This image is my own and I use it to promote my favourite TV series. I
make no money from this. Coronation Street is the property of ITV.
In December this year, serial drama/soap Coronation Street will
celebrate 60 years on British TV. I have been watching it from the late
70's and remain a big fan. Between now and December I will be looking at
the best bits from the Corrie years. This time I'm looking at my ten
favourite storylines/episodes from 1982 and 1983.
1982
1) Sharon stalks Brian
Rita and Len's foster daughter Sharon becomes obsessed by Brian when she starts babysitting for him and Gail. When Brian drives her home, she takes the chance to kiss him and the dumb Brian is too flattered by the attention to put her of. It's only when Gail gets angry about Sharon's fantasy of Brian loving her that the adults intervene and Sharon takes a job away from Weatherfield to avoid seeing Brian again.
2) Mike and Maggie
Did you ever think you'd feel sorry for Mike Baldwin? I felt he was badly treated by Maggie. He took her in when she needed somewhere to stay, then offers to marry her as soon as she gets pregnant...but she refuses to marry him, rejects any thought of him being in his kid's life until he's 18 and goes off to marry a man who loaned her money when Mike wouldn't. She was a real hardfaced bitch!
3) Fred goes to the ball and other stories
Fred is so funny! He pulls a con by claiming he did his back in a fall to get treatment from a local Swedish masseuse-who turns out to be a bloke from the rugby club. He takes Annie to a Brewery dance, gets drunk and makes a fool of himself, losing Annie's car in the process and throwing himself at poor Sarah Ridley, a Brewery director. It was so funny. His nuptials to Eunice end too.
4) Bet and Jack
The unlikely relationship between Bet Lynch and idle Jack Duckworth behind wife Vera's back was a bit of a surprise and was strangely interesting! Vera is having a fling with Vic and uses Bet as an alibi, unaware he is bedding Bet! It was quite a surprise to see Bet and Jack together but they worked quite well-until Vera found out...
5) Elsie goes to Coventry
Elsie has a fling with Wilf, a married client of Mike's but when his raging wife Dot finds out about it, she makes sure that the order is cancelled. It leads to a revolt by the factory girls who blame Elsie and decide to stop speaking to her. Elsie uses it to her advantage to give out insults, knowing they can't answer her back.
1983
1) Mike and Deirdre and Ken
The classic love triangle saw Ken taking Deirdre for granted and putting his own wishes first. Deirdre got bored and lonely, turning to old flame Mike for support, which became a brief affair. When Mike got Deirdre to agree to leave with him, she told Ken. It led to a great piece of TV as Ken and Deirdre had a row then decided to try again, starting a lifelong vendetta between Ken and Mike.
2) Vince and Carole
Bet decides to join a video dating agency and is shocked to see Jack Duckworth on the tape pretending to be a singer called Vince St Clair. She gets Vera signed up to it and Vera is furious to see Jack on screen. Bet convinces her to arrange a date with Vince to teach Jack a lesson. Only Jack would be muppet enough to agree to a date in his local with another woman. He is horrified to find that Carole is actually Vera! Very very funny!
3) Len Fairclough death
I never got what Rita saw in Len but my heart broke for her when Len was killed in a car crash while she sang at the Ogden's 40th anniversary bash in the Rovers, which was a farewell party too for Eddie and Marion. To rub salt into the wound, Rita discovers that Len was having an affair and was driving home from his mistress when he crashed. Rita becomes obsessed with tracking her down to hear her story. It was sad and well acted.
4) The trials of Bet Lynch
Oh dear what a year. Bet thinks she has found a great catch in Rovers decorator Des Foster and launches into a steamy relationship but of course he turns out to be married. A day out with Fred and Betty ends up with the car in the lake and the rescued Bet sitting on a cow pat! Fights with Vera and Fred are just another day at the office for Bet!
5) Departures
On screen we see the departure of Eddie and Marion to look after her mother and have her baby. Off screen we get the death of Len after the actor is sacked for selling Coronation Street stories to the newspapers. The continued ill health of another actor saw the decline of Bert Tilsley on screen as he suffers a broken arm and potentially could have a stoke at any time He is injured in an accident at Brian's garage and is put into a psychiatric hospital.
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