The Weatherfield Recorder - back issues, Oct

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Only Fools' Christmas special tops TV charts
31 December 2002
Only Fools And Horses' Christmas special has received the highest ratings of 2002. It narrowly beat the second Christmas Day episode of EastEnders, with an audience of 16.3 million. But ratings for the BBC1 comedy were down on last year, when its 2001 festive edition attracted 21.34 million viewers.

The EastEnders episode in which Jamie Mitchell dies pulled in 16 million viewers, making it the second most watched programme of the year. And an episode of Coronation Street, in which Emily Bishop nearly dies at the hands of Richard Hillman, came in third place, with 15 million viewers.

Much of the top ten was dominated by the World Cup, but the top-rated drama of the year was Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. It came in at number eight, just beating ITV stalwart A Touch of Frost.

Street Tracy is love cheat
31 December 2002
Corrie's Tracy Barlow has been exposed as a liar and a love cheat, according to a national newspaper.

Tracy, played by Kate Ford, cheated on her husband - despite claiming she'd found him in bed with one of her friends. Tracy's lies and deceit are exposed by Ken and Deirdre as husband Robert Preston arrives on The Street, according to the Daily Star.

Rob, played by Julian Kay, explains that it was her who was caught cheating. But Tracy hasn't let that stop her getting her man over Christmas - she's already thrown her wedding ring onto the fire and has got together with Dev Alahan (Jimi Harkishin), just 12 months after he was sleeping with her screen mum Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride).

Actor wants Corrie killer to die
30 December 2002
The man behind Coronation Street's killer has said he wants to see his character killed off rather than him being sent to jail.

Brian Capron, who plays murderer Richard Hillman, wants Corrie's producers to kill him off or to let him mysteriously disappear - so he could return to seek revenge upon those who have crossed him. "I'd like to see him vanish without trace," Brian told Inside Soap magazine. "I'd love to see him die a flawed hero or disappear. But that's just a romantic notion."

Despite his dangerous role, Brian has had a warm reception from fans. "Most people's reaction is humorous despite Richard's psychopathic nature," he said. "They want to know what he is going to be up to next and whether he is going to get caught."

Brian's contract with the soap is set for the next seven months and his fate is yet to be decided by soap bosses.

Les gets new lease of life after Janice's Batters-bye
29 December 2002
CORRIE layabout Les Battersby is to re-invent himself as a lovable romantic, I can reveal. The comical taxi driver (played by the brilliant BRUCE JONES) will have a complete personality change after divorcing wife Janice. OUT will go his lazy, beer-swilling gambling lifestyle. IN will come the smart, hard-working version.

And lazy Les will even net himself a new woman. My Weatherfield source reveals: "Janice (VICKY ENTWISTLE) wants a divorce and rather than hit the bottle as he did when she left him for Dennis Stringer, Les agrees to it and becomes a New Man. "He'll be a born-again romantic and an all-round Mr Nice Guy." Corrie fans had been hoping the comic couple would renew their stormy relationship ever since their drunken night of love last month. But soap bosses have decided to keep Janice with cop boyfriend Mike Hopwood (IAN GAIN).

All is not lost for Les, though. His new image works a treat and he's soon involved in a new romance. Bruce Jones tells me: "I can't give too much away, but we'll be seeing a different side of Les next year. "I'm looking forward to showing another side of his character. Fans have always wanted Les and Janice to get back together but it's not to be in 2003. But you can never say never."

TV rebel Katy's Corriecatures
29 December 2002 by Billy Sloan
ACTRESS Lucy-Jo Hudson has only been in Coronation Street a few months but she's already well acquainted with a host of famous faces. For she relaxes between takes on ITV's No.1 soap drawing caricatures of her favourite stars, from pop legend Madonna to Rowan Atkinson's rubber- faced creation Mr Bean.

Budding artist Lucy-Jo, 19 - who plays rebellious teenager Katy Nelson - has done great versions of actor Sean Bean, TV chef Ainsley Harriott, comedienne Jo Brand and Caroline Ahern's character Mrs Merton. Lucy-Jo, who began sketching at 13, said: "I've always loved drawing and my favourite style is caricatures. I'm not the kind of person who can knock one off in five minutes. They take hours to complete and are very detailed. "I began doing pictures of my family for birthdays and Christmases."

Lucy-Jo loves playing the mouthy daughter of the Street's new family. Unknown to most residents, they're living at No.6 as part of a police witness protection scheme. But Lucy-Jo hasn't yet sketched any of her fellow Corrie cast members. She said: "They're some of the most famous faces on TV so it would be great to draw characters such as Samia Ghadie, who plays Maria Sutherland, "We've become good mates and I'd love to do a caricature of her."

Julie's Countdown target
29 December 2002
CORRIE star JULIE HESMONDHALGH (Hayley Cropper) wants to go on Countdown because host Richard Whiteley "is so sexy". She adds: "I'd love to get him alone in dictionary corner"!"

Samia Ghadie
SEXY SAMIA GHADIE insists she's nothing like her character Maria: "She's a man-eater, so it's all high-heels, short skirts and plunging necklines. But I'm not a get-it-all-out girl at all."

Alan Halsall
ALAN HALSALL, Tyrone Dobbs in Corrie, says he gets stacks of saucy fan-mail from female admirers. "Sometimes they give me an address and ask me to pop round. But I just blush and send them a photo."

Killer reads eulogy at Maxine's funeral
29 December 2002
Corrie killer Richard Hillman is to read the service at his victim Maxine Peacock's funeral, according to newspaper reports. Richard, played by Brian Capron, bludgeons Maxine (Tracy Shaw) to death at the New Year, but attends the funeral in a bid to cover his tracks by showing fake concern. But when the emotions get too much for Maxine's grieving dad and he can't continue with a eulogy during the service, father-in-law Fred Elliott (John Savident) asks Richard to step up to the pulpit and to take over, according to the News of the World.

Much to the horror of Audrey Roberts - the only Corrie character who knows that Richard is the murderer - he waxes lyrical about Maxine's life and times, the paper reports. Audrey (Sue Nicholls) is unable to stand by and watch the killer's hypocrisy any longer and, in an episode to be screened in January, confronts him in front of the mourners.

Little is she believed though, as Richard reminds The Street's regulars that his mother-in-law's mind is playing tricks on her and Gail (Helen Worth) tells her mum that if she were a decent human being she would leave Richard alone. "This will be one of the most compelling episodes ever," an insider tells the paper. "In some ways even more dramatic than the murder because his actions are so sinister."

Corrie's Karen named Woman of the Year
29 December 2002
Suranne Jones, who plays The Street's Karen McDonald, has been named as woman of the year by a national newspaper. Karen, who joined the soap in 2000, has an ongoing feud with Geena (Jennifer James) and lives with Steve above Streetcars, but has her eyes on moving upmarket.

Known for taking risks - she married Steve (Simon Gregson) when they both refused to back out of a bet - she's recently met her match in Joe Carter (Jonathan Wrather), who fired her from Underworld. The People's Garry Bushell awarded his own "GAFTAS" - Garry's Awards for Televisual Achievement 2002 - to a host of celebrities who have appeared on our screens throughout the year. Along with Suranne, Corrie's Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) was named villain of the year because he is "so fiendish he managed to start an electric fire on a gas stove with spilt milk".

Corrie also scooped the GAFTA for the best soap death - but it wasn't one of Richard's victims. It was the Street's Dennis Stringer (Charles Dale): "`Shock him' said the nurse. But how could you shock a man who'd seen Janice Battersby naked?" Garry writes.

The worst soap comeback was also made by one of the Street's characters as Bet Gilroy (Julie Goodyear) returned, "looking like Lily Savage's gran," according to the newspaper.

The only other soap to be recognised by the GAFTAS was EastEnders, with Shane Richie being named the top soap newcomer for his role as the Queen Vic's new manager, Alfie Moon. The Walford soap also scooped the award for the top soap double act, none other than Patrick Trueman and Jim Branning (and John Bardon). The honeymoon of Jim and Dot (June Brown) was named as the funniest soap moment of 2002.

Tricky Dicky is a TV turn on
27 December 2002
Tricky Dicky Hillman may be the scourge of Coronation Street - but the viewers can't get enough of him. And murdering Dicky's devastating deeds have rocketed the Street to the top of a poll for the best soap moments of 2002. Telly magazine TV Soap voted Richard Hillman's plots to kill off his friends and neighbours one of the prime reasons for Corrie's rebirth, and why the Street is must-see TV again.

EastEnders came second in the poll, thanks mainly to Trevor Morgan's fiery exit and the death of hero fireman Tom Banks.

Emmerdale took third spot for its 30th anniversary episode.

Shared hair day for Julie and Becks
27 December 2002
It's a case of double trouble for Julie Hesmondhaigh, who plays sex swap Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street, and Manchester United star David Beckham. Julie's fellow cast members and Beckham's team mates reckon the pair look like each other - and have started calling them by the other's name.

In the Street, Julie wears a short black bob. But in real life her chosen style is punky blonde spikes - exactly how Beckham likes to wear his hair. According to the Daily Star, Chris Bisson, who plays Vik Desai in the soap, revealed the nickname taunts. He said Manchester United players had seen Julie off screen and noticed how her hair resembled the England captain's latest style.

EastEnders "wins Christmas Day soap battle"
26 December 2002
Unofficial figures suggest that EastEnders won the Christmas Day soap ratings battle. Overall, EastEnders was the second biggest show of the day, according to unofficial overnight figures, with 16 million tuning in to the later edition to see the traditional seasonal misery. Among the grim treats for viewers was Jamie Mitchell's death.

Coronation Street - the most watched show at Christmas two years ago - was in third place with 13.3 million viewers while fellow ITV1 soap Emmerdale was in sixth position, attracting an audience of 10.3 million.

Only Fools And Horses was again the biggest show on the box, with 16.3 million tuning in to see Del Boy and Rodney's final scam - although it was down four million on the previous Christmas. The show pulled in 63% of viewers for the 90-minute special, screened at 9.40pm, and led the BBC's domination of TV viewing, which saw it take much of the top ten shows.

The Queen's Speech had the seventh biggest ratings with 9.3 million viewers if both ITV1 and BBC1 screenings are combined, reversing a trend for the figure to drop each year. The BBC has traditionally won the battle to grab viewers who are slumped in front of the festive TV. BBC1 pulled in 44.6% of viewers in peak time (6pm to 10.30pm) - down 6% on last year - compared with ITV1's 32.7%. And it had 38.8% of viewing for the whole day, against ITV1's 24.2%.

BBC1 controller Lorraine Heggessey said today: "I'm thrilled that viewers decided to spend Christmas with BBC1, but we don't measure our success in ratings alone. "It's about offering the best family Christmas in a rich and varied schedule with great British comedians and entertainers that viewers of all ages can enjoy together. Viewing figures will rise when video recordings are taken into account.

