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It's a good Bet
31 March 2002

CORRIE bosses have persuaded writers Peter Whalley and John Stephenson - behind Julie Goodyear's best one-liners as Bet 20 years ago - to work on her comeback script.

Corrie star gets new role as air hostess
30 March 2002

Coronation Street star Naomi Russell is to play an air hostess in Sky One's new drama series Mile High. Her new character is described as a "nutter" and very different from her role as Bobbi in the ITV soap.

Viewers will see Bobbi make a dramatic exit from the Street next week, after two and a half years. Naomi says she had no idea that producers were planning to axe Bobbi, along with Dr Matt and his wife Charlie, played by Stephen Beckett and Claire McGlinn. "I don't think anyone expected to be axed," she tells the Mirror's Look magazine. "I walked in with all these ideas of what direction Bobbi should take, but suddenly I was being told what direction she was going to take. "It came after New Year when we were all still on a high and looking forward to getting back to work. But my mum said: "No matter what you are doing, I'll always be proud of you" and that's all you want to hear isn't it?"

Naomi says she is glad that Bobbi goes out of Coronation Street with a bang. She adds: "Filming the grand finale scenes were brilliant. They were very emotional and Bobby exits in an explosive way. I'm pleased with being given a meaty storyline to leave on. I don't just go to the corner shop for a pint of milk and never come back, so Bobbi may return to Weatherfield. Who knows? "I've loved my time on the Street. It will be sad to walk along the cobbles for the last time. And it will be strange not working with the people I have spent the last couple of years with. Still, I will be dragging them out for a big booze-up, so I'll leave them all with sore heads."

Naomi will be flying out to Spain to film Mile High later this year.

Corrie's Roy gets caught napping
28 March 2002

Comedian Roy Hudd says he has no trouble keeping up with the hectic pace of soap filming schedules. Hudd, who plays Coronation Street undertaker Archie Shuttleworth, says he can sleep anywhere at any time. "I base this on being a telephone operator in the RAF where I learned to catnap, which is one of the greatest things you can ever learn to do," he says. "You mustn't do it for too long," he warns. "Any longer than 10 minutes and it turns into two hours, which can be very embarrassing in the middle of a radio show."

Hudd was born in 1936 and has moved from musicals and farce to Shakespeare and Stoppard during his 45-year showbiz career. Much loved for his music hall turns, Hudd has also displayed his dramatic skills alongside Albert Finney in Denis Potter's Karaoke and appeared in the acclaimed comedy-drama Common As Muck.

This spring he can be seen in The Quest, a TV movie directed by David Jason, as well as regular appearances in The Street. He is also preparing to host a 25th anniversary series of The News Huddlines comedy show on Radio 2. He lives in south London with his second wife, Debbie Flitcroft.

Chris puts his foot down
28 March 2002

Coronation Street star Chris Bisson is stepping up his training for the London Marathon.

Chris, who plays romeo taxi driver Vikram Desai, says he is determined to finish strongly in the 26-mile event, which is only three weeks away. "A 20-mile run is the most I've ever done before," Chris tells the Daily Star. Chris, 26, starred in the hit film East Is East before landing his role in the Street, back in February 1999.

Worst over for Granada say analysts
26 March 2002 by Jason Deans

It may be hard for executives at the embattled ITV company to believe, but the worst is now over for Granada, according to a report from brokers Numis Securities. Analysts at Numis say in a note issued today that the latest round of full-year results and trading updates from media companies "suggest the worst is over" for the advertising slump. Numis's optimism about Granada came from latest industry projections indicating a "strong advertising upturn in May as advertisers spend heavily ahead of the [football] World Cup".

The analysts' note quoted figures for Granada, which estimates a 9% year on year increase in ad revenue for May, and another ITV company, UTV, which is expecting an 11% upturn that month. "Although Granada are rightly cautioning against extrapolating one good month throughout the rest of 2002, the current results/update season has seen no evidence of further deterioration in the advertising market," Numis said. "The twin benefits of easier year on year comparatives and the benefits of the World Cup should see ITV advertising spend rise approximately 10% in May and possibly in our view for June," the note added. "No company, whether broadcast, print or other medium, has suggested that the advertising environment is getting worse. "Although no company is publicly calling the turn in advertising, the return of mergers and acquisitions activity to the sector - with Publicis' move for Bcom3 and Johnston Press's takeover of Regional Independent Media - gives further encouragement."

On ITV Digital, Numis said closure was a "possibility", but would meet with "considerable political resistance". "We believe a scaling back of ITV Digital and ITV Sport, with the termination of the free set-top box offer from the former, Sky carriage for the latter, and supplier renegotiation for both, is a more likely outcome," the note added.

Numis said the termination of merger discussions between Granada and Carlton was a "disappointment", but added that a single ITV was "both welcome and inevitable".

Street stars face cull
26 March 2002

The new boss of Coronation Street says none of the TV soap's stars has a job for life. Kieran Roberts has already axed four actors and suggests that others will be shown the door in a bid to boost ratings.

"Nobody on this show is bigger than Coronation Street. That is an impossible situation," the 41-year-old producer tells the Daily Express. "I will do whatever it takes to get this show right, and if that means dispensing with certain characters, then so be it. "If I believe time has run out for a character and the show will be a better one if that person moves on, then that is what has to happen ... There are no national institutions here."

Mr Roberts, who previously worked on Emmerdale, did not reveal a hit list, but the paper said his warnings would send shudders down more senior members of the cast. He has already ended the contracts of Stephen Beckett and Clare McGlinn, who played Dr Matt Ramsden and his wife Charlie. Naomi Ryan (who played Bobbi Lewis) and Scott Wright (Sam Kingston) have also departed.

Who's the Coronation Street daddy?
25 March 2002 by Jonathan Donald

TV Plus has learned the outcome of the big who's the daddy? storyline dramatically unfolding in Corrie. Viewers will see Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold) learn, on April 7, how wife Maxine (Tracy Shaw) had a fling with Dr Matt (Stephen Beckett). The child they have so long yearned for could be the dirty doc's.

Maxine's baby cliffhanger will conclude after some fraught weeks on the Street. Fireworks go off in an hour-long special on Wednesday night when Dr Matt's wife Charlie (Claire McGlinn) learns of his fling with Maxine. She, too, is pregnant and wants an abortion. In a drunken rage, she will throw the love-cheat out and he will move in with Ashley and his wife. The doc will then force Maxine to confess all to her husband (April 7).

Corrie's Ashley and Dr Matt will have a dramatic showdown in the maternity ward as Maxine is giving birth. The trauma of confessing means she goes into labour two weeks early... but who is the father?

A Coronation Street source told TV Plus: "They don't ever reveal who the father is. "At first, Ashley rejects the baby and Maxine, and wants a DNA test. But he finally decides not to. "He decides he's going to bring the child up as his own, whatever. He just says: 'It's mine and that's that'. It should be very moving."

Convinced he's the dad, the doc tries to usurp the distraught Ashley and even turns up at the hospital. Actress Tracy Shaw told TV Plus: "Ash says 'get off her' and pins him against the wall. The whole nation will be saying, 'come on, Ashley'."

Hell hath no fury...
25 March 2002 by Jonathan Donald

Coronation Street star Clare McGlinn is shockingly clear about how she'd respond if dirty Dr Matt was her man. Viewers will see Clare's character - doctor's wife Charlie - learn the awful truth on Friday about her hubby's sordid one-night stand with neighbour Maxine. And Clare's real-life boyfriend had better take note. "I'd like to think I'd take a shotgun and shoot him," she howls.

The actress says she found her Corrie showdown scenes the hardest she's ever had to cope with. Charlie discovers she's pregnant and then uncovers the awful truth about Matt and Maxine - and how she may be carrying Matt's child, not Ashley's. "I've got no nails left - I'm a nervous wreck," guffaws Clare. "It's such traumatic stuff, the atmosphere has been bubbling on set."

She shunned the company of others while filming the harrowing scenes about to unfold. "I isolate myself when doing these heavy storylines as I don't want to offend people," says Clare, who's dating events manager Andrew Miller. "I'm so focused on my character and on learning my lines. "I go home at night and the phone is off the hook and the mobile is off. I'm like an athlete in training."

Corrie's Charlie inevitably hits the bottle as she copes with the trauma of contemplating an abortion and the discovery of her husband's infidelity. "I've been getting lots of compliments about acting drunk so well," smiles Clare. "My thing was to try and keep it real as you don't want to do comedy slurs. "It's exhausting and your brain becomes foggy, but you've still got to get those lines out."

The Corrie actress is no stranger to abortion storylines. "I was in The Cops (on BBC2) for three years and my character Natalie Metcalfe had one," she says. She winces and adds: "As an actress, I seem to get called on to play these sorts of roles quite a lot. "I have done a comedy in the theatre and on radio. But I do seem to get offered a lot of issue stuff, which I suppose is a compliment."

But it's not all been sobbing and rage for Clare in recent weeks. Earlier this year she and a horde of other soap stars climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, to raise cash for the Bobby Moore Cancer Fund. "It was amazing looking down from volcanic crevasses onto the plains below," says the Wigan-born actress. "It's good to do something positive with my profile from Corrie." Channel 5 will screen a film about the trip.

Clare will shoot her final scenes in Coronation Street this week - and she has no regrets about going. "In a way, I'm taking off a cloak and allowing myself to be me again," she says thoughtfully. "Rape, booze, infidelity - I've been through it all and I'm glad to be getting out. "I know it's the biggest show on TV but I'm happy to go." As is the soap tradition, she'll take a last look at the Street from a cab.

And she'll take some fond memories with her. "I've had a very special connection with Bill Roache (Ken Barlow), who I've long admired. "And a lot of people recently have likened me to Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix) which is such a compliment," she says.

Good golly! Molly's off in Corrie storm
24 March 2002

CORRIE nurse Molly Hardcastle is to be the SIXTH character to be axed by the show's new bosses, I can reveal. Jolly Molly, played by JACQUELINE KINGTON, will leave later this spring after an explosive storyline. And her screen love Kevin Webster (MICHAEL LE VELL) will be behind her departure - as she finds out a dreadful secret.

Corrie chief Kieran Roberts tells me: "There's a very good storyline coming up and it will be partly Kevin's fault that Molly goes. "I can't say too much but Kevin will be instrumental in their relationship not working out."

Kieran, and new executive producer Carolyn Reynolds have already axed five stars - including NAOMI RYAN (Bobbi) and STEPHEN BECKETT (Dr Matt Ramsden). But, after Molly, he assures me that's it. He said: "There are no other plans for any other exits. I read the stories about TEN people being axed with as much astonishment as everyone else."

Football League urges fans to boycott Corrie in fees war
24 March 2002 by Neil Bennett

THE Football League's chairman is urging 14 million fans to boycott ITV's top programmes if the company reneges on a contract to pay £105 million a year for showing Nationwide League games. Keith Harris says supporters should switch off Coronation Street and Emmerdale and should not appear on Blind Date or Who Wants to be a Millionaire? if ITV fails to make the payments.

The threat is the latest move by the League in the battle to force Carlton and Granada, the ITV companies, to honour the deal, which the companies say is losing them tens of millions a year. They want to tear up the existing contract, held by ITV Digital, their digital joint venture, and pay only £40 million a year. If the League refuses, the companies threaten to push ITV Digital into insolvency, which, they say, will prevent them having to pay anything. "If they renege on their agreement and don't honour their contract we will mobilise 14 million football fans all over the country," Mr Harris said. "The place to hurt these television companies is in their pockets. What will they tell their advertisers?"

The ITV companies have told the League it has until Saturday to agree or they will put ITV Digital into administration. ITV Digital's board is expected tomorrow to approve plans to appoint administrators unless a deal is reached. Documents seen by The Telegraph reveal that the league's solicitors have sent the Granada and Carlton chairmen a formal legal warning that they will pursue them for the cash if ITV Digital fails.

That's handy, Andy
24 March 2002

I CAUGHT up last week with fab NICHOLAS COCHRANE, who played Corrie's Andy McDonald. You can see him reunited with his old screen family on Granada Plus this week when its Classic Corrie series goes back to 1989, the year the McDonalds arrived.

Nick spent 10 years with the soap and made a brief return in 2000. "It was great," he told me. "Andy had never had a sex life. Then he came back for two episodes and pulled Toyah straight away."

Nicholas is now married with a two-year-old son and doing presenting slots on Man United cable channel MUTV.

Give us a hunk!
I HEAR Coronation Street bosses are in the final stages of picking the "virile bad boy" who will play a sidekick to Mike Baldwin (JOHNNY BRIGGS) in the soap. They're down to a shortlist of three and deep in debate.

Memo to the casting director: "Just pick the best-looking one, chuck, you're woefully short on totty."

End of the road for Bobbie
23 March 2002

Sexy Corrie machinist Bobbi Lewis is about to be booted off the Street after being caught trying to wreck taxi firm Street Cars. It means the end of actress Naomi Russell's time in Weatherfield - but she is at least going out with a bang. Bobbi packs her bags after a pasting from taxi boss Steve McDonald's missus Karen, in what a Street insider says is "going to be the Corrie cat-fight of the year".

Naomi spent two years doing a BTEC in Performing Arts before doing some presenting for Channel 4's Big Breakfast. It was then Naomi was spotted by Corrie producers, who invited her up for casting.

The 30-year-old has said in a number of interviews how amazed she constantly is at being part of something so big and successful as Coronation Street.

Undie-hand Fiz swizz batters Baldwin
23 March 2002

Mike Baldwin is left facing ruin on the Street after being swindled by simple machinist Fiz. The rag trade boss recently bought some underwear designs from his inventive employee - which unfortunately turned out to be stolen from magazines.

The oldest wide-boy in Weatherfield, played by Johnny Briggs, will be hit with writs from designers claiming he has raked in the cash by selling copies of their underwear.

Flame-haired Fiz (Jennie McAlpine) becomes the most hated worker on the shop floor when the other girls discover that her wrongdoing could result in all of them getting the sack. But their anger doesn't compare to Mike Baldwin's, according to a Street insider. The source said: "The whole business leaves him depressed and angry. He's outraged that he could have been deceived so easily - especially by a slapper like Fiz."

Corrie's Bobbi to try to ruin the Street's taxi firm
22 March 2002

Coronation Street's Bobbi Lewis will try to wreck Steve and boyfriend Vik's taxi firm. Viewers will discover someone has launched a complaint against Streetcars. Bobbi, who is behind the complaints, is one of the characters being written out over Easter.

Fans have been shocked by her boyfriend Vik's affair with married Hazel Wilding - which is seemingly being carried out without Bobbi knowing. Vik will initially think Hazel's husband is behind the complaints. But Bobbi, played by Naomi Russell, will decide to leave Weatherfield when Steve's girlfriend Karen finds out about her deceitful actions.

I can't be a mum yet
21 March 2002 by Rick Fulton

GORGEOUS Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw has been put off having babies in real life - after giving birth on the popular soap. In an hour-long special to be shown on April 7, Maxine goes into labour two months early after Dr Matt Ramsden tells her husband Ashley that the baby could be his.

Tracy, who won't reveal whether the father is Matt or Ashley, shot the labour scenes last Friday. And they were so horrific that after months of saying how much she'd love kids in real life, Tracy admits that she and husband Robert Ashworth are putting their plans to have a family on hold. She said: "Giving birth in Corrie has really made me re-assess my own wish for a baby. And all I can say is, 'hurrah for caesareans'. "At the moment I'm too busy to conceive, people on the street are always asking me if I'm pregnant yet. Hopefully I will be one day, but it's put me off a little bit."

The shock birth of Maxine's baby is the climax of an explosive storyline which has been slowly burning for seven months. Ever since married doctor Matt spent a night of passion with the dizzy hairdresser, the nation has held its breath waiting for her devoted hubby Ashley (Steven Arnold) to find out. In an explosive series of episodes starting next Wednesday, Weatherfield will watch as the two families are ripped apart.

The drama kicks off with Matt (Stephen Beckett), admitting to pregnant wife Charlie (Clare McGlinn) that he had an affair with Maxine. The doctor's wife wants an abortion and he thinks it will be the only way to stop her going through with it. The storyline reaches its climax the following Sunday when Matt tells Ashley the truth. In the ensuing argument, a stressed-out Maxine goes into labour prematurely. During the dramatic life-or-death ambulance dash which follows, she pleads with Ashley to forgive her. But will the baby survive and will Ashley leave her?

Tracy found the birth scenes difficult, but she was glad to see the back of the prosthetic bump which has been her constant companion since Christmas. She said: "I was really excited when I first got the bump. "The belly was moulded from a woman who was six months pregnant and the same size as me. It was made from latex so I could wear tops and expose my pretend belly button. "But, by the end, it was a nightmare. The prosthetic belly was so heavy it made my back ache and it was really sweaty. "But I'd get no sympathy from mothers when I'd moan that my jelly belly was heavy. It gives you a sense of what mothers go through - my sore back paled into significance."

If carrying a few extra pounds was hard for Tracy, the birth scene was even worse. She said: "In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, Maxine is delirious and asking Ashley not to go, saying it's his baby. "I was so caught up in the scene that I was shaking and trembling with adrenaline. I really felt as felt I was going through it."

To prepare for giving birth, Tracy admits she had to watch some very graphic videos and speak with a birth specialist to make sure the scene looked as real as possible. She admitted: "The birth scene isn't my sexiest look. Maxine goes through a 10-hour labour and, by the end, I was screaming. Poor Steven's hand was blue from where I was squeezing it. Now I realise any woman giving birth is the most amazing person in the world."

With husband Robert, dog Blue and cat Bella, Tracy claims she's never been happier after some difficult periods in her life. After overcoming anorexia and following her very public fight with Robert on a plane in January, Tracy has been the subject of more than a few headlines. But she's bounced back - and she reckons much of her fighting spirit is thanks to her Scots grandad Edward Duffy who called her his "wee Sassenach".

Tracy laughed: "My Scottish blood has definitely made me a fighter. I don't know much about the Duffy clan, although I'm keen to find out. "My grandad called me his wee Sassenach. I think his nickname was a gentle dig, but done in a loving way. I know there is a big Duffy clan still up in Glasgow and I'd love to meet them all."

Some of Tracy's new-found Scottish grit will come in handy over the coming weeks. The actress is painfully aware that she'll be the target of scorn from fans who believe her character has destroyed poor Ashley. She said: "Women love Ashley. I've already been asked how I could do it to him so, for the next month, I'm going to be wearing a balaclava in case I get attacked."

Although Tracy earns a reported annual salary of £150,000 a year on Corrie, she is making noises about moving on. She said: "I'm very happy here, but I would love to do a period drama like Jane Austen, or a really gritty Northern film with no make-up and scruffy clothes."

For the most part, however, she's happy with her husband, her home and her cat and dog - her "substitute babies". She added: "I used to go to showbiz parties because I was bored, but now I just go to award ceremonies. I'm now a woman-at-home type. I like knowing that I'm going home to cook dinner for my husband."

Poor Maxine might be struggling, but Tracy's got things well under control.

Chris puts his back into role
21 March 2002

Street star Chris Bisson is having physiotherapy after smashing his back against a car while filming a fight scene with his screen lover's husband. The Star says Chris, who plays lovelorn Vik Desai, suffered whiplash while filming the brawl with John Wilding (John Bowler).

A spokesman said the Coronation Street's cabbie is now on the mend but still needs treatment. He said: "He didn't think there was a problem until he woke the next morning and it really hurt."

Vik has been having a fling with hardman's wife Hazel Wilding, played by former Brookside actress Kazia Pelka, but she wanted to end it - and insisted her husband warn off her Wetherfield beau. Poor Vik has been left devastated, especially as he has just finished with the lovely Bobbi Lewis.

Shaw to go into hiding over Corrie backlash
20 March 2002 by Jonathan Donald

Corrie star Tracy Shaw plans to go into hiding when her harrowing love triangle storyline explodes in the ITV1 soap. Ashley (Steven Arnold) will learn the child being carried by wife Maxine (Shaw) could be the result of a fling with Dr Matt (Stephen Beckett).

Shaw, 28, told TV Plus: "I'm dreading it - I'm not even going out shopping. "It's amazing how women just adore Ashley. They'll blame me when this all comes out." But as an actress it's been the most rewarding time of her life. She said: "It's the best stuff I've ever done. I've been asking for something meaty for years and this is the biggy."

Shaw was painstaking in her approach to playing a pregnant woman. Shaw, who's married but has no kids, said: "I had a latex belly moulded from a pregnant woman of the same build. "It was so heavy and hot that it made me realise what women have to go through. I was broody until now. "I did a lot of research including watching a very graphic birth video. I also had a midwife and hospital specialist advising me throughout."

Maxine will then be forced by the dirty doc to tell Ashley about their fateful one-night stand on April 7. The trauma will cause Maxine to go into labour two weeks early and she will plead with Ashley to stay.

Granada backs one ITV
20 March 2002

Broadcaster Granada is calling for ITV to be run by single company, saying they could save £50m a year. The company, which produces soap favourite Coronation Street, failed last month in its bid to merge with Carlton. But at its annual general meeting, Granada chief Charles Allen said a single ITV would benefit from better programmes while advertisers stood to gain from mass audiences and strong schedules.

He said: "We've been clear that a single ITV is absolutely the way forward for us. "We need to be bigger in the UK to become a key player in Europe." "We believe the focus must move from restructuring Granada to restructuring ITV, and that this process both logically and inevitably leads towards a single ITV company when legislation and regulation permits."

The forthcoming Communications Bill will end legislative obstacles to a merger, like the requirement for two different ITV companies to serve London. But the Bill, due to be published in draft form at the end of April, will not become law until the autumn of 2003 at the earliest.

Mr Allen also added that resolving the future of ITV Digital, run jointly by Granada and Carlton, was a "top priority". ITV Digital, which had 1.26 million customers at the end of December, has shed 600 jobs and cut operating costs. It has cost its backers more than £800m, of which Granada has ploughed in £394m.

Mr Allen was also buoyant about advertising revenues at Granada.He said the company is expecting a rise during May by 9% after a lengthy period of decline. But Mr Allen said the rise could be a reaction to the football World Cup and added: "We continue to have very limited forward visibility and the figures for May should not therefore be extrapolated through the rest of the year."

Granada said it was "very excited" about the new series of the Forsyte Saga starting next month. Other new productions include Zhivago and The Royal, a spin-off from Heartbeat.

Dirty Doc in the house
20 March 2002 by Jonathan Donald

Imposing actor Stephen Beckett is about to become public enemy number one. Corrie's Dr Matt Ramsden, whom he plays, will be exposed as the cad in the love triangle with Maxine (Tracy Shaw) and Ashley (Steven Arnold). Like a man possessed, he will try to wreck their marriage and usurp poor Ashley as the proud dad.

But Beckett, 34, doesn't really care about a possible backlash because he is off to Ireland to become a hippy. The actor is whimsical about the descent of his Corrie character from Mr Nice Guy to Mr Nasty. "It all started off so well," grins Stephen, who debuted as Dr Matt in 2000. "I was a lover of small children and animals, a socialist giving to the Weatherfield community. "But he's got a little too close to his patients. I could get people in the supermarket throwing tins of beans at me. But I'm sure only a few will think I'm actually Dr Matt."

Stephen hopes viewers will feel some sympathy for the doc. "He could be perceived as quite dark because he wants that baby so much," he tells TV Plus. "But he does put everything on the line to be part of that baby's life. I hope people will understand that the thought he could be excluded from that child's life drives him insane."

People have long been pestering Stephen about the Maxine baby plotline. "For the last seven months I've had people coming up to me and asking 'who's the dad?'" he reveals. "I've got used to it, being in such a high-profile show. So I expect to get more of that in the coming weeks but expect it to be more intense." Ructions begin on March 27 when the doc's wife Charlie (Claire McGlinn) learns of his one-night stand with Maxine.

Stephen Beckett is looking forward to a holiday after the ordeal of shooting harrowing scenes in Corrie. "We've been doing very intense scenes back-to-back, which requires huge amounts of concentration - and it's draining as you're doing 12-hour days from 7.30am to 7.30pm," he says. "Because it's a soap you don't get time to rehearse, so you have to do scenes entirely on instinct. Most of the time it works, but sometimes it can be a complete disaster."

On screen his marriage is in tatters - but off air Stephen Beckett's love life is difficult, but sweet. He got engaged to former Emmerdale star Anna Brecon (Lady Tara) last Christmas. "We're planning to get married in June," he says proudly. The couple met while performing in Bolton in play The Blue Room. "Over the last couple of months we've been so busy we get little time together," he adds wistfully.

The love triangle storyline marks the end of Stephen Corrie career. Could he return as the wayward Dr Matt? "I just don't know," says the six-footer. "I have no complaints about leaving. If I stayed any longer I'd probably drop dead because I'm so exhausted." Beckett has a farewell wish. During his fling scenes with Maxine he always wore a sexy blue top. "It should be auctioned off," he laughs.

His future is far out. "I'm doing a film Far From The Mushroom Cloud, out March 2003," says the ex-Bill star."It's set in the '70s, in the Cold War, when it was thought Ireland's west coast was one of the safest places to be in a nuclear winter. "It'll be a departure for me to play a hippy with long hair and beads." His fiancee Anna Brecon will co-star.

Ashley shattered by Maxine's affair
20 March 2002

Coronation Street butcher Ashley Peacock is to discover that his wife Maxine spent a night of passion with Dr Matt Ramsden in a series of nail-biting episodes. In a series of dramatic scenes over Easter, Ashley will be left shattered when the doctor tells him about his one-night stand with Maxine in September.

The pressure becomes too much for Maxine (Tracy Shaw) and she goes into labour two months early. In the ambulance dash to hospital, she pleads with Ashley (Steven Arnold) to forgive her.

The storyline is the beginning of the end for Matt (Stephen Beckett) and his wife Charlie (Clare McGlinn). The couple leave the show in May. Beckett said: "People keep shouting out to me in the street 'Who's the daddy?' "The truth is I don't know myself. I will be sorry to leave Corrie, there's a nice bunch of people here - a really great team."

But he revealed: "After he picks himself up off the floor, Ashley says he will raise the baby regardless of who the father is. "He tells Maxine he will bring it up as his own." McGlinn also has new projects ready for when she leaves the ITV soap, including a sitcom.

Babs: There'll be no bar wars
20 March 2002

When Barbara Windsor first took on her role behind the bar at the Queen Vic, she was terrified she'd be compared to Coronation Street's Bet Lynch. "I said when I first joined, `I don't want any leopard skin'," she tells TV Quick. "I didn't want anyone to think about Bet, that wonderful landlady and character." However she added: "Guess what? In my first ever scene I'm wearing a leopard-skin jacket because that's all they could find!"

She need not have worried all those years ago, as her stint as the blonde behind the bar on EastEnders came as Bet disappeared from Corrie. But that may change now that Julie Goodyear has been recalled to take her famous role again - and the pair go head to head in the nation's affections. Yet Barbara laughs off any idea of rivaly between the two actresses. "I appeared with Julie on The Russell Harty Show when she was at her peak - and she was very sweet. "On the occasions we've worked together - like on The Generation Game - she has been lovely."

Babies bring on Corrie blues
20 March 2002

Corrie star Maxine is scheming to get Matt Ramsden out of her and her unborn baby's life for good. The mum-to-be, played by Tracy Shaw, reasons that if Matt has another baby to focus on then he'll leave her alone. Maxine tells him that Charlie is pregnant and planning a secret abortion.

Matt, played by Stephen Beckett, confronts wife Charlie, played by Clare McGinn, and attempts to persuade her to change her mind. He blurts out that Maxine is also expecting his child and a devastated Charlie kicks him out. Maxine is terrified that her husband Ashley, played by Steven Arnold, will find out about her fling with Matt and this could mean the end of her relationship.

Tracy tells Woman's Own: "It never occurred to her that he would spill the beans. She's mortified that Charlie knows what happened between them. "She goes round to see Charlie to say she's really sorry for what happened, but what she's afraid of is that Charlie might tell Ashley, and ruin her marriage." She loves Ashley so much, and that one night has ruined her life. She keeps trying to make things better, and come up with plans to sort it out, but it just gets worse and worse."

Fiz's flash fails to impress
17 March 2002

Coronation Street's Fiz flashes more than just her fiery temper when she launches a topless protest in a bid to get her job back. The mouthy machinist was unfairly sacked by knicker boss Mike Baldwin and resorts to desperate measures to persuade him to take her back on.

Redhead Fiz, played by Jenni McAlpine, climbs up a ladder to stage a fully-clothed protest and quickly attracts a supportive crowd. But when Baldwin remains impassive she makes a call to the local paper telling them she is about to strip off.

When a photographer from the paper arrives she whips off her bustier, revealing all to the crowd below. Her actions don't go down well with boyfriend Tyrone, who hits out at Les Battersby for leading a chorus of cat-calls.

Stripping in Street sent my sex life sizzling
17 March 2002

AXED Coronation Street stripper Scott Wright told last night how he has no regrets about joining the top soap because of the sensational effect it has had on his sex life. Scott, 27, whose unlucky-in-love character Sam Kingston is also part-time stripper Python, revealed that in the last two years he has been...

