June 1998

4413 - Monday 1 June
Life might be hard for Jim at the moment but he began to tackle it with an uncommon dryness in his sense of humour tonight. Everyone meant well starting with Emily bringing round some dog eared old books and the odd jigsaw to help relieve the boredom of life indoors.

Jim tried to smile through his obvious distaste for the items but realised the old lady was only trying to help him out. The next visitor was none other than Les Battersby who reckoned Jim's best bet was to start looking towards getting some form of compensation claim for the loss of use in his legs. Jim simply looked skyward in resignation and if his legs worked at that time I'm sure he would have run a mile to escape the witterings of loser Les.

Leanne and Nicky managed to cement their relationship again although he still seemed to be showing a fair bit of preoccupation with Whatley. It was worrying to think that even after almost losing his wife through his obsession he was still willing to risk playing with fire in such a forbidden area.

Sam was another one playing with fire tonight. She was leading Des all up the garden path with her pregnancy ruse claiming moving in with Des was the thing she wanted more than anything in the world. After all it would be their chance to raise a child in a stable loving environment. I found myself wondering if she was capable of such a genuine emotion and find myself wondering if anything she has ever said while being in the Street was actually true.

At the arcade Paul was drunk again and his behaviour was starting to worry Judy as he was becoming harder and harder to work because of all his fawning and apologetic behaviour. Luckily most of the time he was so drunk he was out of her way.

Meanwhile Natalie realising she was flogging a dead horse with Des decided to allow Kevin to make her an offer for the garage. He intended to use Sally's inheritance to strike a deal for her share. However he neglected to tell Sally what he had been doing and as a result would face her wrath.

The night began to draw to a close with a happy go lucky Des coming round to pick up Sam so she could move in with him only to find she had changed her mind. She decided that they were getting back together for all the wrong reasons and decided she would abort the child she was carrying. An obvious mind game to try and break Des down and judging from his reaction it was one that was going to work.

Maxine had revenge on Les for all his cruel taunts at her over her relationship with Greg. She discreetly (not) told Janice about Les's visit to see Moira and how he had been caught for drunk driving a car. Janice was livid and decided that the best thing she could now was to throw him out on to the Street where she claimed he belonged anyway.

All in all : O.K

 

4414 - Wednesday 3 June
Tonight saw Des frantic over his ex fiancee's plans to get an abortion. As Sam prepared for the off to the clinic Des pleaded with her to reconsider her options. He guaranteed he would be a good father and if she wanted he would even take over full responsibility for the well being of the child however it was no good. Sam simply ordered a cab and coolly drove away leaving him distraught.

His first move was to try and find out where she was going but all the good it did him was to get thrown out of a clinic in Weatherfield while drawing a blank on finding her.

The truth would however out when Judy Mallett spotted Sam shopping for clothes in the town centre. Before they could talk however Sam had left the shop and Judy thought little more of it.

She did however recount what had happened to Des later in the Rovers. The fool then thought Sam had changed her mind and believed she was still pregnant so he faced the rest of the day with fresh optimism.

Meanwhile Les spent the day looking for someone to help bail him out of trouble with Janice. He was on a hiding to nothing though because even Leanne wasn't prepared to dig him out this time. It looked like he would have to rely on Charlie West to do the honours for him in looking for somewhere else to live while Janice was still angry with him.

Speaking of anger we saw yet more heated exchanges from Sally and Kevin because of his plan to buy Natalie out. Sally thought Kevin had something of a cheek to make plans of this nature without consulting her first while Kevin simply saw it as a way to end Natalie's involvement in their lives.

Either way the rows raged on and Natalie took a quiet delight in knowing the trouble that was undoubtedly being caused in the Webster's home life. I must say I was in agreement with her as well because nobody can annoy me in soap land like the drippy Webster family.

Charlie West came up trumps for Les by providing him with a decrepid looking camper van to live in. The vehicle was two miles short of a scrap heap but Les viewed it as his own little palace despite the obvious faults such as broken windows and skylights as well as no running hot water or electricity. We'll see how well he thinks of the vehicle when he has spent a night in it.

