought that the 5,000th episode of Coronation Street, transmitted last Sunday, was not the 5,000th episode at all (The Look, Soap Box).

He believed that the strike of 1979 made it only the 4,992nd episode. But Coronation Street's story producer Di Burrows says that it was episode 5,000, even taking into account all irregularities over the past 40 years - including "missing" or untransmitted episodes and extra episodes such as the Brighton Bubble, which were allocated their own special programme numbers.

Graham writes: Although this might be the 'official' line Granada are sticking to, the truth is somewhat different. Disregarding all the irregularities listed above, only last month Granada renumbered episode 4984 (12 Feb 2001) to 4985 to ensure the '5000'th episode fell on a Sunday when they could schedule in an hour-long episode.

Those missing episodes in full...

'Missing' episode	Remarks
1000	Never existed; Granada changed programme numbering from P288/999 (Ep 999) to P694/1 (Ep 1001)
1027	1026 & 1027 were edited into one episode as Doris Speed was taken ill during filming
1503	Episode never made (June 75 - no explanation)
1504	Episode never made (June 75 - no explanation)
1505	Episode never made (June 75 - no explanation)
1549	Episode never made (Nov 75 - no explanation)
	Wed 8 August: Episode 1936 is not shown in Thames region due to technician's strike. This rapidly spreads nationwide and episode 1937 is not shown until Wed 24 October 1979. Despite reports to the contrary, no episodes were re-edited and no episodes were lost (although 1936 was never shown in the Thames region)
3717	Episode never made (June 94 - no explanation)
	15 April 1996 Granada adopts new episode numbering system with '4000'th episode. P694/3000 becomes 4000 (actually P694/4000, but 4000 is the almost universally used designation). No miss-match occurs as a result of this re-numbering.
4984	Episode 4984 (12 Feb 2001) renumbered 4985 to ensure the '5000'th episode falls on a Sunday when an hour-long episode can be scheduled.
	If you have any additional information, I'd be grateful for any help - please mail me Graham

Tipsy girl beat me up
14 March 2001 by Ian Trueman

CORONATION STREET star Jimmi Harkishin was left battered and bruised after being whacked by a boozy woman fan. The sozzled telly addict laid into Jimmi, 36, who plays Dirty Dev Alahan, for refusing to go to a club with her to celebrate her birthday.

Jimmi was taken by surprise when the girl - aged around 19 - hit him. The Corrie star, attacked in a Manchester bar, said: "This girl came and sat opposite me. "She was a bit the worse for wear. She talked for about five or 10 minutes. It was getting really boring. "So I went and got a drink and then sat down opposite her. I didn't want to be rude. "Then I had another five minutes of 'I've seen you in Medics, East Is East, South Of The Border, and now you are my favourite character in Coronation Street'."

He added: "She said it was her birthday and was I coming across the road to this other club? "I said maybe later. But she said 'Why can't you come now? Are you arrogant or too good for me?' I told her it might be a good idea to go and sit with her friends. "She kept insisting that I answered her question. "In the end I said probably a bit of both.

"She got up, turned round, then turned back and smacked me in the face. "It knocked me for six. My eyes were watering. I was seeing stars and my nose was bleeding all over my Dolce and Gabbana shirt."

Boots & Granada switch on the nation's Wellbeing
13 March 2001

The Boots Company PLC and Granada plc will tomorrow (Wednesday 14 March) unveil The Wellbeing Network - an integrated digital TV channel (Wellbeing) and website (www.wellbeing.com) which offers advice and information on health, parenting, fitness, nutrition and looking good.

The network will launch with Steve Redgrave who will be live on the TV and internet discussing wellbeing issues. Plus, Health Secretary, Alan Milburn talks to the channel about topical wellbeing issues.

The Wellbeing TV channel, on-air for 12 hours a day, will be presented by celebrities such as Anna Raeburn, Wendy Turner, Toyah Wilcox and Coleen Nolan and supported by a resident panel of experts including GPs, osteopaths, paediatricians and make-up artists! Viewers will be able to get advice, hints and tips on a topic, talk to the presenters live on air via 'phone or e-mail, and continue a discussion on wellbeing.com. With over two thirds of live content, the TV channel will be able to respond quickly to topical health issues.

Viewers can also access the TV channel through wellbeing.com.

Wellbeing.com has exclusive on-line access to Dr Foster - an independent source of previously unavailable information on the comparable services and standards of hospitals and other healthcare providers in the UK and Ireland. The website also carries daily features on topical wellbeing issues and publishes information on hundreds of conditions from material endorsed by the BMA. Wellbeing.com features an 'ask a pharmacist' service - a Boots pharmacist answers queries on-line.

Wellbeing.com also offers an 'e-store' featuring 10 000 items including Boots best-selling ranges and non-Boots products such as nursery and fitness equipment. Using Boots extensive retail experience, the 'store' is designed to be a great shopping experience from start to finish. Customers can see if an item is in stock before they purchase, and can track their order right through to delivery. Customers with a Boots Advantage Card will be awarded four points in the pound, just as if they shopped in a store.

The Wellbeing 100

From launch, The Wellbeing Network will follow the lives of 100 ordinary people who have pledged to improve their wellbeing with The Wellbeing Network. Their progress will be followed by the TV channel and continued on the internet site which will feature additional footage and give the chance for viewers to talk to the Wellbeing 100.

Advanced technology bringing greater interactivity

As technology becomes increasingly advanced, Wellbeing will exploit new media channels, increase interactivity and offer more personalised services. The Wellbeing Network has the potential to offer users the ability to download and store programmes for viewers to watch at their leisure. It will also offer TV shopping, the facility to book appointments on-line with practitioners, and send advice and information direct to mobile phones and palm pilots.

Helen Worth - My Story (part 2)
13 March 2001

Mum loved me dearly and wanted the best ..I'm just so sorry she did not live to see me make it in the Street

GLADYS Wigglesworth sat back in her armchair and nodded at the television screen where a pretty young actress was making her debut in Coronation Street. She tapped eight-year-old Helen - the daughter she adored - on the knee and told her: "One day, you could do that, you know." Helen Worth never forgot that chance remark.

It became one of the biggest regrets of her life that her mother - killed in a car accident when Helen was just 20 - never saw her make her own debut in the Street, never mind go on to become one of its most popular characters. Gladys died, aged 49, just three years before her only daughter - who had by then acquired a surname short enough to fit on a theatre programme - secured the part of Gail Potter, a role that would provide fame, fortune and opportunity beyond Gladys' wildest dreams.

The fact that her mother hasn't been there to share her success is something which still causes immense sadness. "The one person I really wanted to tell when I got the part of Gail was my mother," recalls Helen. "She would have been so thrilled. More excited than me. "She'd been there all the way - at the dance classes, holding my hand before the competitions, putting on her best suit to take me to London for auditions. "But when I finally made it, she wasn't there to share it with me. I'd never missed her more."

It is impossible to underestimate the influence Gladys Wigglesworth had on her young daughter. The Yorkshirewoman had always wanted to go on the stage herself, as had her mother before her. But in their day, it simply wasn't done. Instead, Gladys nurtured her daughter's obvious talent for entertaining.

Today - having reached the 50th birthday her mother didn't see - Helen credits her with everything. And she talks about her with a touching warmth. "People might look at our situation and assume she was the archetypal pushy mother, but she wasn't at all. She was just someone who loved me dearly and wanted the best for me. Without her, I don't know what I would have become. She saw that spark of something and helped me develop it. "I think she wanted to make sure I grasped the opportunities that she wasn't able to. "Mum wanted me to get out of Morecambe and see the world. She wanted me to have more than she had had. "She opened up the rest of the world to me. And I never had the chance to thank her for it."

Although she has never spoken publicly about her early years - this is the first interview Helen has ever given about her personal life - she had a remarkable childhood. By the age of 12 she was self-sufficient, living in London away from her family, and starring in a West End production every night after school.

But greasepaint was in her blood even earlier than that. When she was two, Helen moved from Yorkshire to Morecambe, Lancs, with her parents and her older brother Neville. Some years later, the family would be joined by Komla Kpikpitse, a teenager from Ghana who came to stay when the boarding department of his school closed down. Komla stayed with the Wigglesworths for years and was considered one of the family.

Gladys started taking in lodgers when Helen was quite young, with her clientele drawn mainly from entertainers involved in the local summer season. "I never remember less than 10 people in the house," she recalls. "There were magicians and singers and dancers and ventriloquists and puppeteers. For a little girl, it was wonderful. "It didn't seem exotic or different at the time. It was just life. "And my mother just loved it. She was enchanted by the whole thing. One of my abiding memories of Mum is her laughter and enjoyment of life."

Helen had already started dance classes by the age of three, after a doctor told her mother it was the best treatment for her pigeon toes. By five she was having three classes a week and had already set her sights on a career in entertainment. But her mother was always by her side. "We did it together. She would come and watch. She'd tell me if she thought I could do something better. "But mostly she'd just tell me how wonderful I was. If I didn't win a competition she'd just put her arms around me and tell me it didn't matter - to her I was always the best. "That mattered. This business is all about rejection. I came to cope with it because my mother was there."

The bond between mother and daughter was immense. As the trophies started piling up in the living room, so opportunities opened up further and further afield. Gladys started taking her daughter to London for contests. "She had this green suit that she used to wear with a blue blouse. She called it her 'travelling suit'. It was the best thing she owned. "She'd wear it when she was taking me to an audition. I thought it was all terribly exciting. Like a big adventure. I think Mum loved it, too. "My dad was also involved. He would drive us to auditions and sit and wait while Mum and I went in."

But even by the age of 10, Helen's talent for dance and drama was taking her out of the world her mother knew. The big break came when Helen was invited to London to audition for a part in a stage production of The Sound Of Music. We were so out of our depth," she recalls. "We'd been told to go to the Palace Theatre so we turned up and waited outside. "It never occurred to us to actually go in - Mum reckoned someone would come and get us. We must have stood there for three hours. I was so nervous that I kept having to run down to Leicester Square tube station to use the loo. "Five hundred other girls must have trooped in and out before someone asked us what we were doing and ushered us in. "Then Mum sat herself down in the auditorium while I got up and sang."

To her great surprise, Helen got the part. It was, however, a bitter-sweet success. Now aged only 12, she would have to leave home and move to London. And suddenly her mother wasn't there any more. "Looking back, it was such a young age to leave home, especially because it was moving from Morecambe - a tiny place - to London. "I was so very homesick. I can remember being in tears as I bent over the sink in my lodgings, trying to wash my hair on my own. It was down to my waist and Mum had always done it for me. Suddenly, I had to do it all on my own."

The comprehensive school Helen was sent to in London was also a massive departure from her genteel private school back home. Within weeks of her arrival she found herself threatened by other children because of her friendship with a black girl in her class. "That sort of mixing just wasn't done then, and I remember being threatened with sharpened steel combs. But I'd been brought up in a house where everyone was welcome - there could be people from abroad, gay people, black people. I knew nothing of this sort of intolerance."

Undeterred, she was determined to stick with her friend. Still, she didn't tell her parents of the incident. "I didn't want to worry them - I knew they had enough to cope with. "In many ways, the separation was worse for them than it was for me," she recalls. "Children adapt. Whatever life throws at them, they come to regard it as normal.

I WAS working from as far back as I can remember. I had my own Post Office account at 12 and I was responsible for looking after myself. "By the time I was 16, when I was at drama college in London, I was travelling around on the last train at night after shows, completely on my own. "There would be flashers on the train. You would see all sorts. "But I regarded this as normal. It was just something to get along with. "And I knew I could go home at any minute - but I didn't want to. When I got on that stage everything changed. I just loved the audience."

Every single day Gladys wrote to her daughter and told her how proud she was. "I'd rush down in the morning to get her letters," she remembers. "They were what kept me going." For years, Helen kept those early letters. She carried them with her through drama college, rep work and theatre jobs.

Then one day she threw them out. Within months, her mother was dead. "That is one of my biggest regrets. If I could have anything back, I would ask for those letters. I'd give anything just to be able to read them again. "They were such a big part of my life. They were all I had of her. "I still have a few cards with her signature on which I look at from time to time, but the letters were something else. They were a testament of her love."

Helen was 20 when her mother was knocked over and killed while out walking the dog. Working in Northampton at the time, she was the last member of the family to know. Something that still rankles. "I'd been at a party the night before and no-one had been able to get hold of me. They were frantic and I was out enjoying myself. "It was a friend who eventually told me. I went to pieces. "But I got through it because there wasn't any option. My mother brought me up to be strong. I think I coped."

Now Helen is sometimes startled by the physical resemblance between herself and her mother. The greatest compliment anyone could give her, she reveals, is that she is like her mum. But the pain of the loss is still there. "I miss my mother every day. Something will happen and I'll want to tell her about it. I know she is looking down on me - but it would still be nice to just share those little things."

And the big things. When Helen's marriage collapsed in 1995 and her partner of 21 years moved out of the family home, she had never needed her mother more. "I used to wish she was there," she says quietly. "I was in my forties, but I still needed my mum. "She would have just put her arms around me. That would have made it better."

Lochside wedding for Street star
13 March 2001
CORONATION Street star Jacqueline Pirie is set to wed the father of her unborn child in a romantic Loch Lomond ceremony next month. Pirie, 25, who plays maneater Linda Baldwin in the country's top soap, has only been dating fireman Simon Chadwick, 31, for a few months.

Pirie - who has had a string of disastrous relationships - discovered she was pregnant to the Manchester fireman only weeks after they met at a nightclub. The couple will marry in Cameron House on the banks of Loch Lomond with a traditional Scottish service on April 10.

The hotel last night denied the ceremony was taking place there. But the man who is set to marry the couple, the Rev Ian Miller of Bonhill Parish Church, Dumbarton, confirmed the wedding would go ahead. And the jovial minister admitted: "I didn't have a clue who Linda was when she came on the phone but she said she was an actress and we took it from there." The minister said he was suggested to the couple by the hotel and added: "She probably asked them to give her a nice tame minister she could speak to. I'm sure it was as simple as that."

Pirie has already moved into Chadwick's semi-detached home in Gately, Cheshire, with her three-year-old daughter Alex.

Helen Worth - My Story (part 1)
12 March 2001

CORONATION Street star Helen Worth has spoken for the first time of how her world fell apart when her husband left her. The actress, known to millions as long-suffering Gail Platt, was devastated by actor Michael Angelis's confession that after 21 years he had found someone else. Today, in a searing interview, Helen reveals that she shouted and screamed when Michael admitted his betrayal. She recalls how the couple battled in vain to save their marriage, which had been considered one of the strongest in showbusiness. And she tells how she struggled to put her life back together again. "I felt as though I was drowning,'' she says.

It had been perfect for 21 wonderful years... when it ended I felt lost. I couldn't function.

WORLD EXCLUSIVE: Coronation Street's Helen Worth talks for the first time about her marriage break-up sadness

IT WAS the performance of her life - so convincing that no one knew it was an act. For almost a year Helen Worth dragged herself out of bed and forced herself to go to work with a smile - determined that no one should know she was falling apart inside.

The Coronation Street actress had never been one to wear her heart on her sleeve. Personal problems, she reckoned, should remain just that. So, when her husband, whom she had been with for 21 years, sat her down and told her he had met someone else, Helen insisted on carrying on as normal.

Not even her closest family knew that her marriage, the foundation on which her life was built, was slowly but surely collapsing around her. "It was the longest year of my life," she reveals. "Looking back, it seems a bit of a blur. I was all over the place, determined to convince the rest of the world - and myself, I suppose - that things would work themselves out."

But they didn't. While she threw herself into her work, confining her tears to the dressing room, her husband, actor Michael Angelis, continued his affair with divorcee Jennifer Khalastchi.

The disintegration of what had been regarded as one of the strongest marriages in showbiz was inevitable. And the ensuing pain broke Helen's heart. Until now, the actress, known for her role as Gail Platt in the Street, has never spoken of her private life. Although one of the most famous faces on British television, she has consistently shunned the limelight.

She has spent the past three years trying to come to terms with her loss. Today, just weeks after her 50th birthday, she finally feels confident enough to speak out about her struggle to rebuild her life. And she can't quite believe she is doing it. "I must admit I never ever thought I would be sitting here telling you that life is great and that I am enjoying being 50. A couple of years ago, I thought there was never going to be anything to look forward to ever again.

I WAS at my lowest ebb. If it hadn't been for work, there wouldn't even have been any point getting out of bed in the morning. "Having been through it, I can fully understand why some women go under when their marriage ends and they are facing the rest of their lives alone. "At my worst point I felt as though I was drowning. I was being dragged down and down and I couldn't see any way out. I couldn't think straight. Couldn't function. I was lost for the first time in my life. "But the very fact that I am here today talking about it means that I have come through it. I finally saw that patch of light. And I must say, that is a wonderfully liberating feeling."

A tiny woman with a great figure and a huge laugh, Helen Worth is a million miles from the downtrodden Gail Platt, who she has played for 26 years. Confident, intelligent and assured, she was never going to be one of life's victims. Today, she insists she has never been happier. Nonetheless, she admits that her husband's betrayal, which she learned of in May 1995, launched her into the most painful period of her life.

"Nothing can ever prepare you for the day your husband sits you down and tells you he is having an affair," she explains quietly. "My marriage was everything to me. It was the foundation on which everything else was built. I had been with Michael for nearly half of my life. I never imagined that we wouldn't grow old together. "When he told me, everything just went black. Things started to make sense. Maybe I realised right away that something like that had been bound to happen. Things hadn't been right for some time, but - naively maybe - I didn't think it was serious. "I knew there was a problem. I just didn't know it was me."

The devastating news came when Michael learned a Sunday paper was planning to run a picture of him with the other woman. "The pictures were about to be published and he knew he had to tell me fast," recalls Helen. "He just said he was having an affair. "I went through every emotion. I was hurt. Then angry. So angry. I tried to tell myself it wasn't happening. "The worst thing was that I knew it was going to be in the papers the next day. To know that the rest of the world had to know about my pain was just unbearable."

Many women would have asked their husband to leave, but Helen saw things differently. Despite the fact that Michael had told her he was having an affair, she was unwilling to accept that the marriage was over. "Our capacity to deceive ourselves is quite remarkable," she smiles. "But at that time there was no question of us splitting up - neither of us wanted to throw away 21 wonderful years. As far as I was concerned, we had been perfect together. It never crossed my mind that we couldn't rebuild that. "The last thing I would have wanted then was for Michael to go."

Immediately, the couple decided to try and salvage their relationship. They refused to make any comment about their marital difficulties. But the damage had been done. Over the following weeks and months, Helen and Michael would spend hours talking about where they'd gone wrong. "I can't describe how hard it was," she recalls. "Everything was slipping away and I couldn't do anything to stop it. "I'd be up in Manchester, just trying to get on with the job and telling myself everything would be OK. But maybe I knew, deep down, that it was never going to be OK again."

WHILE she can now talk about her anguish in measured terms, back then she was anything but composed. "I wasn't this calm," she smiles. "I shouted and screamed and threw things. It was quite spectacular. Poor Michael didn't know what to do with me. "I suppose I knew that the marriage was over. Perhaps I even knew it was right that it should be over. But knowing it and accepting it are two different things. I couldn't accept it. "I was afraid to let go. I just couldn't imagine a world that didn't have Michael in it. "But in the end, I didn't have a choice. I had to accept it. It was either accept it, or go under, and I was never going to do that. I'm a survivor. I'd just never been put to the test until then." Helen's way of coping was to throw herself into her work. When Michael eventually left - spurred on by more pictures in newspapers - it was Coronation Street that filled the gap.

"People cope with trauma in all sorts of ways. My way was to work my way through it. During that year, I didn't tell anyone what was happening. My best friend knew - but that was it. I didn't even tell my own father. "Work kept me going. Having a reason to get up in the morning is what keeps you sane. You can't burst into tears on the set - people are depending on you. When I did my crying it was in the dressing room, alone. "When the second lot of pictures appeared in the papers we couldn't keep up the charade any longer and Michael went for good. "That was so hard for me but the people at work were brilliant. They closed ranks and protected me. The Street is fantastic at doing that. No-one made a fuss - they just let me know they were there if I needed anything. "I will always be grateful to them for that."

HER family also rallied round. Helen's brother Neville, who is three years her senior, was immediately at her side. "He was wonderful," she says. "I've always adored him, but he really came into is own when I was in trouble."

Cracks had begun to appear in the marriage several years earlier, but Helen, confident that the relationship was indestructible, thought it was a temporary blip. "Looking back I knew Michael was unhappy," she reveals. "He had told me he wasn't happy. With hindsight, I had had every warning. "The problem was that we were both busy people. This industry is so hard on relationships. It puts you under enormous pressure. "Michael was working more and more in London while I was filming in Manchester. It was that old cliche - we became like ships passing in the night.

"Sometimes we didn't even manage to see each other at weekends. We had different interests. I suppose it just became easy to lead separate lives. "In the early days we had made superhuman efforts to do things together. We were always in the car, driving up or down the country. It's silly, perhaps, but I thought we could weather anything. "But I don't blame Michael. I was as much to blame as him."

How? She sighs and thinks hard. "I guess I took my eye off the ball," she says. "I was happy to let things coast along. I've always sailed through life thinking things will work themselves out. I suppose this was a hard lesson."

The pair met when they were both out-of-work actors. Michael had nowhere to stay in London and Helen offered him the sofa in her flat. "He was the most amazing man I had ever met. He was the best," she remembers, her face breaking into a huge smile. "We started off as friends - for a long time there was nothing else in it. We just had a great time together. We liked the same things and thought along the same lines.

A kiss in the park changed everything between them. Almost immediately, Helen realised she was in love. "I'd never felt like that about anyone before and it was wonderful," she remembers. "Boyfriends had never really been a big issue, but Michael was different. I felt safe with him and we were just brilliant together."

For 18 years, the couple lived together, travelled the world together and laughed together. And as their relationship progressed, so their careers took off. Helen landed a role in Coronation Street, and went on to establish herself as a key member of the cast. Meanwhile, Michael worked in both TV and the theatre, and became best known for his roles in The Liver Birds and The Boys From The Blackstuff.

It wasn't until 1991 that the couple finally decided to get married. "It wasn't a big deal," recalls Helen. "We had already made our commitment. We'd been together for so long that marriage wasn't an issue. "But Michael booked the register office and sorted everything out. I was absolutely thrilled."

THEIR wedding day was - and remains - the happiest day of her life. It was a low-key affair with friends and close relatives. "I know lots of women would think differently, but I refuse to let what has happened since spoil my memories. It was the best day. The absolute tops. I was so happy - I had Michael there, and all my friends around me. It was really special. Nothing can take that away."