• OVERWHELMED with offers of one-night stands from star-struck beauties.
• FORCED to ask police for protection from a lust-crazed hen party.
• OFFERED a kinky threesome involving another MAN.
• TURNED into a vodka-swigging party animal in a bachelor pad after years of being a keep-fit teetotaller living with Mum and Dad.

In an exclusive interview with the Sunday People, Scott said: "Corrie definitely changed my love life for the better. In the eight months before joining the Street I'd had virtually no sex. "Then suddenly, for the first time in my life I was flooded with offers. "For a man who was rubbish at chat-ups it was just fantastic. I just thought, 'Oh well, it would be rude not to'."

Scott's character Sam was left broken-hearted on screen after being dumped by Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor). But in real life the hunky actor couldn't believe his luck with the women. Scott said: "Suddenly I found myself surrounded by incredibly beautiful women. "I'm not vain and I know it was purely down to being on a top show, but there was suddenly a great deal more opportunity."If I talk about it in football terms - before the Street I was kicking about in Division Two. "But by this time last year I was definitely in the Premiership. My one-night stands definitely rose in respectability.

"There was one girl I remember whom I knew before Coronation Street. I'd always chased her and thought she was absolutely fantastic, but I'd got a stone-cold reaction. "About a year after landing Coronation Street I bumped into her again. "Suddenly it was all the other way. We ended up having a two- day session." Another time Scott was in a restaurant with his parents when a girl walked up to their table, pulled open her top and said to the actor: "Sign these for me will you please?" Scott said: ''I just looked at my dad who nodded, 'Go on son.' So I did."

The star didn't take up every offer though. He said: "I was in a nightclub in Nottingham doing a personal appearance. This beautiful blonde girl told me I had a lovely body then blurted out, 'Do you want a threesome with me and my friend?' "I stuttered a bit and laughed then said, 'Well I'd have to meet your friend'. I was joking but to be honest, I was also a single bloke and thinking, 'Fine'. Then she turned up with a 6ft 2in black guy called Trevor. I politely declined and ran."

Some offers were more attractive. Scott says: "I did a personal appearance in a Belfast nightclub and I took my mates. "One of them got very drunk and decided to give out my mobile number to every girl who got my autograph. "The next morning I got a phone call, then another, then another. Then the text messages started. It was pure smut. Most of it revolved around my nickname Python in the show. One wrote: 'I want to take your python out of its nest and give it a good seeing to'. "I have to admit that me and my mates texted some back for laughs but after 3,000 I had to stop. I'm not a multi-millionaire. I couldn't afford the phone bills."

But once Scott was genuinely terrified by his new-found attraction. He said: "I walked out of a nightclub and tried to get back to my car but I was followed by a hen party. They kept asking me to strip and grabbing at my shirt. I legged it. "It was like a Benny Hill scene. I ran to the car park with them in hot pursuit but the car park was locked. I couldn't get to my car. They were closing in on me and I was genuinely scared. I ran through a bus station, jumped over some turnstiles and sprinted. They were still following. "I ran into the town centre then spotted a police van. "I went up to them and said, 'I'm sorry but I'm on Coronation Street and I need your help!' "None of them watched the show and they looked at me like I was some kind of idiot. But I pointed at all these women closing in on me and they took pity. "They had to hide me in the van for an hour. I just did not want to be on my own with those girls."

Scott added: "I've never been the type to hit on women so this was all really unexpected. I'm no wimp like my character Sam but if I really like a woman I'm embarrassingly shy. I would make some really dreadful attempts. I remember once when I was about 18 I spotted a beautiful woman in a bar. "I thought I'd be all sophisticated, went over and said, 'You know those flower sellers outside? Well here's two quid - go buy yourself a bunch.' "She looked at me like I was a complete idiot. Looking back I was, although at the time I thought I was just being really nice."

Until nine months ago Scott still lived at home with his parents in Cheshire. But now he has moved into a flat in central Manchester to let his hair down. He said: "When I first joined the Street I was a teetotaller. I would be in the gym every day - never go out. "I had never had a drink until six months ago. I'd never touched alcohol. Didn't like it - didn't like the idea of it. I used to think, 'My body is a temple.' "But one day I'd gone out with some friends and thought I'd try it. I went to a bar and downed about half a bottle of vodka. "I thought it was quite funny. I wasn't ill at all. I wasn't even hungover the next day. I just remember being really, really happy. "For the past six months I've been on a bit of a party streak."

But now Scott is beginning to calm down. He has found a steady girlfriend - a beautiful dancer called Sasha - and has renewed his healthy lifestyle to prepare for life away from the Street. But he admits that as a single man he happily enjoyed the change in fortunes his fame brought him.

Scott said: "It was always a pleasure never a chore, and it was great and it was outrageous. It never ceased to amaze me. "I really needed to get it out of my system because I've never done it before. It was a phase but it's over now. "I met Sasha a few months ago. She's a good friend as well being gorgeous and that kind of situation is far more important than any of the others."

Scott will be on screen for about another 12 weeks. But he is not bitter that his life in the Corrie spotlight is over. He said: "I thought my time might be ending to be honest. As soon as I heard my character was splitting up with Toyah I realised I had no ties to any other character. "I looked at my storylines and I wasn't saying much, not going anywhere. "But I'm certainly not bitter that I wasn't part of their plans. That's the way soap goes. "And if I do go on to be a big success elsewhere it's always going to be thanks to Coronation Street." And Scott will always have fond memories of the girls who sent his sex life to the top of the ratings.

Gary hits on a role in Corrie
17 March 2002

HEART-THROB actor Gary Stretch is the latest addition to ITV soap Coronation Street. He has been telling friends he's signed a year-long contract to play a new heart-breaker in the soap.

Former British light-middleweight boxing champion Gary, 38, gave up the sport to pursue a film career. He made his debut as a serial sex killer in Final Combination... but the movie was panned by critics. He has now returned from Hollywood and plans to find a home in Manchester near the show's set.

Gary was once linked to veteran actress Raquel Welch and has also dated Lionel Blair's daughter, Lucy and Page Three model Christine Peake. He and brother Roni also shared a house with Liz Hurley when she first lived in Los Angeles. A friend said last night: "Gary's Street character is going to be a real ladies man...just like Gary."

It's just the tools of the trade, Sally
17 March 2002 by Ian Hyland

OVER at Coronation Street and Sally's moaning about peculiar customers coming in asking for "all kinds of screws". Well, if you will call your shop Sally's Hardware you're bound to get a few perverts in, Sal.

Speaking of which, is Deirdre's childhood attack by a parrot the reason why she's been keeping her eye out for a cockatoo ever since? And while we're on childhood memories, when Norris said he "spent a lot of time on the road as a young man" was that because his parents told him to play there?

Other questions. Are they widening the M62 so Julie Goodyear's ego can make the trip? Is Vik banned from crying in case his eye-liner runs? Why does the cab office look like a Swedish sauna? When Eileen says Vik's "on the switch" is this the male equivalent of the menopause? Is Richard wise to take Gail on safari with all those trigger-happy hunters out there? And if Maxine's comedy bump gets any bigger, will she actually be able to rest her chin on her breasts?

Soaps sex danger plea
17 March 2002

TV SOAPS such as EastEnders and Coronation Street are being asked to carry storylines dealing with the danger of sexual diseases. Labour MPs led by Reading East's Jane Griffiths are writing to producers. Ms Griffiths said: "These series are watched by teenagers and it's time scriptwriters helped raise the awareness of sex diseases."

Ken replaces Archer
16 March 2002

CORONATION Street star William Roache is to replace Jeffrey Archer as patron of a Conservative Association. The 69-year-old actor, who plays Ken Barlow in the long-running ITV soap, is stepping into jailed Archer's shoes at the Merrial Street Conservative Club in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire . Association chairman Glenys Davies said: "We're hoping his support will follow on from the excellent work of Jeffrey Archer."

Cutting-edge return for Corrie crimper
14 March 2002

Former Coronation Street favourite Angela Griffin is to make a return to the world of hairdressing. After receiving years of practice in the Street's hairdressing salon playing Fiona, Angela is to star in Cutting It - a series about a hair salon. Appearing alongside Angela will be Amanda Holden, husband of former Brookside star and current Family Fortunes presenter Les Dennis.

Angela is said to be pleased with her latest opportunity, which comes after a string of successful TV roles. In her varied career, she has appeared in hospital series Holby City, BBC drama Baby Father as well as kids' dramas Just Us and Waking the Dead.

Can ITV soaps make it through the day?
14 March 2002 by Jessica Hodgson

ITV daytime soaps Crossroads and Night and Day are fighting for their future, as ITV prepares to gives its daytime schedule a makeover. Liam Hamilton, the daytime chief who returned to ITV two months ago, plans to radically reshape the channel's daytime output in the face of disastrous ratings.

And he has postponed a new commissioning round while trying to decide whether the two ailing soaps should be given another chance or killed off altogether. "We need time to look at all the options," said an ITV spokesman. But ITV is understood to have pencilled in the end of March as the deadline by which to decide on the future of the soaps. "Liam wouldn't have been brought in to do the job if a root and branch overhaul of ITV daytime wasn't needed," said a senior ITV source.

The source added it was "highly likely" ITV would try to resolve the thorny issue of Crossroads and Night and Day before the next commissioning round. Crossroads, the revamped version of the long-running ITV daytime drama, and Night and Day, aimed at south-eastern upwardly mobile sophisticates - have both failed to set the schedules alight. Average audiences for Crossroads are about 1 million for its lunchtime edition and 2 million for the early evening edition, while Night and Day averages just over 1 million viewers per episode.

Mr Hamilton is introducing a new nostalgia quiz show presented by Matthew Kelly to the ITV1 teatime schedule, which is currently dominated by the two soaps. Never Had it So Good, a Yorkshire Tyne Tees show, is expected to go out daily from around the time of the football World Cup in May.

Sack for Corrie's stripper
14 March 2002

Coronation Street's hunky Scott Wright is on the way out because soap bosses are unhappy with his raunchy character. Wright, 27, plays mechanic Sam Kingston, who earns extra cash by working as a male stripper.

He recently signed a new contract and was led to believe that big storylines were being planned for him, the Daily Star reports. But the actor is leaving after bosses decided his character had "dried up and had nowhere to go", according to the newspaper. Wright is quoted as saying: "It is time to move on. I originally came in for four episodes which turned into the most brilliant two years. "I have had a fantastic time on the show."

A Corrie spokeswoman said: "He has just signed a three-month contract but once that comes to an end he will be leaving the show. No decision has been made to replace that sort of character."

Rumours that Wright would leave the soap were rife in January after the departures of Dr Matt Ramsden, played by Stephen Beckett, his wife Charlie, played by Clare McGlinn and Bobbi Lewis, played by Naomi Russell, were announced. Wright will record his final episode next month, although scriptwriters have yet to decide the circumstances in which Sam will leave Weatherfield.

Corrie's Matt to confess his fling with Maxine
13 March 2002

Coronation Street's Dr Matt Ramsden is to tell his wife Charlie about his fling with pregnant Maxine. He will make the confession during a one-hour special. But before then, Charlie discovers she is also pregnant and decides to have an abortion without telling him. The hour-long episode will be broadcast on Wednesday March 27 on ITV1.

Clare McGlinn, who plays Charlie, told Inside Soap magazine: "Charlie is totally shocked. She has always said she doesn't want children and she's had rows with Matt about it. "Now, just as they are getting back on track, she finds out she is pregnant. After Charlie's termination, she returns home to hear a drunken Matt admit to his fling with Maxine. "Charlie is devastated. It is a double whammy because of Maxine and Matt keeping such a big secret from her and the thought that Maxine's baby could be his child," she said.

It is rumoured the storyline will climax with the Ramsdens leaving Weatherfield this Easter. It is already known the two characters will be written out of the show in the near future. McGlinn added: "It has been challenging playing Charlie and it is very rewarding. However, it seems like Charlie is the drama button they press every other week - so after all this, I think it will be time to do some comedy."

Mechanic Sam to leave Coronation Street
13 March 2002

Scott Wright is to leave Coronation Street at the end of May. Wright plays garage mechanic Sam Kingston. He will not have his contract renewed after more than two years on the soap. He said: "It is time to move on. I originally came in for four episodes which turned into the most brilliant two years. I have had a fantastic time in the show."

Sam Kingston wowed the ladies with his striptease act in The Rovers Return. He recently tried to woo Toyah Battersby, played by Georgia Taylor - only to have his marriage proposal rejected.

A Corrie spokeswoman said today: "He has just signed a three-month contract but once that comes to an end he will be leaving the show. "No decision has been made to replace that sort of character."

Rumours that Wright, 27, would leave the soap were rife in January after the departures were announced of Dr Matt Ramsden, played by Stephen Beckett, his wife Charlie, played by Clare McGlinn, and Bobbi Lewis, played by Naomi Russell.

Corrie's Sarah Louise tops best mum poll
11 March 2002

Coronation Street teenager Sarah Louise Platt has been voted Britain's favourite soap mum in a magazine poll. Vera Duckworth came in second place, while EastEnders' Laura Beale was voted third favourite. The 15-year-old Sarah Louise is played by Tina O'Brien.

Among the worst mums voted by readers of Woman magazine were Emmerdale's Viv Windsor, EastEnders' Peggy Mitchell and Coronation Street's Janice Battersby.

Tina said: "I'm so excited that Sarah Lou's become a popular mum. I do think she deserves it though. "There are so many pressures, from schoolwork and boys to others looking down their noses at her for being a teen mum. I don't think any other young mother could do more."

Extra Corrie
10 March 2002 by Garry Bushell

WHY was there an extra episode of Corrie this week? There was no big story to justify it, just Vikram's unfeasible affair and a load of old cobblers about Betty's hot-pots. Still, on the plus side Sally Webster was smuggling peanuts again.

Fact: Betty is 81, she's the oldest TV barmaid this side of Guinan on Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Fact: she hasn't had a non hot-pot related storyline since 1967.

Love on the menu?
TINA O'BRIEN, Corrie's Sarah Platt, insists she's not dating BRUNO LANGLEY (Todd Grimshaw) in real life. She says of a meal which made headlines: "We were just two pals out for a pizza and they made it sound like we were all over each other." That's because you were, my love!

Fred had nothing Toulouse
10 March 2002 by Ian Hyland

WHEN Fred Elliot boasts "I'm renowned for my Cumberland ring" you know it's comedy week in Coronation Street (ITV1) So it proved with Fred trying to get his hands on Betty's hot-pot recipe after the Rovers' regulars decided Geena's Toulouse sausage with puy lentils was, well, taking the puys.

Elsewhere Janice was worried Les might try suicide again. I'm worried he might fail again. Sarah dumped Gel-Boy, Hazel's old man found out about Vik, and Norris found Fred's meatfeast hard to swallow.

Winner of the week was Martin who got battered senseless by an angry parent in A&E. An appealing alternative to spending a romantic night in with Sally, I'm sure you'll agree.

Soaps under fire from watchdog chief
8 March 2002

BROADCASTERS are breaching sex, violence and bad language guidelines before the 9pm watershed to improve ratings, the broadcasting watchdog says. Lord Dubs, chairman of the Broadcasting Standards Commission, has attacked the "creeping undermining" of the 9pm watershed, when children are more likely to be watching. He criticised TV soaps, such as EastEnders and Coronation Street, for their increasingly risque storylines.

Speaking at a meeting of the Broadcasting Press Guild in London, Lord Dubs was quoted in the Telegraph as saying: "The more competitive the atmosphere, the more people want to push the boundaries to get the audiences, not only by using bad language, but sex and violence too. "We have to hold the line in the interests of parents and their children." Lord Dubs, a former Labour MP, said soaps had an "enormous influence on people's lives" and programme makers needed to strike a "balance" between realism and sensationalism.

Coronation Street was rebuked last December for a scene in which the character Steve McDonald was attacked in a hospital and EastEnders was criticised for a scene in which a character was about to snort drugs.

Lord Dubs added: "Soaps do have a positive role as long as they don't overstep the mark. "You can't always have them totally cosy, and they have to push (their subject matter) but I don't think they would lose their popularity if they reined themselves in a bit."

Corrie babe sports games flat cap
7 March 2002
The controversial flat cap to be worn by helpers at the Commonwealth Games has been modelled by Coronation Street star Suranne Jones. Jones, who plays Street beauty Karen McDonald, sported the cap complete with the lilac and black shellsuit uniform to be worn by the 10,000 helpers at this summer's games staged in Manchester.

Suranne, 21, posed for photographers in the cap which has caused fury among those who believe it encourages an image the North has been fighting against.

The star, who plays the part of the flirty factory girl, told the Daily Star: "When someone told me I'd be wearing a tracksuit and flat cap, I expected it to be something like the ones I wore when I was 15. "But in fact the caps were very trendy and suitable for people of all ages."

The headgear was designed by supermarket chain Asda. Patrick O'Niel, editor of Cheshire Life magazine, argued that any connotation with the flat cap "puts the clock back 50 years".

Vera is nation's best mum
7 March 2002

Coronation Street character Vera Duckworth has been named Britain's best mother in a new poll. The battleaxe won the accolade for her support of wayward son Terry while he was on the run from prison in a recent storyline.

More than 1,000 people were quizzed in the Mother's Day survey by Thorntons. Their top choices for what makes a good mum included selflessness, loyalty, unconditional love, honesty, generosity, straight talking and a sense of humour. TV chef Nigella Lawson came second in the poll, and Cherie Blair was voted into third place.

Debbie Hamilton from Thorntons said: "Vera's strong belief in her son has certainly endeared her to the nation. "She has crossed all boundaries such as age groups and gender." Other mothers in the survey's top ten include Madonna, Anne Diamond, Ulrika Johnson, Victoria Beckham, Zoe Ball, Emma Thompson and Nicole Kidman.

Coronation Street star signs up for IT scheme for deaf
6 March 2002

Coronation Street star Bill Roache is to learn sign language. The actor, who plays Ken Barlow in the soap, is supporting an initiative to help non-hearing people qualify in IT. Roache will learn British Sign Language from a deaf student who has recently passed a basic IT course. He will have to tackle signs for email, the web, and the name of the scheme Together IT Works.

Roache will also learn how to sign the words Bill Roache and Ken Barlow. The three-year scheme, funded by Barclays, will teach deaf students to be proficient in IT and how to apply for long-term employment.

Corrie star admits to being hard of hearing

Coronation Street star Bill Roache disclosed he is hard of hearing as he helped launched an initiative for deaf people. The actor, who plays Ken Barlow, learned sign language words from 17-year-old Haithm El-Madani, a deaf student from Manchester who studies at Bolton College.

Standing outside the Rovers Return on the set of the TV soap, Roache perfected the signs for coronation, street and beer, as well as spelling out his screen name Ken. The three-year scheme called Together IT Works is helping non-hearing people qualify in IT by teaching them computer and internet skills.

Roache, 69, said today: "I am supporting this project because it is a very good cause and I have actually got a hearing problem myself. "I know what it is like. When I am in a noisy background, I cannot hear what is going on and it can be very frustrating. This is something very different, it is brilliant. "The unemployment among non-hearing people is something like 19%. They are normal, intelligent people, they just have this one problem. "With the internet, the fact you don't have hearing does not create a problem and deaf people are very able to work in that medium."

Roache said in the background on the set of Coronation Street, the actors rely on lip reading to carry out conversations totally unrelated to the script.

The scheme, funded by Barclays and run by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, will offer the IT course to the 398,000 deaf and hard of hearing people in Greater Manchester.

Have a bet on ITV soap solutions
6 March 2002 by Simon Bowers

Couch potatoes could be betting on nailbiting ITV soap opera cliffhangers - such as the gripping trial of Coronation Street's Deirdre Rachid - under plans to revitalise Littlewoods' ailing door-to-door football pools. Sportech, the shell company that acquired Littlewoods' betting and gaming business for £162m in 2000, has secured exclusive rights to interactive betting across all ITV's channels, on analogue and digital platforms. It plans to use its network of 13,000 coupon collectors to take bets.

Finance director Gary Speakman said initial gambling opportunities were likely to focus on sports and soap opera plot twists. Betting on cliffhanger episodes could prove as popular as sports betting. "Most live football matches have an audience of about a million. Compare that to Coronation Street, which regularly gets over 10 million each week," he said.

Sportech's reverse takeover of the pools business was backed by leisure entrepreneur Trevor Hemmings, who holds a 28% stake in the company. Mr Hemmings owns Blackpool Tower and has ambitions to transform the resort into a Las Vegas-style gambling centre with six casinos.

ITV's chief executive, Stuart Prebble, described the interactive deal as offering viewers "something distinct from our commercial competitors". Sportech declined to say what proportion of turnover from the deal would be returned to ITV under the revenue-sharing agreement.

Brother is Tracy's guardian angel
6 March 2002

Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw says she relies on her brother for support - but it used to be the other way round. The actress, who plays hairdresser Maxine Peacock in the soap, tells Now magazine that younger brother Karl is her closest friend.

But it wasn't always that way - Tracy used to save her brother from bullying when they were at school. Once, after he was beaten up, Tracy gathered a group of her friends and tracked down the thugs to give them a piece of her mind.

Tracy tells the magazine: "My brother is my guardian angel, and he's my best friend. There aren't a lot of girls who can say that about their brother. "I'm blessed. With Karl I can say anything and I know he won't be sitting in judgement, thinking `Who does she think she is?"'

Street's Caroline goes bankrupt
4 March 2002

Former Coronation Street actress Caroline Milmoe is reported to have been formally declared bankrupt. Milmoe, 39, ran into financial trouble with income tax debts, the News Of The World reports.

The star has failed to attract high-profile roles since her Street character Lisa Duckworth was killed off in a car crash in 1993. Weatherfield's Lisa became pregnant by tearaway Terry Duckworth, the son of veteran characters Jack and Vera. Lisa then married local bookmaker Des Barnes but tragically died in a car crash.

Before her appearance on the Street Milmoe had roles in several films including The Magic Toyshop, Without A clue, The Fruit Machine and Final Warning. And she became a household name with her role as Julie Jefferson in the long-running 1980s Carla Lane sitcom Bread.

Since she left Coronation Street Milmoe has taken a variety of theatre roles, including Juliet in Romeo And Juliet, Kitty in Charley's Aunt and Cathy in Wuthering Heights. She also returned to the television screens in the comedy series Barbara, alongside actress Gwen Taylor. She is currently single and lives in Manchester.

Corrie Rita's coat of many harms
3 March 2002

CORONATION Street's carjacking storyline may have been complete twaddle, but it was highly entertaining twaddle. Betty, Blanche, Rita and Emily went for a day in the country and everything was going fine until they had to stop for Betty to go for an alfresco wee in the lake. Then they picked up a hitchhiker who pulled a gun, scaring Emily so much I think she may have followed Betty's lead - minus the lake. And the alfresco. Emily was doubly scared of the gun because it reminded her of when Ernest got shot. If you remember that far back you, like me, have probably noticed that Rita is still wearing the same coat as when Alan Bradley was killed by a Blackpool tram 13 years ago.

Never mind bringing back Bet Gilroy - Shelley, Eve and Geena are doing fine in the Rovers, by the way - Corrie bosses should be more concerned with buying Rita a new coat. Back to the carjacking and the have-a-go grannies were the talk of the Rovers, interrupted only by Les Battersby yelling "my new girlfriend's coming round". Whether this meant his new lady was about to visit or had just been roused from a coma I'm not sure, but the latter would at least explain why she's dating Les.

Rita and the girls were soon front page news in the Weatherfield Gazette. Sadly the cretinous (naturally) hack had got his facts wrong. "I remember when journalism was an honourable profession, now they smear your name for the sake of a salacious headline," said Norris. Or, Sex-Change Post Office Clerk Marries Prize Courgette, as I like to call him...

Ena's grave misgivings on Corrie!
3 March 2002

A CLAIRVOYANT claims legendary Coronation Street battleaxe Ena Sharples has contacted him - to slam the soap's current storylines. Ian Lawman, 32, says Ena - played by the late Violet Carson - rattled off a list of complaints. She believes there are too many sex-mad teenagers, the Rovers looks like a Berni Inn, there's no decent storyline for the older actors or any meaty gossip.

Ian, of Scunthorpe, Lincs, was "visited" by Ena during a trip to the Street's Manchester studios. He said: "Violet must have been hanging around for years to make contact with a spiritual medium like myself. She obviously wanted to get her opinions off her chest." He has now e-mailed her comments to makers Granada - well, Ena was always a fan of the net.

Corrie Sue and electrician lover
1 March 2002 by Paul Byrne

CORONATION Street star Sue Cleaver walks hand in hand with her new man, hours after The Mirror broke the news of their affair. Sue - the soap's Eileen Grimshaw - and TV electrician Brian Owen clasped hands tightly and gazed into each other's eyes yesterday in this first picture of the lovers together. The 38-year-old actress, married for nine years and mother of a six-year-old boy, stepped out with married father of two Brian outside Granada's Manchester studios, where they met.

Friends said the pair have been secret lovers for months. A Street insider said: "It has been a very difficult time for them both. "They are just glad the news is out in the open so they no longer have to hide their true feelings."

The couple are now house hunting. Sue walked out on actor husband James Quinn but plans to live near the home they shared in Didsbury, Manchester, so both can have custody of their son Elliott. A Granada source said: "Their split is very amicable and they remain good friends. Elliott's happiness is of prime importance to them both."

Sue's screen character was the centre of her own love triangle when Eileen's lover Dennis Stringer fell into the arms of her best friend Janice Battersby. He was later killed in a car crash as he saved the life of Janice's suicidal husband Les.

After our revelation yesterday of Sue's split, she said: "Brian and I are committed to a future together. We are both brutally aware of the turmoil this has caused." She joined in the Street in May 2000 after a series of TV roles. At the time she said: "If nothing else, it means I can stay at home more with my family. And that is what's important to me."

Love split for Street star Sue
28 February 2002 by Paul Byrne

CORONATION Street star Sue Cleaver has left her husband after falling for a married electrician who works on the soap. The 38-year-old actress walked out on actor James Quinn to set up home with father-of-two Brian Owen.

Sue, who plays Corrie's Eileen Grimshaw, said: "This has been a difficult time for everybody, but Brian and I are committed to a future together. "We are both brutally aware of the turmoil this has caused." Sue intends to live near the home she shared with James in Didsbury, Manchester, so that they can both have custody of their six-year-old son, Elliott.

A Granada source said: "Sue has been in bits about this for weeks. "Both she and Brian know how much pain their affair has caused, but are very much in love."

Her husband is filming Stan The Man with Cold Feet star John Thomson. Sue's character, Eileen, suffered her own heartache when lover Dennis Stringer fell for her best pal Janice Battersby.
 

Halifax cosies up to Coronation Street barmaid
27 February 2002 by Pat Lee, Television Reporter; Picture: Tim Krochak / Herald Photo

If Coronation Street regular Jennifer James had no inkling of the popularity of the British soap on this side of the pond, it didn't take her long to find out. As soon as the actor stepped off the plane in Halifax on Monday afternoon, she turned a grim-faced Canada Customs agent into a flustered fan when she stated her occupation. "I knew I knew you, I knew I knew you, oh my God," said James, hands flying, as she imitated the star-struck government employee. Every single person has recognized us. It's so weird. We're in Canada."

The young actor, who plays romantically entangled barmaid Geena Gregory on the long-running soap, will have had further evidence of devotion to the show while at a meet-and-greet organized by a local Coronation Street fan for Tuesday night at a Halifax hotel. Today, James and her husband, Lee Boardman - a former Corrie cast member who played murdered bad guy Jez Quigley - travel to Toronto, where James will attend a three-day fair promoting British culture, including the popular export Coronation Street.

While the appeal of the show in Canada may be news to James, she's certainly no stranger to the huge following in England. When she and Boardman, whom she met on the show, were married last May in Manchester, 300 paparazzi and throngs of fans showed up at the town hall. "It was strange. I didn't think anybody would be interested," James said while relaxing Tuesday afternoon, with Boardman by her side, at a suite in the Halifax hotel.

The affable Boardman (though dressed in black), who's nothing like his menacing Corrie character, said he and his wife are instantly recognizable in Manchester, where they live. "We have no life in Manchester. The only life we have is when we're at home, with the four walls. But we can't have any privacy when we're outside."

But James said she understands the appeal of the series, which debuted in 1960, since she grew up watching it along with everyone else in her family in Manchester, which also happens to be the part of England where the gritty, working-class soap is set. "Everyone from the northwest of England loves Coronation Street," said the vivacious 23-year-old. "When I said that I'm going to go to drama school and be an actor, the first thing everyone said was, 'When are we going to see you on Coronation Street?' Because that is the height of fame. To all my aunties and uncles and Nan and everyone, that is it."

Turns out her family didn't have to wait long, since she landed the role of the pint-pulling Geena almost right out of school. The job was, in fact, her first television role. "I didn't tell anyone I had the audition," she said. "The day before I had been talking to my Nan, and she was like, 'When are you going to be on Coronation Street, love?' And I said, 'I don't know, Nan, you never know.' Then I phoned her the day after I found out and she was crying her eyes out."

Coronation Street, seen in Canada weekday afternoons and Sunday mornings on the CBC, was recently pre-empted for the Olympics but returned this week with James's Geena being proposed to by her boyfriend Dev (Jimmi Harkishin). In coming weeks things will heat up as Geena's nasty mother tries to stop the interracial marriage (Dev is of Indian descent). Episodes seen in Canada are about four months behind what's aired in England. James said there still hasn't been any marriage between the couple. "It's very much up in the air. Geena and Dev, it isn't an easy relationship."

