Hi folks, I'm back. First, I'd like to say a huge thank you to Fiona, Philippa and Ian who I'm sure you will agree did a sterling job of writing the updates while I was away on holiday. In fact, Ian has enjoyed himself so much he has now volunteered to take over Nigel's Wednesday updates!! Thanks also to Graham for acting as postman and sending the updates to the mailing list each week.
My own life over the last 4 weeks beats the Street hands down in terms of drama. Suffice to say I'm doing okay, it's hard though. Anyway, enough tittle tattle, and on with the show.
Deirdre! Wake up and smell the double decaf latte espresso (you can tell I've been to the States). Jon gives Deirdre a gold credit card and tells her to spend to her heart's content on items for the new house. She blows over £3,000 in one afternoon on furniture. While the couple are shopping for a new bed, Jon's wife walks in the store, he spots her and gives her a line about how he's buying her Xmas present and she really should go before she spoils the surprise. When Liz confides in Deirdre about her anxiety of growing old alone and her problems with ex husband Jim, all Deirdre can do is enthuse about the power shower in the spare bathroom and the look on Liz's face is priceless. Liz helps Deirdre move into the new house by shipping all of Deirdre's wordly goods in the back of her car in a couple of old cardboard boxes. Alma and Mike pop round with a bunch of flowers, and Mike gets extremely nosy, wanting to take a look around the house and wondering who's paying for it all.
Zoe is back on the Street, demanding to see her baby so Judy hides out at a shopping mall all day while Gary stalls Zoe at he house and gives her £50 to get rid of her. She turns her evil devil eyes on Gary and tells him "I'll be back".
Fred names the corner shop "Elliotts", a name of quality and distinction, he feels. He appoints Ashley as the manager and tells him not to be so gormless and get on and manage. When Ashley wants to take on a new assistant, he asks Uncle Fred for permission. Fred tells him to appoint whoever he chooses, make his own decisions. Little does he realise that the new assitant is Maude!
Ken is dressed up to the nines in the Rovers ready to take on another date for Alec's escort agency. Jack has found out what Alec and Ken are up to and wants a piece of the action too. For Ken's next date, Alec leaves the details in an envelope with Samantha, who ends up giving it to Jack, who decides to go on the date himself. The details in the envelope are for Jack (alias Ken..) to meet Mrs Turnbull and take her to a classical music concert. Jack turns up at a posh hotel and meets the merry widow of a liquorice baron who has more on her mind than chamber music. She drags him upstairs (these men, they have no will power, poor souls) and just when she thinks she's about to have her wicked way with him, Jack has hopped it in his bathrobe, carrying his clothes. As he runs down the hotel stairs, he leaves his shoe, Cinderella like on the stairs.
Les Battersby tries chatting up Samantha but Des is having none of it and threatens Les outside of the Rovers. Later that night, someone smashes all the windows of Des' car and the obvious suspect is Les but he denies all. The next night, we see someone throw a brick through Des' living room window and again, the suspect is Les.. but perhaps it's Sam's disgruntled husband who did threaten a while ago that we hadn't seen the last of him.
Natalie is back behind the bar of the Rovers. Rita and Sally go in for a drink and Natalie tries to make conversation but Rita cuts her dead. "I was only trying to be pleasant" says Natalie. "Well don't" replies Rita "It doesn't suit you".
Judy wants to have baby Katie christened and asks Samantha and Des to be godparents. Samantha accepts but Des declines on account of the fact that he isn't a Christian, so Judy asks Curly instead, who agrees. Gary doesn't think that having the baby christened is a good idea but agrees to keep Judy happy.
Sally and Chris are still at it, with Chris creeping in and out of the back door after Sally's put the girls to bed on an evening. Chris wants to tell Kevin about their relationship but Sally doesn't want him to know just yet.
And that's that for this week.
Glenda :-)
Managing not only to convince herself but her daughter and mother as well, Deirdre plays happy families at the housewarming event of the year. She twitters round the love nest pouring drinks for all, with Tracy back from wherever she went to and Deirdre's mum visiting the new house too. When Jon proposes a toast and announces their forthcoming wedding, it's hard to know who got most of a shock - Liz, who drops and smashes her glass on the new carpet, or Deirdre, who knew nothing about it either. Jon and Deirdre have a chat about Liz, and Jon suggests that Deirdre should tell Liz to wear clothing more suitable for her age, asking why Liz dresses like a slapper! Deidre tries to broach the subject with Liz in the Rovers but to no avail. When Liz is working behind the bar in the Warwick Hotel, two young lads take the micky out of her and while she thinks she's being chatted up, they're asking why someone her age is still walking around in mini skirts. To his credit, Fred Eliot steps in to quieten things down, calling Liz "a lady", I say, a lady. And I say you need new glasses Fred, I say, new glasses.
