Coronation Street: 40th anniversary live episode
Encyclopedia
Coronation Street Live is a live episode
of the British soap opera Coronation Street
which was broadcast on Friday 8 December 2000 as part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations. The episode was an hour long and aired at 8.00pm, an hour after a repeat of the first episode
with an introduction by William Roache
from the soap's outdoor set where last minute preparations for the live episode were under way. The episode was number 4945 in the series and was the first live edition to be broadcast since Episode 17, which aired on 3 February 1961. It was watched by in excess of 16 million viewers.
The episode is notable for an appearance by Charles, Prince of Wales
who visited the show's Manchester
based studios earlier in the day and met cast members. Footage of him meeting actress Sue Nicholls
was incorporated into the storyline following prior agreement with the Prince's staff, and this is the only part of the episode which was pre-recorded. Scenes for the episode were broadcast live from the Coronation Street outdoor set and the Stage One studio complex next door. The episode charted the events of a single day. However, because transmission was during the hours of darkness all scenes set outdoors appeared near the beginning or end of the programme. Scenes meant to be set during the daytime were studio based.
Vera is critical but stable at Weatherfield General, having had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. Tyrone and Maria convince Vera's husband Jack to go home and rest, as he has been at Vera's bedside all night. However, when Martin advises them that Jack should not stay away for too long, Tyrone panics and phones Curly to ask him to fetch Jack. Curly, who is speaking on the phone in the Kabin, is overheard by Norris, who misinterprets the conversation and believes that Vera has died.
Audrey brags to Rita about her upcoming lunch date with Prince Charles, who is visiting Weatherfield to open a new planning office at the Town Hall. Before she leaves, she calls into Roy's Rolls to warn Ken and Duggie that the tarmackers are getting a court injunction meaning the police will be able to remove the demonstrators. Ken is working on getting a preservation order from Northern Heritage
but fears this may take too long.
Hayley questions Roy about their interview with Peter Hartnell, but Roy is more concerned with the demo. At the Rovers, Natalie tells Liz that she will be spending the day with the brewery, who are going to show her around other pubs. Natalie later overhears Liz and Geena express their pity for her situation as a single mother with a pub to run. Duggie tells Natalie about his experiences growing up in a pub, which make her even more worried.
Jack reads a letter from Vera aloud to Curly. Jack is moved by Vera's words but tries not to shed tears. In her letter, Vera confesses to an affair which she had before Terry was born, which led to her uncertainty over Terry's parenity. Jack tells Curly he knew about the affair, and it ended after he beat up the man concerned - Vera never found out. Jack explains that he knows Terry is his son because he reminds him of the way he used to be. Jack and Curly are joined by Emily, who has been told that Vera has died and come to offer her sympathies. Jack and Curly race to the hospital, where they are relieved to learn that there has been no change in Vera's condition.
News of Vera's apparent death spreads to the Rovers
, putting a dampener on the spirits of the protesters. Curly and Emily confer and, realising that Norris was the source of the false rumour, confront him. Curly later puts the record straight. Just as everybody celebrates the fact that Vera has not died, Audrey returns from her lunch with Prince Charles and says the tarmackers will arrive soon with a police escort. Eileen overhears and hatches a plan.
Terry arrives at the hospital having heard about Vera. Jack stops him leaving and berates him. Terry breaks down when he sees Vera. As Curly returns, Vera starts to regain consciousness, managing to utter a few words. Terry watches from outside the hospital room.
The tarmackers arrive and the police give the demonstrators five minutes to move or they will be arrested. Norris is ready to admit defeat but Ken and Duggie persuade everybody to stay put. Ken manages to stall the police by saying he's waiting for his solicitor, but with the officer's patience wearing thin, the demonstrators still refuse to move. As the police begin manhandling them away, Eileen and Dennis blockade the Street with a convoy of taxis from Street Cars, Steve knows nothing about the scheme, however, and when he arrives on the scene, he is annoyed when the police threaten to tow the vehicles away.
Peter Barlow arrives in a taxi as the residents celebrate their brief victory. He is not surprised to find Ken at the centre of things. Peter tells Deirdre and Blanche that he has left the Navy and that his wife Jessica has left him. He goes for a drink in the Rovers and tries to chat up Linda, unaware that she is married to Mike Baldwin, but becomes aware of her identity after making a fool of himself.