For the actor, it was a surreal experience to stand behind the bar at the legendary Rovers Return on her first day at work two years ago. For one thing, the fake bar is quite a bit smaller than it seems on television. And then there's all that history. "I remember my first day walking in the Rovers, and I call it Rovers Moments, like when I served my first Betty's hot pot. I remember I just stood there thinking, 'I'm in the Rovers Return. I'm in the Rovers Return.' " But she said the cast, even those who have been on the show for years, made her feel like part of the family from the first day. "Everyone came up and shook my hand . . . everyone made me feel so welcome."

I'll have some Iceland with that!
27 February 2002

They may not always see eye to eye behind the bar of the Rovers Return, but Coronation Street stars Jennifer James and Sally Lindsay have been firm friends off-screen ever since Sally joined the soap last year. So the pair jumped at the chance to enjoy a relaxing holiday when a break in their busy schedules allowed them some time off together.

The past two months have been a difficult time for the two actresses, who live just 15 minutes apart and regularly meet up at weekends. Sally, who plays barmaid Shelly Unwin in the hit soap, has just experienced the painful break-up of her four-year relationship to sound engineer Jem Hewson, while Jennifer's recent dramatic storylines ­ involving her character Geena suspecting her fiancé Dev has been cheating on her ­ have meant she has frequently been working exhausting 13-hour days. The two friends decided a stress-busting break in the stylish Icelandic capital Reykjavik was just what they needed to banish the winter blues and unwind.

The couple's friendship was cemented nine months ago on Sally's very first day on the famous Coronation Street cobbles. Jennifer had been the new girl herself 15 months earlier and had a clear memory of her own first day nerves, so she was determined to put Sally at her ease.

To see more photos of the two Coronation Street actresses relaxing in Iceland, check out this week's HELLO! magazine, on sale now

Carlton and Granada end secret talks
27 February 2002

The UK media groups Carlton and Granada have ended secret talks about a possible merger.

"Carlton and Granada have been in discussions regarding a possible combination of their businesses, in step with proposed legislative changes," Carlton said in a statement. "The two boards have decided not to pursue these discussions."

In November, media ownership rules in the UK were changed to allow the UK's commercial ITV network to become just one company.

Some observers said that although the discussions have come to an end, they could well be resumed at a later date. "They have said no for now, but I'm sure Carlton and Granada have had merger talks before and I'm sure they will have them again," said Numis media analyst Paul Richards.

Carlton and Granada are the biggest independent broadcasters on ITV. They also jointly run the troubled digital television operation ITV Digital. Both broadcasters have been hit by a fall in advertising revenue in recent months. Mr Richards said it would make sense for the two to join forces.

Rumours about the merger talks lifted Carlton shares 13.6% higher to 228p on Tuesday. In early trading on Wednesday, the shares slipped back 7% to 212p. Granada shares fell 2% to 111p in early trading. In November, Granada's shares were trading as high as 156p, while Carlton was trading at up to 258p.

Street fails to win TV nomination
26 February 2002 by Matt Wells

There has always been suspicion among commercial TV types that the Royal Television Society's annual awards were a bit of a BBC stitch-up. But irritation with the RTS rose after the society snubbed Granada Television's soaps Coronation Street and Emmerdale. Neither programme has been nominated in the new soap category, introduced for this year's RTS awards. Even before the nominations were officially announced - the list is due out today - Granada was scenting blood.

The company said it was inexplicable that the two soaps - and its new hit, Night and Day - had not been nominated. The list includes the BBC's EastEnders and Doctors.

A Granada spokeswoman said: "Coronation Street is the nation's number one soap, beating EastEnders in ratings terms... Emmerdale is in its Bafta year - it won best soap at the last Baftas."

But an RTS source said the presence of two commercial television figures on the jury: the former ITV head of daytime programmes, Maureen Duffy, and one of the producers behind Footballers' Wives, Eileen Gallagher, did not prevent the panel from being united in the belief that Coronation Street has experienced its worst year. Ratings for Coronation Street are strong but some critics say storylines are weaker.

Corrie & Emmerdale shunned in awards
26 February 2002 by Nicola Methven, TV Editor

CORONATION Street and Emmerdale have been snubbed by awards judges - leaving ITV bosses furious. In an amazing putdown their two top soaps have not been shortlisted for the Royal Television Society's ceremony next month.

It is the first time the RTS has had a "best soap" category and ITV just can't believe it. One executive stormed: "We won't take this lying down. It's a disgrace. "Coronation Street had 31 out of the top 50 rating soap episodes last year, and Emmerdale has nearly 10 million viewers. To overlook them is ludicrous. "We've waited a long time to be properly recognised, only to be shunned."

Instead BBC1 drama flagship EastEnders will battle it out with daytime saga Doctors and Channel 4's Hollyoaks and Brookside. But as ITV prepared a formal protest, RTS chiefs insisted Corrie and Emmerdale missed out because they'd gone through a bad patch.

The snub is a huge humiliation for Coronation Street - Britain's longest running soap after 41 years on screen. New boss Carolyn Reynolds has axed characters and vowed to take Corrie back to its "warm and humourous" roots.

Corrie Denise joins Holby City
25 February 2002 by Derek Robins

Ex-Corrie star Denise Welch is joining BBC1 medical drama Holby City. Denise, 43, who was Rovers Return landlady Natalie Barnes, will play hospital manager Pam McGrath, who is mum of nurse Kerri McGrath (Anna Mountford) in five episodes due to be screened in May.

A BBC spokeswoman said: "We are very pleased to have an actress of Denise's calibre on board and we are sure she will be very popular with our millions of viewers. "She is nurse Kerri's mum and she tries to sort out her daughter's love life. Pam wins Mubbs (Ian Aspinall) in a men-for-sale auction for her daughter but she fancies him and a Mrs Robinson-style situation ensues. "She is a divorcee and a highly competitive mum who is always pointing out her daughter's faults."

Denise will join Tina Hobley, who was Rovers barmaid Samantha and who now plays love cheat sister Chrissie Williams. Another Corrie favourite, Angela Griffin, who was hairdresser Fiona in the soap, went on to star as nurse Jasmine Hopkins but left in 2000.

Holby City is just part of Denise Welch's TV comeback since she had second son Louis a year ago. She was seen on Monday as a hooker in ITV1's The Vice and appears in BBC1's period drama Born And Bred in April. She has a forthcoming cameo appearance as a policewoman in husband Tim Healy's BBC Choice comedy Breeze Block in March, and she has also made Facing Demons, a short film about testicular cancer, which was shot in Cardiff.

I was a Soho hostess to pay for my dream
25 February 2002

SHE was the racy Street barmaid wracked by heartache, but when Denise Welch appears in The Vice as a high-class hooker, she'll be drawing on her real-life experience of the sex trade. The former landlady of the Rovers Return has revealed for the first time how she worked as a hostess in London's seediest district. She also reveals how she watched as teenage girls boosted their earnings by offering 'extras' to punters in Soho's notorious late-night bars and clubs.

Denise, now 43, was an innocent 19 year old when she took a job in a bar. While she never slept with customers she soon realised that some of her colleagues were. She says: "I quite liked the twilight world I inhabited for a while. It was fascinating. I did it for about three weeks, but it wasn't really my scene. "I wanted to go to Los Angeles, so a friend and I worked in the Soho bar as hostesses to get the money. "You had to sit and have drinks with these guys. "They weren't allowed to touch you and you weren't allowed to go home with them or anything. "We'd have fruit cocktails, but the guys thought they were buying you a real drink. "The name of the game was for the hostess to get the punter to go to a restaurant and buy dinner with champagne. For that, you'd get your hostess fee."

For some of the girls, that money wasn't enough. Denise adds: "I was so naive at that age, but what we did eventually realise was lots of the girls were going home with these men. "They would go round the corner and meet them - but I never did."

The lass from Durham quit and began working as an actress instead - and, although she might not have gone to America and made her life as a Hollywood actress - she is still one of Britain's best-loved faces. Married to Auf Wiedersehen Pet star Tim Healy and with two kids, her easy-going nature has won her an army of fans.

The Vice, which also stars Scots actor Ken Stott as Pat Chappel, is the first prime-time drama she's done since leaving The Street. Denise enjoyed working on the show, but she doesn't want to leave her Cheshire home for too long. She doesn't want to be separated from sons, 12-year-old Matthew and baby Louis, who was born last spring.

Louis, who was born with a bowel condition, needed four hours of surgery last year. Two days after giving birth, Denise noticed her son wasn't feeding and, before she knew it, he was whisked into intensive care. As Tim looked after eldest son Matthew, Denise sat by Louis' incubator as he underwent tests.

She says: "There was this little thing lying there with all these wires and I just thought of the time I had spent by incubators as part of the things I do for charity, but I never thought for one minute that I'd do it for my son. "That was the start of the nightmare really. For the first two weeks they did tests to eliminate everything, from meningitis to cystic fibrosis." Doctors finally decided Louis had Hirsprung disease - a bowel condition - and the tot had to go through four hours of corrective surgery so he could start absorbing his food properly.

Denise was in hospital with her son for three weeks and was worried the chronic post-natal depression she'd had after Matthew was born would rear its head again. She admits: "I was going through a terrible time emotionally, as any mother does when their child is in special care. "I knew I wouldn't be able to cope with the post-natal depression if it came back. But somehow, I found a kind of strength. It was awful, but Tim and I got through it and Louis made a full recovery."

Denise's trauma escalated when Louis was just seven months old and she was the victim of a downmarket tabloid "sting". The article claimed she was having an affair and might have a drugs problem. Denise denies both allegations and she and Tim remained united as they spoke about their ordeal at their £750,000 converted farmhouse in Alderley Edge, Cheshire.

Despite the memories of what happened to her during filming of The Vice, Denise is still more than happy to talk about it - especially as she can wax lyrical about her Scots co-star Ken. The actress, who appeared in Spender before her big telly breakthrough in Soldier, Soldier said: "I was already a big fan of The Vice and Ken Stott has been one of my favourite actors for some time. "My character, Clara, is such a different type from the ones I had recently been playing. "I was ready for a little bit of glitz and glamour. I got to wear some fantastic Prada and Versace gear. "We first see Clara when she walks into the pub in her feather boa. She hasn't seen Pat Chappel for 20 years. "She wants to 'shop' her man and Chappel is incredibly reticent - the two of them clearly have a little bit of a history between them."

PULLING herself away from her family life to film The Vice episodes was tough for Denise to do. She admits: "It was difficult leaving Louis behind to do The Vice, but most of the time I was able to pop back home and I knew it was for a finite period of time. "But I realise that, although it was hard for me being away from Louis, it was not hard for him because he was with people who love him. "He's such an outgoing little baby that, as long as he is with people who are spending time with him, he's perfectly happy."

After leaving Coronation Street in January last year, she was asked to take over from Richard and Judy on This Morning as a full-time presenter. But with Louis so small she declined. She adds: "I had a great time in Coronation Street, but The Vice reminded me why I left. "It wasn't because I was unhappy. I went into the business as an actress because I'm motivated by change and by playing different parts. Guest-starring is what you aspire to - it's great. But I never take my career for granted. "When you've toured in A Bed Full Of Foreigners playing Simone the French stripper, then you are quite glad to be guest-starring with Ken Stott in The Vice - even if my aunts in Newcastle still think that play was the best thing I ever did! "But I don't get the chance to miss my true friends from Coronation Street, because we all live so near to each other and we are in each others' houses all the time - which is one of the reasons I stayed put in Cheshire."

Denise has also finished working on a new drama series which is being filmed on location in Downham, a beautiful Ribble Valley village close to Clitheroe in Lancashire. Set in the Fifties, Heart Of The Valley is due for release on BBC1 next spring. Husband Tim has been busy, too. He's been seen in the ITV drama The Jury, which ended last night and later in the autumn will be back with Timothy Spall and Jimmy Nail in Auf Wiedersehen Pet. Denise added: "It is good in some ways because it has taken the pressure off me. I've actually become a bit of a homebody and I'm loving every minute of it."

Vicious bullies made my life hell.. but I used them to become a star
24 February 2002

STUNNING Coronation Street star Suranne Jones has told how cruel bullies made her life at school a nightmare. But she had the last laugh because she used the painful experiences to help create her Queen Bitch character Karen McDonald.

In Part Two of her exclusive no-holds-barred interview with the Sunday People, Suranne, 23, said: "Those schoolgirls didn't realise it but they did me a favour. If I hadn't been through that ordeal, I don't think I'd be what I am today. "It seemed horrific at the time but it made me more determined to succeed - and when it came to creating a bitch like Karen they were the perfect inspiration."

In the last few weeks alone, Corrie fans have seen Karen have slagging matches with Geena, Fizz and Rita - not to mention her long-suffering husband Steve. But the reason she plays her loudmouth part so well is because she knows what it's like to be on the RECEIVING end of such abuse.

She said: "I remember one of my first lines in the Street. It was in the factory with Linda Baldwin who'd just been promoted and I had to turn and say, 'Well you won't be lording it over me, all right?' "I practised for ages to try to make Karen sound tough and couldn't get it quite right. Then out of nowhere came this bitchy voice. "I suddenly felt and sounded like one of those girls who'd picked on me at school. I was quite shocked and that was where Karen was born."

Suranne had enjoyed an idyllic childhood in Oldham, Lancs - where her family still live in the same three-bedroom terraced house. The bullying only began after she joined the local comprehensive in nearby Middleton. By the time she was 13 her love of acting and her curvy figure set her apart from the other girls.

Suranne recalled: "My boobs suddenly sprouted, I developed a spotty face and my hair was really lank. All the other girls were wearing small, lovely bras and I would get boys pinching my bum and pulling my bra strap. The girls thought I was an oddbod and things got a bit horrible. I wanted to do drama, while everyone else went to the park and drank beer. They'd pick on me and push me around and call me a slag. "I remember once I won a part on a kids' TV show called Wac90. I had to do an impression of Margaret Thatcher refereeing a football match. I was really excited about it and went in to school and told everyone but it made the bullies dislike me even more. "I was punched in the face once and went home in floods of tears. The police came round but to them it was just a schoolyard fight, whereas I wanted all the bullies locked up!"

On the whole, she kept her problems to herself - particularly after her mum Jenny developed breast cancer. Thankfully Jenny recovered - and she, dad Chris and brother Gary went on to become the budding star's biggest fans. But success didn't come overnight. And Suranne jokes that the parts she got read like a Who's Who of Slappers - everything from a prostitute to a schoolgirl who has casual sex with the father of a child she is baby-sitting.

She said: "I must turn into a different person when I'm in front of the camera because in real life I'm quite shy. "Or maybe I'm kidding myself. Perhaps I do actually come across as this cheap, bitchy slapper with loads of attitude!"

In Corrie, she first auditioned for the part of barmaid Geena but was beaten by equally stunning actress Jennifer James. "It was only when I came back to audition for Karen - a brassy, hard-faced Northern loudmouth - that I knew I was in with a chance!" Suranne said. In the 17 months since, she has slept with taxi boss Vik, tried to seduce Dev to wreck his wedding plans - and married Steve McDonald for a bet.

This is in contrast to her real life romance with "dream man" Jim Phelan, with whom she now lives in Cheshire. But Suranne said: "I haven't changed really. If I'm going to an awards do I'll buy an expensive dress but otherwise I still go to Top Shop. "I'm not a snob and I'd be devastated if someone looked in to a crystal ball and saw me in 10 years time ordering people about. I'm determined to keep my feet on the ground."

Corrie to air NHS violence
24 February 2002

CORONATION Street is to reflect the violence plaguing real-life accident and emergency departments with male nurse Martin Platt becoming the victim of a vicious attack. Martin, played by actor Sean Wilson, will be assaulted as he carries out his duties in the fictional casualty unit at Weatherfield General Hospital. Producers hope its airing in the prime-time soap will help to generate a public debate on the issue.

Last night a Corrie insider said: "It's a massive problem, and it's appropriate the programme reflects this. "We cannot gloss over what is going on. Violence is happening for all sorts of reasons - drunks, excessive waiting times without treatment and patients left on trolleys for hours at a time. "The programme will be making a contribution to the on-going debate about the health service. We hope Martin's ordeal will make people think about what is happening."

Street's peak viewing
24 February 2002

THEY may have been axed from Coronation Street. But stars NAOMI RUSSELL (Bobbi), CLARE McGLINN (Charlie Ramsden, above) and STEPHEN BECKETT (Dr Ramsden) still have cause to celebrate this week.

All three safely made it to the peak of Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro raising a lot of cash for the Bobby Moore Cancer Fund. The three had to brave camping out for six nights at sub-zero temperatures - and the horror of being 19,000ft away from the nearest pub.

Roy Hudd
I HEAR fabulous ROY HUDD pipped Carry On star JACK DOUGLAS to land the role as Archie Shuttleworth.

Mallandra is back on top farm
23 February 2002

SOAP fans could be saying hello to two old faces in the coming months. Only two months ago, Malandra Burrows, 35, was axed from Emmerdale, where she had played Kathy Glover for 16 years. But a fast return is being predicted by Now magazine. And they should know.

Across the Pennines, meanwhile, Coronation Street favourite Thelma Barlow - Mavis Wilton - is reportedly being pursued for a return at the end of the year. Sans dippy Derek, of course. He carked it at the wheel of his rep car a few years back. You remember: the one with the big paper-clip on the roof.

Thelma was asked to appear in the episode where Rita celebrates her 70th birthday, but she couldn't because she was performing in the West End stage production of Smoking With Lulu. But Now says the snub has not dampened Corrie producers' desire to ensure Rita's favourite shop assistant returns on a permanent basis.

ITC dismiss Coronation Street complaint

Programme:
CORONATION STREET: ITV (Granada) Friday 21 December: 7.30pm

Background:
During a pre-Christmas party, various female characters were comparing their partners' physical attributes: muscles, torso and so on. They decided to prove which partner was the most muscular by getting their menfolk to strip or, if they refused, stripping them themselves.

Issue:
Viewers complained that when Vikram refused, and had his shirt and trousers pulled off, that this was unsuitable for the time of evening and was a sexually abusive act. Several viewers argued that a similar scene would have not been allowed with the sexes reversed.

Assessment:
The ITC felt that there was very little seen of Vikram's body once he had lost his clothes, that the whole sequence did not include any direct sexual intent or contact and that it was essentially designed to be seen as a good-humoured romp. The ITC did not accept that it was valid to make comparisons with a hypothetical scene involving the stripping of a woman by a group of men as the context and meaning would be very different.

Conclusion:
The programme was not in breach of the Code.

Category:
Taste and decency

Complaints from:
5 viewers (not upheld)

A new Anthony ?
20 February 2002 by Luke Slingsby

There's a definite whiff of desperation emanating from the set of Coronation Street. After axing nine characters (count 'em!), producers are horrified to see the show's ratings still in freefall. So the latest gimmick to be seized upon with a lemming-like urgency is inviting Royle Family co-writer and star Craig Cash to come aboard as a 'creative advisor'.

It's hoped he will restore some of the show's legendary northern comedy. On top of this, Ralf Little, who plays Anthony in the Royle Family, is also being persuaded to take a role. So instead of sitting around the Rover's apathetically watching Betty serve pints, the inhabitants of the Street will now sit around their TV sets apathetically watching those stupid pre-credits chocolate characters.

Coronation Street loses viewers
20 February 2002 by Jon Rogers

ITV 1's decision to move Coronation Street around the schedules proved an unpopular move last night, as the soap fell short of its usual ten million-plus viewers. Due to tonight's live coverage of Liverpool against Galatasaray in the Champions League, Coronation Street aired in an unfamiliar Tuesday night slot (19 February) at 20.00. Normally the soap would be expected to gain at least 10 million, and the show had a consolidated average of 12.2 million for the first week of February, but last night's episode managed just 9.3 million (39.6 per cent).

It's audience however was still enough to win the slot for ITV 1 as BBC 1's Holby City at 20.00 took only 6.8 million (28.6 per cent), down 1 million from the previous week. ITV 1's Millionaire? at 20.30 also managed to defeat the long-running medical drama, pulling-in 7.7 million (32.1 per cent).

Corrie star's son to play Bobby Kennedy
20 February 2002

Linus Roache is to play Robert Kennedy in a new American TV film.

Linus is the son of William Roache, who plays Ken Barlow in Coronation Street. He has previously starred in Wings Of A Dove and Priest.

RFK is expected to be shown on US television in August, according to www.hollywoodreporter.com.The film focuses on Kennedy's life after the 1963 assassination of his brother, President John F Kennedy, up to his own assassination in 1968.

My real-life romance by Corrie's Queen Bitch
17 February 2002

SEXY Suranne Jones has told how she found the love of her life - in a whirlwind romance that even her Corrie character Karen would find hard to match. The soap stunner knew she fancied hunky Jim Phelan the moment she saw him. And just like the Street's superbitch beauty Karen, raven-haired Suranne wasn't afraid to make the running.

She SPARKED her real-life romance with a sizzling party kiss, then boldly ASKED Jim for a date, DECLARED her love and MOVED in with him - all in eight months. "I know it was quick and it sounds like the crazy sort of thing that Karen would do," said Suranne, 23. "But I met this wonderful guy that I just couldn't resist. I've never felt like this about anyone before."

Talking exclusively to the Sunday People about life and love, blissfully happy Suranne revealed how she:

• KNOWS she acted almost as impulsively as factory girl Karen - who married Steve McDonald for a bet.
• ROWS with bank computer programmer Jim, just like Karen does with Steve - but quickly makes up.
• CAN'T get away with acting like her bitchy screen character at home because her 27-year-old lover soon brings her down to earth.

Love blossomed on Valentine's Day last year at a "Lonely Hearts Club" meal for a bunch of pals, all single. The guests included Suranne, Hollyoaks star Mikyla Dodd, Chris Bisson - who plays Street taxi boss Vikram - and his best mate Jim.

Suranne recalled: "In the middle of dinner Jim produced Valentine's cards for me and Mikyla because we were the only girls there. "On the front of mine there was a pair of lips and it said 'Kiss me if you dare'. I was like a stupid little kid throughout the rest of the meal, grinning to myself because I knew he fancied me. "Afterwards we went back to Chris's flat. Jim went to the fridge to get a drink. I suddenly became very thirsty and followed him into the kitchen. "I leaned against the fridge and then said to him, 'I dare'. I was very giggly and flirty and he smiled and gave me a big snog."

But the romance seemed doomed before it started because Suranne and Jim agreed it was still too soon after a long-term relationship the actress had ended. Suranne said: "One of the reasons that had finished was that the fella was really into his work and I was busy in Coronation Street. My energy was concentrated on the show. I really liked Jim but didn't want to fall in love with anyone. That feeling only lasted two weeks and then I rang him and said, 'Do you want to come out on a date?' Luckily he said yes."

Suranne - whose recent TV scenes showed Karen trying to seduce Dev to split him from barmaid Geena - realised within four weeks that she had fallen head over heels in love. She said: "I was at a Coronation Street party waiting for Jim to arrive and was really missing him. It suddenly hit me that I loved him. "When he arrived I walked straight up and said, 'I love you', then carried on to the bar to get myself a drink. "He didn't know what to do - he wasn't sure whether I was drunk. So next morning when I was sober I told him again. "It was a couple of weeks later when he said he loved me. We were on the sofa and he suddenly came out with it. It was wonderful and because he'd waited I knew he wasn't just saying it because I had."

Suranne revealed that she first spotted Jim a year before their party snog. Jim, from Cheshire, had been asked by pal Chris to play for the Corrie soccer team at a charity match. Suranne said: "I was seeing someone at the time. But I took one look at him fastening up his boots and fancied him, I can't deny it. "I went over, lifted up my sunglasses and said, 'What's your name?' I thought he was fantastic, but, because I was seeing someone at the time, I just smiled and walked off and that was as far as it went...until Valentine's Day."

Suranne, who has taken Coronation Street by storm since joining the show 17 months ago, said meeting Jim had made her joy complete. She said: "I wasn't looking for love or a boyfriend - it was simply meant to be and I'm ecstatically happy. "We're soulmates, he is sexy and funny and we're both very passionate. "Of course we argue - to me that is the combination of two feisty Virgos - particularly when you've got one as stubborn as I am. But twenty minutes after those lovers' tiffs we'll be falling about laughing."

Suranne shared a flat in Manchester with co-star Naomi Russell - factory girl Bobbi. But four months ago she decided to live in the Cheshire countryside - and asked Jim to move with her. But Jim has made it clear he won't let her get away with "doing a Karen" by giving him a hard time at home.

She admitted: "I'm not easy to live with. I've got all the usual insecurities of an actress but Jim is very good at keeping my feet on the ground. He fancies Karen to look at but as soon as she opens her mouth it's a different story. "Unfortunately if I've spent all day bitching, fighting and crying as Karen I'll go home and still be like that. "If Jim forgets to put sugar in my coffee that can set me off and I can be very sharp with him. "Karen is a crazy loon and if I'm not careful I'll find my head is wobbling, my jaw is set with that hard-faced stare and I'm licking my lips - all her mannerisms. "Jim will say 'Go and have a bath and wash Karen off, please. Leave her in the airing cupboard and then come back down as Suranne.'"

It seems that the actress, born into a working-class family from Oldham, Lancs, was always destined to become a Coronation Street star. When she joined Oldham Theatre Workshop as a starstruck 10-year-old her grandad confidently predicted she would be in the soap one day.

After drama school, she found theatre work but the jobs dried up when she was 21. She was still living with her parents and worked in a Manchester bar to make ends meet. She said: "The Christmas before I joined Coronation Street the bar owner told us we had to wear saucy Santa outfits. As I cleaned the tables with all the fellas looking at me in my skimpy gear I was thinking, 'Is this it? Is this how my life is always going to be?'"

Suranne was offered the bar manager's job and was on the verge of ditching her acting ambitions when her agent persuaded to try one more audition - and she won the part of Karen.

The star said: "The last 18 months have been a whirlwind. "In that time I've joined Coronation Street, split up with a boyfriend, moved out of my parents' home and into a flat with Naomi, fallen in love and moved in with Jim. "I don't know what I've done to deserve this but I feel like I'm the luckiest woman on earth."

Hot mail from fans who lust after Karen
CURVY Karen has the fellas choking on their pints in the Rovers - and Suranne's stunning looks raise the temperatures of her own army of admirers. The 34E star is flooded with letters from fans - and some seem to think she really is as raunchy as temptress Karen.

She said: "I get a lot of mail inviting Steve and me to tea - and anything else we might fancy while we're there. "The letters seem really polite and normal to start with, but after a while they get to the point and it turns out they're swingers. "I received a letter the other week that seemed really nice. It was from a guy who mentioned the show and my character. "At the end he said, 'Thank you for reading my letter. I'd love an autograph and I've sent a stamped addressed envelope...and I would like to take you to bed someday.' "He said it in such a matter-of-fact way I had to read it twice to take it in."

Suranne added: "A lot of the writers are obsessed with my boobs and I get mail from students and teenage boys asking me to send them my bras. "Others send me photos of myself wearing low-cut tops and ask me to sign over my breasts and send the pictures back."

Not all the mail is from lusting fellas. Suranne said: "Soon after I joined Coronation Street I received a letter from a woman saying she thought Karen should be the first lesbian character in the show. "She said she thought I would do really well as a lesbian. "I thought it was all very strange and asked around the cast but nobody batted an eyelid. They'd obviously all had letters like that too."

Despite her stunning looks, Suranne insists she is baffled by all the attention she gets from men. She is amazed so many fancy Karen, who is as far removed from a stylish Hollywood star as it's possible to be. "Yet maybe that's part of the attraction," she said. "Karen's not a pin-up type, she is attainable and real. "She is the sort of girl that men can imagine chatting up in a pub and then taking home for the night - all for the price of a pint and a bag of chips."

Duggie on Coronation Street
17 February 2002 by Gary Bushell

THEY buried Duggie on Coronation Street. Before him, Dennis, Dean Sykes, Des, Don, Derek...watch out Dev and Deirdre! D-named characters have the Street's highest death rate. Shame Fiz wasn't christened Denise.

Corrie star's operatic singing causes embarrassment at football'
16 February 2002

Coronation Street star Suranne Jones embarrasses her boyfriend by singing like an opera star at football matches.

She has started going to see Manchester United with her partner Jim Phelan. But Suranne, who plays Karen McDonald, admits she's still a football novice. "I have been five of six times although I still don't really know what I am shouting and cheering about," she told the Daily Express Saturday magazine. "Sometimes Jim will poke me in the back because I'll sing them in a really operative voice which makes people look round."

Coronation Street bosses 'would love to sign up Beckham'
15 February 2002

Coronation Street bosses say they would love to have David Beckham in the series. A spokesman for the Manchester United star has denied reports Beckham is taking acting lessons.

But a Street spokeswoman says the show would be "willing to have him" if he was interested in a role. The spokeswoman said a part would be found for Beckham.

A spokeswoman for Beckham said recent reports that the footballer was taking acting lessons for a cameo role in the forthcoming film Bend It Like Beckham were not true. But she added: "We have not received an offer from Coronation Street, but if we did it would be passed on to the relevant people."