Today, she still regards her relationship with Michael as one of the great achievements of her life. "People talk about my marriage having failed - but I don't see it as a failure. How can you call a wonderful 21- year relationship a failure?"

She and Michael are good friends who often meet up for lunch. "When we meet we can remember the good times again," she says. "I've come to realise that being on your own isn't the worst thing in the world. In fact, I rather like it. "It's nice that I don't have to worry about rushing home for someone else. I can book the holiday I want. I can go away for the weekend on the spur of the moment. I can sit on the sofa eating Chunky KitKats all night if I want. "This whole process has made me realise how much women spend their lives worrying about other people. "Now I am having some 'me' time."

Ask her about her feelings of betrayal and she insists those days are gone. She refuses to play the role of the wronged wife, insisting that Michael wasn't completely to blame for the break up. "He was vilified in the press," she remembers. "He was called a love rat and a cheat. But he wasn't. That's not how it was, things are never that easy. He just met someone who made him happier than I could. It wasn't a crime. It was just desperately sad. "I know now that Michael suffered as much as I did. He still loved me when he left. It tore him apart that he was hurting me. He would never willingly have caused me pain. He is the gentlest man I know."

Even more remarkably, perhaps, is that she bears no animosity towards the woman who took her place. "Once, it might have been difficult, but now I think I could maybe even meet her," she reveals. "It wasn't her fault. She met someone and fell in love. She did what she felt she had to do. "The important thing is that we have all come through this. The world didn't end. People survive. Sometimes, we even learn to smile again."

Corrie Chris furious at DJ's "racist" jibe
11 March 2001
HUNKY Coronation Street star CHRIS BISSON has been left speechless by a racial slur in a recorded interview. Chris, who plays cab firm boss Vikram Desai, afterwards slammed the bad- taste joke by GWR radio host ANDY STYLES.

The DJ asked him: "What was the biggest shock of your life? Was it when you looked in the mirror and realised you were Asian?" Angry Chris, 25 said: "That has to count as the most stupid interview of my life. I just don't know what point he was trying to make. If it was a joke then it just wasn't funny. It was an idiotic comment. "That radio station has a lot of Asian listeners. Didn't he realise they would be insulted? I was."

The interview was intended to promote Chris's hit movie East Is East, which took a humorous look at Asian traditions. But embarrassed station bosses pulled the plug and it was not broadcast.

A spokesman for GWR said this week: "It was a joke that went wrong. The presenter apologised as soon as he realised he had inadvertantly been offensive." A pal of Chris's said: "The air would have gone blue if it was broadcast."

Tyrone has the power
11 March 2001

ALAN HALSALL, Tyrone Dobbs in Corrie, is relieved the writers have finally let him lose his cherry.

He says: "I took loads of stick for playing a virgin. Now I get shouts of, 'Oi superstud, give her one for me'. That's fine...except when I'm out with my real girlfriend!"

Helen Worth - My Story
10 March 2001

The Street's Helen Worth breaks a 26-year silence to lift the lid on the astonishing private life of one of Britain's biggest TV stars

CORONATION Street star Helen Worth today speaks for the first time about her amazing private life. The actress breaks a 26-year silence to tell the story behind her rise to the top. Helen, who turned 50 last month, has always refused to talk about the real person behind her Street character Gail Platt. But now she candidly reveals the traumatic events that shaped her life.

Helen tells how her husband left her after 21 years. And she speaks of the devastation she felt when her mother was killed by a car when Helen was just 20. She said: "It is time to put the record straight and tell my story exactly as it is. "Now I have got to 50, and survived the ups and downs, I realise I'm a survivor. Perhaps my story will help others believe they can be too."

I'm 50, A Survivor and Not a Bit Like Gail

IT'S HARD to say which comes as more of a shock: The laugh, the legs, the cleavage, or the ease with which she arranges herself on the floor and poses for the camera. Helen Worth is in her element. And for good reason. For the first time in her 26-year Coronation Street career, the actress is playing herself in front of the lens.

Until today, Helen - who has just celebrated her 50th birthday - was Britain's most private television star, a woman determined to hide behind Gail, the dowdy screen character who made her famous. "I think this might surprise a few people," admits the petite actress as she climbs on to a bed and hitches her scarlet skirt around her, revealing legs a woman half her age would die for.

She gyrates her tiny hips. She runs her fingers through her hair. She wonders aloud if this is the sort of thing a 50-year-old woman should be doing - then decides that it is. You can hear her hoots of laughter right down the hallway of the Manchester hotel. You wouldn't be able to tell from the aplomb with which she carries herself, but this is her first ever newspaper photoshoot as Helen, rather than Gail. And tellingly, there isn't a shapeless cardigan, or trademark scowl, in sight. Instead, Helen's hair is coiffed into an elegant, yet fashionable, style. Her dress is size eight and her lips are the brightest red.

When celebrity photographer Sven Arnstein asks her to pose for some shots outside, she is delighted to oblige. As Helen picks her way across the cobbles in five-inch heels, all wiggle and infectious giggle, it is hard to believe that this is the woman once dubbed a "recluse". In fact, she and her exposed tummy cause quite a commotion. Passers-by stand and stare. The hotel porter looks, and looks again, then asks a colleague: "Was that Gail?" The answer is a resounding no.

The minute this perfectly-groomed woman opens her mouth you know that she and Gail live in different worlds. Her clipped tones, as she asks for peppermint tea, of all things, betray little evidence of her Lancashire roots. Gail Platt might be mumsy and much-maligned - but Helen Worth is anything but.

A fitness addict with her own personal trainer, her wardrobe is bursting with Ralph Lauren and Gucci, her passion is theatre and her favourite restaurant is The Ivy, the smart London eaterie beloved by the stars. When she talks, it is of architecture and world travel rather than the price of carrots in the corner shop. "My world isn't exactly Weatherfield," she laughs. "I have to say that I do like the fine things in life, and I'm now at an age where I can finally enjoy them without feeling guilty about it."

Next week, in her first-ever interview about her private life, Helen will finally tell the story of how she became one of Britain's best loved actresses. In a moving and inspirational series, she will reveal the joys and heartache behind one of the longest soap careers in the country. And it has been a life as full of drama as her on-screen existence.

Helen will tell of the slow and painful collapse of her marriage to actor Michael Angelis, a union thought to be one of the strongest in showbiz. She will reveal her heartbreak over the death of her mother, mown down by a car when Helen was just 20. And she will talk of the backstage dramas of over a quarter of a century on the Street. "It is time to put the record straight," she says, explaining her decision to break the long silence. "Now that I have got to 50, and survived all the ups and downs on the way, I realise that I'm actually a survivor. "Perhaps my story will help others believe they can be too."

Groomed for the stage from the age of three, Helen admits that she had an unconventional childhood. By the age of 12, she was living in London, 400 miles from her mum and dad, and supporting herself. She was barely out of her teens when Helen lost the mother who had steered her path into the world of showbiz. Gladys Wigglesworth died just before her own 50th birthday when she was knocked down by a car while out walking the family dog. She never saw her daughter land the television role that would change her life.

Helen was 24 when she landed the role of Gail Potter. She was young and naive when legendary figures like Vi Carson, Doris Speed and Pat Phoenix came into her life, becoming like a second family to her. Coronation Street has never been just a job to Helen Worth. It also filled a huge gap in more recent years, when Helen's husband - and partner of 21 years - left her after a highly-publicised affair.

It has taken three years for Helen to adjust to the reality of being a single woman again. She talks of those dark days with astonishing candour. "So many women define themselves by their relationship with a man," she reveals. "It took me a long time to realise that I could be happy on my own. "A lot of women go through difficult times like this, and now I can understand why some of them go under. That period of my life was the most unhappy time I have known. At the time, I couldn't see any way out."

Next week Helen will talk about the moment her husband Michael sat her down and told her he was having an affair - and her struggle to rebuild her life after he walked out of her life. "I want to tell everyone that no matter what you go through, you can survive. You can even be happy again. "I am 50, I am single and I have never been happier. And I want to shout it from the rooftops."

Street Fighting Man
10 March 2001

Chris Gascoyne took a deep breath and went up to the door of the Coronation Street studio. Through the window he could see all the familiar faces he'd grown up with. Feeling overawed he felt like turning around and walking away again, but he couldn't. He'd just landed the part of Peter Barlow, Ken's estranged son, and was the new star of the Street.

"I turned to the security guy on the door and said, `There's no way I can go in there'," recalls Chris. "The entire cast was there for a photo shoot to mark the show's 40th anniversary. I walked in and went bright red. We all had to get in a line, posing with a champagne glass, and I could see everyone looking, thinking, `Who the hell is the little bloke on the end'?"

Joining the cast was a baptism of fire for Chris, whose TV debut was in the first Adrian Mole series and who has since appeared in Soldier, Soldier and The Locksmith. Not only was he to play most of his scenes opposite Street stalwart William Roache, but his first appearance was on the live episode on December 9, 2000, watched by a record-breaking 18 million viewers.

"I had about ten minutes of euphoria when my agent told me I'd got the part," says Chris, 33. "I was signing on at the time and was like, `Wow, I can pay my tax bill'! Then I rang my mum who was chuffed because Corrie's her favourite programme. And then I spent the whole night not being able to sleep, worrying about the live episode. "I just wasn't sure I could do it. We had five days to rehearse and then the cameras were rolling. I actually forgot one of my lines. My brain went completely blank. I don't think anyone  noticed, but I still can't bear to watch it."

Chris must be doing something right. Since joining the soap as drunken womaniser Peter, prone to brawling in the Rovers, he is now the pivot of one of its strongest storylines.

After years of being estranged from dad Ken, Peter turned up on his doorstep having quit the Navy. He caused friction between Ken and Deirdre, then in a drunken moment blurted out that his sister Susan had a secret 12- year-old boy called Adam. When Mike Baldwin discovered he has another son he tracked Adam and Susan down to Glasgow. She tried to flee to Ireland but was killed in a car crash, leaving Peter feeling guilty and drowning his sorrows over her death, and sparking a nasty custody battle over Adam between grandad Barlow and dad Baldwin.

It's dramatic stuff, and Chris's achievement is all the more remarkable because he has overcome dyslexia. "It wasn't really recognised when I was a kid," he shrugs. "I still have problems with dyslexia, but I don't let it bother me. It came out when a teacher at drama school asked me to read a play in front of the class. I was nervous, started sweating and as I stumbled over the words he spotted it. He said, `Chris, you're dyslexic, but it has nothing to do with your acting so don't worry about it'. I felt such relief to know what it was.

"I wasn't as open about it when I first finished drama school and I probably lost a few jobs trying to blag my way through auditions. Now I'm more open about being dyslexic. If anything, it's helped me become an actor because it made me stop wanting to be academic and encouraged me to use my imagination instead. And look where it's got me - Coronation Street."

It's certainly a long way from the Nottinghamshire mining village of Huthwaite where he was raised by his father Derek, a florist, and mum Marian.

"It was a rough place. I can't think of many days when I wasn't in a fight," he says. "But there was that sense of community spirit, of neighbours looking out for one another. I remember the Miners' Strike of '84 and the pit closures. We weren't affected too badly, but it did take the heart out of the place."

Being dyslexic, Chris found school a nightmare. He would skive off or mess about in lessons to get himself sent out of the classroom. Fortunately his drama teacher, Alan Tipton,  saw something in Chris and encouraged him to take part in school plays.

"I remember thinking, `I can do this. I've found something that fits me'," says Chris. "Learning the lines took some doing, though. Mum used to test me and I'd have to think of the words in pictures, what they meant. I still think in pictures now when I'm learning my lines for Coronation Street."

He got his first big break at 16, when casting directors visited his youth theatre scouting for a bullying Barry Kent for the 1980s Adrian Mole series. But his experience of child fame left him disillusioned with acting as a profession and uncomfortable with fame. For the next four years he drifted along until he gradually realised how much he missed acting and decided to take it seriously.

He spent three years training at London's prestigious Central School Of Speech And Drama, and between auditions took low paid jobs, including earning £1.70 an hour delivering pizzas. For a year he lived on a barge on the Thames with two friends. "It sounds romantic, but it was horrible - damp and so cold in the winter," he says. "We were all out of work and used to sit there in pants and vest, smoking and not saying anything for hours. I was glad to get off when it started to sink."

Luckily, Soldier, Soldier put him on the map. He played lady-killer squaddie Tony Rossi from September 1997 until the series ended three months later - while simultaneously appearing in The Locksmith with Warren Clarke - and it turned Chris into a heartthrob overnight. "My mates thought it was hysterical because I'm not a womaniser at all," he says. "That is definitely a gift I've never had, though not from want of trying."

Well, he can't be doing too badly having been with girlfriend Caroline Harding, who starred in the BBC1 series Fish, for seven months. They were introduced by a friend at a comedy club, although it took Chris three weeks to pluck up the courage to ask her out. Today, with Caroline living in Brighton and Chris relocated to Manchester, they snatch weekends together when they can.

"Distance just makes you miss someone as opposed to causing problems," he says with a shrug. But is it serious? "Yes. I mean, you never know. I hope so. Seeing my parents so happily married makes me think I'd like what they had," he says. "I'm close to both of them, particularly my dad. He died two years ago and I still miss him. He was proud of me, I think. He never said it, but I'm sure he was. He saw me in Soldier, Soldier and always used to record it. He loved Coronation Street. He'd have been so happy to know I was in it now. Maybe he does... "I definitely want to be a dad. I want to take my kids to the Goose Fair and rediscover all the things I used to love doing. Just normal stuff, nothing more. They're the best things in life. Which are also the hardest to get."

If Chris's career and determination to act is anything to go by, it shouldn't be too long before the rest falls into place.

Census data stranger than fiction
10 March 2001
A 200th anniversary study of Britain's census data has thrown up some uncanny links between fiction and reality. In 1871 London boasted a real life Albert Square - but it was a haunt of "prostitutes, sailors and brothel keepers" that makes the soap square look positively genteel.

In 1861 Mrs E. Sharples was a cotton mill worker living at 2 Coronation Street in Manchester. There was a Rover's Return beerhouse, too - but in a different part of Manchester.

A Granada spokesman described the discovery as "an amazing co-incidence. "I don't think the show's creator Tony Warren had any of this in mind when he was writing the first shows in 1960," he said.

London's Albert Square - long-demolished - was close to the Shadwell basin in East London. The census of 1871 shows that about 60 of the residents were "fallen women" and five of its 16 houses were actually brothels. There was no Queen Vic pub - but there was a Victoria Lodge which was home to eight prostitutes and a couple of sailors.

Genealogist Audrey Collins, who carried out the research for census-takers the Office of National Statistics, described the place a "a bit of a rough neighbourhood". "Phil Mitchell may not have been shot in the 19th century Albert Square but I think he stood a good chance of being stabbed."

Researchers from the ONS are making preparations for the latest ten-yearly census, due to start on 29 April. The first British census took place in 1801, in part because of concerns about demographer Thomas Malthus' theories, which suggested that Britain's population might outstrip its food supply.

And look out for a Corrie favourite becoming one of this year's census enumerators.... I wonder who that could be ? Graham

Corrie star's a saucy sausage
9 March 2001 by John Mahoney

CORRIE star John Savident had GMTV viewers in stitches with a string of saucy quips. Joker John - who plays butcher Fred Elliott - revealed women fans write to him saying they "would like my sausage between their chops".

Blushing host Lorraine Kelly went into fits of giglgles and told the 62-year-old - whose character is famed for his catchphrase "I say": "Your naughty comments will have us taken off the air!" He then cheekily claimed he "didn't understand" what the lewd letters meant. But John - a member of the British Sausage Appreciation Society - had Lorraine giggling again when he added: "A good sausage must be as thick as a barge hook with very little shrinkage."

His saucy antics show he has recovered from the stabbing ordeal at his Manchester flat last December when a man knifed him in the throat.

His Street co-star Sean Wilson also joined in the morning fun. Sean, who plays Weatherfield's love rat nurse Martin Platt, suggested a scene from the hit soap showed Fred Elliot performing a sex act. He said: "It was you and a sausage in a double-hander." The pair then burst into fits of laughter.

John also revealed he was getting sick of fans yelling his trademark catchphrase when they see him in public. The star groaned: "They think it's the first time I've heard it, bless them, but they say it again and again. They also ask for chops a lot."

A GMTV insider admitted yesterday: "The conversation was getting a bit fruity, which to be honest we didn't expect from these two. "But they were only having a laugh. "Nobody was offended and Lorraine thought they were a class act."

And a close friend of John's added: "He's got a really great sense of humour. "If you ever get him on the subject of meat, especially sausages, he's well away and there's no stopping him."

Maxine's baby blues strike a chord
9 March 2001 by Jonathan Donald

Corrie star Tracy Shaw has been deluged with letters from women who face similar fertility problems to her character, Maxine Peacock. Hairdresser Maxine has been driven to tears through her failure to conceive with husband Ashley (Steven Arnold). Shaw, 27, said: "I've been receiving a lot of letters from women going through this. They're pleased that we're doing this storyline. A lot of women do have problems."

The desperate couple, who wed in 1999, have given up alcohol and taken up a strict vegetarian diet - despite Ashley being a butcher. Ashley has also recently got himself into a compromising situation with neighbour, Charlie Ramsden. She saw him exposing himself in the garden to lower his body temperature.

Shaw says she would like to have children herself with fiance Robert Ashworth, who's a TV director. She said: "I'd like to have a baby if I can but Robert and I haven't made any firm plans yet. He says he is never going to change nappies. I'll have to change that before we have a family of our own."

Airport gun scare for Street's Sally
9 March 2001
CORONATION Street star Sally Whittaker was nearly arrested on holiday - because son Sam packed his toy gun. She was only able to relax when customs officers discovered it was an imitation. Sally, who plays Sally Webster, suffered the scare when they jetted off to Barbados for a two-week winter break. She didn't see Sam, three, shove the toy pistol in his rucksack.

Sally, 38, said yesterday: "The first I knew was when security at Barbados took the bag away. "I was absolutely mortfied, but the officials were really good about it. "They obviously realised it was Sam's. "But they told us they would have to confiscate the gun for the return flight."

Sally, from Bowdon, Cheshire, flew out to the plush Almond Beach Resort with scriptwriter husband Tim, Sam and daughter Phoebe, five. She is now set for a busy filming schedule. Her screen character is torn between new man Danny and ex-husband Kevin, who she still carries a torch for!

Corrie's Deirdre told to change her specs
7 March 2001

Coronation Street's Deirdre Rachid has been told to change her specs. Style experts say her large owl-shaped glasses are out of fashion and need to be updated.

A Manchester optician says he even uses the soap character as an example to customers of how their new glasses won't look. "If you went to most opticians in Britain today you would struggle to find a pair like Deirdre wears," he told the Express. "They are almost a novelty item."

Actress Anne Kirkbride has worn the same style of glasses in the soap for 28 years. They were all the rage when she joined the show in 1972. But a Granada spokeswoman told Ananova the soap had no plans to change them. "Everyone knows those glasses are Deirdre's trademark," she said.

US Corrie fans frantic to see 5,000th episode
7 March 2001 by Jonathan Donald

A US couple who've become devoted fans of Coronation Street are distraught at having to miss the 5,000th episode. TV history will be made on Sunday when the soap is screened - but Gail and Peter Drake, both 50, of Troutdale, Oregon, won't be among the audience.

Gail told TV Plus: "Wow - that many episodes is just something else. "We're pulling teeth because we don't have the technology to see it. We've just got to figure something out. "We became hooked about six years ago," said Gail, who runs an internet company with her husband. "It's mostly the characters are so loveable. There's also something more wholesome about it than US soaps. "It's not smutty, not a lot of bad language, everyone seems to look out for each other and it's so funny."

Vera Duckworth is the favourite Corrie character of the devoted fans. Gail said: "Vera, bless her heart, she's just so real and has this great sense of humour."

But the couple admit to sometimes being bamboozled by the language used by the people of Weatherfield. "Fred Elliot is so funny but at times we just don't understand him," said Gail. "And what are mushy peas?"

The couple, whose home is crammed with Corrie magazines and books, say their ambition is to visit the set. "It'll cost about $2,500 (£2,000) for a new satellite dish, and even then the channel that shows it is three months behind," said Gail. "I fear we'll just have to miss it."

Lee relishes life after Jez
7 March 2001 by Derek Robins

Life couldn't be better for Lee Boardman six months after his Corrie character Jez Quigley was killed off. Lee, 28, weds his 22-year-old fiancee Jenny James, who plays Corrie barmaid Geena, in May after a whirlwind romance. And his career is going from strength to strength as well: he's just filmed a guest role in The Bill; his movie POV has won critical acclaim in America; and he has several other movie projects on the boil.

Lee and Jenny fell in love working on the Corrie set last year and Lee proposed in July in a rose-filled hotel room. He said: "We're getting married in Cheshire - we live in Manchester since Jenny is in Corrie for the foreseeable future. "We'll have a champagne reception at a posh hotel and then a long honeymoon as we've both been working hard."

Corrie fans will be relieved to know that Lee is a gentle soul compared to his evil alter ego Jez Quigley. Jez's idea of romance was to kidnap Leanne Battersby after wooing her with flowers and jewellery. Lee couldn't be more different. He says he first realised fiancee Jenny James was the woman for him when he cared for her after she was struck down with food poisoning on a trip to the Lake District.

Viewers will see this gentle side when Lee cradles a baby in a forthcoming episode of ITV's The Bill. Lee, who one day wants kids, plays an ex-drug dealer who's also a doting dad in a story to be shown in July. He said: "One minute the character is volatile, the next, a gentle dad. Nursing a nine-week-old baby made me momentarily broody."

Lee thought Corrie fans wouldn't recognise him as bad boy Jez after he was killed off in September, but he was wrong. He said: "I've grown back Jez's trademark shaved eyebrow and I've got a crew cut and stubble rather than a beard but it hasn't worked. "Recognition happens on a daily basis even when I'm wearing a baseball cap, scarf and dark glasses. But I don't get fed up with being recognised - it's a sign you're doing well."

Lee thinks it was a "brave decision" to quit Corrie but he doesn't regret it. Lee, whose character Jez died as he tried to kill Steve McDonald in his hospital bed, said: "I was determined not to stay - I didn't want to go back to Corrie year after year. "I got offered every psycho role going after Jez but I want to do lots of different things and I think I'm beginning to achieve that."

