The Weatherfield Recorder - back issues, July

ACTRESS Gaynor Faye cradles her baby son and insists: "I've got everything I could wish for." But just over a year ago the former Coronation Street star's life was very different - she was enjoying being single after ending a six-year relationship. Then she fell in love with family friend Mark Pickering. Within three months she was pregnant and, last Christmas, Mark proposed.

Gaynor, 30, gave birth to Oliver Mellor Pickering on April 5. He was six weeks premature and, despite weighing a healthy 6lb 1oz, he was taken straight to the special baby care unit at the Leeds General Infirmary for monitoring. Gaynor, who recently starred in ITV comedy drama Fat Friends, told Hello! magazine: "He looked huge compared to the others there."

She added that Mark is a doting father: "I do one night feed and he does the next one in the early hours. "If Oliver is still awake, Mark will often take him for a walk in the village to settle him." Two weeks after giving birth, Gaynor was back at work filming Playing The Field and she quickly lost the two stone she put on during pregnancy.

Angela Griffin - young, gifted and brown
27 September 2001 by Rowena Mafham

Holby City star Angela Griffin makes an emotional journey back to her roots in the C4 documentary Brown Britain, and interviews her own mum.

Angela - whose estranged father is West Indian - returns to her school, in a mainly white area of Leeds, and recalls being picked on. "They taunted me for something that I couldn't change," she reveals. "The colour of my skin. But my mum told me they were just jealous. It gave me a lovely smug feeling."

Hailed as a new "black" character when she joined Coronation Street, Angela reveals that she never thought of herself as having a colour. Picked to front C4's Brown Britain, the Holby City star reveals how hard it was for her white mum Sheila to cope as single parent. "She's told me what it was like to be in a white area, wheeling around a brown baby," she says. "But she was a great mum to me and my two brothers."

Angela's mum Sheila reveals her fears on marrying a black man at the time of Enoch Powell's "rivers of blood" speech in 1968. The actress interviews her mum in the C4 documentary Brown Britain. "She's been great,"says Leeds-born Angela. "When I was taunted at school, she told me I was beautiful and gorgeous. "But I know how hard it must have been at the beginning. My dad is West Indian and went to live in Brooklyn when I was four."

The ex-Corrie star unveils her mum Sheila as a TV star in C4's new documentary Brown Britain. "She's fab," says the 24-year-old. "I got to ask her things I'd never really known about my background. She chatted away as though the cameras weren't there. She was brilliant, so honest. "It made me more aware of how people looked at me - 'that brown girl off the telly' - I'd never really thought too deeply about being mixed race."

Presenting the C4 documentary has given the Holby actress a brand new image - of herself. "I never used to think I'd got a colour," she says. "I swung through life as just Angela. But I suspect I could have been picked as 'safe', to represent ethnic minorities. "Being mixed race means I don't have to put myself in a box, or have a chip on my shoulder. I can take from either culture - it's great."

The actress asks people to label her race in C4's cutting edge documentary Brown Britain. "I used to say I was half-caste," she reveals. "That can be offensive to some people, so now I say mixed race - but what does that mean? "Why do we need to label people? I don't want to be put in some sort of box, going up for 'black' parts, or 'white' parts. I want to be able to do it all."

Leaving the safety of Coronation Street and Holby City was a scary experience, admits Angela. But now she loves the insecurity. "I can do anything," she laughs. "I'm presenting C4's Brown Britain and I'm in the BBC series Babyfather. I even got free salsa lessons for that - it was great fun. "I am being more picky about what I do now. It would be nice to think one day I'll sit here with seven scripts, deciding which one I want."

As she tenderly cradles her baby son in her arms, actress Gaynor Faye contemplates how much her life has changed in the past year.

A little over a year ago she was single, having just walked away from a six-year relationship, and intent on pursuing her career and having fun. Then she fell for estate agent Mark Pickering and fate took a hand. Within three months Gaynor became pregnant. Mark then proposed and the couple bought a house together in readiness for the arrival of little Oliver, who is napping contentedly in his mum's arms.

As she relaxes in the rambling five-bedroom Victorian house just outside Leeds that she and Mark, 32, are renovating, it's obvious how much motherhood suits her. Gaynor is a natural with Oliver, feeding him and winding him as she chats. She exudes a calm, serene aura and admits that she has never felt happier.

"I can't believe how much my life has changed," says Gaynor, who has just turned 30, and who is best known for her former role as Judy Mallett in Coronation Street. "I've got everything I could wish for. It's amazing how you can do so much in one year, we've really crammed it all in!"

For the full interview with Gaynor Faye, along with heart-warming photos of the actress with her new family, see this week's HELLO! magazine, on sale now.

CORRIE'S Tracy Shaw had obviously decided blondes have more fun when she arrived for An Audience With Kylie last night. Tracy, who plays tarty Maxine Peacock, stunned fans at a recent awards show with a brunette hairdo that later turned out to be a wig. But last night she was back to fair locks.

The actress who plays Emma Watts in Coronation Street says she's dreading having to give birth on screen. Angela Lonsdale says she'll have to force herself to watch some birth videos before filming, because she's very squeamish.

The actress says she'll be pleased when Emma finally does give birth because then she won't have to wear all the extra padding. "I'm six months pregnant now so I'm getting pretty big and that means more and more padding," she tells the Daily Record. "I must admit it's not easy wearing a bump all day while we're shooting, and one of the best things about each day is taking it off. "It's been a bit cumbersome and the hot summer hasn't helped either. It's bliss to be able to move around freely again - I can't imagine what it is like to be that big all the time."

JUST when you thought you'd seen the last of Coronation Street miseryguts Edna Miller... it looks like she's back again large as life.

Actress Joan Kempson makes soap history when she returns to attend her own funeral. However her comeback isn't quite as bizarre as it sounds - this time she's taking the role of Edna's blonde sister, Iris. Edna - famous for her miserable outlook on life and her gloomy prophecies - died suddenly in last Wednesday's episode following a late-night drinking session in the Rovers. Landlord Duggie Ferguson is horrified to discover her body next to him when he climbs into bed after a rugby club party.

Last night a TV insider said: "Edna was famous for her gloomy predictions, so it's ironic that after all the people she has prophesied doom for, she is the one to go. Just a day earlier she was telling Duggie that his headache could be a brain tumour."

But fans who miss her dour ramblings may not be disappointed. Sister Iris is just as miserable - and spends the funeral telling everyone about her own medical problems. Iris sees her sister's death as an opportunity for herself, even asking Duggie for her cleaning job. But he tells her: "Sorry, I've already taken someone on, love."

Meanwhile, Duggie's next bedmate is far more enticing. In the first of a series of sexy storylines, he's due to sleep with shop girl Sunita Parekh - to the horror of her strictly- religious family, who had tried to force her into an arranged marriage.

CAN we please call a halt to the rash of unsavoury shenanigans sweeping our soaps? It's bad enough having to imagine Peggy Mitchell at it with the Menorca porker. Now we have to suffer Paddy the vet giving dimbo Emily a regular lurve injection on EMMERDALE. Why? Does she remind him of his patients? Happen there'll be a few jealous sheep in the Dales this week. But Emily should think on. Mandy Dingle left a big hole in Paddy's life...and a bigger one in his bed. Fall into that, love, and it'll take more than the Daz dogs to pull you out.

The soaps are awash with disturbing images. It took days to get over the thought of Fred Elliott on honeymoon in his thong. Then there was CORRIE'S Kevin lunging at Molly and Terry slobbering over Janine on EASTENDERS... When Corrie's Duggie found Edna Bagg dead in his bed, it was a blessed relief that dirty doc Matt didn't jump in and try and pump some life into her. Odd, Emma and Curly were decorating but it was Maxine who got Matt all over her chest. That's what I call fertility treatment (the next day Matt told wife Charlie he'd enjoyed a monster truck - supply your own punch line...).

At least you could see the attraction. Ditto Steve Owen and Jan on EastEnders. Kenco cutie Cherie Lunghi is a vast improvement on the last older woman he snogged...his mum - ugh!

Over-sexed soaps are a product of over-soaped schedules. But is it too much to ask the writers to give us relationships we can believe in? If wailing Gail can get a fella why can't Bobbi? She's the best-looking woman on the Street, yet pandas mate more than she does.

CORRIE busy body Norris Cole is a bit of a sweetie wife as he flaps around The Kabin but any suggestion he's gay would make him collapse with laughter. Malcolm Hebden, who plays the Street's resident fusspot, admits he's a lot like his TV alterego, though may be not quite so camp.

Since his re-appearance in the soap in1999, Norris has won a ballroom dancing contest in Blackpool and the highligh of his year was dressing up as Eartha Kitt at the Rovers' drag night. Malcolm said:"A lot of people think he is camp - and he is but if anyone suggested he was actually gay he would collapse. "Norris has been married twice, but at heart he's just an old woman and there are lots of men like him about. "I was brought up in back-to-back terraced streets and there Playing it just for was always one character like this, who did the shopping for everyone and was fastidious about cleaning and fussed about things."

In real life it can be difficult to tell where Malcolm ends and Norris begins. They share a talent for dry asides, are equally devoted to their jobs and both keep popping up long after you thought they'd disappeared for good. Malcolm assumed his Corrie days were well and truly over, when, in 1996, he was axed by then producer, Scot Brian Park. So he was taken aback when he got the call to say Norris was returning as the Street clown and would form a double act in The Kabin with Street stalwart Rita Sullivan, played by Barbara Knox.

Malcolm said: "I left under the impression that we'd seen the end of Norris. The producer at the time didn't seem to like the comedy side of him and I never expected to come back. "So I was surprised, but absolutely delighted when I heard the news. I enjoy playing him and the public tell me that Norris is what the Street needs - to get some of the humour back into it. "They'll take all the issue-led stuff, about teenage pregnancies and drugs, but they like the balance. They want the humour there too. "Norris is given some great lines, he can be a bit of a clown - and he's terrible for innuendo. "One of my favourite scenes was where he told Rita he was planning an early night with Inspector Morse and another time he says to Rita, 'Can I have a go with your squeegee? He has an innocence about him that makes it possible for him to say outrageous things. The public seem to love it and I do too."

Since his comeback, Norris has proved a huge hit with Coronation Street's 16 million viewers. In fact he's so popular that Malcolm's initial three-month contract has twice been extended and his latest deal is likely to keep him in the soap until at least the end of the year. A long-established radio and theatre actor, Malcolm was first approached to play Norris in 1994 after starring in a radio play by one of the Corrie writers. Malcolm recalled: "He called me out of the blue and said, 'We've got this new character, this man's an absolute pain and I thought of you immediately!' "Norris can be immensely irritating and opinionated because he hasn't achieved what he wants. "Really he just wants people to like him, but he always says the wrong thing and never quite fits in. He's a bit of a lost soul really."