Corrie plot reminds Sue of tragedy
23 December 2002
Sue Nicholls is currently stealing the show as grandmother Audrey Roberts, struggling to convince her family that she hasn't lost her mind in Coronation Street. But Sue has revealed that her startling performances are based on personal experiences. Her mother Dorothy succumbed to dementia after a series of strokes, and died last year aged 87.

In the soap Sue's character, Audrey Roberts, is desperate to prove her sanity after murderous son-in-law Richard Hillman sets her up to gain control of her savings. Sue admits that playing scenes where she attempts to convince her daughter and grandchildren that she hasn't lost her mind have been very testing. And she says that the plot has reminded her of just how desperate illnesses like dementia and Alzheimer's can be.

In the soap Richard Hillman, played by Brian Capron, has broken into Audrey's house to move her belongings, and has even set the place on fire in a bid to make it look as though Audrey was suffering the first signs of dementia.

Sexy? I bedded Dev in a pair of thermals
22 December 2002 by Steve Hendry
TRACY BARLOW is coming back to Coronation Street and the boys down Weatherfield way better watch out because she's not the dowdy, moody girl she used to be. The once truculent teenager has been replaced by a modern girl who is part minx, part man-eater. She's all grown up with a sexy new look, a feisty new attitude and a brand new face. And it belongs to actress Kate Ford, who arrives in Coronation Street on Christmas Day.

The 25-year-old takes her first steps down the hallowed cobbles wearing 6in stiletto heels - even if Kate admits she she could barely walk in them. "It's definitely a taste of Tracy," she said, with a smile. "Oh yes. Short skirts, high heels - they've got Tracy written all over them. "The first time I walked on the cobbles it was a bit uncomfortable because I had 6in heels on and it was difficult to walk. "I think Tracy is a bit of a femme fatale. She's really flirty, really out there and just wants to have a laugh with everybody. "She's more interested in making her own life in Coronation Street than coming back to fit in with anybody else's idea of what she should be."

Tracy turns up at the door of her mum Deirdre Rachid (Anne Kirkbride) and adopted dad Ken Barlow's (William Roache) house, having left her husband in London. She caught him in bed with his mistress but if Tracy's heart is broken, she doesn't waste any time putting it back together again... with a little help from the man who bedded her mum last Christmas - shopkeeper Dev Alahan (Jimmi Harkishin).

Dev's double whammy comes to light when Deirdre catches them together in the stockroom of the corner shop. It might be great stuff for viewers but it was nerve-racking for Kate, who found herself filming the red hot scenes only a week after winning the role of Tracy. She said: "Both Annie Kirkbride and William Roache have been a huge help because they have been so welcoming. They understand how daunting it is to come into something which is such an institution. "The first time I came into the studios they both gave me a massive hug and have been nothing but encouraging ever since. "Jimmi is great to work with as well and he just puts you at ease. He's got a wicked sense of humour and I've been enjoying all the scenes - even the ones in bed. But I'm afraid it really wasn't that sexy. I had thermal long johns on underneath. "Annie hasn't given me any advice on going to bed with Dev but we all think it's a good storyline. "Deirdre's not happy at all but Tracy doesn't understand why until January, when it all comes out. But it's tradition in a way - the Barlows never have a good Christmas. "It sets up the way their relationship is going to go - and it's going to be sparky. "Tracy's still very close to Ken but she and Deirdre are going to have more of a love/hate relationship. "Tracy does things without thinking, that's her problem. So she ends up getting herself in trouble. But she likes it, in a way. It's not boring."

Now there's an understatement. Tracy Barlow may only be 25, but she has already been played by a record-breaking four actresses. First seen in 1977, Tracy - the daughter of Deirdre and Ray Langton (Ray Lewington) - was played by Christabel Finch until November 1983. The character wasn't seen again until July 1985 when Holly Chamarette took over. She played the role for nearly three years until she was replaced by the third and best-known Tracy, Dawn Acton, who has had the part on and off for 11 years. Between stints as Tracy, Dawn has been carving out a career for herself as a DJ and bringing up her son Thomas.

But Corrie producers weren't sure she was right for the new-look Tracy. They made her audition for the role - and she failed to get the part. Now Kate has the chance to make the role her own and she's up for challenge. "The character has changed quite a lot," she said. "So in a way I can make her my own character. She's still similar in some ways. She still likes her own way and she's not conventional. "I do remember Dawn playing Tracy but I didn't watch her again or ask for tapes. What I did do was ask for tapes of Ray Langton, Tracy's real father. "There are a lot of references in the programme to her being her father's daughter so I thought that would be useful."

Having been brought up in Manchester and the surrounding area, she reckons she was born to the part. Her family, who are still based in the area, are as delighted as she is about her role. "You could say I was a fan," said Kate, laughing. "I was born in Manchester then moved out of the city when I was 13 and I have been in London for the last six years. My mum and dad still stay up north and they are absolutely delighted, as you can imagine. "I couldn't believe it when I got the part. "I didn't think I had a good audition so I was amazed when they called me back for a screen test with Jimmi. "I was just ecstatic when I got the call to say I had the part but I was on a train from London to Brighton so I couldn't jump around as much as I would have liked. I have made up for it since though."

Kate started filming just a week after getting the news and is still coming to terms with walking down Weatherfield's main street. "It's really weird because I finish filming here and I walk round into my gran's and she's got Corrie on," she said. "It's a bit surreal at times. The houses aren't built to scale so everything's so much smaller than you expect and it's not as intimidating as you might expect - although the first time I walked in the Rovers was very scary. "I think because I've seen it a million times and it's an institution in itself. That was when I was really nervous."

Kate studied drama in Blackpool and London and although The Street is her biggest part to date, it's not her first taste of soap. She had a small part in - whisper it - Corrie's big rival EastEnders, when they filmed a Bianca and Ricky spin-off in Manchester. She played Sophie, best pal of Bianca (Patsy Palmer) in the North. She is also appeared in daytime soap Doctors and was starring opposite Keith Allen in the play Glastonbury when she got the part in Corrie. "It's not my first job but it's the nicest one I've had," she said. "I'm really delighted to get the part and it's the best job of my career so far, without a doubt. I'm just grateful that they have given me this chance. "It's not up to me to say how long I'll be here but I'm loving it, put it that way."

Being in Corrie will inevitably bring fame to Kate. She's been too busy to worry about it but is aware that come Boxing Day, she may have to don baseball cap and sunglasses to hide from fans. "I don't think it's really dawned on me and I don't think it will until I'm actually on screen," she said. "I think I'm looking forward to it. The rest of the cast are great. "They spoke to me, told me what it's like, getting stared at when you go shopping. "You lose your anonymity, I suppose. But if you're an actor, you kind of expect it. I think the key is you just don't let it affect you."

Single Kate is waiting for her ideal man to come along. Although the actress helped choose her costume she wouldn't be seen dead in Tracy's gear. She prefers combats and trainers to high heels and short skirts. And she wouldn't be up for a casual fling with the local shopkeeper. In fact, when she talks about boys, she suddenly gets all embarrassed. She said: "I'm single but looking for the perfect man. I'm looking for a lovely man. I'm not actively searching but if he walked in I would know. Physically, it would be someone who looks like Jude Law or Ioan Gruffud... God, I'm going red. I feel like a 10- year-old."

Tracy's undressed to thrill
22 December 2002
You'll soon be able to see Tracy Shaw as Corrie fans have never seen her - completely undressed to thrill! The super-sexy star is quitting the Street in the New Year to appear NAKED on stage. Tantalising Tracy, who put the Cor! in Corrie as man- eating hairdresser Maxine Peacock, will be altogether raunchier in The Blue Room.

The 29-year-old stunner will strip every night for 16 weeks for a romp in the kitchen with co-star Jason Connery. And it's obvious Tracy is in terrific shape for the role made famous by Hollywood superstar Nicole Kidman in London.

A close pal told The People: "Tracy knows she's about to spark a thousand male fantasies. But she's taking the part very seriously and can't wait to get on stage." Tracy has been training for a Salsa exercise video and the friend said: "She wants to show off her shapely curves. She has matured from soap siren to a sexy, sophisticated woman."

Maxine has had her share of dramas in the ITV1 soap with hubby Ashley - actor Steven Arnold - and baby Joshua. But Tracy's new confidence and sensuality is down to her real-life marriage to TV producer Robert Ashworth, 30. The couple wed 18 months ago and Tracy, who once battled against anorexia, said: "Marrying Robert has made me so happy. "I started to look in the mirror and like my body. "I've put weight on to my boobs and my bottom - which Robert loves."

Tracy, who has starred in Coronation Street for seven years, will make a sensational exit in the New Year. It is believed that fans will see her killed by baddie Richard Hillman before her nationwide spring tour in The Blue Room starts in Cambridge on February 3. The former Rear of the Year girl said: "I've chosen to do it rather than panto." Maybe, but we bet your fans will still be looking behind you, Tracy!

Sally Lindsay
SALLY LINDSAY - Corrie barmaid Shelley Unwin - is "dead jealous" of JOHNNY BRIGGS (Mike Baldwin) because he's appeared in a Carry On film. Sally tells me: "I'm a huge fan of the Carry On movies. They're hilarious! I hope they come back again so I can star in one."

Alan Halsall
ALAN HALSALL, grease monkey Tyrone Dobbs in Corrie, claims he gets stacks of saucy fan mail from female admirers. Alan says: ""Sometimes they give me their addresses and ask me to pop round. But I just send them a signed photo."

She'll sink without Trace
22 December 2002 by Carole Malone
BECAUSE her talent for acting is on a par with Sooty's, Tracy Shaw has done what she always does when she needs a bit of publicity - she's taken her clothes off. Having made the unwise decision to quit Corrie after a row over money, Ms Shaw is realising it's a cold, hard world for actors who can't act. So last week she stripped for some saucy photos and dredged up a few so-called exclusives - "My coke hell" (which I suppose is a variation on "my anorexic hell" and "my love cheat hell) and "my Corrie death threat" which apparently looks at the time Jacqueline Pirie, alias Mike Baldwin's wife Linda, came up to her after something about her appeared in the papers and said "I'll f...ing kill you".

Knowing Ms Shaw's propensity to blab for cash, this seems a pretty understandable reaction on the part of Ms Pirie. No doubt Ms Shaw's "exclusives" will provide enough cash to pay for a few Christmas presents, which is probably just as well because I suspect in future acting jobs - other than those which involve getting her baps out - will be pretty thin on the ground.

Soap gossip
21 December 2002 by Tim Randall
NICE kennel girl turned slapper Maria discovers she's pregnant in Corrie next month - only problem is the father is John, Toyah's new bloke. Quite how she can be so sure is anyone's guess, the amount she's been at it of late.

Anyway, when John finds out he offers to pay for the abortion. Poor Toyah, meanwhile, is oblivious to the identity of the father, but knowing Fiz she won't be able to keep her gob shut about this for much longer.