Natalie, Geena and Liz watch the ITV Evening News
on which Sir Trevor McDonald
reads an item about Prince Charles's visit to Manchester. Audrey Roberts is seen being presented to the Prince at Weatherfield Town Hall. Hayley finally finds the opportunity to speak to Roy. She is distressed that Roy does not see her as a woman, and when he clarifies that he does not think of her in the same way as other women, before going off to join the demonstrators, Hayley writes him a letter, packs her bags and leaves their flat.
Ken realises that the preservation order will not arrive in time to save the cobbles. However, Duggie realises that nobody knows what the preservation order looks like, so creates a fake preservation order, which will hopefully fool the police long enough for the real one to arrive. They type it on Ken's laptop before emailing it to Stan Potter, a friend of Duggie's, who prints a hard copy for them. With the cars moved, the police give the tarmackers the go-ahead to start work, but Stan arrives just in time to deliver the fake preservation order. The police are sceptical, but order the tarmackers to pack up for the night. The residents celebrate their victory, jeering at Les Battersby when he tries to join in. Roy reads Hayley's letter and frantically searches for her as the celebrations are under way. Natalie tells Geena she plans to sell the Rovers to a pub chain. Ken leads the demonstrators in a toast to tradition and community.
in August 2000. Television producers in the United States had recently experimented with live episodes to great success, with a live edition of the hospital drama ER
attracting 42 million viewers, and Granada Television believed that a live episode would be an ideal way to celebrate Coronation Streets 40th anniversary (a number of episodes, including the first one on 9 December 1960 had been recorded live). The show's producer, Jane Macnaught, said: "It will mean a lot of hard work for the cast and production team involved, but I know it will be an enjoyable and exhilarating experience."
At this point few details were available of any potential storyline, but a spokeswoman said that the episode would see one of the characters have a serious health condition, while a couple would be faced with a personal dilemma. Other events to mark the anniversary would include a documentary about the life of actor Bill Roache, who had played the role of Ken Barlow since the soap's inception, and a tribute programme called Forty Years of Coronation Street.
On 5 December it was announced that the Slade
singer Noddy Holder
would make a cameo appearance in the episode as a character named Stan. The actor John Savident
who played Fred Elliott
was also due to appear, but was unable to take part following an attack on him in his home by an intruder. It was also reported that because the episode would be aired at night cast members had been rehearsing many of the scenes in the evening as part of their preparations. Cast members did not usually rehearse before recording scenes, but it was reported they had spent forty hours rehearsing for the episode.
On 8 December Prince Charles
visited the Granada Studios in Manchester and unveiled a plaque on the set to celebrate the soap's 40th anniversary. The plaque was located on a wall next to the Rovers Return Inn
, but would eventually be moved to a green room where cast members relax between scenes. He also met cast members, including the actress Sue Nicholls
. Footage of their meeting was later incorporated into the live episode, which showed a news report of Nicholls' character Audrey Roberts
being presented to the Prince at the opening of a new planning office at Weatherfield
Town Hall. An hour before the 8:00pm episode was due to be aired, ITV
showed a repeat of the first episode
from 1960. The episode was preceded by an introduction from William Roache, who was on set preparing to take part in the live episode. The live episode itself was preceded by a montage featuring the Coronation Street cast members over which was played the popular song "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You
". The sequence ended with the caption "Coronation Street - Forty Years - Thank You".
aired a live edition
to celebrate its 25th anniversary on air on 19 February 2010. In April 2010 Bill Roache confirmed that ITV would not be airing another live edition. He said; "We're not going to do a live episode, we did that in the Millennium year [the show's 40th anniversary], we don't want to do that again." However, on 29 August actor Keith Duffy
said that Coronation Street would air a live episode to celebrate its 50th anniversary, something which was confirmed on 1 September by ITV. The episode was aired on Thursday 9 December as part of a week long celebration of the show's 50th birthday.
Live television
Live television refers to a television production broadcast in real-time, as events happen, in the present. From the early days of television until about 1958, live television was used heavily, except for filmed shows such as I Love Lucy and Gunsmoke. Video tape did not exist until 1957...
of the British soap opera Coronation Street
Coronation Street
Coronation Street is a British soap opera set in Weatherfield, a fictional town in Greater Manchester based on Salford. Created by Tony Warren, Coronation Street was first broadcast on 9 December 1960...
which was broadcast on Friday 8 December 2000 as part of the show's 40th anniversary celebrations. The episode was an hour long and aired at 8.00pm, an hour after a repeat of the first episode
Coronation Street: The First Episode
The first episode of the British soap opera Coronation Street was broadcast live on the 9 December 1960. Episode 2 was video taped shortly after the airing.-Plot:...
with an introduction by William Roache
William Roache
William Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
from the soap's outdoor set where last minute preparations for the live episode were under way. The episode was number 4945 in the series and was the first live edition to be broadcast since Episode 17, which aired on 3 February 1961. It was watched by in excess of 16 million viewers.