Malcolm, now 61, went into acting at the relatively late age of 31. Brought up in Burnley, Lancashire, he left school at 15 with no qualifications and spent 12 years travelling around the country as a shop window dresser before settling in Burnley working in a furnishings store. His mother was a barmaid, but his father, who designed chemical toilets, was part of a music hall double act before the First World War. As a child Malcolm was taken with him whenever he performed. He always dreamed of following in his father's footsteps, but assumed his working class background would be a stumbling block.

Eventually he decided to follow his dream and applied to the Rose Bruford College of Speech and Drama in Sidcup, Kent. He was offered a place on condition he passed some exams first. So he returned to Lancashire and spent a year studying alongside 15-year-olds at Accrington College, where he gained three O-levels and an A-level. He landed his first job in the theatre in Chesterfield after leaving drama school and has worked ever since.

Norris is not actually his first Coronation Street part. In 1974 he spent six months playing a Spanish waiter called Carlos, who came to Weatherfield and romanced Mavis Riley. They were even engaged at one stage, but she called it off thinking he was only after a work permit. "I had hair and sideburns in those days and I was gorgeous," Malcolm joked. "I had to master a Spanish accent and found a Spanish waiter in a restaurant in Burnley. He was like gold dust to me. "I took him my scripts every week and he would read them out and tape them for me, so I could learn them. He spoke Spanish with a Northern accent, which was a bit strange, but luckily nobody seemed to notice. In fact, the Spanish Embassy actually rang Granada TV to check if I did have a work permit, so it must have worked."

As much of his acting career has been away from TV, he admits he has not benefited from the rewards often associated with his profession. "Because I have spent most of my life in theatre and radio the money hasn't been that good. I don't have a pension and the money is a constant worry," he said candidly. "I drive a Fiat Punto and have trouble getting through the gate in the morning, they don't realise I'm in Coronation Street. I follow all these Mercedes and the security man says. 'Who's that one in the Punto!' "I don't have holidays, I haven't had one for 20 years, but then I'm not keen on abroad anyway. I could never imagine lying on a beach, I think I'd get bored."

But despite his lack of riches, Malcolm says he has few regrets. "The other night I couldn't sleep so I went into the spare bedroom where I keep the full set of Spotlight, which lists every actor and actress. "I started flicking through them and there were thousands and thousands - people I'd never heard of and I'm sure they were very talented, which makes you realise how much of it is luck," he said.

Most of his scenes since his return have been alongside Rita in The Kabin or with his landlady Emily Bishop. "I am very lucky because I get on very well with them both," said Malcolm. "Barbara Knox has been in the business for donkeys' years and she's willing to try new things, which is great. "And Eileen Derbyshire, who plays Emily, is a very bright and witty lady, not what she appears on television at all. I've been testing her out for weeks with obscene jokes and she always gets them."

Malcolm recently moved from Manchester to a cottage in a tiny Lancashire village, but his new-found fame affords him little privacy and he is currently in the process of moving back to the city. He is single and shares his house with his eight-year-old cat. Malcolm is a warm and naturally funny man and admits that he has finally found the part he was born to play. "Television has never pinned me down before. I've played everything from tramps to barristers. "Just before Coronation Street I played a geriatric racist who attacked a black policewoman in Cops. "I went up for another part there, as an alcoholic, and they said I was too tough. But there are other people who would say I am too gentle.

"I've been pinned down much more with Norris and there are similarities. Norris is eccentric and I have been called eccentric. And I suppose another thing is that people such as Norris, who live on their own, focus in on themselves and start to imagine things, which is not a million miles away from me either. "I live on my own and if you are on your own and don't have children and forward-looking things, small things and your interests become excessive. "Work becomes excessive for me - my interest in it and my need for it - because there isn't anything else really, and you have to watch that. "You can end up asking too much of it. You ask it to be your social life and your whole raison d'etre and it can never be that.

"But Norris is like that. He's obsessive about his work and he takes his responsibility seriously, which sounds wonderful but it can't half be boring to other people. "Having said that, I love playing him and maybe Norris is my future. As long as he continues to be entertaining, it would suit me very well. "One of my great favourite actors was Arthur Lowe and he tottered in the Street for years as Mr Swindley. "If I could follow in his footsteps, I'd be very proud."

Ex-Corrie star Sarah Lancashire is being lined up to star in a new drama about the history of a teddy bear. Sarah, 37, James Nesbitt of Cold Feet fame and Absolutely Fabulous actress June Whitfield are among the big names being signed up to appear in Theo, a family drama which follows the story of a teddy bear and its five owners, over 100 years.

Chris O'Hare, of makers Collingwood O'Hare, is hoping that it will be screened by ITV. Chris said: "We want to do two episodes of two hours but ITV want it to be shorter. "The drama, Theo, is based on Moya O'Shea's play which has been aired on Radio 4. It's a great story which begins when he was a new bear, in Harrods, in 1907."

Collingwood O'Hare is better known for animated series and the company has made ITV's Animal Stories, narrated by Sir Nigel Hawthorne, and the Bafta-nominated Dennis & Gnasher about the Beano's Dennis The Menace for the BBC. This Christmas, ITV is showing two of of the company's works: Eddy & The Bear with the voices of Robert Lindsay and Frances de la Tour, and The King's Beard with Maureen Lipman and Jim Broadbent.

A Coronation Street star is objecting to a strip bar being opened close to her Manchester home.

Barbara Knox, who plays Rita Sullivan, has written to the council to object to Peter Stringfellow's proposals. He wants to transform Ampersand, a club off Deansgate, which is close to where Ms Knox lives. Mr Stringfellow says he is prepared to meet her to allay her fears. It is reported Ms Knox has refused to comment on her objection.

The application was due to be discussed at the monthly Licenses and Appeals committee but it has been postponed so Mr Stringfellow can meet with local objectors, says the Manchester Evening News."I will not come to Manchester if I am not wanted, but I think I am wanted," the club owner said."In fact, I should be welcomed with open arms. They should have a brass band playing for Peter Stringfellow when he comes to the city."

A meeting is likely to be arranged with residents as soon as the club owner returns from Majorca this week. Residents and local businessmen are worried the club will attract noise and undesirable elements to the area, and that it will cause parking chaos.

Hunky Stephen Beckett sends women's temperatures soaring as Coronation Street's dirty doc Matt Ramsden. Here, the 33-year-old actor tells STEVEN SMITH how his girlfriend Anna Brecon and all things Italian make his own temperature soar...

Anna Brecon
I first saw Anna on television in the Ferrero Rocher ad. A friend of mine was playing her husband and I thought she was such a beauty. A few months later, Anna was cast opposite me in the play, Blue Room. More bizarrely, one of the scenes was conducted in the nude - talk about getting to know each other pretty quickly! We started rehearsals on St Valentine's Day, which is now an important landmark in our relationship. We were both so nervous. I remember we both took our clothes off to help us relax before we went on stage. We had a laugh, but we both found it quite liberating being naked!

I knew I was enormously attracted to Anna, but we kept everything professional, as you always should. We were concerned not to make the mistake of getting too carried away with the moment. So many relationships in the acting world fall apart because people get close without really discovering what the other person is about.

Anna, who's 29, has everything that I'm looking for in the perfect woman - intelligence, honesty, sensitivity, a sense of humour and, of course, she's a total babe! We constantly buy each other little gifts. Anna bought me a piano and some lessons. I'm trying to find time to take the classes. The best gift was one we bought each other. We flew to Florence and stayed in a lovely 16th Century hotel designed by Michaelangelo. It cost us an arm and a leg, but when we sat there sipping wine I thought life just couldn't get any better. It was worth every penny for that one moment alone. And luckily for me, Anna makes me feel like that every time I see her.

Italian hand-stitched shoes
I've always had a passion for shoes. When I was 13, Dad gave me some money to buy my school shoes. I fell in love with a beautiful pair of black slip-ons. Pleased as punch, I returned home but Dad was less enthusiastic. I'd bought a pair of black, Italian dancing shoes. Instead of making me take them back, he told me they'd better last the school term as I wasn't going to get another pair. By sheer luck they lasted longer than the term. I even played football in them. I'm a shoe junkie and have boxes and boxes of them.

In Florence, I spent £275 on a pair of Gucci boots and slightly more on a pair of shoes in Tuscany where the detailed stitching had me in awe of the craftsmanship. It sounds extravagant but a more expensive pair can work out cheaper. I think the saying "you can judge a person by their shoes" is quite true. Attention to detail is important.

Travel
Travel is the one thing no-one can take away from you. They can steal material things but the memories of travel are always there. When I left my role in The Bill I went with Tom Butcher, who played PC Steve Loxton, and travelled to India. We did it the real backpackers' way and it's amazing how you learn so much about yourself. India is a really spiritual and enlightening place.

We started out in Travandrun and eventually made our way to Goa. Some days we travelled for 16 hours at a time, carrying heavy backpacks and eating mainly cooked vegetables to avoid Delhi belly. It all took its toll and we lost loads of weight. The sheer beauty and size of India leaves you feeling breathless. I almost lost my life while swimming in the Indian Ocean. I was only 20 metres out when I hit a rip-tide. Luckily, there were lifeguards and they pulled me safely to shore. More than 20 travellers a year drown on that beach. The lifeguard told me that if I'd been 10 metres further out they couldn't have rescued me.

In Goa, our accommodation was a cabin built into the hills on the unspoilt north shore. The toilet was the rain forest and we lived on next to nothing. It wasn't quite Survivor, but it's amazing how you adjust to surroundings and how little you need to enjoy life.

Bruce Springsteen
I became a big fan when I was 15 and my sister Helen's boyfriend introduced me to his music. I was going through my rebellious phase and I could identify with his lyrics. My parents were also going through a messy divorce and I took solace in his music.

By 17, I had chucked in my A-levels, got a motorbike and become an actor. I ended up doing street theatre in Covent Garden but I eventually went on to study at RADA. I've seen Bruce in concert three times, once at Wembley on July 4 - American Independence Day. I love music. I'm a big fan of Bowie and The Jam as well.

Italian food
My idea of a perfect meal is bruschetta to start with, then gnocchi in a cream and garlic sauce, washed down with a bottle of Barolo and followed by a tiramisu.

One of my very first trips with Anna was to Tuscany. The fresh ingredients there make the food taste like nectar. Add to that the stars and warm nights and you can make dinner last for hours. At home Anna and I are too busy to cook regularly, but she's a great cook when she has the time.