The Street spokeswoman said: "If he was interested in a role in the show then we are willing to have him."

Former Corrie actor joins Bad Girls for fourth series
15 February 2002
Former Coronation Street actor James Gaddas is joining the cast of ITV's Bad Girls. Gaddas played Vinnie Sorrell in the ITV soap. The fourth series of Bad Girls begins on February 28 at 9pm.

Gaddas' character Neil Grayling is the new Governor and will attempt to privatise the prison. But he says his character is not necessarily a bad guy. "Am I a baddie? Not on the surface, but I think if I had to define him as a goodie or a baddie, it would be a case of 'I couldn't possibly comment,'" he said.

He says the best thing about being in the drama is the rest of the cast. "The best thing is working with the cast and crew. Lovely people to work with on a daily basis, and working with hordes of wonderful women," said Gaddas.

Gaddas joins the drama in episode two of the new series.

Reg Holdsworth actor in Men Behaving Badly writer's new sitcom
14 February 2002

Former Coronation Street star Ken Morley is to appear in a new TV sitcom.

Hardware is written by Men Behaving Badly writer Simon Nye. A pilot episode is being recorded at Teddington Studios on March 3. The Office's Martin Freeman will play store manager Mike in the comedy, which is set in a hardware store.

Free audience tickets for the pilot show are available from Standing Room Only on 020 8870 0111

Corrie heroines tackle carjacker
13 February 2002

Coronation Street's have-a-go heroines fight off a carjacker in a dramatic new storyline. Rita Sullivan ends up staring down the barrel of a gun after picking up a man during a drive in the countryside. But she turns the tables on the carjacker with the help of her passengers Blanche Hunt, Betty Williams and Emily Bishop. The storyline will be screened in the ITV1 series later this month.

Rita's terrifying ordeal comes about after she celebrates her birthday by driving her friends beyond the borders of Weatherfield into the country. Having got lost, they pull over to read a map and are approached by a man who claims to have run out of petrol. As the stranger pleads for a lift to visit his sick mother in hospital, the Weatherfield women take pity on the man and squash up to let him into the car.

No sooner have they got going again than Rita realises the man's carrier bag - which he claimed contained flowers for his ailing mother - is in fact stashed full of cash. She challenges the man and he pulls out a gun. The stranger is soon on the receiving end of Rita's handbag. Between them, the Street veterans manage to bundle him to the floor just in time for the police, who had been chasing, to arrive and arrest him.

For Emily, the ordeal is a terrifying reminder of how her husband, Ernie, was shot dead during a robbery in 1972. But for the others, the incident turns out to have a comic twist when they then turn on Weatherfield's local reporter to make sure the press get their side of the story right.

A spokeswoman for the show said today: "It's not really a serious carjacking. Had Rita not spotted the cash, the man would have just jumped out and ran off. It is more a story of Weatherfield's have-a-go grannies than a hard-hitting dramatic storyline."

Corrie fans Hudd enough of Blanche
12 February 2002 by Simon Holden

Veteran performer Roy Hudd has been bombarded with letters making a bizarre request since news broke he is to join Corrie. Hudd, 65, makes his debut in the ITV1 soap on Sunday as undertaker Archie Shuttleworth.

Love is in the air with battle-axe Blanche (Maggie Jones). The star said: "I've had all these letters from people saying you're an undertaker - can you make Blanche your first customer? I did say to the writer, 'Why do I fancy her?'"

The part in Corrie came from out of the blue. "I've had two weird phone calls in my life," the actor told This Morning. "The first was from Dennis Potter (who cast him in TV dramas Cold Lazarus and Lipstick On Your Collar). "And the other was to offer me this part. I said 'Of course!' "I felt so nervous on my first day but the cast were really good to me."

Corrie's Blanche gets a new man
11 February 2002

Coronation Street's Blanche Hall is to be romanced by a new man in Weatherfield. She has not had a man in her life for three years.

Her meeting with funeral director Archie Shuttleworth will be the first of a string of new comedy moments in the ITV soap.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman told the Daily Express: "There'll be no end of classic comic moments as Archie woos Blanche, much to the amusement of Deirdre. "There will also be interaction with some of the older characters, Norris, Rita, Emily and Betty, which will provide more comedy scenes for viewers."

Archie, played by comedian Roy Hudd, will arrive in the street later this week.

Brian will Corrie on as evil Tricky Dicky
10 February 2002 by Clare Morrisroe

FABULOUS news, girls - Tricky Dicky will NOT be axed from Coronation Street. Some of my rivals have been banging on for weeks now that BRIAN CAPRON, who plays evil Richard Hillman, is for the chop. But I can reveal that bosses - who held a two-day crisis meeting last week to decide the soap's future - are to offer him a new contract by turning him into the most evil man in soap.

After managing to get away with robbing a dying Duggie, Gail's boyfriend gets a taste for danger. And among the victims whose lives he sets out to ruin will be Audrey.

My insider tells me: "He'll be even more evil than Alan Bradley. He will be the No 1 villain of the soap world. "Writers said there was a massive future for his character. They want him to work his way through the Street, conning and ripping off the residents who the viewers love. "He's got such a smooth manner that people will be taken in. No-one, especially anyone with money, will be safe."

Maria's no Street siren
IN a doomed and desperate bid to win back viewers, Coronation Street bosses decided to bring back Julie Goodyear. Now they are to turn Samia Ghadie - gormless scally Maria, the ex-girlfriend of dopey Tyrone - into the soap's new sex siren. Her transformation will be about as believable as Bobby Ewing coming back from the dead after being killed off in Dallas.

Corrie is one of our national treasures - what a shame it's being reduced to a national laughing stock.

Julie smokescreen
CORRIE regulars are debating how to tell JULIE GOODYEAR about the new smoking ban in the Green Room. Asked if she needed help with her habit, she once replied: "Try putting 40 B&H in my pigeon hole every morning."

With quips like that, the show will soon return to greatness.

Star fights for school
10 February 2002

CORONATION Street actress Nikki Sanderson is leading a protest to save her old school. Nikki, 18, who plays schoolgirl Candice Stowe in the soap, wants to stop Affetside Primary School in Bury, Greater Manchester, closing due to dwindling pupil numbers. Nikki, who was a pupil there in the 1990s, has started a petition for the campaign dubbed SAS - Save Affetside School.

Nikki who lives in Tottington, Bury, said: "The children have a chance of a good education due to the small classes. "If the school closes and the children are moved to a larger school, they will not receive the same time and attention that they get now."

The school is earmarked for closure in September 2003 because the falling birth rate means that demand for places at the five primary schools in the area has dropped by more than 1,000.

Deadly Corrie has Dug its own grave
10 February 2002 by Gary Bushell

DUGGIE "Crusher" Ferguson lived and died like the rugby star he was on Coronation Street. He was working on a conversion...he enjoyed an up-and-under with Sunita...and he perished with a grand slam...SPLAT!

On Monday, Dug crashed through the bannisters and plummeted to his death, breaking the few hand-turned spindles he hadn't flogged off. It's just a shame the Street's departing boss Jane Macnaught wasn't there to cushion his fall. Like some demented Bodge The Builder, Macnaught colluded with the nitwits at ITV Network Centre to rip the heart out of this once great institution. Corrie was converted into a grim, Northern version of EastEnders. There was rape, murder, hostage-taking, child-snatching, an Internet nonce, pubescent pregnancy... Characters went to hell and back so many times they started to qualify for frequent flier air miles. Humour took a backseat and ratings dropped like poor old Duggie.

Crusher was Corrie's 18th corpse in five years - that's more than double the number who died in the previous 36 years and nearly FIFTY times the national death rate. Weatherfield is now officially a more dangerous place to live than Beirut or even Walford. F1 racing drivers, steeple-jacks, bomb disposal experts - they all have a better chance of surviving to old age than David Platt. Corrie has had two deaths already this year and EastEnders is rushing to keep pace. Fat Harry died on Monday, possibly of cirrhosis of the shirt. Steve Owen perishes on March 1. And there will be more claret on the cobbles before the Street's new boss is done.

But can Carolyn Reynolds stop the rot? There are good signs - she's promised to rebuild Weatherfield's funny bone and signed up the great Roy Hudd as funeral director Archie Shuttleworth. And bad signs - she's also re-hired clapped-out Julie Goodyear cos someone at Not-Work Centre is hooked on OTT drag queen camp.

But the quickest way to improve any top soap is simple - reduce the number of episodes.

ITV giants offload Ask Jeeves stake
8 February 2002 by Owen Gibson

Granada and Carlton have disposed of one of the last remnants of their ill-fated foray into the world of dot.coms, selling their joint stake in search engine Ask Jeeves to its American parent company for just £1.8m. The deal was struck just two years after the ITV giants promised £20m each for a 50% stake in the UK website. However, Granada and Carlton claim to have spent less than half that amount on the site.

A Granada spokeswoman said the sale was prompted by the fact that Ask Jeeves wanted full control of the business. "We've now got a stake in the parent company and will be able to share in its future success without making further investment," she added. "With this agreement we will gain complete ownership of a good business that we expect to contribute to our long term growth," said Skip Battle, the chief executive of Ask Jeeves. The UK site will now be brought back under the wing of its US parents, with the £1.8m deal made up of cash and stock plus advertising credit on ITV.

Ask Jeeves was seen as one of the biggest internet success stories - at the time of Carlton and Granada's investment it was valued at a collosal £2.25bn. Its big selling point was its ability to allow users to pose plain questions such as "Where can I buy a car?" to a virtual version of the popular PG Wodehouse butler. The simplicity of the approach proved a lure for many frustrated by other more complicated online search engines. According to online measurement specialist Hitwise, Ask Jeeves is the ninth most popular search engine among UK surfers, with around 4.7m unique users.

Since last year Carlton has closed or sold all of its external websites, including games site Jamba and film site Popcorn. Likewise, Granada shut down its ill fated G-Wizz portal and sold children's site Swapitshop but retains stake in joint venture sites with Liverpool and Arsenal football clubs.

Ask Jeeves has promised to continue to invest in the site and, with around £54m in the bank, believes it has enough money to fund the business through to profitability. It hopes to break even by the end of this year. A spokesman for Ask Jeeves UK said the business had doubled its revenues in the last year and that the online advertising market was picking up. "It's great news for us. We're confident they are fully committed to the business and we look forward to sharing ideas with them." In its end of year results Ask Jeeves reduced its net losses to £24.6m, but overall losses reached a staggering £301.3m, including £251.7m in written off investments in failed acquisitions.

Stan by your man
8 February 2002

THEY fought like cat and dog at times, but Stan and Hilda Ogden have now been named the most romantic TV couple ever. In a poll released yesterday, a remarkable one in three people chose the Ogdens - played by the late Bernard Youens and Jean Alexander - as their ideal telly couple.

Coronation Street's classic double act, who last appeared together in 1984, managed to beat off opposition from some younger - and much more glamorous - couples. The slobby binman and the Rovers Return cleaner put Friends characters Monica and Chandler and Rachel and Ross in their place.

The poll, conducted by cable TV company NTL Home, asked more than 5000 people to nominate their most romantic TV couple. The firm claimed it was the largest poll of its type in the UK.

Even though they were recently married, Friends' Monica and Chandler only managed second place with 22 per cent of votes. Meanwhile, the suave and sophisticated crime-solving duo from the 70s, Jonathan & Jennifer Hart - played by Robert Wagner and Stefanie Powers - ranked seventh in the poll with four per cent of votes.

Other favourite couples included Del Boy and Raquel from Only Fools and Horses and Scott and Charlene from Neighbours. Niles and Daphne from the hit US comedy Frasier were picked by six per cent of voters. Three couples from EastEnders made the top 10 - Dot and Jim, who are due to wed next week, Sonya and Jamie and Barry and Natalie.

Rod Henwood, director of TV at NTL Home said last night: "The nation is still in love with the famous Hilda and Stan Ogden. "It seems that their unaffected love and the daily ups and downs of Weatherfield, have left a far stronger impression on the great British public than the gloss of Friends or Frasier.

THE TOP TEN

1. Hilda & Stan Ogden- Coronation St
2. Monica and Chandler- Friends
3. Rachel and Ross- Friends
4. Dot and Jim- Eastenders
5. Niles and Daphne- Frasier
6. Scott and Charlene- Neighbours
7. Jonathan & Jennifer- Hart to Hart
8. Sonya and Jamie- Eastenders
9. Del and Raquel- Only Fools & Horses
10. Barry and Nathalie- Eastenders

Former Coronation Street actress wanted for thriller
7 February 2002

Sarah Lancashire and Rufus Sewell are believed to be wanted to play lovers in a new thriller. Skin And Bone is set against the backdrop of the mysterious, sinister northern town of Slipp.

The lives of the reclusive residents are changed by the arrival of strangers trying to find a missing friend. The film is based on Gareth Creer's bestselling novel and will be made later this year.

Coronation Street makes way for Champions League football
6 February 2002

Coronation Street is being ousted from its regular Wednesday night slot to make way for Champions League football.The soap will temporarily move to 8pm on Tuesdays from February 19. ITV1 will instead be showing action from Europe's top club competition on Wednesday nights. Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool all qualified for the second group phase of the tournament.

Last year, when ITV1 decided to screen the soap after European games at 9.45pm, ratings suffered badly, a Coronation Street spokeswoman said. David Liddiment, ITV1's director of channels, said: "This temporary move enables Coronation Street fans to watch their favourite programme at a familiar time. "There are some gripping storylines coming up in the next few months and the climax to the Champions League will be just as exciting."

The 8pm Tuesday screenings will take place on February 19, February 26, March 12, March 19, April 3, April 9, April 23 and May 14.

Jenny James, 23, who plays Geena Gregory, Suranne Jones, 23, who plays Karen McDonald and Samia Ghadie, 19, who plays Maria Sutherland, donned the clubs' football shirts and posed in the Street to publicise the news.

We'll make The Street funny again
4 February 2002

CORONATION Street bosses have vowed to bring back the laughs to help the show beat EastEnders in the TV ratings war. Executives at Britain's longest-running soap have decided to ditch sensational storylines. They are pinning their hopes on a series of "warm and humourous" plots to reclaim the top spot from their gritty BBC rival. Instead of murders and rapes, the ITV1 programme will concentrate on more gentle issues.

The news comes just days after it was confirmed that former Street favourite Julie Goodyear would be returning as busty Bet Gilroy later this year. She quit the soap seven years ago, but producers believe her reappearance will bring viewers flooding back to the ailing soap. Yesterday, it emerged that this was just one of a raft of changes on the Street, which airs four times a week.

Chiefs are to introduce a brand new family to Weatherfield to rival Albert Square's hugely popular Slaters. And the ladies of Coronation Street will be delighted to learn that a young, handsome newcomer is about set pulses racing.

An insider said: "We're not going to fight fire with fire any more. "Our viewers aren't particularly keen on the big overblown plotlines - so we've decided to tone it down and concentrate on what we do best, warmth and humour. "The new family will be a bit like the Battersbys - lively and full of upsets but with plenty of funny moments. "They'll go straight in at the heart of the action. "The new heart-throb is to join as Mike Baldwin's business partner. He'll be young, sharp and good- looking with a real eye for the ladies. "Julie Goodyear's return is just one small part of the big things that have been lined up over the next year."

The changes, decided at a meeting of the soap's top executives last week, are designed to give Corrie a much-needed boost in the ratings. The show, which celebrated its 40th anniversary last year, has fallen behind EastEnders in the hotly-fought battle for viewers. The new moves are designed to please many of the Street's loyal fans - and they will also impress some of the former cast.

Sarah Lancashire, who played dizzy Rovers barmaid Raquel, has blasted soap bosses for using sex and violence in a bid to draw in a bigger audience.

BARB hits back at Carat research
4 February 2002 by Jon Rogers

The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (Barb) has hit back at controversial research carried out by media buying agency Carat which claimed its new measuring system was losing millions of viewers from Coronation Street. Barb chief executive Caroline McDevitt slammed the research, which revealed that ratings for the ITV 1 soap on Friday 25 January were out by possibly 3.3 million, claiming it nothing more than an inaccurate 'straw-poll piece of research'.

In an offical statement this morning, Barb said the Carat figures 'at best' measured reach - the number of people that have seen any part of the programme - and the figures could have included some people that saw the repeat on ITV 2 at 22.00. Barb also pointed out that Carat's figures, compiled after phone calls to 1,400 viewers, could have also included people that may have recorded the show while the data released by Barb was only unofficial overnight figures that do not include video playback viewers.

Barb research director Tony Wearn said: 'The accuracy delivered by a bespoke audience measurement service that measures viewing as it occurs via an electronic meter is inherently a more robust measurement than a one-off question asked by telephone. Barb's new system for measuring audience figures has suffered from several problems since it was brought in at the start of the year, provoking widespread criticism. However, according to McDevitt the system is now expected to be fully operational at some point in the second quarter of this year. Carat said it will perform their own research again in March.

Street to welcome six new characters
4 February 2002

Coronation Street programme chiefs are to introduce up to six new characters in their drive to put the soap back at the top of the ratings. A new family is to move in to the Street, while Mike Baldwin is to get a lady-killing right-hand man every bit as ruthless as himself - but younger.

Plans for the new arrivals were hammered out at the two-day secret meeting last week. It was decided at the meeting to bring back Julie Goodyear as part of the bid to halt the ratings slide against BBC rival EastEnders. The moves are part of the scheme to take the soap back to its traditional character-led storylines and away from sensational plots.

A programme insider said: "We are not competing and trying to emulate EastEnders. They are very different shows. "Coronation Street's strength has always been its humour and warmth and that is what we will be concentrating on in the future."

Former executive producer Carolyn Reynolds is back in her old job and has brought in former top scriptwriters including John Stephenson and Ken Blakeson, who wrote the successful September Song for Russ Abbott. Programme sources said they wanted to stress that Goodyear's return after a seven-year absence was not the only strategy decided at the meeting.

The new roles have yet to be cast, but a Granada TV spokeswoman said: "There will be a new family later in the year who will send shock waves through the Street. "They will be in the tradition of the MacDonalds and the Battersbys although they will not be a family from hell."

Don't let Bet back !
3 February 2002

CORRIE stunner Tracy Shaw is furious that Julie Goodyear is returning to the Street. Tracy, 28, has spelled out to bosses that she and other younger cast members do NOT want blonde Julie's legendary character Bet Lynch back. They have all heard horror stories about the 59-year-old's outrageous demands and fear she is trouble. A show insider said: "Tracy made it plain they won't welcome Julie. "She is absolutely spitting feathers and has made protests to the producers."

Naomi Russell, 24, who plays Bobbi, is said to be among other young Street stars opposed to the move. Tracy has worked with Julie before - and knows exactly what to expect from the prickly actress. She joined the soap as hairdresser Maxine in April 1995 and Julie made her last appearance that October.

The insider added: "Tracy knows what Julie's like. She's told the newcomers about her diva-like behaviour and they don't like the sound of it. Some of the old guard have warned them what she's like as well. "The new generation of Corrie stars wanted to try to stop the move." Cautious bosses have only given Julie a probationary three-month contract. And she has been warned that if there is any bad behaviour it will not be renewed.

Julie, who played brassy Bet of the Rovers Return for 25 years, confirmed her Street comeback this week. The star, famed for her fur coats, big earrings and plunging leopardskin outfits, said: "I'm delighted and tremendously honoured to be invited back." Asked about her reported £170,000 pay deal, Julie said: "There are two things you never ask a lady - her age and her salary. To me it's just like coming home. It's No1 and always has been."

Julie, dressed in a smart pinstripe suit and sequinned waistcoat, added: "I can't wait to catch up on all the gossip with my mates. I'm looking forward to working with them again and meeting all the new people on the show." "I have no idea what Bet's re-entrance will be like. But let's just say, leopards never really change their spots." Which is exactly what the young stars of Corrie are worried about.

Marriage-split Tina's in love with Sam's ex
3 February 2002

HOLBY City star Tina Hobley who announced on Friday that she was splitting with her husband Steve Wallington has been cheating on him. The actress, who plays nurse Sister Chrissie Williams in the BBC medical drama, has been swept off her feet by charming businessman Rob Gros, ex-love of Bill star Samantha Robson.

Friends say graphic designer Steve, 35, was devastated when he discovered his wife of three year's affair. Steve and Tina, 30, had been seeking marriage counselling in an attempt to sort out their problems. But in a statement two days ago Tina admitted they had separated saying "we are spending time apart to resolve some difficulties". The affair means the couple, who have a two-year-old daughter Isabella, are unlikely to patch things up.

A friend said: "Steve is spitting blood about Tina's affair. He and Tina were having marital problems, but he was prepared to spend time working on them. "He can't believe that Tina has found a new man and virtually given up on their relationship. "They'd even been going to counselling sessions together to try and sort their problems out. He just can't believe what's happened."

The former Coronation Street star has been romanced by 34-year-old Rob for several weeks. They were introduced by mutual friends during a night out. "She's totally smitten with him," a friend said. "He's whisked her off her feet and she's really enjoyed the attention. Rob is a really charming guy who says all the right things and presses all the right buttons. "She's tried to keep the relationship secret for the sake of her daughter and Steve but sadly it has come to light. Steve is finding it hard to talk to Tina at the moment about it because he is so shocked."

Last night Tina and Rob were in hiding but Rob's mother, Pauline, told the Sunday Mirror: "It was supposed to be a secret." Meanwhile Steve looked tired and unshaven as he left the couple's North London home with Isabella.

Rob, who shares a house with former Brother Beyond star Nathan Moore in Wimbledon, is used to romancing TV celebrities and has a growing reputation as a ladies man. He enjoyed a relationship with former EastEnders star Michelle Collins in 1994 and before that briefly dated Sarah Dallin from 80s girl band Bananarama. He left Samantha Robson, 32, best known as The Bill's WPC Vicky Hagen, broken-hearted when he dumped her in November after a five-month fling.

And last night Samantha told a friend: "I don't give a monkey's about him but Tina better watch out." The friend added: "He's a bit of a playboy and flashes his cash. He likes to mix with celebrities and look rich, but he's not. "He was after Denise Van Outen but she just wasn't interested. Samantha was so nice to him, always buying him presents, but he treated her badly. "He didn't have the decency to tell her he wanted to split with her - he just didn't return her calls. "Rob seemed more interested in what he could get out of his relationship with Samantha, trying to befriend her celebrity friends and arrange fishing trips with them."

Rob founded London City Press Holdings, which publishes glossy magazines. Steve and Tina met in 1995 at a Christmas party and were married three years later in Ennis Cathedral, County Clare in Ireland.

Tina first found fame when she joined Coronation Street as barmaid Samantha Failsworth. She left in 1998 and co-starred with Nick Berry in coastguard drama Harbour Lights. She recently joined Holby City.

Julie has no Street cred
3 February 2002 by Clare Morrisroe

DO Coronation Street bosses really believe that bringing back raddled pantomime dame Julie Goodyear will boost the show's ratings?

Sporting a new wig, her trademark long black cigarette holder and sipping champagne, Julie clearly sees herself as the flagging soap's saviour, saying: "I'm coming home." Let's face it at 59 (and I'd like to see the birth certificate) her low-cut tops won't pull in the viewers.

Drag queen Danny La Rue has more sex appeal.

Julie was renowned for acting like a spoiled Hollywood luvvie during her 25 years on the show. Many of her former co-stars neither liked her, nor dared to upset her.

She proclaimed herself the Queen of the soap and quit six years ago because she thought she was too big a star who could do bigger and better things. She was wrong.

This time she's been warned her tantrums and demands will not be tolerated.

I suspect Ms Goodyear has other ideas after purring mischievously: "A leopard never changes its spots."

Imagine the cat fight when she tries that line on battleaxe Janice Battersby.

Denise tunes up for a stint on Pop Idol
GOOD luck to ex-Corrie star DENISE WELCH, who's bravely signed up for a celebrity edition of Pop Idol. My Soap Fever pal will appear alongside stars like PAUL O'GRADY (Lily Savage). All will perform a song by their own pop idol and will face the show's judging panel.

"I keep going over what SIMON COWELL'S going to say to me," groans Denise. "He's hardly likely to go, 'Oh wow Denise, that was fab', is he?" At least Denise has guts. RICHARD MADELEY turned the idea down.

Don't axe Emily
IT seems everyone has an opinion on the future of Coronation Street. The other morning a postman knocked on new boss Carolyn Reynolds' door and begged her not to axe Emily Bishop (EILEEN DERBYSHIRE).

Oh Curly.. don't give it a whirly
3 February 2002 by Ian Hyland

PRIME example of the "it" in It Shouldn't Happen To A Soapstar (ITV1, last night) came with these words: "Kevin Kennedy's first priority is playing everyone his new album." Kevin, aka Curly Watts, put the offending item on the stereo as soon as he arrived for a photoshoot. Still, there were about 12 people in the studio, so at least he instantly doubled the number of people who have actually heard the album since its release.

This was an entertaining, if light, trip through the pitfalls of soap. But my vote will always go to a show which opened with a clip of someone saying "you bastard", before Rory McGrath even opened his mouth. Choicest quotes included Crossroader Tony Adams admitting, "You don't have to be a good actor", followed by Frazer Hines's more honest assessment, "There is no acting required".

Sadly, while we were endlessly told how important it is to "learn your lines" Danniella Westbrook wasn't on hand to warn about the dangers of snorting them instead. Likewise when Tony Adams marvelled at how all the equipment in the hotel worked, no one was on hand to point out that pretty soon it will be the only thing working.

Speaking of which, many thanks to Corrie's Scott Wright, who explained that forgetting your lines is known as "drying up". Which is what he will see happening to his work if the new Corrie producer does give him the boot.

But my heart went out to Family Affairs's David Easter who struggled with the word "manipulative". This reminded me of one old soap star who had real difficulty pronouncing "f" and "th". But he kept his job so you can't say fairer than that. Neither could he.

My Corrie star hubby lost the plot
2 February 2002

THE jilted wife of former Coronation Street star Charlie Lawson has told how his obsession with his boozy character Jim McDonald wrecked their marriage. Sue Lawson, 45, says that shortly after his transition from builder to £70,000-a-year star, it became hard to tell the difference between fact and fiction.

Charlie left her in 1994 after nine years of marriage and five years after joining Corrie. He had been having an affair with make-up artist Ellie Bond, who he married in 1998. Since then, he has been written out of the Street and declared himself bankrupt after years of booze and drugs binges. He could no longer afford to pay maintenance for 14-year-old daughter Laura, so Sue was forced to work in a coffee shop to support them.

Irishman Charlie was working on a construction site when he was hired as wife-beating alcoholic Jim McDonald. But while he revelled in his glamorous new showbiz life, his wife felt awkward at celebrity gatherings and things started to change. Talking to That's Life magazine, she said: "I wanted him to give it all up. "I wanted poor charming Charlie again. The one who liked a tipple but knew when to stop, who cared about me and Laura, no-one else. "But Jim McDonald was a household name. Charlie wouldn't give him up."

The couple divorced and he agreed to pay £358-a-week for Laura. But the cash dried up as his problems worsened. Sue said: "I was forced to get a job in a coffee shop and scraped by. I read how he'd spent thousands on booze, gambling, holidays. He owed £200,000. "Five months on I'm still at the coffee shop. There's no designer clothes or foreign holidays for Laura but, strangely, I feel stronger than I ever did."

This old Dinosaur won't save Corrie
1 February 2002 by Brian Reade

IMAGINE if England's footballers perform disastrously in the World Cup and choose to restore the glory days by sending for Graham Taylor. Or a faltering Westlife sign up Gary Barlow, Hear'Say replace Kym Marsh with Lulu and the Tories decide the solution to having less appeal than a Taliban tribute band in New York is to put Maggie Thatcher back on her throne. Sounds unthinkable? Well Coronation Street's exhumation of Bet Gilroy's gaudy corpse in an attempt to halt its sliding ratings, falls into that desperate category.

We knew the writing was on the wall for this once world-class drama when worried bosses talked about moving its slot back an hour to catch the EastEnders audience. But now that they've decided to move it back a couple of millennia by bringing back this dinosaur, the obituary writers must be rubbing their hands.

Both Julie Goodyear the actress, and Gilroy the character, belong nowhere near Weatherfield in 2002. As somebody close to Coronation Street told me: "She is loathed by a huge number of people at Granada. The decision to bring her back has split the show 50/50. She says she can't wait to catch up with all her mates on The Street. The truth is, she hasn't got any." But more later on why Goodyear is loved less by the regulars of the Rovers Return than Gary Glitter is by the regulars of Mothercare.

First, Bet Gilroy. There is no disguising Corrie's problems. Too many people do what we do in our house at 7.30 on a Friday night. That is, watch the show's opening credits to see what the little chocolate figures are up to, then switch over to The Simpsons to see characters with real humour, then switch over to EastEnders to watch a modern soap with edge. How would Bet change all that? Think of her lording it with that ridiculous, bleached bouffant, huge earrings, leopard-skin body-stocking and a cigarette holder last seen in public dangling from Princess Margaret's gob in Mustique.