Meanwhile Des confronted Sam about her "abortion" and she finally admitted she was never pregnant at all. She didn't even show any remorse for her actions and stated that she merely did it because she was sick of seeing him and Natalie having such a good time together and wanted to throw a spanner in the works for them. Des was disgusted with her and went home shocked by the levels Sam was prepared to sink down to.....

All in all : O.K

 

4415 - Friday 5 June
Tonight the evil creature that we all know and love as Sam took a turn for the downright confusing as she continued her little games of malice with all and sundry.

She began manipulating her story of the recent "abortion" into one of miscarriage to dupe Natalie into taking her side against Des Barnes her arch nemesis. She told Natalie she had wanted to keep her heartache a secret from Des so she used the first excuse that came into her head to invent a story.

Natalie and the rest of the Street for that matter believed her story leaving only Des as the untrusting doubter. His opinion made him look like something of a cad as well which no doubt is what Sam wanted all along.

Meanwhile while that was happening it was a lacklustre time in the Street for most of the people. Leanne visited an unresponsive Zoe in hospital and we saw little shards of doubt from the former as she talked about her marriage to Nick Tilsley. Could they be heading for stormier waters ?

Meanwhile Jim prepared to go for his physiotherapy although it was against his wishes. He was basically being bolstered along by Liz his ex wife who was making it her life's mission to see her ex husband walk again.

I have to return to the dreadful pantomime villain however Dame Sam as she took a turn for the worst and no mistake. She engineered a fake call to the Rovers allegedly from Leeds hospital. She concocted a story about her son Tony being involved in a car accident which had left him on a life support machine hanging near death.

A crueller stroke couldn't have been played because as a result she rushed off to the hospital just over an hour away with Alec as her chauffeur. This left her house empty and ripe for the attentions of none other than the vicious machinations of NastySam.

She approached the house and with an evil glint in her eye kidnapped Natalie's cat. The poor moggy had no idea what could be in store for it as Sam promised "Tiger" they were going on something of a little adventure together. Knowing Sam that adventure would probably involve sharp instruments of torture.

The night closed however with Zoe at her therapy group explaining her motivations that caused her to jump off the bridge only a few months before. She explained about the tragic circumstances of Zoe's death and how it had driven her to behaviour not consistent with her true nature.

After she had spoke we saw a familiar figure to step forward and air his story. It was none other than Paul the arcade owner. He confessed his shame about bribing a woman into sleeping with him for money and how he had destroyed that woman's sense of self worth. He explained how it had damaged his marriage and left him as much a shell in his own way as Zoe was.

Zoe however listened intently and as the details came out she knew in her heart of hearts that Judy Mallett was the topic of conversation here....

All in all : O.K

 

4416 - Sunday 7 June
It all got a bit more daft tonight as Sam came home with Tiger the cat who as we know belongs to Natalie. Her twisted mind had clearly developed another kink as she sent Nat and Alec on a wild goose chase to Leeds hospital in the mistaken belief that her son Tony was in critical condition.

Of course Natalie and Alec were relieved to discover the truth was nothing of the sort. The call that Sam had mysteriously received had been nothing but a hoax and Natalie herself was in no doubt who the culprit was and had no qualms about telling Sam what she thought of her.

Of course there were other things going on as well in the Street tonight courtesy of Nicky and Leanne who decided to go to the police station after all to alleviate their fears over Whatley. After handing in a very patchy story it was revealed that Whatley would undoubtedly go back to prison for causing trouble. Apparently he was on a form of supervised release to tenuous that even breathing out of turn could put him back behind bars.

While those two tried to clear up their lives Les and Janice were still at loggerheads over their recent disagreements. Les was still living in the camper van while Janice had all her home comforts indoors. He claimed he was enjoying the life of Riley with his new found freedom but how long would it last before the novelty wore off.

Meanwhile Sally and Kevin finally decided to buy Natalie out of the garage using her inheritance as the cash bolster that they needed. It had been a hard fought decision fraught with arguments and tears along the way but finally Sally had seen the light and the path of least resistance it would seem.