Sherlock Holmes
I was given the complete works of Sherlock Holmes as a boy. They inspired my imagination and hunger to read. My sister Helen is an avid reader, too. She's a couple of years older and passed her books on to me. As a boy, I dreamed of being a great investigator and that paved the way for me to want to be an actor. In my teens I was inspired by autobiographies such as that of Richard Burton by Melvin Bragg. They show how it really is possible to go from humble beginnings to achieving your goals in life.

Crystal Palace Football Club
I was brought up in Brixton, S London, and my Dad took me to my first match when I was 12. I've remained loyal despite their disastrous track record over the last few years. Now I live in Notting Hill Gate and have a place in Manchester, but I've no plan to change teams. At school, I was pretty good at football, but acting took over as a passion. I played in the The Bill's team and there are some mean players among the cast. We always managed to find time between takes to kick a football around.

Cricket
My dad taught me how to play and I'm best as an opening bowler. My favourite team is Surrey and as a kid I fancied myself as a bit of a pro. But I'm glad I picked acting as a career. I've since played in several charity matches against the true professionals - they wipe the floor with us enthusiastic amateurs. Coronation Street has a cricket team that plays regularly against a local Manchester team. It's all for charity and it's great fun.

Coronation Street's Maxine is set to have a steamy encounter with her doctor. Viewers will see the drunken hairdresser getting passionate with Dr Matt Ramsden in Monday's episode.

Tracy Shaw, who plays Maxine, says the character soon regrets putting her future with husband Ashley at risk. She said: "It's a fantastic storyline. Maxine can't believe that she might have put everything in jeopardy for one night of passion. "This is the Maxine of old rearing her head and it makes her question everything. She wants to confess to Ashley but Matt is determined to keep it a secret. They both have so much to lose."

The storyline begins after Maxine goes drinking with girlfriends to celebrate Ashley's operation which will enable the couple to have children. On Monday viewers will see the butcher go into hospital for an operation to unblock his tubes. Meanwhile Maxine celebrates in the Rovers with Janice and Edna, and confesses she has a crush on Dr Matt. As she stumbles home she bumps into the doctor (Stephen Beckett), whose wife Charlie is away for the night.

The drunken pair decide to share a bottle of champagne but end up sharing a steamy embrace. In the early hours of the next morning Dr Matt sneaks out of the house. Both are horrified by what they have done but shocked Maxine discovers she may not be able to hide her terrible secret from Ashley when what they couple have both longed for finally happens.

I Could Never Cheat on Robert. I Take My Marriage Vows Very Seriously...
15 September 2001

There have been many times, some happy, but most of them miserable, when Tracy Shaw's own life has mirrored that of her Street character, harebrained hairdresser Maxine Peacock. Both seemed to be archetypal dizzy blondes, swept along on a roller coaster of emotions, from the highs of romance and parties to the lows of heartache and loneliness. But an explosive storyline, which starts on Monday, is the final proof that Tracy and Maxine are worlds apart.

Maxine, who longs for a child, is giddy with relief that husband Ashley's infertility problem has been cured by an operation and celebrates with friends in the Rovers Return. On her way home she bumps into Dr Matt (Stephen Beckett), who has always been sympathetic to the couple's plight, and invites him in for champagne. In a moment of drunken abandon that echoes Maxine's maneating past, they rip off their clothes in a passionate encounter. Later she realises that by cheating on Ashley, she has jeopardised all the security she has ever craved.

"It is devastating for her," says Tracy, 28. "Maxine thought she had grown up and calmed down. Then, all of a sudden, all the open-hearted, overly emotional, can't-cope feelings returned and she made one terrible mistake. She hates herself and how she is. "That is where things have changed for me. All that dizzy stuff I shared with Maxine has gone and I'm relieved. I'm different to the Tracy I was three or four years ago. Then my life was turbulent and full of turmoil because my emotions were all over the place, but since I met my husband Robert I feel completely fulfilled. That side of my life is totally settled. "I could never cheat on him. I take my marriage vows very seriously and the thing is, I don't even want to. No one could be a better snogger than Robert."

Tracy laughs off recent gossip that she is so desperate for a baby the newlyweds are making love umpteen times a day. "I'd have to hide Robert in my dressing room," she says. "We are so busy at the moment, I don't see him enough. It's hysterical that anyone is interested in how many times a day I do it. Rob wants me to say six... I wish." But there is a serious side to this jokey speculation. In a poignant echo of the Corrie storyline about Maxine and Ashley's problems conceiving, Tracy has the niggling concern in the back of her mind that she too may have fertility problems - a terrible legacy of the anorexia she suffered from in her teens and early twenties. "I just don't know what affect the anorexia has had on me," says Tracy, who would not rule out adoption. "I would love children, although I'm not desperate to have babies right now. I am loving being married and it's incredibly busy at work. But I have come off the pill because I'm a married lady now, and what will be will be. I don't want to plan anything any more, I want to enjoy what I have. "I haven't talked to anyone about the effects of anorexia, I haven't seen a doctor or had any tests. I would like girls to be aware that anorexia can damage them, but equally I don't want to worry everyone. So we'll just see. I certainly have regular periods and doesn't Robert know it. They are great for my method acting when I have to do lots of weeping or shouting."

Tracy met 29-year-old Robert Ashworth, a TV producer, in February last year. She was visiting a mutual friend when he rang up. The friend asked Tracy to chat to him while she nipped to the loo. Two hours later they were still yapping. They got on so well that Robert came to see her that night and they haven't been apart since. He wanted to propose after the first night and she says she would have accepted. But it was four months later, while on holiday in Dubai, when Robert popped the question. Tracy burst into tears.

They married on June 2 at 17th century Knowsley Hall in Merseyside, in front of family and friends, including past and present Street favourites Liz Dawn, Angela Griffin and Denise Welch. On her big day, Tracy felt more nervous than when she filmed her first scene on the Street in 1995, when she said, "Hi, my name's Maxine, but you can call me Maxi", to Des Barnes. With typical frankness Tracy says, "I was really bricking it. I have never felt so nervous. I went to the toilet five times. The daft thing was, I was more panicky about my niece Molly who wanted to carry her mum's handbag down the aisle, not the fairy wand I thought she'd love."

The wedding was particularly poignant because Tracy's divorced parents, Ann and Karl, were there with their new partners. Tracy had been devastated by their separation. "I did everything I could to keep them together, so it was a massive step to be with them with their new partners," she says. "It was a lovely family occasion."

Tracy's wedding day symbolised the end of years of extreme highs and lows. While her career and profile soared, her personal life was dogged by troubles, from the trauma of her parent's divorce and the revelations of her battle with anorexia to her doomed romance with Darren Day. Then, she filled her time with photo shoots and celebrity parties, anything to disguise the loneliness. Now it takes something very special to drag her away from the kitchen table in her three-bedroom Victorian semi on the outskirts of Manchester. She prefers to spend her evenings at home, just chatting, eating and sharing a bottle of wine with Robert.

"When we came back from honeymoon people asked, `How's married life?' and I said, `It's really fantastic'. And it is," she says. "I feel completely fulfilled. He calls me `wifey' and I love it. I love calling myself Mrs Ashcroft when we stay in hotels or go out. I'm not an old-fashioned wife, though. I have a career so we share things. I do all the shopping and as much cleaning as possible, and when he is about he does his bit. Robert is a great cook and makes up all these concoctions. It works out very well. If I'm really busy he sorts things out and we share it.

"Actually, I like to see him have a nice meal and give him something he really enjoys such as steak and chips. I do like looking after him. He won't eat vegetables or fruit so I've got a blender to make sure he has fresh juice. "He brings me flowers occasionally. He has really great taste in flowers - actually he has great taste in everything," she adds, showing off her platinum diamond wedding ring and Cartier earrings. "He's making me sophisticated."

Still tanned from her honeymoon on the South Pacific island of Bora Bora, Tracy looks down at her denim mini-skirt, sleeveless T-shirt and trainers, and says with a laugh, "I think I've gone up in the world because I'm Mrs Ashcroft, but I'm just Tracy Shaw from Derbyshire." Far from it. She is an accomplished actress whose six years in Coronation Street have made her a household name. She grew up in Belper, Derbyshire, where her parents ran a pub. She and younger brother Karl went to St Benedict's school, and at 17 Tracy attended the Arden School Of Theatre in Manchester. After graduating, she won a couple of small TV roles, including All Quiet On The Preston Front, before joining the Street.

Alongside the soap, she is passionately committed to her charity, the Tracy Shaw Foundation, which aims to increase awareness of eating disorders. She is currently working on a video about anorexia to be shown in schools, and wants to reach children in a way they understand. "I'm watching kids' programmes to get ideas," she says. "Even things like The Tweenies because I know there are girls as young as seven suffering from this psychological disease. It's hard though, people promise money and then never deliver. Everyone is making this video for free and we want it to work."

It was when Tracy was training to be a dancer that she became anorexic. A friend's mother happened to mention that she was putting on weight, so she went on a diet and it all snowballed from there. That casual remark was the trigger of her eating disorder, not the cause, which is something she has chosen never to talk about in public, though, no doubt, she has shared that secret with her husband. She says Robert is the first man she has met who she can just be with and talk and talk.

"One of the reasons our relationship works is because we can discuss anything and everything," she says. "If I'm having a nightmare with stress he calms me down and I can do the same for him. We walk our dog together every night and that's when we talk over the day. I give him ideas and he helps me with my work."

These days, Tracy is rarely seen out on the celebrity circuit and hates going to anything if Robert isn't at her side. "I can't see the point," she says frankly, adding that without him, "I feel as if I have lost an arm". The last event they both went to was an awards ceremony where Tracy got tipsy and famously lost one of her posh shoes. "If I don't go out much I want to enjoy it when I do. I don't see anything wrong with that," she says with a laugh. "I don't know why anyone made such a big deal of it. I never think of myself as famous, I'm just me. When I joined the Street I looked up to people such as Sarah Lancashire. She is a fantastic actress and the show has a great cast. To me they are famous, I still feel in awe of them."

It's hard to understand why Tracy would be in awe of anyone. After all, she is happily married, she looks gorgeous and is a trim size 10 thanks to all that dog-walking. Her career is established and she is about to embark on the most dramatic storyline she has ever had. "I feel too lucky," she says. "I keep getting scared that I'm going to be knocked down by a bus. I can't believe anyone can have a life this nice. But maybe I appreciate it because of what has gone before. I'm less like Maxine than I've ever been and it's fantastic. Maxine has never been lower and I've never been happier."

BBC soap EastEnders swept the board with five trophies at a top TV awards ceremony on Monday. Comic Jack Dee presented the TV Quick awards ceremony, which saw EastEnders win best UK soap, best storyline, best actress, best actor and best newcomer.

Rival soap ITV's Coronation Street took three titles in last year's awards, including best soap, but this year managed none.