The ex-Corrie villain looks set for film fame. POV, a movie about a supermarket documentary, has gone down a storm in New York. He said: "It's meant to be a film about a man with cancer but a film-maker decides he wants to spice it up with the staff having live sex. "Later this year I'm making a film, The Goddess And The Bouncer, with Emily Woof. I'm the wimpish brother of a Scouse bouncer who wants to impress Emily's character."

Lee also hopes he'll hit the bullseye with a film about darts that his company, 15\ Productions, is making. He said: "It's called 180, a Spinal Tap-style spoof documentary about the world of darts. I'm a darts player called Jack Russell - based on a guy I knew as a student. "Darts is the new rock 'n' roll and I've been practising my throwing for the past four months - I've got my average score up to 100."

TV role for Curly's girl
7 March 2001

THE wife of Coronation Street's Kevin Kennedy is to become a TV presenter.

Clare Kennedy, 29, will host Girls' Night In on health channel Wellbeing. She will tell how she helped Kevin, the Street's Curly Watts, win his fight against alcoholism - and ask couples to test out condoms. An insider said: "Clare's frank and brave and has what it takes to tackle all sorts of issues head on."

Jokers saved Janice
7 March 2001 by John Mahoney

CORONATION Street's Vicky Entwistle told yesterday of the studio pranks that made her smile again after her arrest for "butting" a skinhead. And she thanked pal Tracy Shaw for organising the jokes that cheered her up.

Nervous Vicky, who is nothing like her loudmouth character Janice Battersby, was concerned about how the top soap's cast would react to her grilling by cops over her alleged attack on the burly bloke a foot taller than her. But terrific Tracy - adored by millions as sexy Maxine Peacock - made sure she got back her sense of humour quickly by egging on Street mates to lighten her mood. Within seconds of downcast Vicky returning from her ordeal and walking on to the set next day, police sirens began wailing and sound technicians played The Bill theme over the tannoy. Then the props department handed 32year-old five-footer Vicky a jewellery box with a pair of handcuffs inside! And she couldn't help but burst out laughing - thanks to Tracy.

Vicky opened her heart for the first time after returning from holiday in Jamaica to discover police won't be charging her with assault on Robert Hall. The 40-year-old told cops that the £74,000-a-year star had chinned him - causing cuts and bruises to his face - when the pair clashed late at night in Manchester's Gay Village. The pint-sized actress insisted it was just an innocent knock of heads which sparked his injuries 200 yards from her apartment.

But now Vicky is pondering whether to abandon city centre life and return to her rural roots in the Lancashire countryside. She said: "Despite everyone on the Street giving me that boost, I feel very vulnerable. I'm considering if I should move back because this incident was very frightening. You look at things like Jill Dando and it makes you think ..." "I won't go out alone again and will be on constant guard everywhere."

Vicky, giving her version of January's events, added: "Because of the rough and ready character I play I feel a target - even though I can assure everyone I'd never dream of slapping anyone in my life. "This man was just out with some friends and I was walking home with my friend. I think he was excited to see somebody off the telly. "He charged and grabbed hold of me and was swinging me around - not meaning to frighten me, I'm sure. "But I did feel very threatened and tried to hide down behind my handbag - so that his head was right above my head. "When I realised he just wanted a cuddle, I lifted my head up - and we clashed. "He was hurt and I was upset for him. I was astonished when this allegation was brought against me. "After all, he'd apologised profusely for grabbing me!"

But, despite her worries about being hounded as a celebrity, Vicky has no plans to quit Corrie. She said: "I trained for eight years to be an actress and I'm not about to give up just for one silly incident."

Street star tells of headbutt 'nightmare'
7 March 2001
Coronation Street star Vicky Entwistle says she is considering moving to the countryside after she was accused of headbutting a fan following a night out. The actress, who plays Janice Battersby, says she was elated after the police decided to take no action against her following the allegations. But she says she had been left feeling very vulnerable after an evening out in Manchester turned into a "nightmare" for her.

Entwistle, 32, told a press conference at Manchester's Granada Studios that she took a 10-day break to Jamaica following the allegations but could not stop thinking about the claims. "I just feel elated that it's all over. It has been a nightmare ordeal for me and my family. Obviously I came back from holiday and found out from the Crown Prosecution Service that there were no charges which has been such a relief. "I felt like I had the whole world on my shoulders. I'm glad I had the opportunity to take off and spend some quiet time but also the thoughts of this were still in my mind constantly, I feel very vulnerable."

Entwistle, who lives in Manchester with prop hand boyfriend Andrew Chapman, said she was considering moving to the countryside in Lancashire, where she has been staying since her ordeal began. "I'm really considering whether to move back to the country or not," the actress said.

Entwistle, who is 5ft tall, was accused of head-butting 6ft phone helpline operator Robert Hall following a night out in Manchester's gay village in January. She was questioned by police and later released on police bail. Two weeks ago she heard that the allegations would not be pursued.

I pulled my hunky new Toyah boy in a club
4 March 2001

BESOTTED Coronation Street star Georgia Taylor told last night how she has fallen head over heels in love - with a man she chatted up in a nightclub. Georgia - who plays Rovers barmaid Toyah Battersby - was so smitten with hunky musician Mark Eyden that she broke all her normal rules and made the first move. And 10 months on, she is absolutely delighted that she did. For after a wonderful whirlwind romance she and Mark are living together and Georgia says she has never been so happy in her life.

As she gazes adoringly at Mark - who is a few months younger than her and so technically her toy boy - Georgia, 21, says: "He is the most gorgeous, fantastic man I have ever met. From the moment we first spoke I hoped it would be serious. "We got along so well that we thought of ourselves as a couple almost from the word go. It was as if we were meant to be."

When she met Mark, Georgia had been single for about nine months and wasn't particularly looking for her Mr Right. She says her fame had tended to attract men who were only interested in her because she was a star - so she was a little wary of getting involved with anyone and certainly never normally considered chatting a bloke up. But as soon as she saw Mark in a club in Stoke-on-Trent, all her normal doubts and reservations flew out the window.

Georgia says: "I was on a girlie night out with my best friend Nicole. I definitely wasn't looking to meet anyone. I was single and perfectly happy with it. "But I think it's absolutely true what people say - as soon as you stop looking the right person comes along. "I fancied Mark straight away. I remember saying to Nicole: 'He's the most beautiful man I've ever seen. See if you can find out if he's got a girlfriend.' "I've never been like that with anyone before. But to be honest, because I thought he was so gorgeous I assumed he was either going to be an idiot or arrogant. But he wasn't. He was great."

Mark, 20, who sings and plays guitar for a band called Marlo, also fancied Georgia, but because she was famous he didn't want to go up to her. He says: "I didn't want to say anything until I thought she was interested." Luckily, best friend Nicole was prepared to play the go-between and soon Mark and Georgia were chatting away like they had known each other for years. And when they got out on to the dance floor it was bold Georgia who made the first move. She says: "The first time we kissed was wonderful. The DJ was playing The Time Is Now by Moloko. I loved that song and I remember thinking: 'Perfect timing.' "Now I always ask Mark if I hadn't been the one to kiss him, would he have done it - and he doesn't think he would. "Because of Coronation Street, Mark was worried that I'd think he was talking to me for the wrong reasons. So I'm glad I decided to take the initiative."

The couple arranged to meet up the next night in Manchester - and it was obvious right from the start that they had something special. Georgia says: "From our first meeting I hoped it would be serious. I hoped Mark would turn out to be as lovely as he seemed. And he didn't let me down. "The more time we spent together, the more I liked him. "And when he told me he was a musician, I thought it was fantastic. I love the fact he's talented creatively."

But while it was Georgia who made the first move, Mark was the first to admit he was in love - just THREE WEEKS after they met. He says: "It was a bit premature, I do admit. But I was so convinced. It's been said before, but when it feels so right, you can't help but say it."

Georgia was shocked but overjoyed by his declaration of love. She says: "We were in a bar when he took me into a corner and said: 'Don't get freaked out, but I've just got to tell you that I love you.' "I was totally taken aback. I really felt the same, but I was frightened by just how quickly things were happening. But things have just got better and better."

Mark soon got the seal of approval from Georgia's Corrie friends - including Vicky Entwhistle who plays her screen mum Janice. "Vicky thinks he's great and that means a lot because she's always been honest and quite protective of me. If she thinks a man's taking the Mickey she'll be very straight."

The couple have become very close in a very short space of time, but Georgia says their relationship has never felt rushed. Things have moved along with a natuiral momentum all of its own. Just a few weeks ago she asked Mark to move into her flat in Manchester. She says: "It's been a really gradual thing. It just feels like our home now. "Although we joke about being old and married, we've no plans to get engaged just at the moment. "We're just having fun being together. I can't imagine being without Mark. He has made me the happiest I've ever been."

After her TV wedding woes, street Sally takes the plunge
4 March 2001
CORONATION Street star Sally Whittaker washes away her on-screen wedding blues...with an unplanned soaking in Barbados. While her character, miserable Sally Webster, would seem more at home on a wet weekend in Whitby, actress Sally Whittaker was soaking up the sun on a Caribbean holiday with husband Tom Dyneveor and children Phoebe, four and Sam, two.

Back in Weatherfield, Sally is having second thoughts about marrying shopkeeper Danny, because she still has the hots for her ex, Kevin. But Sally, 38, left her screen alter ego's woes back in chilly Britain as she went water-skiing in a turquoise one-piece swimsuit. And it all seemed to be going swimmingly, until the speedboat picked up speed and Sally overbalanced, losing control of her skis. Fortunately her blushes were saved by the cloud of spray.

Corrie kid's a mini me jokes dad
4 March 2001
THE husband of ex-Corrie star Denise Welch visited his wife in hospital after the birth of their son and said: "Poor b****r - he looks just like me!"

Actor Tim Healey, 50, was speaking for the first time since Denise, 43, who played Rovers landlady Natalie, gave birth to 7lb 3oz Louis on Friday. Tim, who starred in TV's hilarious Auf Weidersehen Pet, told the Sunday People: "He is my absolute double - poor b****r. He's just a mini version of his dad. But he's a right little cracker."Unshaven and carrying a Selfridges bag containing "a few bits and bobs" for Denise, Tim arrived at Manchester's Hope Hospital early yesterday.

He then revealed that little Louis, the couple's second child, had been keeping everyone awake. "He's been making a lot of noise in the ward," said Tim. "He's obviously very healthy and has a good pair of lungs." Denise quit Coronation Street when her pregnancy made it impossible to continue with the rigourous demands of filming - but producers have not ruled out a dramatic return.

Why Eastender Billy is Right Up My Street
3 March 2001 by Rebecca Fletcher

Angela Lonsdale on how the support of friend Perry Fenwick, through thick and thin, has ended in them becoming rival soap stars and falling in love. Four years ago Angela Lonsdale and her good friend Perry Fenwick were sat in their local, drowning their sorrows. As struggling actors with no job prospects on the horizon, both were feeling a bit low. Until Angela suddenly slapped Perry on the knee and said, "You know what? None of this matters, because one day you'll be in EastEnders and I'll be in Coronation Street!"

If Angela had known what a prophet she'd prove to be, the pair would probably have celebrated with a bag of peanuts. For not only is she now dominating the Street's storylines as policewoman Emma Watts, but Perry's career is also riding high, thanks to his role as EastEnders' Billy Mitchell.

On top of that, the pair have since become an item after realising their feelings ran much deeper than just friendship. "People might think it's strange that we're both in two of the top soaps in the country, but it's not to me," laughs Angela. "We were mates long before we started going out together. "We used to go down to our local, The Red Lion in Islington, North London for drinks together. We were sat there, neither of us were working so we felt a bit down, and I remember telling him not to worry because he'd be on EastEnders and I'd be on Corrie. I swear to God I said that, and it happened."

Angela is bright, bubbly and fizzing with energy, and it's clear the 31-year-old has everything she wished for. Dressed in jeans that hug her tiny waist, the star emblazoned on her pink top pretty much sums up the impact she's made on Corrie since joining the cast 12 months ago. She found herself slap-bang in the middle of major storylines, including her romance with Curly and taking control of an armed siege in Freshcos. And Angela will be taking centre stage again in an hour-long special a week on Sunday, marking Coronation Street's 5,000th episode. The verdict from the inquest into the siege where Emma shot Linda Sykes's brother, brings with it another tense and terrifying situation.

"It's getting dangerous being in the Street," laughs Angela. "Seriously though, it's an honour to be the focus of the 5,000th episode, it just keeps getting better. Often as an actress you're just someone's sister or girlfriend, but I've had action storylines from the word go."

Not to mention her high-profile wedding to Curly Watts, played by Kevin Kennedy, watched by 15million viewers at Christmas. "That was mind-blowing, too. I've never worn a wedding dress or walked down the aisle, so it felt like I was getting married in a way. I went on holiday to Jamaica with Perry over Christmas, so I missed seeing it on TV. And as I got off the plane home, all the air hostesses were going, 'Ooh, congratulations!' I was like, 'Oh God, everyone thinks I got married in Jamaica!'"

The role didn't come easily to Angela. It was something she fought for, despite a series of setbacks. Against the advice of sneering careers' advisers, drama schools who rejected her and casting directors who turned her down, she began a campaign to get into her favourite soap. "I've never told anyone this before," she confides, "but I wrote to Coronation Street 12 years ago, begging to be in it. I even suggested a storyline. I was doing a play at Newcastle Playhouse and I sat down with the secretary and the cleaner, who both loved Corrie too, and came up with a storyline. "I was to be a teacher at Ken's school and have an affair with him that doesn't work out. Then I'd have an affair with Mike to keep the rivalry going, and then we'd find out I was Alma's long-lost daughter. I got a letter back saying they were too busy to see me, but had I ever thought of being a storyline writer? It was hysterical."

Undeterred, Angela went to a series of auditions, including going for the barmaid's role, Sam, which eventually went to Tina Hobley. Then her close friend Denise Welch, the former Rovers landlady Natalie Barnes, stepped in. "We've been mates since I did my first play with her and Robson Green in the North East," says Angela. "We were like the Geordie mafia, always running into each other."

Denise suggested Angela when Corrie bosses were looking for someone to play her sister Debs, but the part went to Gabrielle Glaister. "I was just about to be interviewed when Gabby walked in the door and sat on the sofa next to me," says Angela. "I looked at her and thought, 'She'll get it'. You instinctively know these things at auditions. "It was two weeks before Christmas and I was up for three really good TV jobs - Coronation Street and two drama serials. I remember my agent ringing to tell me I hadn't got Corrie and then saying I hadn't got the others either. I thought, 'That's it, I'm never going to get another job', and thought about quitting.

1999 was a quiet year - I'd done an advert which kept me afloat financially, but artistically I was frustrated. I was fed up and had had enough of rejection. "It was my lowest point, but two weeks later my agent rang back. I thought she was ringing about a tax bill or something awful, so I jokingly said, 'Have you got a great job for me, then?' She said, 'I have actually. Coronation Street want to know if you'd possibly be interested in playing a policewoman who's Curly's girlfriend?' My mouth just fell open. "I was staying with my friend, actress Melanie Hill, and I told her, put my hand over the mouthpiece and we both screamed. The best thing was ringing my Uncle Lonnie - who's 84 and was in hospital. He always told me to aim for Corrie. Never mind that I'd performed at the Royal Court, he always said, 'No, it's Coronation Street you want to get on, my girl'. I knew he'd have to get out of bed to get to the phone, but I had to. It was the best news. He was so emotional."

As was Perry, who had been a rock to Angela throughout all her knockbacks. "He'd already got EastEnders. He'd started in it while I wasn't working," she says. "He was so pleased when I told him I'd got the job. We had a big celebration." The couple met more than five years ago through a mutual pal, but it wasn't until two years ago that they finally got together. So is there any friendly banter between them about being on rival soaps? "Nah, not at all," laughs Angela. Not even when her wedding to Curly won the Christmas ratings battle with Albert Square? "We didn't talk about it. In fact, we hardly ever talk about work. And certainly not ratings if we haven't seen each other all week."

For someone who hasn't been on the show long, Angela's proving a big hit with viewers. "If you're associated with a character that's as popular as Curly, you're halfway there," she says modestly. "I knew I was on to a winner when Liz Dawn, who plays Vera, gave me her approval. On the set on my first day, Liz asked who I was playing. I said, 'Erm, I'm Curly's new girlfriend'. She tapped me on the knee and whispered, 'It's about time Curly had a nice girl like you'. I was over the moon! And Kevin and I get on so well. We hit it off from day one when we had to be lovey-dovey for a photo shoot. We hadn't even met, but all the hugging broke the ice. We discovered we share the same dirty sense of humour."

Others may have found it daunting to follow in the footsteps of Sarah Lancashire who broke Curly's heart when she left. Her much-loved character Raquel was always going to be a hard act to follow. "I was so overjoyed to get the part that I didn't even think about Sarah," says Angela. "And we couldn't be more different physically and as characters. Sarah was fantastic and it wouldn't have worked in a million years if I'd tried to be another Raquel. I wanted to be the exact opposite."

Even so, Angela hopes her career won't be that dissimilar to Sarah's, who since leaving the soap has rarely been off our screens. "Roll out that million-pound deal, I'll have some of that," she grins. "Sarah's proof that soaps can open doors for actors these days. There used to be a certain snobbery about the talent of acting in soaps - as if it wasn't as good - but I think that's changed. Actors do go on. Now if you leave a soap people will write a series around you. "I hope being on Coronation Street will open doors for me. Although I'm realistic about this business. I know you could leave a huge show like this and never be heard of again."

That's unlikely to happen to Angela given the hard work she's put in. Born in Cumbria, she moved around every two years because of her policeman father's job. "I was always the new girl and considered school a waste of time because I just wanted to leave to be an actress," she says. "Films like Kes and Letter To Brezhnev inspired me. Remember when the two girls are at the airport, with one leaving for a new life, and she asks the other, 'Why don't you come with me'? Her friend replies, 'Because things like that don't happen to girls from Kirby'. It really struck a chord with me because I was desperate to be an actress, but didn't think things like that could happen to a girl from Cumbria. "When I told my school careers' adviser I wanted to be an actress, he said, 'What do you really want to do?' and printed off a list of alternatives. I remember screwing it up as I left and thinking, 'I'll show you'. "My dad, bless him, drove me all around the country when I was 18, auditioning for drama schools and they all rejected me. It made me more determined."

Taking a job at an arts centre, Angela threw herself into theatre work and re-applied to Glasgow drama school. It was second time lucky. "It was the only one I wanted to go to because they'd treated me like a human being when I auditioned," she says. "The others had been like, 'Next!', that classic thing you see on the television. I saw Popstars recently and felt sick watching those wannabes get rejected. I cried for them because I knew exactly what it felt like."

After graduating, Angela landed various TV roles in Casualty, Peak Practice and Preston Front. But Coronation Street has made her a household name. So can we expect to see her propping up the bar in the Rovers for years to come? "I've trained myself not to think long-term, but I'd like to think it would be for a while. I'm very happy to stay," she says.

And she means it, having just bought a house in Manchester, near to the Granada studios. "Honestly, the street I've moved into is just like Coronation Street," she marvels. "There's a real community spirit. The kids have drawn me welcome cards and the neighbours often ask if they can do anything for me. I keep expecting someone to bring me an apple pie."

Her new home is having another unexpected effect on Angela, though. "It's got me feeling a bit broody," she jokes. "It's weird, it must be the nesting instinct I've got from moving in. That and a combination of my friends all having babies. Now is definitely not the time to have one career-wise, but whereas a few months ago I was never considering having babies, I'm now thinking, 'Who knows - another five years or so, maybe'."

Baby joy for Street's Natalie
2 March 2001

Former Coronation Street actress Denise Welch has given birth to a baby boy. The 42-year-old actress, who played Rovers Return owner Natalie Barnes, gave birth at a hospital in Salford, Greater Manchester. Her husband, actor Tim Healy, assisted in the birth. Both are said to be "over the moon".

The 7lb 3oz baby will be called Louis Vincent, after Welch's father. The couple have a 10-year-old son called Matthew, who is also said to be delighted at the new addition to the family.

Welch decided to leave Coronation Street before discovering that she was pregnant and made her last appearance on the show over the New Year. She is planning to return to work later this year and is currently considering a number of television offers. She will also be appearing in pantomime in Newcastle upon Tyne at Christmas.

Adam's pack on TV... just for a spot check
2 March 2001
SEXY Adam Rickitt packs a punch on screen when he joins BBC1's daytime soap Doctors. The actor, best known for playing Nick Tilsley in Coronation Street, flashes his super-fit physique when he takes his shirt off for a check-up. One insider said: "It was a joy to see Adam parading around the set. He can come back anytime."

Adam, 22, plays a holiday rep back home from his summer job in Israel. When his mum spots an unusual mole on his back, she sends him to the doctor, fearing skin cancer.

Adam quit Coronation Street two years ago and is currently on tour with the stage show Rent. He joined the cast after his bid to become a pop star failed. And while his six-pack stomach may have been a hit with the women on the set of Doctors, his taut muscles aren't there just to make him look good.

Adam said: "I've got dodgy shoulders. I dislocated them both and tore all the ligaments and tendons. The doctor told me I could either have them pinned together and walk around in a plaster cast or I could just work out. "Basically, the only thing holding my shoulders in their sockets are the muscles."

The new series of Doctors starts on Monday - the same day ITV relaunches Crossroads.

Man denies Street stabbing
28 February 2001
A man has pleaded not guilty to stabbing and robbing Coronation Street actor John Savident. Michael James Smith, 28, appeared before Manchester Crown Court accused of attacking Mr Savident, who plays butcher Fred Elliott in the soap.

Mr Smith, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Tameside, Greater Manchester, was charged with wounding the 62-year-old actor with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm. He is also charged with robbing Mr Savident of a wallet, credit cards, a designer watch, an invitation to a Coronation Street 40th anniversary dinner, silver money clip, £80 in cash, and house and car keys - worth a total of £1,500.

Mr Smith was remanded in custody by Judge Simon Fawcus until his trial on 19 June.

The Coronation Street star was released from Manchester Royal Infirmary in December, after being treated for two stab wounds to his neck and cuts and bruises following the incident at his flat near Granada TV studios in Manchester. The incident meant Mr Savident had to miss the live Coronation Street episode filmed to celebrate the soap's 40th anniversary.

Mr Savident has played the role of Fred Elliott since 1994. A former policeman in Manchester, he left the force in the early 60s. He has had a string of film and theatre roles during his 30-year career. In the early 90s he was set to play Robert Maxwell on stage until the production was scuppered by legal problems.