Chris and Sally go for a romantic meal for two in the local Italian restaurant, hoping no one will spot them, but in walks Steve McDonald with his estate agent girlfriend. Ha! The secret is out. Go for it Sally girl, rub Kevin's nose right in it! Natalie comes across the snogging couple in the back lane but they don't see her, and she's keeping quiet about it for now, no doubt waiting for an opportune moment to break the news to Kevin. She also spies Chris closing the curtains in Sally's bedroom.. now just what is she going to do with a piece of gossip that good? Sally confides in Rita that she's seeing Chris but doesn't see a future in the relationship because of the age difference between them.
Judy and Gary have baby Katie christened and everyone goes back to the Mallets for drinks and things on sticks. Just when everyone is cooing over the baby, in walks Zoe with her evil devil eyes. "I wunt me babeh". Gary very gently throws her back on the street and Leanne tells her to come and stay with them in the Battersby house. Judy tells Gary she wants to move away, somewhere exotic like Canada or Australia. Gary comes up with a better idea... Newcastle! Why aye man. Judy is so overcome with emotion she starts crooning "When the boat comes in" as a lullaby to Katie. In a touching scene, Rita gives Judy £50 for the baby, telling Judy to put it away for the future, and if Katie ever asks where the money came from, she is to tell her that it came from a kindly lady who couldn't have children of her own.
Graffiti is sprayed on the kitchen window at Des' house and then Des gets jumped on as he's making his way back home from the christening. Sam's husband suddenly reappears and takes the blame for the brick attacks on the house and car last week. "But I luv ya Sam" he says, but she tells him she wants him to go away. Looks like Sam is set for heartbreak when she tells Des she loves him. Look what's happened to the other girls on the Street when they've said the same thing dear.
The liquorice baron widow returns Jack's (alias Ken) shoe to the Rovers, demanding fulfillment and her money's worth from the escort agency. Just when she's trying to have her way with Jack in the back room, in walks Vera demanding to know what's going on. "This is Ken Barlow, and I'm after me money's worth" the woman says. "No it's not! That's Jack Duckworth and he's my husband!". Anyway, all is settled and Vera finds out about the escort agency, telling Alec "You mean you arrange dates? You're nothing but a pimple!". She then calls Alec on his mobile phone, trying hard to disguise her voice, to arrange a date with a tall dark Italian type, but Alec twigs on that it's Vera on the phone and promises her he's got just the perfect man for her date - and we all know it'll be Jack. Hasn't this storyline been done before? I sense a bit of deja vu here. I sense a bit of deja vu here.
And that's about that for this week. Good to see Alf back in the show finally, even if Audrey still gives him grief. Oh yes, forgot to mention, she's working in Fiona's hair salon while Fiona is away somewhere having her hair re-plaited.
Glenda :-)
Sorry that the update is a little late this week, things are a little hectic but a lot of fun at the moment. If I'd known being single again was this much fun, I'd have done it years ago ;-) I've finally had time to sit down tonight and watch the last few episodes of the Street which I bring to you now, and it includes the 1 hour special shown on Monday 15th December.
I'm writing this to you now from the safety of my PC shouting at the top of my voice "NO!! Sally NO!! Don't do it Sally!!". Yes indeed folks.. it looks like it really could happen - Sally and Kevin back together again? It's the girls' nativity play at school and although Kevin promises Sally and the girls he'll be there, he has to miss out when Natalie takes ill (although I reckon it was just a ploy to keep Kevin at home?). He tries to apologise to Sally but it's the girls he really has to apologise to, and they forgive him and give him a special performance of the nativity show in the Webster's front room. With the girls crooning Christmas Carols, Kevin comes over all sentimental like and tells Sally he wants to move back, to be with the girls. She doesn't know what to believe, and wonders if he really wants HER back at all but he says he does, and tells her that he'll leave Natalie. So, off he trots to Natalie's house and tells her it's all over, and that he's going back to Sally. Natalie is distraught, but just as Kevin is leaving, she turns the knife and tells him about Sally and Chris! Oohh! Kevin storms off to confront Chris and they end up fighting in the Street after Chris admits to sleeping with Sally, and Des tries his best to stop any blood spilling on the cobbles. Kevin goes back to see Sally and she tells him that she's prepared to make a go of their relationship and that she does want him back, but he tells her he knows about Chris, calls her a sanctimonious lying bitch and walks out again.