EastEnders' Steve Owen, played by Martin Kemp, picked up the best soap actor award. Kemp, who is to leave EastEnders next year for a new contract with ITV, played a key role in the Who Shot Phil Mitchell? storyline this year. EastEnders fever gripped the nation earlier in the year as viewers were teased and tormented about the identity of Phil Mitchell's would-be assassin. The plot won the best soap storyline award.

This is the first time Coronation Street has not won that award in the ceremony's five-year history.

Natalie Cassidy - aka Sonia Jackson - won the best soap actress prize after a year in which viewers saw her become a teenage mum and give up her baby for adoption. Big Brother fought off competition from a burgeoning number of reality TV shows. The winner of the first season, Craig Phillips, was on hand to pick up the award. Bafta-winning host Graham Norton won yet another award for his Channel 4 chat show.

David Jason was named best actor for the second year running for his role as grumpy police inspector in ITV's ever-popular A Touch Of Frost.Other winners were The Royle Family, which won the best comedy show titled for the second year and Ant and Dec's ITV Saturday morning show SM:tv Live, which was named best children's show. BBC One's Ground Force picked up a third consecutive award as best lifestyle show.

The winners were voted for by readers of TV Quick magazine and the celebrity ceremony was held in aid of the charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

Corrie star Tracy Shaw has showed off a radical new look - and no one recognised her. Onlookers failed to spot it was Corrie's Maxine as she arrived at the TV Quick Awards in London. It was not until co-star Stephen Beckett pointed out who it was to photographers that anyone twigged who the dark haired beauty was.

Shaw said: "It's a new image from now on really. It's quite nice to walk in and find they didn't notice me. "Just a different hair colour can completely change you and to be anonymous for just a while can be quite nice."

She said her Manchester based hairdresser, who did her hair for the star's recent wedding, had suggested the look. "I said 'why not', but I've been really nervous about it."

The star wore a bronze silk dress with plunging neckline that showed off her tan from a recent jaunt to Majorca where she picked up the frock. The revealing outfit had to be taped in place to stop her spilling out. "I'm not risking that," she said.

Other guests at the event included Neil and Christine Hamilton who recently had sex allegations against them dropped. As photographers snapped away at the publicity hungry pair Christine jokingly told them: "Oh, we're not used to this." A photographer shot back: "I think you probably are."

THE BBC's new pounds 5million-a-year soap is to be filmed in a former whisky warehouse. Dubbed Corrie on the Clyde, the as yet untitled series will be made in a specially-built studio in the former J & B Whisky building in Dumbarton.

Initially, 104 episodes of the soap - the Beeb's first since Eldorado was axed in 1993 after just 156 episodes - have been commissioned to air twice a week from next spring.

I'VE had a love-hate relationship with my hair all my life. In this picture I was nine and already familiar with what bad hair days were all about. My hair had been very soft when I was just a toddler, but by the time I was six it had turned into a fully-fledged Afro. When it was washed, it was nearly impossible to comb. My mother was in despair all the time because she didn't know what do with my hair. She kept it short for years even though I was desperate to grow it long.

I WAS 20 when I got the job on Coronation Street and decided to go back to a shoulder-length curly bob. Getting the role of Bobbi really was the job of a lifetime and I was over the moon to get it. I love the hairstyle especially because it reminds me of my big break. There were so many positive things happening to me at the time - like a new job and new friends. I was very excited but also extremely nervous on my first day on the Corrie set. But the cast were brilliant and they made me feel at home straight away.

WHEN I was 14, I had my hair straightened but it was part-straight, part-curly. It was finally long enough to tie back or up. So I went through a stage when I always had my hair off my face. I did envy other girls who had long, manageable hair because I struggled with mine all the time. Tying my hair up was always such an effort because it was so unruly, strands of hair were always escaping. I used to get severe headaches because I used to tie my hair so tightly. My friends used to try putting my hair in French plaits but it always looked a mess. I was a bit of a tomboy in school. I had no hips. I got called "microphone" because of my skinny body and Afro hair but it didn't really bother me too much.

MY hair was getting out of shape and a bit bulky so I wanted to do something different without being drastic. I had already been in Coronation Street for more than a year. I felt happy and more confident. So I decided then to have my hair cut into a more defined style and go for some tighter curls. It was a bit of a brave move for me because I'd spent so long trying to have long hair, but finally I had the confidence to have my hair shorter. It also marked a new stage for me because I became close friends with Suranne Jones, who plays Karen McDonald, and we even decided to get a flat together. We get on just brilliantly and we have had so much fun working and living together. It's nice having someone who can relate to everything that's going on in your life.

I CRINGE when I look at some of the hairstyles I've had, but I love this picture because it was taken the summer after I had left school at 16. I'd had my first curly perm but I brushed it all out because I wanted long, flowing hair. I loved the length because that was what I had always wanted but, to tell the truth, my hair was in pretty bad condition. I see this picture as me right on the verge of adulthood. I felt really grown up and I went to do a performing arts course for a short while. Then I went into hairdressing because I was so desperate to have a job and start earning some money of my own.

THIS hairstyle reminds me of the great time I had modelling. I was 19 and my mother had sent my picture into a modelling competition and I was really surprised when I won. It opened up a whole new world and I moved to London to get more work. I became a bit of a party girl and decided to change my hair for a big girls' night out. I wanted something completely different so I went for straight hair and a fringe. The first night I went out with my new hairstyle like that, I felt like a new woman because it was so stylish - all my friends were so complimentary.

I STARTED having really bad hair days towards the end of last year when this picture was taken - and began wearing my hair back all the time. It was in such bad condition and was falling out so much that I was really worried I would end up bald. I think all the chemicals I had put on my hair had finally caught up with me. I didn't like my old hairstyle at all and at the beginning of the year, I decided I must have a major change.

A FEW months ago, I went for a drastic new look. I felt I'd had my hair curly for long enough and I wanted something more grown up and more sophisticated. When I went to the hairdresser, my hair was just like a ball of fluff and I didn't have any idea of what the final look would be. I was a bit nervous of having it cut but I have reached the stage now where healthy looking hair is more important than length. I fell in love with my new hairstyle immediately. It's a great, choppy cut and it's really easy to manage. I'm going to stick with this look for a while - and that will probably be a record for me. The change has really done me good and I hope it reflects how confident and happy I feel now.

EX-CORRIE heart-throb Adam Rickitt has fallen for his mum. Adam, 23, is dating actress Jane Doyle who plays his mother in his hit play Rent. "At first I thought she loathed me and thought I was gay, like the rest of the country," says Adam.

CORRIE'S prophet of doom Edna will finally get one of her death predictions right - she's being killed off by the top soap. But in a great twist actress JOAN KEMPSON, who plays her, will return for the funeral scenes as Edna's equally gloomy SISTER. My favourite Grim Reaper will be found dead in bed the morning after a pub lock-in. This will follow a day telling landlord Duggie that she knows death is in the air and she's certain he's going to die.

When regulars gather to mourn the Street's little ray of sunshine a mystery figure arrives. It's Edna's sister Iris, played by Joan in a wig. My Corrie source says: "It's hilarious. Iris is just the same as Edna - with the same bleak one-liners. It's like Edna's ghost has turned up."

But what a pity Edna has to go. Fred Elliott once summed her up perfectly: "You're the most depressing woman I've ever met, madam - when you walk down the street, undertakers rub their hands with glee."

Rover's bit on the side
DOES anyone know how you go about getting a bit part in Corrie? CLAIRE McGLINN (Charlie) tells me: "On Fridays we film all the indoor scenes in the Rovers. It's rumoured that at the end of the day a lot of the extras 'cop off' in there after standing around drinking shandy all day." Pick me, Corrie, pick me!

Martin Hancock
FAB news - I hear that gorgeous hunk of manhood Martin Hancock is on his way back to Corrie as eco-warrior Spider. It's about time we had a decent bit of male totty in the Rovers.

Ex-Corrie star looking for laughs
5 September 2001 by Rowena Mafham

Tears and tragedy have dogged ex-Corrie star Joanne Froggatt on TV. Now she is looking for laughs. After playing troubled teenage mum Zoe in the soap, she has appeared in the prison series Bad Girls and is about to star as a murder victim in Dangerous Davies.

"I do tend to get cast as troubled girls from the North," she says. "It must be the way I look. But I would really love to do comedy - I've only done one episode of Dinnerladies!"

Downtrodden and depressed in her Coronation Street role, Joanne worried about leaving. "I didn't want to get stuck with that soap image," she admits. "I was very worried that people would think I couldn't do anything else."

But fans will see two very different sides to the 21-year-old when she plays a murder victim and the sister born a year after her death, in the ITV pilot drama Dangerous Davies, starring Peter Davison. A sexy mini dress and blonde wig turn ex-Coronation Street star Joanne Froggatt into a Blondie lookalike.

But the modest star admits she is no singer in new ITV drama Dangerous Davies. "I sing Call Me," she says. "But you don't hear much of me over the music, which is just as well! It was great fun dressing up though - even though my character gets murdered. "But now I want to do some comedy."

Charities are £112,000 better off after a Coronation Street edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Stars from the soap took part in the Chris Tarrant quiz show to raise money for good causes.

David Neilson, who plays Roy Cropper, did best by collecting £64,000 for Mencap. He told The Sun: "I was very, very nervous. But it was good fun. "I only wish I could have gone further but you can't risk losing all that money when you are playing for other people."

China's first soap opera has failed to win viewers because they think it is too depressing. Joy Luck Street has attracted only half the 50 million viewers predicted at its launch last year. The programme is based on Coronation Street and co-produced by Granada Television. The Sunday Telegraph says the show will be relaunched in November as New Joy Luck Street with more attractive characters and funnier scenes.

Beijing Yahuan Audio Video, which produces the serial with Granada, says it needs to attract more viewers if it is to be recommissioned. Fu Xiayan, of Beijing Yahuan Audio Video, said: "We have to recognise that a Chinese audience's tastes are very different from those of television viewers in England. We must make appropriate changes."

A spokesman for Granada said: "We are tweaking the format but this is a brand new thing for China and on soaps we are always bringing in new writers and trying to move the programme on."

Corrie favourite Denise Welch is making her TV acting return after nine months absence in BBC1's new '50s doctors saga, Heart Of The Valley. Denise, 43, quit the ITV soap in December after nearly four years as Natalie Barnes and had a second son, Louis, in March. A BBC spokeswoman said: "We are thrilled Denise is in the drama. She is filming at the moment and she plays the village busybody. It's a very different role to Natalie."

Babies are dominating the actress's life on and off screen. She is filming the BBC1 drama in the idyllic village of Downham, Lancashire. Denise, who has a six-month-old son, is pregnant onscreen with four daughters and is desperate for a son. A BBC spokeswoman said: "The doctors tell her she could die because of the pregnancy. So her character Edie McClure faces a huge dilemma."