Save me from Deirdre
28 February 2001 by Laura Ells

CORONATION STREET star Jimmi Harkishin is worried about getting a new nickname. For he's very anxious about his fictional counterpart Dirty Dev becoming Dopey Dev.

His anxiety is linked to the soon-to-be-seen storyline where Deirdre Rachid stays with him after splitting with Ken. And that puts Dev's raunchy romance with Rovers Return sex bomb Geena Gregory - actress Jennifer James - in mortal peril. Worse than that, Jimmi, who shot to fame in the acclaimed movie East Is East, fears that Dev will end up falling for the much older woman, played by Anne Kirkbride.

A Street insider said: "Jimmi's worried about what is going to happen - because, like most of us, he does not know how this storyline is going to end. "He sees Dev and Deirdre as good friends and no more than that, even though Deirdre lusts after him. "He'd hate it if scriptwriters split Dev up with Geena in favour of a relationship with Ken Barlow's ex. "Viewers would think he'd gone mad."

And the production team member added: "He likes the Dirty Dev image. He'd dread it if fans started calling him Dopey Dev because of an unlikely romance with Deirdre."

Corrie star to appear in The Bill
27 February 2001
Coronation Street's Lee Boardman is to star in an episode of the Bill. The actor, better known as the soap's Jez Quigley, will play an ex-villain in the ITV show.

It is his first TV role since leaving Coronation Street six months ago. "Since I left Corrie I've just had 'rent-a-psycho' scripts," he told the TV Times. "They were just so samey."

Lee is getting married to Coronation Street actress Jennifer James in May. "It's chaotic," he adds. "We're trying to organise the wedding and I'm away every five minutes. "The time off after the wedding will be sacrosanct."

Bosses blast for Corrie writers
27 February 2001

CORONATION Street scriptwriters have been told: "Pull your socks up." ITV chiefs have sent them back to the drawing board after blasting their stories as just not good enough.

The decision has sent shockwaves around the production team at the top- rated soap. A source said last night: "To be hauled over the coals like this is scary. "It has happened before under older regimes but that doesn't make it any easier to swallow. "There are a few twitchy people about. They know who they are and what they have to do to redeem themselves. The pressure is on."

Granada's director of programmes, Grant Mansfield, is thought to be the man behind the criticism. He laid down the law at a meeting with other executives, including Corrie producer Jane Macnaught, in London last week.

An insider said: "Grant asserted his authority and basically told people to pull their socks up. "He knocked back some long-term Street scenarios and told people to come up with better stuff. "He simply wants to keep the show up to date and in front of all others."

Disgruntled former writers, who quit when Macnaught was appointed two years ago, say Corrie has lost its way in recent months. They say juicier storylines are needed for stars such as Mike Baldwin, played by Johnny Briggs. The show, now screened four days a week, has come under renewed pressure from BBC's revitalised EastEnders. It still tops the ratings with 16 million viewers, but executives want this figure maintained.

Street's storylines "must improve"
26 February 2001 by Matt Wells
Coronation Street is in danger of fading as fast as the froth on a pint at the Rovers. ITV's network executives, worried about an onslaught from the BBC's regenerated EastEnders, have told producers that storylines must improve. As part of a wide-ranging review of all ITV's long-running series, drama bosses held talks about the Street last week. While executives will present a united front in public, it is understood that concerns were expressed in private: ITV bosses found "room for improvement" in a recent long-term storyline plan.

The whisperings surrounding Coronation Street are damaging for Granada: the series is a cash cow, generating millions in merchandising and overseas sales. Yet as the broadcaster that styles itself the "home of the soaps" faces up to problems at Britain's oldest series, it is experiencing teething troubles at its newest. The budget for Trafalgar Road, inherited when the broadcaster took over Lord Hollick's TV interests last year, has been slashed.

These chinks in ITV's soap armour come at a time of increased competition between the broadcasters. Coronation Street is no longer invincible: BBC1's EastEnders, which gains a fourth weekly episode later this year, has achieved critical acclaim with a series of strong storylines and the successful introduction of a new family. The Street's critics feel it has not responded enough to the challenge posed by its own fourth episode. While it still tops the ratings with a regular 16m viewers, the ITV network wants Granada to ensure these figures are maintained.

Grant Mansfield, Granada's director of programmes, insisted that last week's meeting was routine, and said Coronation Street was in a strong position. "The challenge is to continue on the arc of success. We want to go into middle age with the same determination as we approached it."

But disgruntled former writers say that despite the success of big "events" such as the recent 40th anniversary live episode, the programme has lost its way in recent months. A number of senior writers quit shortly after the executive producer, Jane Macnaught, was appointed two years ago. All, including some who were regarded as the "voice of the Street", are understood to have been unhappy at the way Ms Macnaught, whose background was in entertainment programmes, wanted to develop the series.

Producers of Trafalgar Road are being forced to launch the series on a lower than expected budget. Granada inherited the series when it took over Lord Hollick's United Productions, which had successfully bid for one of ITV's two free daytime soap slots. Carlton won the other, with a revived version of Crossroads - due to start on March 5. United promised a substantial "start-up" cash injection, believed to be about £4m, to boost the £10m from the network. But the landscape changed when Lord Hollick sold his television business to Granada - which already owns Yorkshire TV, the producers of Emmerdale. With two soaps already on its books, Granada did not need Trafalgar Road as much as United, and the programme's budget was cut to £2m.

After Popstars comes Soapstars
26 February 2001

Television bosses are to launch a search for a "family" of potential soap stars. Following the success of Popstars, ITV is looking for would-be soap actors of all ages. The winners will become regular characters in a TV soap, probably Emmerdale.

Popstars judge "Nasty" Nigel Lithgoe will sit on the judging panel. Viewers will once more be able to follow the search for talent in Soapstars, which will be screened later this year. An ITV spokeswoman said winning Soapstars would be a "chance of a lifetime" to land a part in your favourite soap.

She said: "Popstars has been a huge success and we've been thinking about how to take that format forward. Soapstars is a terrific way to do that, and involve a much broader range of participants." The series will follow contestants - who will not need a background in acting - from mass auditions to the selection process, and show how their characters are introduced to the soap.

Tina Hobley: I've finally found the real me
25 February 2001

It might have taken her 29 years, but at last Tina Hobley has come to understand her parents... How they indulged their only daughter, how they worried for her future, and why they lied to keep a shocking family secret hidden from her. She knows very well for herself now exactly how they were feeling. And the reason for this revelation is motherhood. She looks at her own daughter Isabella, blonde-haired and blue-eyed and racing towards her second birthday, and she has just the same hopes and fears as her parents. "Childhood was just so happy, but I never realised until now how Mum and Dad worked to keep it that way," she says. "I want the same thing for Isabella - happiness, whatever it takes to give it to her." She adds: "The more I think of Mum and Dad in those days, the more I love them dearly. Did I forgive them for lying to me? There was nothing to forgive. I understand now why they did what they felt they had to do."

It was the fame that came with her first big TV role, in Coronation Street, which also brought a painful discovery for Tina. She hides her eyes with her hands - it's still a matter that's hard to discuss. She learned from a newspaper that her father Harry, who with Mum Kathy had been running a shop while Tina grew up, had served time in prison when she was tiny, for handling stolen goods. At the time she was told that Daddy had been in a car accident and would be away from home in hospital for a while. She never suspected that was anything but the truth. Tina was devastated when she learned of the deceit, but today, she says, she can accept it was done out of kindness - and a desperate wish to shield her.

"I know now what it's like, to be a parent and to want to protect your child from all the bad things in the world. That's what Mum was trying to do for me. In the end it didn't affect the way I felt about them. I have the best Mum and Dad in the world, and I love them both to bits. They did all they could for me. I was the kind of girl who wanted to try all kinds of interests and then promptly gave them up again, but they indulged me. I wanted to go to Brownies, so they bought me a new uniform. Then, after a couple of visits I quit - I didn't like being ordered around. I fancied music lessons, so they bought me a guitar. It's still in my old bedroom, hardly used. Pony lessons? They gave me those too until I got bored. The only thing I stayed with was the dance and drama lessons. So I know I'll do the same thing. When Isabella wants to try an interest, I'll make sure she has the chance. My husband Steve says I was spoilt. I suppose in a sense I was. But I'd rather look back on the things I did than regret what I never had the chance to do. I've turned into what I always wanted to be, a wife and a mum. And if that sounds boring and old- fashioned and just too cosy and domestic to be true, well who cares? I love it. I've found the real me."

Only a short while ago, this kind of admission would have done no good at all for the raunchy, girl-power image she once enjoyed, as the man-eater of Coronation Street. She's still devastatingly pretty, of course, with a heart-shaped face and a lightly tanned complexion.

Soap fans remember her as the leather-clad figure who roared into Weatherfield astride a motorbike, to take up the role as flighty, scheming Samantha Failsworth, 37th barmaid at the Rover's Return. She was as tough as the cobbles. In two years, before she hopped on her bike and rode off again, she left a trail of broken hearts. Then it was on to a new job as the feisty policewoman Melanie Rush alongside Nick Berry in Harbour Lights. Adoring fan-mail used to arrive by the sackful. But if only they could see her now, she says, sitting with Isabella and a few favourite colouring books. However, Tina is about to make a limited return to TV - this time as a newcomer to the staff of Holby City, ward sister Chrissie Williams. She begins filming next month. It will be the first time that she and Isabella have been apart. The only reason that she could even think of it is that the Holby studios are only 20 minutes away from where she lives - and her own Mum is even nearer, to take on baby-sitting duties. "I would never even have considered a job that would take me so far away from home that I couldn't be back every evening to see my little girl tucked into her cot," she says. "I was ready to make a gentle return to work. But I wasn't ready to give my life back to it. That belongs to Isabella for now and for as far as I can see into the future.

I think back and I'm amazed how things change. Only five years ago, when I was auditioning for Coronation Street I would have walked over red-hot coals to get the part. I was an actor, for goodness sake. And as an actor, aren't you supposed to be consumed by ambition and totally dedicated and prepared to put everything else in second place behind your career? For a while, I might have imagined that was me. But then I discovered it wasn't."

All the time, while she was eyeing the regulars at the Rover's, there was only one man for her - graphic designer Steve Wallington, 33, whom she married three years ago in a glamorous celebrity wedding in Ireland. It was during their honeymoon in Italy that Isabella was conceived. "What an amazing coincidence," Tina grins. "Actually, I think it was more than just lucky timing. We were so happy, really ecstatically happy, to be man and wife. Steve wanted to be married and settled down just as much as I did. I suddenly realised I had what I had always really dreamed of - not fame and acting success, but a home with a husband I loved. So I think the hormones were in overdrive. It wasn't really a surprise that Isabella was soon on her way." She adds: "I had a terrific time working on Corrie and made great friends. The speculation about whether I was a raver in real life like Sam used to get hilarious. But I have never led a wild life. I rebelled a bit, I dyed my hair blonde, I told my parents I couldn't wait to leave home, like all teenagers do - and then when I did leave I couldn't wait to get back. Until you are a parent yourself, you can't properly understand what parental feelings are really like. I look at Isabella, and I'm amazed. Suddenly she's becoming an individual, knowing her own mind. If I tell her to do something, she'll argue back. Wow! Suddenly there is this third person in the house who you have to start negotiating with. She's a real little lady. If I think of her as a colour, she's rosebud pink. She's into pretty dresses and little bags and baskets, and from the time she started walking she has always moved around the house quite carefully and gracefully."

Tina concludes: "I don't feel like I have made any huge sacrifices in my career. I feel I've done the right thing, staying home with my daughter in her early years. I believe what some of the experts say - that children who grow up with their mothers around actually turn into better balanced individuals. The time has been precious to both of us. She has had the reassurance of knowing Mummy was always there. And I have been able to share those moments - such as her first word (Daddy, what else?) and the first time she took a few steps. Tina the actress might have missed them and they would never be recaptured. Tina the Mum can always remember them."

Street star Jacqui's love split agony
25 February 2001

CORONATION Street star Jacqueline Pirie is heartbroken after splitting with her lover, the Sunday People can reveal. She is said to be "distraught" over the break-up with GMTV presenter Mark Simpkin and is being comforted by friends. Last night a pal said: "Jacqui is very upset. It's a tough time for both of them. No-one else is involved. She thought she'd finally found her soulmate. But it turned out to be more lust than love."

The shock announcement comes just days after reports that the TV stars were set to wed and had been out buying engagement rings. Jacqueline, 25 - who plays man-eater Linda Baldwin - had told the world: "Mark is a wonderful man. I'm so happy and so in love." Smitten Jacqueline even introduced him to her family, including her three-year-old daughter Alexandra.

The couple met when former actor Mark appeared in the soap last year. She declared: "This is the man I want to be with forever." But yesterday he admitted their 11-month romance was over. He said: "Jacqui and I are not together but we are still great friends. No-one's been more surprised than us to read that we're meant to be getting engaged. It just isn't true." Another friend of Jacqui said: "She really thought Mark was the one after her last three romances ended in tears."

The star is now being comforted by her closest Street pals including Jennifer James (Geena) and Anne Kirkbride (Deirde). Jacqui fell for Mark on the Corrie set when he appeared as Craig, the pal who persuaded her character's on-screen lover to run off to Amsterdam. Only last October the actress said: "We're like two peas in a pod. I'm so happy." But by Christmas - just weeks after she walked down the aisle as the Street's Mrs Baldwin - the couple were talking about splitting. A Street insider said: "Jacqui did go to a wedding shop with Mark this week. But it was to pick up the dress she will wear when she acts as Maid of Honour for her co-star Jennifer James' wedding in May."

For gorgeous Jacqui this is the latest in a string of disastrous relationships that led to her declaring before meeting Mark: "I'm done with men." The actress had daughter Alexandra by notorious Birmingham gangster Christopher Stone. She then dated leisure worker Steve Darby, 28.

In a steamy kiss and tell Darby claimed Jacqui dumped him because she was too busy acting sex scenes with Mike Baldwin. Corrie extra Lee Atherton also betrayed her by selling their sex secrets. A Street spokesman said yesterday: "Their parting has been very amicable and they are great friends."

No action against Street star over "headbutt"
23 February 2001
Coronation Street star Vicky Entwistle will not face charges over claims she headbutted a 40-year-old fan. A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police says there will be no further action against the actress, who plays Janice Battersby. The 32-year-old actress was accused of headbutting Robert Hall outside a takeaway in Manchester's gay village as she returned home from a night out last month.

The police spokeswoman said: "The case has been discontinued. The Crown Prosecution Service have decided not to pursue allegations against Vicky Entwistle so she will not need to answer bail." The actress is due to return from holiday abroad tomorrow to answer bail at Manchester's Bootle Street police station. She was not available for comment.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "She is absolutely delighted at the news but had always been confident that once the facts of the matter had been examined the police and the CPS would discover the truth that she did not do anything wrong."

Corrie characters walk down memory lane
19 February 2001 by TV Plus reporters

Believe it or not hair-netted harridan Ena Sharples was a romantic heroine before she turned Weatherfield sour. This revelation is contained in a new historical saga written by Coronation Street expert Daran Little. His book shows how Ena fell in love with a soldier who died on the Western Front in 1916.

She then met a young spiritualist and was smitten instantly by his profound religious insight. She starts life as a naive 14-year-old girl in the new book. Coronation Street: Keeping The Home Fires Burning looks at what Weatherfield would have been like during WWI.

The author says: "Ena starts as a mollycoddled girl, but she experiences tragedy around her during the war. It changes her. "You see life through her eyes."

The horrific human toll of the Battle of the Somme is one facet of WWI experienced by Coronation Street characters in the novel. Daran Little says: "The book takes Weatherfield back to WWI. The men go off to war, loved ones die. "It looks at what happens to those who are left behind."

Little's book Coronation Street: Keeping The Home Fires Burning is a follow-up to one he wrote about Weatherfield residents during the social change of WWII.

Corrie Les in TV appeal ordeal
19 February 2001 by Simon Holden

Coronation Street actor Bruce Jones was trembling with nerves on TV today while being interviewed on This Morning. Emotional Bruce, 48, is organising a gala variety show to raise cash for a child who needs a £100,000 operation. Presenter Fern Britton held his arm as he choked up on the ITV live show. "I'm so nervous" he admitted as he tried to give details of the event. He has been working for a month to get the project off the ground.

Jones, who plays loudmouth Les Battersby, has been given a month off work by his soap bosses to raise money for a sick girl. He's put together a gala charity night in his home town of Conwy, North Wales, this Friday, hoping to raise the £80,000 needed to send Charlotte Speedy to America for difficult surgery. Charlotte can only use one lung and needs a titanium implant.

Jones didn't hesitate to help when Charlotte's mum wrote to him. Charlotte lives near Bruce in Conwy, North Wales. He told This Morning: "When I first heard about it I felt I had to do something for her."

Showbiz pals including Stan Boardman have agreed to perform free at his variety show. Bruce said: "I want people to enjoy it but not forget who it is for."

New books for March 2001
21 February 2001

Set during World War I, Coronation Street: Keeping the Home Fires Burning is a classic wartime saga that takes a nostalgic trip into Weatherfield's history. It looks at events and experiences that have shaped Coronation Street into what it is today and features the early lives and loves of some of the street's most prominent characters, including Ena Sharples and Albert Tatlock.

The fictional tale mirrors what life was really like for small communities during the First World War. The feelings of hardship and emotional turmoil and the impact of landmark battles/ events - the horror and realisation of the terrible toll the Battle of Somme took on the Weatherfield Residents and the Rover's Return Inn celebrations of Armistice.

Packed with wartime romance, emotional trauma and resilient humour, Coronation Street: Keeping the Home Fires Burning is a must have for all Street fans and romance novel enthusiasts.

Corrie bosses deny cost-cutting
20 February 2001
Coronation Street bosses say they are investing, not cost-cutting.

It had been reported that they were hoping to save money by trimming the soap's budget. They were said to be replacing real food with imitation items. But a spokeswoman for the show says: "We are constantly striving to ensure that Coronation Street is the best it can possibly be and the truth of the matter is that we have invested a huge amount of extra money over the last years into writing and scripting the show.

"We have brought in some of the very best writers around as we know that the quality of the storylines and the scripts keeps Coronation Street ahead of its rivals. "We are constantly looking at ways in which the actual production process can be made as efficient as possible, which has involved a routine audit of costs, none of which will affect what is seen on the screen."

Ex-Street star 'happier than ever'
20 February 2001
Former Coronation Street star Beverley Callard says she is the happiest she has ever been, as she spoke for the first time about her marriage split. The 42-year-old actress, known to millions as Liz McDonald, has begun a new life in Spain after parting from third husband, Steve Callard, last year. The couple were married for 11 years, but Callard says the relationship led her to her lose confidence in herself.

They had moved to Spain with son Joshua in a bid to save their marriage but after it became clear that the relationship could not be salvaged, she decided to stay on . She told Hello! magazine: "I was in a relationship that wasn't working and that made me lose my confidence as a person and as a woman." "Now I'm the happiest I've ever been in life. People tell me I look so much better, and I certainly feel it. "I'm more relaxed and much more confident, and part of that is not having to please anyone else any more. I just have to look after myself and Joshua and that's it," she said.

Callard quit the Street in 1998 after nine years but made a brief return last year when her character temporarily managed the Rovers Return. However, she soon left when screen husband Jim (Charlie Lawson) had a prison transfer which took the pair away from the area.

Dire Streets
20 February 2001
CORONATION Street bosses are putting the bite on the soap's budget - leaving a bad taste for all concerned. Top brass aim to save £500,000 by replacing real fruit with plastic apples and pears, swapping bread for fake sandwiches, and cancelling a free snack wagon for staff.

And the crackdown has caused rumblings in more ways than one among the star-studded cast. Other items under scrutiny are daily newspaper deliveries to crew rooms and the number of company cars and mobile phones.

A highly-placed production source said: "Rumours of the cuts spread like wildfire and the big question everyone asked was 'Why?' "Just about everyone could be affected and cast members have privately voiced concern that they could be in the firing line. "After all, nobody thinks you can save such a large amount of money by swapping real fruit and proper bread with plastic stuff. "The cast lads were saying it would be far easier to save cash if a couple of the artists whose characters were treading water had their contracts changed or axed. "And if the free wagon goes it'll be like a death on The Street. The crew will have to pay for their food in the canteen."

Bosses may cut the hours of production staff and have warned prop buyers about their budget. The insider added: "It's amazing that we are involved with the making of the most famous show of all time and that we are now cutting back on what many see as petty things. "But it's all down to saving money these days".

Corrie's Linda to tie the knot
19 February 2001
SOAP star Jacqueline Pirie is to marry the lover she met on the set of Coronation Street. The Stirling-born actress and boyfriend Mark Simpkin stunned shoppers with a public show of passion as they visited bridal and jewellery shops. It's a happy ending for Jacqueline, who plays man-eater Linda Baldwin, after a string of romantic disasters.

On their shopping trip in Bolton, Lancashire, the 25-year-old star left Mark waiting outside an upmarket bridal shop for half an hour. She emerged with a huge smile on her face and flung her arms around her lover, kissing him passionately. The happy couple then strolled across the road into a jewellery store and spent another half an hour checking out rings before coming out laughing and hugging.

One shop boss who saw them said: "You could have sworn they were being filmed in some kind of movie - they were proper love scenes for all to see. "She apparently left Mark outside the bridal shop because it would have been bad luck for him to see what she was choosing. "She looked overjoyed when she came out of the shop and ran and leapt up around him. "It seemed pretty clear that she seemed to have found what she was looking for and wanted to share her joy with her boyfriend."

Jacqueline met Mark when he played Craig, a pal of Mike Baldwin's son Mark, who bedded Linda when she was engaged to his dad. They kept the romance secret for months but went public for the first time in December at a civic reception at Stirling Castle. The star couple are also regular visitors to Jacqueline's grandparents, who still live in Stirling's Raploch estate.

Before Mark, the actress had sworn off men following a series of bad relationships. A Street source said: "We wish her well. Jacqueline has had more than her share of heartbreak - this time it looks a different story."

Steve Smack-Donald
18 February 2001
THIS is the moment Coronation Street flirt Karen Phillips finally seduces her lover's best pal Steve McDonald.

Sexy factory girl Karen is already dating taxi boss Vikram. But she's always fancied bad boy Steve and she moves in for the kill with a real smacker this week - as our exclusive picture shows. It's the start of a love triangle which will grip fans of the top soap for weeks.