However there was more in store for Sally than she might have bargained for. According to NastySam's version of events which involved the mysterious phone call the surprise hoaxer sounded like none other than.....Sally Webster (cue : chilling music). That little nugget of bull**** weaved an even more intricate piece of Sam's web of lies.

The night ended with a tearful Natalie wondering where her cat was and reflecting on the terrible day she had just endured....

All in all : Daft

 

4417 - Monday 8 June
More off the wall antics from the Street tonight as Sam's little wicked web began to kick into overdrive. She had successfully negotiated some gossip mongering to implicate the grieving Sally Webster into her twisted "hospital drama" storyline.

All the while she sailed above the consequences of her actions free as a bird from all the bickering and mistrust that was festering below her. In fact it got to the stage where Natalie who up until very recently had been her arch enemy was almost believing Sally was the culprit behind her recent woes.

That little storyline was compounded by the fact that Sally was acting a bit odd of late. She was constantly changing her mind over Kevin's wishes to buy Natalie's share of the garage. She was also being particularly evil when it came to any form of interaction with Natalie which made her more of a suspect than you would care to think.

While that was all going on Les was busy making his presence felt in the bathrooms of Coronation Street as he kept bumming a wash and brush up off anyone who would give him floor space. His antics however were wearing thin and it was looking clear people wouldn't tolerate him for much longer if he wasn't careful.

Maxine was head over heels in love with Greg convinced he was the man who would become the love of her life. She even went as far to furnish Audrey with the details of how their respective lives would soon entwine and pan out into a beautiful sunset and they would spend the rest of their lives. Unfortunately Greg was clearly not of the same opinion. He was clearly out for his own interests and relationships were extremely far from his mind as he could barely be stopped from bolting out of the door the morning after the night before.

Natalie confided in Des about her worries not only over her cat Tiger going missing but also about all this business with Sam/Sally. Des couldn't believe harmless Sally could be behind all this malice. However Natalie was more or less convinced.

Zoe was due out of the hospital tomorrow. Judy was clearly going to welcome her back into the Street but everyone else would more than likely be greeting her with a frosty reception.

The night ended with Sally and Kevin at each other's throats with Kevin thinking his wife was going crazy. Natalie and Des were fretting about all that was going on around them. Alec and Betty were trying to hold the Rovers together in the absence of Jack and Vera *and* with a good valuable staff member in the shape of Natalie missing.

...and above it all Sam continued to plot

(cue evil laugh : BWAHAHAHAHAH...cough...sorry :)

All in all : O.K but daft :)

 

4418 - Wednesday 10 June
Tonight simply took all the bickering and nastiness that has become the de rigeur for the Street of late and simply turned up it to maximum volume. Firstly we had that mewling wretch Sally Webster kicking off against her husband Kevin over the on/off garage buy out she keeps holding over his head.

Then Natalie came storming in to confront Sally about her supposed vendetta against her and the hoax call she had received the other day. It all got heated as Natalie started talking about legal proceedings despite the fact that Sally denied any involvement.

Zoe was out of the mental hospital and back into Weatherfield. She went to see Judy about the secret she knew regarding Paul the arcade owner and her little sex for money session so many months prior. Judy flipped out thinking her secret would be discovered even though Zoe swore she wouldn't tell a soul. It soured everything between the two of them and I am sure it will lead to further complications later on.

Of course while all the wars were being fought on various fronts in the Street the instigator NastySam was still lording it above the combatants seemingly in the clear. Even Natalie was apologising to her for "falsely" accusing her for the hoax call.

Just as you thought life couldn't get any worse we saw Leanne get a shock call from none other than Whatley. He was back in Strangeways for an additional five years because of his involvement with her and Nick. His objective was to simply lay a bigger guilt trip on her than he had before.

All in all : Good, but by God it's dark in there at the moment!

 

4419 - Friday 12 June
Insane isn't the word as Sam continued to weave her wicked web around Weatherfield. Tonight as she kissed and made up with Natalie she stuck the knife in between Sally's shoulder blades with a viciousness that would have made JR Ewing proud.