The young actors in today's Rovers wear gear from Manchester's designer shops. Bet would look like she had just walked out of a joke shop en route to a 70s theme party. After a few episodes, she'd resemble a living prop. After a few months, she'd look like one of the stuffed animals in Steptoe's back parlour. Surely she hasn't been brought back as a sex symbol at 59? Tell me she won't be asking the young hunks in her best Mae West drawl: "Is that a pistol in your pocket or are you just pleased to see me?" (To which the only sane reply would be: "Yeah. And I've brought it to shoot myself in case the scriptwriters make me neck you.") Or is it to add humour through her dead-pan banter? But with whom? All her side-kicks have either left or been written into rocking chairs.

No longer can she turn round to Alec Gilroy and say: "By 'eck, chuck, your glasses are so filthy you could grow a bag o' spuds on 'em." Today her quips would be more bed-pan banter. So it must be the tart-with-the-heart scenario, then. Which means she'll end up giving a sympathy screw to Les Batttersby, a sight so gruesome it would end up on the cutting-room floor of an Attenborough wildlife film. Bringing back Bet plays into the hands of every critic who says the show is living in a cobble-stoned time warp. What next? Ena Sharples' hairnet? Hilda Ogden's murial?

But it is not just an admission of failure, a hoisting of the white flag to Walford and a declaration that there are no new ideas left in the barrel, it is a betrayal of all things this once proud soap stood for. When Goodyear flounced out six years ago as the self-confessed Queen of The Street, promising she would move into bigger and better things, she insulted every loyal viewer and worker. Fortunately, the only bigger things she moved into were pantomime suits. Unless you count her failed attempt to become the new Oprah. And she failed to be a chat-show queen because she lacks class and humanity. She is the biggest egomaniac with the least reason to be so, that I and many others have met.

Her behind-the-scenes tantrums at Corrie are legendary. Lynn Perrie (Ivy Tyldesley) once regaled me with tales of loathing towards her dating back to the days of Pat Phoenix. She was blamed for at least two of its stars - Roy Barraclough (Alec Gilroy) and Ken Morley (Reg Holdsworth) - quitting. Every journalist has a favourite story about her. Mine concerns the time I had to interview her after The Mirror had given her a fortune to put her name to a bingo promotion. She wouldn't lower herself to meet me (even though she'd didn't know me) so the interview had to be in the form of banal, written questions. None was about her private life or The Street and all were faxed to her with every word I wrote, approved. The deputy editor ordered me to include some harmless details she'd passed on to our fashion department at a make-over. The ensuing battle raged for hours despite our efforts to get a newspaper out on the day of the Dunblane shootings.

But one story sums up why so many at Granada dread her return. She promised her first interview after quitting Corrie to GMTV, and went berserk when there was no pink champagne in her hotel room. She also demanded they change the colour of the sofa to match her outfit, and she insisted the younger, more attractive Anthea Turner would not do the interview. GMTV tried to compromise by saying Eamonn Holmes would ask the bulk of the questions if Anthea could ask a few. But she threw a paddy and only Holmes asked the questions.

When it became clear that "glittering" was not the word we could apply to Goodyear's solo career, she dropped hints she might lower herself to become The Queen of The Street again. At the time, a senior executive said: "She'll be back over my dead body." Well, the bitch is back and if Coronation Street isn't careful, it will be over its dead body.

TV star is love Casualty
1 February 2002 by James Scott

HOLBY City star Tina Hobley and her husband are having counselling to save their marriage. The 30-year-old actress and graphic designer Steve Wallington sought help after her hectic work schedule drove them apart. The couple are refusing to give up on their union for the sake of their two-year-old daughter Isabella.

Tina - who plays Sister Chrissie Williams in the BBC hospital drama - and Steve, 35, have had several sessions with Charles Flower at his clinic in Paddington, West London. A source close to Tina said: "Sadly, she and Steve have grown apart. "She works long, irregular hours and is rarely home when he is. "They recognised the problem and are trying to do something about it. "They both love Isabella with all their hearts."

The couple met at a party in 1995. and married three years later. Tina first found fame as Coronation Street barmaid Samantha Failsworth.

Soap stars take on Kilimanjaro
1 February 2002

A group of soap stars are leaving the glamour of showbusiness behind them to climb Africa's highest peak. Familiar faces from Coronation Street and The Bill are flying from Heathrow Airport to the base of Mount Kilimanjaro.

The five-day hike, for cancer research, begins on Sunday. The actors will experience freezing conditions, possible altitude sickness. Included in the group are Coronation Street actors Stephen Beckett, otherwise known as Matt Ramsden, his on-screen wife Clare McGlinn and Naomi Russell, who plays lingerie factory worker Bobbi Lewis.

Stars from The Bill include Simon Rouse, who plays DCI Jack Meadows, Natalie Roles, known as DS Debbie McAlister, Matthew Crompton, who plays PC Sam Harker, and Suzanne Maddock, aka PC Cass Rickman. They will be led by Home And Away star Kylie Watson as they take one of the most challenging routes up the mountain, which is nearly five times higher than Ben Nevis.

A documentary commissioned by Channel 5 will film their progress as they camp out for six nights in sub-zero temperatures. When the group reaches the 5,895m peak, they will be forced to breathe air with only half the normal amount of oxygen.

The climbers are set to raise more than £20,000 for the Bobby Moore Fund, which was set up by Stephanie Moore MBE after Bobby's death from bowel cancer in 1993.

Ant and Dec criticised for 'shooting' Corrie star
31 January 2002

Ant and Dec have been criticised after pretending to shoot Coronation Street actor Bill Roache during one of their shows. The incident occurred when Roache, who plays The Street's Ken Barlow, was being interviewed on Slap Bang with Ant and Dec. A viewer complained saying it was unsuitable to show the use of a firearm at a time when a lot of children would have been watching.

In the episode, broadcast last June, Dec Donnelly was conducting a light hearted interview with Roache, but kept being interrupted by his co-host Ant McPartlin. After repeatedly annoying his guest by referring to him by his soap name, Roache stormed off with Ant, at which point Dec drew a plastic gun and shot him.

A spokesman for ITV1, said: "The whole sketch was a broad farce, with over-the-top gusto in the best tradition of knockabout comedy." He added: "The gun in the scene was a plastic toy pistol and clearly not real. "While we respect the viewers' concerns on gun crime, we did not believe the sketch represented a real life situation and this would have been recognised by the majority of viewers."

Upholding the complaint, the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC) said they believed the depiction of the firearm had been realistic and was unsuitable for an audience which would have been mainly children and teenagers. In their ruling the BSC said: "The panel considered the depiction of the firearm had been realistic and demonstrated how effective use of a gun could be in controlling situations."

TV ratings under fire after Corrie 'loses' 3m viewers
30 January 2002 by Claire Cozens

The new TV ratings system has come under fire again today after rival research showed that as many as 3m viewers may have been "lost" from Coronation Street. It means ITV could be missing out on £40m a year from the centre-break in the network's most lucrative programme. And if the discrepancy is reflected in other key break such as News at Ten, Peak Practice and Heartbeat it could cost the network hundreds of millions of pounds in lost advertising revenue.

Research commissioned by the media agency Carat, one of the top five advertising buyers in the country, showed that 14.5m viewers watched an episode of Coronation Street last Friday - 3.3m more than the 11.2m figure estimated by Barb, the official ratings researchers. Carat, which counts Coronation Street sponsor Cadbury among its clients, commissioned the independent research company BMRB to carry out a telephone poll last weekend to establish how many people had watched the episode. "We had our suspicions the Barb figures might be wrong so we commissioned an omnibus survey and found some very big differences," said David Peters, the broadcast director at Carat. "We have to use Barb data as the currency for our business so we need it to be a fair and accurate reflection of viewing. "Our concern is that if Barb is underrating TV viewing levels that will lead to artificial pricing levels. The last thing we need at the moment is for clients to think there's no point in spending on TV because no one's watching," he added. Carat claims the discrepancy could be costing ITV as much as £150,000 in advertising revenue for the four-minute break in each episode.

Concerns have been raised about the new Barb system ever since it was introduced at the beginning of January. Initially ratings were considered so unreliable a two-week ratings blackout was imposed. ITV and the BBC appear to have suffered particularly badly as a result of the shake-up, which involved changing the entire 5,000-strong panel of viewers used to judge what the nation is watching on a daily basis.

When the new figures were first released, it appeared that commercial channels had suddenly "lost" up to 25% of their viewers, with ITV suffering the worst falls. Shows such as ITV's Footballers' Wives - expected to get around 7m viewers - are hovering around the 5m mark while on the BBC primetime programmes such as Nick Berry's In Deep have been limping along with 4.6m viewers.

Carat is planning a second Coronation Street survey once the Barb panel is up to full strength. The panel is expected to be completed in March, but Mr Peters fears there could be more delays. "Barb is saying March, but we think the panel might not be up to full strength until May," he said. "We're not really sure because they aren't being very cooperative at the moment, which is why we've started doing our own thing."

Media agencies and broadcasters are concerned about the big differences in viewing figures since the system was put in place at the beginning of this year.

Goodyear agrees to Street return
30 January 2002

Former Coronation Street actress Julie Goodyear has agreed to return to the soap as brassy barmaid Bet Lynch. Goodyear, 59, left the soap seven years ago after starring in more than 2,000 episodes of the soap over 25 years.

She told a press conference on Wednesday she would be back for at least a year. "I am delighted and honoured to be invited back to Coronation Street - for me it's like coming home," she said. "It is a tremendous honour to be involved again in Coronation Street because it is part of history. It is number one. It has always been number one to me."

A spokeswoman for the ITV1 soap said: "Bet is hugely popular with the fans and we are delighted that Julie has agreed to return to the show."

Coronation Street is undergoing an overhaul under the guidance of new producers as it battles to regain ground lost to rival BBC One soap EastEnders. Three actors have already been told their characters will be axed with reports of more familiar faces to leave and a return to simpler storylines. Bosses have already signed up veteran comedian Roy Hudd to add more humour to the show.

Goodyear will arrive back in Weatherfield in the early summer, but exactly how she comes back is being kept a secret. There are no plans to put her back behind the bar of the Rovers, but the spokeswoman for the show promised her return would be "dramatic". "We are currently working on some fantastic storylines to write Bet back into the series and I am sure viewers will be excited to find out what has happened to her since we last saw her," she added.

Goodyear left the show in 1995 for a life in the sun in Tenerife, but returned for a series of late night episodes set in Brighton in 1999.

Goodyear's time at the bar

Bet Lynch is one of UK television's most enduring characters - and she made actress Julie Goodyear into one of its biggest stars. Glamorous, but tough, Bet spent 25 years on Coronation Street, most of those behind the bar at the Rovers Return.

Aptly, Goodyear, 59, herself was brought up in a pub in Lancashire. She had wanted to be a singer, but found acting work after becoming a model.

Bit parts on television followed, including a six-week stint on Coronation Street in 1966 as Bet Lynch, a raincoat factory worker who was having an affair with her boss. A spell at Oldham Rep followed - reputedly after Pat Phoenix advised her to get some formal training - and Goodyear returned to the Street in 1970.

Now working behind the bar at the Rovers, Bet Lynch's character was built up with a series of hard-hitting storylines - featuring a string of failed love affairs with, among others, Len Fairclough and Mike Baldwin. She was also revealed to have a son, Martin, who was killed in a car crash while serving as a soldier in Northern Ireland. Bet had never had the chance to meet him.

Goodyear's own private life was eventful too - the ups and downs of her love life were keenly followed by the press. In 1979 she discovered she had cervical cancer, but she overcame the disease and set up a trust fund to help other sufferers. Bet became landlady of the Rovers in 1985, and storylines saw her marry theatre agent Alec Gilroy, and nearly die in a fire at the pub.

Goodyear quit the show in 1995 - Bet was unable to raise the £67,000 needed for a new tenancy at the Rovers. Coronation Street's producers said she was welcome to return to the show, and she took part in a 1999 spin-off, After Hours, which saw her run a bar in Brighton.

Stage appearances and a satellite TV chat show followed, but Goodyear has spent most of her time living quietly on her farm in Heywood, Lancashire - where she is a member of the National Farmers Union. Before she returns to the Street, she is appearing in camp musical La Cage Aux Folles at the New Theatre in Cardiff.

Bet to make summer comeback in Corrie
30 January 2002 by Jonathan Donald

Actress Julie Goodyear is returning to Coronation Street as Bet Gilroy, bosses of the ITV1 soap have confirmed. Goodyear, 59, has signed to reprise her brassy blonde role after a six-year absence, and is expected back in Weatherfield by early summer.

A Street spokeswoman said: "Bet is hugely popular with the fans and we are delighted she's agreed to return. "We're working on fantastic storylines and viewers will be excited to see what happened to her since leaving."

Julie is over the moon to be returning to the soap. Smoking her trademark cigarette and sipping champagne at a press conference in Cardiff, she said: "I am absolutely delighted to be going back. It is like going home. "It is a tremendous honour to be involved again because it is part of history. It has always been number one to me." She expects to stay in the soap for at least a year. "I can't wait to catch up with all the gossip with my mates. I'm looking forward to working with them again, and meeting all the new people in the show."

The flamboyant former Rovers Return landlady left after 25 years in October 1995 to start a new life in Tenerife. Viewers caught up with her in 1999 during late-night episodes. She was in Brighton, having left Tenerife and divorced husband Alec Gilroy. Corrie bosses are keeping how she will return under wraps.

The actress's return comes after protracted negotiations. She is reported to have been unhappy with the original pay deal - which was £50,000 less than when she left the ITV1 soap. An acceptable contract of £170,000 a year was finally offered, according to The Sun newspaper. The actress left in 1995 to renovate a farmhouse in Heywood, Lancs, and focus on other TV and theatre work.

Doctors threaten to kill off Crossroads
29 January 2002 by Maggie Brown

The pressure on ITV to ditch Crossroads is mounting after it emerged that the BBC has decided to make Doctors a permanent fixture of the schedules. The daytime soap, starring Christopher Timothy and Corinne Wicks, is one of the most successful new drama launches since Holby City was spun off from Casualty.

With a regular audience of 2.5m viewers, it has double the ratings of Crossroads and BBC bosses have decided to make it a regular weekday feature. It is due to return to the screens for its regular run in March but BBC Birmingham has been told it will run all year round without a break.

The go-ahead to production means that Birmingham, once a centre of excellence and synonymous with daytime flagship series Pebble Mill, will have its own "mini soap factory" for the first time. The two-year-old quasi-soap, produced by Carson Black, is regularly screened head to head against Crossroads at 2.20pm.

ITV's head of drama, Nick Elliott, admitted last week if the ratings for Crossroads didn't improve the soap would be axed for a second time.

MPs want to monitor TV soap
29 January 2002

TV soap Coronation Street could soon be watched more closely than ever - by politicians who say the show has so much influence that they should keep an eye on it. Labour MP Brian Donohoe is trying to win support among his fellow backbenchers for an all-party MPs' group dedicated to the show. The group could put pressure on its makers Granada if there were issues viewers were not happy with - such as the sacking of cast members.

Three cast members have recently been told they will no longer be needed - but some newspapers say that number could rise to 11. "When you consider there's something like seven million people devoted to the programme - probably including the majority of my constituents - I don't think a politician would be sensible to ignore that type of following," Mr Donohoe said. "There are a number of things that have gone wrong with the programme over the last few months, like the way the editor has sacked half the cast and the whole question of its direction."

An all-party group could approach Granada when concerns were raised, said the MP for Cunninghame South. "People may not see it as important, but it is extremely important to an awful lot of people."

But Granada has said the MPs would have no more influence over the show than any normal fan. "The future of the programme and the characters is decided by the production team and the writers," a spokeswoman told BBC News Online. "Every sort of fan's opinion is valid. If we share those opinions, then the chances are we're already doing something about it." "If they [the MPs] said something that we disagreed with, we wouldn't necessarily go with it."

The plan has also come in for criticism from other MPs, who have said it is frivolous and a waste of parliamentary time and facilities. Conservative MP Roger Gale said that although many see the House of Commons as a soap opera, the system of all-party groups should be overhauled. "There are, as we all know, highly motivated and reputable groups promoting worthwhile causes and doing good work. "During the last Parliament and this one, however, we seem to have progressed to the point where everyone must be an officer of something. "I cannot believe that this is either healthy or a good use of the still limited facilities of the House."

Dozens of all-party groups at Westminster currently discuss everything from war crimes to cricket. But Mr Donohoe has rejected claims that the group would just be a chance for MPs to gossip about the soap - and has written to MPs telling them that they should understand the show's "interest and impact across the country".

The programme's new team of producers was holding its second bi-monthly meeting on Tuesday to discuss the show's future. Despite the cast sackings, one new addition is guaranteed when comedian Roy Hudd joins as undertaker Archie Shuttleworth.

Corrie producer says viewers' moods changed after September 11
29 January 2002

Coronation Street producer Kieran Roberts says the mood of soap viewers has changed last year's terrorist attacks on America. He thinks there's more of an appetite for comedy now. The show is expected to move away from the grittier storylines like Toyah's rape in the near future.

Roberts told this week's TV Times: "There have been some brilliant storylines over the past couple of years. "The mood of viewers has changed since the tragic events of September 11. Perhaps there's an appetite for more comedy now." He says the show is returning to its roots in a bid to win the ratings war with EastEnders. "We've brought back some classic writers to concentrate on traditional Corrie values - a sense of community, family, fun and warmth. "We're moving a little away from some of the grittier stories like Toyah's rape."

He also says some of the show's old characters may be returning. "It'd be stupid to ignore some of the wonderful characters from the past. There are rumours that Bet, Alec or Reg might come back, but there's no decision yet."

Corrie chiefs hold crisis talks
29 January 2002 by Jonathan Donald

A crisis meeting is under way at a secret location to decide the future of Coronation Street. As the ITV1 soap continues to be trounced by rival EastEnders in the ratings, bosses have gathered to decide what needs to be done.

Speaking on the eve of the summit, executive producer Carolyn Reynolds said: "Coronation Street has been in this situation before. We just have to get the right talent and a lot of it sorts itself out." Humour and good writing will put the soap back on top of the ratings pile, she insisted.

She said: "For me the show has to rely on character humour and good writing. That's what we are putting in place. "We've brought in five new writers who were there when I was producer. "And by spring/early summer the viewers will start to notice a change in emphasis."

Reynolds, also behind At Home With The Braithwaites, said: "The voice of the Street will be different "It won't be a return to what it once was, I think that would be wrong. "But some of the old disciplines and principles that it had will apply now - such as strong dialogue, strong characters and character humour."

Many stars of the Street will be fearful about their future after the two-day summit. Already axed are Dr Matt (Stephen Beckett), his wife Charlie (Claire McGlinn) and Bobbi (Naomi Russell). Another eight cast members are reported to be facing the chop.

New kids on the block
28 January 2002 by Stephen Moss

If you watch Coronation Street, this could be a fateful week for your favourite characters. Tomorrow, the new team running the show is gathering at a secret location somewhere near Chester (the secrecy is to ward off petitioning fans and those buggers from the tabloids) to decide on its future shape. The Sun has for weeks been predicting a bloodbath following a tough year for Corrie, with falling ratings and a critical drubbing. So what's it to be - bomb blast at the Rovers, serial killer or a mass outbreak of salmonella poisoning caused by Emily Bishop's undercooked fairy cakes?

The first thing I see when I arrive on set does not bode well: it's a wreath to "Crusher", the former rugby league star Duggie Ferguson, played by John Bowe. Crusher has already been crushed and an emotional note from Bowe is pinned to the door of the green room paying tribute to the cast and arguing that a soap works when it is "organic" rather than "mechanical". It is an oddly philosophical parting shot, but right on target. Coronation Street has for some time now felt too mechanical, too plot-driven: a world away from the character-driven style that made it Britain's most-watched programme.

Crusher's death will be followed by the disappearance of several other regulars. Matt, the dashing doctor, will be struck off; his boozy wife Charlie will also go; and fun-loving factory girl Bobbi is being given her cards. Three characters who just didn't take off in a 50-plus cast that new executive producer Carolyn Reynolds says is too big.

The heavily trailed new presence on the street, who is shooting his first scene on the day I turn up (it will be aired in three weeks), is cheery undertaker Archie Shuttleworth, played by veteran comedian Roy Hudd. There may be work for him to do in the months to come. Archie sizes up each of the Corrie regulars with a cheery "Five feet eight, I'm not wrong am I?" With the Sun happy to list everyone on the show as possibles for Weatherfield crematorium, you wonder if they shudder inwardly as they rub shoulders with the grinning reaper.

Reynolds has been labelled a crazed axewoman, but then so is every incoming producer. She has worked on the show intermittently for more than 20 years - first as a PA, later as producer and then in the mid-90s as executive producer. She has now resumed that job with the broader remit of integrating Coronation Street with the rest of Granada's drama production, leaving day-to-day control of Corrie in the hands of producer Kieran Roberts, who joined the show six weeks ago from Emmerdale.

"The cast was too big and there were some characters that weren't working," she tells me in the office she inherited from outgoing executive producer Jane Macnaught, who has been shunted sideways into the drama department. "To me, there are two groups of characters: there's core and there's outside of that. Core are where we see the future, and we want to write for those characters. There are people outside that who can go one of two ways - they become core because they play really well, or they drift away. You've got to have a passion round the table; you've got to have writers who say 'You've got to keep so-and-so, she's the future of the Street.'"

Reynolds and Roberts were installed to revitalise the Street by Granada's new northern director of programmes, John Whiston, who crossed the Pennines from Yorkshire TV last October. Whiston is admirably unfashionable - he sports a duffel coat and a Curly Watts haircut - and pleasingly honest. He is much more willing than others at Granada to admit that the Street needs rebuilding.

"You know that if they'd wanted it to stay the same, they wouldn't have given it to you," he says. So what's been going wrong? "The biggest debate is about character versus plot," he explains. "How much plot should Coronation Street have? How much power should the story office have, and how much power should the writers have? There are tensions between storyliners, who want a story that gets them logically and clearly to a particular point, and writers, who want to free up enough time for their characters to be what they want them to be. If the balance swings too far to the storyliners, you get a very plot-driven show that is a bit ploppy, and for my money there has been too much emphasis on the storyliners.

"That doesn't mean that some of the big stories - the death of Alma, the Sarah Louise chatroom story, the Toyah rape - weren't good stories. They were and they did a lot. It's more about the pacing - you can't have big stories every fortnight and you need to be seeding them." He cites the bus crash in Emmerdale as an example of how to play a big story, with proper preparation and an after-shock that affects the whole village. A story that develops organically and leaves a lasting impression, rather than one that is grafted on and quickly forgotten.

Like Reynolds, he also believes that Corrie depends on the quality of the writing - "cracking dialogue", the famous ding-dongs on the cobbles, and classic one-liners such as Hilda Ogden's "I seem to have lived my whole life 25 quid behind." (Is it significant that he cites a line from a character who left the show 14 years ago?)

Corrie has been in the doldrums because EastEnders has had such a vibrant 12 months (though everyone at Granada emphasises that, if you exclude the EastEnders omnibus, Corrie almost always wins the ratings battle). Alison Sinclair, senior publicist on the Street, says she can pinpoint precisely when the words "ailing" and "beleaguered" started to be attached to the soap. "It was when the Sun carried the headline after the TV Quick awards in September: 'EastEnders 5, Coronation Street 0.' EastEnders won five awards and we didn't win any - that was the point when editors went 'Whoa, what's gone wrong?'"

The Street is usually attacked from two directions at once: when mayhem is breaking out and deaths are occurring with frightening regularity in a street that only has about a dozen shops and houses, it is accused of being sensationalist; when nothing happens, it is accused of being dull. The new team will henceforth err on the side of inertia rather than incen diarism: they want to give the characters room to breathe and reassure traditional viewers that this is still the show they have lived with for so long.

The episode I watch being filmed, featuring a surprise 60th birthday party for Mike Baldwin, was written by Daran Little, for 12 years the show's archivist but now one of its writers. Little, who has seen every episode of the show, puts on his archivist hat to run through Corrie's history. He dismisses the idea of an unbroken golden thread, and says there have always been peaks and troughs. A classic beginning in the early 60s in the hands of creator Tony Warren, emphasising kitchen-sink drama and the minutiae of working-class life. An opening up after 1964 and the inclusion of grittier, socially aware storylines. An awful period from the late 60s to the mid-70s. A comic rebirth in 1976 and the start of a classic period that only ended with the deaths of several of the seminal characters in the early 80s, necessitating the introduction of a fresh generation in Weatherfield. Then, from the late 80s, a further broadening out of the Street, both in geographical and class terms, in part in response to the success of the upstart EastEnders but also to the impact of Thatcherism and the regeneration of Manchester. Now Coronation Street must remodel itself again.

There will be further casualties. A note from Reynolds pinned to the door at the entrance to the studios announces that she plans to address all the cast, who have clearly been unsettled by rumours of a clearout. "Every producer gets labelled an axewoman," says Reynolds. "The report that eight or nine characters were to be chopped probably came from me mouthing off to writers saying our number's too high, we've got to get it down, so let's concentrate on who we want to write for. My view comes out of listening to people at the bus stop saying, 'Is Curly still in it? I haven't seen him for ages.' That's not good." (She also has to listen to her postman, who recently knocked on her door early one Saturday to ask if it was really true that she was getting rid of Emily.)

Roberts is not prepared to say which characters are most at risk - that will emerge at this week's two-day story conference - but I would be worried about the fate of cornershop magnate Dev, who is seen as "nebulous". If I were a betting man, I would bank on former star Julie Goodyear returning as Bet Lynch. She might even end up running the Rovers again, as Eve's tenure as landlady seems to be viewed as short term. Karen McDonald and Shelley Unwin appear to have big futures, but what about Sally Webster, who does little other than attract dodgy boyfriends and fail to sell hardware? A new family is also likely to be introduced in the next six months.

Besides the casting, there are some major scheduling questions to address. Should the show have an omnibus edition, which would give an instant boost to the ratings? The producers appear to favour one, but convincing ITV's schedulers might prove tricky. Should it add a fifth episode? Whiston and Roberts successfully took Emmerdale to five episodes a week and give every impression that they would like to do the same with Corrie. And should it move to 8.30? The show's policy-making triumvirs are agnostic on that, although they accept that peaktime is getting later. Whiston says it is a crucial decision, impossible to test and difficult to reverse, and that above all he craves a regular slot. The Street's ratings have not been helped over the past year by it being kicked around to make way for football.

I meet Tony Warren, Corrie's creator, who is still a consultant to the show. He is very wary and seems to think I'm trying to get him to attack everything that has happened since the mid-60s. Like Little, he argues that there have always been "hills and valleys". "It couldn't be very good if it didn't go down sometimes," he says. "And yes it has gone down a bit recently. I think people are very conscious of where the deficiencies lie and I have been more than listened to. Huge lengths are being gone to to polish it, buff it, sheen it and to rejig where it's necessary."

And the key to bringing back the glory days? The right balance between goodies and baddies, humour and drama, high comedy and low comedy; great writing; confident use of language; innate warmth and northernness; a clever fusion of fiction and reality; and a healthy diet of trivia.

"I like the Street best," says Warren, "when the major stories arise out of a bit of trivia in conversation that was said weeks and weeks beforehand. For years we rowed along on the fact that Elsie Tanner had a past that involved Yanks at the Burtonwood airbase, and yet that just came out of a throwaway line - 'I only have to taste vodka and I'm on the train for Burtonwood. Ooohhh! They called us good-time girls and we were - we had a bloody good time.'"

He delivers the lines with all Elsie's mannerisms and the years roll away. He inhabits the characters he created and loves the language they spoke. Now his successors on the Street have to find a way of matching his example.

David Jason shows join soaps in top TV of 2001 list
28 January 2002

David Jason stopped Britain's top two soaps dominating last year's TV ratings. The Only Fools And Horses Christmas episode beat EastEnders and Coronation Street to number one. And A Touch Of Frost was one of only two other shows to join the soaps in the Top 10.

Heartbeat squeezed into 10th place, according to new figures published by Broadcast magazine.EastEnders beat Corrie with its top-rated episode registering almost four million more viewers than the most-watched episode of its Granada rival. A staggering 20.05 million people tuned in for the revelation that Lisa shot Phil Mitchell. Coronation Street's top audience was 16.2 million, when three middle-aged men squabbled over the ownership of the Rovers Return.

The full Top 10 is:
1. Only Fools And Horses 21.35 million
2. EastEnders (Thurs) 20.05 million
3. EastEnders (Mon) 16.60 million
4. EastEnders (Tues) 16.34 million
5. Coronation Street (Mon) 16.22 million
6. Coronation Street (Wed) 16.18 million
7. Coronation Street (Sun) 15.57 million
8. Coronation Street (Fri) 14.76 million
9. A Touch Of Frost 14.69 million
10. Heartbeat 13.82 million.

Corrie fans face cliffhanger after Duggie's two-storey fall
28 January 2002

Coronation Street viewers will be left wondering whether Duggie survives a two-storey fall. He will be left for dead by business partner Richard Hillman as he tries to pull off the perfect crime next month. Richard will be seen leaving him in a heap after a row, then swiping £70,000 which Duggie has stashed away. Viewers will be left wondering whether the thief gets away with it after the hour-long special on February 4, as previously reported by Ananova.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "It's very dramatic, lit only by torchlight, and Richard tells Duggie where to go. "Duggie leans over a banister and typically the wood they used isn't up to much and it collapses under him, leaving him to fall two storeys and leaving Richard with a lifeless body at his feet." When Richard, played by Brian Capron, returns to the scene, he finds the body has moved and is unsure whether he was dead after all.