The second major storyline this week has been the Mallets and Zoe. Busy packing the van for their trip to Newcastle, Gary doesn't notice Zoe sneak into their house and she whips baby Katie away before he can say "ha'way the lads". She takes the baby to Fred Eliott's house where Ashley tries to protect her against the Mallets when they try to get Katie back. Zoe has told Ashley everything about the sale of her baby and Ashley takes Zoe's side and does his best to help her. While Judy and Gary are frantic with worry, Ashley drives Zoe to a "friend" and drops her in a tree lined street. But as soon as Ashley's van pulls away, Zoe walks on with the baby until she finds Liam, the baby's father, living in a squat and tells him about his baby.
Audrey, busy enjoying herself a bit too much in the salon, decides she'd like to buy the place from Fiona. She calls Fiona at home to discuss her plans but luckily Fiona's back on the Street now with no intention of selling out to Audrey. She does agree to Audrey helping out in the salon as she'll need extra help when her baby comes along.
Vera goes on her date, under the name "Roxie L'Amour" to meet her tall, dark, handsome Italian type. Alec of couse has fixed her up with Jack and there's a great scene when the two of them meet in the hotel restaurant, and Vera hides under the tablecloth when she sees Jack walk in. When they both find out what's going on, Vera is so incensed that Jack is working for Alec as an escort that she pours ice cubes down his trousers. After this, the two of them communicate via Samantha in the Rovers.
After last week, when Des was jumped on by Sam's ex, and Les Battersby helped Des out of the fight, Les now feels that Des owes him something for his assistance. In the Rovers, Des is expected to buy Les' drinks for him, and Les wants to go nightclubbing with Des and Samantha but Des refuses. They both go back to Des' house where Les is most pleased to find Samantha wearing her dressing gown. As Samantha goes upstairs to get dressed, Les insinuates he'd quite like an em... you know.. wife swapping thing for the evening but Des absolutely refuses and sends Les home.
The girls at Underworld are having their Christmas lunch, which isn't a lunch at all, just as many drinks as possible in as short a space of time as possible. (A bit like my Christmas lunch this coming Friday!) Anyway, they get quite merry and are in the Rovers when Angie and Mike Baldwin walk in. Ida Clough sidles up to Mike "I bet you've broken some hearts in your time Mike eh?" she croons. "Usually when I gave them their P45's" replies Mike. The girls go on from the Rovers to the Warwick Hotel to be served by that lovely barmaid, Liz McDonald. There's a band playing in the hotel and Ida recognises the lead singer as an old flame of hers from many years ago, but he snubs her and tries to chat up Janice Battersby instead. Anyway, Les comes in at this point when the singer (Jump Jackson of Jump Jackson and the Jive Five) and Janice are having a Christmas kiss (aka snog) and throws a punch at Mr Jump, misses him, and KO's the bar manager. The manager knows the girls are friends of Liz's and promptly sacks her on the spot. Ida gets revenge when Mr Jump's wig comes off in Les' hand and she makes Jump say "please" for the return of his hair piece.
And that's just about that for this week. I hope the next update will be on time, but hey, if it isn't - don't worry. I'm just out enjoying myself. Merry Christmas.
Glenda :-) :-)
This is themy last weekly update before Christmas, so I'd like to wish every single one of you who reads this update a very Merry Christmas indeed. There have been some great scenes this week on the Street, and I'm really enjoying the show at the moment, it's going through a good phase and I hope it continues well into the New Year. There's a great new character called Spider (who did actually join the show last week but I forgot to mention him!) and some of the lines in each episode this week have seen me laughing out loud (and that was before I hit the sweet sherry). So, here I am again, and as I raise my bottle of Guinness to you via the PC screen, I'd just like to say - have a great Christmas - I know I will... :-)
So, just who is Spider? Surprised to find on her doorstop a rather scruffy looking individual with matted hair, Emily invites in Jeffrey (aka Spider), who turns out to be her brother's son, looking for a place to stay. Emily asks him why he chose to look her up after all these years, "Well, my dad told me you were a bit of a goer so I thought you'd be cool with it" he replies. He's a great character who has brought a wry smile to Emily's face, even Toyah has a crush on the ragged trousered eco-warrier. "I won't sponge off you for long" he tells Emily "I've got the world to save and all that".
