Chesney asks Les to adopt him
Airs Sunday, April 2 2006 at 19:30 BST on ITV1
Chesney wants answers about his real dad when he discovers his birth certificate and sees his father is not named on it. He asks mum Cilla but she tells him she doesn’t know who is real dad is. Chesney’s upset but as Fiz tries to reassure him about Les being there for him now, Chesney comes up with a plan – for Les to adopt him. How will Les react?
Mike seems to be having a good day as he enjoys a drink with friends in the Rovers. But his day is about to turn sour. Leanne has had enough of struggling to look after Mike and tells Danny it’s time they found full-time care for him. Danny doesn’t like the idea but agrees to tell Mike he is putting him into a rest home. How will Mike take the shocking news?
Elsewhere Norris’ soiree isn’t the evening he had planned. He plays the ideal host but the party is as dull as ditch water and Norris is disappointed as one by one his friends leave. Rita is also upset as she feels she’s lost her home.
And Sean tells his friends that his romance is off.
Les sets about adopting Chesney
Airs Monday, April 3 2006 at 19:30 BST on ITV1
Leanne is becoming increasingly frustrated by Mike’s erratic behaviour so when he says he’s going to stay with another son she does nothing to stop him. However when she realises he’s done a runner she alerts the Baldwins who send out a search party. Jamie is furious with Danny for not looking after Mike and assumes he’s gone to Scotland to find Adam. But as Mike stands on an unknown street in the rain clutching an old father’s day card we realise it’s not Adam he’s gone to see but Mark.
Back on the street, Les has agreed to look into adopting Chesney and when he says he’ll phone social services straight away Cilla is impressed by his sincerity. The social worker agrees to come that evening and Les sets about the task of proving himself worthy of Chesney.
Meanwhile, Rita decides it’s time to move on after seeing how Norris has made himself at home in her old flat.
And Vernon asks Liz for her help in auditioning new singers for his band.
Mike turns up on Mark's doorstep
Airs Monday, April 3 2006 at 20:30 BST on ITV1
Mark is stunned to find Mike on his doorstep but when his dad tells him he needs his help he invites him in. Mike is clearly confused and it’s not long before Mark realises there’s something seriously wrong with him. He accuses Danny of plotting against him and tells Mark he’s the only son he can trust. But then suddenly he remembers about Linda and turns on Mark before running into the night. Mark calls the Rovers and the search party moves in but when Jamie finds Mike wet and alone on a park bench with a bottle of whiskey and a handful of pills has he arrived too late?
Back on the street, the Battersbys’ house has never looked tidier as the social worker arrives. It isn’t going great as Genna questions Les about the break up of his marriage to Janice, so when she asks him if he has any criminal convictions Cilla (Wendi Peters) spots a chance to regain some ground and lies that Les keeps his nose clean. Will his past come back to haunt him?
Elsewhere, Vernon is holding Pop Idol style auditions to find a new member for his band. But after a string of abysmal singers Liz jokes that she could do better herself and before she knows it Liz is belting out her party piece. She’s not half bad and it looks as though she might have got the gig until an attractive and very talented singer called Michelle walks in and steals the show. Will she also steal the job from right under Liz’s nose?
Mike is rushed to hospital
Airs Wednesday, April 5 2006 at 19:30 BST on ITV1
A frail looking Mike is back on the street with Jamie. Danny wants him at home with him as he can’t risk Jamie catching on about Mike’s new will, but Mike refuses to go with his son. Jamie is his rock but the previous night’s events have taken their toll on Mike and as his cough worsens Frankie is forced to call an ambulance. Mike’s is rushed to hospital where he is diagnosed with pneumonia, and as his family gather at his bedside the blame is firmly laid at Danny’s door.
Liz is disappointed at losing out on the audition to Michelle, although she has to admit Michelle was a better singer. But when Vernon tells her he doesn’t want her to come to rehearsals, Liz feels a pang of jealousy and decides she needs to check up on her man. She comes up with an excuse to go to rehearsals, what will Vernon be up to with the stunning Michelle?
Elsewhere, Rita wonders what Norris is up to when she catches him going through the classified ads in the papers and Kelly is becoming increasingly concerned by Becky’s over the top behaviour towards her.
Mike passes away in Ken's arms
Airs Friday, April 7 2006 at 19:30 BST on ITV1
In this emotional episode we say goodbye to Mike Baldwin after 30 years in the street.
The episode starts with Mike lying semi-conscious in a hospital bed. Jamie is at his side but as the pneumonia grips his body his Alzheimers makes him confused and paranoid and as Jamie goes for a drink Mike takes his chance. He summons all his strength to pull out his drip and disappear from the hospital.
It’s not long before the family realise he’s missing and the police are alerted but as they search the hospital Mike has made his back to Coronation Street where Ken finds him cold and distressed on the steps of Underworld. Ken calls for an ambulance but as Mike rests in his arms claiming Deirdre will still be his, Mike is fighting his final battle. He suddenly has a massive heart attack just as Danny arrives. He runs to his dad but it’s too late – Mike has died in the arms of the man so long his enemy.
Elsewhere, Liz can’t help being jealous of Vernon’s blossoming relationship with Michelle as they spend hours discussing the band, leaving her feeling like a spare part. Is Michelle after Liz’s man as well as the job?
And Becky (Katherine Kelly) is jealous of Kelly’s friendship with Joanne.
Special: Farewell Mike
Airs Friday, April 7 2006 at 20:00 BST on ITV1
After 30 womanising years, which have seen 23 girlfriends, four wives, seven illicit lovers and three illegitimate children come into his life - Mike Baldwin has finally walked Coronation Street’s cobbles for the last time.
In moving scenes, which will see him dying in the arms of his rival Ken Barlow, Johnny Briggs plays the Weatherfield Romeo for the last time as his character finally loses his battle with Alzheimer’s.
Now ITV1’s Farewell Mike takes a look back over his life - featuring an exclusive interview with Johnny himself, as well as moving tributes from his fellow cast members and friends and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage as he filmed his final scenes.
Narrated by Matthew Kelly, the documentary features archive footage of some of Mike Baldwin’s best moments – from the minute he stepped on the street as Bet Lynch’s flashy southern lover, to the heated affair with Deidre Barlow, the emotional scenes when his wife Alma died of cancer and the moment he discovered his young bride had been sleeping with his son.
Long-standing cast members Bill Roache, Anne Kirkbride, Sue Nicholls and Liz Dawn reveal what it has been like working with Johnny over the years and Bradley Walsh and Pauline Fleming discuss filming the emotion-filled final scenes.
Bill Roache talks about his character’s long-running feud with Mike and reveals that Ken felt threatened when Mike arrived on the street, but it made the part more exciting for Bill.
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