Richard, who is engaged to Gail Platt (Helen Worth), becomes suspicious his colleague is secretly stripping the fittings from a house they are renovating. Worried that Duggie (John Bowe) is making a mint behind his back, he goes to the house to investigate and they end up in a blazing row. Richard decides to capitalise on the situation by leaving him to die while he gets his hands on the thousands which he knows Duggie has held back from the tax man. "He thinks he has committed the perfect crime, stealing from a dead man, but when he returns he finds the body is not in the same spot. "Richard and the viewers are left guessing if he has got away with it or if Duggie is actually still alive."

Blood on the Street as axe falls AGAIN
27 January 2002

MORE stars are facing the axe in Coronation Street, I can reveal. Blood is already running down the famous cobbles. But new boss Carolyn Reynolds has confirmed that she and producer Kieran Roberts are to wield the axe AGAIN.

She told me: "Coronation Street is a writer-driven show and the decision on which cast members stay will remain with the writers. "We will sit down and go through the options and see which characters are core to the show." Carolyn has told Corrie's NAOMI RUSSELL (Bobbi), STEPHEN BECKETT (Dr Ramsden) and CLARE McGLINN (Charlie Ramsden) that their contracts are not being renewed. "Inevitably, there will be another round of contracts, but the names that have been mentioned are pure speculation," said Carolyn.

Another change after a year of rape, teenage pregnancy and violent death is more laughter in the Street. Carolyn said: "For me, one of the show's strengths is its humour - it's about brilliant one-liners that the viewers remember and talk about in the office or the pub the next day."

She also confirmed there'll be more sassy female characters -which leaves the way open for JULIE GOODYEAR to return as Bet. "We've talked and her return is one of a lot of options that are open to us," she said.

Bushell on the box: D'ye Ken Barlow?
THE search for the meanest man on telly is over. Step forward Ken Barlow. When Ken buys himself a drink it's always half a bitter. When someone else is in the chair he orders a pint. The bloke is tighter than Joan Rivers' face.

Mind you, I'd rather drink in the Rovers than the Queen Vic. Peggy Mitchell charged £2.80 for a pint of lager last week. You don't pay that in the Circus Tavern. And when Mick asked for a double, Peg served him a single. No wonder she can afford to fly out to Spain at the drop of a Butcher.

CORRIE's Anita told Ken: "I want what Deirdre's got." But what exactly? A turkey neck? A normal nose? Dev rash?

Bushell on the box: ITV'S Wish You Were Dear
DID YOU see the prices when Tracy Shaw went to the Cayman Islands? £52 for a one-hour golf lesson, £56 for half-an-hour water-skiing, £4.50 for a one-minute phone call home...who do ITV think is watching Wish You Were Here these days? Richard Branson? Chris Tarrant?

No joke, it's Alma in coffin
I COULD hardly believe it when I first heard AMANDA BARRIE planned to poke fun at Alma's Street cancer death by appearing in Banzai in a coffin. But here is the first exclusive picture of Amanda playing "Guess which coffin I'm hiding in" with Cheeky Chappie for the C4 show.

Remember, this is the woman who condemned Corrie for not handling cancer sensitively enough. Since milking her "outrage" for every penny she seems to have got over the whole thing. But will she get blasted for this little stunt? Place your bets now...

Kevin Kennedy
GOOD to see KEVIN KENNEDY (Corrie's Curly) taking a positive approach to his last single only making No 58 in the charts: He says: "I ended up between Madonna and Geri Halliwell. I can think of worse places to be wedged."

She's at it again
25 January 2002

CORONATION Street temptress Kazia Pelka has revealed she was on the soap years ago - as another man-eater. The actress, who plays Hazel Wilding, is to shoot sizzling scenes with cabbie Vikram Desai.

But yesterday, she told how 14 years ago she played Linda Jackson, who had a sordid affair with Terry Duckworth.

Sarah Lancashire to star in Sons and Lovers
24 January 2002 by Jason Deans

Sarah Lancashire is to star in an ITV adaptation of Sons and Lovers, DH Lawrence's novel about a Nottinghamshire mining family. The ITV drama controller, Nick Elliott, has commissioned a four-hour TV version of the novel, starring Lancashire as Gertrude Morel, the mother of the protagonist, Paul.

It will be the first TV adaptation of Sons and Lovers since a BBC2 production in 1982. Simon Burke, whose credits include ITV1's Liverpool One, is writing the script. The three-month shoot, on location in London and Isle of Man, is scheduled to begin in April.

The drama will be made by the independent production company, Company Pictures, with the co-founders, Charlie Pattinson and George Faber, executive producing. Company Pictures's other drama credits include adaptations of Tolstoy's Anna Karenina, Charles Dickens's Nicholas Nickleby and Zadie Smith's White Teeth.

Sons and Lovers is to be screened on ITV1 next year.

Toy-boy romp is right up my Street
24 January 2002

CHRIS BISSON, Coronation Street's hunky cab driver Vikram Desai, is revelling in his role as a heart-throb - on and off the screen. The 26-year-old actor is lifting the lid on being caught on camera snogging East-Enders' babe Charlie Brooks, being mobbed by female fans - and starring in some of the Street's raunchiest scenes.

Last night, Corrie fans saw Vik pick up older woman Hazel, played by Heartbeat star Kazia Pelka, in his cab. At first, she's frosty with the young driver, but then she asks for him again and begins flirting with him in the cab. And when Vik, who is dating factory girl Bobbi, is later summoned to Hazel's hotel room where she seduces him, it's a dream come true - for both Vik and Chris.

The actor, who is single, admits that being a toyboy is the one role he's always dreamed of. He said: "It was fantastic, especially the seduction scene in the hotel room. It's a hard life, I tell you. "Filming the scene where he walks in on Hazel wearing suspenders and little else was really enjoyable - and I'm hoping Vik playing around with an older woman will attract a few older female admirers. At the moment, I get a lot of teenagers writing in asking for autographs, saying how much they love Vik."

Chris has been a firm fixture on the Street for three years now - arriving as a member of the soap's first Asian family. Only cousin Dev, played by Jimmi Harkishin, is left of the original family - and he's also in hot water after being the caught in a honey trap.

Chris' big chance came when he was spotted at a charity fashion show. He was given a role in Children's Ward and was invited to join Corrie after starring in the comedy movie East Is East. And while Vik is Asian, Chris, whose father Mickey is from Trinidad, is of mixed race. The Bissons came to London in 1968, but moved first to Liverpool and then to Manchester.

Chris' mum Sheila is from Manchester and the actor admitted: "I've always found it amusing that people guess I must be from Asian roots, when Dad is as West Indian as they come. "But casting directors seemed to think I was very English and my first agent put me up for the role of Steve McDonald - I looked around the hall and there were all these very white kids with blond hair and I knew I was kind of in the wrong place." But he's thrilled at his latest raunchy Street storyline, though he confesses he'd never follow in his character's footsteps and have an affair with an older married woman.

Chris claims seeing the damage Vikram's relationship with Mrs Robinson-style temptress Hazel Wilding has on his Street character's life would be one suspender too much. He said: "At the moment I'm single, but even if I met someone like Hazel I wouldn't be tempted. That's just too much hassle for my liking. "The public sometimes take serious hints from soap storylines, so who knows, some bored housewives might get ideas after watching Coronation Street."

Chris knows all about being caught out - aptly enough, in a taxi. Last year, he was caught kissing EastEnders' Charlie Brooks, who plays Janine Butcher, in London's Met Bar. Now Chris wants to put paid to the rumours of a romance once and for all. He said: "We were never really going out with each other, we're just good mates who snogged once in front of the paparazzi. "I'm not going to deny it, because there were plenty of pictures in the paper the next day which caught us snogging in the back of a taxi, so what would be the point in pretending? "I'm certainly not daft enough to deny what the public can see with their own eyes."

His on-screen love life is no simpler. After Vik spent ages chasing after Bobbi Lewis, played by Naomi Russell, it's surprising that the cabbie is lured away by an older woman. But Chris said: "If Vik's honest, there was never really much excitement in his relationship with Bobbi beyond the initial chase. Hazel has come along and she's a breath of fresh air. "She's older than Bobbi and is actually interested in talking and listening to Vik, which is a first for him. "Of course, the element of danger helps make the whole experience that more appealing, especially as he feels his own current relationship has gone stale. "They've both betrayed their partners and for very similar reasons - they feel unloved and ignored. "He's got himself in some really hot water this time around."

It looks like Vik, who also had a fling with Leanne Tilsley, is setting himself up to become the Street's latest love rat. And with Naomi leaving Corrie, it looks like the end of Bobbi's relationship with Vik will be a messy one. There are rumours, too, that Vik will be beaten up by Hazel's rich and powerful husband. Chris won't give away too much of the storyline, but admitted: "It's a soap, so he's not going to get away with it. "Whether he gets caught immediately or months down the line, you can be sure that all of this will catch up with him somehow, sometime. "We can rest assured that regardless of what happens with Hazel and Vik, their relationship won't stay secret for long. "Besides, you can't be happy for too long in soap, that'd be boring to watch."

NOW living in Cheshire, Chris is fast taking the mantle of the Street's heart-throb and admits he has to keep dozens of baseball caps in his car so he can hide from fans. He said: "I don't mind being recognised, but there are times when you're in a rush and you've got to get to your mum's or the Post Office and being recognised can make that an impossible task Sometimes it's easier to be incognito." And, of course, there are the comments from fans. Chris laughed: "They seem to find it very funny to ask me to book a cab. And older ladies come up to me in Sainsbury's and warn me to stay away from Steve because 'he's a nasty piece of work'."

Sometimes the attention can get to popstar proportions. Chris recalled: "I was in Blackpool one weekend when a group of about eight girls spotted me and rushed towards me. I'm not sure whether they were on a hen night or had had one too many drinks, but they got very carried away and were pulling me in every direction. "Before I knew it, they'd knocked me to the ground and were clambering all over me. A bouncer spotted this and grabbed me by the scruff of my shirt collar and lifted me to safety. "It was like the hand of God, but I was very pleased he was there because who knows what would have happened."

Chris spends his free time away from the Street training for this year's London Marathon, which he is running to raise money for Save The Children.

But what does the long-term future hold? His performance as the angry young Saleem in East Is East is an indication he could do as well on the big screen as he has done on TV. Chris knows it, too, although he says he has no wish to leave one of Britain's most popular shows. He said: "I have a strange take on this business because I always think the grass is greener on the other side, so if I'm doing theatre I think 'I'd like to do films' and if I'm in films I'm thinking 'I'd like to do some TV'. "That's not to say I'm not happy in Coronation Street because I am - it's just I like trying a little bit of everything so I'll never turn down any role really." Especially when that role means he's called on to be a toy boy.

Corrie's Richard to steal from dying Duggie
21 January 2002

Coronation Street's Duggie Ferguson is to die after an argument with business partner Richard Hillman. Richard decides to steal the keys to Duggie's safe before anyone finds out.

The storyline will form part of a double-bill of the soap on February 8. Richard will be seen returning the keys to the safe before the police find his partner's body.

Duggie and Richard have recently gone into business together as property dealers. The fateful argument will take place at their latest house conversion. Duggie's exact cause of death is unclear at this stage.

Corrie star fears becoming hate target
21 January 2002 by TV Plus Reporters

Coronation Street star Suranne Jones fears becoming a target of angry fans because her TV character is so devious. Scarlet woman Karen McDonald will be seen tonight trying to tempt Dev (Jimmi Harkishin) into infidelity, to wreck his romance with fiancee Geena.

Jones, 22, said: "I'm going to be the most hated woman because they are a lovely couple. I think Karen is a bit dippy and doesn't realise how deep she gets herself in. "I didn't like taking my top off for the scene," Jones, who does keep her bra on, told This Morning on ITV1. "I looked round the studio and suddenly it was very busy." Geena (Jennifer James) walks in on them. "It was quite a shock to walk in on her with no top on," said James.

Karen has been talked into creating the honey trap by Geena's mother who is out to tear Dev and Geena apart. The seductress is also forced into action by snide remarks Geena has made about her marriage to Steve.

Jones said: "I was really nervous after the scene. I was shaking."

Roy Hudd cancels radio show to star in Coronation Street
21 January 2002

Roy Hudd has cancelled the next series of his long-running radio show The News Huddlines. He is taking time out to appear in Coronation Street. Hudd will play Archie Shuttleworth, a romantic interest for Blanche Hunt.

The News Huddlines is the only BBC programme that invites anyone to contribute gags. The Writers' Guild of Great Britain is now lobbying for another show to take its place. General Secretary Bernie Corbett has written to Radio 2 controller Jim Moir and Radio 4 chief Helen Bowden. In his letter he said: "Huddlines is the last remaining BBC radio show that takes a significant number of gags and sketches from non-commissioned writers. "Many of today's leading comedy writers started off this way, so we think it is urgent for BBC radio to commission new vehicles to carry on this tradition. "This isn't the BBC's fault, but they need to take swift, effective action."

The new series of Huddlines, which uses an average of 35 writers for each programme, was due to start on Radio 2 in March.

Coronation Street star mirrors storyline by donating blood
21 January 2002

Coronation Street star Stephen Beckett has joined a long list of celebrities who have given blood. Beckett plays Dr Matt Ramsden in the soap. In the show tonight, his character faints after donating blood.

Beckett gave a pint of blood at the National Blood Service donor centre in Manchester. The 34-year-old was assisted by nurse Molly Hardcastle, played in the series by Jacqueline Kington. From his donor bed, Beckett said: "I am sitting here now watching people around me giving blood and it is so straightforward. With just 10 minutes out of your day, a free cup of tea and a biscuit you can save someone's life."I would say to anyone scared that the service you are doing for the community should far outweigh your fear of needles. It could be you in an accident or in that emergency room. We are doing this today to heighten awareness and because it is part of the storyline in Coronation Street."

On the soap tonight, viewers will see Dr Ramsden faint in The Rovers after giving blood at a mobile donor centre.Beckett said: "He's fine with someone else's blood but when he sees his own pumping out, he faints."

The blood giving session is set up outside the Street's medical centre and characters are persuaded to donate after Dennis and Les's car crash. Emma Heesom, spokesperson for NBS in the north west, said: "In Manchester alone 1500 blood donors are needed each and every week in order to meet the needs of hospital patients. That's a staggering 300 life savers rolling up their sleeves every day in order to touch someone else's life."

Shamed TV Len dies penniless & alone
20 January 2002

FALLEN Coronation Street legend Peter Adamson has died - BROKE and ALONE. Adamson, 72, was one of Britain's biggest stars as romeo Len Fairclough until the stigma of a child abuse trial wrecked his career. He became a virtual recluse and there was no-one at his bedside when he died of cancer.

Adamson was taken ill three weeks ago and rushed to hospital with stomach pains. Tests revealed the actor, sacked from the Street in 1983, had advanced stomach cancer and could not be saved. Doctors prepared to move him to a hospice for the terminally ill. Meanwhile the bloated ex-boozer, who was also crippled by arthritis, was given morphine to ease his pain.

But Adamson - once a heartthrob to millions of adoring housewives - died in Lincoln County Hospital on Thursday. His shocked older brother Clifford said: "It was like a bolt out of the blue. "I just wish I could have said goodbye before he died."

Adamson's bleak, lonely death was the last twist in a spiral of shame that ended with him becoming a shambling wreck. He enjoyed 23 years of fame with Corrie and was paid a fortune for personal appearances. Fans were enthralled by his fiery affair with Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix) and his marriage to Rita (Barbara Knox). He had a fabulous home, a cottage in Wales, a villa in Majorca and a fleet of cars.

But in 1983 he was accused of indecently assaulting two young girls at a public baths. Adamson, a keen nudist, was cleared. But he was axed by Street bosses after selling his story to a newspaper for £110,000. Len was killed off by a heart attack at the wheel of his car. And Adamson - forever tainted by the trial - then struggled to find work. He spent his last years living on benefits in a grotty one-bed rented flat in Welton, Lincs.

Adamson once said: "The jury exonerated me but I still feel sullied and dirty today. "I am not a paedophile. I have four grandchildren I love dearly. But to some I am guilty." A family friend said: "Peter could never shake off the court case. There was a dark shadow hanging over him and it all took its toll."

As Adamson's career nose-dived, his troubles mounted. A year after the trial his wife Jean, crippled by arthritis, died in his arms. He began drinking heavily, developed osteo-arthritis and had surgery for bowel cancer in 1990. He was forced to sell his homes as money problems increased. In 1991 he went bankrupt with debts of £32,000.

In 1998 his son Greg was jailed for four months for taking indecent photos of a boy. In November 2000 the Sunday People told how he shuffled to the shops in slippers to buy cut-price food while saving £5 a week for his funeral.

Clifford, from Bridge, North Wales, said: "The last time I spoke to him was in September. He said he had tummy pains but me and his sister Hazel didn't realise it was serious. "I'm told his last words were, 'I'd just like to go to sleep now'. "We won't mourn his death, we'll be celebrating his life."

Corrie's Tracy 1 minute from death
20 January 2002

CORRIE beauty Tracy Shaw was just ONE MINUTE from death after drugs she took for flu triggered a violent reaction, the Sunday People can reveal. The terrified star was only saved by emergency treatment from doctors after being dramatically rushed to hospital. "I was so scared," said Tracy, 28, who was hit by heart spasms and whose face ballooned terrifyingly. "I was told that if I'd arrived at hospital just a few seconds later I could have gone into a coma and died. I'm still suffering the after-effects."

The actress was prescribed penicillin after she got flu during her current exhausting filming schedules. Tracy - whose soap character Maxine is involved in a gripping love triangle - later noticed a red rash on her hand. Within an hour it had spread up her arms and over most of her body. The star, who had never had an allergic reaction to penicillin before, feared she had meningitis. Then her face swelled and her TV producer husband Robert Ashworth, 29, called an NHS helpline.

Tracy said: "As soon as he described my symptoms they told him to drive me to hospital immediately. They said I couldn't wait for an ambulance or it would be too late. "Robert bundled me into the car and at the accident and emergency department they took one look at me and put me straight into a bed. They injected me with adrenalin in my bottom. A monitor showed my heart-rate was irregular and had slowed down. Robert was keeping an eye on the monitor and the docs told him it showed I was in real danger. "If I'd been left waiting to be seen I would have died. But the staff were wonderful and as soon as the injection kicked in I could see the rash fading." Tracy went home from Crumpsall Hospital, Manchester, after being kept under observation for three hours.

The flu struck Tracy as she battled against the stress of her grandfather's recent death from cancer and faced a punishing work schedule. The actress - who hit the headlines 10 days ago after a bust-up with her hubby on a transatlantic jet - was filming Corrie scenes six days a week. She said: "The doctors told me to go to bed for three days to recover but there was no way I could drop filming. I asked for antibiotics instead."

Tracy is now on the mend after the drama a fortnight ago, although she still feels sick and dizzy. "The doctor told me I was either pregnant or my immune system had been weakened," she said. "But I am NOT pregnant." Tracy was hit by anorexia eight years ago when her weight plummeted to five stone and she admitted herself to a mental hospital. She said: "I'd reached the point where I didn't want to live." But the brave star conquered her problem with the help of counselling. "I almost lost my life through anorexia and again with this penicillin reaction," she said. "Someone up there is looking after me."

ABOUT 10 per cent of Britons are allergic to penicillin, the most common cause of drug reactions. Fewer than two per cent of cases are life-threatening.

Tracy's top moves
CONGRATULATIONS to TRACY SHAW whose sexy Salsacise video has now overtaken GERI HALIWELL'S to become the best-selling fitness video, topping 10,000 sales a week. Tracy will be on Soap Fever on ITV2 tonight showing off her six-pack and dance moves.

Corrie's Shelley and her favourite things
20 January 2002

Vivacious Sally Lyndsay, 28, came into top soap Coronation Street as the show's 33rd barmaid, Shelley Unwin. But off screen she couldn't be more different to her TV character, as STEVEN SMITH discovered when he asked about her favourite things...

Listening to the radio
I grew up listening to Radio 4 and shows like The Archers and comedians like Steve Coogan. Artists such as Steve have inspired me with my own stand-up comedy routine. I got my big break in showbiz casting at a theatre. I did a very funny monologue and luckily for me June West, who produces both Coronation Street and The Royle Family, was in the audience. She cast me with the Royles as Twiggy's boozy girlfriend, Michelle.

While I was doing that show, I learned a lot about acting and comedy, particularly from Caroline Aherne and Craig Cash. Being in the Street, of course, is something else. A long way from pulling pints in my dad's pub, like I used to! When I first joined the cast, last May, it was daunting, like stepping inside your TV, but I loved it to bits. As soon as I started I felt like I'd been there all my life. That sounds twee, but it's true. It'll be a sad day when I leave.

Driving my Colin Bell
The only time my boyfriend Jem and I argue is about my driving. I'm an ace driver and it makes me mad that blokes can't handle us girls being good behind the wheel.

I've named both my cars after a guy, though. My first car was Colin Bell, after the Manchester City and England footballer. Not that it went as fast as him! I inherited the car from my mum and it saw me through three years of touring around to the comedy clubs. My new car is Colin Bell 2 and it's a bit posher.

I've never had an accident and I love driving Colin. The car is also the place I get to relax, listening to Radio 4 news or just catching up with my thoughts - while carefully watching the road, of course!

Going swimming
I'm the original water baby. My dad and Uncle Jim taught me to swim and I'm never happier than when I'm in the water. Both me and my brother Christopher, who's 29, are great at swimming. I swam for the school and used to love diving and picking up things likes stones and coins from the bottom of the pool. I like to go swimming about three times a week, depending how busy my schedule is. It's good to do some kind of sport - it really helps you to relax.

I was out in Majorca doing the Channel 5 show Beach Fever last summer. We had a right laugh. I went out on a boat with people like Heather Peace from London's Burning and got the chance to outshine them. "Hey girls, I'm the original mermaid!" I yelled.

Magical Moscow
I went to Moscow with my school when I was 15 and have never forgotten it. I had a wonderful teacher called Kerry Barlow, who inspires me even now, and despite lots of problems, she managed to get us to Russia - which was very ambitious then. Each pupil paid £500 and the school subsidised the rest. It was a lot of money to me then. My mum and grandparents helped and I did a Saturday job to get some extra cash.

When we got to Moscow, I was in for quite a shock. My mum, Barbara, had cut my hair short so I didn't look like my passport photograph and these Russian immigration blokes weren't happy about it. Next thing I knew, I had a gun pointing at me and I was being marched off. Luckily, a horrified Kerry managed to save me from what could have been a nasty time. Once I began to explore Moscow, it was amazing. It's steeped in history and you feel like you've travelled back to another century. But the food at that time was far from mouth-watering - all boiled hen, sweet yoghurt and stodgy cakes. We stocked up by going to a European shop which sold Mars bars for £1 each.

Vodka was pretty cheap, though, and a couple of the other girls and I were a bit naughty with it. When Kerry caught us, she was so sweet. "I'm very, very disappointed in you," she said - which, of course, made us all feel suitably guilty and ashamed. We caught a night train from Moscow to Leningrad and didn't realise the train staff didn't wake you. So we all woke up just as the train was about to chug off to somewhere like Serbia. Laugh! It was pandemonium as we grabbed our gear and scrambled off the train.

Photographs
Photographs are very important to me. They capture little pockets of memories you can look back on. Mind you, my earliest pictures of me make me cringe. My brother was always the pretty one. I was an ugly child always posing while wearing short tartan skirts. Whenever I go away now I take a pocket camera. I like throw-away ones, then I'm not upset if I lose one.

Drinking dry white wine
I just love wine. And since I gave up smoking two years ago, I love it even more because, of course, I can taste the flavours more clearly now. I wouldn't have believed it before, but it's absolutely true that smoking does dull your taste buds. So give up, everybody! I built up a passion for white wine when I was doing my English degree at Hull University, in the days when I wanted to be a journalist. It was very much the trendy thing to drink then, everybody did.

These days, my boyfriend Jem and I love nothing better than to have a night in at home with a good bottle of white wine, a nice steak and a video. The New World wines are my particular favourites at the moment, especially Australian Chardonnays.

My secret love will help me get over Corrie axe
20 January 2002

CORRIE actress Clare McGlinn has found the perfect place to get over her sensational sacking from the Street - in the arms of a secret lover. The sexy brunette - who plays snooty doctor's wife, Charlie Marsden - has revealed she's fallen head over heels in love with events organiser Andrew Miller.

She said: "Yes, I'm in love. I'm so happy that I have found someone so special. There have been people in my life before but it's the first time I've met someone I want to share it all with." And last night a close friend told how Andrew was helping Clare cope with being axed from the Street.

The friend said: "Being able to tell the world about her love for Andrew has certainly lessened the blow. It was a shock that could have knocked her for six. "But it is wonderful that she has his love to see her through. She is so happy with him and being so positive about the future. She knows he's there for her, whatever new challenge she chooses. There's nothing like a romance to raise your spirits."

Clare is determined to let nothing spoil their relationship - and surprisingly is terrified 34-year-old Andrew may propose. She said: "In my business, so many people get engaged, break it off, get engaged again and so on. "For us, getting engaged would have to be something really special, something we would have to talk through."

Clare, 33, who admits to once being a terrible flirt, added: "If I could have a hubby that lived down the road, it would be perfect. One who came round occasionally. For servicing..."

In her first interview since the Corrie axe fell, she tells how Andrew:

• MADE her believe she will find stardom again;
• HELPED her fulfil her beloved dad's dying wish that she visit the country he adored, Africa, and then;
• THANKED her Street co-star Tracy Shaw for bringing the couple together.

On screen the two women are rivals and set for a huge showdown. For Charlie is still unaware that Maxine - played by Tracy - is expecting her husband Dr Matt Ramsden's baby. Clare said: "Tracy and I hit it off the minute we met. We have the same sense of humour." Clare met Andrew at Tracy's hen night.

And Andrew explained how he first set eyes on his new love. He said: "The man who organised the party came up to me at the end of the evening and said, 'Tracy Shaw looks fantastic, doesn't she?'And I replied: 'She's pretty amazing but just look at the one next to her'. "That's how it started. I spotted Clare across the room and thought 'Wow'!"

Clare said: "A few days later he rang to ask me out and I panicked. "I told him I'd check my schedule and ring him back. I don't know why but I was playing hard to get." It wasn't until they bumped into each other again that Andrew finally managed to persuade her to a dinner date. Since then they have been inseparable and Clare has introduced him to her mum, a former bus driver in Stockport, Lancs, and her grandmother.

And Andrew - who came to England from his native South Africa in 1989 to play semi-professional cricket - whisked her off on a dream trip to Cape Town to meet his family. She said: "Those two weeks in South Africa were a test for us. But we got on great and I am very happy."

Andrew had also made it possible for her to fulfil the last wish of her father who died of a heart attack in 1996 before she became a TV star. He had worked as an engineer in Africa and told her: "I want you to visit Africa, see the African skies and meet the African people."

But Clare admits she got cold feet about the trip when her friends suggested that Andrew might propose. She was scared it would ruin their affair but Andrew knew how she was feeling. He took her to a romantic waterside restaurant and told her: "Believe me, I am not going to propose to you." You'd think Clare might be upset but she said: "We've already made a commitment to each other to be together but marriage is different. It is something I want eventually but you have to think long and hard about it."

And she added that as she was once a real flirt, she still can't get used to the idea of being committed to anyone. She laughed: "When you meet another good flirt, you can have a great night. It means you don't have to wake up and wash their socks for them."

Her relationship with Andrew is nothing like the one Charlie has with Corrie hubby Dr Matt, played by her good pal Stephen Beckett, who is also leaving the soap. Juicy storylines include their battle over her alcoholism and determination not to have children. Now the couple will say goodbye to Weatherfield in another dramatic plot to be screened in March when Matt's steamy affair with Maxine is exposed. Duped Ashley Peacock will finally discover his wife's baby may not be his.

Wigan-born Clare said that despite her shock at being axed, she is pleased she and Stephen are leaving after an explosive storyline. She said: "We came in on a high and we are leaving on a high." Clare is now looking forward to a brilliant future - without Corrie Street but with the love of her life. And they're training hard to climb Mount Kilimanjaro next month to raise money for the Bobby Moore Cancer Fund. She said: "Within a few weeks of being together we decided to do this climb and that's not something you normally do. But you've got to go with your heart sometimes and leave your head on the shelf."

Clare said she loved the fact that Andrew's social circle was so different to hers. She added: "When we are out with his friends no one talks about Corrie. In fact, when we met he didn't have a clue that I played Charlie because he worked evenings and didn't see the show. "It's just a wonderful feeling to have found someone like Andrew."

A full version of this interview appears in the current edition of Hello magazine.

Coronation Street star dies
20 January 2002

Former Coronation street actor Peter Adamson who played Len Fairclough in the soap has died aged 72. His character, who was in the series for 23 years, was best known for his affair with Elsie Tanner while married to his wife Rita. He died on Thursday from advanced stomach cancer, according to the Sunday People.