Corrie fans may not recognise Denise in her new role. A BBC spokeswoman said: "Denise will have a completely different image. She's not blonde but she's wearing a dark wig. It's a big contrast." Also in the cast is ex-Corrie actress Naomi Russell, whose character, Alison Webster, was killed by a moving lorry last year. In the new six parter, to be screened next year, she will play village nurse Jean.

James Bolam and ex-EastEnder Michael French head Heart Of The Valley's cast. They play father and son rural GPs, Arthur and Tom Gilder. Also in the cast is former Howards Way actress Tracey Childs, Brookie's Samuel J Hudson, Clive Swift and Maggie Steed. BBC drama chief Jane Tranter said: "It's a true family drama, a treat for everyone. Its stories are warm and familiar."

ITV is cutting back its much-hyped daytime soap Crossroads from five episodes a week to four, following disappointing ratings. From 10 September the soap's Friday episode will be axed and the remaining weekday episodes will move from 13.30 to the new time of 14.05. ITV will now run networked programming either side of the soap including a live quiz from Granada, The Biggest Game in Town. Regional programmes will be shifted as a result with an hour of regional output shown from 14.00 on Fridays.

ITV controller of daytime Maureen Duffy claimed the move was designed to lift audience figures in the afternoon. 'While ITV daytime remains the first choice for viewers in the morning with Trisha and This Morning we need to grow our audience in the afternoons,' she said.

One Carlton insider said: 'This is about putting Crossroads in a better slot.' The source added that the move was temporary 'and it will probably last until Christmas'. Carlton will continue its production schedule of five episodes a week.

The move will be embarrassing for ITV director of channels David Liddiment who chose the revamped soap from a number of other brand-new propositions from leading drama producers. Although ratings for the show have fallen short of expectations they have gradually increased over the past four months.

Coronation Street stars are to face quiz show supremo Chris Tarrant in a special edition of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Next Tuesday's show will features actors who play Corrie favourites such as Janice Battersby, Roy Cropper and Martin Platt. Each will have three lifelines like normal contestants, but the cash they win will go to their chosen charity.

Tarrant, whose new series kicks off with the programme, said: "I think all the celebrities taking part are great sports. "It's pretty nerve-wracking to be in that chair, especially if you're gambling with someone else's money, but they look like quite a clever bunch."

Stephen Beckett - who plays Dr Matt Ramsden - said: "I want to at least get to the £1,000 mark for the charity and so that I don't embarrass myself on national television. "I'm a big fan of Chris Tarrant's suits. It will be great to see his fabric close up."

Clare McGlinn, his on-screen wife Charlie, said: "I hope I get at least one question right because who wants to be a thicky on air?"

So far £21 million has been won on the show, while more than 32 million phone calls have been made to try to take part.

Taking part in the show are Vicky Entwistle (Janice), Melanie Kilburn (Eve Sykes), David Neilson (Roy), Suranne Jones (Karen McDonald), Angie Lonsdale (Emma Watts), Sean Wilson (Martin), Naomi Russell (Bobbi Lewis) and Scott Wright (Sam Kingston).

FEW men go out of their way to draw attention to their bald patch - especially on their wedding day. But former Coronation Street star Ian Mercer showed up for his own big day with more than just a band of gold as he came up with a glitzy way of showing off what's left of his hair ... His thinning, dyed-blonde locks were topped off with a handful of gold studs glued to the back of his head.

Ian, 38, who played long-suffering Gary Mallett in Corrie, completed his unusual groom's look with a Miami Vice-style white suit and T-shirt as he got hitched to long-time girlfriend Susan Fennwick at Morpeth in Northumberland. The couple, who have three children, were joined by guests including Ian's Street wife, actress Gaynor Faye, and Weatherfield's bed-hopping nurse Martin Platt, alias actor Sean Wilson .

In the soap, Gary left Weatherfield for a new life in Blackpool after his wife died.

CORONATION STREET'S hottest love triangle takes an unexpected twist this week as scheming Linda Baldwin ends up back in the arms of her stepson.

In a gripping hour-long special, fans will see Linda's cheating ways put an end to her marriage to Mike once and for all.

The drama happens on their first anniversary - a year to the day since the factory boss discovered his new bride had been bedding his handsome son Mark.

And history repeats itself, as the prodigal son returns and once more falls prey to his stepmum's seductive ways. Corrie bosses are hoping this latest saucy storyline will edge them further in front of rivals EastEnders in the ratings war.

The action takes place in a country house hotel, where the Baldwins are guests at the wedding of Linda's mum Eve to butcher Fred Elliot.

The Baldwin marriage is on a knife edge after Mike discovered Linda had a second affair with business rival Harvey Reubens.

She seduced the handsome rag trade supremo while Mike was nursing his dying ex-wife Alma.

A Corrie insider last night revealed: "Mike has realised he and Alma had a lot more going for them than he could ever have with Linda. He's taken Alma's death very badly and having discovered Linda has betrayed him again, their relationship is all but over."

But Linda is determined not to lose her cushy lifestyle and attempts to butter up Mike with a special anniversary gift - a photo album filled with pictures of his youngest son, Adam.

"It's their paper anniversary, so she thinks what better gift to give him than the album," said the insider. "Such a thoughtful present really softens his resolve and it looks for a while that their relationship could be back on track."

The pair end up in bed together, and it seems Linda has won the battle to get her hubby back.

But the following day, Mike's son Mark arrives unexpectedly and urges his father to dump Linda.

The Corrie source added: "Mark confronts Linda and tells her she has no chance of winning over his father. But she informs him that she's got Mike wrapped around her little finger. She has no idea Mike is listening to the whole thing."

Angered that he could be so easily deceived, Mike tells his errant wife that it's over, and he's definitely filing for divorce.

Realising the game's up, Linda panics... until she sees Mark out in the hotel gardens.

Desperate to salvage something from the whole sorry incident, she goes to him and reignites the sexual spark between them.

It looks like Mike has escaped evil Linda's clutches, but will Mark ever do the same?

The action will be screened in an hour-long Corrie next Monday, September 3. There will also be an extra episode on Thursday September 6.

Coronation Street has unveiled Deirdre Rachid's new look. Fans of the soap have chosen her a pair of trendy new glasses. Viewers will see the new-look Deirdre at the end of September.

Deirdre's large-framed specs had become a trademark since she first appeared in the programme in 1972. But Street bosses decided it was time for a revamp of the character, played by Anne Kirkbride. The new oval glasses are much smaller and have silver frames. It is believed Deirdre's old glasses are broken in an incident in the corner shop with Dev Alahan. She has a crush on him despite recently moving back in with her former husband Ken Barlow.

To choose the replacement frames, Coronation Street fans were asked to vote on the programme's website in which several pairs were modelled. More than 7,000 votes were cast, with the winning spectacles receiving 1,750 votes.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "Deirdre looks every inch the designer's dream in her new frames and viewers should stay tuned to see if dishy Dev thinks the same." Kirkbride said: "Deirdre's glasses are her trademark but her last pair really were getting a bit dated. I'm delighted that web surfers and viewers chose this pair, which are very sleek for Deirdre. "It will be strange wearing a different set but I'm sure viewers will quickly get used to the new look. Although what Ken will make of Deirdre's revamp remains to be seen."

Coronation Street's Charlie Ramsden on being independent
24 August 2001 by Nina Miyskow

SOAP star Clare McGlinn is a relative newcomer to Coronation Street, but already she has made a big impact. As Charlie, the schoolteacher wife of Matt Ramsden, the dishy doctor, she is very much her own woman. She plays an increasingly important role in the top ITV soap (screened Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7.30pm).

Clare, who played PC Natalie in three series of The Cops, came to acting relatively late. She lives in Manchester with her sister. We met there, at the Granada studios. Intelligent and academic, she has the enviable shape of a natural athlete. And a heart of gold.

I'm a lucky person. Yeah, I'm lucky. I've never had to worry about my weight. Ever, I think hyper-activity is the answer. And a high metabolism. I've always been sporty, see, I've always been doing stuff. Always on the go, that's me. I'm agile, quite athletic. And fit. Three years ago, I did the New York marathon for charity. Stupidity, or what? I got approached by the MS Society, I'd just got The Cops.

I'd had a lot of good luck come into my life, so I thought, "Well, this is a good way to channel it back". I said, "Yes". Then I had to ask how far a marathon was! I didn't do any major training. I ran four miles a day, joined a gym, and started swimming to get my lungs stronger. But the furthest I ran before I did it was 13 miles. On my own round Salford. When I got to New York, it was the first time I'd been there, it was such a buzz. Streets lined with people, like running through a film set. Ah, that kept me going. And I wanted to go to the loo. That's why I carried on! I finished in four and a half hours. Such a feeling of achievement.

So I've never had a weight problem. You have to pay at my gym to weigh yourself, and I never have 40p on me. The last time, I was about 9 and a half stone. I'm 5ft 7ins. Tall? Not when your husband on the Street is 6ft 4ins! You should see us, me on tiptoe.I don't diet, but I do a dietary detox once a year for a couple of weeks. I'm really into nutrition being the new medicine. It always has been, we just forgot it for a while. And I read up a lot. I did a degree in classics and Latin, and I like to keep the brain muscle working as well.

Health really interests me. If I hadn't been an actress, I'd have been a doctor or a nurse. When I first graduated, I worked with adults with special needs, did drama with physically disabled children. And that gives you an awareness of medical issues. But I've never been aware of size and weight. But body awareness, yes.

I've got a birthmark on my leg, you see. Look, it's this huge dark patch on my right leg. On the inside below the knee. It's big, isn't it? About five inches long. For years I used to wear trousers. Or, if I did wear a skirt, when I came into a room, I'd actually stand so that my left leg was showing more. Or walk on the side of the road where my right leg was facing inwards. It becomes a habit. A response to people shouting at you when you're a kid. "Oi, dirt legs!" they used to shout. But I made a decision when I was 16. I'm 31, now. I thought, "Some people haven't even got limbs, Clare".

I used to help out in a Wigan hospice at weekends, part of my Duke of Edinburgh Awards scheme. I was nursing somebody with scarred arms and legs, severe burns. She had cancer. Her whole emphasis had been her burns. But when she got the cancer, it just transferred. She started to celebrate life. And I thought, "People have bigger issues. Bigger problems". It put it into perspective.