Corrie facing roller-coaster year
20 December 2002
Several characters in Coronation Street are in for a roller-coaster 2003, say bosses at ITV's top soap. Kieran Roberts, the show's producer, told Inside Soap that the seeds are being sown for some huge stories in the New Year as it rating battle with EastEnders continues.

He said: "People are already aware that Georgia Taylor (Toyah Battersby) and Tracy Shaw (Maxine Peacock) are leaving in 2003, and the events that lead to them going are pretty stunning." He also promises that Street characters Shelley Unwin, played by Sally Lindsay, Peter Barlow (Chris Gasgoyne) and Lucy Richards (Katy Carmichael) are all in for a major upheaval.

Mr Roberts added: "Now we know that Julie Goodyear is available to come back as Bet Lynch for short-term appearances, we're on the lookout for ways to let that happen, but nothing has been confirmed yet." He hopes the gripping story-lines will help Coronation Street carry off with more awards next year.

Mr Roberts promises that murderous Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) will soon be looking for a new victim. He added: "Richard isn't finished yet and he is going to kill again. He's got 11 possible victims lined up - so a number of characters are in danger from his murderous intentions"

Spider legs it back to the Street
20 December 2002
SPIDER Nugent is making a sensational return to Coronation Street - two years after he left behind lover Toyah Battersby. And yesterday, the eco-warrior's dramatic reappearance sparked fears his aunt Emily Bishop may be killed off by serial killer Richard Hillman in the show's Christmas storyline.

Bosses are keeping Tricky Dicky's next victim a secret. But insiders say Spider played by actor Martin Hancock could be returning to the Street to attend a funeral - making his Aunty Em favourite to be killed. Hancock, who has been appearing in the Christmas pantomime Jack and the Beanstalk in Stockport, was spotted filming at Granada studios in Manchester. One insider said: "It could be Spider will be attending a funeral but nobody knows for sure. Everyone is gossiping about it."

Hancock first appeared in the Street in 1997 as the green, herbal cigarette smoking, didgeridoo owner. He won the heart of Toyah and the pair campaigned against a plan to build a concert bowl on the show's Red Rec. They also tried to save Theresa the turkey from becoming the Battersby's Christmas dinner - but failed when Les ran the bird over in his car.But Toyah refused to join vegan Spider - real name Geoffrey - when he made a spiritual journey to India.

Betrayal on the Street
19 December 2002
Coronation Street's Maria Sutherland is to betray her best friend Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor) and sleep with her man, John, played by Paul Warriner.

Samia Ghadie, who plays barmaid Maria in the soap, risks losing everything when a New Year's Eve kiss leads to a more intimate affair back at the flat she shares with Toyah and Fiz (Jennie McAlpine). " Maria realises for sure that John fancies her on New Year's Eve," Samia told Inside Soap magazine. "He's sitting really close to her in the Rovers and saying cheesy things to her like `Have you thought of being a model?' " Maria's flattered because she needs to hear things like this, especially after everything that happened with her last boyfriend, Vikram Desai. Her attraction to John is definitely growing so when they later share a New Year's Eve kiss, there's a moment between them."

Despite her every effort to resist the temptation, Maria succombs to his attentions. " She knows something is likely to happen between them if they're alone again," Samia told the magazine. "So, when Toyah later announces that she's going to Emily Bishop's to study, Maria does her best to persuade her to stay home so that there's no opportunity for anything to go on between her and John." But sure enough, Toyah goes off to study and John arrives, complete with a bottle of wine. As one thing leads to another and the pair end up in bed, flatmate Fiz returns to find them in a state of undress. She demands that Maria confesses to Toyah. " Maria's scared," Samia said. "She knows that Fiz is being loyal to Toyah and she does admire that, but she doesn't want to lose her friend."

Maria may end up alone if she doesn't be careful, Samia said. "However, I think that what's in store for Maria might make her change her ways..." But she did not confirm rumours in the Star on Sunday newspaper that the drunken fling leads to Maria becoming pregnant.

Corrie star's murderous alter ego
18 December 2002 by Hannah Wright
Richard Hillman is fast becoming one of Corrie's most infamous villains. With Christmas upon us and his finances in dire straits, he is gearing up to make another killing.
The question on everybody's lips is who will it be? Moneybags Emily Bishop is a hot favourite.

We talk to Brian Capron, the actor who plays the murderous conman, about his plans for Christmas and who Richard's next victim will be. " I'm afraid Richard doesn't let up over Christmas, far from it," he laughs. "In fact, the storyline hots up, he really wraps up the temperature." Richard faces financial ruin unless he can get his hands on some cash, and fast.

So who is Richard going to snuff out as the Christmas bells toll? " It could either be someone who knows something about Richard, perhaps Norris or Archie, or someone with a lot of money, like Emily, who took out an equity policy with him," says actor Capron. Whoever it is, the murder will seal a busy year for Richard, who left pal Duggie for dead, silenced his ex- wife Patricia for good, and wed Gail.

Brian can't remember a time when he's had an easy week. " I think I'm right in saying you usually have five weeks of a big storyline then it eases off before you get another one," he says. "But this has been relentless." His hard work has not gone unnoticed, however. He walked away with Best Villain at the Inside Soap Awards and was nominated Best Newcomer at The National Television Awards this year.

Capron says his alter ego, killer Richard Hillman, obviously has a clinical disorder. " I think it comes from his family background," says Brian. "I get the feeling of a very austere father who left home and left Richard to it. " When he told Gail about his mother's Alzheimer's, he was genuinely upset, it left a big hole and is why Gail and her family are so important to him. But his warped sense of logic is that he kills to provide for Gail."

Brian is looking forward to his own perfect Christmas present - two weeks at home with his family in Brighton. "I can't wait for it because I don't get home very often," he says. "Those Christmas weeks are incredibly precious to me now." Christmas Day will be a traditional family occasion with girlfriend Jacqueline Bucknell, their six- year-old son Louis, plus Brian's daughters Lucy, 27, and Ellen, 24.

And he plans to rub shoulders with pop star Midge Ure on New Year's Eve. " Jacqui (Brian's girlfriend) has known him since the new romantic movement years ago, when she was involved in the music business," said Brian, 53. " In fact, she went out with Martin Kemp for a while. Midge lives in Bath and has a lovely farmhouse and studio, and we often spend New Year's Eve there, or they come here."

Any spare time over the holiday period will be spent planning his wedding. Brian and Jacqui plan to marry next year, possibly at a villa in the Italian town of Positano. But before then, it's back to business as murderous Richard. "He has got to get his comeuppance," says Brian. "But I would also like to see him go out as a flawed hero, perhaps do something to absolve himself, like save David's life."

Soap bosses duel for supremacy
18 December 2002
The bosses of Britain's two top soaps have locked horns in a new ratings battle, according to reports. The Daily Star says that Corrie boss Kieran Roberts has already made taking the long-running Granada series to the top of the tree his New Year's resolution. But it observes that he'll face tough competition from EastEnders' boss Louise Berridge who as pledged to keep Albert Square top of the pile.

However, Corrie has its eyes on winning more awards after losing out to Albert Square in this year's Soap Awards, the paper says, and Roberts has already told Inside magazine that he plans to bring in some new powerful characters. The competiton can only be good news for Corrie fans, who can look forward to: Trouble for Peter Barlow, his fiancee Shelley and mistress Lucy Richards; More murder and mayhem courtesy of Richard Hillman and a return for Bet Lynch.

Meanwhile, EastEnders fans are expected to be served up a treat, with the Phil Mitchell/Lisa Fowler storyline taking centre stage and Alfie Moon (Shane Richie) revealing the darker side of his nature. And, aahh, the good news is Billy Mitchell and Little Mo will live happily ever after - well as happily as anyone can in Albert Square!

The battle looks set to hot up even more as Emmerdale attracted its biggest audience of the year on Monday night. The one-hour special show peaked with 12.1 million viewers and averaged more than eleven million (11.1m). WPC Angie Reynolds, played by Freya Copeland, was buried and Louise Appleton, played by Emily Symons, was involved in a sinister twist in the latest storyline which will lead to her killing her stalker. But the ITV soap is still behind both Corrie and EastEnders in the war for viewers, as they attracted 11.9 million and 11.8 million respectively on Monday.

Caring Corrie
18 December 2002
CORONATION Street favourites are starring in a series of TV ads to urge people not to feel lonely at Christmas. Sue Nicholls, Chris Bisson and Bruce Jones will promote the Careline service for people with festive stress.

Sue - who plays Audrey Roberts - said: "It's important they know a friendly voice is just a phone call away."

Ciaran returns
17 December 2002
Ciaran McCarthy, played by Keith Duffy, looks set to cause trouble in Coronation Street when he returns to give his blessing to Shelley Unwin and Peter Barlow. After leaving the show last time after Peter, played by Chris Gasgoyne, stopped partying with him in favour of spending time with Sally Lindsay's character Shelley, few Street regulars believe his return will be amicable - especially when he turns up at their engagement party unannounced.

But actor Keith Duffy has told All About Soap magazine that his character just wants to be back with his best friend and is willing to accept that Peter's now with Shelley. " He and Peter were close for so long, the two of them have been through a great deal together, and he really missed him when they fell out," he told the magazine. " Ciaran wants to bury the hatchet and make amends and if that means that he has to accept Peter's relationship with Shelley, then so be it. " The reason he caused problems before was actually nothing to do with not liking Shelley personally. It's just that for 15 years, him and Peter had been going out on the pull together, getting into fights together, and practically living in each other's pockets. When Peter found Shelley, all that stopped."

But he is given a cold reception at the party. " As soon as Ciaran walks in, it's obvious he's not welcome. As far as Peter's concerned, Ciaran has blown it - their friendship is over," he said.

Ciaran is set to stay in Weatherfield anyway, explained Keith. "He's a bit of a loner really and, without Peter, he hasn't got anyone. He just thinks he might as well stay because he has got nowhere else to go." He soon gets a job in the cafe and begins to make a life for himself in the Street, but he still won't give up on Peter, Keith added.

Corrie couple on the rocks
16 December 2002
Coronation Street's perennial warring couple Ken and Deirdre appear to be heading for trouble. The Daily Star reckons the pair's on-off romance is heading for the rocks - yet again - when Ken hears of his ex-wife's latest stab at having an affair.

Ken (William Roache) is devastated when he learns of her fling with Dev Alahan (Jimi Harkishin) last Christmas, the tabloid reports. Deirdrie (Anne Kirkbride) - now back sharing a bed with her ex - confesses all to Ken just as he is about to go into court to answer a charge of assaulting teenage yob Aiden Critchley.

Mild Ken had snapped when joyrider had left Sarah Platt for dead in Ken's crashed car. The bombshell confession rekindles Ken's memories of Deirdre's affair with Mike Baldwin and coincides with her daughter Tracey's return to the Street - and an affair with shopkeeper Dev - the paper says.