In 1983, he was cleared of a charge of indecent assault on two girls at a public swimming pool. But was sacked from the ITV show nearly 20 years ago when he sold his story to a newspaper. A Coronation Street spokesman said: "We're sorry to hear of Peter's death and send our condolences to his family."

Adamson was taken to Lincoln County Hospital with stomach pains but died from the advanced cancer, the People reports. His older brother Clifford said: "It was like a bolt from the blue. I just wish I could have said goodbye before he died."

Michael Caine was my first 'dad
20 January 2002

FORMER Coronation Street star Matthew Marsden has revealed that the first person he ever called "Dad" was screen legend Michael Caine. Marsden, who made his movie debut alongside the veteran actor in Shiner grew up in a single parent family after his dad walked out.

The former model, who got his TV break as Romeo mechanic Chris Collins in the ITV soap, was devastated when estranged dad David later sold his story. But the 28-year-old actor said: "My father isn't a part of my life and I don't have a problem with that anymore so that chapter in my life is shut. "

He added: "I've never uttered the word Dad until I did Shiner. You can't imagine how strange that felt for me. The first time I'm saying Dad and it's to Michael Caine. "It caught in my throat, but I was playing a character, and I just got on with it."

The actor, who is a father himself to three year-old Connor, from a previous relationship, says that although he grew up in a household where money was short, he never felt deprived. He said: "When you've got a good family there's nothing better, nothing can shake you. I hope I can have the same kind of relationship with my children."

Former Street star Len dies aged 72
19 January 2002

Former Coronation Street actor Peter Adamson, who played romeo Len Fairclough, has died. The 72-year-old died earlier this week nearly 20 years after being sacked from the show after allegations he indecently assaulted two young girls.

The actor, best known for his on-screen affair with Elsie Tanner while married to wife Rita, died from advanced stomach cancer. A Coronation Street spokesman said it had been informed of the death by his brother Clifford yesterday. He said: "We're sorry to hear of Peter's death and send our condolences to his family."

Mr Adamson's 23-year career on the Street hit trouble when he was charged with indecently assaulting two girls at a public swimming pool. Despite being cleared by a jury, he was sacked after he sold his story to a national newspaper.

The Sunday People newspaper says Adamson was rushed to Lincoln County Hospital with stomach pains which proved to be advanced cancer. A spokeswoman for the hospital says he died on Thursday.

Adamson was a household name throughout his career at Coronation Street. Fans were gripped by the storyline in which the builder enjoyed a fiery fling with Elsie Tanner, played by Pat Phoenix. His career ended in shame in 1983 when he was axed from the show following the indecent assault trial. Two eight-year-old girls alleged he had groped them at a public baths but even acquittal could not save his career.

Script writers killed off one of the show's most popular characters when he suffered a heart attack at the wheel of his car. His exit from the show led to a collapse in his personal life. A year after the trial his wife died and by 1991 he was bankrupt. He spent last few years of his life living in a rented flat in Welton, Lincolnshire, far from the fame and glamour he once enjoyed.

Manning's niece joins Street cast
19 January 2002

The niece of Bernard Manning is joining the cast of Coronation Street, say soap bosses. Manchester-born Francesca Manning will make her first appearance in the show next month as the love interest of a Rovers Return regular.

Playing fun-loving thirty something Sandra Milligan, the Rada-trained actress will appear in a number of episodes. A Street spokeswoman declined to reveal the identity of her boyfriend who she meets on a girls' night out.

Francesca, who has in the past sung on stage at her uncle's Embassy Club, says she is delighted and excited to be joining the cast. A Street source says the actress overcame stiff competition to land the role. "We cast the best actress for the role. Francesca didn't tell us she was related to Bernard Manning and won the role on her own merits," the source added.

Comic's niece joins Street family
19 January 2002

AILING Coronation Street has turned to Bernard Mannings niece to revive ratings. Francesca Manning will first appear on the arm of a Rovers regular next month.

With her comedy connections, it is sure to be seen as another attempt to bring laughter back to the Street. Only last week the M.E.N. revealed that funnyman actor Roy Hudd is to be brought in by new producer Keiran Roberts. Already he has axed three popular characters, randy doctor Matt Ramsden, his teacher wife Charlie, and shopworker Bobbi Lewis.

But despite the Street going through uncertain times, Francesca is delighted to be a new Corrie babe. She said: "I've been brought up with the Street and love the show. Its a fantastic opportunity for me. I haven't got the script yet, but I'm really excited."

Manchester-born Francesca trained at Salford College before gaining a drama degree at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Her previous acting work includes the lead role in a British science fiction movie, Alien Blood. She is currently editing a film, Us Girls, which she produced and wrote. And if there is a sing-a-long in the Rovers, Francesca will be the first to join in. She has been known to take the stage at her uncle's Embassy Club in Harpur Hey.

Bernard said: "Francesca's a good singer and shes sung at my club many times. "There's plenty of talent in my family and its wonderful that's shes got this break in Coronation Street. But she's done it all on her own without any help from anyone and I'm thrilled for her.

A Coronation Street source revealed there was fierce competition, but Francesca, was first choice for the role. She is now working with drama coach Mark Hudson, who also trains Corrie stars Ryan Thomas and Sally Lindsay - another stand-up comic.

Fans thought Corrie star was dim because of sitcom role
19 January 2002

Coronation Street star Shobna Gulati says she has had to worked hard to convince fans she isn't stupid. She was best known as dim-witted Anita in Dinnerladies.

When she landed the role of Sunita in the soap, she suffered from typecasting. "Talk about stereotyping. The character was so formed in the public's imagination that people assumed I was like Anita," Shobna told The Look magazine. "If I went shopping, people would talk to me slowly as if I didn't understand. Casting directors thought the same."

Artist thrilled to see paintings in Coronation Street cafe
18 January 2002

An artist says he was surprised to spot two of his works in Roy Cropper's Coronation Street cafe. Retired businessman Chris Woods painted them nearly 20 years ago. He ran a business producing prints of his railway pictures after being made redundant. Mr Woods believes Granada may have bought the pictures from the firm he sold his surplus stock to. The paintings are of the Bournemouth Belle and a Merchant Navy locomotive.

Mr Woods said it was his wife who first spotted the Bournemouth Belle on television. "I am an avid Coronation Street fan but it was my wife who spotted it on television and said 'good God! It's our picture," he said. "Then the telephone started to ring with lots of friends calling to say they had seen my painting on television. "It is quite interesting. After all these years, I'm on television. I get a little thrill each time when the scene comes on and I look at it."

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "It's great that the artist himself has come forward and given such a positive reaction to the use of his paintings on Coronation Street, especially when so many people get to see his work four nights a week."

Matthew's Hollywood breakthrough
17 January 2002 by TV Plus Reporters

Former Corrie hunk Matthew Marsden has made the Herculean leap to Hollywood. Marsden, 29, looked set to descend into obscurity after he quit playing greasemonkey Chris Collins in the soap and failed to make it as a pop star.

But this week sees the release of new multi-million dollar war movie, Black Hawk Down, in which he stars. It retells the true story of when elite US forces dropped into Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993 on a mission that went horribly wrong.

Marsden co-stars with Ewan McGregor in the Ridley Scott-directed movie. "I was very grateful to have done Corrie," he told GMTV. "It gave me a plateau of fame. But in England you do get stereotyped and I can see why because so many people try to cash in with music careers. But they have a different outlook in the States." He added: "I have this work ethic that made me determined when people put me down, to come back."

Marsden quit the Street in 1998 after one year in the show. He launched a short pop career which peaked in November that year when single She's Gone charted at No. 3. Bit parts followed including North Square before he gambled on Los Angeles.

Ratings mysteries solved
16 January 2002

TV broadcasters are finally able to see if their New Year has started with a bang after the latest audience figures were released. The Broadcasters' Audience Research Board (Barb) had to delay the publication of their research for two weeks after a radical overhaul in the way the figures were complied.

Under normal circumstances, the information would be at broadcasters' fingertips one day after transmission. It is the first change in a decade to the way the Barb figures are compiled.

It had been feared that audience figures would drop as a result of the change but major programmes including BBC One's EastEnders and Coronation Street on ITV1 have not seen much of a change. EastEnders is still ahead of its rivals, pulling in average audiences of 13.2 million in the second week of 2002, compared with the Street's 12.2 million.

ITV1 continues its dominance of Saturday nights with hit show Pop Idol pulling in eight million, double the audience of BBC One's Friends Like These. But quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? is continuing to lose viewers, with ratings for the 12 January edition falling below seven million, one million behind hospital drama Casualty.

Richard and Judy's show on Channel 4 continues to struggle in the ratings. An audience of around 1.7 million watch the former This Morning hosts' show, putting it behind Neighbours, Crossroads and The Weakest Link.

Barb are promising the new figures are more accurate than the previous method of calculating audience size. The sample size has been increased from 4,300 households to 5,100 in an effort to make the data more demographically and geographically representative.

La Cage Aux Folles touring the UK
15 January 2002

The musical La Cage Aux Folles begins a six-week tour of the UK next week. The tour starts at the Wimbledon Theatre, and will also visit Cardiff, Birmingham, York, Hull, Bradford and Northampton.

The production features former Coronation Street star Julie Goodyear. Goodyear is making her stage musical debut as Jacqueline, the chic owner of a St.Tropez restaurant.

The sets and costumes are based on the original designs for the 1983 Broadway production, which was later made into a film.

Pastures new for Dale star
14 January 2002

EMMERDALE star Samantha Giles, who plays Woolpack landlady Bernice Thomas, has stunned bosses by quitting the soap. Flirty redhead Bernice, the vicar's wife, will leave the fictional Yorkshire village in spring in a hastily-written tear-jerker.

TV chiefs rate Samantha highly and, last night, insiders said a switch to Coronation Street could be on the cards. Emmerdale makers Yorkshire TV are part of the Granada network, which make Corrie. A production source said: "Corrie is being transformed and Samantha could easily fit in." But Yorkshire TV have also vowed to find a role for her in any new drama they make.

Samantha, who has played Emmerdale favourite Bernice for three-and-a-half years, said: "It will be a real wrench to leave the show and people that I love but I am excited about what the future might bring." In her most explosive storyline, she became pregnant and faced the agony of determining who the father was after an affair with Spanish chef Carlos - her sister's partner.

Now Bernice wants to make a fresh start without husband Ashley - who was the father as it turned out. The burning question is whether or not she goes after Carlos. An Emmerdale spokesman said: "Bernice is a tough cookie and has tried to please everyone. It's time she looked after number one."

Corrie sacking was 'understandable'
13 January 2002

Actress and former model Naomi Russell says her sacking from Coronation Street is 'understandable'. Soap bosses have decided to make changes in a bid to win the ratings war with EastEnders. Her character Bobbi Lewis will leave the show in three months. Dr Matt Ramsden and his wife Charlie will also be written out of the soap at Easter.

Naomi told The Sunday Mirror: "The bosses are making changes - which is understandable. I think a bit of competition is healthy and if they want to make changes the way to do that is to bring new people in." She added that the news also came as a bitter blow.

Naomi said: "I was really gutted because Corrie was everything I had worked for and I had made such good friends with the cast." Naomi insists she won't be trying to land parts in other soaps, adding: "I don't really want to move around the soaps. I've worked for the best one and I'm not a big fan of the others."

Naomi on the day she was fired
13 January 2002 by J Weatherup

NAOMI Russell was fast asleep when the early-morning call from Coronation Street woke her abruptly. It was the new producer's PA summoning the actress, who plays factory girl Bobbi Lewis, to an urgent meeting in the office. Alarm bells were ringing as Naomi,23, dressed and jumped into a cab for the five-minute ride to Granada studios in Manchester.

Producer Kieran Roberts had told the cast before their 10-day Christmas break that he would be speaking to some of them in the New Year about their future roles. Did this mean the Street's most glamorous knicker-stitcher in Weatherfield was about to get a bigger part...or was she facing the axe? "I walked in without a clue about what Kieran was going to say," said Naomi, who has played Bobbi for two years "I said 'Hi', shook his hand and sat down in front of him. I was thinking about asking to have more input into where my character was going to go but it didn't turn out that way at all. "He wished me a Happy New Year, asked about my Christmas and then just came out with it. He said he'd had a chat with the story writers and they felt they wanted to wrap up the character. "He carried on talking about what would happen over the next three months and my role,but I was so shocked and stunned "I had difficulty taking it all in. It was if the ground was opening up and swallowing me. I was pleased when he said they were going to write me out on a big story line but I still felt devastated.

"I nodded and smiled as best I could because he was being sweet to me but inside I was screaming, 'Oh no'. I'd had such an amazing time over the last two years I really didn't want to leave. I was really gutted because Corrie was everything I had worked for and I had made such good friends with all the cast. " I felt so deflated but I also knew it must have been hard for him. All I could say was 'OK' in a little soft voice. My mind went sort of blank and when he asked if I had any questions I couldn't really think of anything. I was just glad that I had found out first and didn't hear about it from someone else on the grapevine. "I remember walking out of the office and it was kind of weird. I felt in a bit of a daze and one of the secretaries looked at me as if she was saying 'Are you all right?' I caught her eye to let her know I wasn't going to burst into tears or anything. "I had grown up with the show since I was a schoolgirl and watched all the big stars like Julie Goodyear in awe. Then, amazingly, I had become part of that life as well and it felt brilliant. It was like a dream come true. "I remember when I was first on screen going home from the studios and watching it with my mum and sisters. It was so exciting and my family were so proud of me. My little sisters were ecstatic because it was my dream and I was achieving it. "I really wanted to do another year and then tell the producers I was going to do something else - rather than the other way around! "I'd had a fantastic time but in the end I suppose I knew my part was too nice and it wasn't going anywhere. It was a natural conclusion."

Naomi, who has been credited with putting sexiness back into the series with her stunning looks and model figure, then had to face her fellow cast members not knowing if they knew her fate. "As it turned out nobody knew and I carried on as best I could with the shoot that day. All I was thinking was that it was all going to be over soon and I was going to miss everyone terribly. I didn't really want to tell anybody because I had scenes to do and the last thing I wanted to discuss was not being there in three months' time. So from there I went straight into an upbeat scene working in the factory."

LATER in the rehearsal room she bumped into Stephen Beckett, who plays dirty doc Matt Ramsden, and Clare McGlinn, who plays his wife Charlie - and learned they were also being axed from the series. Naomi and Clare, who will soon climb Africa's Mount Kilimanjaro together with Stephen to raise money for the Bobby Moore cancer research fund, immediately confided in each other. "It all came tumbling out that she and Stephen were going as well. She was as disappointed as me and we gave each other a big consoling hug.

Naomi next told her former flatmate Suranne Jones, who plays Karen McDonald. "I felt very sad and so did she because we had such great times living and coming to work together. I remember we used to crack open a bottle of wine and do impersonations of the cast - it was hilarious, or so we thought! "I didn't want to tell my mum over the phone so I waited until I went to see her for dinner. She was very supportive and was worried about how I was feeling. I did most of the talking and explained what had happened and why. She just looked at me and told me how proud she was of me. "She said there were many good things yet to come for me which made me feel much better. It was just the kind of thing I wanted to hear - that I was going to be all right. Privately, I know she was shattered for me because she knew this is what I had wanted to do more than anything. "The whole business gave me a few sleepless nights. I was trying to carry on as normal but I guess it was just my sub-conscious telling me how upset about it I really was, even though they had treated me well."

Naomi is not bitter and does not criticise the Street's producers for axing her and other characters in the ratings war with EastEnders. "The bosses are making changes - which is understandable. I think a bit of competition is healthy and if they want to make changes, the way to do that is to bring new people in."

Naomi, who has been sporting a stunning new look and hairstyle recently, insists she will not now be trying to land parts on other soaps like EastEnders or Emmerdale. "I don't really want to move around the soaps. I've worked for the best one and I'm not a big fan of the others. I've done the best and I want to leave on a high. "I stepped straight into the big one and for two years they loved me, so I'm happy. It's really a case of 'done that, been there and now I'm ready to spread my wings'. "Anyway, who knows? They might want me back in the future. If that was the case, I'd come back like a shot. "I really don't know what will happen from here. I've come from nowhere to being recognised up there along with 'babes' like Tracy Shaw. The fans have all been brilliant and some people have even sent me flowers which is lovely. It is exciting and scary at the same time."I've got a lot to think about between now and when I leave."

Naomi said all the Street cast had been very supportive. "It's like a big family here and everyone has been great. People like Vicky Entwistle, who plays Janice Battersby, will always be a friend. "She's just so funny, like a big sister really, and constantly has me in fits of giggles - Liz Dawn does, as well. She's offered me loads of advice and I really look up to her."

NAOMI'S first scenes in the soap were recorded on February 16, 2000. Producers had spotted her presenting on a local TV station and invited her to an audition. Previously she had trained as a hairdresser and had been in demand as a model - but acting was always her main ambition. She had taken a two-year course in performing arts at Preston College and joined Lancashire Dance Company. But times were hard. Her mum Susan was bringing up Naomi and her two sisters Sam, now 16, and Emma, 15, on her own - and Naomi took the decision to qualify as a hairdresser as something to fall back on. Susan later entered Naomi into a modelling competition and the agency who took her on also promoted her through their acting division.

When she found fame in the Street Naomi desperately wanted to tell her father Durrant Mowatt, 53, who lives in Florida. Father and daughter were reunited two years ago when The Sunday Mirror tracked Durrant down after they had been separated for 20 years. Naomi said: "Seeing him after all those years was simply incredible and we still keep in touch by letter and phone regularly. "He really gave me a boost when I told him I was leaving Coronation Street. He said it was fine because I could be a big movie star in America - I think he wanted me to get the next flight out! He told me these things happen for a reason and I would be going on to even greater things. He's so funny sometimes. I'll never forget when I took him a video of me in the show and he watched it for the first time. He said hesitantly 'So, in England you sew knickers in a factory?' "He actually thought it was real life and not a soap because he doesn't watch any television! It took forever to sink in that I was really an actress. It was so sweet because he couldn't grasp it."

THE stunning actress, who says she is too busy to have a boyfriend at the moment, will leave the Street with great memories. "My funniest moment was watching Vikram (Chris Bisson) having to do about 10 takes of a scene where he is being chased in the freezing cold wearing just a strip of material hiding his modesty. "As he ran bits kept popping out and we had to re-shoot. Everyone was screaming with laughter and I think Chris actually got to like everyone staring at his naked flesh. Instead of getting irked by it all, his attitude was, 'Never mind, shall we do it again then!' "My worst moment was when I was late for recording after thinking I had the day off. The call came in - why wasn't I in make-up? I was absolutely mortified because if one person is late it can screw everything up."I was full of apologies when I arrived in double-quick time but still an hour late. It was the first and last time I ever made a mistake like that.

"One of my best moments was when I had to dump a bag of baked beans on Andrew Scarborough's (factory boss Harvey Reuben) head. "I remember he was sitting in a car with an open top roof and because of the mess it was going to make the producer told me it had to be done in one take only. "I passed with flying colours. The beans went absolutely everywhere and Andrew, who has now left the show, told me my aim was so good the cold beans had gone right down his back and shirt and into his pants!"

Naomi, who changed her stage name to Naomi Ryan recently because it was "short and sweet", says she has grown used to getting fan mail from as far away as Canada and Germany. "Some male admirers have even sent in laminated photos of me asking me to sign them - well I'm always happy to oblige as long as they send a stamped addressed envelope!"

Looking to the future, Naomi says she would jump at the chance to appear in a major film. "I'd love to do a movie with Guy Ritchie. He is just so cool. His work is brilliant and recognised the world over."

She is philosophical about having to leave the role she loves. "It's the job and everyone has to get on with it. I'm optimistic about the future so I don't want anyone to get the violins out for me. Mind you I might get a bit more emotional nearer the time. "When it finally comes for me to walk out of the door I probably will be in floods of tears and they will have to drag me away."

Shaw-fired exercise
13 January 2002 by Amanda Shrimsley

TRACY Shaw has never felt fitter or sexier - and it's all down to South American salsa dancing. "I've got curves where I never had them before," says the Coronation Street beauty, who was married last June. "My bust is at its very best. And even better - my husband, Robert, is just thrilled with my new voluptuous toned figure. He's really loving my body at the moment - he says it's the best he's known because it's so shapely. "I prefer my new voluptuous look, too. I don't think it's sexy to have no fat on you and I feel so much sexier."

Tracy, 27, whose body was once almost destroyed by the eating disorder anorexia, is pictured here sharing her exercise secrets in these exclusive shots from her new video, Tracy Shaw's Salsacise. It's a fat-busting mixture of smoochy salsa and high-energy aerobics, all played out to a lively Latin-based rhythm. She says: "I can't believe I've been able to get such a great body, just by learning to do these work-outs in my very own living room. "After all, that's where a lot of people do their routines. If you're a busy mum, for example, you don't have time for the gym. "Personally, I don't like working out in front of other people. I'm much shyer than I appear and I simply can't bear the way people stare at each other in gyms."

Tracy, a trained dancer, started salsa dancing last Summer. "After my first lesson, my bum had firmed up and my waist had really tightened. "Salsacise was putting everything in the right place, even my stomach has definition now. I've never had such toned arms and thighs either. "With all the sweating you do it's easy to lose the pounds, too. Basically, I'm living proof that Salsacise is energising and stamina building."

Tracy, whose on-screen character, Maxine Peacock, is never far from controversy in Weatherfield, says her husband Robert, a film producer, actually fled their home while she was hard at it learning her new raunchy routines on Saturday mornings. "Robert would go out for a few hours because he couldn't bear to look at my trainer Michael's body," she laughs. "He says it made him feel inadequate. He also felt guilty that he wasn't doing any exercise himself. "Now he says he's going to do Salsacise with me - but the trouble is he gets a bit knock-kneed and can be clumsy with his feet!"

For obvious reasons Robert prefers to sit back and watch Tracy go through her routines. "He says it's a big turn-on," she giggles. "When I first started salsa I couldn't keep up with my trainer at all. Fortunately, I had a few months to practice before we made the video. "However, I must confess I made a few mistakes while making the video, like using the wrong leg. I left them in though because I wanted to show what fun it all is. "Now, I can't wait to go to South America, or Cuba - the real home of salsa. I'll ask Robert to take me - once he's mastered it himself that is!"

Otherwie engaged
13 January 2002

CORONATION Street's Vicky Entwistle gleefully announced she's getting married in December to prop man Andy Chapman. "I can't remember being as happy," she gushed.

But I fear the pair might not make the big day if their behaviour during a festive break to a resort in Majorca is anything to go by. Hours into the romantic break Vicky, who plays battleaxe Janice Battersby, and Andy had a full-blown barny prompting Andy to storm out to a nearby hotel for a night. Peace was restored but just hours later it was 33-year-old Vicky who slunk off to the neighbouring hotel for a night. My source said: "They were hardly ever together."

Corrie St: The truth
13 January 2002 by Gary Bushell

FALSE rumours about who's in and out in Coronation Street have been flying around all week. So let me put everyone straight.

For starters, TRACY SHAW - the Street's Maxine Peacock - is definitely NOT leaving. And here's the truth about other Corrie stars...

IN

• JIMMI HARKISHIN - who plays Dishy Dev - has NOT been axed. Hurrah! In fact, bosses see the Asian shopkeeper as crucial to the show.
• SUE CLEAVER (Eileen Grimshaw) has NOT been axed. She has just signed an extension to her contract and long-term storylines are planned.
• MELANIE KILBURN (Fred's wife Eve) has NOT been axed - although there are doubts about whether she's right as the Rovers landlady.

OUT - STARS definitely out are:

NAOMI RUSSELL (Bobbi) and both STEPHEN BECKETT and CLARE McGLINN - Dr Matt Ramsden and wife Charlie.

AT RISK

SCOTT WRIGHT (mechanic Sam) and BRIAN CAPRON (financial adviser Richard Hillman) are in doubt. But no final decisions have been made.

RETURN

AS I reported last month, JULIE GOODYEAR (Bet Gilroy) has been approached for a comeback. I hear talks are still going on.

But, despite offers, THELMA BARLOW is not tempted to return as Rita's pal Mavis Wilton.

Dennis's Coronation Street funeral
WHAT was Rita wearing on her head at Dennis's Coronation Street funeral? Either that was a busted busby or Tina Turner is missing her best stage wig. Maybe it was meant to distract us from the soap's soulless new opening credits.

The camera shots start much higher now, but not high enough to show the vultures circling Weatherfield. Eight cast members are up for the chop, including wonderful Eileen, under-used Charlie and beautiful Bobbi. Are Street bosses nuts? If you want to kill off irritating boilers, start with gloomy Gail, ginger minger Fiz and Hayley, the unconvincing transsexual.

I don't reckon the producer ever wanted her to have that op. What he actually said was Hayley's character needs a sea-change...

Corrie's Suranne says storyline will make her unpopular
12 January 2002

Corrie's Suranne Jones says the soap's latest storyline could make her "the most hated woman in the country". Her character Karen McDonald is set to test Dev's fidelity to his fiancee Geena. She will try and seduce Dev in an attempt to put Geena in her place. Geena's conniving mum Gill will convince Karen to lay the honeytrap.

Suranne told The Mirror: "Karen's fun to play because I get to be naughty in a way I'd never dare. "I won't be too popular after this storyline because Dev and Geena make such a lovely couple. I am probably going to be the most hated woman in the country."

Karen's bitchy character is also far from being a hit with Suranne's real-life boyfriend. He said: "My boyfriend Jim has said many a time 'I wouldn't touch Karen with a barge-pole, but I love you.' "She's getting worse, but she's going to crack eventually and we do see her feel guilty afterwards."

Tracy Shaw says giving up smoking is to blame for row
11 January 2002

Tracy Shaw says she and her husband Robert Ashworth had a 'little tiff' on a holiday jet because they were giving up smoking. Speaking on today's edition of Richard and Judy, the actress claims they were irritable because they had run out of Nicorette patches. The couple were on a flight from the Cayman Islands when fellow passengers say they started rowing.

Tracy Shaw said: "We had a little tiff because we'd given up smoking. We didn't have any Nicorettes. We certainly didn't argue or use the 'F word' in Business Class. "Apparently I was kicking him, but with a tight seatbelt on I don't know how I could have swung my leg round."

Richard Madeley replied: "On behalf of married couples everywhere, you're forgiven for having a little tiff."

Shaw also denied press reports she's planning to leave Coronation Street. "One morning at 6.30am I had a phone call asking 'is it true you're leaving?' "Well I'm not leaving Corrie, and I'm not pregnant either."

Comedian Roy Hudd is to join Coronation Street
11 January 2002

Comedian Roy Hudd is to join Coronation Street. Bosses at the show, hope Hudd - once hired by Tony Blair to pepper his speeches with jokes - can do the same trick for the Street.

Viewers will get their first glimpse of the star after Blanche Hunt gets an unexpected Valentine's card from an admirer. The battleaxe is immediately softened and invites the sender, Archie Shuttleworth, to dinner, sparking an enchanting romance between the pair - much to the amusement of Weatherfield favourite man-eater, Deirdre.

A spokeswoman for the soap said: "Archie is a classic Coronation Street character and we are thrilled that Roy Hudd will be bringing him to life. Everyone is looking forward to working with him." And the veteran comedian, who is due to join the cast later this month, said: "I have been an ardent fan of Coronation Street since Ena Sharples first put on a hair net."

Hudd, who has also appeared in Dennis Potter's Lipstick on your Collar, Common as Muck and The Bill, added: "I've a fair bit of drama under my belt so it is a great thrill to be joining the cast of the most popular programme in the country."

The announcement comes as Weatherfield legend Jean Alexander reportedly warned the Granada soap it would have to bring back the laughs before it could pull back the viewers. Alexander, who played gossiping cleaner Hilda Ogden for 23 years, told The Mirror that it was the Street's lack of laughter that was causing the soap to lose out in the Christmas ratings war with EastEnders. She said: "There is so little humour. It is all doom and gloom and scandal. The next storyline that comes up is exactly the same as the last one."

Sorrie Street
11 January 2002 by Paul Byrne

Hilda blasts soap for being full of gloom

CORONATION Street legend Jean Alexander has urged the ailing soap to ditch its doom and gloom storylines. And Jean, who played big-mouthed cleaner Hilda Ogden for 23 years, called on scriptwriters to bring back the laughs if they want viewers to return. The Street has seen audience figures tumble in recent months. Several stars were axed after it lost out by 2.5million viewers to EastEnders in the Christmas ratings war.

But Jean, 75, believes there is a better solution. She said: "I think where the Street misses out is the lack of comedy. "There is so little humour. It is all doom and gloom and scandal. "The next storyline that comes up is exactly the same as the last one."

And Jean is convinced viewers have had enough of the bed hopping antics of the Street's residents. "It was never like that before. You used to have storylines about people and what they were doing, not just about who they were having it off with. "There used to be comedy scenes, and sadly there are not many comic characters left in the Street. "Coronation Street is too much like all the other soaps now. It used to be different and that is why people liked it."

Granada was hoping this week's episode featuring the funeral of Dennis Stringer (Charles Dale) would boost ratings. Jean said: "Every Christmas we have had a funeral or some misery of some description. Crumbs, come on."

But Jean ruled out a return for Hilda who left the soap 14 years ago after 1,647 episodes. "I'm too busy and Hilda wouldn't fit in there any more," she said.