And it comes full circle. Recently I was in Sainsbury's in Salford, and a kiddy comes running down the aisle and points at my leg and I'm thinking. "Oh!" He shouts, "Mummy, mummy!" And you could see this mother breaking into sweat. Mums are always aware of children shouting things out like, "That lady's fat". It's the mother that gets embarrassed. And then he goes, "That lady's got a lovely big beauty spot on her leg!" Beauty spot! That's a lovely way of thinking of it. I thought, "I'll take that on board".

I'm fine about it now - as you can see I'm wearing shorts today - although it's ongoing. On photo shoots, photographers say, "Do you want to cover that up?" But now I let it be somebody else's embarrassment. Not my own. I was always fit. I used to play netball even though I was quite small. It just taught me to jump higher. I ended up being the captain of the team, the smallest one on it. A bit of a show-off.

I'm the third of four children. Irish family, strong work ethic. Kind of get out there and do your best. It was chaotic, mad. All of us energetic. Growing up in Wigan, I was a natural born mimic, I loved making people laugh. When I was nine, I used to put plays on in the back garden. My mum, who's a very strong woman - one of the first female bus drivers in Wigan - always insisted I kept up the academic side. And I didn't do boyfriends. Guys were mates. I went to Leeds University, and then started by directing youth theatre at Bradford Playhouse, working with disturbed teenagers. I had kids that had come from prostitution, drug abuse, domestic violence.

And then it just took its toll on me. I got ill. Exhaustion. I just thought, "I can't do this any more". I gave in my notice, and lived in Paris for six months. Worked as a waitress, then blagged my way into being stage manager in a theatre. It was quite late when I decided to be an actress. I was 27 when I thought, "I want to have a go at this". The Cops was my first main role, and I got Corrie nine months ago. I was thrilled.

Charlie is Miss Dynamic. Miss multi-layered. To come in the Street and play a lady with so many different levels, is an honour. I'm very fortunate being fed more juicy story lines. Matt, her husband, and Maxine have an illicit night together. Maxine gets pregnant, but whether or not it's his remains to be seen.

Charlie's been raped in the past, and she was also adopted, and she traces down her mother. She doesn't want a child, and the response it provokes! Walking around supermarkets, people go, "Give him a baby. Give him a baby, Charlie! You're his wife."

I'm at my peak now, a good age for women. But it's tough because I'm single. Again. You get to meet some right strange men. And it's true what they say: "The good ones have all been taken. Or they're coming out to play with all their baggage". I think, "Oh my God, what's this one going to tell me? That he's got 15 children?" And I don't do actors. I see so much of it around me, and the strike rate is very poor. The actual staying together. I'm a bit Bridget Jones, actually. An incurable romantic. I've seen the film three times, I've even got the CD. The difference is that I feel it's out of choice. My last relationship finished two years ago, and yes, I've had my heart broken, but I'm not ready to settle down with anybody yet. I'm a terrible flirt.

And when you meet another good flirt, you can have a great night. It just means you don't have to wake up and wash their socks for them. My sister lives with me, so we've got a great girlie life. If I could have a hubby that lived down the road, that would be perfect. Came round occasionally. For servicing! You can get guys, get the occasional whatever. And I have been dating. But I don't just give it away too easily, to anyone.

This weekend? Possibly, there's somebody on the horizon. It's been going on a long time. But nothing's happened. It might - if he's lucky! It's been a long-term telephone, emaily kind of thing. We meet and do stuff, but he travels a lot. So far, it's just been flirting, and we're taking our time. He's very respectful, a gentleman. Not a bullshitter. Very romantic, but very straight. So we'll see. Oh dear, I've gone all red. What am I like?

I feel quite balanced at the moment. Very happy. The summer, the weather, good company, good people. Just signed a big contract with the Street. A bit of security for another year. And I'm learning. I've got good health, a good family, a good life. When I helped out in the hospice, it made me realise the inevitability of death, but that life is ongoing. I carry the spirits with me. My dad passed away six years ago and grief still hits you, you still burst into tears, still get floods.

But I have no regrets. He died over two years, so he had a lot of time to talk things through. People say, "He never saw you on TV". But I think he did. And he's still watching and I hope he'd be proud of me. I'm here to help my mum now. Because all this good fortune is there to share. Like him, I believe in following your dreams. As a kid I used to see Granada. Going to see my grandparents in Stockport, I used to pass here on the train. Used to think, "One day, One day..." And it was a little dream. Well, now it's come true.

MY BIGGEST DOWNFALL
LIQUORICE. I've got a real thing for it. I love the Panda bars, they're delicious. They're what I always have, natural liquorice. I have a bar a day, at least. Either those, or Liquorice Allsorts. It's my mum that's got me into them, and my gran. When I visit, they're always on a shelf. When we've got through the chocolate - oh yes, I've got a sweet tooth - watching Corrie, or whatever, the Allsorts are next. We finish the lot.

MY FAVOURITE DRINK
CHAMPAGNE. What kind? Free! My consumption has increased quite adequately since I started on the Street. I love how giddy it makes me feel, I love the fizz. I keep a bottle in the fridge these days. Last Friday night my sister had a bottle of fizzy wine open, on the patio. She'd just got promoted. We got through that and I said, "Shall we hit the champagne?" Fantastic. In bed by ten, totally sozzled.

MY EXERCISE REGIME
I'VE got two Alsatians, and I walk them every day. Then I either run - 40 minutes - or swim. Being a Pisces, we love our swimming. I bike in and out of work, half an hour each way, I've just started that this week. Ironic! I've just bought the car of my dreams, a Mercedes hard top convertible. But I've been asked to climb Kilimanjaro in February, for the Bobby Moore breast and bowel cancer charity. It'll be a dream.

MY CLOSET SECRETS
I'M a sales-a-holic. I can't pay full price for anything. But when I go into sales, I can go silly. I used to drive the whole family mad, going, "Should have been... and I got it for". I'm the worst. Justifying it. Here I am in my scrags, but I love dressing up when I go out. I used to be quite a tomboy, and now I've gone very feminine. I like to wear a frock when I go out to dinner. I've embraced womanhood.

MY HEALTH REGIME
I'VE never smoked, and I take a load of vitamins. A Centrium Multivit, Evening Primose Oil, Gingko Biloba and a vitamin C. Every morning I have fresh lemon in hot water with honey, for the glucose kick. And I've just got into juicing, it's great. It just helped me get rid of a really bad cold. Then red wine's supposed to be good for you, isn't it? I used to go out with a French guy, and it was a great excuse to drink it.

MY DETOX DIET
IT'S great if you're stressed, haven't been eating properly. I cut out wheat and caffeine and dairy products, have no alcohol, and for three days you get an almighty headache. The toxins coming out. Then all of a sudden, your energy turns round. You're not eating less, but more. Your skin and hair and nails go strong, your teeth and eyes go whiter. You're meant to do 28 days, and I've only ever lasted 14. But it's worth it.

TV STAR Sarah Lancashire tied the knot yesterday - and for once she wasn't playing to the cameras. The former Corrie and Where the Heart is actress kept her wedding to TV executive Peter Salmon a closely-guarded secret. She hired an army of security guards to make sure no one gatecrashed her big day. And she would only agree to a brief appearance after the ceremony so waiting cameramen could get a glimpse of her and her new husband.

Sarah, 36, who shot to fame as dizzy Rovers Return barmaid Raquel, tied the knot in Langar Hall, a secluded country hotel in Nottinghamshire. Among the 115 guests was her former screen husband Kevin Kennedy, who plays Curly in the Street. Former Corrie star Charlie Lawson, who played Jim McDonald, was also there.

Sarah and Peter, 44, emerged for a one-off appearance at the gates of the hall after the ceremony - but refused to kiss. Wearing a full-length satin dress and with white roses in her hair, Sarah told photographers who urged Peter to peck her on the lips: "Oh, leave him alone".

Hotel owner Imogen Skirving, said: "There was champagne and canapes on the lawn before the ceremony, which was a very low-key family affair." Seven chefs served a buffet of shellfish and crab to the guests in a giant marquee on the croquet lawn. The couple met last year after Sarah divorced musician Gary Hargreaves.

Sarah Lancashire and TV executive Peter Salmon have married at a country hotel. The couple wed in what was described as a "low-key family affair" in a marquee at Langar Hall, Nottinghamshire. Among the 120 guests were Street stars Kevin Kennedy who plays Curly Watts and actor Charlie Lawson who plays Jim McDonald.

After the civil ceremony, conducted by a registrar from nearby West Bridgford, the couple emerged for a photocall at the tree-lined entrance to 12-bedroom Langar Hall. Lancashire, 36, wore a long plain satin ivory dress with white roses in her hair, while Salmon, 44, was dressed in a black suit, blue shirt and grey tie.

The couple refused to answer questions from waiting reporters, although when Salmon was asked to kiss the bride, Lancashire said quietly: "Leave him alone."

The ceremony was being followed by a reception in the marque with a buffet and either a live band or a disco. Vanda Rumney, a friend of the couple, said: "It was a very informal wedding, with mainly family on the guest list."

The whole event cost about £20,000 to £25,000, according to the owner of Langar Hall, Imogen Skirving. "It was a lovely afternoon. They had champagne and canopes on the lawn after the ceremony," said 64-year-old Mrs Skirving.

Coronation Street fans will have the chance to vote on Deirdre Rachid's new glasses. She is to ditch her famous large-framed glasses for a trendy pair.

A spokeswoman for the soap said Deirdre was to be "revamped". But she would give few details about why the character, played by Anne Kirkbride, has to begin searching for a new set of spectacles. The storyline centres on Dev Alahan. Deirdre has a crush on the shop manager. "It involves Dev and something happening in the corner shop to her old glasses," said the spokeswoman. "We are determined to get Deirdre in some flash, new designer glasses."

Voting on which new frames Deirdre will wear will take place on the programme's website where the glasses will be modelled. Fans will be able to vote from Thursday, August 23.

A tiny Notts village is preparing itself for invasion by the paparazzi. Raquel Wolstenhulme - the dizzy barmaid from Coronation Street who broke Curly's heart - is tying the knot at Langar Hall, near Bingham. But this time it's the real thing.

Actress Sarah Lancashire is to marry her TV executive boyfriend, Peter Salmon at 2pm tomorrow. And the event has got the whole village talking.

Ron Brooks, the former chairman of Langar-cum-Barnstone Parish Council, said: "The hall is very nice - they should enjoy themselves. My daughter got married at the hall and it was a lovely day. "It is the ideal setting because it is very secluded - that might be why they have chosen Langar. "There have been rumours of other famous people staying there in the past. I hope they enjoy the stay, it is nice to have a building of international reputation in our parish." Another resident said: "It's great they are coming here but I can only assume she wants a quiet day - this is only a small village. "Only a few people round here know about it." But both the hotel and agents acting on behalf of Miss Lancashire, 36, and Mr Salmon, 44, are keeping tight-lipped.