The episode is notable for an appearance by Charles, Prince of Wales
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
who visited the show's Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
based studios earlier in the day and met cast members. Footage of him meeting actress Sue Nicholls
Sue Nicholls
Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
was incorporated into the storyline following prior agreement with the Prince's staff, and this is the only part of the episode which was pre-recorded. Scenes for the episode were broadcast live from the Coronation Street outdoor set and the Stage One studio complex next door. The episode charted the events of a single day. However, because transmission was during the hours of darkness all scenes set outdoors appeared near the beginning or end of the programme. Scenes meant to be set during the daytime were studio based.
Plot
With council workmen set to arrive to begin digging up the Street's cobble stones and replacing them with tarmac, Ken and Duggie decide to make up a rota so that the Street's entrance will be continuously manned by demonstrators.Vera is critical but stable at Weatherfield General, having had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics. Tyrone and Maria convince Vera's husband Jack to go home and rest, as he has been at Vera's bedside all night. However, when Martin advises them that Jack should not stay away for too long, Tyrone panics and phones Curly to ask him to fetch Jack. Curly, who is speaking on the phone in the Kabin, is overheard by Norris, who misinterprets the conversation and believes that Vera has died.
Audrey brags to Rita about her upcoming lunch date with Prince Charles, who is visiting Weatherfield to open a new planning office at the Town Hall. Before she leaves, she calls into Roy's Rolls to warn Ken and Duggie that the tarmackers are getting a court injunction meaning the police will be able to remove the demonstrators. Ken is working on getting a preservation order from Northern Heritage
Conservation in the United Kingdom
This page gives an overview of the complex structure of environmental and cultural conservation in the United Kingdom.With the advent of devolved government for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and of evolving regional government for England, the responsibilities for environment and...
but fears this may take too long.
Hayley questions Roy about their interview with Peter Hartnell, but Roy is more concerned with the demo. At the Rovers, Natalie tells Liz that she will be spending the day with the brewery, who are going to show her around other pubs. Natalie later overhears Liz and Geena express their pity for her situation as a single mother with a pub to run. Duggie tells Natalie about his experiences growing up in a pub, which make her even more worried.
Jack reads a letter from Vera aloud to Curly. Jack is moved by Vera's words but tries not to shed tears. In her letter, Vera confesses to an affair which she had before Terry was born, which led to her uncertainty over Terry's parenity. Jack tells Curly he knew about the affair, and it ended after he beat up the man concerned - Vera never found out. Jack explains that he knows Terry is his son because he reminds him of the way he used to be. Jack and Curly are joined by Emily, who has been told that Vera has died and come to offer her sympathies. Jack and Curly race to the hospital, where they are relieved to learn that there has been no change in Vera's condition.
News of Vera's apparent death spreads to the Rovers
Rovers Return Inn
The Rovers Return Inn is a fictional public house on the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. The Rovers Return occupies the corner of Coronation Street and Rosamund Street. Since the first episode it has been the principal setting in the show and many of its most memorable moments...
, putting a dampener on the spirits of the protesters. Curly and Emily confer and, realising that Norris was the source of the false rumour, confront him. Curly later puts the record straight. Just as everybody celebrates the fact that Vera has not died, Audrey returns from her lunch with Prince Charles and says the tarmackers will arrive soon with a police escort. Eileen overhears and hatches a plan.
Terry arrives at the hospital having heard about Vera. Jack stops him leaving and berates him. Terry breaks down when he sees Vera. As Curly returns, Vera starts to regain consciousness, managing to utter a few words. Terry watches from outside the hospital room.
The tarmackers arrive and the police give the demonstrators five minutes to move or they will be arrested. Norris is ready to admit defeat but Ken and Duggie persuade everybody to stay put. Ken manages to stall the police by saying he's waiting for his solicitor, but with the officer's patience wearing thin, the demonstrators still refuse to move. As the police begin manhandling them away, Eileen and Dennis blockade the Street with a convoy of taxis from Street Cars, Steve knows nothing about the scheme, however, and when he arrives on the scene, he is annoyed when the police threaten to tow the vehicles away.