Aswell as Spider, a turkey also turns up this week. Yes, a real turkey. Some bloke drops it off for Les Battersby, who intends to kill it and cook it for Christmas lunch. After taking advice from Fred Eliott on the best way to kill it, "Hit it with summit heavy such as the wife" he just can't bring himself to murder the bird. Toyah and Spider want to save Teresa (yes, it really is called Teresa) and just when Les gets himself drunk so he can stun the bird with a baseball bat and slit its throat, Spider intervenes and Les leaves the turkey alone. Then, for some reason which I missed because the dog started cocking his leg against the Christmas tree and I had to throw myself across the room to stop him, Janice Battersby then started walloping Spider with the bat, and I swear the turkey smiled. Anyway, Spider and Toyah liberate the turkey and take her to a children's farm, from where she promptly escapes and makes her way back to the Street, only to meet her untimely death under the wheels of Les' car, a flurry of feathers coming to rest on the car bonnet.
Liam returns to the Mallet's house, telling Gary and Judy that he wants a further £2,000 from them to return baby Katie. Gary is against giving Liam the money but Judy is desperate, she'll do anything to get Katie back. Judy asks her boss for a £2,000 advance on her wages, to which her boss reluctantly agrees. I think he gave her the money on the understanding that she'd be "nice" to him, but again, I missed most of this scene when my other dog decided she'd like to see what fairy lights tasted like and started chewing through the wire. Zoe moves back into Ashley and Fred's house with the baby and after a lot of emotional scenes, crying, tears and what not, Gary convinces Judy to put the whole situation behind them, to move on, and let Zoe keep the baby and even to give Zoe the toys and clothes they had bought for the baby themselves. So, they do this and Zoe seems perfectly happy to sit in Ashley's house smoking a cigarette while her baby cries itself to sleep upstairs. Meanwhile, across the road, Gary is bashing ten bells out of his drums and Judy is watching TV, teary eyed and depressed. Maxine has split up with Ashley, convinced he is being more than just helpful and protective as far as Zoe is concerned.
Some good stuff this week between Sally, Kevin and Natalie. Kevin tells Sally he's staying in a bed and breakfast for a few days, and while he's there, Natalie comes to see Sally to drop off Kevin's clothes from her house. She hands the bag of clothes to Sally - "I don't want them" she says and closes the door on Natalie. Natalie tells Sally they should have a drink together some time in the Rovers to discuss Kevin - loving and leaving them both. "He didn't leave me" says Sally "you took him!". Natalie, feeling sorry for herself probably, starts chatting up Jim McDonald in the Rovers - now there's a volatile combination if ever there was one. Chris tells Sally that it's obvious that Kevin still loves her and the girls, and despite going through the heartache, the pain and the sleepless nights when he went off with another woman, Sally will probably take him back. Shame.
Deirdre wonders why Jon hasn't received any Christmas cards from friends or family but he fobs her off with a flimsy excuse. He tells her he has to go to Aberdeen to work over the holidays, so she won't expect to see much of him. However, reading ahead in the "Radio Times", it looks as if Jon's set for some indigestion caused by rushing around from eating one Christmas dinner at home with his wife, to eating a second one with Deirdre.
And that's just about that for this week. Have a very Merry Christmas, hope Santa leaves you something nice in your stocking.
Glenda :-)
Hello and welcome to the last Coronation Street update of 1997. I hope Santa Claus was kind to you and that you had a very Merry Christmas. Just to give you a taste of some of the presents I got for Christmas, I'm sitting here listening to the Trainspotting CD whilst wearing a new chunky handknit cardi complemented by Wallace and Gromit socks as I write this update. I had a great Christmas, possibly my best ever (and if you want to know what that's all about, hard luck 'cos I ain't telling.. yet!).