Her latest plan was telling Sally that she had overheard Natalie and Kevin talking about taking her inheritance and getting ready to run off and start a new life together somewhere else. All hokum of course but a vulnerable and three parts stupid Sally believed every word of it.

As a result Sam got what she wanted and was now playing everyone off against everyone else like a set of ping pong balls.

Elsewhere Les managed to talk his way past Toyah and into the house for a meal and a bath while Janice was at work. He was near breaking point and missing the creature comforts of his home. However no matter what he tried he couldn't get back into the house legitimate and when Janice discovered what he had been up to she rang the police to tow his vehicle away.

Spider returned tonight just in time to hear about Alf Roberts stepping down from the council after many years in service. He never rated Alf as much of a councillor and much to the upset of Fred and Audrey voiced his opinion of how crap Alf had been.

When faced with a barrage of insults from Fred, Spider decided it was time for him to make a stand and when the next by election was due to come round he would stand for election in Alf's old post. Audrey was speechless at the thought of some eco-yob treading in her beloved Alfie's footsteps. As a result she would launch a counter measure and stand for the job herself.

Judy was distraught over the revelations to Zoe about her and Paul Fisher the arcade manager and their secret sex for money scandal. She decided that rather than the truth spill out at some later date she would come clean and get the matter of her chest and beg forgiveness now. Little did she know the news would break Gary's heart and his feelings of commitment for Judy. He told her in no uncertain terms that their relationship was completely over.

Meanwhile the night more or less ended with Sally packing her bags while a perplexed Kevin Webster looked on in horror as his wife walked out of his life and to the abode of Rita Sullivan. He had no clue whatsoever that Sam had been working her wicked magic and stirring the pot for all and sundry...

All in all : Ridiculous

 

4420 - Sunday 14 June
Ridiculous doesn't even come into the equation anymore as Coronation Street hits a new low for stupid plotlines. I am of course talking to the NastySam storyline which involves her attempts to turn Weatherfield into little more than a gossipy war zone.

Starting off with the terminally stupid Sally refusing to believe a word her husband Kevin had to say as he denied a renewed affair with his ex girlfriend Natalie Horrocks. Of course wherever Sally is you can rely on the fact that she is usually being backed up by Rita Sullivan who is ever present to stick her oar in to muddy the waters where it's not wanted.

We had a quick glance at the life of Judy Mallett as she tearfully rang round to see where her husband was now that he had flown the coup in light of discovering her one night stand with her boss Paul Fisher.

Then of course we had the long running and rapidly becoming tiresome Battersby feud. Janice was all set to get the police on to her husband because of his decidedly dodgy van that was parked outside her house all the time. The police were up for nicking Les because he had just been banned but thanks to his and Toyah's handiwork they couldn't touch him...he had removed the wheels of the vehicle making it stationery and undrivable!!

Audrey spouted a lot of hot air about her council hopes and dreams with lecherous Fred Elliott sidling up alongside to help her out whenever he could get the opportunity. The two of them were confident but then so was their opponent Spider Nugent who was standing for the local Green candidacy.

Back to Sam and her nastiness though but only because I must. Kevin ended up telling Des about his split with Sally and how it had been Sam that had become the instigator of the problem for starters. Thus after recruiting Natalie they went to see Sally in the hopes of calming things down and getting Kevin back on the right track again.

No such luck there though. Sally was about as receptive to Kevin's pleas as I am to eating semolina. She did her usual annoying harpie screeching trick before stamping off leaving Kevin looking most concerned about the state of his marriage.

Next stop Sam's house. Kevin and Des confronted the minx of all minxes herself and she simply denied having told Sally anything about Natalie and Kevin. She simply mentioned that she had overheard business deals being struck in a conversation between them. Kevin asked her to square things with Sally but Sam took delight in denying him that liberty on the grounds that she didn't want involvement in their domestic arguments.

Just as things started to get a little bit heated between the three of them in walked Alec Gilroy. Sam immediately switched to her little girl lost persona and began begging him to save her from the bullying antics of these two wretches.