Eating disorder left Tracy close to death
16 December 2002
Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw has told how the slimming disease anorexia nervosa left her close to death, with a skeletal frame and thoughts of suicide. The disease struck when she was a drama student six years ago, and at her lowest point she dropped to five-and-half-stone and was admitted to a psychiatric hospital.

" I started dieting, copying other girls. It spiralled into anorexia", Tracy told the Daily Star. " I thought I was going mad. I remember standing on a bridge and considering throwing myself into a river". But now Tracy, who plays hairdresser Maxine in the soap, is in such good physical and mental shape that she has released an exercise video of her favourite way to slim.

Tracy Shaw admits to drug-taking past
15 December 2002
Tracy Shaw has become the latest Coronation Street star to admit to taking cocaine while working on the soap opera, according to a newspaper report. In an interview that coincides with her exit from the Street, the 29-year-old told the Sun: "I was wrapped up in being a socialite. I was trying to do what everybody else does because I was new to this business."

Shaw said she began dabbling with the drug while dating singer Darren Day, who spoke about his drug habit on I'm A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here.The actress said: "At first I didn't realise Darren was doing it. He did a lot of it behind my back. " I did coke because Darren did it - and that was it really. I would never go back and it isn't a nice experience." The actress said farewell to the Coronation Street cast after seven years on the soap at her leaving party on Friday.

Other Corrie stars who have admitted to taking cocaine include Charlie Lawson, who played wife-beater Jim McDonald on the show. Shaw told the Sun that she never witnessed any other Coronation Street cast members taking the drug. A spokesperson from Coronation Street was not available for comment. Shaw told the newspaper that her eating disorders "resurfaced" during her drug-taking period. She has not touched the drug for six years, she added.

Corrie's Christmas kisses
15 December 2002
They do say that Christmas is a time for peace on Earth and goodwill to all men - but try telling that to the Street's Karen McDonald! Wherever the saucy factory girl goes, trouble and strife tend to follow. This Christmas, the fiesty sex bomb, played by raven-haired Suranne Jones, has to fight hard to keep her passion under wraps after a kiss under the mistletoe with boss Joe Carter.

Karen and Joe's relationship is a tetchy one - but behind their clashes is sizzling sexual chemisty. So far, nothing has happened between them - but what now? " Karen adores her husband Steve, but with Joe there's always been this lust/hate thing going on," says Suranne, 24. It's at the factory's Christmas party that passions begin to simmer. Suranne explains: "Joe's in a good mood because he's got a new order and Karen's happy because she's going on holiday and Joe's given her a day off. They drink in the Rovers and are in high spirits. Joe goes to find a taxi and Karen follows him to look for Steve. While they're by themselves, Karen - dressed in a silly hat with mistletoe - thanks Joe for letting her have a day off. The air is full of sexual tension and Joe, being a flirt, replies: `Give us a Christmas kiss and then we'll call it quits.'"

Viewers will be left wondering if this outwardly innocent kiss could develop into something more. Suranne's not saying, but admits: "Karen's life is certainly never dull.This will be her third Christmas in Weatherfield. For the first one she slept with Peter Barlow, and last Christmas she messed up the turkey dinner!"It doesn't look as if it will be any easier this year. Her and Steve's lives are put at risk when Vik embroils them in gambling debts. "The interesting thing is that Karen and Steve are brought closer together," says Suranne. "Instead of just blaming it all on Steve or bitching, Karen pulls together with him."

While it's been a tough year for Karen - she's been sacked twice, is worried sick about Steve and the warehouse robberies, has lost her dream house and she's broke - Suranne's own life has never been better. " It's been an amazing year for me," she grins. "I've got a new house, and my career's great. We do have one thing in common though - Karen adores her man Steve, and I adore mine."

Suranne's man is computer programmer Jim Phelan, 27, who she lives with in Cheshire. "I'm utterly in love with Jim and I hope we'll get married and have babies. But there's no rush. I'd never get hitched for a bet, like Karen." The couple, who've been together for two years, are dividing their Christmas time between her family in Oldham and his near Cheshire. "Jim and I plan to spend New Year being romantic and soppy, but we both feel that Christmas is a time for family. " That means we'll be eating two Christmas meals, so I'll be undoing my buttons and letting my belly hang out! I love those traditional treats - mulled wine, Baileys, mince pies and cream - so I'll have to get to the gym because one of my New Year's resolutions is to stick at 10st."

Christmas has always been a magical time for Suranne. " One of my earliest memories is leaving out my stocking with a glass of port and a mince pie for Santa. I remember the rush of real excitement when I woke up and realised the mince pie had a bite missing. " I'm still a big kid. I'll wake up at six and poor Jim will be telling me to go back to sleep!" The festivities will kick off at her Auntie Jean's house. "We have a rule in our family that you're allowed to open one early present on Christmas Eve. " Then, on Christmas morning we go to Mass, then it's a race back home to open the rest of the presents. And in the evening, of course, we'll all be sitting down together to watch the Corrie Christmas episode."

Having sex on the box gave me the giggles
12 December 2002 by Rachel Murphy
SHE is known to millions of Coronation Street fans as trouble-making teenage tearaway Candice Stowe.For three years, actress Nikki Sanderson has breathed fire and passion into the precocious schoolgirl - seducing an older man, bedding her boyfriend's big brother and vying with her best mate for the attentions of a local tearaway.At 18, Nikki has blossomed into a stunningly attractive young woman. And with her mischievous smile and brimming confidence it's easy to imagine she could give Candice a run for her money any day. She recently fuelled her sexy image by ditching her Weatherfield school uniform and posing in lacy lingerie on the cover of lads' magazine Loaded.

Not surprisingly, showbiz gossips have speculated about her love life, but the reality is a far cry from any of Candice's dangerous liaisons.Nikki has been dating clothes shop assistant manager Jamie Meakin, 23, for two years. They are totally devoted to each other and are talking of engagement. " Some people expect me to be a man-eater like Candice, but I'm not like her at all," says Nikki as she snuggles up to Jamie on a sofa at the Lowry Hotel in Manchester. " It's great playing such a bitch. I think it's a part of me that's locked away and I'd never, ever get out in real life. " I loved it when Candice cheated on her boyfriend with his big brother. I'd never do that in a million years, and it's great to be able to behave so badly and not get into trouble for it."

Nikki met Jamie on a night out in Manchester not long after she had joined the Street. He had spotted her once before in Bury, Greater Manchester, where she lives with her mum Judy and younger brother James, 16. But he hesitated to chat her up in case she thought he only fancied her because she was on TV.Luckily, when he saw her again in Manchester, Nikki noticed him and sent a friend over with her phone number. " The first time I saw Jamie I thought: 'You're kinda fit'," giggles Nikki. "He is exactly my type. I fancied everything about him and he's absolutely beautiful. " Both sets of our mates did a sort of 'My mate fancies your mate' thing and when we eventually got talking I also realised he was a nice, genuine lad. " One thing I can't stand is stuck-up, phoney people. I knew he didn't just fancy me because I was on telly. " Now we're best friends. We can talk about anything. He's really loving and caring and he shows me a lot of affection in public, which I love."

There's no doubt about that. When they posed for our photographs, Nikki and Jamie couldn't stop kissing and cuddling. And when you ask Jamie why he fell for her, he eyes her from top to toe adoringly. " I love her cute smile and she is totally gorgeous," he says. "Also she's got her feet firmly on the ground. Even if she made it in Hollywood she'd be exactly the same. " She's very affectionate with everybody and she thinks of other people before herself."

THEY are almost inseparable. He bought her a diamond-studded Gucci watch for her 18th birthday and she leaves him little notes and teddy bears on his pillow when he's had a long day at work. Even though they don't live together, they spend as much time as they can at each other's houses. One of Nikki's favourite treats is curling up in bed with Jamie and watching DVDs and eating sweets. They rarely go on nights out without each other - which came in very handy recently when there was a story that Nikki was dating Footballers' Wives star Gary Lucy and had been seen getting "pretty close" at a club. In fact Gary simply gave Nikki a peck on the cheek when he left with two mutual friends - Ryan Thomas, who plays Corrie's Jason Grimshaw, and Bruno Langley, who plays Candice's boyfriend Todd Grimshaw. Jamie was there, in any case.

He is a very laid-back character who is not fazed by Nikki's fame. This is the first time he has agreed to a photo-shoot with her. He has been described as a "mystery man" in the past, which he finds hilarious. It's just as well he can laugh about it. As a Corrie babe's boyfriend, he has had to watch her kissing another man on screen and being mobbed by fans in the street - not to mention posing for Loaded. He's also had to get used to rubbing shoulders with other cast members and attending celebrity parties. He shrugs: "At first I found it very daunting when Nikki was asked for autographs whenever we were out, but now I just step back and let her take the limelight. " When she was in Loaded I had mixed feelings. I remember thinking: 'This is not good - my friends are looking at my girlfriend in underwear.' The lads at work did take the mick a bit, but she's a beautiful girl and it boosted her profile, which is good for her career. I'd never hold her back." As for kissing her screen boyfriend Todd, when I next saw Bruno Langley I just said: 'Oy, you've been snoggin' my bird.' You have to have a laugh about it. " The most memorable showbiz moment was going to the Soap Awards and being faced with hundreds of photographers with flashes going off everywhere and people shouting: 'Over here!' I thought: 'What am I doing in the middle of all this? I should be on the other side of the barrier shouting and screaming like everyone else.'"

The first time Nikki met Jamie's mum, Sue, he warned her not to mention Corrie, but she couldn't help blurting out: "Ooh, you look fat on the telly." Now she is treated just like another member of his family - he has four younger brothers and two little sisters. Nikki and her mum and brother get on so well with them that they are all having Christmas dinner together. " It's like we're a married couple already," laughs Nikki. "But we're not planning to get married yet. It's the most serious relationship either of us has had. " We have spoken about marriage, but we don't even know what it's like to live together properly yet. We'll probably look for a house first and get engaged, but we both want to wait a while until we're really ready."

It's hard to believe that just a few years ago Nikki was still at school - and being bullied about her looks. " A few lads used to call me 'pig' because my nose turns up a bit at the end," she explains. " Acting was a way out. At drama school nobody cared what shape my nose was, and if I felt down I could be someone else for the day." Ironically, it's that upturned nose that now helps create some of Candice's bitchiest expressions." I was only 15 when I joined Corrie and it was a really lucky break," says Nikki. "The only telly jobs I'd had were modelling clothes on Granada Tonight and a part in Children's Ward. My mum always said there was a part out there that was made for me, and she was right."