Peter Barlow arrives in a taxi as the residents celebrate their brief victory. He is not surprised to find Ken at the centre of things. Peter tells Deirdre and Blanche that he has left the Navy and that his wife Jessica has left him. He goes for a drink in the Rovers and tries to chat up Linda, unaware that she is married to Mike Baldwin, but becomes aware of her identity after making a fool of himself.
Natalie, Geena and Liz watch the ITV Evening News
ITV Evening News
The ITV News at 6:30 is the evening news bulletin on the British television network ITV. It is produced by ITN.The 30-minute programme, presented by Mary Nightingale and Alastair Stewart covers British national and international news stories and broadcasts at 6:30pm from Monday to Friday...
on which Sir Trevor McDonald
Trevor McDonald
Sir Trevor McDonald OBE is a Trinidadian-British newsreader and journalist. He had a long career as a news presenter with ITN...
reads an item about Prince Charles's visit to Manchester. Audrey Roberts is seen being presented to the Prince at Weatherfield Town Hall. Hayley finally finds the opportunity to speak to Roy. She is distressed that Roy does not see her as a woman, and when he clarifies that he does not think of her in the same way as other women, before going off to join the demonstrators, Hayley writes him a letter, packs her bags and leaves their flat.
Ken realises that the preservation order will not arrive in time to save the cobbles. However, Duggie realises that nobody knows what the preservation order looks like, so creates a fake preservation order, which will hopefully fool the police long enough for the real one to arrive. They type it on Ken's laptop before emailing it to Stan Potter, a friend of Duggie's, who prints a hard copy for them. With the cars moved, the police give the tarmackers the go-ahead to start work, but Stan arrives just in time to deliver the fake preservation order. The police are sceptical, but order the tarmackers to pack up for the night. The residents celebrate their victory, jeering at Les Battersby when he tries to join in. Roy reads Hayley's letter and frantically searches for her as the celebrations are under way. Natalie tells Geena she plans to sell the Rovers to a pub chain. Ken leads the demonstrators in a toast to tradition and community.
Background
The announcement that Coronation Street would air a live episode to celebrate its 40th anniversary was first made by Granada TelevisionGranada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
in August 2000. Television producers in the United States had recently experimented with live episodes to great success, with a live edition of the hospital drama ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
attracting 42 million viewers, and Granada Television believed that a live episode would be an ideal way to celebrate Coronation Streets 40th anniversary (a number of episodes, including the first one on 9 December 1960 had been recorded live). The show's producer, Jane Macnaught, said: "It will mean a lot of hard work for the cast and production team involved, but I know it will be an enjoyable and exhilarating experience."
At this point few details were available of any potential storyline, but a spokeswoman said that the episode would see one of the characters have a serious health condition, while a couple would be faced with a personal dilemma. Other events to mark the anniversary would include a documentary about the life of actor Bill Roache, who had played the role of Ken Barlow since the soap's inception, and a tribute programme called Forty Years of Coronation Street.
On 5 December it was announced that the Slade
Slade
Slade are an English rock band from Wolverhampton, who rose to prominence during the glam rock era of the early 1970s. With 17 consecutive Top 20 hits and six number ones, the British Hit Singles & Albums names them as the most successful British group of the 1970s based on sales of singles...
singer Noddy Holder
Noddy Holder
Neville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
would make a cameo appearance in the episode as a character named Stan. The actor John Savident
John Savident
John Savident is a British actor, best known for playing the part of Fred Elliott in the soap opera Coronation Street from 1994 to 2006. And also was a frequent guest on Soccer AM alongside fellow actor Jack 'The Rigger' Spooner....
who played Fred Elliott
Fred Elliott
Frederick Handel "Fred" Elliott is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street, played by John Savident from 1994 until 2006.-Development:...
was also due to appear, but was unable to take part following an attack on him in his home by an intruder. It was also reported that because the episode would be aired at night cast members had been rehearsing many of the scenes in the evening as part of their preparations. Cast members did not usually rehearse before recording scenes, but it was reported they had spent forty hours rehearsing for the episode.