For Suranne Jones, who plays Karen, it's the biggest storyline since she joined the Street eight months ago. But in real life she's nothing like her screen character. Suranne, 22, has NEVER been in a love triangle and always believes in staying faithful. She says: "I can't imagine being in a situation like that. "Karen is a real ladette. She knows what she wants and goes for it without thinking about the consequences."

But Karen may regret her fling with Steve. After all, the number of girls whose hearts he's broken would fill the Rovers.

Corrie bad boy 'Jez' shows gentle touch
16 February 2001 by Derek Robins

Oh baby! Ex-Corrie bad boy Lee Boardman is back from the grave to star as a villain with a soft centre in The Bill. Lee, 28, who bowed out as Jez Quigley in September, plays ex-drug dealer and doting dad David Carter in an episode to be screened in the summer. Lee, who's currently filming the ITV drama, said: "He's got two sides. One minute he's very volatile, the next a gentle dad. So I had to nurse a nine-week-old baby for scenes that made me momentarily broody!"

Lee says he's turned down a host of "psycho" roles since evil Jez Quigley was killed off in Corrie. He said: "I've read every psycho script going since Corrie. I chose the role in The Bill as my character goes through the whole gamut of emotions from losing his temper big time to caring for his newborn baby. "He's trying to fight for his family. His wife has post-natal depression and he's caught shoplifting as he's skint. But he's not all he seems."

Lee's role as a gentle father is in sharp contrast to his evil Corrie character Jez Quigley. Drug dealer Jez became one of the nastiest baddies in soap history with the brutal beating of Steve McDonald. But many viewers felt that some of the storylines went too far. A scene in which Jez had blood dripping from his mouth after trying to kill Steve, was rapped as "unacceptably menacing" by a TV watchdog.

Life couldn't be better for Lee since his character Jez, died in Corrie. In May he'll wed fiancee Jenny James - Corrie barmaid Geena - in Cheshire after a whirlwind romance last year. He said: "We've both been working hard so we'll have a long honeymoon." Lee's new film POV has also won acclaim in America and he's soon to make a spoof documentary on the world of darts and a movie, The Goddess And The Bouncer, with Emily Woof.

Lee is still recognised by hordes of Corrie fans. He sports a crew cut for his new role in The Bill. "Even when I am wearing a baseball cap, scarf and dark glasses people still spot me from 200 yards. There's even a website devoted to me," he said. "No-one's been nasty and I'm not fed up with it. Recognition is part of the business and a sign that you're doing well."

Neighbours on Costa Del Corrie
15 February 2001
IT'S streets away from Weatherfield, it's warm and sunny and three of the Coronation Street cast have set up home there. Kevin Kennedy, Denise Welch and Bev Callard have all bought luxury homes on the Costa del Sol living just a few miles from each other in Calahonda.

Bev, who plays Liz McDonald, was the first to settle there, swopping her home in Bolton, Lancs, for a £300,000 hideaway villa. Now Kevin, Curly Watts, and wife Claire have moved in nearby. They have bought an exclusive £150,000 apartment a stone's throw from a plush golf course. Newcomers Denise Welch, barmaid Natalie Barnes, and actor husband Tim Healy, have joined them, purchasing a £230,000 penthouse apartment in an exclusive complex.

A local English resident said: "They're all golf mad, so this area is perfect for them. And they've got the added bonus that, nobody knows who they are, so they can get on with day to day life without getting pestered which must happen when they are back home in England."

Massive increase in soaps says report
14 February 2001 by Tina Lofthouse
TV soap operas have increased by 150% over the last 25 years, according to a new report.In an average week, soaps will soon account for around 13 hours of peak viewing time on ITV and the BBC. That will rise even higher when Crossroads returns. The Independent Television Commission says this has led to less diverse programming on the two channels, with broadcasters using soaps to chase ratings.

Both BBC1 and ITV audiences are being short-changed in terms of choice, according to the new report. Viewers are being fed a daily dose of soaps, gardening and news shows at the expense of variety. The Independent Television Commission has reported that gardening, makeover shows and quizzes fill up 27% of all BBC1's peak-time schedule, compared to just 3% in 1975. "ITV's biggest banker is drama," states the report, "still over a quarter of all peak-time output... compared with 25 years ago when all was American."

Media experts have analysed all the TV schedules for the month of November from 1975, 1985, 1995 and 2000. Although tastes have changed, Channel 4 and BBC2 have always offered a varied mix of shows. They showed at least seven or eight different types of programme in that time - unlike BBC1 and ITV. ITV's inability to find a successful sitcom and BBC1's failure with some dramas were highlighted.

Abandoned Corrie Street terraces to be pulled down
14 February 2001
Rows of terraced housing which provided a backdrop for scenes from Coronation Street are to be bulldozed because people no longer want to live in them. A decision was taken by Salford City Council in Greater Manchester to demolish Poets' Corner estate because there is no longer a demand for gardenless, back-to-back homes.

The properties, once symbolic of northern Britain, have become vacant and are a target for criminals, a spokeswoman for the council said. In their hey-day the cobbled streets and terraced homes of Poets' Corner were used for scenes in Coronation Street with stars such as street siren Elsie Tanner, played by Pat Phoenix, and Ena Sharples (Violet Carson) gracing the cobbles for days of filming.

The spokeswoman said: "These houses weren't used in every single episode but filming used to take place there about 25 years ago with characters like Elsie Tanner and Ena Sharples. They were once typical of homes in the North but now no-one wants to live in them." Councillor John Warmisham, lead member for housing, who took the decision to demolish the properties, said: "The terraced house is dead in this region. In the past it was the first foot on the property ladder for young couples. "Now, by putting £99 down they can get a new house with a garden and somewhere to park the car."

Over 40% of the 231 houses on the Poets' Corner estate are empty and have become a focus for crime. The council believes demolition would reduce crime in the area and improve the local environment. Attempts to sell the area for redevelopment failed.

Corrie's Ken proposes to Deirdre again
13 February 2001 by Derek Robins

Ken Barlow is set to shock Corrie fans by proposing to ex-wife Deirdre later this month. Viewers will see Ken (William Roache) ask for Deirdre's hand in marriage on February 23 after solicitors tell him he has a better chance of winning custody of grandson Adam if married.

A Corrie spokesman said: "After the death of his daughter Susan - Adam's mum - Ken is determined the boy's dad Mike Baldwin won't win custody."

William Roache says he'd love his character to wed Deirdre for the second time. He told Inside Soap: "Ken tells her he's always wanted them to be wed again. He also says while marriage might not make a huge difference to their relationship, it could to grandson Adam's future. "Ken and Deidre are a great combination. She's been the love of his life."

Ken's proposal to Deirdre is the latest twist in the pair's tangled love lives. Both have been wed three times. They married each other in 1981 and were divorced in 1990. Love blossomed again in 1999 after they went to a Valentine's Day disco. "Deirdre says Ken and Mike should discuss Adam's future after Susan's death but Ken is still blaming Mike," says William Roach.

Asian runaway bride story 'not racist'
12 February 2001
Granada Television has denied that a Coronation Street storyline involving an Asian woman fleeing an arranged marriage reinforces negative racial stereotypes. The character, Suneeta Parekh, will appear in the northern-based soap opera from March. She is the manager of a shop belonging to another Asian character, Dev, who gives her shelter.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman, Alison Sinclair, defended the portrayal of the new character and said there was more to her than met the eye. "The arranged marriage storyline is just a device for pulling viewers in. " We researched various storylines with the Asian community and this gives us dramatically best way forward. But then we move on from that," she said. Ms Sinclair added that the programme had been criticised in the past for not tackling issues of concern to the characters from the minority ethnic communities portrayed.

The actress playing the new role also defended the storyline. Shobna Gulati, previously in BBC sitcom Dinnerladies, said it was an interesting way of tackling a sensitive subject. "It's very brave to explore an issue a lot of people consider to be untrendy but it's prevalent and part of our culture. "Even though Suneeta feels independent and strong and her family are westernised, she's still caught between two cultures pulling in different directions and this storyline is an interesting way of dealing with it."

But Professor Annabelle Sreberny of the Centre for Mass Communication Research at Leicester University said her research among ethnic minority focus groups showed they viewed such storylines with scepticism. She produced a report for the Broadcasting Standards Commission in 1999 showing viewers felt soap operas and other TV shows were lagging behind real life in their portrayal of ethnic minorites.

People interviewed felt minority ethnic groups were represented by two-dimensional characters and were often negatively stereotyped. Professor Sreberny believed the arranged marriage storyline was further evidence of such negative stereotyping. "Ethnic minority characters are always introduced as some kind of problem, they can't just be the Asian kid who goes to school," she said.

But writer Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, who has sat on a parliamentary committee investigating forced marriages in Asian communities, believed such issues should be tackled on screen. "I think these stories should be on a lot more but Coronation Street should have a whole range of characters. "Most people who are running soaps are so narrow-minded, the only time they think of black characters is for stereotypical roles," she said.

Coronation Street has run into trouble over its portrayal of ethnic minority characters in the past. In 1998 there was widespread criticism over scenes showing a newly-introduced black teenager helping to break into a house.

Naomi Russell: I'm in the mood for love
11 February 2001
It will come as no surprise to Coronation Street fans that womaniser Steve McDonald wants the Street's sexy seamstress Bobbi Lewis, played by Naomi Russell, to be his Valentine this week. What's harder to believe is that until a few years ago, the sultry beauty was overlooked on Valentine's Day because she didn't attract the boys. Here Naomi, 22, tells PATRICK HILL how she likes to be wooed and gives her tips to would-be Romeos...

My own darling Valentine

I DIDN'T take love seriously until two years ago - that's when I met my boyfriend. It was in Manchester but I'm keeping his name a secret as I want to keep our love life private. Having said that he's absolutely gorgeous and so romantic. I'm head over heels in love. Now I totally believe in the whole Valentine's Day romantic thing. It's a celebration of love as well as a great excuse to shower gifts on a loved one and show them you really care.

Turn-ons

I'm not a great lover of chocolate, but I adore flowers, champagne and perfume. I also love surprises. What's really important is that my guy has bothered to find out what I like. He also has great taste which means I always end up with something lovely. Once, he bought me this simple, tailor-made pink shirt which looks fantastic on me. He has a knack for buying gifts which are really simple but ooze taste. That's the secret to winning my heart on Valentine's Day.

Turn-offs

Gifts of things like pots and pans - or an iron. They might be practical, but they're a real passion killer. Big knickers are a definite no-no, so is nodding off at the end of a romantic night. Take Viagra if you have to, but don't fall asleep! And never ever dump a girl on Valentine's Day, either. It happened to a friend of mine and it broke her heart. Even if a relationship is on the rocks, surely it can wait one more day.

To send or not to send...

Go on, it will make her day. I never got Valentine's cards until I was 18! Well, I did have one secret admirer at school who sent me a card, but he was about four years younger than me and so much shorter that I never took it seriously. Apart from him, no-one wanted to know me and it used to get quite hurtful. I always looked too geeky. I was just like one of the lads, very tomboyish and not girlie at all. I had a huge Afro haircut, no hips, no nothing really. So I just ignored the whole romance thing. It wasn't until I started modelling that things changed.

My most romantic moment

This was recently when a group of us went out for dinner. I was having a great time when my girlfriend suddenly said she had to go home early. Shortly afterwards we left, too, and my boyfriend took me straight back to the hotel where we were staying. I thought it was strange but said nothing. Then, as we walked into our room I saw a huge bottle of Laurent Perrier champagne waiting for us. I just love champagne. It was a lovely surprise. Now that's my idea of romance - and another way to my heart.

His most romantic moment

When I get the love bug, I like doing little things that are unexpected - like the time I actually cooked my man a meal. That might not seem much but I'm not a whizz in the kitchen. Usually I burn everything, even pasta. If I don't burn the food, I undercook it. So one evening, I made an extra special effort, bought a nice bottle of wine and a video and just made a simple chicken Kiev. Because I never cook him anything, he really appreciated it.

Romantic hideaways

Gifts are great, but if you want to make this Valentine's Day really special go for a nice holiday or a weekend break. It doesn't have to be expensive or out of the country. The whole point is that you're sharing quality time with each other. You can also look back on the memory. Later this year my boyfriend is whisking me off to Paris. I've never been before and can't wait to be wined and dined in one of the most romantic cities in the world. It'll be great, walking hand-in-hand along the Seine - and popping into the antiques shops.

Are diamonds a girl's best friend?

Well, they're nice but I wouldn't want anything big or flashy. While working on a local TV series called The Millionaire Show I got to meet lots of real-life millionaires. But I soon discovered that having money doesn't necessarily buy you good taste. Some girls only wear gold. So before you go to the shops have a peek in her jewellery box. If in any doubt, keep it simple.

Sweet smell of success

Every woman has a perfume that suits her. Personally I adore Gucci Roche, but that's not to everyone's taste. Fortunately, my guy knows what I like and surprised me with a bottle. If you've only just met a girl and you're not sure what perfume to buy, ask her friends or have a quick look on the dressing table. There's nothing worse than being given something expensive that you'll never wear. It's disappointing for the girl and the guy and can be a total waste of money.

Saying it with flowers

You can't go wrong with a big bouquet. Flowers are so romantic. Every time she looks at them they'll remind her of the occasion. A bunch of red roses is my favourite. But make sure you find out what flowers she likes.

If you want my advice....

Lingerie is always a good thing to buy, just as long as you don't get something you or a previous girlfriend liked. Some garments can look good on a hanger, but awful on the body. Don't buy anything that looks like it could have been made in Baldwin's factory! Find out your girl's likes and dislikes. Get a few clues over the dinner table or ask her friends. Never be afraid to ask for help. When in doubt, ask another woman - even the shop assistant.

Anne Kirkbride opens her heart about the cancer scare which she feared would claim her life
10 February 2001

Anne Kirkbride was the happiest she had ever been. The Coronation Street star, who has played Deirdre for 28 years, had just got married and was looking forward to making a new home with her husband. She was full of optimism for the future, but then she found a lump in her neck. It was diagnosed as cancer and suddenly her whole world came crashing down.

She and husband David Beckett, a former Street star, were about to move into a big, old house. They were busy planning to turn it into their dream home when, out of the blue, Anne was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

"We had just exchanged contracts on the house and went round there in the evening with some friends and took a bottle of champagne to christen it," recalls Anne, 46, talking in depth about her cancer scare for the first time. "I remember just sitting in the kitchen on a box and thinking, 'I'm not going to live to see it finished'. It was a very low moment. "We'd bought the house with so many hopes and dreams and now I had no hope whatsoever. David kept reassuring me, telling me that the doctors would sort things out, but I couldn't see any future. I was terrified. The whole world seemed black and I was convinced I was going to die."

Seven years on, with her cancer scare well behind her, Anne glows with health, although her annual check-ups still make her nervous. But the memories of that terrible time and that first night in their new home in Didsbury, Manchester, are so vivid that only now does she feel able to talk about it.

"Until now it just hasn't felt right," she says. "I'm very private and there was a slight feeling that it would be tempting fate to tell everyone how I had beaten it. It was very hard for me to come to terms with it all. It took a few years to recover, both mentally and physically, but now I've reached a point where I feel I can cope with things again."

Anne's is an extraordinary story, not only in the way she dealt with the devastating physical effects of the illness - the hair loss and the exhaustion, which kept her off our screens for six months - but also in the incredible inner strength she found.

"A friend of mine said, 'Oh God, why you Annie?' And I told him that it was because I could deal with it," she says. "I'd rather it was me who had cancer than a lot of other people, because I knew I was strong enough to get through it, that I'd be able to cope. So I knew that was, 'Why me'.

"I believe in fate and that people aren't given anything they can't handle. I think we are all issued with a tool-kit for life which has everything you are going to need for every situation that presents itself. It's just a question of finding the right tool. It's a feeling that some things are meant to be - a spiritual belief, I suppose. I prayed and when I've asked for help in the past I've got it. I believe in a higher power and I think that you are helped through situations when things get really bad.

"At the start of the treatment for the cancer I felt as if I was embarking on a perilous journey around a cliff face. Sometimes the path was easy and sometimes it would disappear altogether, and I could visualise it like that. But when the path disappeared I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that there'd be somebody there to help me. "Sometimes in life you can't see where you are going and you think, 'What path am I embarking on now?' but sooner or later it widens out again and you can see why you had to go down there. And it's always for the best."

Tragically, Anne's ordeal began on the day of her mother Enid's funeral in 1993. Enid, 66, had been diagnosed with liver cancer three months earlier and died on Anne's 39th birthday. Anne was still coming to terms with the shock when she found a lump in her neck.

She assumed it was a swollen gland and put it down to the stress of her grief. But after a few weeks, when it still hadn't disappeared, she saw a friend of her father, who was an ear, nose and throat specialist. As soon as he saw the lump he told Anne to go to hospital immediately.

"He looked quite concerned which made me start to get worried, but at that point I couldn't handle the thought of going to see someone," she recalls. "I was convinced they wouldn't know what it was and I would have endless tests and it would go on forever. I was terrified at the prospect of going into something like that having just been through this absolute nightmare with my mum."

Instead she did nothing, and it was five months before she found the strength to face up to the situation. Then, after a bad cold and throat infection which wouldn't clear up, a second lump appeared on the other side of her throat. At that point Carolyn Reynolds, then Coronation Street's producer, ordered her to see a specialist.

"By that time I really thought I was going to die," says Anne. "I was in a shocking state. I was still very upset about my mum. She was very fit and young for her age and we had been very close. On top of that I obviously wasn't well because of the lymphoma. I was tired all the time and depressed and crying a lot. Everything seemed to be crowding in and I couldn't cope. I was in a very vulnerable emotional state. "I was still working on Coronation Street and although I didn't tell anyone in the cast what I was going through they had a very good idea. They knew I was unhappy and that I was struggling."

A specialist removed the lump which was sent for a biopsy and Anne had a traumatic week's wait for the results. "I couldn't eat, I couldn't sleep, I really didn't think I was going to survive," she says.

She was told that although she had cancer it was curable with a seven- week course of chemotherapy injections, plus three weeks of radiotherapy. She left the Street for six months and the scriptwriters, who had planned to dramatically reunite Deirdre with former husband Ken Barlow, hastily rewrote the story. Instead, Deirdre went away to look after her sick mother Blanche.

When Anne began her treatment the chemotherapy quickly took its toll on her, both physically and mentally. She had been warned that she would probably lose her hair, but it was still a shock when it actually happened. "I went to pull a grey hair and a big tuft came out," she recalls. "I'd stayed up this particular night because I couldn't sleep, and when it happened I went upstairs and woke David.

"I remember we sat on the bed with the waste bin just tugging huge chunks of hair out. We then went into the bathroom and shaved my head, just to get it all off and get it over with, because I didn't want patches. "I was crying as we did it, it was one of the worst points of the whole thing. By this time it was seven in the morning and suddenly the doorbell rang. It was our new three-piece suite arriving, so David had to leave me in the bathroom, sobbing and shaving my head. When he came back I just held on to him and screamed for about five minutes. I think I kicked him as well. It was the only way I could express the anguish and the horror of the whole thing.  "I did that a couple of times during the course of it all. It was the only way I could cope. David just held on to me and let me get it out, and I felt better afterwards."

Her friend Beverly Callard, who plays the Street's Liz McDonald, stayed close to Anne throughout her ordeal. She even asked her hairdresser to visit Anne at her Didsbury home and make her a wig. But after wearing it twice and finding it uncomfortable, she switched to scarves or baseball caps.

Anne's family rallied round and her widowed father Jack, 76, a cartoonist, visited regularly from his home in Oldham, Lancs. He had taken up yoga and begun acupuncture to help tackle his grief over his wife's death and was determined to be a support to his daughter. Another regular visitor was Eileen Derbyshire, better known as the Street's Emily Bishop, but Anne ventured out only occasionally to her local shops.

"I just wasn't up to it either physically or mentally. I was very weak and felt vulnerable too. The centre of Manchester was just too big and busy for me at that time and I just couldn't have handled it," she explains. "Chemotherapy is a strange thing and it affects every bit of you. My fingernails and toenails all came loose, my skin blistered easily, and even getting up the stairs required a superhuman effort. It affects your brain too and you can't think straight. It makes you really weird. I couldn't write at one point, my co-ordination went. I was a mess."

Anne had only been married for a year when the cancer was diagnosed and the illness put her relationship to the test. Now she believes that it has brought her and David even closer together. They met on the set of Coronation Street in 1990 when David, now 48, was cast as Deirdre's lover, builder Dave Barton. They married two years later.

"We liked each other very much right from the start, but we tried very hard not to let anything develop. There was definitely something there, but we ignored it," says Anne.

David finally plucked up the courage to ask Anne for dinner, but she was so nervous that she asked if Bev Callard and her husband could come too. It wasn't until they posed in an embrace for a publicity photo that romance blossomed.

"I was still trying to fight the attraction and tried everything to get out of doing the picture, but I didn't succeed," she says. "So we spent the afternoon in the studio doing these rather intimate pictures of us kissing and cuddling. That sealed it. "Obviously we'd kissed on screen before then and we were kissing for real. I've no idea whether the cameraman or anyone else could tell, but we knew! Eventually, after six months of working together, we just couldn't ignore it any longer. "After that it went very quickly from friendship to falling in love and we both knew that was it, there was no going back. Neither of us had any doubts at all. He is a fantastic man. He's my rock. When I was having the chemotherapy I looked awful. I had no hair, my face was puffy and swollen because of the steroids, and he still thought I looked wonderful.

"I'd go to bed at night wearing a baseball cap to cover my head because I thought I looked dreadful. One night I leaned across to kiss him and hit him in the face with the peak of the cap. He just laughed, grabbed the cap and flung it across the room and told me I didn't need it. He just loved me and didn't care what I looked like, which was brilliant. Throughout it all he never once made me feel that I was anything but totally attractive. I don't know how I would have got through it without him."

Anne tells her harrowing story with remarkable honesty. Away from the screen she is relaxed, warm and witty, and bears little resemblance to the waspish, dreary Deirdre. The famous specs are also missing, as Anne prefers contact lenses. She dresses more trendily - today she is wearing leather trousers and a flying jacket. But despite their obvious differences, she retains a huge affection for the woman who has brought her fame and fortune.

Anne got the part of Deirdre Hunt by chance in 1972. She was just 18 and at Granada Television auditioning for another show. When she failed to get that part she was sent along to Coronation Street, where they were looking for an actress with a Northern accent for a three-line walk-on part as a dollybird. 