Langar Hall, which was built in 1837, was the first venue in Notts to be licensed for civil marriages, Owner and manager Imogen Skirving said: "All the staff are really thrilled. We will have all seven chefs and ten waiters working on the day. "It is not completely out of the blue because the couple have stayed here twice before but we are thrilled they have chosen here and hope to make it a really special day for them."

Langar Hall has entertained the likes of Jools Holland, BBC Test match cricket commentators and Frankie Howard but only caters for about three weddings a year. There will be a marquee erected in the grounds covering the croquet green for the event. Around 115 guests are expected at the event and the couple are set to stay for two days. The menu will feature a Mediterranean-style buffet with shellfish and crab and popular music will be provided by musician and DJ Suiliman.

Miss Lancashire met Mr Salmon - the BBC's director of sport - last year after divorcing musician Gary Hargreaves.

Street legend Bill Tarmey talks about his battle against illness
20 August 2001

YOU can practically see the blood pressure rise as Bill Tarmey leaps to his feet to do battle with a bluebottle. His cigarette is jabbed into the ashtray as he goes swatting his way around the dressing room, armed with a newspaper and murderous thoughts. By the time we establish that there are actually two bluebottles in the room, his face is purple. His language would surely be as colourful, were it not rendered indecipherable by a rasping smoker's cough.

As the minutes tick by, I start to pray that the flies keel over before he does. He has, after all, just finished telling me about how the doctor insists he must do something about his stress levels if he wants to see Christmas. "When I overdo it I get these pains in my chest," he explains, slumping back in his chair and reaching - why all the fuss? - for the fly spray. "Then I have to lie down and hope they go away."

The man famous to millions as Jack Duckworth knows a bit about living on the edge. He lights up his fifth cigarette of the interview to tell me about how precarious his future is. At 60, he has already had a heart attack and a stroke and has undergone a quadruple bypass. Last year, his doctors carried out tests on his bowel, telling him gently they thought he had cancer. The results were negative, but in the next few weeks he goes back for another check. He talks with the weary resignation of a man who has been through the emotional wringer and is afraid to look too far into the future.

"No-one can ever tell 100 per cent what is going to happen, but I know that I'm not going to live to see my grandchildren grow up. And that breaks my heart," he says. "If I die tomorrow they will have to prise the smile off my face because I've had such a good life. But there will always be an element of regret about the things you aren't going to see and the people you will leave behind. Maybe I could make it easier on myself. I could give up smoking - I did once, you know. I could go and sit in a rocking chair. But that wouldn't be me. That would kill me sooner than the old ticker would."

He lights another cigarette, then points out that how slender they are, so he can smoke two for every Silk Cut. His eyes twinkle. Those doctors must hate to see him coming. "I did stop once, but ballooned up to 16 and a half stone. I started again after a contretemps with some musicians. "Then I asked the doc if I could cut down instead of stop. He fixed me with this look and told me that was like jumping off a building from the fifth floor rather than the top."

Impatience seeps into every aspect of Tarmey's life. He tells of the "sheer bloody hell" of waiting to be called on set for his scenes. He admits he finds it hard to sit in a chair for more than 10 minutes. He has just finished recording an album of big band tracks - and simply cannot understand why it has taken so long to get the thing on the shelves. "We missed Christmas, Mother's Day, Grandmother's Day, even Pet's Bloody Day," he harrumphs. "What the hell can take that long? "Do you know there are groups that take months and months to make an album?" he says. "We did the whole thing in three days."

Tarmey was 35 when he had a heart attack and 36 when he suffered a stroke. Eighteen months ago his doctors ("they are my friends now, I see them so often") told him that his Coronation Street role was killing him. "They said I would be dead in months if I didn't pack it in," he reveals. "It was this stress thing. I never thought I was stressed at all, but that's what all the pain was about, apparently. "I knew things were really bad when my tongue started to feel funny, sort of numb. That would happen when I'd had a long day and I was tired. "I understood what they were saying, but I couldn't leave The Street. What would I do with myself? Sit in an armchair all day? That's not me."

Eventually Bill was frogmarched by his wife Ali - the woman he fell in love with when he was 14 - to see the bosses of Coronation Street. Faced with the prospect of losing one of their top stars - either to retirement or intensive care - they came up with a compromise. They would cut his hours if he promised to tell them if things got too much.

But a year ago came a blow that he was unprepared for. After some problems with his digestion, he sought medical advice, had some tests - and was devastated to be told that he should prepare for the possibility of cancer. His voice falls as he talks about this. Up till now he has been joking about his ill-health. But heart attacks are one thing. Cancer is another. Now, he is almost whispering. "I had one of those tubes up me. It wasn't the nicest. At first I didn't realise that the doctor had said cancer. I only heard him say 'this doesn't look good'. Maybe you block things like that out of your mind. The word cancer is so terrifying. It was only afterwards when the nurse kept asking me how I was coping that I remembered. "I went home and just stood in the kitchen - not knowing if I should kick the cupboard doors in or lie down on the floor and cry. I think I did both. Then I called my best mate and told him to get ready - we were going out to get very p****d. It was the only way I could cope. "Ali wasn't there. She was at our house in Tenerife. I wasn't going to mention anything to her but the minute we spoke on the phone she knew something was terribly wrong. I think she knows me better than I know myself.

"She was home the next day." Tarmey was admitted to hospital for a biopsy. "I went private for that," he admits, apologetically. "I've always been an NHS man - but I needed to get this one over, pronto. I wanted to know, whatever. "I can't tell you how wonderful it felt when the tests came back and they said there was no sign of cancer. "I'm going for more tests in a few weeks. Of course I'll be anxious. But Ali keeps telling me it will be OK.

You wonder what he would do without his Alison, the mother of his two children. Tarmey may have the face of a bar-room brawler, but he talks of his wife with obvious devotion. "I can still remember the day she came to the front door when she was 14 - dressed in her school uniform, mind - and asked if I wanted to go out. "I just stood there, dumbstruck. I think I knew from that moment we would be together for the rest of our lives."

On the day before he went into hospital for his bypass, he made her sit down and sang The Wind Beneath My Wings for her, but he couldn't make it to the end. "A lot of men in this game talk about 'her indoors'. They make jokes about 'the missus' or they tell you about 'the other half'. Ali isn't my other half - she is all of me. "My mates can't understand it. They ask me why, now that I have a bit more time, I'm not out playing golf all day. "But why would I want to get out? I like being at home with her. I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be. It's not that we have brilliant conversation or anything. Some days, we barely exchange words - but that isn't the point. "I don't know what I would do without her. I don't think I could survive on my own."

Like many actors of his generation, Tarmey lived the rags to riches story. A builder by trade, he never had grand showbiz ambitions, but used to do the odd stint singing in his local club. Then he took the big gamble and chucked in the day job. The Street was only supposed to supplement his club earnings. He joined as an extra, graduated to small roles and in 1979 became Vera's husband.

Music may still be the first love - every Wednesday he walks the few hundred yards from his home in Ashton-under-Lyne to sing with the Brian Cowdry Trio - but it is Corrie that has brought him wealth, public adoration and a second home. And he is happy to admit that money matters. "When I had my heart attack, I couldn't work for quite a while. I remember lying awake at night and wondering where the next penny was coming from," he says. "You never lose that. Even now I wake in a cold sweat, wondering what would happen if they didn't want me on The Street any more. "I tell myself that I'd be fine, doing a bit of singing, maybe picking up a few roles, but you always worry. "Back in the Seventies I used to keep myself awake worrying about falling behind on the mortgage. "My worst moment came when my lad came home from football practice and said he wasn't on the team for Saturday's game. He was only nine or 10. "He played in goal for Manchester lads, and I was so proud. I couldn't understand it and went to see the trainer, who told me he had been dropped because he wouldn't take goal kicks. "His football boots were too small, but he was afraid to tell me because he knew I couldn't afford a new pair. "I went home and cried that night. I vowed that I'd never be poor again."

TOP TV star Sarah Lancashire will wed her BBC boss fiance at a posh country manor on Wednesday, the Sunday People can reveal. And the lavish £50,000 ceremony will be a world apart from the cobbles of Coronation Street, where she first shot to fame as dizzy Rovers barmaid Raquel. It will include fine wine and food for 100 guests, a night in the luxury honeymoon suite complete with four-poster bed and a huge marquee in the grounds.

One friend of the star and sport executive Peter Salmon said: "The wedding will be amazing. "They are really pushing the boat out and sparing no expense for their family and showbiz friends."

Sarah's designer dress is a secret to all but a handful of people. But we can reveal it is cream coloured and slim fitting to show off her sexy curves.

The menu at Langar Hall, Notts, will include quails eggs, Mediterranean vegetable terrine and Dover sole for starters. For the main course guests can tuck into barn-reared veal, monkfish, Gressingham duck or fillet of Langar lamb. Desserts will include poached pears, strawberry tart or hot chocolate fondants.

Sarah, 36 - who recently signed a £1.3 million deal with ITV - met Peter, 44, a year ago after divorcing musician Gary Hargreaves. Gary - ten years older than Sarah - is unlikely to make the new wedding after the star said she only married him because she was pregnant and that their marriage was loveless. But their sons Thomas, 13, and Matthew, 11, will be there. Peter had been in a 20-year relationship with Penny Watt, mother of his three children.

Originally, Sarah and Peter planned to tie the knot next year. But she couldn't wait to marry her dream man. And she certainly has no last minute nerves. She says: "I feel pretty damn wonderful."

Angela plays Coronation Street's lively, gun-toting copper Emma. Although she and husband Curly are preparing to become parents, in coming weeks Emma faces a pregnancy scare. In real life, Angela, 31, has been with actor Perry Fenwick - EastEnders' lowlife Billy Mitchell - for nearly three years. Newcastle-born Angela lives in Manchester and spends her weekends with Perry in London.

Like Emma, would you like to have children? Sylvia Obayi, South London
It's something that I see way off in the future. I'd never say never, but at the moment I'm so happy with my job and my life that it's not on the agenda. I'm not broody in the least. In ten years I might be... By then I hope I'll have done what I wanted to do, such as travelling and working.

Do people freak out when they see you and Perry Fenwick together? Lorraine Munns, via e-mail
We've been teased because people think I've arrested him, which is hilarious. There are a few double takes, but most people take it in their stride. Years ago, when we were just mates and had no money, I tried to cheer him up by saying, "Don't worry, one day you'll be in EastEnders and I'll be in Corrie". And here we are!

How did Perry feel when you married Curly at Christmas? Mrs F Lowe, Ebberston, Scarborough
He says to tell you, "I was very proud of her. She looked like a little angel from the top of a Christmas tree". Aaaah, isn't he sweet?