On 8 December Prince Charles
Charles, Prince of Wales
Prince Charles, Prince of Wales is the heir apparent and eldest son of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. Since 1958 his major title has been His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales. In Scotland he is additionally known as The Duke of Rothesay...
visited the Granada Studios in Manchester and unveiled a plaque on the set to celebrate the soap's 40th anniversary. The plaque was located on a wall next to the Rovers Return Inn
Rovers Return Inn
The Rovers Return Inn is a fictional public house on the long-running British soap opera Coronation Street. The Rovers Return occupies the corner of Coronation Street and Rosamund Street. Since the first episode it has been the principal setting in the show and many of its most memorable moments...
, but would eventually be moved to a green room where cast members relax between scenes. He also met cast members, including the actress Sue Nicholls
Sue Nicholls
Susan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:...
. Footage of their meeting was later incorporated into the live episode, which showed a news report of Nicholls' character Audrey Roberts
Audrey Roberts
Audrey Roberts is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sue Nicholls, the character first appeared during the episode aired on 16 April 1979....
being presented to the Prince at the opening of a new planning office at Weatherfield
Weatherfield
Weatherfield is a fictional town, based on Salford in North West England, which serves as the setting for the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street...
Town Hall. An hour before the 8:00pm episode was due to be aired, ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
showed a repeat of the first episode
Coronation Street: The First Episode
The first episode of the British soap opera Coronation Street was broadcast live on the 9 December 1960. Episode 2 was video taped shortly after the airing.-Plot:...
from 1960. The episode was preceded by an introduction from William Roache, who was on set preparing to take part in the live episode. The live episode itself was preceded by a montage featuring the Coronation Street cast members over which was played the popular song "You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You
You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You
"You're Nobody till Somebody Loves You" is a popular song written by Russ Morgan, Larry Stock, and James Cavanaugh and published in 1944.The song was first recorded by Morgan and has been covered by numerous artists...
". The sequence ended with the caption "Coronation Street - Forty Years - Thank You".
Opening and closing scenes
The programme's title sequence was not used at the beginning of the episode. Instead, the opening moment of the first scene was transmitted in black and white with a "scratchy film" overlay meant to simulate apparent early broadcasts. The first scene showed Sarah Platt telling her brother David to come inside for breakfast. The end credits of the episode included the caption: "With thanks to H.R.H. The Prince of Wales".Cast
- Ashley PeacockAshley PeacockAshley Sibelius Peacock is a fictional character from the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Steven Arnold, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 1 February 1995.On 23 April 2010, it was announced that the character had been axed along...
- Steven ArnoldSteven ArnoldSteven Arnold is an English actor best known for his role as Ashley Peacock in the long running hit show Coronation Street.- Early life :... - Les Battersby - Bruce Jones
- Toyah Battersby - Georgia TaylorGeorgia TaylorGeorgia Taylor is an English actress, known for her role as Toyah Battersby in Coronation Street and currently for playing Ruth Winters on Casualty. She was born in Wigan, Greater Manchester....
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- Sean Wilson - Ken Barlow - William RoacheWilliam RoacheWilliam Patrick Harry Roache MBE is a British actor, best known for his role as Ken Barlow in the soap opera Coronation Street...
- Blanche HuntBlanche HuntBlanche Hunt is a fictional character from the ITV soap opera Coronation Street. She was originally played by Patricia Cutts; however, the actress committed suicide after appearing in just two episodes in 1974. Maggie Jones took over the role, playing Blanche in over 830 episodes between 1974 and...
- Maggie JonesMaggie Jones (actress)Margaret "Maggie" Jones was an English actress, best known for playing Blanche Hunt in the British soap opera Coronation Street, a role which she first portrayed in 1974 and played regularly from the late 1990s until shortly before her death.-Career:Jones graduated from the drama school RADA and... - David PlattDavid Platt (Coronation Street)David Daniel Platt is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 26 December 1990 and is portrayed by actor Jack P...
- Jack P. ShepherdJack P. ShepherdJack Peter Shepherd is an English actor. He plays David Platt in the ITV1 soap opera Coronation Street. He joined the show in April 2000, taking over the role from Thomas Ormson.Shepherd was born in Pudsey, Leeds, West Yorkshire.... - Norris ColeNorris ColeNorris Benjamin Cole is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Malcolm Hebden, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 11 March 1994 and remained until his departure on 14 April 1997, only to return on 1 December...