Anne did her scene and went home, but a few months later was called back. This time Deirdre started work as a secretary at Len Fairclough's building yard. Since then, she has become one of the show's most enduring characters. In her 28 years on the Street she has been married three times - to Ray Langton, Ken Barlow and Samir Rachid - and Deirdre has also famously had affairs with Mike Baldwin and pilot Jon Lindsay. The latter relationship saw her temporarily jailed and sparked a national "free the Weatherfield One" campaign.

"Sometimes I think I should have made more of an effort to get out and do other stuff, but then again I've never been terribly ambitious. I've never had any desire to chase this part or that, or do Shakespeare," she admits. "I'm not showbizzy and neither am I the sort of actress who'd be happy travelling up and down the country staying in digs, so coming into the Street was perfect for me.

"It's a 9-to-5 job, but I'm still acting. And although it's only one part you get to play a fantastic range of emotions, from comedy to tragedy to everyday stuff. I'm fortunate that Deirdre can get into pretty well any situation so I've had plenty of scope and some great stories."

Off screen, Anne has made some close friendships with fellow cast members, particularly Jacqueline Pirie who plays Linda Baldwin. The two hit it off as soon as they first met.

"I'd seen Jacqueline in Emmerdale and I thought I would like her and I was absolutely right," says Anne. "We are soulmates now, we got very close very quickly and have a wonderful friendship. She comes round to the house frequently and I've got friendly with her whole family. I know her daughter, her mum and dad, her granny and granddad."

She adds, "It's one of those situations where you pick up, almost from another lifetime. You understand people and they understand you without even trying, and you feel you have known this person before. We both think that we were meant to get together. Apparently Jacqueline used to do these brilliant impersonations of Deirdre when she was a kid. She'd forgotten all about it, but her family reminded us."

Jacqueline inspired Anne to have her navel pierced last year after she'd had it done herself. And Anne followed it up with a rose tattoo on her right shoulder.

"It was done by the same person who created the angel on David Beckham's back," she says. "You'll never see it on screen because Deirdre never wears the sort of clothes that would show it off, but it looks great with a strappy dress and a suntan. It's probably a bit of a protest against middle age. I thought that if I didn't do it now I never would."

As Anne gets up to leave she retrieves a message on her mobile phone. It's David - wishing her luck with the interview and asking her to stop at the supermarket on the way home for some mint sauce. "I don't know why, because we're going out for a curry tonight," she says with a throaty chuckle.

Even when talking about the bad times, her down-to-earth sense of humour shines through and it's clear that she enjoys life to the full. If anything, her illness has made her more appreciative of the good things. And, apart from checking her neck regularly, she rarely gives her cancer a second thought.

"It took me a long time to get my confidence back and to believe that I wasn't going to be ill again," she concludes. "I got very bloated, so as well as losing my hair I lost my figure and my looks too. It was nice to get it all back, but for a long time I felt I couldn't take it for granted because I thought it could all go again. Now I can enjoy the way I look and I feel so well. I know I'm very fortunate indeed."

Anne's Streetlife

Deirdre Hunt was a teenage dollybird who walked on to the Street on November 20, 1972, and immediately made a play for the legendary Elsie Tanner's husband. Brash and seductive, her lovelife has been a calamity of affairs, broken engagements, marriages and death ever since. And, of course, there was that spell in prison...

• MARRIAGE ONE: To Ray Langton on July 7, 1975. They split November '78
• MARRIAGE TWO: To Ken Barlow on July 27, 1981. A tumultuous 20 years
• TERRIBLE TRIANGLE: Ken forgave her affair with Mike Baldwin in 1983, but she divorced Ken in 1990 
• MARRIAGE THREE: To toyboy Samir Rachid on November 25, 1995. He died
• HIGH-FLYING CHEAT: Duped out of £5,000 and her love by married "pilot" Jon Lindsay in 1997
• WEATHERFIELD ONE: Jailed in April 1998 for deception, but cleared
• BLABBER MOUTH: Telling Dev a secret sets Ken and Mike scrapping again

Former Corrie star lands role in Ridley Scott film
8 February 2001

Matthew Marsden who played Coronation Street mechanic Chris has landed a role in Ridley Scott's new film.

Black Hawk Down is about a hundred elite American soldiers dropped into Somalia. Their mission is to capture two top lieutenants of a renegade warlord. But they find themselves in a desperate battle with a large force of heavily armed locals. Ewan McGregor and Tom Sizemore have already been cast in the film.

It is due for release around the end of the year. Marsden has already filmed the role of Michael Caine's son in the new movie Shiner.

Jack's top TV love scene
8 February 2001

CORONATION Street's Jack Duckworth might be an unlikely Romeo, but his tear-jerking pledge of love at wife Vera's hospital bedside was yesterday named the most romantic TV moment ever. His outpouring in a Christmas episode of the ITV soap tugged millions of heart-strings across Britain.

It was voted No1 by 40 per cent of viewers in a poll, relegating Prince Charles and Diana's marriage to third spot. Runner-up was the wedding speech by Adam (James Nesbitt) - in Cold Feet.

Psychologist Christine Webber said: "Romance isn't all about candle-lit dinners and clear skin, it's about true honest love. "People are reassured to see Jack and Vera still in love after their ups and downs. It means there's a chance for mere mortals to have what they have, all-consuming love."

Jacqueline Aldridge, of TV and internet firm ntl which commissioned the survey, said: "As Jack and Vera prove, love really does conquer everything."

TV Romance top 10:

1 Jack at Vera's bedside, Coronation Street
2 Adam's wedding speech, Cold Feet
3 Diana and Charles's wedding
4 Ross finally kissing Rachel, Friends
5 Carole and Doug's last episode, ER
6 Mulder and Scully millennium kiss, X-Files
7 Scott and Charlene marry, Neighbours
8 Homer gives onion engagement ring to Marge, Simpsons
9 Steve proposes to Mel, EastEnders
10 Tom telling Mel he loves her, Big Brother

Fred Elliott apeaking
5 February 2001
THE booming voice of Coronation Street butcher Fred Elliott is to be used as a car-park warning at supermarkets. With his trademark repetition, the ASDA recording will tell people trying to occupy disabled places: "You can't park there, I say, you can't park there."

Impressionists picked "Fred" after testing Cilla Black, Dale Winton and Tommy Cooper voices.

Loudmouth Les battles for spine victim Charlotte
4 February 2001
CORONATION Street loudmouth Les Battersby is spearheading a year-long campaign to help a brave little girl. Actor Bruce Jones is helping raise cash so three-year-old Charlotte Speddy of Bethesda, North Wales, can fly to Texas for a £100,000 operation to correct a life-threatening curvature in her spine.

Co-star Liz Dawn has joined in by donating an autographed pair of Vera Duckworth's knickers to be auctioned. And at a store opening in Llandudno yesterday Bruce waived his fee and asked the shop to donate a computer to the auction. "Charlotte is a brave little girl," he said. "We have to give her a chance."

Charlotte's dad Thomas said: "We're overwhelmed by Bruce's kindness."

DIY Danny to leave street
2 February 2001 by Jonathan Donald
Actor Richard Standing is calling it a day on Coronation Street. Richard, who joined the soap as market trader Danny Hargreaves in April 1999, is expected to leave the ITV soap in the spring. Street bosses are not revealing how he will exit. But they have hinted his tumultuous storyline with Sally and Kevin Webster will reach a head.

Richard, 32, said: "I've loved it. Two years have just flown by." Richard says working on Corrie is like being part of history. The actor said: "The programme is so much bigger than any of the individual cast. "It's like a heritage machine that has lasted so long."

On Sunday fans will see his character Danny come to blows with Kevin when tensions in their love triangle with Sally boil over. Richard is leaving to pursue new acting challenges. He said: "I'm an actor and that's what I do. I've enjoyed Coronation Street."

Despite a turn on last year's Celebrity Stars In Their Eyes, he has ruled out trying a pop career.

Freedom of city for Street star
2 February 2001

Coronation Street star John Savident, who plays Fred Elliot in the long-running soap, has been given the freedom of the City of London. The actor was sponsored for the honour by the chairman of the Smithfield Meat Markets Association. The 62-year-old has a home in the capital but spends much of his time in Manchester where the show is filmed.

He has made a full recovery after being stabbed last year. A man has been charged with robbery and wounding.

Hayley in family way
2 February 2001 by John Mahoney

IT'S the moment when Coronation Street's odd couple, Roy and Hayley Cropper, finally strike it lucky . . . with the foster child they've been through hell for.

They lavish love and treats on 15-year-old Jackie Mosley, whose dad has died and mum is critically ill in hospital. And she takes an instant shine to trans-sexual Hayley - actress Julie Hesmondhalgh - and has a ball when she's taken ten-pin bowling.

But the cosy family scene is set to be demolished quicker than a row of skittles. For not only does Jackie, played by schoolgirl actress Rebecca Bellamy, start fancying some of the local lads, but Roy struggles to come to terms with having a daughter.

Viewers will next week see that the café boss, played by David Neilson, would have preferred to look after a boy. "He feels a son would have been easier to get along with," revealed a Corrie insider. "He's tempted to leave any problems for Hayley to sort out on a girlie-girlie basis, which is a bit bizarre considering her past."

And flirty Jackie, who eventually returns to her mum, won't be their only foster child, we can reveal. "Viewers have been with them through the tortuous time when they tried to convince the authorities they were suitable for fostering," added the insider. "Jackie's arrival will be a relief. But don't expect it to run smoothly."

No rest for Corrie's Les
2 February 2001
CORONATION Street's Bruce Jones is giving up a holiday to raise cash for a sick little girl. Bruce, who plays layabout Les Battersby, has four weeks off from filming the soap. But instead of relaxing, he has vowed to help three-year-old Charlotte Speddy raise the £100,000 she needs for an op to straighten her spine.

Bruce said: "Charlotte is a lovely little girl and so brave. I just want to do everything I can for her. I want to give her a chance of life."

The actor recently bought a house in North Wales where Charlotte lives. He has organised a fund-raiser at his local pub in Conway and even roped in other Corrie stars to help. Charlotte's parents Thomas, 36, and Angela, 33, said yesterday: "We are overwhelmed by Bruce Jones's efforts.

Mayor Roy's a pain
2 February 2001 by Nigel Pauley

FORMER Coronation Street favourite Roy Barraclough pops up in Peak Practice after undergoing a radical change of image. He plays Cardale's pompous mayor Joss Brown, who has his tea spiked during a civic occasion later this month.

It's the second time the actor has made a guest appearance in the ITV medical saga. The first time, seven years ago, he played a factory foreman. Roy - shifty Alec Gilroy in Corrie - said: "I was delighted to be asked back, especially for such a fun role as Mayor Brown.

"There has to be a certain length of time before you can return, unless you're playing the same part of course. "Now I keep hinting heavily to the producers that a mayor's tenure is always for one year." He quit Corrie three years ago after a series of health scares.

In the Peak Practice episode on February 13, Mayor Brown opens Cardale's new mobile breast screening unit, helped by Dr Alex Redman (Maggie O"Neill). But his big day is ruined after someone spikes his cuppa with painkillers and he needs medical help.

Street stabbing: Man sent for trial
1 February 2001
A man accused of stabbing and robbing Coronation Street actor John Savident has been committed for trial at a crown court. Michael James Smith, 28, appeared at Manchester magistrates via a video link from the city's prison, charged with stabbing and robbing Mr Savident, who plays butcher Fred Elliott in the soap.

Mr Smith, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, was charged with wounding the 62-year-old actor with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm. Smith was remanded in custody until a plea and directions hearing on 28 February. He is also accused of robbing Savident of a wallet, credit cards, a designer watch, an invitation to a Coronation Street 40th anniversary dinner, silver money clip, £80 in cash, and house and car keys - worth a total of £1,500. No application for bail was made.

The Coronation Street star was treated at Manchester Royal Infirmary on Friday for two stab wounds to his neck and cuts and bruises following the incident at his flat near the Granada Television studios in Manchester. Savident has played the role of Fred Elliott since 1994. A former policeman in Manchester, he left the force in the early 1960s to pursue an acting career.

Corrie couple foster a child
31 January 2001

CORRIE odd couple Roy and Hayley are to get a foster child. But their dream becomes a nightmare as the flirty teenager starts eyeing up the hunky lads of Weatherfield. Roy, played by David Nielson, will be shown spying on newcomer Jackie as he tries to stop her getting into any steamy clinches. But she's soon drooling over heartthrobs Jason Grimshaw, 17, and brother Todd, 15.

A soap insider said: "Jackie is Roy and Hayley's baptism of fire. "They'll have several foster kids who'll put them through every emotion. Long term there's a good chance they'll be given a child permanently".

Viewers saw Roy and transsexual Hayley played by Julie Hesmondalgh, decide adoption was the only way they'd ever have a kid of their own. Then Roy persuaded his partner that fostering would let them help more unfortunate children.

Fears that giving a sex-change mum a foster child might provoke criticism from viewers were unfounded. The source said: "Researchers have ensured everything is portrayed properly."

At last ! Albert Square beats Coronation Street in the ratings
31 January 2001

THEY'RE neck and neck in the ratings but EastEnders is miles ahead of Coronation Street in the battle of the mobile phone ring tones. Thousands of punters are customising phones with the theme from their favourite soap and the EastEnders tune is outselling Corrie by two to one. Steven Murphy, editor of Inside Soap magazine, said: "This proves once more that people can't get enough of soaps."

Fans stay true to their local shows, with mobile users in London and the south-east opting for EastEnders while northerners choose Coronation Street. They may drive many of us mad, but interest in musical ring tones has soared in recent months. And with 4.5million mobiles sold over Christmas, flogging the different tunes is big business.

EastEnders and Corrie are easily the most popular choices, outselling December's favourite, Stan by Eminem. Also trailing in the soaps' wake are pop idols Robbie Williams and Craig David and movie themes including Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible.

Mobile chain The Link launched a service last year which lets users customise phones. Boss Nick Wood said: "The popularity of these rings confirms that many people like to personalise their phone, whether with the theme tune to their favourite soap or the colours of their football team. "Alternative ring tones have shown incredible growth. We'll continue to expand our selection." New tunes in the pipeline include the themes to Brookside, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale. Talks are also under way to turn the Crossroads music into a ring tone. The tunes are available on The Link's Tones and Graphics (TAG) service, which lets some Nokia users download music.

The EastEnders theme was written by Simon May and Leslie Osborne and released as a single in the show's debut year, 1985. Former star Anita Dobson had a number 4 hit the following year with her version, Anyone Can Fall In Love. Now in its 41st year, the Corrie music was written by Eric Spears and has been used since the first episode.

While trailing in the ring tone charts, Corrie's producers can take comfort from how close they are in the ratings. Figures for the week ending January 5 put EastEnders on 17.62million and the Street on 16.68 million.

Cruella de Lynch
30 January 2001

SOAP legend Julie Goodyear lived up to her panto role for the theatre staff who tried to doll her up for the stage. Julie, 55, who played the Wicked Queen in Snow White, is said to have axed a number of the make-up artistes insisting they were "not up to the job".

Coronation Street's Bet Lynch is reported to have "gone through a fair few" after she was unhappy with her glam stage look. It included scarlet lipstick, bright red blusher, thick black eyeliners, false eyelashes, heavy blue eye shadow, black and white Cruella De Vil-style wig plus ruby red diamond studded tiara.

One insider at Manchester's Opera House where the panto finished its run last week said: "Julie was unhappy with the way she was being made up for the role and it took a few weeks for the problem to resolve. "The bizarre thing was that most of us thought her make-up always looked absolutely fantastic and the audiences thought so, too."

Ad's Rovers Return
29 January 2001 by Ruth Hughes

POP flop Adam Rickitt is poised to make a sensational return to Corrie after announcing his music career is over. Heartthrob Adam, who played teenager Nicky Tilsley in the Street, has quit his record company and gone back to acting - and he's not ruling out a Corrie comeback.

The soap's scriptwriters had "left the door open" for 22-year-old Adam in case his music career sank. They sent Nicky to Canada to stay with his uncle instead of killing him off. Now future scripts could see him leave North America and return to the Corrie cobbles.

But a comeback would be quite a shock for Nicky. There have been a lot of changes in the family home since he's been away . . . and none of them are good. His 13-year-old sister Sarah Louise has had a baby and is not coping well with motherhood. Mum Gail and stepdad Martin have SPLIT after he cheated on her. And little brother David has turned into a spike-haired thug. Even Nicky's ex-wife Leanne Battersby turned to drugs and has left the Street.

The pretty boy actor had hoped to become the next Robbie Williams when he left the soap 18 months ago to become a pop star. And he was devastated when his two releases failed to make a big impact. Even a raunchy video couldn't take Adam's debut single I Breathe Again to the top of the charts. It reached Number 5 in June 1999 and was followed by Everything My Heart Desires, which limped to 15.

His first - and now last - album Good Times peaked at Number 41. As he embarked on his music career Adam said he was aware of the pitfalls of pop. "There's a good chance it won't work but I want to be able to say I tried. I'm going to get slagged off to hell," he said. "It might fall flat on its a*se - but at least I will have tried."

Carlton & Granada merge online
28 January 2001

GRANADA Media and Carlton Communications are in talks about merging their internet operations into a new ITV Online business. This would be the first move toward closer co-operation between the two television companies. The joint internet initiative, which will involve revenue and profit sharing, is the first of several projects that will see Granada, headed by Charles Allen, and Carlton pooling parts of their businesses to create a more integrated and efficient ITV operation.

Granada will scrap its existing G-Wizz internet service in favour of an ITV internet company, which is expected to act as an internet service provider and a portal and to provide specific programme destination sites. Higher advertising and e-commerce revenues are expected as a result. The companies want to create a single, focused ITV offering which will have the brand power to take on the BBC's already well-established web presence. It is understood that the process is being coordinated by management at Granada, which has looked hard at the BBC's dominant internet presence founded on news, sport and current affairs.

ITV Online wants to differentiate itself by concentrating on entertainment content, where it believes it has a big advantage over the BBC. One person close to the talks said: "G-Wizz will be faded out as ITV.co.uk is faded in. The opportunity we think is clear to leverage our programme brands online in a much more coordinated way."

The two companies already jointly own the Ask Jeeves search engine in the UK, which they bought for £78m. Although an ITV.co.uk website is up and running, it is only a very basic information site. The individual ITV companies also have their own sites. All this will be scrapped under the new regime aimed at improving revenues and efficiency. Whether the new ITV Online will use the ITV.com or the ITV.co.uk domain name is undecided.

Not included in the new business will be Granada and Carlton's non-ITV online properties such as Granada's swapitshop children's site. Granada and Carlton now own 90 per cent of the ITV network following last autumn's round of consolidation.

Alan Halsall
28 January 2001

LOSING your virginity is nerve-racking enough when there's just the two of you. Losing it in front of 15 million people doesn't bear thinking about. But that is exactly what Tyrone Dobbs has just done on Coronation Street. He went through the ordeal while the rest of us sat around the telly crunching extra-strong mints.

Slow, shy Tyrone's entry into manhood was one of the most public of modern times. The only event I can think of that approached it was when they flew that nymphomaniac female panda in from China to mate with the male at London Zoo - but when it came to the crucial point all he was interested in was his bamboo shoots.

Just like Ms Panda, it was Tyrone's determined, passionate girlfriend Maria who made all the running - even down to booking the hotel room. When Tyrone twigged what was happening, the look on his face was that of a condemned man at the foot of the scaffold. With a strangled cry of "I can't do this Maria...it's not right", he ran out into the night.

Hormones being what they are, Tyrone has since remedied matters, but the weeks he spent as Britain's No.1 virgin will stay long in the memory of Alan Halsall, the young actor who plays him. "I couldn't get away from it," he said. "People would nudge one another when I passed them and whisper 'Look, there's that virgin.' "An old boy even took me to one side and gave me advice, generally along the lines of 'Take it gently'. And brickies would yell from building sites 'If you're not going to do it, give me your telephone number and I will.' "My mates were the worst. They didn't know how I could act out the scenes with a straight face. I didn't some of the time. Samia Ghadie, who plays Maria, was great, but when I had to run out of the hotel I kept getting fits of the giggles."

So if he was in the same situation in real life, would he have reacted differently? A cheeky grin lights up Alan's face. "You're joking, aren't you. I'd have beaten Maria to the bedroom door. I'd have been up those stairs faster than the speed of light. You'd have needed to be an Olympic athlete to catch me."

Alan and Tyrone are the same age - 18 - but there the similarity ends. While Tyrone is pottering around in the foothills of a relationship, Alan is already climbing towards the summit. He recently got engaged to Cheryl McKay, a nursery nurse, and they are now living together near Manchester. Cheryl is three years older than Alan, though at 21 we're hardly in The Graduate territory.

However, Alan is happy to leave most of the important decisions in their new home to her. "She takes care of the money side," he says. "Making sure the bills are paid on time, that sort of thing. Goes right over my head, that does. Nobody could be more stupid at figures than me. "I like...er...watching telly, that's what I do best around the house. No, to be fair, I do some of the housework when I'm not working." Such as? "Tidying. I do a lot of tidying."

Alan and Cheryl met 15 months ago when Alan was barely 17. The relationship caught fire with the suddenness and passion that only a teenage love affair can provide. "It was pretty much love at first sight for me," Alan says. "I thought she was gorgeous the first time I saw her. We met in a pub in Warrington. I was there with a mate and Cheryl was there with her friends. Nobody introduced us, we just started talking. We found something in each other and that was it really. I'm head over heels about her."

I ask him to describe Cheryl and a happy look spreads over his face. "She's about five-two, five-three. She's got short blonde hair and really dark eyes." - Hello, here comes that cheeky grin again. - "And a fantastic figure. Really great."

He looks so young at times, sitting there in his Manchester United replica shirt - perhaps too young to be involved as deeply as this. Especially as he freely admits, "I wasn't really all that interested in girls before Cheryl. I was more into motorbikes, stuff like that." But who am I to judge? I come from a different age.

HE counters my doubts with a typically cheery response. "I'm an early developer," he says. "I had hairs on my chest when I was nine." He proposed out of the blue, one evening before they moved in together. It surprised even him because he says he's not usually a romantic kind of guy. They haven't set a wedding date yet. They're just glad they've found each other and are happy. And you think it will last forever, I ask him. "Oh yes," he says immediately. "I hope so anyway."

The happiness in his own life has given him a fresh perspective on Tyrone's fumbling journey into adulthood with Maria. "Of course," he says expansively, "now that Tyrone's actually done it, he's changed completely. He's become stud-of-the-month."He keeps following her around saying 'Come on, we could do it at dinner time.' "Oh, he had a great line. He said to her, 'I reckon I'm getting really good now. I can do it in no time - two minutes maximum.'" Alan chuckles. "It's not exactly what a woman wants to hear, is it? I think he's totally missed the whole concept."