After Alec dispatched Kevin and Des he sat down and asked Sam what the hell was going on. In another fit of nuttiness Sam started weaving more and more stories about all and sundry. This time she claimed she was being stalked by Des and that he and Natalie were telling folk that Alec himself was nothing more than a perverted landlord who had been copping a quick feel of Natalie whenever the opportunity arose.

Alec was incensed at these accusations and went to see Des only to be told where to get off by him. Of course he was becoming an old pro at deflecting Sam's lies and it was all becoming like water off a duck's back to him now.

All in all : Absolutely Stupid

Saved by the odd cameo Battersby appearance. The main crux of the Street of late is the character mutilation of Sam. As I have mentioned before she was never the most rounded of characters with nary a niche to sit inside. However the current storyline is making a mockery of her *and* other characters to boot!

 

4421 - Monday 15 June
There was the usual malice being spread by Sam tonight. She was intent on continuing her little charade against the inhabitants of Weatherfield.

Of course while all this was going on some good had to come of the situation. Hence we saw the return of Tiger the captive cat. He managed to escape from Curly's while she wasn't looking and was found by none other than Des who managed to return him to his rightful owner.

This gave Des, Kevin and Natalie a bargaining chip when it came to convincing Alec that Sam was lying through her front teeth about so many things of late.

Meanwhile Sally was in mood to forgive Kevin and wanted him out of the house but Kevin who had done nothing wrong refused to budge and rightly so says I.

Judy was having an equally bad day as she confided in Jim and Liz about the missing Gary Mallett. She was convinced he was gone for good.

The second half of the show picked up speed however and finally decided to lay the monstrous Sam story to rest as she was finally caught out by Kevin and Des.

Caught in a corner she had nowhere to turn so she was forced to come clean about everything The results of this got her the sack but she cared little because she had decided to leave the Street anyway.

While the doom and gloom continued through that little storyline we saw a happy resolution to the Janice and Les storyline as he serenaded her with flowers and sang a karaoke version of "I'm Not In Love" to win her back. It worked because she melted into his arms and before you knew it they were up in their bedroom in the throes of passion,

The night ended with Sam leaving on her motorbike with nothing but venom coming from her as a parting shot. She left with another nugget of information.

She was still pregnant and Des would never know the truth.....

All in all : Lukewarm

 

4422 - Wednesday 17 June
The world of Weatherfield began to rebuild itself after the damage inflicted by the evil machinations of Samantha Falsworth. Now she was gone the lies could end but the repercussions would still be felt for time to come.

Alec Gilroy proved instrumental in the saving of Kevin and Sally's marriage as he proved to Sally most unconvincingly she was a malicious liar by explaining what had really been going on over the last few weeks.

Luckily Sally believed what Alec was saying but it didn't seem to set any solid foundations for the two of them as Sally was still clearly unhappy and tempted I would say by the predatory Greg. Why men fall for her is beyond me....

The Battersbys seemed flush with money as they celebrated their rekindled love for one another buying drinks and planning posh nights out to pamper one another. Unfortunately Nicky and Leanne were still coming to terms with their own problems namely Leanne's guilt over Whatley's new jail term at her and Nicky's hands.

Judy confided her woes in the sympathy of Natalie as she wondered whether Gary would ever come home to her and the child she was carrying. Natalie understood how desperate she must have been and it must have been nice to have someone fighting in her corner during her darkest hours.

Zoe meanwhile was getting back on her feet and looking to find work. Luckily Ashley her pet stooge was on hand to give her the support she needed to get back on her feet again.

Sally meanwhile spent the afternoon in the office sorting records for Greg and while she was drying her eyes from her recent emotional burdens he asked her out for a drink. She was flustered and flattered but turned him down although she clearly was thinking about the idea in an attractive sense.

Later she and Kevin planned a holiday to rediscover themselves and their possible romance. However it was all just going through the motions and a bust up between them seems inevitable in the long run. There is simply no heart left in their relationship at this point.