- Malcolm HebdenMalcolm HebdenMalcolm Hebden is an English television and stage actor best known for his role as Norris Cole in the long-running ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:... - Sarah Platt - Tina O'BrienTina O'BrienTina O'Brien is an English actress. She is best known for playing the role of Sarah-Louise Platt in the ITV soap opera Coronation Street.-Acting career:...
- Audrey RobertsAudrey RobertsAudrey Roberts is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Sue Nicholls, the character first appeared during the episode aired on 16 April 1979....
- Sue NichollsSue NichollsSusan Frances Harmar Nicholls is an English actress, best known today for her long-running role as Audrey Roberts in British soap opera Coronation Street.-Early life:... - Deirdre Rachid - Anne KirkbrideAnne KirkbrideAnne Kirkbride is an English actress, best known for her long-running role as Deirdre Barlow in Coronation Street which she has played for thirty-nine years.-Coronation Street:...
- Dev AlahanDev AlahanDevendra 'Dev' Alahan is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor Jimmi Harkishin, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 10 November 1999.-Character development:...
- Jimmi HarkishinJimmi HarkishinJames "Jimmi" Harkishin is an actor best known for his role as shop owner Dev Alahan in Coronation Street. He also featured in the film East is East and also Bhaji on the Beach.... - Jack DuckworthJack DuckworthJohn Harold "Jack" Duckworth is a long-standing fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, a long-running serial drama about working class life in the fictional town of Weatherfield. He is played by actor William Tarmey. The character debuted onscreen during the episode...
- William TarmeyWilliam TarmeyBill Tarmey is an English actor, singer and author, best known for playing Jack Duckworth on the soap opera Coronation Street. First appearing in the role in 1979, he played it continuously from 1983 to 2010.-Life and career:Tarmey was born in Ardwick, Manchester... - Vera DuckworthVera DuckworthVeronica "Vera" Duckworth , played by Elizabeth Dawn, is a fictional character on the British soap opera Coronation Street, first appearing in August 1974 and last appearing in episode 6,734 on 18 January 2008, where the character peacefully died in her sleep at the age of 70 from heart failure...
- Elizabeth DawnElizabeth DawnElizabeth 'Liz' Dawn MBE , is an English actress, best known for her role as Vera Duckworth in the long-running British soap opera, Coronation Street... - Tyrone DobbsTyrone DobbsTyrone Sylvester Dobbs is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by Alan Halsall, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on November 30, 1998.- Casting :...
- Alan HalsallAlan HalsallAlan David Halsall is an English actor best known for playing Tyrone Dobbs in Coronation Street, a role which he has played for since 1998.-Early life:... - Maria SutherlandMaria SutherlandMaria Jane Connor , is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street, portrayed by actress Samia Smith. The character first appeared on-screen on 19 May 2000...
- Samia Ghadie - Mike Baldwin - Johnny BriggsJohnny Briggs (actor)Johnny Briggs, MBE is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Mike Baldwin in the soap opera Coronation Street, in which he appeared from 1976 to 2006...
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- Roy CropperRoy CropperRoyston "Roy" Cropper, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actor David Neilson, the character was introduced during the episode airing on 19 July 1995. Originally a secondary character, he was given a more prominent role in 1997, by the...
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- Beverley CallardBeverley CallardBeverley Jane McEwan is an English actress, best known for her role as Liz McDonald in ITV's Coronation Street, and Flo Henshaw in BBC Three's Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps.-Early life:Beverley Jane Moxon was born in Leeds on 28 March 1957 to Clive and Mavis Moxon... - Curly Watts - Kevin KennedyKevin Kennedy (actor)Kevin Kennedy is an English actor, writer, producer, singer, and guitarist, best known for playing the bottle-lensed Curly Watts in ITV's long running soap opera Coronation Street between 1983 and 2003.-Early life:Kennedy was born in Manchester. He attended St Paul's RC Secondary High School...
- Emma Watts - Angela LonsdaleAngela LonsdaleAngela Lonsdale , is an English actress.Born to a policeman father, Lonsdale's passion for acting was showcased in the Brewery Youth Theatre at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal. Working behind the box office, Lonsdale's talent was nurtured by the then Arts Centre Director, Anne Pierson...
- Emily BishopEmily BishopEmily Bishop is a long-standing fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street...
- Eileen DerbyshireEileen DerbyshireEileen Derbyshire, MBE is an English actress, best known for her role as Emily Bishop on the soap opera Coronation Street. She has played the character since 1961, making her the longest-serving female cast member in a British soap opera... - Eileen GrimshawEileen GrimshawEileen Grimshaw, is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by Sue Cleaver, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 3 May 2000....
