Coronation Street: Fri 8 Dec, 2000
Fri 8 Dec, 2000
- 4945.
- Season: 41
- Episode: 202
- First Aired: 12/8/2000
- Prod Code: P694/4945
The demonstrators arrive early in the morning to find that Les is the only representative of the tarmacking team. Vera is still unconscious but is described as critical but stable, so Tyrone and Maria convince Jack to go home and rest. Audrey is all set for her lunch date with Prince Charles. Hayley is still desperate to talk with Roy about their differing views on her sexuality, but Roy is only keen to help with the demo. Tyrone and Maria panic about Vera's worsening state and phone Curly while he is in the Kabin. Norris eaves-drops in on Curly's telephone call and thinks Vera has died. Natalie spends the day with the brewery who want to buy the Rovers to transform it into a theme pub. She also overhears Liz and Geena pity her situation as a single mother with a pub to run. Jack reads Vera's letter aloud to Curly, which is a confession about an affair casting doubt on Terry's father. Jack confesses that he knew all along about the affair, but is confident that he is the father. They are joined by a devastated Emily who announces that Vera has died. They rush to the hospital to find out that she is alive, but still unconscious. Norris breaks the news of Vera's death to the rest of the Rovers, before Curly arrives back to reassure everyone that she is still alive. The demo takes a turn for the worse when Audrey announces that the council has an injunction to stop the protesters. Ken and Duggie create a fake preservation order. Terry arrives at the hospital but is told to leave by Jack. He stays to see Vera wake from her coma. The police break up the demo but Eileen and Dennis lead a convoy of taxis down the street to form a blockade. Peter Barlow turns up and isn't surprised to find that his dad Ken is leading the demonstration. He announces that he's left the navy and has split up with his wife. Hayley is devastated to hear that Roy doesn't see her as a real woman. She realises that she can't live with someone who doesn't accept her as a woman, packs her bags and leaves. Roy is shattered. The ruckus in the street convinces Natalie that a pub is no place to bring up a child, and she tells Geena that she is moving on. Duggie's fake preservation order arrives. The dubious police force the tarmackers to go. Ken makes a speech to the celebrating residents about tradition, community and to lead everyone in a toast for the Street.
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- Writers:
- Peter Whalley
- Director:
- Tony Prescott
- Stars:
- Nigel Pivaro (Terry Duckworth (1983 - 1987; 1992 - 1993; 1996 - 1997; 1999 - 2000, 2001-2002))
- Bruce Jones (Les Battersby (1997- ))
- Bill Tarmey (Jack Duckworth (1979; 1981- ))
- Beverley Callard (June Dewhurst (1984); Liz McDonald (1989 - 1998; 2000 - 2001; 2003; 2004 - ))
- Barbara Knox (Rita Littlewood Fairclough Sullivan (1972- ))
- Anne Kirkbride (Deirdre Hunt Langton Barlow Rachid Barlow (1972- ))
- Angela Lonsdale (Emma Taylor Watts (2000- 2003))
- Alan Halsall (Tyrone Dobbs (1998- ))
- Maggie Jones (Blanche Hunt #2 (1974-1976, 1977, 1978, 1981, 1996, 1997, 1998- ))
- Charles Dale (Dennis Stringer (2000 -2002))
- Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow #7 (2000- 2003))
- Jennifer James (Geena Gregory (2000 - 2002))
- Jacqueline Pirie (Linda Sykes Baldwin (1998 - 2001))
- Jack P Shepherd (David Platt Hillman (2000- ))
- Georgia Taylor (Toyah Battersby (1997 - 2003))
- Elizabeth Dawn (Vera Duckworth (1974- ))
- Eileen Derbyshire (Emily Nugent Bishop (1961- ))
- Denise Welch (Natalie Horrocks Barnes (1997 -2000))
- David Neilson (Roy Cropper (1995-))
- Kevin Kennedy (Norman 'Curly' Watts (1983 - 2003))
- Julie Hesmondhalgh (Hayley Patterson Cropper (1998 - ))
- Johnny Briggs (Mike Baldwin (1976- ))
- Sue Nicholls (Audrey Potter Roberts (1979- ))
- Sue Cleaver (Nurse Greene (1998); Eileen Grimshaw (2000- ))
- Steven Arnold (Ashley Peacock (1996- ))
- Simon Gregson (Steve McDonald (1989- ))
- Sean Wilson (Martin Platt (1985 - 2005))
- Samia Smith (Maria Sutherland (2000- ))
- Malcolm Hebden (Norris Cole (1994- 1997; 1999 - ))
- Tina O'Brien (Sarah-Louise Platt #3 (1999 - ))
- Vicky Entwistle (Janice Lee Battersby (1997- ))
- John Bowe (Duggie Ferguson (1999 - 2002))
- Jimmi Harkishin (Dev Alahan (1999- ))
- William Roache (Ken Barlow (1960 - ))
- Guest Star:
- Prince Charles (Himself)
- Noddy Holder (Stan Potter)
- Trevor MacDonald (Himself)
- Steve Garti (Sean Swift)
- Donna Lythgoe (Nurse Dooley)
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- For the first time since (possibly) episode 17 on Friday 3rd February 1961, Coronation Street was broadcast live.
Jane McNaught wanted to do a special episode to celebrate the programme's fortieth anniversary and this is what she chose. The problems to overcome were formidable. Unlike the 1960's episodes, this episode would be one hour long and not be entirely studio based but feature many scenes on the outside set. Manchester's notoriously rainy weather presented a huge risk and, as the broadcast would be on a December evening, all the outside scenes would have to be set either early in the morning or late afternoon/evening but not in daylight hours. All this is addition to the usual perils of live television e.g. actor's forgetting their lines, technical mistakes etc.
In the event, all passed off splendidly. The rain held off, almost all of the lines were delivered perfectly (the only slight slip occurring by Sue Nichols as Audrey Roberts in a scene in the cafe), one camera shot was out of focus and at one point a microphone momentarily failed. The biggest problem was that a day or so before the broadcast actor John Savident (Fred Elliot) was attacked and injured at his home so he had to be written out of the episode - even though he appeared in the (pre-filmed) instalments which surround this episode. In the end, quick and clever rewrites covered for his absence.
The day of the broadcast saw a visit by HRH Prince Charles to the studios where he met the cast in rehearsals and permission was granted for a shot of him meeting Sue Nichols to be used in the programme as a televison news report of himself meeting the character of Audrey on a fictional visit to Weatherfield Town Hall. Trevor MacDonald also appeared as himself introducing the item on ITV News. These were shown on a television set in the Rovers watched by Natalie and Geena.
Comments made by some cast members at the time and afterwards demonstrate that, although successful, they understandably disliked the nerve-wracking experience of the broadcast. edit »
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