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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 five favourite storylines/episodes from 1990-1994.
1990
1) Deirdre dumps Ken
After discovering Ken's affair with Wendy at Christmas, Deirdre cries at being left alone at New Year. She tells Ken to make a choice but when he asks her to let him keep seeing Wendy for a bit longer, Deirdre throws Ken out of the house and he goes to Wendy. When that affair ends, Deirdre won't let Ken come crawling back to her.
2) Mike, Alma & Jackie
Mike lost everything in a dodgy business deal and has to work for former competitor Peter, who dies of a heart attack during a row with Mike. He starts working on seducing his widow Jackie in the hope of taking over Peter's factory. Despite being happy with Alma, he dumps her for Jackie without batting an eye.
3) Gail's abortion dilemma
Gail is shocked to be pregnant by younger partner Martin and considers an abortion rather than have him tied to her, with such an age difference. Martin has to try and convince her that he sees a long term future with her and won't leave her as a single mother of three young kids.
4) Ken goes stalker
Ken is living with Wendy when he loses his job after a row with his boss and Wendy replaces him. He starts to regret leaving Deirdre and dumps Wendy but she won't take him back. Determined to change her mind he moves back to the street, takes a job at Tracy's school and starts to irritate Deirdre by getting involved in her life, causing Phil to threaten him.
5) Tina is jilted
Tina's on-off relationship with labourer Eddie has had plenty downs with his love of drinking and fighting. When he admits to having a child, Tina is happy with that until the child's mother embarks on a custody battle. Eddie proposes to help his case but Tina is jilted on her hen night when Eddie and Marie decide to get back together.
1991
1) Ken's suicide attempt
Ken plans to spend New Year with Tracy but flips when he discovers Deirdre has gone to Paris with Phil Jennings. At New Year he lets himself into his old house and decides to kill himself. A passing Bet goes to investigate and talks some sense into Ken. Ken realises he has lost Deirdre and has to settle for being friends with her instead.
2) Mike destroys Ken and Alma
Ken moves on to a relationship with Alma, trying to ignore that Mike wants her back. Mike tells Tracy to invite Ken for Christmas, ruining Ken's plan for a holiday with Alma. Mike arrives at Christmas to seduce Alma, who is disgusted to find that he used her to get at Ken. Alma's confession to Ken finishes their relationship.
3) Phil Jennings Love Rat
The festive holiday cements their relationship and when Deirdre runs for council, Phil gets nasty in his campaign to discredit Alf who is running against her again. Deirdre gets a shock to discover that Phil is actually married and that he and his wife are about to flee the country to evade his enemies, proving Ken was right about him being bad.
4) Gail v Ivy
Gail proposes to Martin and at Martin's stag night, Don meets Julie for the first time. He starts an affair with Julie, tired of Ivy interfering in Nicky's life and her determination to stop Martin adopting Nicky after the wedding.
5) The return of Des Foster
Bet is furious about Alec going off on a cruise as entertainment manager and decides to spend his money on redecorating. She hires ex-boyfriend Des Foster which concerns Betty, and Vicky is unhappy at him joining them for Christmas. Des makes a pass at Bet who rejects him and it all turns a bit nasty.
1992
1) Katie dies
Jim and Liz are stunned to find she is pregnant but agree to let the pregnancy go ahead. Steve falls in with a bad crowd, causing his brother Andy to be beaten up and the stress and worry leads to a premature birth and the death of their daughter soon after.
2) Rita and Ted
A regular business customer is retiring and Derek fancies taking his job, asking him to dinner to butter him up. Instead, Ted and Rita start dating each other and agree to marry. But Ted has been diagnosed with a brain tumour and his deterioration comes quicker than expected, dying just a few months after the wedding.
3) Don's suicide bid
Don and Julie had an affair in 1991, ending when he went back to Ivy. In 1992 Don decides to leave Ivy but Julie won't have him. He goes on a reckless drive and crashes. Coming through the ordeal, he loses part of his leg. He ditches Ivy, which turns her to drink and causes her to lose her job. I like Don and this was the gradual decline into becoming a psychopath!
4) Mike and Alma
In spite of the dreadful way that Mike has treated her in the past, Alma can't resist his charms and decides to marry him. At the last minute his ex-wife Jackie gives her information that causes her to wonder if she should call it off but she finally agrees to marry him. This will lead to a lot more misery for Alma in the future.
5) Bet and Alec split
Alec gets news of the job of his dreams but it means giving up the Rovers and moving south. Bet tries to go along with his plans but in the end finds her ties to the Rovers are too strong for her to leave, even for her husband. Bet is distraught when a bitter Alec goes without her.
1993
1) Carmel's return
The psycho nurse returns to claim that she is carrying Martin's baby and Ivy is happy to spread the lie to Gail. Gail confronts Carmel who falls down a flight of stairs and her lies are discovered. It is also revealed that she has a history of mental illness and stalking and is taken home by her concerned relatives.
2) The poison phone calls
Denise becomes scared to answer the phone after a series of silent phone calls that are finally traced to Ivy's house and she is blamed. But it is actually her husband Don who has become besotted with the flighty hairdresser and did the calls so that Denise would turn to him for support.
3) The waterbed
Randy supermarket boss Reg fancies himself as a ladies man and when old flame Maureen comes to work for him, he is determined to evade her battleaxe mother Maud who once split them up, and seduce Maureen. His romp on the waterbed with her ends in disaster when Derek drills through the ceiling and punctures it. Very funny.
4) Lisa Duckworth's death
Lisa's doomed relationship with Terry Duckworth leaves her pregnant and alone. She falls for Des but Vera tells Terry who is in prison and arranges for Des to be beaten. Lisa returns to Weatherfield with baby Tommy, and as Des celebrates the sale of his house for a new life as a family somewhere else, Lisa is killed after being hit by a car.
5) Queen Liz
Liz impresses the Brewery covering for Bet and is rewarded with a pub of her own. It causes friction with Jim who suspects an affair between Liz and Brewery man Richard. Liz starts seeing Colin Barnes but it doesn't last. A reconciliation with Jim leads to her being sacked as Jim is banned from the premises for punching Richard.
1994
1) Raquel, Des, Alex and Tanya
Des worms his way back into Raquel's life and quickly starts cheating on her with fellow barmaid Tanya, who is also sleeping with Alex, the married boss of Des. Just as Tanya gets what she wants with Alex leaving his wife for her, Des turns up to ruin everything and the affairs all become public with Des losing his job and both women.
2) Deirdre and Samir
In July Deirdre returns from Morocco where she had a romance with Samir. When he joins her in the UK, her daughter Tracy, ex husband Ken and her friends disapprove, believing he is using her. After marrying Samir later that year, prejudice makes Deirdre decide to move to Morocco with her young lover and she sells up.
3) Normandy
Percy decides to take the trip to France to visit his old friends buried in the war graves there, an experience that was very moving. Maud is accompanied by her daughter Maureen where she reveals that an American soldier killed there was Maureen's real father. This storyline was very sad and emotional.
4) Martin cheats on Gail
Gail's worst fears about Martin training to be a nurse come true when Martin cheats on her with fellow nurse Cathy. Alf sees them kissing and Martin feels guilty. He promises Gail he'll never cheat again but of course he breaks his word and her heart years later.
5) Charlie and Tanya
After the laughs with Bet and Charlie as a couple ie Charlie entering Bet for a Dolly Parton lookalike contest without her knowledge, it was a shame to have them split. Scheming Tanya takes revenge for being sacked by Bet by running off with Charlie. Charlie comes crawling back weeks later but Bet tells him to sling his hook.
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