CLASSIC HILDA MOMENTS

• She and husband Stan buy number 13 Coronation Street for £775 in 1964.
• Hilda celebrates her 49th birthday in February 1973 with a Barbara Cartland party.
• Her Alpine mural, dubbed "murial", and flying ducks are installed in July 1976.
• In 1977 she wins a second honeymoon for the slogan: "Be a mistress as well as a wife and your husband will be your boyfriend."
• She breaks down in tears as she opens her late husband's glasses case in 1984.
• Hilda sings "We'll Meet Again" at her farewell in December 1987, reducing millions of viewers to tears.
  

End of the Street for me, says Corrie's Jaqui
11 January 2002

CORONATION Street star Jacqueline Chadwick - bitchy Linda Baldwin in the soap - has vowed she will never return. Now scriptwriters plan a mysterious ending to explain her sudden disappearance.

Stirling-born Jacqueline - who gave birth to second child Jamie in October - plunged the show into chaos last summer by going on maternity leave early. She had only just returned after six weeks off sick, but lasted just four days.

Frantic rewriting took place and viewers saw Linda Baldwin mysteriously disappear after a blazing row with hubby Mike. Since then the storyline has taken different twists with Mike's Jaguar being pulled from a river with the theory that Linda may have drowned. Mike was grilled by cops on suspicion of her murder before being released. All the time, Street bosses were waiting for Jacqueline's final decision - although the Daily Record can reveal that they never expected the actress to come back to Granada.

Jacqueline, who is married to firefighter Simon Chadwick, 31, had to tell bosses of her plans this month and her decision to quit was relayed by her agent yesterday.

A Street insider said: "She wasn't even prepared to return to film her character's demise. "In a way that has left the door open for all kinds of scenarios. "The scriptwriters can have a field day - will a body be found? Will Linda turn up somewhere abroad? Will Mike be charged with her murder? "Now we know Linda won't be seen again it's time to milk it for all it's worth."

An official Street spokeswoman said: "Jacqueline has announced her decision not to return to Coronation Street following the birth of her second child. "Everyone on the programme wishes her well for the future."

Corrie writers to solve riddle of Linda as actress quits
10 January 2002

Coronation Street fans are to find out what happened to Linda Baldwin later this year. Actress Jacqueline Chadwick has confirmed she will not be returning to the soap. Street bosses say scriptwriters are working on a fitting end to the character's storyline.

Fans were left guessing when Chadwick went on maternity leave last year. Mike Baldwin was accused of killing his fourth wife Linda just months after their wedding. Since then, the actress has been keeping the scriptwriters in suspense as to whether she would ever return to the show following the birth of her second child, Jamie.

Now, Chadwick - who gave birth to 4lb Jamie five weeks early last October - says she will not be returning to the show. The announcement leaves scriptwriters at the Street, which is locked in a ratings war with BBC's EastEnders, deciding on a gripping storyline to finish her off, probably some time in late spring or early summer.

In a statement Street bosses said: "Actress Jacqueline Chadwick has announced that she has decided not to return to Coronation Street following the birth of her second child. "Everyone at the programme wishes her well for the future and the production team are now working on a fitting end to Linda's storyline."

A spokeswoman for Chadwick, who married husband Simon Chadwick following a whirlwind romance last year, said the actress had no comment to make.

Corrie's Tracy in flight bust-up
10 January 2002 by Hannah Wright

Coronation Street beauty Tracy Shaw has apologised for a bust-up she had with her husband on the way back from filming for ITV1's Wish You Were Here? Tracy, who married TV producer Robert Ashworth last year, was seen arguing on a flight from the Cayman Islands. She is alleged to have hit her husband several times, and he is said to have bitten her on the hand. Both claims have been denied by the pair, who have admitted having a dispute but swear they did not fight.

ITV1 bosses have said the row will not go out on the show. "Tracy and Robert Ashworth extended their flight after four days of filming to spend time alone in the Caribbean," said a spokeswoman. "All the production crew had gone home and we had done with them, so any dispute between the couple happened after the episode was filmed and so had nothing to do with it."

Tracy has blamed the argument on giving up cigarettes for New Year. "Robert had said something silly which I took the wrong way and I told him to grow up," she said. "It was silly and if anybody heard it I am sorry. I honestly blame the fact that we are not smoking." The plane was on the ground in the Bahamas at the time.

Tracy rage
10 January 2002 by Brian Roberts

CORONATION Street actress Tracy Shaw last night apologised for a champagne fuelled attack on her husband aboard a holiday jet.

Tracy, 28 - who plays hairdresser Maxine Peacock - slapped Robert Ashworth repeatedly across the face and head and stood in the aisle screaming and swearing at him for wanting to sleep. Freelance TV producer Robert, 29, managed to calm her down by grabbing hold of her wrist and yanking her back into her seat.

A businessman and his partner complained to British Airways staff about their behaviour.But when stewardesses went through the cabin she was asleep. They decided to leave her and did not report the incident to the pilot. As a result airport police were not involved when the plane landed at Heathrow on Saturday. Tracy, at home in Manchester with Robert, was said by friends to be feeling "suitably shamefaced" that details had leaked out.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "Like any married couple Tracy and Robert have rows and they did have a minor dispute while on board the plane. "It was purely between the two of them and they thought it had all been forgotten. They sincerely hope that the incident didn't affect anybody else."

The couple, who married last summer, were on their way home from two weeks in the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean, recording a report for ITV1's Wish You Were Here..? holiday show. Business class passengers said Tracy sank glass after glass of complimentary champagne.

One, who sat directly behind, said: "Everyone recognised them immediately and the crew were giving them plenty of attention. "They were drinking lots of champagne, which is free in business class, and were in high spirits. My partner was delighted at first to be with them. "When we touched down to refuel I heard Tracy's husband say he was tired and wanted some sleep and he reclined his seat. "But she seemed to take exception to this and ordered him to sit up and carry on drinking with her."It seemed fairly trivial at first until she started lashing out at him. She hit her husband in the face six, seven, maybe eight times."It was very embarrassing and it certainly wasn't a play fight between two lovers. She was hitting him hard in the face. "And she certainly wasn't worried about making a show of herself in front of everybody. She didn't seem to care who saw."Then he obviously decided enough was enough and for the first time made her behave. We were amazed it had taken him so long. "Throughout this he had been so calm. They were OK after that because they slept, although you could tell there was an edge at breakfast."

The passenger, who wants to remain anonymous, said that when the lights went on after the night flight the couple woke up for breakfast - and both ordered Bucks Fizz cocktails, with Tracy having three more glasses to Robert's one. "Their attitude was definitely a bit frosty to one another," he said. "It was a pretty poor show that they disturbed the journey for people."

It is Tracy's second midair bust-up with Robert. As they returned from a New Year break in Barbados last January she suddenly stood up shouting: "You don't understand me, you just don't understand me." Robert replied: "What don't I understand? What's the problem?" Tracy sat down four places away in the empty row of seats and began to sob.

Last month Tracy was spotted pulling her hair and screaming at Robert as they had a furious row in their Land Rover in Manchester.

Duggie Is Left For Deadie... ...by Dirty Dickie
9 January 2002

Corrie conman Richard Hilman will leave Duggie Ferguson to die so he can steal his secret savings.

Duggie (John Bowe) falls through a rickery banister during a row with Romeo Rick (Brian Capron). Gail Platt's lover may not have pushed his mate but he does nothing to help him. Richard is more interested in getting his hands on thousands of pounds which Duggie has hidden.

Thelma Barlow's return to Corrie is 'pure speculation'
9 January 2002

Coronation Street bosses say reports that Thelma Barlow has been asked to return are "pure speculation." It was rumoured the ITV soap wanted her to reprise her role as Mavis Wilton. Her former co-star Peter Baldwin said Thelma had been approached.

Baldwin, who played Mavis' husband Derek, told Teletext: "There are moves to bring back some of the old humour, and I know Thelma has been asked. But it would have to be a very good offer. "Thelma's career has gone from strength to strength since leaving, so she doesn't need the work."

A spokeswoman for Coronation Street told Ananova that producers were refusing to comment on castings but added that Thelma's return is "pure speculation." Thelma's agent April Young added: "I don't know if she would want to go back to the soap. She is very busy. "She's about to open in play Smoking With Lulu at the Soho Theatre in London and the run is open-ended."

Barlow is one of a number of old stars, including Julie Goodyear, said to have been approached as producers try to revamp the soap.

Street star sets date
9 January 2002

CORONATION Street star Vicky Entwistle will marry props man Andy Chapman later this year. The 33-year-old, who plays unlucky-in-love Janice Battersby, announced the date on ITV show This Morning yesterday. Vicky - whose character is currently mourning the death of lover Dennis - said: "I can't remember being as happy at work and home as I am now."

The couple - who will wed on December 14 - met on the Corrie set, moved in together and got engaged with weeks last year. Vicky added: "At first, we kept looking at each other but pretending that we weren't. "We were like two kids in a school playground."

Coronation Street goes back to its roots
8 January 2002 by Jason Deans

Coronation Street is going back to basics with the new emphasis on gentle storylines and humour in a bid to win back viewers. Following a crunch strategy conference on the long-term future of the soap, ITV bosses have decided to stop trying to ape EastEnders with sensational storylines.

The latest cast changes that could see the axing of up to 11 minor characters are part of a move away from issue-led plots such as Toyah Batterby's rape. Coronation Street's executive producer, Carolyn Reynolds, is planning instead to play to the show's longstanding strengths of gentle comedy and sharply observed characters. "That's always been the foundations of the show and we will be looking to build on this," a Granada spokeswoman said. "Certainly there will be castings that will reflect the Street as people know and love it," she added.

Granada has already announced that three Coronation Street actors - Stephen Beckett, who plays Dr Matt Ramsden, Clare McGlinn, who plays his wife and Naomi Russell, who plays factory girl Bobbi Lewis will be leaving this spring. "There's a lot of thinking going on about which characters should stay in and which are going nowhere," the source said. "But no decisions have been made yet."

Eight other characters, believed to include taxi controller Eileen Grimshaw, played by Sue Cleaver, and her sons Todd and Jason and new barmaid Eve Sykes - played by Melanie Kilburn - are facing the axe.

According to the Daily Mail, ITV bosses have drawn up a list of characters who are safe following a viewers' survey. Most popular - and secure - are Jack and Vera Duckworth played by Bill Tarmey and Liz Dawn. Second in viewers' affections are Roy Cropper and his transsexual wife Hayley Cropper, played by David Nielsen and Julie Hesmondhalgh. This surprised ITV bosses considering they are relatively new to the soap and not as institutionalised as characters such as Ken Barlow, Mike Baldwin and Rita Sullivan.

The first casualties of a ratings war
The producers of Coronation Street are axing a number of its stars in a bid to boost the beleaguered show's viewing figures. Philip Trethowan, a former soap storyliner, explains why...

As a former soap opera storyliner for the latest incarnation of Crossroads, one of my fondest memories was of playing God. Bringing plagues and droughts upon a small hotel in the Midlands can do wonders for your self-esteem. However, I soon realised that, even where gods are involved, there is always a higher power, the "them upstairs" that exist in any industry - in short, the executives.

While the storyliners may decide how the characters die, it is the executives that decide who will be getting the chop. The executives reach these decisions by the ultimate god of the small screen - ratings. And why not? ITV in particular is a commercial broadcaster - if there are less people out there to buy the chocolate bars or the soap powder then something has to be done. And with the recent resurgence of the Beeb then there is even more pressure to Up the Auntie, so to speak.

In storyline terms it is time to bring out the big guns - but in the absence of a gun then an axe will do just fine. And so it goes. As the infamous lesbian kiss in Brookside proved or, more recently, the "Who Shot Phil?" storyline in EastEnders, there is nothing like a bit of sensationalism to put bums on seats. And in general terms the most sensational storylines of all are exit stories. When a storyliner knows that the plot will end in untimely death or exile to some remote corner of England then they can really go to town. But these stories are the biggies. The executives will always lurk in the background, red pen in one hand, audience research figures in the other. And on the end of the phone will be the tabloids, whose power of exposure is seen as the one thing that can save any soap.

And so it is that poor, unsuspecting actors all over the country meet their ends, hauled into the producer's office like lambs to the slaughter. Of course there are many euphemisms for this unfortunate day and "leaving to star in a film in Ireland" (Stephen Beckett, Coronation Street) sounds like a pretty good one to me. While this probably has a seed of truth in it, the greater truth is that any actor knows how difficult it is to get regular work. It is a very brave or exceptional one that happily walks away from a daily soap, which in real terms simply means guaranteed exposure and salary.

Whether these cullings actually achieve anything is another matter. Sure, they get viewers in the short term but the long term health of a soap is a different matter. Brookie is a fine example. After the aforementioned lesbian kiss, they ran a series of over-the-top storylines, hungry for the kind of tabloid ratings that "Anna Friel in Lesbo Shocker" achieved. But the truth is they had gone too far. If stories get too big and too sensational then there is only one way the soap as a whole can go. What goes up, and all that. But the short term is all the executives have to go on. With itchy advertisers breathing down their necks and the BBC riding high what do you expect them to do?

If they are not seen to be doing something positive then it will simply be them that face the chop, as Jane Macnaught's departure from Corrie indicates. Not, however, before the entire storyline department has been fired of course. Which is why I am probably better off in South America, reading of the comings and goings of the great British soap from afar.

But one thing is for sure: I miss soaps - as every last one of us would if they were not there. So let's not gloat too much the next time Corrie is on its knees or Brookie faces the chop. Because the world would be a worse place without them.

Dithering Mavis asked back to The Street
8 January 2002 by Jonathan Donald

Corrie favourite Thelma Barlow has been approached to reprise her forever-flapping Mavis Wilton role. New producer Carolyn Reynolds believes Barlow, now 71, who quit the soap in 1997, could revive ratings for the troubled soap.

Her former co-star Peter Baldwin, who played husband Derek, told TV Plus: "There are moves to bring back some of the old humour, and I know Thelma has been asked. But it would have to be a very good offer. "Thelma's career has gone from strength to strength since leaving, so she doesn't need the work. "Dinner Ladies is among her successes but she also does theatre." Baldwin still appears on stage with Barlow to do readings from famous texts.

Barlow quit the soap in 1997 after a 26-year run. She resigned only months after the shock departure of co-star Baldwin, who played her husband Derek before he was killed off. The couple, always fussing, had been responsible for much of the humour. Mavis, whose catchphrase was: "Well, I don't really know", left to run a B&B in the Lake District.

But Corrie fans praying for the return of Thelma Barlow can expect a long wait. Her agent April Young told TV Plus: "I don't know if she would want to go back to the soap. She is very busy. "She's about to open in play Smoking With Lulu at the Soho Theatre (London) and the run is open-ended."

Barlow is one of a number of old stars, including Julie Goodyear, said to have been approached as bosses try to revamp the soap.

Baldwin remembers The Day Of The Axe
8 January 2002 by Jonathan Donald

Blood may soon be running over the cobbles of Weatherfield. Eight stars of Coronation Street are reported to be facing the axe in a purge by producer Carolyn Reynolds.

One former cast member who knows what it's like getting the chop from the ITV1 soap is Peter Baldwin. Baldwin, now 68, was given the bullet after 20 years playing pompous Derek Wilton. It came as a bolt out of the blue and left him devastated. And reports of another Corrie cull have stoked up painful memories.

"It was the then producer Brian Park's first day," Baldwin, tells TV Plus. "I can still vividly remember the moment he told me I was going - it came as such a shock because I'd been in the show for such a long time."

Derek was last seen in the soap on April 7, 1997. He died of a heart attack after a road rage incident. Baldwin remembers: "I felt after 20 years I was going to be in the show forever, so the effect was very traumatic. "I was extremely bitter at the time because I felt I was being used by Granada (which makes the soap). "They thought a shake-up was needed and I was perhaps a victim of my own success."

An air of tension will be hanging over the Corrie set as actors learn their fate in the latest shake-up."None of the stars facing the axe have been in the soap for more than two years, so it won't be as bad as when I left," says Baldwin. "But it will be very tense on the set as those who are going cope with the news, and those that are staying feel sympathy but also fear they could be next for the chop." Fans brought some comfort for Baldwin when he was axed from the show. "There was a massive outcry. I received thousands of letters of support from viewers. It helped during what were very dark days."

Today Baldwin still acts and was in BBC1 series Doctors last year. He also owns and runs The Benjamin Pollock Toy Shop in Covent Garden, London. "I have moved on but to many people I will always be known as Derek Wilton," says Baldwin, who played the pompous soul whose escapades kept his wife Mavis (Thelma Barlow) in a permanent state of worry. "I was in Belgium just before Christmas and even there I had people coming up and asking 'How's Mavis?' As long as they smile, I don't mind. At least I've not been forgotten."

Coronation Street is in a period of brutal transition - with heads rolling as producers try to take on the might of more popular rival EastEnders. Whatever happens, one man who won't be watching is Baldwin. "I stopped watching not long after I left in '97 and they started making a mess of it," he says. "It tries too hard now to be like other soaps, with sex storylines and teenage characters. It needs to go back to the old style."

The bitterness Baldwin felt when he bowed out of Corrie has subsided - he now has far happier things going on in his life to think about. "I'm off to New Zealand later this month to see my daughter get married," he says. Baldwin had two children with his wife Sarah Long who died of cancer in 1987. Daughter Julia, 33, who last year had a little girl, is tying the knot with a New Zealander. "It should be lovely," coos her proud dad.

Coronation Street 'cull' denied
7 January 2002

Newspaper reports that eight more stars of ITV1 soap Coronation Street are to be axed have been dismissed as "complete speculation". A spokeswoman for Granada Television, makers of the soap, said the Sun newspaper had seemingly plucked "random names" out of the air.

The newspaper reports characters such as Dev Alahan, (actor Jimi Harkishan), barmaid Shelley Unwin (Sally Lindsay), nurse Molly Hardcastle (Jacqueline Kington) and mechanic Sam Kingston (Scott Wright) are among those expected to leave the soap. Last week Granada announced three characters were to leave the show but the Sun's report says the eight names are in addition to those already listed.

The newspaper said it was "the bloodiest cull in the history of the TV soap" and that some of the actors in question had not yet been informed of the decision by Granada's controller of drama, Carolyn Reynolds. An insider at the soap quoted by the paper said: "All the cast knew the chopper would fall when Carolyn took over, but the big surprise will be her chainsaw approach. "Exactly how all the characters leave hasn't yet been decided, but Carolyn and new producer Kieran Roberts, who joined from Emmerdale, will have a big say. It's going to be a rollercoaster ride."

The paper says the other characters set to leave are financial adviser Richard Hillman, (Brian Capron), Eileen Grimshaw, (Sue Cleaver), and her sons Jason and Todd, (Ryan Thomas and Bruno Langley). But a spokeswoman for Granada told BBC News Online: "This is all complete speculation and is not the case at all. "They seem to be a fairly random list of names plucked out of the air."

Last week Granada announced that doctor Matt Ramsden, (actor Stephen Beckett), would be leaving with screen wife Charlie, (Clare McGlinn), as well as Bobbi Lewis (Naomi Russell). The producers of the popular soap are keen to re-invigorate storylines because it has fallen behind rival EastEnders in the ratings.

Axe story a load of cobbles, says Corrie
7 January 2002 by TV Plus reporters

Bosses at Coronation Street have denied that eight more cast members are going to be axed. Reports yesterday claimed that Dev, Eileen Grimshaw, barmaid Shelley and five others will have their contracts terminated in the next few months. "It is just a load of rubbish on all eight counts," a Corrie spokeswoman told TV Plus. "None of them are going anywhere for the moment as they all have such good storylines."

Glamour girl Tracy Shaw also dismissed the rumours. "It is not true, it is pure press speculation. I've just come back from holiday and I'm sure the atmosphere on set will be tense. "Last week, a report said I was going - I'm not. I got a call at 6am in the Cayman Islands and I told them it wasn't true." The Sun reported that executive producer Carolyn Reynolds wanted new faces in The Street.

TV Plus soap expert Tina Baker says there is little truth in the stories of a mass exodus. Referring to a report in a national newspaper she said: "Some of these names seem to have been drawn out of a hat. Sometimes actors leave soaps when they want to do other things." Corner shop owner Dev Alahan is reported to be on the way out but Tina said: "There may be reshuffles but it would be madness to get rid of Dev at the moment."

A Teletext web poll asked viewers which Corrie cast members they would like to see get the axe. You came up with a very different list from the one allegedly compiled by the show producers. Top of the list was Les Battersby with 27% of the vote, followed by Dev with 16%. Stalwarts Deirdre Rachid and Gail Platt were in third and fourth place, with 15% and 12% respectively.

Pass Notes No1977: Coronation Street
7 January 2002

Aka: Corrie, The Street.

Age: A creaky 40.

But life begins at 40: Not necessarily. Ask Matt, Charlie and Bobbi.

Who are they? You don't watch?

I gave up about 20 years ago. How are Elsie and Ena these days? Long dead, I'm afraid, and that's the problem.

What is? They don't make them like they used to. The current characters are weak, the storylines ridiculous, the obsession with sex tedious, and four times a week at least once too often.

For sex? No, for soaps. In its glory days, Corrie was on twice a week and everyone watched; now it's on four times a week and no one bothers.

Audiences are down? In the past three years, one in six former fans has stopped tuning in, while EastEnders' audience has grown.

What can be done? That's where Matt, Charlie and Bobbi come in - or, rather, go out. They're the first characters to be axed by new producer Carolyn Reynolds, back after a successful stint in charge in the mid-90s. There are sure to be further casualties.

Such as? "Almost no one is sacred", according to the Street-wise. If they've got any sense, comatose Ken, righteous Rita, deadly Deirdre, sex-crazed Sally and moronic Martin will be top of the list. Basically, drop everyone except Fred, Norris and Monica.

Who's Monica? Tyrone's dog.

Surely, the real problem is that no one's interested in a museum piece about northern working-class life c.1961. Cobblers (or do I mean cobbles?). Everyone loves the nostalgia. It's the feeble attempt to reflect modern life - drugs, shagging, hostage-taking, shagging, murder, shagging - that's the problem.

Not to be confused with: The even more calamitous Crossroads, which is likely to fall victim to a Sydney-style bush fire this year.

Do hum: Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, Naaaaaaaah-Nah, Nah-Nah-Nah ...

Don't hum: That irritating tune from EastEnders.

Coronation Street cast cuts stories untrue, says Tracy Shaw
7 January 2002

Tracy Shaw says tabloid reports that eight characters are to be dropped from Coronation Street are untrue. The actress says the press are giving the cast a hard time. It was reported the characters to be written out included Dev Alahan, Shelley Unwin, Molly Hardcastle and Sam Kingston.

In an interview on ITV's This Morning show, Tracy said: "It is not true. They're giving us a bad time at the moment, I think generally. There's big changes, new producers, people moving in and out. "I don't know what the atmosphere's been like. I'm sure it's really tense, but I think people underestimate how close we all are anyway so everybody really helps each other out when stuff like this happens.

Earlier reports that Dr Ramsden and his wife Charlie are leaving at Easter, along with Bobbi Lewis, are true, she added.

A spokesperson from Coronation Street confirmed to Ananova that the reports were "pure speculation."

Corrie-Dale!
6 January 2002

EMMERDALE and Coronation Street characters could soon be starring in each other's soaps. Granada bosses have given the go-ahead for the move in which Emmerdale favourites would visit the Rovers - or Corrie regulars would pop up in the Woolpack. Names that have been suggested for the swap include Emmerdale chef Carlos (GARY TURNER) and Street barmaid Geena (JENNIFER JAMES).

Sources close to the soaps say: "They are talking about one-off storylines involving actors from other soaps. "It's a way of getting people who don't watch a rival to become interested in a new character and perhaps tune in to watch them in their original soap. "There is also plenty of scope for great storylines. Les Battersby could turn up and create havoc at the Woolpack or Charity Dingle could get all the men panting at the Rovers."

The BBC already has actors moving between top medical dramas Casualty and Holby City.

As well as helping ratings, it could be used to persuade stars with itchy feet from defecting to the opposition.

Street's Peak viewing
PEAK Practice star JOHN BOWLER is to join Coronation Street. John - pub landlord Mike Pullen in the ITV doctor drama - will be reunited with his former co-star MELANIE KILBURN (Eve Elliot) when he plays John Wilding, the husband of love cheat Hazel (KAZIA PELKA).

Anne Kirkbride
DON'T let those glasses fool you - that Deirdre Barlow is a right one on the quiet. I hear ANNE KIRKBRIDE is famed for sending filthy text message jokes to Corrie cast members.

Coronation Street to introduce new pub
6 January 2002

Coronation Street is to introduce a new pub to rival the Rovers Return, according to press reports. Producers are planning a new set in The Flying Horse pub close to the Rovers Return in Weatherfield.

The move is part of a shake-up of the ITV soap by new drama controller Carolyn Reynolds. She is planning to introduce a host of new characters as part of the ratings war with EastEnders, according to the News Of The World.

Characters Dr Matt and Charlie Ramsden and Bobbi Lewis have all been axed and will exit the soap this spring.

Corrie all set to take on EastEnders
4 January 2002 by Jonathan Donald

The departure of Dr Matt Ramsden and his wife Charlie, along with Bobbi Lewis is the first step in a daring move designed to regain ground lost by Corrie to BBC rival EastEnders. As many as 10 characters will be cut in the revamp, and an 8.30pm slot is being considered in an attempt to "inherit" Eastenders' audience. The Street's biggest names are expected to remain, and earlier this week bosses dismissed tabloid reports that Tracy Shaw was planning to quit the soap.

Passions will run high in the soap in March, leading to the departure of the three stars. Dr Matt Ramsden, played by Stephen Beckett, and his wife Charlie (Clare McGlinn) will leave after the GP's affair with Maxine (Tracy Shaw) is exposed.

And in a second sizzling storyline Bobbi Lewis, played by Naomi Russell, will walk when her boyfriend Vikram Desai (Chris Bisson) cheats on her with another woman. She leaves after unleashing a revenge campaign against boyfriend Vikram. The storyline explodes when Vikram is caught cheating with Hazel Wilding, played by Kazia Pelka. The 23-year-old actress said she now intends to "broaden her horizons".

Corrie's Ashley learns of Maxine's adultery
3 January 2002

Coronation Street's Ashley Peacock is finally to discover his wife's baby may not be his. Ashley, played by Steven Arnold, is devastated by news of Maxine's night of drunken passion with Dr Matt Ramsden. The dramatic storyline at the end of March leads to the departure of Dr Ramsden and his wife Charlie from the soap. And difficulties with the pregnancy mean Maxine - played by Tracy Shaw - could lose the baby.

In reality, Stephen Beckett, who plays Dr Ramsden, is leaving to star in a film being shot in Ireland, with his fiance Anna Brecon, who stars in Emmerdale. He said: "I have had a fantastic year and a half in Coronation Street. The cast and the crew are a fabulous bunch of people to work with and it's great we are being given such a fantastic exit storyline." Charlie actress, Clare McGlinn said: "We came in on a high and we are leaving on a high."

Another character saying goodbye to the Street is Bobbi Lewis, played by Naomi Russell, who leaves after a revenge campaign against Vikram Desai, played by Chris Bisson. Vikram makes the mistake of cheating on Bobbi with Hazel Wilding, played by Kazia Pelka.

The spring storyline also features Gail Platt, played by Helen Worth, who accepts conman Richard Hillman's wedding proposal believing she has found true happiness at last.

Coronation Street bosses dismiss 'Tracy Shaw to quit' claims
2 January 2002

Coronation Street bosses have dismissed as "speculation" reports that Tracy Shaw is planning to quit the soap. The actress is reported to have told friends she is considering leaving the show to have a baby. She plays pregnant hairdresser Maxine Peacock.

Shaw was voted Britain's sexiest soap actress last year. She wants to follow in the footsteps of other former Street stars like Angela Griffin, the Daily Star claims. But bosses at the ITV soap brushed off the reports as "just speculation" and said they had heard of no plans for her to quit.

Maxine is currently at the centre of a "who's-the-father" storyline after becoming pregnant while having an affair with Dr Matt Ramsden, played by Stephen Beckett.

Shaw is reported to want a family of her own after marrying freelance TV producer Robert Ashworth last year.

A spokeswoman for Coronation Street said: "I do think this is just speculation. She is contracted to the show until October. She has not (given her notice) and we are not aware of any plans for her to leave at all. "Being on Coronation Street would not preclude her having a child. It is probably one of the easiest jobs to have a baby as it's as close to a nine-to-five job that an actor can have."

Corrie actress is obsessed with EastEnders
1 January 2002

Coronation Street actress Tracy Shaw says she's obsessed with EastEnders.

Shaw, who plays Maxine Peacock, says she's been glued to the happenings in Albert Square. She has even admitted to having to stop watching the BBC soap to film scenes for its ITV1 rival. "I watch all the soaps and I've been particularly gripped by EastEnders lately," she told the Radio Times. "If it's on while I am filming, I have to be dragged out to do my scenes."

Shaw has also admitted she doesn't expect her characters marriage to Ashley to last. "I think it's safe to assume that as Maxine has already had a couple of affairs, she'll no longer be married to Ashley in 10 years," she said.

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