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Coronation Street Weekly
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Corrie weekly updates from 1995
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Weekly updates with pictures on the Coronation
Street Blog
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2008 -
JANUARY 21
Now then, I've been looking forward to killing off Vera
in the update. I don't mean that in a macabre sort of way but in the
years of writing the weekly update, Vera's death is possibly the
biggest storyline that's been covered. There have been other deaths
- like Mike Baldwin's - but Vera passing to the other side (and I
don't mean the BBC) must surely rank up there as the biggest story
the weekly updates have covered. Old cynic that I am, I didn't think
Vera dying would affect me as much as it did. We've known for months
that the actress who plays Vera, Liz Dawn, was seriously ill and
leaving the show. We've known for months that Vera would be killed
off and so I ignored the text messages all day Friday last week from
people who know me too well, asking if I'd stocked up on hankies to
wave Vera ta-ra. So while Vera's death wasn't the
earth-shattering, shocking story of the Soap world, it's Jack's
grief and the way he handled the death of his wife after 50 years of
marriage that choked me to tears. The tears started again on
Saturday morning when I read a fab review of Vera's dying episode in
The Guardian by Nancy Bank-Smith, my most favourite soap writer, a
woman who knows her Corrie history and is always spot on.
But let's backtrack a little for those who might not know
how Vera pops her clogs on the cobbles. The Duckies had their move
to Blackpool all planned. They'd bought a new house, measured up for
curtains and agreed the sale of their home on Coronation Street to
Tyrone and Molly. Everything looked good, everything was planned.
And as Jack went to the Rovers for a pint, leaving Vera home alone,
he returned to find her dead in her favourite chair. Her heart had
given out and she'd slipped away with her slippers on. Bill Tarmey
as Jack played an absolute blinder and as the realisation of Vera's
death sank in, Jack sang to his little duck egg: “If you were the
only girl in the world, and I were the only boy…” his voice trailing
off as the grief proved too much. And when Jack went out to have a
word with his pigeons he cooed love words to the birds that he'd
never said to Vera and wished that he had. When word spread of
Vera's death, Tyrone and Molly were in bits and Paul too. He'd even
taken an old black and white photo of his grandparents and had it
framed, where it now takes pride of place in the Duckies – well,
make that now Jack's - living room. Clad only in his vest and
trousers, Jack takes in callers and cards as the locals come to pay
their respects. Unable to deal with thinking about the funeral just
yet, Jack takes to the Rovers for a pint and then heads home to
clear his head. He starts making a list, putting words to paper of
things Vera would have wanted at her funeral, a clear sign he was
ready to prepare for the next step. And that, dear readers, will be
all here next week when the weekly update brings you the funeral
update and son Terry's return.
Elsewhere this week, much of
the remaining storyline was dominated by Michelle in tears over the
saga of her son. Is it Ryan? Is it Alex? Do we care? Ryan chooses to
take a DNA test to prove that Michelle is his mum. Ah, but what if
she's not? Give the woman a jar of Kalms for heaven's sake and make
her stop crying. If I wanted this bleakness I'd be watching
EastEnders.
Up in Janice's flat this week Wiki held a knicker
party, selling off Kropp branded gear. Why women who work
knicker-stitching during the day would want to go to a party where
one of them is selling knickers at night is beyond me, but they're a
strange breed, these knicker-stitching girls. Wiki had fun at the
party but seemed to be the only one who did.
Meanwhile, David
gets cosy with his new girlfriend Tina and they find out more about
each other in Jerry's kebab shop over chips and blue pop. Now then,
I'm not sure which of the two is most odd. Is it David for
confessing he was mad enough to drive his car into the canal? Or is
it Tina for being impressed by this news?
And finally this
week, Carla ups her game to woo tall, dark, handsome, thick Liam and
tempts him away to a trade fair in Birmingham. The minx has booked
them a double room instead of the two singles they'd agreed on. I
wonder if they'll be offered a Brummy kipper tie?
Coronation
Street writers this week were Mark Burt, Peter “I killed off Vera
Duckworth” Whalley, Lucy Gannon, Mark Wadlow and Joe
Turner.
And that's just about that for this
week.
Glenda
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