It is very much to Alan's credit that he managed to make Tyrone's dilemma, which could so easily have degenerated into trouser-dropping farce, funny and touching at the same time. It would have been a stern enough test for an experienced actor, much less an 18-year-old relatively fresh to the business.

He's also had to put up with a torrent of fame and recognition. which could easily have unsettled him. When he describes what it was like suddenly to find himself playing a leading role in Britain's top soap you can't help but feel you're dealing with a kind of collective madness. "I'd been in Heartbeat and you'd get the odd person coming up to you, but nothing prepared you for it. "It began the morning after I made my first appearance. I went shopping in Manchester, not thinking anything of it. Then every other person stopped me. They said, 'Hey, you're in Coronation Street aren't you?' The power of the show is indescribable. I wondered what I'd let myself in for. "As soon as one person plucks up enough courage to ask for your autograph, some- times you get crowds round. "Some people follow you, too. I see them out of the corner of my eye, trying to keep 10 yards behind me, seeing where I go shopping."

OCCASIONALLY, as a defence, he wears baseball caps and hides behind his sunglasses. "I'd never worn a cap before this, never in my life. Now I keep two or three in my car. But sometimes even that doesn't work. "Before I learned to drive I had a moped. I'd always wear a helmet and visor but one day, when I was stopped at the lights, someone recognised me from the couple of inches of face I had exposed. 'It's Tyrone,' they shouted. Luckily, the lights turned green so I could make a quick getaway."

He mostly keeps clear of clubs or places where people drink a lot and might corner him. Sometimes, he is confronted by cheeky teenage girls who, as forward as Maria in the Street, aren't afraid to put their arms around him and and say, 'Go on, give us a cuddle.' Alan says: "I don't mind that." More to the point, neither does Cheryl. The way she handles it is great. She doesn't get jealous. She knows how much I love her."

For Alan, there was no inkling about what stardom might be like. He never went to stage school, but blundered into acting by accident at the age of 13, when a friend dared him to go for an audition for the TV show Children's Ward. "There was a notice put up on the board at school asking people who were interested to put their names down. "I wouldn't have done it, but a dare's a dare. I had a laugh at the audition, but as far as I was concerned that was it. Then, a few days later, I got home from school and my Mum was waiting in the doorway. She said, 'Alan, why should Granada Television want to talk to you? They've left a message on the answer-phone.' I hadn't even told my Mum and Dad because I hadn't expected it to go any further."

He has no idea what he'd be doing now if he hadn't become an actor. There is no theatrical background in his family. His Dad, Dave, is employed by Salford council as a highways inspector, his Mum Michelle is a special needs teacher. He has an older brother, Stephen, who works in the body shop at Vauxhall Motors and who he calls "my best mate". He adds:"Without my family, I don't know what I'd have done. I CERTAINLY wouldn't be on Coronation Street, I wouldn't have had the confidence. Because they have always supported me and given me the security of a good home, I felt I could take on anything."

How different his upbringing has been to Tyrone's, with his troubled past and the jailbird Mum who abandoned him. "He once called himself Steve McQueen because he'd made the great escape from so many children's homes," Alan says. "That's why he is so gentle with Maria. His own mother has been treated so badly by the men in her life that he wants it to be different with her. "The reason he runs away when Maria is desperate to sleep with him is because he wants her to know he loves and respects her."

He's grateful that Tyrone is the exact opposite of blokes whose lives revolve around getting drunk and getting laid. "You could call Tyrone old-fashioned, I suppose, in the way he treats women. But I like him for it." And how about Alan? Is he old-fashioned too? "'I suppose I am really," he says.

Tyrone has now been taken under the wing of Jack and Vera Duckworth, two of Corrie's most vivid comic characters. Alan says Bill Tarmey and Liz Dawn, who play them, are "a top laugh - it's like being in a real-life comedy show."When he first played opposite them, he was in awe. "To me, Jack and Vera are Mr and Mrs Coronation Street. Bill and Liz have done everything to make me feel welcome. "We've got little routines we do when we're not on set. One is whistle tunelessly together. It's a tribute to Bill's father-in-law, who used to own a shop. Bill says that while he was serving customers he would whistle out of tune for hours on end."

Alan's a chunky, cheerful lad with an open face - the sort you might find yourself chatting to at football over a Bovril at half-time. Life has been good to him, and he knows it. A job he enjoys, a girlfriend he adores, duets with Bill Tarmey. And he's only 18. "I've been very, very lucky," he says. And I find myself wishing long may it last.

Wild Street star Vicky lets her hair down at boozy bash
28 January 2001
CORRIE star Vicky Entwhistle - who plays battleaxe Janice Battersby - looked like an extra from the Ravers' Return when she got totally blotto at a wild party. The boozy actress snogged and groped a stunned reveller as she let her hair down in a blonde Rod Stewart wig, ultra-short 1970s mini-dress and star-shaped sunglasses. Then to round off her hell-raising performance, she dropped her drawers with a couple of pals and let everyone admire her bare-faced cheek.

This sensational story of Vicky, 32, come just days after she was arrested by police for allegedly headbutting a fan. And it reveals that the tiny actress - who is only five feet tall - is certainly not worried about making a big show of herself.

Sarah's £1million lovenest
28 January 2001

ACTRESS Sarah Lancashire and BBC chief Peter Salmon have set up home together in a luxury riverside lovenest. Former Coronation Street star Sarah, 36, the highest-paid actress on television, earning £650,000 a year, spent more than £1million on the spectacular penthouse, which overlooks the Thames at Richmond. She and father-of-three Salmon moved in last week after she sold her home in Altrincham, Cheshire.

Setting up home together is, say friends, a sign of how committed the couple are to one another. One friend said: "Sarah is investing a lot in this relationship. Most of her family live in Cheshire so for her to uproot her life and come south like this is quite something. "She is 100 per cent committed to Peter, as he is to her, so moving in together was logical. "Things are looking very positive for them and in terms of their future, who knows what will happen?""

The couple were this week spotted walking arm-in-arm in nearby Richmond park. One onlooker said: "They looked utterly happy and relaxed in each other's company. They obviously feel a great deal for each other."" The new three-bedroom apartment is in a block which has electronic gates, private parking and a residents' gym. It is also convenient for Sarah, who is filming new ITV drama The Glass with John Thaw in nearby Hampton. Mr Salmon, who is the BBC's director of sport, has kept a flat in Oxford so he can visit his sons. The former BBC1 controller left Penny Watts, his partner of 20 years, for Sarah last year.

News of the affair emerged in October - the day after Salmon, 44, watched Sarah win Best Actress at the National TV Awards. The pair attended the ceremony separately and sat in different parts of London's Royal Albert Hall. Sarah shot to fame as the Street's dizzy barmaid Raquel, while Salmon is the man behind BBC hits including Walking With Dinosaurs and The Human Body. The couple met several years ago when they both worked for Granada TV in Manchester. But love only blossomed a few months before they announced they were an item. One said: "They are serious about each other. Peter did not take leaving his wife and children lightly. His high-profile career takes him away from his family a lot. Inevitably it took its toll on the relationship.""

Salmon left Penny and his three sons at their home in Oxford and moved into a nearby flat when news of his affair broke. It is believed Sarah's children Thomas, 13, and Matthew, 11, will divide their time between her new home and their family home in Oldham.

Divorced Sarah signed a £1.3m two-year "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV last year. Since quitting the Street in 1996 she has starred in several TV hits, including Seeing Red, Where The Heart Is and My Fragile Heart.

Easy-going Kevin sees red
25 January 2001 by Derek Robins
Easy-going Kevin Webster will shock Corrie fans when he thumps estranged wife Sally's boyfriend, Danny, next month. Kevin (Michael Le Vell) will lash out at a stunned Danny Hargreaves (Richard Standing) in the street on February 4 after daughter Sophie has a freak accident.

A Corrie spokeswoman said: "Kevin sees red when Sophie is injured when a bookcase Danny has been putting up falls on her. He doesn't even tell Kevin about the accident. "I think viewers will be on Kevin's side as it is a father's nightmare to lose his wife and now Danny is trying to stop him seeing his children, Rosie and Sophie, while Sally is away looking after her sick sister. "Things really come to a head when his children tell Hayley they've got two dads!"

Kevin is set to have several more bust-ups with Danny in the coming weeks. A Corrie spokeswoman said: "It starts with one punch in the street but tension will be simmering between the two for some time to come. "Kevin still has feelings for Sally as he feels alone after losing Alison and baby Jake last year. It'll be interesting to see how Sally reacts when she comes back from looking after her ill sister."

Red all about it, says Denise
25 January 2001

RED is the colour for pregnant ex-Coronation Street star Denise Welch, alias pub boss Natalie Barnes. She sank a glass of red at a London show. And she revealed how she and husband Tim Healy conceived the baby after visiting Amsterdam's red light district. Denise, 42, said: "We practised what we had seen."

Lost Street painting shows an oil-star cast
25 January 2001
A forgotten oil portrait of Coronation Street's first cast has been found in a dusty bank vault after 40 years. Renowned artist J Lawrence Isherwood - whose works now sell for up to £40,000 after his death in 1990 - created the 6ft by 5ft canvas in 1960 to mark the first episode of the TV soap.

But although it features original favourites including Ken Barlow, Ena Sharples, Elsie Tanner and Annie Walker on the Weatherfield cobbles, it was never shown to fans.

Sister-in-law Molly Isherwood, of Wigan, Greater Manchester, said: "He was very down-to-earth and wasn't into showbiz but he loved Coronation Street.

New vidoes for February 2001
23 January 2001

Richard Beckinsale (Rising Damp, Porridge) and Paula Wilcox (Man About The House) star as Geoffrey and Beryl in the video debut of the endearing Granada sitcom The Lovers.

The Lovers TV series elevated the two young stars to household names in 1970. This video contains the first three episodes from the first series about the joys and heartaches of two confused young lovers who seem to be heading in completely different directions.

Whilst Beryl dreams of a white wedding (in its fullest sense), Geoffrey wants what most young men want (besides watching his beloved Manchester United, that is) and is forever trying to get Beryl in bed to stake a claim to what he believes is rightfully his ­ except he is secretly scared of the prospect!

Beryl also has mixed feelings, and the two play a continual game of verbal sexual cat-and-mouse which goes nowhere but is as exhausting as the act itself. The only one who seems to have a clue about what's going on is Beryl's mother (Joan Scott).

The episodes featured on this video release ­ War is Declared, The Dominant Partner and Freckle Face - were originally transmitted in October 1970.

Winner of a writer's Guild of Great Britain Award for Best Comedy, The Lovers was written by Jack Rosenthal, directed by Michael Apted and produced by Jack Rosenthal for Granada Television. A second series followed in 1971.
Release date: 19 Feb 2001 / Cat No: GV0302 / Cert: 12 / Length: 71 mins approx / Price: £9.99

Thelma's more at home on the stage
23 January 2001
Thelma Barlow says she never got fed up playing Mavis in Coronation Street. The actress told Ananova it was far from easy playing one part for a long time.

Thelma says she now prefers appearing on stage and is currently playing Madame Arcati in Blithe Spirit at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. "One gets such little time to rehearse television," she says. "Theatre is becoming much more attractive. Just working on a stage character is so interesting." She says her Corrie character was written to change all the time so it was never a "soft option".

Thelma left the soap over three years ago and adds that although she still gets recognised as Mavis, many fans now call her by her real name. "One is naturally typecast," she says. "But the proof of the pudding is when one leaves to do other work."

Blithe Spirit continues until January 27. For details on how to book, ring (0113) 2137700

Street star quizzed
23 January 2001 by John Mahoney

TINY Coronation Street star Vicky Entwistle told last night of her ordeal after being arrested for allegedly headbutting a skinhead. The petite actress, who plays loudmouth factory machinist Janice Battersby in the soap, was taken by police from her city centre apartment and quizzed for nearly two hours.

Vicky, 32, and just 5ft tall was eventually released on bail after telling officers that her "victim" was injured when the pair accidentally clashed heads in the street. She said last night: "It has been a very traumatic experience for me because I have never been inside a police station in my life. "I was questioned over the alleged assault by a man who was 6ft tall. "I have not done anything wrong and I have every confidence in the British justice system. "It is not a nice experience for anyone to go through. I felt very, very threatened and was very, very scared. "There are a lot more things I would like to say but because of the nature of the inquiry I can not."

The incident happened at 12.20am yesterday as the £74,000-a-year star walked home through Manchester's Gay Village after a night out with friends. Vicky was just 200 yards from her front door when she realised three lads were walking straight towards her as she passed a bustling chicken bar called McTucky's. She told a friend last night she was aware one of the men was about to speak to her, but insisted she never intended to make contact with the 40-year-old, who suffered minor injuries to his face.

She added: "It was very dark and I tried to keep my head down as I walked. "It's the natural thing to do if you might be feeling a little bit frightened. I did not mean to hurt anyone."

A friend of the actress said: "Everything happened very suddenly. She somehow caught his nose with the top of her head. "It's obvious she did not mean to do it - and that is what she told the police."

Last night, Vicky was being comforted by her live-in boyfriend Andy Chapman, a 25-year-old stage and props hand at the Granada TV studios in Manchester where Vicky has worked for four years. Andy was not with her at the time of the incident. A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said last night: "A woman has been bailed until February 25."

Street star speaks of assault arrest trauma
22 January 2001

Coronation Street star Vicky Entwistle insists she has done nothing wrong after being arrested for allegedly assaulting a man. Entwistle, who plays loudmouthed Janice Battersby in the soap, says her arrest, has been a very traumatic experience. She has been questioned over the alleged attack, in which a 40-year-old man sustained facial injuries, before being released on police bail pending further inquiries until February 25.

The arrest is in connection with an incident in Sackville Street, Manchester city centre in the early hours. Speaking outside Granada Studios, where the ITV soap is made, Entwistle said: "Today has been a very traumatic experience as I have never been inside a police station in my life. "I was questioned today over allegations of an alleged assault of a 6ft tall 30-plus man. I have done nothing wrong and I have every confidence in the British justice system. I am very confident of the outcome. "This would not be a nice experience for anyone to have to go through. I have done nothing wrong and I am sure that hopefully that will come to light. "There are a lot more things I would like to say but because of the nature of the inquiry I cannot say anything. I have not been charged with anything."

A spokeswoman for Coronation Street said the actress had been "only to happy to help police with their inquiries." Entwistle first appeared as feisty Janice Battersby in 1997. She and soap husband Les, played by Bruce Jones, arrived with tearaway daughters Leanne and Toyah and quickly became established as the Street's neighbours from hell.

Ken you believe it
22 January 2001 by John Mahoney

FAMOUS foes Mike Baldwin and Ken Barlow will come to blows again - at the funeral of Street mum Susan Baldwin. The explosive graveside bustup will be the FIFTH time the enemies have lashed out at each other. And this time the fist fight following Susan's shock car crash death will pave the way for a bitter custody scrap for her orphaned son Adam.

The 12-year-old played by Iain de Caestecker is wanted by his natural dad Mike as well as his grandad Ken. Last night an insider on the show said: "All the bad blood between Baldwin and Barlow spills out all over again. What should be tense, moving and harrowing scenes turn into a fierce personal clash."

Susan (Joanna Foster) is killed after she flees to Ireland to escape Baldwin (Johnny Briggs). Ken (Bill Roache) thinks he'd be a better guardian for Adam, who collapses as the coffin is lowered and is made even more distraught when Mike tells him he's his father.

The previous scraps between Baldwin and Barlow began in 1983 after Ken discovered Mike's affair with Deirdre. Three years later they were at it again over Mike's plans to wed Susan. In 1990 they fought in the Rovers when Ken was taunted over his fling with Wendy Crozier. And in 1998 they clashed at Deirdre's trial for fraud.

Custody Street
22 January 2001

CORONATION Street mum Susan Baldwin is to be killed off in a horror car crash. Her death paves the way for an emotional custody battle for her son Adam between arch rivals Ken Barlow and Mike Baldwin.

Emotions boil over at the tearjerking funeral when the boy's grandad Ken and his dad Mike - veteran actors Bill Roache and Johnny Briggs - have their FIFTH punch-up. A source working on the ITV soap said: "The funeral scenes will be nothing short of sensational, the kind of stuff just about everybody up and down the country will be talking about".

Viewers have seen long-lost Susan - actress Joanna Foster - return to Weatherfield with the grandson her father Ken never knew he had. Adam (Iain de Caestecker) was Baldwin's son from his short-lived marriage to Susan years ago. He had no idea the boy existed.

Scriptwriters have engineered a dramatic build-up to him finding out about his son. Tycoon Baldwin wants to take the 12-year-old under his wing - much to the fury Adam's grandad. The source said : "That is like a red rag to a bull as far as Ken is concerned and the simmering hate he has for Baldwin eventually reaches boiling point. "Susan is adamant she doesn't want her ex-husband to have anything to do with Adam - and the boy himself is all against it. "But Baldwin is desperate to persuade Adam he is a good dad and tracks the pair down to try to win them over. "Susan just wants to get away from him and decides on taking her son to Ireland. "But it is when they are in their car on their way to escape Mike's attentions that the crash happens".

Adam is devastated and it is down to Ken to console his grandson and try to help him come to terms with a future without his mother. The source added: "Susan's funeral will be a highly-charged affair and deep down Ken is blaming Mike for her death. "Adam breaks down as the coffin is lowered into the ground. "Iain's performance will have everyone reaching for their hankies." Mike and Ken start brawling at the graveside and their partners Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride) and Linda (Jacqueline Sykes) try to pull them apart.

The insider said: "Mike breaks free and tries to run across to Adam, shouting that he's his dad and to please talk to him. "The distraught son lashes out at Mike, such is his fury and upset. But the closing scenes will show Mike fighting a losing battle as his son tries to shun him."

Susan's death sparks a bitter custody battle between Ken and Mike to look after Adam, with one of them eventually winning the case. The storyline should mean a long stay in the soap for Iain - one of a growing number of teenagers being brought into the show.

Ken and Mike have traded blows before. The most famous occasion was when Ken discovered Baldwin's affair with his wife Deirdre. They also clashed over Mike's plans to marry Ken's daughter Susan and had a punch-up in the Rovers four years later. Their last scuffle was in 1998 over the fraud trial involving Deirdre.

GREAT BALDWIN V BARLOW BATTLES

• Ken discovers Mike's affair with Deirdre in 1983
• Barlow hits out at Mike's 1986 bid to marry Susan
• The pair are at it again in 1990 in the Rovers Return
• The pub was also the scene of their last fight in 1998

TV link for Corrie case
20 January 2001

THE man accused of stabbing Corrie star John Savident, alias Fred Elliot, appeared in court yesterday by video link. Michael Smith, 28, sat next to solicitor Kristina Harrison as he viewed proceedings at Manchester magistrates court from his remand cell in Strangeways.

Looking pale, Smith, of Elgin Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, was told that appearing on the video link did not "detract from the seriousness of the proceedings".

Dinnerladies star to join Corrie
19 January 2001
Actress Shobna Gulati, best known for starring in Victoria Wood's comedy Dinnerladies, will be joining the cast of Coronation Street.

Shobna, 28, will appear as a runaway from an arranged marriage who takes refuge in Weatherfield.
She said she was very excited about the new role and that it was "like a dream come true".

Soaps boost for beer
19 January 2001
MORE women are following beer-swilling soap characters by drinking pints. A survey of 1000 people by the Campaign for Real Ale showed that beer is the preferred drink of 25 per cent of women in the UK. Among men, 86 per cent favour a pint.

End of the road for Corrie tours
19 January 2001
TOURS of television's Coronation Street set are to be scrapped after a slump in visitor numbers. The Granada Studios Tour will close at the end of next month because its owners believe it has had its day.

After opening amid a blaze of publicity in 1988, the tour attracted 5.25million people from all over the world who wanted to see where Ken Barlow, played by William Roach, and the rest of the characters lived. By 1999, the number of visitors was 30 per cent less than expected.

Granada will make an announcement in the future about public opening times for the Street. Staff were given the closure news yesterday and it was expected that up to 40 people could lose their jobs.

Granada Studios Tour to close
18 January 2001

THE Granada Studios Tour - once voted the region's top tourist attraction - is to close for good because its owners believe it has had its day. Up to 40 jobs are expected to go. After opening in a blaze of publicity in 1988, the tour attracted 5.25 million people from all over the world who wanted to see the famous outdoors set of Coronation Street and its many other TV-related themes. But it will close at the end of next month because owners Granada Media believe it has lost its pulling power. However, the Coronation Street set, which is still used for filming every Monday, will not be demolished.

Granada will make an announcement about public opening times for the set. By 1999, the number of visitors was 30 per cent less than expected. The drop came as Granada Media was moved away from leisure and entertainment. In December 1999, the tour closed to the general public, with the loss of more than 200 jobs. Since then, it has only been open to people who have booked one of its hospitality packages. When the last of these has been held late next month, the complex will close for good.

The company said today that it had been unable to think of any way the tour could be revamped. At its peak, the tour employed 361 staff. But most staff now used for the hospitality packages are casual workers. Further talks are now likely to decide what should be done with the site once the tour buildings are pulled down. Props from TV shows such as Heartbeat, Emmerdale and Coronation Street will be returned to the programme makers. The cars and helicopter once featured in the tour have already been removed as they were in a poor condition.

Richard Standing
15 January 2001

It has been announced that Richard Standing, who plays Danny Hargreaves, will be leaving Coronation Street. Richard, who joined the show two years ago as market trader Danny, will say farewell to the Street in a few months' time.

But the good news is that Corrie bosses have promised that a sizzling storyline will surround Danny's decision to depart for pastures new.

Blind date drops out of TV top 30
16 January 2001

Cilla Black's Blind Date has disappeared from TV's top 30, according to official viewing ratings for the past year. Once the linchpin of Saturday night entertainment, the dating game now ranks a lowly 45 in ITV's top 50 programmes for the year, pulling in just 9.6m viewers. Even You've Been Framed - number 29 in the chart - gained a bigger audience, attracting 10m viewers. Blind Date launched 15 years ago and in its heyday was the most talked-about show on television and attracted more than 18m viewers each week.

Chris Tarrant's Who Wants to be a Millionaire?, talent show Stars in their Eyes, and documentaries on celebrities such as David Beckham have pushed Cilla out of the picture. Cilla's fall from the top of the ratings charts comes just months after she complained about the scheduling of her other show, Moment of Truth.