Nikki started at Corrie the same day as Tina O'Brien, who plays Candice's friend Sarah Platt. They hit it off instantly and have been best friends ever since. They go out dancing together and support each other at work. Barbara Knox (Rita Sullivan) and William Roache (Ken Barlow) are among the senior cast members who have helped Nikki over the years. And she still feels privileged to work with them. She says: "I owe my success to my mum. My parents split up when I was two and my mum did a fantastic job of bringing me and my brother up on her own. " My dad's remarried and I've always been able to contact him whenever I wanted, but it's my mum who has been there day in and day out. " She's taught me to keep my feet on the ground. You have to stay being yourself in this job, because at the end of the day it's a job, albeit a very good job, and you can lose it very easily. " I'd love to go on and have a really glittering career, maybe doing films or singing and presenting. But what I've learned is that the most important thing about being successful is the power it gives you to be able to help other people. " At the moment I've got a fantastic job and a fantastic boyfriend, and I'm not taking either for granted."

Having sex on the box gave me the giggles
12 December 2002 by Thomas Quinn
LAUGHING during sex is the biggest insult you can bestow on a man. But Sarah Lancashire admits making the ultimate faux pas during sex scenes with Sons and Lovers co-star Hugo Speers. The former Corrie actress said she found it hard keeping a straight face while filming steamy romps for the two- part ITV drama, due to be screened next month. She said: "The out takes are hilarious. I'm a giggler, you see, so I lose it a lot. The thing is I don't do a lot of that kind of thing. And my feet can get a bit twitchy. " I get very embarrassed by it all, to be honest. So I tend to just giggle my way through. Hugo was fantastic, though, he just carried on as if absolutely nothing was happening."

The Full Monty star, who played a well-endowed stripper in the hit movie, could have been forgiven for feeling slightly miffed. But luckily he took it in his stride and saw the funny side too. He said: "I still call her wifey and she calls me hubby, so obviously the relationship we created was very profound. " But because this is DH Lawrence the role was very much one of can't talk, got to s**g."

Sarah plays Gertrude Morel, DH Lawrence's single-minded matriarch from the epic Sons And Lovers in a two- part dramatisation shown next month. The role called on her to age dramatically from a young bride to a woman in her fifties and sixties ravaged by poverty and bad luck throughout her whole life. And it also called on her to do what she rarely does on television - climb into bed with her co-star.

DH Lawrence's approach to bedroom matters was earthy, to say the least. And nothing is lost in this dramatisation regarding the way sex can bring both ecstasy and brutality. Sarah said it was her most demanding role to date. She explained: "The whole piece was difficult, it was emotionally difficult. " There is very little joy in Gertrude's life and there is also a great loneliness. And yet, despite all her troubles, she has a fantastic strength. " The director had very strong ideas about the character however, and I trusted him implicitly. Filming this drama was one of the best experiences of my career, the whole team working on it were very special. " More than anything I think it was important that at all times Gertrude had dignity. If that comes across, then as far as I'm concerned, it has worked."

For 38-year-old Sarah, however who is now expecting her third child - dignity went out the window when it came to the sex scenes. As for the scene in which his Walter beats his pregnant wife up, Speers is now nursing his own bruises. He said: "Doing that, I didn't hit her for real, but she hit me. You heard this almighty crack, and everyone behind the cameras winced. Sarah was great about it afterwards, she gave me a big hug and everything, but we had to do it 13 times. It hardly seems fair does it?"

TO Sarah, what fun there was to be had on set was only a minor distraction from the fact Gertrude is a part she'd felt compelled to play. Yet the novel had left her cold when she'd first read it at school. She recallled: "At 16 it had absolutely no impact on me whatsoever. Whoever put Sons and Lovers down as a GCSE text should have been shot. " How any child of 16 can be expected to understand the complexities of relationships, especially sons towards their mothers, I really don't know."

But as an older woman - and as a divorcee and a mother of two boys herself - she re- read the work and was able to understand for the first time the complex relationships the book concerned itself with. In 1985, she married Mancunian businessman Gary Hargreaves, the father of her two sons, Thomas, now 14, and Matthew, 12. They divorced in 1997 and last year the actress married BBC Head of Sport, Peter Salmon. The new relationship seems to have done her the world of good - she is currently six months pregnant with his child. She said: "This time the book, Sons and Lovers, had an enormous impact on me. I read it several times before we started shooting - to the point when the director was telling me, put the bloody book down."

Gertrude's plight is that she finds herself in an unhappy marriage. And as this is turn of 19th and 20th century Nottinghamshire, she is unable to simply get a divorce from mineworker Walter. Instead, she has to find what satisfaction she could out of her meagre existence struggling to get by on the little money a miner earned. So she transfers her affections to her sons - firstly William (James Murray) and then, on his premature death, to his younger brother Paul (Rockface star Rupert Evans).

Sarah herself knows what it is like to be in an unhappy relationship and how it might trap you. She talks openly about her first marriage break-up, admitting she had married too young.She said: "I got married only because I was pregnant. Simple as that. I am a very traditional girl and was horrified at the thought of having a child out of wedlock. " I didn't want a child of mine to be different or have fingers pointed." But she denies her affection for her own two sons helped her play the complex character of Gertrude.

A FIERCELY private person away from the cameras, she is aware of the parallels and is keen to keep her distance from them. She said: "Gertrude's obsessed with her children, I think that's the word for it. But I don't think being a mum myself had much influence really. " I have not yet reached the stage of my parenting life where I've had to deal with the issues Gertrude is dealing with here. " I certainly have a very good working relationship with Rupert. He is truly very special. " Actually, one of the hardest things was when I first met Rupert and James Murray, who were going to play my sons. " It was the first time it dawned on me that I'd got to that stage of my career when I could conceivably have grown-up children. " This is the first death I've done as well, so I think from here on in death roles are going to start happening a little more frequently. It's quite odd to think about, really."

Apart from playing older roles, Sons And Lovers marks a new departure of another sort for Lancashire. She will soon be seen in a one off drama, Beating Jesus, as a terminally ill woman having one last fling, and a series based on her recent legal thriller, Rose And Maloney. But Sarah is no longer working exclusively for ITV and some have claimed bosses dropped her because she was proving too expensive. The real reason for the move, she insists, is the desire to spread her wings after the birth of her child. She explained: "It was very much my decision not to renew the contract purely because I really felt I wanted more choice, in a sense. " I want to move further afield - not necessarily television, but also theatre. My deal was for 20 hours for ITV every two years, which you realise is a lot and I don't have a particular desire to do that much television any more. " I didn't feel I'd sold myself short with it at the time. I was the first female to be taken on exclusively, which I was rather pleased about. " In fact I was probably more pleased by that than I was about the deal itself. No, I thought it was a fantastic opportunity but I've done it now, and felt it was time to move on." A sentiment her screen alter ego Gertrude Morel would dearly have loved to share.

Sons and Lovers, ITV1, Sunday/MondayJanuary 12 and 13.

Soap star's attacker gets seven years
11 December 2002 by Helen Carter
A dangerous and violent former rent boy who stabbed a Coronation Street actor in the neck after they met in a bar in Manchester's gay village has been jailed for seven years, it emerged yesterday. Michael Smith, 30, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, was imprisoned in September for the attack on 62-year-old John Savident, who plays butcher Fred Elliott in the Granada soap opera. But reporting restrictions remained in place until yesterday when Smith, who has more than 60 convictions for offences including violent robberies and kidnap, was found guilty of other unrelated charges of robbery, theft and false imprisonment.

The week-long trial at Manchester crown court was told how Smith had convinced Mr Savident that he was a keen drama student when they met in Napoleon's bar after the actor made a personal appearance there for World Aids Day in November 2000. Once at the married star's flat, they continued talking for at least three hours until the early hours of the following day. Mr Savident told the court he had gone into his bedroom to charge his mobile phone and he was shoved face down on to his bed at knifepoint by Smith. He said: "I suddenly felt somebody come up behind me and whizz me round so I was face down on the bed and then I felt a prick on my throat. He said something like 'I bet you have never met a schizo before', which was really quite frightening."

Mr Savident lost two pints of blood in the attack, in which his neck was pierced twice. Smith, who had drunk beer and half a litre of vodka beforehand, demanded valuables and the keys to Mr Savident's classic Morgan sports car. When Smith went out to the garage the actor locked him out of the flat, then dialled 999. Despite fearing that he was dying, he pleaded with the emergency services operator to keep the story out of the newspapers. "I am John Savident. I play Fred Elliott in Coronation Street," he said. The actor fainted after police arrived at his home. He was released from Manchester royal infirmary after treatment for the neck wounds.

Jailing Smith for seven years, Judge Harold Singer said Mr Savident could have bled to death had the knife severed a major blood vessel. It emerged that Mr Savident, who used to be a police officer in Manchester, had been stabbed before - while trying to break up a fight when he was on the beat. He became a professional actor 20 years ago and has appeared in many stage productions and films, including A Clockwork Orange and Gandhi, before joining Coronation Street in 1994 as Fred Elliott. Smith was arrested by police in Canal Street on the day of the attack. His clothes were soaked in Mr Savident's blood. He was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievious bodily harm, and robbing Mr Savident of his wallet, keys, credit cards, cash, a silver money clip and jewellery and an invitation to the soap's 40th birthday party.

During the trial, Smith sacked his counsel and claimed he had acted in self-defence after Mr Savident made sexual advances towards him. But the actor said they had gone back to his flat so he could advise Smith on how to get into show business.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "John was a victim of a violent crime which has left him traumatised. " He has endured a dreadful experience, but felt a huge responsibility to fulfil a civic obligation in giving evidence."

Man jailed for attack on Street star
11 December 2002
A man who stabbed Coronation Street star John Savident in the neck after meeting him in a gay bar has been jailed for seven years. Michael Smith, 30, from Ashton-under-Lyne, Greater Manchester, was jailed in September, but reporting restrictions were only lifted on Tuesday after he was found guilty of an unrelated robbery. Mr Savident stars as butcher Fred Elliot in the soap.

Smith attacked Mr Savident in the early hours of 1 December 2000. Mr Savident met Smith in Manchester's Gay Village after making a personal appearance on the evening of 30 November, and invited him home to talk about the theatre. Michael Smith claimed he acted in self-defence Manchester Crown Court heard how the pair continued chatting into the early hours before Smith attacked Mr Savident in his bedroom. But Smith claimed that "discussions about the theatre" was a euphemism for sex. He said he had attacked Mr Savident in self-defence after he made advances towards him. He said to me something like, 'I bet you have never met a schizo before', which was really quite frightening

Mr Savident told the court that when he went into his bedroom to plug his mobile phone in to charge, he was shoved face down into his bed at knifepoint. " I was totally surprised," Mr Savident said. " I suddenly felt somebody come up behind me and whizz me round so I was face down on the bed and then I felt a prick on my throat." The actor added: "He said to me something like, 'I bet you have never met a schizo before', which was really quite frightening."

Smith demanded valuables and the keys to Mr Savident's classic Morgan sports car. Mr Savident's neck was pierced twice in a struggle. One of the wounds missed the main artery in Mr Savident's neck by less than an inch and sliced straight through a minor blood vessel. When Smith went to Mr Savident's garage, he locked his attacker out and called the emergency services. The actor passed out shortly after letting police into his home.

