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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.