Blind Date aside, ITV is winning the ratings battle with BBC 1. The network screened 24 of the 30 top-rated shows for 2000, according to the latest official figures released by Barb.

But in a dramatic end to the year, the BBC's Christmas episode of EastEnders took the number-one slot. The drama surrounding Sonia's baby helped win the soap almost 21m viewers - nearly 2m ahead of Coronation Street, the number two show for the year. The BBC's only other entry in the top 10 was England's battle against Romania in Euro 2000.

Last year was also the year reality TV came of age. Yet the programmes are conspicuous by their absence from the top 30 for the year. Big Brother, which scored an impressive 9.5m audience for Channel 4, is the station's number one but it failed to make the all-over charts. Castaway, the BBC's year-long social experiment, doesn't even make it into BBC1's top 30.

Docu-soaps also appear to have had their day, with BBC's Airport only just nudging into the top 30 with 10.66m. The only documentary to feature is BBC 1's I Don't Believe It, a programme about the making of One Foot in the Grave, which went out just before the final episode of the sitcom.

Although the top 10 is dominated by football, light entertainment and soaps, BBC1's own top 10 features a greater range of shows. Hit comedies such as Dinner Ladies and One Foot in the Grave line up with sport, drama such as Casualty and old reliables like the Antiques Roadshow. Anne Robinson's celebrity version of The Weakest Link made it into BBC 2's top 10.

Brookside has been toppled from the top of Channel 4's table by Big Brother, Friends and the Victoria Beckham vehicle, Victoria's Secrets.

Channel 5's top 10 is littered with the type of programmes it is best-known for: some news, a little football, a few films and lots of nudity. Keith Chegwin's Naked Jungle, Streakers and the controversial Sex and Shopping all make it to the top 10.

Top 30 terrestrial programmes 2000 (Audience in millions) Pos Channel Programme Audience 1 BBC 1 EastEnders* - 28/31 Dec - Sonja/Martin baby 20.89 2 ITV Coronation St - 3 Jan - Raquel's return 18.96 3 ITV Who Wants to be a Millionaire? 15.88 4 ITV Heartbeat 15.16 5 ITV Euro 2000 Portugal v England 14.95 6 BBC 1 Euro 2000 England v Romania 14.56 7 ITV Who Wants to be a Millionare? celeb 13.91 8 ITV Inspector Morse 13.66 9 ITV Euro 2000 - post match analysis 13.49 10 ITV Emmerdale 13.25 11 BBC 1 Dinner Ladies* 13.02 12 BBC 1 One Foot in the Grave 12.84 13 BBC 1 Casualty 12.34 13 ITV Seeing Red 12.34 15 ITV Stars in their Eyes - results 12.09 16 ITV National TV Awards 12.04 17 ITV Touch of Frost 11.95 18 ITV Garages from Hell 11.53 19 ITV ITN News Special - flood crisis 11.49 20 ITV The Bill 11.49 21 BBC 1 Documentary: I Don't Believe It 11.25 22 ITV Hero of the Hour 11.22 23 ITV Celebrity Stars in their Eyes 11.22 24 ITV Film: The Full Monty 11.08 25 BBC 1 Euro 2000 England v Germany 10.91 26 ITV Film: Liar Liar 10.90 27 BBC 1 Neighbours* 10.88 28 BBC 1 Antiques Roadshow 10.78 29 ITV London's Burning 10.75 30 BBC 1 Film: Men in Black 10.69 30 ITV Coronation Street - episode one 10.69 *Aggregated audience; Source: BARB

Corrie star thought Hayley would be a joke
16 January 2001
Coronation Street's Julie Hesmondhalgh says she thought playing a transsexual would never work. She says there was a risk her character Hayley would be seen as a bit of a joke. But she says Hayley has received a very positive reaction from viewers.

"The transsexual community has been very supportive of the storyline," she says. "I think they were originally worried it might end up as a comedy. "But since Hayley went for the operation they have been right behind us."

Julie also reveals although she looks very different from Hayley in real life, her voice is exactly the same. "My voice tends to give me away," she said. "When I first started in the Street the director asked me if it was my real voice."

Storm over TV 'boring' suburb slur
16 January 2001
TV CHIEFS have sparked outrage by branding a posh suburb "boring".

The slur was made about Bearsden, near Glasgow, by Coronation Street's only Scots character, Adam Barlow, during his debut on Sunday.

The insult - delivered by 13-year-old actor Iain de Caestecker - has enraged local councillor William Hendry. He is demanding an apology from show bosses at Granada Television.

Rovers lets in kids
15 January 2001 by John Mahoney

THE Rovers Return is about to serve CHILDREN for the first time ever! It is the most radical shakeup in the Coronation Street pub's 40-year history and is set to divide both Weatherfield's tipplers and viewers.

The shake-up is butcher Fred Elliott's first big move since becoming a partner in the boozer. Fred, played by John Savident, persuades associates Mike Baldwin and Duggie Ferguson that, although teen punters may be on just lemonade today, they are the pub's future. But battleaxe barmaid Betty Williams - Betty Driver - is left fuming when 10-year-old David Platt (Jack Shepherd) orders a Coke then a pint for his dad Martin! She rages that strict Annie Walker - the Rovers' first landlady - would be turning in her grave.

The Rovers is a traditional boozer, with no outside play area or children's menu like today's theme pubs, and it could now be blasted into the 21st Century. But Lee Lixenberg, of Alcohol Concern, said: "We are unhappy with anything that could encourage under-age drinking. "We don't want to appear po-faced, but there is an under-age drinking problem in Britain. Much of it stems from alcopops, which taste like soft drinks but contain alcohol." Psychologist Geoff Lowe, of Hull University, added: "TV is a model for children, so pub storylines must be handled carefully."

The law used to be that children had to be at least 14 to be on licensed premises. Now, with the rise of pub grub, children of any age can go in if they are eating or there is a family room away from the bar.

Abandoned and betrayed
14 January 2001

THE heartbroken schoolgirl daughter of Coronation Street star Charlie Lawson revealed last night how she has been driven to the brink of a breakdown after being "abandoned" by her stay-away dad. Pretty Laura Lawson, 13, sees a psychologist twice a week after suffering terrifying panic attacks since heartless Charlie walked out on her and her mum Sue to set up home with his mistress. The timid teenager often breaks down in tears when she watches her father play Jim McDonald in the Street - the only way she ever gets to see him.

Clutching the picture of Charlie, 43, that she still keeps on her bedside table, Laura said: "You'd think it was brilliant having a soap star for a father. But the truth is if I didn't watch the Street I'd hardly ever see him. "People ask me what he's really like. I say he's great because I'm too ashamed to tell them the truth - that I don't know him at all."

Fighting back the tears Laura revealed that since her dad left, she:

SUFFERS bouts of hysteria;
SHAKES and has crying fits;
GETS claustrophobic and nauseous.

Mum Sue, 44, said Laura - who is the very image of her dad - has suffered from a form of post-traumatic stress disorder for the past two years. The condition has caused her problems at school and she only attends morning lessons on the advice of her psychologist.

Sue said: "Laura was heartbroken when Charlie left us six years ago. I tried to keep things together but a couple of years ago - when she moved to senior school - it all became too much for her. "Our GP referred her to a psychologist who said she was suffering from low self-esteem and lack of confidence as a result of Charlie leaving. "For years she'd bottled it up but the change of school had triggered all the anxieties she'd managed to control."

One of the cruellest blows that Laura received from Charlie was when he broke his promise that she would be a bridesmaid at his wedding to mistress Ellie Bond last July. The devastated teenager only found out the star-studded ceremony had taken place when she saw pictures splashed across the front cover of a magazine. Trying to hide her hurt, Laura said: "I was really excited when Dad told me I could be a bridesmaid at the wedding. "I knew there'd be lots of famous people there. I was looking forward to having a lovely new dress and my hair done. But he never mentioned it again. "Then I saw the pictures on the front of the magazine. There was my dad surrounded by the Street cast, including his screen sons Steve and Andy. I was so shocked that I burst into tears."

Mum Sue - who still lives in the terrace house she shared with Charlie in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warks - said: "I was furious with him over the wedding and asked him how he could be so cruel. He said he was worried Laura might have had a panic attack. "He cared more that she might cause an embarrassing scene than about keeping a promise to his daughter that she could be a bridesmaid at her own dad's wedding. "It didn't occur to him that it was this kind of behaviour that had triggered the attacks in the first place. He was making matters worse."

Although Laura gets angry at the way she's been treated by her father, it is obvious she still idolises him. She cuts out pictures of him from magazines and calls him regularly. But his visits to her are few and far between. Laura said: "I've only seen him 11 times in the past two years. Sometimes he promises he will drive down from Manchester but then he tells me the motorway is busy. Other times he says his car has broken down. "Last September he promised to take me on a boating holiday - just me and him. I was looking forward to it but I should have known better really. At 8am the morning before we were due to go, he called to say the river was too high and he'd cancelled the holiday. I was so upset I couldn't reply."

Laura received another shock when she read a story in a newspaper about how her father had cancer. Despite speaking to her on the phone the day before, he hadn't warned her about the article. She said: "When I saw the paper I almost collapsed. My grandma is living with us after she was diagnosed with cancer. I saw that story and thought: My God, first my nan, now my dad is going to die. "But then it turned out he didn't have cancer at all. He'd made a mountain out of a mole-hill and made us all worry. As I get older I realise Dad is incredibly selfish. He only thinks about himself."

Charlie - who left the Street in December after 11 years - is to star in the West End comedy Art at the end of January. But last November, he stopped paying his £358 a week maintenance towards Laura's upkeep because he said he couldn't afford it. Ex-wife Sue - who works as a part-time theatre assistant - said: "Laura needs all the security she can get right now and Charlie isn't helping matters by stopping her money. I can't go to work full-time right now because Laura needs me more than ever. "If Charlie doesn't pay up, we won't be able to pay the mortgage and we might lose our home."

Despite all her problems with her father, Laura would still love more than anything to have a proper relationship with Charlie. She said: "I long to have an ordinary dad. Sometimes, when I come out of school I close my eyes and hope he'll be at the gate waiting to take me home. "I just want him to be there for me like other people's dads."

The real end of the road in The Street
14 January 2001
IT'S the ultimate Coronation Street plot. And Canon Frank Bibby knows where all the bodies are buried...

For the Street's TV funeral services are held in his church, and the "burials" take place at the bottom of his garden nearby. "I have lost count of the number of times it's been dug up," he says.

Canon Bibby, of St Mary the Virgin church in Prestwick, Manchester, said: "Whenever a Street funeral takes place, the same plot is always used. I think it's because we are situated at the end of a cul-de-sac. It ensures a certain amount of privacy for filming." Although scenes shot with mourners in the church's graveyard are real enough, the actual burial takes place in the Canon's garden "because the church graveyard is consecrated ground and we wouldn't allow any digging to take place there."

The last Street funeral to be held there was after Judy Mallett, played by Gaynor Faye, collapsed in September 1999 while pegging out the clothes in the backyard at No 9. Judy shares the same grave with Alf Roberts, played by Bryan Mosley. Des Barnes, played by Phillip Middlemiss is also there, along with Mavis's husband, Derek Wilton. Other big names to share the communal plot include Jack and Vera's daughter Lisa Duckworth and Gail's husband, Brian Tilsley.

Canon Bibby said: "Once at the end of a long take the church bells suddenly went off. They had to shoot the scene all over again." The parish receives around £1,000 from Street bosses every time scenes are filmed there, and Canon Bibby is happy for filming to continue at the church. He said: "The Granada people are always very polite and respectful."

As for who's next in line for the bottom of Canon Bibby's garden..."Even I don't know," he said.

Coronation Streak star
11 January 2001
CORONATION Street pin-up Naomi Russell has revealed her naughtiest moment - being stuck naked in car parked in the street. The 22-year-old actress, who plays Weatherfield's factory girl Bobbi Lewis, was forced to use a bag of pear drop sweets to preserve her modesty. She said her public streak - a saucy dare - was "the wildest thing" she's ever done.

Naomi, who is one of the ITV soap's sex symbols, found herself in trouble after a calling her ex-boyfriend's bluff. She explained: "Years ago, I was sat in watching TV with my then boyfriend and we'd left some sweets in the car. "He dared me to get them naked so I ran around the corner to the car, got the sweets, ran back and the git had shut me out. "So I had to get back in the car. All these people are going past, and I am sat there with a bag of Pear Drops on my crotch."

But Naomi has bad news for any blokes who are sweet on her. She has been in a relationship with a Tom Cruise look-a-like for the past two years. She told Sky magazine: "We met in Manchester, through friends. "But I don't really want to go on about him. He'd hate me to be talking about him."

Stars In Their Isles
9 January 2001 by Jonathan Donald

Michael Douglas, Bob Monkhouse and Bill Roache are to star in a series of Wish You Were Here specials about islands. Stars In Their Isles, to be aired on ITV in March, will feature them talking passionately about the sun-soaked destinations they love.

Movie star Douglas will focus on Bermuda on which he has holidayed since childhood. Funnyman Monkhouse will present a special on Barbados, where he owns a house.

And Corrie star Roache will tour Sardinia.

Michael Douglas's love of Bermuda stems from his mother Diana Dill who introduced him to the Caribbean island. A show spokeswoman said: "He is absolutely passionate about Bermuda. "His mother's side of the family have been on the island since the 16th century and he has gone there since he was a little boy." Douglas's new wife Catherine Zeta-Jones will not feature in the ITV programme.

Jane switches from The Street to hospital
8 January 2001
Coronation Street's Jane Danson has told how she feared she might become a "nobody" when she quit the soap last year. The 22-year-old actress, who played Leanne Battersby, says becoming unemployed was very scary. Jane told Teletext she decided to leave Coronation Street when her character's low-key storylines became frustrating.

She said: "I thought 'What if I'm one of these people that fades into darkness and never works again'? It was so scary." Jane is set to star in ITV hospital drama A & E this spring as man-eating Sam Docherty. She said: "This business is very fickle and I would just like to keep on working. I've been so lucky."

It's Rover and out!
7 January 2001 by Ruth Hughes

THE Rovers Return is to come under threat yet again - when staff go on strike and tell customers to boycott the boozer. The fed-up barmaids take the drastic action after a bust-up with interfering new owners Fred Elliot, Mike Baldwin and Dougie Ferguson. Liz McDonald, Toyah Battersby and Betty Williams down tools and tell Coronation Street regulars to drink elsewhere until the bosses leave them in peace.

The Rovers has only just been saved from being turned into novelty pub The Boozy Newt after Elliot, Baldwin and Ferguson teamed up and bought it. But the trio could turn out to be the worst thing that's happened to the pub.

A show insider said: "The girls have had enough with the new bosses constantly watching them and ordering them about. "They decide to take things into their own hands and hit them where it hurts - in the pocket."

The girls even put placards outside reading: "Boycott the Rovers". Looks like Weatherfield could be in for a dry spell.

Boring Barlow is Born A-Ken!
7 January 2001

WILLIAM Roache is a great actor. Even when his wife ticked him off like a naughty schoolboy for not tying his tie properly, the famous smile never flickered for a second.

Bill has been in Coronation Street since before John F Kennedy was in the White House. He has played Ken Barlow all the way from CND to senior citizen but this week he showed he can still spring a surprise or two.

Weatherfield's only original inmate opened his huge house and his even bigger heart to the viewers in the fabulously fascinating ITV documentary KEN AND ME. Bill bared his soul on the agonies of his daughter's tragic death, on his spiritual beliefs, and on the pain and cost of having to prove in court that he's not boring. He even let the cameras follow him to discover his grandfather's grave. And he came across as a thoroughly nice guy.

But what a life he has. At work he is dominated daily by a ferocious woman producer and on screen Ken is battered by brutal mother-in-law Blanche while his long-term love interest Deirdre is getting her specs steamed up over dodgy Dev. At home his life seems ruled even more rigidly by a wife who makes Hyacinth Bouquet look like Hilda Ogden.

Former actress Sarah is his manager as well as his wife and she rules their lavish home with a rod of iron. The gold taps gleam, the decorated eggs glisten and the clothes in the 15 double wardrobes are all perfectly organised.

It was easy to giggle at the 100 different shades of nail varnish but you got the feeling that if Sarah were in charge of Railtrack all the trains would be running on time. She briefed him in military-style detail and packed him off in his Volvo to open a supermarket where he was clearly delighted to make the fans happy.

Bill's skills as an ambassador produced a heart-warming tribute from his actor son Linus, who perhaps has the more daring career his father missed out on. This remarkable documentary got right under the skin of how William Roache and Kenneth Barlow have gradually become the same person to millions of fans. It was a real insight into a lifetime in the celebrity spotlight. And after that rap demonstration at the end surely Bill/Ken can never be considered boring again.

Man remanded over Street 'stabbing'
6 January 2001

A man who is accused of stabbing and robbing Coronation Street actor John Savident has been further remanded in custody at a court hearing. Michael Smith, 28, , of Ashton-Under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, appeared before Manchester City Magistrates through a video link from Strangeways prison, where he is being held on remand.

There was no application for bail and the case was adjourned until 19 January, when he will face proceedings to commit him to crown court. Mr Smith entered no plea during the brief hearing. He is charged with wounding Mr Savident on 1 December last year, with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm.

Mr Smith is also accused of robbing the actor of a wallet, four credit cards, a watch, an invitation to a Coronation Street 40th anniversary dinner, a silver money clip with £80 cash, and house and car keys, worth a total of £1,500. Mr Savident spent 12 hours at Manchester Royal Infirmary with a neck wound after an incident at his flat near the Granada Television studios in Manchester.

Thousands of Irish Corrie fans can no longer watch
5 January 2001

Coronation Street fans in the remote west of Ireland can no longer watch their favourite soap. The show has been out of sight to viewers in a mountainous area beside the coast of County Mayo since broadcasting rights in Ireland switched from the state-backed RTE network to the independent TV3 on January 1. TV3 signals cannot be received in parts of Mayo.

Now the issue has prompted an intervention by local Dail representative Michael Ring, of the Fine Gael opposition party. He has asked TV3 to consider putting a new transmitter near Belmullet, County Mayo. Mr Ring said: "Since Coronation Street moved from RTE I have been inundated with calls from dissatisfied viewers. Thousands of homes in the region cannot get TV3."

The show, seen in Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK on ITV, has been broadcast at the same time on RTE One for many years. But it switched to TV3 after its producers, Granada, bought a 45% share in the channel in September. TV3 says it can be received by 90% of the Irish population, and will extend its transmission network when it is "financially viable".

Teenagers join Coronation Street cast
5 January 2001

Coronation Street is to gain two new young residents. James Grimshaw and brother Todd are joining the soap as teenage heart-throbs, producers say. They will move into the house owned by Liz and Jim McDonald, along with their mother, Streetcars cab controller Eileen.

ITV is hoping the 17 and 15-year-old brothers will be as popular with female viewers as Adam Rickett, who played Nick Tilsley. A spokesperson said: "We thought it was time for some good looking boys."

Jason, played by Ryan Thomas, appeared on the soap's Christmas Day episode. Todd, played by Bruno Langley will start next week.

Man accused of Street actor attack due in court
5 January 2001
The man charged with stabbing and robbing actor John Savident, who plays Coronation Street butcher Fred Elliott is to appear in court later today. Michael Smith, of Elgin Street, Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, is to take part in a video link hearing at Manchester City Magistrates Court.

Smith, 28, is charged with wounding the 62-year-old actor with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm on December 1. He is also accused of robbing him of a wallet, four credit cards, a watch, an invitation to a Coronation Street 40th anniversary dinner, a silver money clip with £80 cash and house and car keys worth a total of £1,500.

The charges follow an incident last month when Mr Savident was stabbed in the throat in his flat near to Granada Studios where the soap is filmed. He was treated in hospital for 12 hours after the incident and had to be written out of the live show filmed to celebrate the Street's anniversary.

Denise braced for baby blues
4 January 2001 by TV Plus Reporters

Pregnant Corrie star Denise Welch fears the post-natal depression that left her suicidal after the birth of her first child could strike again. But Denise, 42, who is expecting her second child on March 10, hopes she'll be able to cope this time.

The actress, who played barmaid Natalie Barnes, said: "There is no magic carpet that can take it away. But if it happens again, it will not be so frightening. I at least know what the early signs are now." And her husband, actor Tim Healy, family and doctor will be monitoring her.

"Everyone is rooting for me, " she told This Morning. "My family know the signs and my doctor is very aware of my mental and physical wellbeing. "And I now know a lot more about this illness than a lot of medics, having been through it before."

Denise, who left the soap last month, contemplated suicide after her first son Matthew was born in 1990. She said: "It's the most frightening and isolating condition in the world. And it's the most crazy time to get depression as you have this baby to look after and all these magazines featuring couples with smiling babies. It's a silent illness."

Panto dwarves bet on bedding wicked queen Goodyear
2 January 2001
Seven panto dwarves are betting on who will be the first to sleep with their Snow White star Julie Goodyear.

The former Coronation Street actress is reported to be less than impressed with her co-stars' wagers. But staff at the Manchester theatre where the 55-year-old is playing the Wicked Queen are highly amused by the dwarves' cheeky bet.

An insider told The Sun: "It's hilarious. Julie's not short of admirers - but she hasn't got many as short as this lot. "Somehow Julie found out about the bet and they have had the Wicked Queen on the run ever since."

The randy dwarves - Dozy, Goody, Growler, Blusher, Lazy, Smiler and Sneezer - have even dubbed Julie's famous boobs Newton and Ridley after the beer she used to serve when she played Rovers Return landlady Bet Gilroy.

Actor Nick Read, who plays Goody, said: "I like big boobs and Julie's got the best in showbusiness." Lazy, alias actor Edwin Alofs, said: "I like strong women with long legs."

The insider at Manchester's Opera House said: "Initially Julie thought her small co-stars were the most polite people on the planet. But when she found out about their ulterior motive she decided it was best to keep them at bay. Luckily for her that's not hard to do when the tallest of them is no more than 4ft."

Julie said: "I've never dated a dwarf. But as any woman will tell you - size doesn't matter. It's how you treat a lady that counts. I am flattered by all the extra attention."

Sarah Lancashire to star in wartime drama
2 January 2001
Sarah Lancashire is to star in a new ITV drama. The ex-Coronation Street actress will start filming the wartime saga later this year, reports the Media Guardian.

In Back Home, Sarah plays a war-time mother, separated from her daughter and reunited in 1945.

She left Coronation Street as barmaid Raquel in 1996. She has since starred in ITV's Seeing Red and Fragile Heart, as well as Clocking Off and Chambers for BBC1.

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