The night ended with Des and Natalie rekindling the relationship Des thought he had lost with a passionate kiss on the doorstep of her abode. With a confident kicking shut of the door we were forbidden to view any further the possible passion that lay ahead....

All in all : Slightly better

 

4423 - Friday 19 June
The night began with Natalie and Des celebrating their clandestine night of sex by sneaking back into the Street trying to avoid the prying eyes of the neighbours. However it was more a case of nobody being bothered as everyone had their own things to worry about.

Now Sam has gone we may no longer have the "bad girl" image lurking in the background but we do have the seriously troubled marital state of Kevin and Sally. It was clear as he barged ahead and booked a two week break in Florida for the family Sally was about as enthusiastic as a man at the gallows.

His every word and every action was grating on her nerves and her contempt for the man who was her husband was barely contained. However whenever Greg entered the room she had all on to stop herself from swooning to the floor.

Greg seemed just as keen as well although I still wonder why he bothers with her. Mind you the shallow as a paddling pool Maxine is hardly an improvement when it comes down to your choices in life. Still she deserved better than the contempt she was being treat with by the disinterested Battersby.

Zoe made a kind of peace with Judy over her recent heartbreak. She confirmed she would have said 'nowt about Judy's little liaison with sleazy arcade owner Paul Fisher. However it changed nothing for Judy and Gary and the situation was made worse by the fact Judy now knew she was expecting twins.

Fred and Audrey fresh from the Rovers accidentally kicked Les's van off it's bricks and scarpered sharpish. Ironic because they had just been talking about the values of truth and integrity.

The afternoon was spent with Leanne visiting Darren Whatley to try and ease her guilt over his wrongful imprisonment. He told her she was the only one who could set him free with her evidence that she and Nicky sent the letters that got him put away again in the first place.

When she tried to explain to Nicky what she had been doing that afternoon later that day Nicky told her Whatley was better off where he was and under no circumstances would they make moves to allow the man his freedom. Leanne however looked like a woman with other plans.

All in all : So, so

 

4424 - Sunday 21 June
Tonight saw the return of Jack and Vera to the Rovers and their inevitable catching up on the gossip and events that had transpired in their absence. They were of course short staffed with Sam out of the picture and also with Natalie on a weeks holiday. It was down to Vera to try and recruit a better breed of bar staff from now on....

Meanwhile Nicky and Leanne started to fall apart at the seams again over her guilt in the Darren Whatley affair. He said some cruel and unjust things about her claiming she should understand what it is like to commit a wrong as she came from such a rough upbringing. remarks like that only served to drive a larger wedge between the newlyweds.

Audrey and Spider were out campaigning for their respective corners tonight as they tried to drum up support for their potential elections into council. Spider seemed to fare quite well with the punters especially with Toyah helping him out. The somewhat aimless Audrey however seemed to be struggling to catch the attention of the voting fraternity. She looked like she could also come a cropper for taking her daughter's signature as she had already signed for Spider's camp earlier in the day.

The evening came and Leanne tried to get Gail on her side for the benefit of her marriage and to convince Nicky he was wrong in what he had done to get Whatley locked up again. Leanne hoped Gail might be the light of sense in the matter but she was wrong as Gail could never forget Brian's murder and more importantly never forgive. Leanne was still trapped between a rock and a hard place it would seem.

The night ended with the return of a stranger over the last week or so. Gary came a knocking on Judy's door. However what he had to say remained to be seen....

All in all : O.K

 

4425 - Monday 22 June
Tonight saw the partial reconciliation of Gary and Judy Mallett. Gary had returned looking for a way to work out his distrust of his wife. It wasn't going to be easy for him though. He was haunted by images of Judy and Paul Fisher together and even though he now knew he was to be the father of twins he still felt awkward with her.

Elsewhere Nicky and Leanne continued to fall apart over the Whatley incident. She couldn't deal with the guilt of him being in prison through their machinations while Nicky insisted if she went to the police then they as a couple were finished forever.

There was the odd bit of council propaganda thrown in as well as Spider temporarily looked like he was going to be sent off the rails and dropped from the campaign because he wasn't registered to vote at Emily's house. Luckily however she had registered him herself when she went to change her housing claim. This put Spider back on the campaign trail and wiped the smug smile off the face of Fred Elliot.