Smith was charged with wounding Mr Savident with intent to cause him grievous bodily harm and robbing him of his wallet, credit cards, a silver money clip and cash, a Jorge Jensen watch and ring, keys and an invitation to Coronation Street's 40th birthday party. He was found guilty after a week-long trial. Jailing Smith for seven years for the attack, Judge Harold Singer said Mr Savident could have bled to death had the knife severed a major blood vessel. He said: "This therefore was a nasty, callous infliction of injury and a nasty, callous robbery by the defendant on a man who, though large in build, is manifestly starting to lose his middle age into older age."

On Tuesday, Judge Gerard Humphries told Smith he could expect a "long term of custody" after a jury at the same court took just 30 minutes to convict him of robbery, theft and false imprisonment for an unrelated incident.

Coronation Street star's 999 call
Coronation Street star John Savident looked uncomfortable in the witness box as the tape of his 999 call was played in court. Mr Savident was giving evidence back in September at the trial of Michael Smith, the 30-year-old sentenced on Tuesday to seven years for stabbing the actor in his home.

Here are extracts from the 999 call played at Manchester Crown Court:

Operator: "You are through to the ambulance. Tell me your telephone number."
Mr Savident: "I've been stabbed. (Tells them phone number)"
Operator: "Where?"
Savident: "Rozel Square. That's M5. Near Granada studios.
Operator: "Where have you been stabbed, love?"
Savident: "I don't know but I'm dying."
Operator: "Where is the wound?"
Savident: "I don't know."
Operator: "Where is the pain?"
Savident:"In the neck. I am covered in blood."
Operator: "How old are you?"
Savident: "I'm 62 and I think he is coming back."
Operator: "The attacker?"
Savident: "Yes."
Operator: "Do you know the attacker?"
Savident: "No."
Operator: "When did this happen?"
Savident: "Ten minutes, quarter of an hour ago."
The Coronation Street star then begins mumbling as he gradually loses strength.
Savident: "I cannot see him. I am passing out. He has got all my keys."
Operator: "Stay on the phone to me."
Savident: "I know I have been stabbed in the neck."
Operator: "Is there anybody else with you?"
Savident: "No."
Operator: "Can you tell us if there is more than one wound?"
Savident: "No."
Operator: "You say there is a lot of blood?"
Savident: "Yeah."
Operator: "You think the attacker may be coming back?"
Savident: "Yeah."
Operator: "I'm going to stay on the phone."
Savident: "I have locked the door. He has got my keys but I have put the lock on... Chain type."
Operator: "What's your name?"
Savident: "John Savident. S-A-V-I-D-E-N-T. I can hear him. I think he is coming back."
Operator: "Stay on the phone with me, John."
Savident: "He is saying he is schizo. He said he is schizophrenic. He is trying to get in. He is trying to get in."
Operator: "Tell me if he gets into the room."
Savident: "He is trying to bang the door down."
Operator: "The police know all the details."
Savident: "He is here now. He is banging on the door and is trying to get in."
Operator: "You have locked the door, haven't you?"
Savident: "Yes, but it's not very good... He will kill me. He said he would. Yeah, he is here now."
Operator: "Is he in the flat?"
Savident: "I think he is."
Operator: "Stay on the phone."
Savident: "I will."
(Pause).
Savident: "What is important, you have got to keep this out of the papers.
Operator: "Right, don't worry about anything like that. Let's just take care of yourself, OK?"
Savident: "I'm John Savident."
Operator: "Sorry?"
Savident: "I'm John Savident, I play Fred Elliott in Coronation Street, so the Sun and the News of the World and all these people..."
Operator: "Right, well don't worry about that. We're going to worry about your health first of all. Try to keep your breath nice and even. The police know all the details and they are coming as soon as possible."
Savident: "I think he is giving up."
Operator: "You cannot hear him any more?"
(Pause. Savident can be heard mumbling. Mentions his car).
Operator: "Is there anything stuck in any of your wounds?"
Savident: "Just the knife."
Operator: "Is the knife stuck in the wound?"
Savident: "No. He has taken that."
Operator: "You say this happened about 15 minutes ago?"
Savident: "Longer than that."
Operator: "The police know all the details and are almost with you."
Savident: "What time is it?"
Operator: "It's ten to four in the morning."
(Pause. Savident mumbling).
Operator: "Are you lying on the floor?"
Savident: "At the moment, yes."
Operator: "What room are you in?"
Savident: "I'm in the front room."
(Pause).
Operator: "Have you been out tonight?"
Savident: "Yes.... charity function"
Operator: "Which charity?"
Savident: "Lesbian and Gay Foundation."
Operator: "Was it a good night?"
Savident: "I went to a club after that."
Operator: "Which club, because I know..."
Savident: "Napoleon's."
Operator: "Is this where you met this gentleman?"
Savident: "Friend of the owner."
Operator: "Just stay on the line."
(Knocking at the front door. Other voices can be heard outside).
Operator: "It sounded like a female voice, that. It might be a police woman."
Savident: "I wish they would identify themselves."
Operator: "The ambulance is almost with you. It is outside but they have to approach with caution. You are safe now."
Savident: "I can hear voices. I will open the door. If they identify themselves I will try to get the lock... Someone is banging at the door. Who is it?"
(Voices heard in the background).
Operator: "Don't worry, John. We will not go away."
Operator: "You heard the front door close?"
Savident: "Yeah."
Operator: "I have just told them to shout at the door. It was them knocking. Can you make it to the door, John?"
Savident: "I will do my best."
Operator: "Do you want the police to break in?"
Savident: "No. I will try to get to the door."
Operator: "Do not do it if you cannot do it."
(Savident asks if the police will come in through the French windows at the front of his flat).
Operator: "They will not come up a ladder."
(In background)
Savident: "Who's that?"
Answer: "The police"
Savident: "Be patient."
Voice: "Do you want us to force the door?"
Savident: "No. No. No."

(End of tape).

Gay bar thug jailed for knifing Fred Elliott
11 December 2002 by Richard Elias & Patrick Mulchrone
THE actor who plays Fred Elliott in Coronation Street was stabbed and robbed by a former rent boy he met in a gay bar. Knifeman Michael Smith was jailed for seven years for slashing John Savident on the neck and hands and threatening to cut his eye out. Married Savident denied defence claims that Smith stabbed him in self- defence after he touched the young man's private parts and propositioned him for gay sex. The star lost two pints of blood, and the knife missed the main blood vessel to his brain by less than an inch.

Smith, 30, was convicted in September of wounding Savident, 62, after going home with him. But the case could not be reported until yesterday because he was on trial for other attacks committed while on the run. Smith has 63 criminal convictions and a history of mental illness.

Bosses at Coronation Street said the case would not affect Savident's career. They described him as "the innocent victim of a violent crime".

What Corrie Fred told 999 operator
SOAP star John Savident begged a 999 operator to "keep this out of the papers" as he lay bleeding on his hall floor after being stabbed by a former rent boy. Coronation Street's Fred Elliott squirmed as a tape of the call was played at his attacker's trial. Jurors heard Savident tell the operator: "I've been stabbed ... I'm dying ... I can hardly talk ... in the neck ... I'm covered in blood." But then he composed himself and said: "What is important is, you've got to keep this out of the papers. " I'm John Savident and I play Fred Elliott in Coronation Street."

Married Savident, 62, was attacked and robbed at his Manchester flat after taking Michael Smith, 30, home from a gay club. Smith was jailed for seven years. He worked briefly as a gay prostitute in his teens. Prosecutors said it was a vicious, unprovoked assault. The defence claimed Smith struck out in fear after Savident molested him in the toilet.

The pair met on November 30 2000, after Savident made a personal appearance for an AIDS charity at a pub in the heart of the city's Gay Village. Dad-of-two Savident went on to nearby gay club Napoleon's, where the owner is an old friend. Smith approached him and said he was a drama student. They spoke about acting for three hours and had a number of drinks. Then Savident asked Smith if he would like to come home with him.

At Manchester Crown Court, defence counsel Susan Klonin said to Savident: "You picked up a total stranger in a gay bar and took him to your home at 2.30am." Savident replied: "He was invited and agreed to come. I've done that many times before." The pair went to Savident's £200,000 flat. He gave Smith a glass of beer and they carried on talking about the theatre and TV. Mr Holland said Smith went to the toilet, and Savident went to his bedroom to put his phone on charge. Smith got a serrated knife from the kitchen. Savident told the court: "I felt someone come up behind me and whiz me round. " I fell face down on the bed. I felt a prick in my throat and the blade pressed in."

Smith, a market trader, pinned Savident to the bed and asked: "Have you ever met a schizoid?" He demanded valuables, and the keys to Savident's Morgan sports car. As the pair struggled, Smith stabbed Savident twice in the neck, cutting an artery. Savident also suffered wounds to his hands as he tried to grab the knife. The knifeman left the room to look for Savident's car keys. He couldn't find them, so he held the knife to Savident's left eye and threatened to cut it out. Smith then left the flat, wedging the front door open on his way out. He took Savident's car and house keys, and an invitation to Coronation Street's 40th birthday party. He also stole a ring and money clip, gifts to the actor from his wife.

Weak from loss of blood, Savident managed to crawl into the hall, lock his door and dial 999. He told the operator he was dying. She feared he would black out, and said: "Try and stay with me John." Savident replied: "What is important is, you've got to keep this out of the papers. Operator: Don't worry about anything like that, let's just take care of yourself, OK? Savident passed out after letting police into the flat. He was taken to hospital with two half-inch wounds to his neck, cuts to his hands, and bruises and scratches on his face, but allowed home hours later.

Smith was arrested in the city centre. He was covered in blood and tests proved it was Savident's. In Smith's jacket were an invitation card, a packet of cigarettes and a watch, all belonging to the actor. Savident's wallet was found on a canal towpath, and the stolen car keys were in the ignition of the Morgan outside the flat. Smith's lawyer claimed that Savident went to the gay club looking for a young man to take home. Savident denied that. He insisted that despite his friendship with its owner, he did not know Napoleon's was the oldest gay club in the city.

The actor said he only invited Smith to his flat for "theatrical discussions". He denied Ms Klonin's suggestion that that was a polite way of saying "sex". Savident also denied not asking Smith's name. He insisted: "He did tell me but I forgot it." Miss Klonin replied: "You wouldn't need to know his name for a quick sexual interlude." Savident said sharply: "Not having been involved in any of those actions, I wouldn't know."

Miss Klonin claimed that when Smith was in the toilet, Savident came up behind him and touched his private parts. Savident replied: "No." The lawyer said Savident tried to stop Smith leaving, and the younger man panicked and grabbed the knife. Savident called that "nonsense".