Have you met any of the EastEnders cast and who's your favourite character? Helen Carey, via e-mail
I've met a lot of them and they're all brilliant fun. My favourite character is Billy Mitchell, of course. A close second is Peggy - she's fantastic - and Barbara Windsor is adorable in real life.

What was it like being on the Coronation Street set for the first time? Were you a fan? Mrs Queenie Thelwell, Middlesbrough
I was a massive fan and wrote to them when I left drama school with a storyline. It involved me as a teacher embarking on an affair with Ken Barlow. Then he'd dump me and as revenge I'd get off with Mike Baldwin before we discovered I was Alma's long-lost daughter. I got a letter back explaining that Alma couldn't have children, but had I considered a career as a storyline writer. I auditioned as Sam the barmaid and as Natalie Barnes's sister before getting the part of Emma. So when I walked on to the set it immediately felt like home.

Did you get any reaction from the police over the shooting storyline? Rosemary Jones, via e-mail
At a party a few months after that episode was transmitted there was a guy from the London armed response unit. I was waiting for him to say, "What a load of rubbish". But he said his unit thought it was pretty convincing and were impressed by the way I'd handled the gun.

Who are your friends from the Street? Jonathan Scott, Wallington, Surrey
A group of us go out a lot. Suranne Jones (Karen), who I've nicknamed Joney Gnomey, because she tried on this hat once and looked like a gnome. Georgia Taylor (Toyah) is Kitty because of her cat T-shirt. Simon Gregson (Steve) I've given the girlie name Simone. Samia Ghadie (Maria) is Little Sis because someone thought she was my sister in real life. Steve Arnold (Ashley) is the Music Man because we have the same music tastes. And I can't tell you my nickname for Kevin Kennedy (Curly) because it's far too rude.

What did you do before Corrie? Lewis Wyatt, Bow, East London
I've done a lot of theatre and telly work, including Preston Front, Firm Friends and Peak Practice, but I did have periods when I was signing on. One of my worst jobs was selling jewellery in a department store. I lasted two days because on the second day all these old ladies came back saying, "Eeee, pet, that stuff's made me arm go green". So I gave them their money back, got told off for it and quit.

What are your favourite book and record? Josie Evans (aged eight), via e-mail
Catcher In The Rye by JD Salinger was the first book I read as a teenager that affected me deeply and made me cry. It still inspires me. Choosing a record is harder because I'm a massive music fan. My favourite CD at the moment is The Invisible Man by Travis.

When was the last time you were drunk? Josie, via e-mail
On Samia's birthday recently. We ended up in The Press Club in Manchester where they had a karaoke machine. All the girls were doing I Will Survive and then we got the whole place to sing Happy Birthday. I'm a very exuberant drunk, but not so good with a hangover and I never drink the night before filming.

When was the last time your cash card was refused? Or are you good with money? GF Frewer, Aigburth, Liverpool
It was just a few weeks ago in a long queue at the petrol station. The magnetic strip on my card was damaged, but I could hear everyone whispering, "That girl from Corrie has just had her card turned down. How embarrassing". I'm hopeless with money and love buying clothes I don't need. And now that I've got my own house I'm spending money on household stuff I don't need.

When did you last break the law? BJ, Ipswich, Suffolk
The props men will kill me, but I've been known to nick sweets and crisps from Rita's shop. I can't help it! On my way to a scene I often make a detour past The Kabin.

Where would you like yourself and also Emma to be in five years time? G King, via e-mail
I'm a great believer in living for the moment and not planning ahead. The most I can wish for is to be happy and healthy. As for Emma, I hope she'll still be with Curly and in love, but enjoying some dramatic storylines as well.

Creamfields is to stage a celebrity five-a-side football tournament. Coronation Street, Hollyoaks, Emmerdale and Brookside will all be entering teams at the dance festival on August 25. Creamfields takes place at the Old Liverpool Airfield.

The Coronation Street team features Ryan Thomas (Jason Grimshaw) Bruno Langley (Todd Grimshaw) Ciaran Griffiths (Dean Sykes) and Andrew Whymet (Kirk Sutherland).

Hollyoaks has confirmed that James Redmond (Finn), Marcus Patrick (Ben), Garry Lucy (Luke) and Matt Littler (Max) will all be taking part.

Other teams entering the competition include Radio 1, Bugged Out Courtyard Kids, Metalheadz, Type (Represents), Global Underground, Mixmag, Serious, Fabric, Missdemeanours, Trust The DJ and Speke Garston. Headlining acts include the Chemical Brothers, Gorillaz, Stereo MCs, Fatboy Slim, Paul Oakenfold, Carl Cox, Judge Jules and Seb Fontaine.

Corrie's unlucky-in-love Fred Elliott was filmed today delivering the line: "I do, I say, I do." The cantankerous rotund butcher, played by John Savident, is to marry Eve Sykes (Melanie Kilburn) after a whirlwind romance. But the lavish do at a country house hotel won't, of course, be without incident.

A Corrie spokeswoman said: "Viewers can expect sparks to fly as it kicks off between certain guests." Much of the drama will focus on old flame Audrey Roberts (Sue Nicholls) and his new bride. The spokeswoman added: "Audrey has always had a soft spot for Fred and can't let go - despite once agreeing to marry him, then dumping him. "She's convinced Eve is only marrying for his money. So hackles are up."

The wedding will also be marked by the return of Mike Baldwin's son Mark. Mark (Paul Fox) left after an affair with Mike's wife Linda (Jacqueline Chadwick) who is Eve's daughter. "It's the return of Mike's prodigal son," the spokeswoman said. "Passions are rekindled between the pair, so there's all that going on too."

When Jennie McAlpine gets called rude names by those who recognise her as Corrie's mouthy machinist Fiz, she just takes it in her stride. But then she's pretty handy at putting hecklers in their place thanks to her days as a stand-up comedian.

It's no wonder that her character Fiz Brown gets people's backs up. She upset foster parents Roy and Hayley Cropper and almost burnt down their cafe on her first brief appearance in the Street in April. And after returning to the soap last week, Fiz is set to disrupt Tyrone and Maria's romance.

The name-calling might hurt others, but Jennie has spent four years doing stand-up comedy, so hostile crowds pose no problem to the 17-year-old. Her big break came at 13 when she was second in a Young Comedian Of The Year competition run by Fanta. "It really helped improve my confidence because it's the scariest thing in the world," says Jennie. "It's also the loneliest. And it's a huge pressure waiting for that first laugh. Once, I was practising my routine as cleaners, technicians and sound guys were all getting on with their jobs and ignoring me. Nobody laughed at a thing I said, which was horrible. "Looking back, 13 was an amazingly early age to start, but I didn't think about it at the time. I just did it for a chuckle. I've always been a funny person, I can't abide serious people, and I'm not afraid of being silly or having people laugh at me."

At the grand final at London's Comedy Store she met TV presenter Jonathan Ross and comedian Peter Kaye, and was so inspired that she entered the next year, coming second again. Back home in Bury, Lancashire, she started doing spots at charity nights and galas. Accompanied by her dad, Tom, she even played the odd pub comedy night. "It wasn't my ambition to become an actress, it was more of an assumption," she says. "I couldn't think of anything else I wanted to do. I knew I wasn't going to be a nuclear physicist. All my reports said that I'd do better if I stopped talking, which couldn't have been more wrong. I spent a week wanting to be a barmaid after seeing Bet Lynch. Other than that, acting is the only thing I've fancied doing. "As a little girl l'd put on shows for the neighbours. My dad remembers me getting up on the patio and announcing that I wanted 50 pence off everyone before I started. I did song and dance routines, copying Bananarama and groups like that."

At ten, Jennie took up amateur dramatics when she and Tom appeared in a panto by the Bury Parish Players. She joined the local Carol Godby Theatre Workshop and, shortly after leaving school last year, auditioned for the part of the troublesome Fiz. "I interpreted that she was a strong, hard person on the outside, but inside was vulnerable and scared," says Jennie. "There is something of me in her - I don't think I'd be able to play her otherwise. Fiz also thinks she's a bit of a fashion expert, but she's got no idea. She wears tight clothes that are too bright and don't match."

On her first appearance, Fiz memorably gave frumpy Hayley a makeover. She was only in five episodes, but Jennie's comic timing impressed the producers who have now brought her back. She reappeared last week and talked Mike Baldwin into giving her a job. Soon, she will make her move on fed-up Tyrone who is on a strict diet before his wedding to Maria. But Fiz sets about buttering him up with pies and chips.

Jennie is currently on a four-month contract, but if Fiz goes down well with viewers she could stay for longer. "I was a bit overwhelmed to join because Coronation Street is an institution," she says. "It's nearly as old as my dad!" Jennie and her father grew close after her parents separated when she was ten. She still lives at home with Tom, 50, who works for Manchester Mental Health Services. Her brother Thomas, 28, lives nearby. "My dad has been a massive support and we're best mates," says Jennie. "He's really encouraging, but also very honest. At one point I had visions of being a ballet dancer until he told me I had the coordination of a one-legged, blind giraffe!"

Tom's job also helped Jennie make Fiz so authentic a character. "He used to work with children in care so I knew a lot of them and they are just like Fiz," she says. "They crave attention and love. "I was in a petrol station and a delivery man asked for my autograph. He said that he and his wife were foster carers and that I played the part very realistically. Until then I'd just had people coming up to me saying, 'You're horrible, leave Roy and Hayley alone' - or worse - so it made a nice change."

EastEnders claimed victory in the battle of the soaps after the BBC claimed more than a million more viewers watched the programme than rival Coronation Street. Both shows were broadcast at 8pm as EastEnders launched its fourth weekly episode, putting them in direct competition for the first time.

The BBC said 8.4m people tuned in to Albert Square compared with 7.3m who watched Coronation Street. That gave EastEnders a 41% audience share while its rival got 36%, a spokeswoman for the station said.

Lorraine Heggessy, Controller of BBC1, said she was delighted by the news but not surprised. "I am thrilled to see EastEnders' audiences came to and enjoyed our very first Friday episode. After the Mel kidnap cliffhanger I'm not surprised. Now that EastEnders has found a home on Friday I'm sure it will go from strength to strength," she said.

The BBC devoted much of the night to its star soap, with two special programmes screened either side of it. It's Your Party, a tribute to life in Walford hosted by Jonathan Ross from 7-8pm, drew 5.3m viewers (a 30% audience share) against 7.9m (45%) for an hour-long episode of Emmerdale, according to BBC figures. Alistair McGowan's Big'Enders, in which the impressionist aped some of the soap's characters, beat its 8.30pm ITV rival programme about the Queen Mother, gaining 5.9m viewers (30% audience share) compared with 5.8m (29%) for ITV, the BBC said.