Also in the Rovers, Vera was looking for new bar staff to replace Sam. She was setting high standards though and was preparing rigorous mental tests for anyone who would be interested in the job. Jack told her straight though and explained that all Joe Punter wanted in a pub was a nice face and a large pair of breasts, if she could pull a pint then all the better. Vera however still insisted better sights should be aimed for.

Roy was wracked with guilt and loneliness following a letter from Hayley who was working post op I believe in Amsterdam. The poor man realised he had been judgemental towards her when all she had ever shown him was kindness and consideration. Gail was his confidante in the matter and told Roy to follow his heart and go and find her.

It gave her food for thought as well because later that day she confronted Nicky about the subject of Darren Whatley. She agreed with his sentiments over the death of Brian and insisted being in prison was the best place for him. However she also insisted that Nicky had to move on lest the death of his father claimed his life as well.

The night ended with Gary promising to give Judy another try. If they could rebuild their damaged trust then both he and Judy not to mention the twins could have a good life together....

All in all : Better

 

4426 - Wednesday 24 June
Tonight saw the race for the elections hotting up between Spider and Audrey with accusations of foul play being bandied between them. Audrey you see came a cropper when she handed in her nominees list at the council offices.

Gail had signed both her petition but she had signed Spider's first and he had made sure he had got his election form handed in early doors to beat the rush. As a result Audrey and Alec her personal spin doctor had to go hunting for a new signature to add to their list so they could apply.

Nicky was finally made to see sense and come clean to the police about his involvement in Darren Whatley's imprisonment. Surprisingly Gail was a key factor in changing her boy's mind. Bless the poor lad he even tried to act casting his best surly looks at the camera, but alas he merely came across as looking constipated.

Jack and Vera warred over the new choice to replace Sam as a barmaid in the Rovers. Vera picked a candidate who was akin to the Grim Reaper in the fact that everywhere she had worked the landlord had pegged out dead only weeks later. Jack feared for his life so opted to pick on a blonde dolly bird who had clearly left her brain cell on the mantlepiece before coming to the interview.

Jim had his house prepared for conversion for wheelchair but it was still something that was he was having a hard time coming to terms with and we saw evidence in that with his temper showing signs of flaring up again.

Roy finally bit the bullet and decided to go and visit his friend Hayley in Amsterdam. He was encouraged by Gail and Alma in his quest to find little Miss Chopoff and he would be leaving at the weekend.

The night ended with Audrey declaring all out war on Spider Nugent in the battle for the election but he took it in his stride as he downed his pint. He looked sure to give as good as he got...

All in all : much improved IMO

 

4427 - Friday 26 June
Tonight saw the scheming plans of Jack and Alec go awry when they tried to pull the wool over the eyes of one Vera Duckworth. They decided being as Vera was digging her heels in regarding the presence of a new dolly bird barmaid in the Rovers they would have to employ other tactics.

Alec set about recruiting an actress from his books to come to the Rovers and pose as something of a mature and experienced barmaid for the benefit of Vera. However there would be a twist as we would soon see because no sooner did she get in the door she made a beeline for none other than Jack himself. She flirted outrageously with him in a successful effort to make Vera feel most uncomfortable and to hopefully make her see that a younger bit of fluff wouldn't pose such a threat to Vera.

Elsewhere Spider and Toyah were campaigning to get themselves into local government by raising funds for their cause in the Street. It all met with dismal failure though but they could take heart in the knowledge that Audrey's plans were faring little better.

She quite clearly had little clue or interest for that matter in making her presence felt politically. While Fred and Alec planned and schemed for their own benefit in the background. Audrey was content to be the well dressed mouthpiece for Weatherfield local politics.

Jim was in the depths of bitterness tonight as he resented the assistance his son and Gary were trying to give him in an effort to win back the use of his legs. They were offering to temporarily convert his home for wheelchair access until the day he might recover. That day was not an option in Jim's mind because he felt he would be in the chair forever.