- Sue CleaverSue CleaverSue Cleaver is an English actress. She is best known for her regular role in Coronation Street.She studied at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre and her first television appearance was a small part in an episode of A Touch of Frost... - Dennis Stringer - Charles DaleCharles DaleCharles Dale is a Welsh actor who is well known for playing Dennis Stringer in Coronation Street, Gary "Chef" Alcock in The Lakes and Clive Eustace in The Eustace Bros.....
- Janice BattersbyJanice BattersbyJanice Bernadette Battersby is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera, Coronation Street. Portrayed by actress Vicky Entwistle, the character first appeared onscreen during the episode airing on 6 January 1997....
- Vicky EntwistleVicky EntwistleVicky Entwistle is an English actress who is most famous for playing the role of "loudmouth" factory worker Janice Battersby in ITV1's long-running soap opera Coronation Street.... - Linda Baldwin - Jacqueline PirieJacqueline PirieJacqueline Pirie is a Scottish actress best known for appearing in ITV's popular soap operas Emmerdale, as Tina Dingle from 1994–1996....
- Terry DuckworthTerry DuckworthTerrence Edgar "Terry" Duckworth is a fictional character from the soap opera Coronation Street, played by Nigel Pivaro. He was introduced as the son of popular characters Jack and Vera Duckworth, making his on-screen debut on August 1, 1983. Terry has three sons: Paul, Tommy, and Brad...
- Nigel PivaroNigel PivaroNigel Pivaro is an English journalist who as an actor was best known for playing Terry Duckworth, the son of Vera and Jack Duckworth in Coronation Street.- Career :Pivaro was born in Manchester, England... - Peter BarlowPeter Barlow (Coronation Street)Peter Francis Barlow is a fictional character in the UK television ITV soap opera Coronation Street. The character first appeared onscreen during the episode aired on 15 April 1965...
- Chris Gascoyne - Steve McDonald - Simon GregsonSimon GregsonSimon Gregson is an English actor. He is known for being a cast member of the British soap opera Coronation Street in which he has played Steve McDonald since 1989....
- Nurse Dooley - Donna Lythgoe
- Sean Swift - Steve Garti
- Police Sergeant - John Graham DaviesJohn Graham DaviesJohn Graham-Davies is a British actor most famous for playing Les Hunter in the soap-opera Hollyoaks from 2001 to 2005.During his early career, Davies was a member of the original cast of John Godber's 1977 play Bouncers. He has also appeared in Coronation Street in 1989 and 2000, Heartbeat in 1999...
- Trevor McDonaldTrevor McDonaldSir Trevor McDonald OBE is a Trinidadian-British newsreader and journalist. He had a long career as a news presenter with ITN...
- as himself - Stan Potter - Noddy HolderNoddy HolderNeville John "Noddy" Holder MBE is an English musician and actor. He was the lead vocalist and guitarist with the rock band Slade....
50th anniversary
As the show's 50th anniversary approached, there was some speculation about the possibility of another live edition, particularly after rival soap EastEndersEastEnders
EastEnders is a British television soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC One on 19 February 1985 and continuing to today. EastEnders storylines examine the domestic and professional lives of the people who live and work in the fictional London Borough of Walford in the East End...
aired a live edition
EastEnders Live
"EastEnders Live" is a live episode of the British television soap opera EastEnders, broadcast on BBC One on 19 February 2010. The episode was commissioned as part of the show's 25th anniversary celebrations, and was the first EastEnders episode to be broadcast live...
to celebrate its 25th anniversary on air on 19 February 2010. In April 2010 Bill Roache confirmed that ITV would not be airing another live edition. He said; "We're not going to do a live episode, we did that in the Millennium year [the show's 40th anniversary], we don't want to do that again." However, on 29 August actor Keith Duffy
Keith Duffy
Keith Peter Thomas Francis John Duffy is an Irish singer-songwriter, actor, drummer, dancer and television presenter. He began his career as part of Boyzone in the 1990s. In the 2000s, he achieved critical acclaim for his acting roles, particularly in soap operas such as Coronation Street and Fair...
said that Coronation Street would air a live episode to celebrate its 50th anniversary, something which was confirmed on 1 September by ITV. The episode was aired on Thursday 9 December as part of a week long celebration of the show's 50th birthday.