There's been a lot happening on the Street this week, it's been moving at a cracking pace so accept my apologies if I miss anything of any importance, especially as I have downed a great deal of Chardonnay and Guinness during the last few days (although not in the same glass, you understand - but hey! there's a thought) and this has impaired my viewing ability somewhat. Normal service will be resumed after the party season ends.
Christmas Day brings its own problems for Deirdre and Jon. Leaving his wife to attend to "an alarm call" at work, he rushes to Deirdre and eats a Christmas lunch there with Deirdre and Liz, what fun. He tells Deirdre he's due back at work, and rushes back to his wife only to find she's kept his Christmas lunch (and pudding!) warm for him, and he has to stuff himself all over again. He tells Deirdre that he has to work on New Years Eve and she's really huffed with him for rushing off all the time, leaving her on her own. Liz wonders aloud whether or not it's Jon's work that takes him away from Deirdre.. perhaps it's actually another woman? Deirdre laughs off the suggestion, saying she trusts Jon (bad move Deidre!) but she does confront him about Liz's suggestion and although there's a slight worried look across his unshakeable features, he denies all. (However, all is set to be revealed tomorrow night - New Years Eve - when Deirdre finds out the truth).
Sally and Kevin are back together after Kevin joins her and Rita and his daughters for Christmas lunch. While Sally is happy to have her hubby back under the matrimonial roof, she still doesn't trust Kevin or Natalie, and tells Kevin he wants him to stop working with Natalie in the garage and asks him to sell his share of the garage. Kevin doesn't want to do this, for financial reasons, but also because he probably still feels a lot for Natalie even though he hasn't yet admitted it. Natalie is taken under the wing of Jack, Vera, Alec and Betty for Christmas lunch in the back room of the Rovers where they're all quite protective of her. Kevin tells Natalie he's gone back to Sally and that it's over between them both, she tells Kevin she's going to reinstate Chris but Chris isn't very keen on going back to work with Kevin after all that has happened.
Zoe continues to live with Ashley, and Maxine is still not speaking to him, being very jealous of his friendship with Zoe. When Uncle Fred comes into the house and meets baby Katie he leans over the little bundle and bellows "Hallo little baby!". Zoe tries to show her er.. appreciation to Ashley for all his help but he tells her he isn't interested in her and he still wants Maxine. Zoe is offered a room in a hostel for herself and the baby and she's all set to move in, but Ashley tells her not to leave, and says she can stay in the house, and that Maxine will have to handle her jealousy. Zoe is refusing to let Gary and Judy see the baby under any circumstances.
Judy and Gary want to give the £2,000 back to Judy's boss after agreeing that Zoe should keep the baby. Gary wants to come with Judy when she returns the money but she insists on going alone. She hands in her notice at the arcade, and it's obvious that she and her boss did the business before he handed over the money and it doesn't look like he wants to forget about it. It'll be quite ironic if she becomes pregnant now... Gary tells Martin the truth about paying Zoe the money for the baby, and Martin of course tells Gail, and Nick overhears the story. He tells Leanne, who had known the truth all along but Judy had denied the truth, so Leanne goes to see Judy in the Rovers, giving her a hard time for calling Leanne a liar in the first place.
I had a few chuckles at Spider this week. He's taken to smoking "herbal cigarettes" in Emily's house. Ken goes there for tea and is appalled that Spider should be rolling joints in Emily's living room. "It's okay" he says "Aunty Em is cool with it". Ken has a quiet word with Emily in the Rovers but Emily says she knows what Spider is doing but she prefers him to smoke in the house rather than elsewhere as he already has history with the police and she doesn't want him in any more trouble.
Alf Roberts tells Audrey, in confidence, that the council have decided to bulldoze the red rec and remove some trees to build a concert bowl for the millenium celebrations. As usual, Audrey spreads the news like wildfire and when Toyah finds out, she's straight round to see Spider to give him the news. Spider is up in arms, he can't and won't let this happen. Roy joins Spider in his campaign to save the red rec, telling him in the Rovers that there's a lot of "horny groundwort" on the red rec. And there's some of it behind the bar in the Rovers, she's called Natalie.
Well, that's just about all for this week. Next week will be a new year, full of new starts and new opportunities. Make the most of it all, every single day. Have a very happy New Year, and a great '98. See you next year.
Glenda :-)