Roy made finally preparations for his departure. He had picked up some leaflets on organ donations in case of an accident while away. It led to the obvious humour relating to Hayley's condition and Alma struggled hardest to keep a straight face.

The night ended with Vera having her unwitting revenge on Alec and Jack by recruiting a sexy blonde member staff for the perusal of the punters. Unfortunately for the two of them the blonde was in fact a man. Obviously Vera wondered why the boys should have all the fun....

All in all : So, So

 

4428 - Sunday 28 June
The night that saw Roy begin his trek to see Hayley in Amsterdam. We watched as he fumbled his way through the airport with Alma in tow as his guide for the duration of completing all the formalities at the U.K end.

When Roy eventually arrived in Amsterdam he made his best efforts to pick through a phrase book to find his way around only to discover that his hosts were much better with our language than he would have thought.

He located the address where Hayley was staying with ease which appeared to be some kind of houseboat. However Hayley was not there and she wouldn't be back for another night. Roy looked at the man whom she was sharing the houseboat with and appeared to get pretty much the wrong idea.

With his hopes deflating like a balloon he wandered off to wallow in his misery.

Speaking of misery that was pretty much what Jim McDonald was finding himself doing yet again tonight. He was ejected from the Rovers by the new barman for trying to order too much booze while on medication. He turned nasty and insulted and got wheeled out on to the pavement for his troubles. He ended his night paralytic courtesy of a bottle of whisky but then that was nothing new.

Maxine was full steam ahead with her flat and her plans to move Greg into it so she could have him all to her self all the time. Greg however wasn't so sure it was a good idea and made his excuses for keeping himself out of her new home for the time being. Alas poor Maxine has still not cottoned on to the fact that Greg isn't running as hot as she is in the relationship stakes.

Audrey meanwhile was out causing trouble in the papers for Spider tonight as she inadvertently gave an interview to the press which made Spider look like a corruptor of young girls. It referred to him and Toyah on the red rec a few short months ago when they had been spending a lot of time together.

Spider was incensed and in full view of everyone in the Rovers swore revenge on Audrey for what she had said about him. He explained he would be seeking legal action with his solicitor first thing in the morning. Alec had predicted this might happen and now there was going to have to be some serious damage limitation put to work to make things right.

Especially as Spider intended to explain to the world about how Audrey had children by two different fathers to make her image appear somewhat tarnished...

All in all : O.K

 

4429- Monday 29 June
Tonight saw the feuding parties in the council election run up starting to formulate their plans with Audrey do little to further her own cause relying mainly on Alec and Fred the men with their own agendas to help her progress.

At the moment their main objective was to try and limit the damage Audrey's mouth had been doing of late as she had already rubbished the name of Spider and Toyah in the press. A point which had made her most unpopular with some of the voters.

However it wasn't all roses in Spider's camp either as he viewed his new role as campaigner for the local cause (complete with Martin Bell style suit) as something of a compromise of his own political views. He was always someone who thought of himself as more of an anarchist than a democratic person.

Jim sunk lower and lower and when he wasn't drinking he was feeling bitterly sorry for himself. His local physiotherapist came to see him in a view to adjusting his somewhat slanted view on life but had little success. In fact Jim was so low by the end of the episode he tried to wheel his chair out in front of the car of Mike Baldwin in a failed suicide attempt.

Roy continued to potter round Amsterdam and eventually did get to see Hayley Patterson. It wasn't the most constructive of times for either of them though because conversation was slow and stilted and in all honesty hard work.

The two of them made much small talk and things seemed to be progressing when Roy discovered the man she was sharing her houseboat with was not in fact interested in her in *that* sense.

Sandy the barman was a hit with the ladies even if his acting could be compared to a piece of balsa wood. However the menfolk seemed less keen especially when Les Battersby made a fool of himself in front of everyone by attempting to arm wrestle the young man.

The night more or less ended with Spider once more addressing his views for the council and wondering if he truly could stand as a candidate without compromising himself as a person....

All in all : O.K




Written by Adrian Carter

 

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