Turning to the 999 call, Miss Klonin asked: "Even as you thought you were dying, you could envisage the papers having a field day? "You thought it would look extremely odd that you invited a total stranger you'd met in a gay bar at 2.30am back to your home." Savident replied: "Yes." Miss Klonin asked Savident: "You are not being frank with this jury, are you? You are intent upon covering up what really happened. " You are playing the role of a victim of a robbery for all it's worth." Savident said: "Playing a role, no. Victim of a robbery, yes."

Smith sacked Miss Klonin midway through the trial and refused to leave his cell for the latter half of the court case. He was convicted of wounding with intent, and robbery. Judge Harold Singer called it a "nasty and callous" crime. Smith was tried in September. But the case could not be reported until yesterday because of crimes he committed after attacking Savident.

When he first appeared in the Savident case, Smith escaped from court and went on the run. He picked up a young woman in a Birmingham pub, then robbed her and tied her up. Smith was caught in April after robbing a teenage courting couple at knifepoint near Rochdale. He stole their car but crashed it as he tried to escape. Smith was found guilty yesterday of the false imprisonment of a young woman, robbery and theft. He had earlier admitted aggravated vehicle-taking, assault, and two other counts of kidnap.

Smith, of Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, had 63 previous convictions dating back to the age of 12. His offences included robbery, burglary and unlawful sex. Several of the crimes involved knives. Smith's mother June, a cleaner, blamed his record on sex abuse he suffered in care as a child. She admitted her son had been a rent boy but said he would not be in so much trouble if he had been given proper help for mental problems. Smith spent time in a psychiatric hospital with depression earlier this year but signed himself out.

Savident had been stabbed before, in his old career as a policeman in Manchester. He was at home in London with wife Rona last night.

He's a Corrie gem, I say, a Corrie gem by Francis Traynor, TV Editor
AS Fred Elliott, John Savident has provided most of the comic relief in Coronation Street for almost a decade. His first appearance came in 1994 as part of a Weatherfield delegation to their French twin town. At a black pudding contest, he tried to bribe the judges and nearly caused a diplomatic incident.

A year later, he was a Street regular and viewers were introduced to his butcher boy nephew Ashley - four years later, we'd discover that Ashley was actually Fred's son. Despite his girth and loudmouth manner, Fred proved himself quite the ladies man. He has wooed widows Rita Sullivan and Audrey Roberts, but has also had two failed marriages.

For the last seven months, however, Fred has taken a back seat and there were reports that he would be axed by Granada bosses. But a spokeswoman said yesterday: "As we have said, John is an innocent victim. " There is no question of him losing his job over this."

Deirdre set to be exposed
9 December 2002
Coronation Street's Deirdre Rachid, played by actress Anne Kirkbride, is to be exposed as a serial sexual adventurer, according to newspaper reports. Details of Deirdre's fling with shopkeeper Dev Alahan will slip out over the Christmas holiday after she finds out he is bedding her daughter Tracy - played by newcomer Kate Ford.

Her ex-husband and current partner Ken (William Roache) wonders why she's so upset, and the gory details come out, causing chaos, the Daily Star reports. Corrie fans will see the storyline unfold when Tracy returns to Weatherfield from her home in London after the break-up of her marriage to husband Robert.

Racy Shaw
9 December 2002
SEXY Coronation Street star Tracy Shaw's nude stage debut is proving to be a box office smash.

The actress, whose character Maxine will be killed off at Christmas, will star opposite Jason Connery in The Blue Room on a UK tour. The role was made famous by Nicole Kidman in a production in London's West End. Now there is a rush of bookings to see Tracy.

Ken's Christmas curse
9 December 2002 by Frances Traynor
NO ONE would be surprised if, come the festive season, Coronation Street's Ken Barlow preferred to hide away in a darkened room. After all, it may be the season of good will to all men, but this particular man never seems to have anything but bad will thrust upon him. No wonder Bill Roache, the actor who has played Ken for the last 42 years, calls it the Curse of the Barlows. He laughed: "It's amazing how many catastrophes have hit the Barlows at Christmas. We used to think that if something awful happened to the Barlows, then it would make everyone else feel better."

The first of those festive foul-ups at No.1 Coronation Street began in 1965 when Ken left his six- month-old twins Peter and Susan alone while he went to the Rovers for a pint. Wife Valerie returned to find the house ablaze when a piece of coal had fallen from the fire. Then there was the embarrassment of playing the trumpet - badly - in the Rovers' 1969 Christmas talent contest. Bill recalled: "I played Yellow Bird with Peter Adamson, who played Len Fairclough, on drums. I played really badly." Since then, the Christmas season hasn't got much better for poor Ken. Come December 25, he's had to battle arch-rival Mike Baldwin for Deirdre, been kicked out by Deirdre over his affair with Wendy Crozier and been broken- hearted by Alma choosing Mike over him.

Bill, 70, said: "He certainly had a bad run. Every year there seemed to be one scene showing revellers singing Auld Lang Syne in the Rovers. Then it would cut to Ken on the sofa, swigging whisky and pills."

CHRISTMAS 2002 promises to be as explosive as ever for Ken and Deirdre. Their quiet Christmas dinner together is wrecked when busybody Blanche decides she'd rather have turkey with them than with Emily, Archie and Audrey. Then the most surprise present of all turns up when Tracy, Deirdre's daughter from her first marriage, knocks on the door. Tracy has left her husband Robert in London and is hellbent on having fun in her old stomping ground of Weatherfield. She begins flirting with the available males before bedding cornershop boss Dev - not realising her mum had done exactly the same thing 12 months earlier.

Bill said: "Ken and Deirdre are thrilled to have Tracy back, despite the fact that she's left her husband. But by Boxing Day, she's jumped into bed with Dev Alahan and started a chain of events which will have dramatic consequences for the Barlows." There's no chance of Ken enjoying a quiet New Year, either, when he has to deal with the court case following his right hook on bad lad Aidan Critchley. The teenager had been taunting Ken in the classroom for months before nicking his car, crashing it and leaving Sarah Platt for dead.

The nation cheered Ken on as, at the end of his tether, he let fly as the sneering schoolboy showed no remorse. That October episode brought in Corrie's best viewing figures in more than a year, with almost 15 million tuning in. But the consequences have been severe for Ken. He was sacked for the punch and charged with assault. Now Aidan is back on the Street and the court case is on the horizon. Bill said: "It's a strong, topical story. Caning and smacking may have disappeared from our schools, but children still need to be taught discipline. "Ken's always been anti-violence. He gets a thrill out of helping young people learn and grow, but he was so incensed by Ade that he snapped."

As the only surviving member of the original cast, Bill has been around from day one when the very first episode of Corrie went out on December 9, 1960. That date is remembered with their annual Christmas bash, but the very first party was far different. Granada bosses, delighted that their new series was such an unexpected hit, sent champagne and sandwiches to the cast's Green Room. Bill said: "At Christmas 1960, the Street was only three weeks old and we were booked for a limited 11-week run. "But it took off immediately. It wasn't a soap, it was drama, breaking new ground. It was gritty and original."

By the time of the show's 40th birthday in 2000, the celebrations had grown ever more lavish, with Victoria Wood performing the cabaret at a huge bash. Bill recalled: "The celebrations have grown slowly year by year. We always mark the show's anniversary on December 9, so it becomes a kind of combined Christmas party as well."

Bill can pinpoint the moment that Coronation Street stopped being just a soap and became a cultural phenomenon. In 1983, he and Mike Baldwin were poised for a showdown over Deirdre. The nation held its breath as Ken slammed the door in Mike's face, telling him Deirdre was staying with him. That night the electronic scoreboard at a packed Old Trafford flashed a half- time message to 56,000 fans: "Ken and Deirdre reunited". Bill said: "That story changed the way the Press saw soaps. Now, of course, they are always front- page news."

Considering he has spent almost his entire working career on one show, Bill would be entitled to feel bored and a little fed-up with the character he is synonymous with. But with three wives and 23 girlfriends behind him, Ken Barlow hasn't given Bill much of a chance to get bored. Acting out dramatic scenes such as first wife Val's death by electrocution and that long- running feud with wideboy Baldwin have made him one of TV's most respected and admired actors.

He's also become the most unlikely of Lotharios with a steady succession of women, including Joanna Lumley, queueing up to be wooed by Weatherfield's answer to Casanova. In the early Seventies, Ken had remarried and enjoyed a stormy relationship with second wife Janet. Christmas naturally brought a row. Bill recalled: "I was suffering from flu and felt awful, and the script called for me to be absolutely furious and smash a wine bottle. "In fact, I did it with such force that I brought the bottle down on to a glass and it looked great."

Ken rarely does rage. Ever the nice guy, he even tutors Weatherfield's less well- read residents, from giving dippy Racquel French lessons, to teaching illiterate Tyrone to read and write. Bill said: "Ken is a caring man at heart. He's always wanted to give voice to the good side of human nature. After all these years, I still like him."

Maybe it's time the scriptwriters gave Weatherfield's nice guy a peaceful and happy Christmas for once.

1965 One for the family album with Ken and wife Valerie with Peter and Susan, but then a blaze trapped the twins
1969 Ken played the trumpet - badly - during a festive knees-up at the Rovers with Peter Adamson, who played Len Fairclough, on drums
1973 Ken's very stormy marriage to second wife Janet featured a festive fight in which he smashed a wine bottle
1983 Ken came out the winner in the tense feud with Mike Baldwin over who would win Deirdre's heart
1990 Surely the lowest of Ken's many low points over the years in Corrie as he attempts suicide
1991 They were certainly not all smiles in the soap as Ken dumped Alma after she slept with Mike on Christmas Day
1996 Another emotional scene for the long-suffering Ken as hairdresser Denise takes his son Daniel to live in Scotland

Sue Nicholls
8 December 2002
SUE NICHOLLS - the Street's Audrey Roberts - is hooked on mail order shopping. Sue tells me: "The only thing Audrey and I have in common is a passion for clothes. The postman must deliver me a new wardrobe every month from catalogues. I also love silly gadgets."

Katy has a knees-up
CORRIE's LUCY-JO HUDSON looks like she's playing away - for Man Utd. She kicked off in black, red and white boots, plus sporty mini-skirt at the TV soap's festive bash. Lucy-Jo, who stars as Street tearaway Katy, even wore the captain's armband. Yule never walk alone, girl.

That's slop the way to do it, Sally
8 December 2002 by Ian Hyland
QUOTE of the decade down on Coronation Street. "You've sewn up the leg instead of the gusset," screamed Hayley just after new girl Ange made a mistake at the factory. Good job the surgeon didn't make the same mistake when Hayley had the op isn't it? That, and Janice Battersby admitting she never ever lets go of a jumbo sausage (thanks Janice, but we already guessed), just about lifted me from the gloom of Alex and Sally's "great" romance.

Sal called it dead right as they walked in Weatherfield's most deserted park when she admitted, "this is like those sloppy books my mum used to read". Although discussing your mum's "sloppies" is probably not the best of chat-up lines, Sal. Sample lines from Corrie's very own Mills & Boon: Sal: "Alex, don't make this any harder than it is." (stop sniggering at the back) Alex: "I don't know what it's called - love at first sight or head-over-heels" (how about "b*ll***s"?)

In fact, the most sensible thing either of them said was this from Alex: "So that's it. We just forget the last two weeks ever happened?" I think that's probably best for all concerned, Alex.

Sally's love life load of soft soap
8 December 2002
AS Sally got to grips with Alex on Coronation Street I was praying for Harry Enfield to burst in shouting: "Oi Alex, NO! You're only supposed to touch up her paintwork/strip the wallpaper/give her a lick of emulsion..." Once all Sal cared about were Rosie's beans. Now she's notching up 57 varieties of fellas: Kevin, Chris, Greg, Kevin, Dan, Martin, Kevin again, Alex...she could end up with more rings than Frodo Baggins.

But WHY would Sal fall heels-over-head in love with Alex overnight? He isn't handsome, or witty or even well-off. The man is Dan with Dulux. D-U-L-L. Alex's idea of a good time is a walk in the park. All he's got in his favour is that he isn't Kevin. Maybe that's enough. They say love is blind but what is Kevin's excuse? Sal looks so miserable she'd make an onion cry, and clueless Kev hasn't even noticed. He won't realise their relationship is in trouble until she suggests a threesome...and he's not in it.

They can't carry on at this pace, 'cos by the time Emily Bishop is bitch-slapping Rita for the love of Tyrone Dobbs no-one will be watching. The more soaps are on, the less they deliver.

A new £5.5m ‘home’ for Corrie
6 December 2002 by Simon Donohue
GRANADA has invested £5.5 million in increasing studio space for flagship soap opera Coronation Street. The new studio at the company's Manchester headquarters extends existing facilities available to the production. It also makes better use of facilities left redundant upon the closure of the Granada Studios Tour attraction. The investment is aimed at easing Granada's ability to both make Coronation Street cost effectively and to produce additional episodes - or "specials" - when they are requested by the ITV Network. Set wear and tear will also reduce as there will be more room available to allow them to remain standing on a permanent basis.

The studio development, originally the former Baker Street attraction at Granada Studios Tour, has been under construction for several months and features state of the art technology. The project will be completed by the end of December and the production team are expected to move into the new facilities straightaway. Recording will commence from the new building during January 2003.

Among the sets housed in the new facility are the home of Karen and Steve McDonald, Eileen Grimshaw's front room, the Battersby's des res and the home of Corrie's newest family, the Nelsons. The studio will also feature a generic production area, where the Street team will have the flexibility to create sets. In the past the production has travelled to locations in the Manchester area, such as police stations, interview rooms and hospital wards. Production will also continue on Coronation Street's tradition studio home, Stage One, and the Street itself.

Coronation Street producer Kieran Roberts (pictured above left) said: "This new studio facility is a very exciting development for Britain's number one programme. It will have a huge, positive impact on production but will also be of enormous benefit to our story and writing teams as the increased number of sets at our disposal will allow for much greater editorial freedom. This is a clear signal that Coronation Street goes from strength to strength and it's also a great example of Granada's commitment to production in the north west."

Corrie gears up for Christmas of carnage and comedy
5 December 2002

Les Battersby will provide some comic relief in Coronation Street this Christmas amid the more dramatic storylines. Gatecrashing Underworld's Christmas party for the free booze, Les thinks he is in heaven surrounded by a factory full of drunken women. But the joke is on him when the riotous staff force him to model the lingerie firm's latest stock.

There is embarrassment for Jason Grimshaw too as he is forced to own up to his friends about his new job - dressed as an elf as one of Santa's helpers in the local department store.

Elsewhere, romance is on the cards as Deirdre's wayward daughter Tracy turns up halfway through the turkey and turns her attention to Weatherfield's men. But romance turns to mayhem when she ends up bedding her mother's own Christmas conquest of last year, Dev Alahan.

Elsewhere, there are more dramatic storylines as Richard Hillman attacks another unsuspecting resident in a bid to avoid bankruptcy. His intended victim is Emily Bishop, who is left on her own after a freak accident with a Christmas pudding, puts Norris in hospital.

Also, Vikram Desai decides to supplement his income by setting up a drug-running scheme. Meanwhile former Boyzone star Keith Duffy, alias rogue Ciaran, makes a timely appearance at Peter and Shelley's engagement party.

A Coronation Street spokeswoman said: "Christmas this year is all about what Coronation Street does best - a fantastic mix of high drama and classic comedy."

Corrie ruined my love life
5 December 2002 by Sally Morgan
As Coronation Street's flirty cabbie Vikram Desai, he's clocked up as many women as he has miles. Karen, Maxine, Leanne, Bobbi, Candice, Hazel and Maria - confident, cocky Vikram's charmed them all.

But away from Weatherfield, actor Chris Bisson's love life keeps stalling and is in urgent need of an MoT. "Since I joined the Street four years ago no relationship of mine has lasted more than three months," he admits. "The problem is that girls expect me to be direct and confident like Vik, but that's not me. "I'm quite shy, really, and hopeless at letting girls know how I feel. "Although I can chat women up, I always bottle out at the crucial moment. I suppose I'm soft like that. "Then, a year down the line, I discover that they secretly fancied me too and want to know why I never invited them out."

But the 27-year-old hopes to change his luck with women - by quitting the UK's longest running soap this month. Speaking exclusively about his time in the Street and his decision to quit, he says: "Leaving Corrie will give me time for a relationship. I've been working six-day weeks and until now have had no proper opportunity to start one."A lot of friends find this hard to believe. The other day I was sitting in the pub chatting to my mates from the cast when Sally Lindsay - who plays Shelley Unwin - asked me what I was going to do. "I replied that I might actually have a relationship, which made them all burst out laughing. Because my phone never stops ringing they'd assumed I wasn't short of girlfriends. "Yes, I do know a lot of women but they're just mates, I'm afraid."

During his time as Weatherfield's resident hunk, Chris has received sack loads of marriage proposals, suggestive letters and saucy underwear from fans - but he is surprisingly reserved. He recalls being too shy even to introduce himself to TV presenter Jenny Faulkner at the Daily Mirror's Pride Of Britain awards earlier this year. "I thought she was so pretty and natural, but I wouldn't have dared to ask her out," he says. "Then little Zoe Howard, whose younger sister Kirsty raises money for terminally-ill
children, wanted to know who I fancied so I told her the truth. "Suddenly Zoe made a bee-line for Jenny's table. But instead of blurting out what I'd said and embarrassing me, Zoe asked Jenny if she thought I was fit. "When Jenny replied that I was, Zoe rushed back to tell me." He adds: "Then I playfully mentioned that I fancied Claudia Schiffer, too, so Zoe started striding towards her table. "Luckily, Claudia made her exit before Zoe could reach her."

When Chris has found girlfriends, the relationships have crumbled under the pressure of his high-profile job. "One girl became very demanding and needed constant reassurance," he recalls. "She kept calling my mobile phone, which had to be switched off, while I was filming my Coronation Street scenes. "Later, she'd interrogate me about who I'd seen and spoken to. This became very frustrating and inevitably we broke up."

As a soap star Chris has also had to learn about having his love life played out in the gossip columns. He claims he has never got used to the interest, but some of his actions have brought attention to himself. One of the women he was been linked to was actress Charlie Brooks, who plays Janine in EastEnders. Though he insists they are just friends, he admits they did fool around as they left a party at London's trendy Met Bar after last year's National TV Awards. "Charlie and I are great mates, but you've seen the pictures. We got drunk that night and had a snog," he recalls. "The door staff had directed us to a Mercedes, which we assumed was a taxi. When we kissed in the back seat, the whole car suddenly lit up. "We soon realised why - we were surrounded by paparazzi. "When the driver dropped us off back at Charlie's, he told us his daughter was a big Corrie fan and asked if he could take a photo of us. "We expected to see a little instamatic but he pulled out this huge camera. That's when we realised he was a paparazzi posing as a taxi driver, so we grabbed our stuff, jumped out and ran."

Chris was also labelled a "love rat" for supposedly trying to two-time Suzanne Shaw from Hear'Say and Jessica Taylor from Liberty X. "Suzanne and I had a couple of drinks together in Manchester a few months ago and a lot of people jumped to the wrong conclusion that we were an item," he says."As for Jessica, I'd only seen her once - when we caught each other's eye across the crowded canteen at Granada studios. "I did an interview with a local radio station and was asked if I fancied her. I said 'Yes' for laugh and, to my surprise, the presenter rang her live on air and left her a message to tell her. "The next thing I knew, her record label had released a statement that I'd been ringing and texting her while she was on tour. It also said that she found this strange because she knew I was dating Suzanne. "But the whole story was a complete fabrication, a spin on the rivalry between Liberty X and Hear'Say to get the new Liberty X single to Number One and I was furious."

Chris leaves Coronation Street on December 18 in a dramatic storyline which is the climax of Vik's transformation from loveable rogue to an unscrupulous crook. He stoops to blackmail and theft and uses his unwitting friends to smuggle drugs to pay off his exorbitant gambling debts. Chris won't reveal exactly what happens, but the story does involve a big fight between Vik and his old mate, Steve McDonald, played by Simon Gregson. Chris says it will be compulsive viewing: "Put it this way, Vik ruins everyone's Christmas." He insists he has no regrets about his decision to quit and is relishing the prospect of new projects. "I realised in July this year that it was time for me to move on," he says. "That moment of clarity came to me when I was sipping a beer on the Via Veneto in Rome with my mate Steve Arnold, who plays Ashley Peacock. "I suddenly turned to him and said, 'Steve, I'm off'. He thought I meant I was going back to the hotel, but I explained that I was leaving Corrie. "Steve and the rest of the cast were shocked and didn't want me to go, but they understood my reasons. "Basically, I felt that Vik had run his course.There was nowhere for him to go as a character and after four fantastic years I wanted to leave on a high rather than milk it until I was pushed."

Chris hasn't finalised any new roles yet, but hasn't ruled out going to Coronation Street's ratings rival EastEnders, where he has good friends. Returning to the theatre is also a possibility for Chris, who starred in both the play and the film East Is East. "I miss sitting on the Duke of York balcony, watching everyone looking at your picture outside the theatre," he says. In East Is East Chris played the son of an Indian father and English mother, but he is actually half West Indian. "People look at me and at the parts I've played, and automatically assume I'm Asian," he reveals. "In fact I'm half West Indian on my dad Mickey's side."

Trinidad-born Mickey emigrated to Britain with nine members of his family in 1968. He settled in Manchester and got a job as a careers officer at the Job Centre where he met Chris's Roman Catholic mother, Sheila. The couple never married and when Chris was 11 they split up. Chris now has six half-brothers and sisters from his parents' subsequent relationships. "I knew my parents were going to break up," he says. "I'd heard the arguments, felt the tension, and realised it would be better for all of us for them to be apart. I lived with mum but cycled to my dad's down almost every day."