Corrie anniversary drama to air on BBC

[alan45]

Viewers will soon see Jessie Wallace swap Kat for Pat when she stars in a drama about the birth of Coronation Street.

The London-born actress, best known for playing Walford's Kat Moon, will be seen as Corrie legend Pat Phoenix (aka Elsie Tanner) in the new BBC drama.

And William Roache, who starred with Pat in the early days of the Weatherfield serial, has admitted he was a bit taken about by the casting - because of the actresses' very different accents.

"I must admit I was a little surprised when I heard it was Jessie Wallace simply because she's Cockney London, and Elsie was very much Lancashire," he said.

"But I met her and said 'are you enjoying it?' and she said 'I'm loving it', and I'm sure the performance is going to be absolutely brilliant."

The 78-year-old's son James Roache has been cast in the role of a young William Roache in the one-off show. Get set to do a lot of double takes!

[alan45]

It's not long now until Jessie Wallace bursts back onto the small screen as brassy Kat Moon in Albert Square. But fans of the actress are in for a real treat as, over on BBC4 next week, she'll be playing another soap legend - Corrie star Pat Phoenix, aka Elsie Tanner - in a feature-length drama.

The Road to Coronation Street follows the soap's creator, Tony Warren, in his battle to bring his story about a working-class northern street to the telly. Jessie brought us up to speed on this one-off special, which airs on September 16 at 9pm.

How did your role in The Road to Coronation Street come about?

My agent called me and asked if I wanted to meet the director Charles Sturridge and play Pat Phoenix. I was up against great actresses in the audition and didn't think I stood a chance. As I went into the lift I noticed a bird had c****d on my shoulder, and I thought, "That's got to bring me luck." So it obviously worked!

Have you always been a Corrie fan?

Yeah, I love it. When I came into Granada to film it I thought, "This must be a first, an EastEnder coming in here."

I've always loved Pat Phoenix. She reminds me of my nan. I used to tell my nan she looked like Elsie Tanner and here I am playing her.

My nan was very glamorous, but she was a tough lady as well. I used to sit there watching Corrie with her and she always had lipstick on.

How would you describe Pat Phoenix?

She was glamorous, gorgeous and she should have been a film star, definitely. She was like Sofia Loren.

She was a real woman, I think. She didn't mince her words. She had a very close relationship with Tony Warren, and it's nice doing the scenes with David Dawson, who plays him. She was funny as well. I just think she lived life to the full.

Will people be surprised to see you in this?

I hope pleasantly surprised!

How easy did you find it do the accent?

I was going to see a voice coach at Rada, she helped me a lot. I sometimes don't hear if I'm doing it right or not. Sometimes I drop a word and it sounds quite London. I stop myself and start again. I've been doing it by ear.

It's old-fashioned Mancunian that I've been trying to grasp. It's great because this show is going out at a similar time to when I'm EastEnders and it's completely different from what people have seen me do.

What else have you done to get into character?

I've watched everything on YouTube, everything. She's done loads of interviews. I've been watching it religiously. If I feel the accent slipping I listen to that and it comes back again.

You're very slim these days. Do you have to wear a lot of padding as Pat?

She was padded, and the outfit I wear is identical to what she wore in the first episode. It's padded at the hips and I've got false boobs in.

Are you nervous about this role?

I'm always nervous and I always walk off a set not satisfied with what I've done. I always think I could have done better, but apparently that's normal in this business. But sometimes when I watch it back I think, "Actually that was okay. I was worrying for nothing."

Have you spoken to Corrie creator Tony Warren about your part in this show?

Yeah, we met up with him and he came out with story after story. He's such a character and he's 73. He told me he and Pat were great friends, and he told me things that were just for me to know.

Would you ever fancy role in Corrie yourself?

I think that's highly unlikely and wouldn't happen but definitely! I'm a fan of it. And I've got friends who used to be in it, Nikki Sanderson and Lucy-Jo Hudson.

You've had a good career away from EastEnders. What tempted you back?

It's a great character to play. I'm looking forward to working with Shane Richie again. It's just a great character and that's why I want to play her again.

How long have you signed up to EastEnders for?

A year. I'm very excited about going back but I'm enjoying every second of this (The Road to Coronation Street). Just seeing the extras floating round in their costumes - it's such a buzz, I love it. There's a real good feeling about it. It's genius.

How do you balance being a mum and having a successful acting career?

It's a juggle but that's life and I do it. I've got a lot of help, my dad helps me. I've been living out of a suitcase over the last year and luckily my little girl's used to it. I say goodbye and am crying and she's like, "See ya mum!"

You lost a lot of weight last year. Are you still conscious about staying in shape?

I've been doing this for a year and I run three miles a day, I eat what I want now, At one point I went down to a size six. It was just too much so now I'm between and a size eight and 10. I just want to stay there. But I love running and it's not a chore for me. I was going to do the London Marathon this year but was stuck in New York because of the volcano. I'll definitely do it next year.

Are there still parts you want to play?

Nancy in Oliver. I'd love to play that but I can't see that happening now. Shane said I could play Fagin!

[Liz HF]

Thanks for the heads up on the new Corrie drama with Jesse Wallace. It sounds like it could be great! Very much looking forward to seeing it on screen.

Liz

[Perdita]

VETERAN Corrie actor Bill Roache wept after watching new drama The Road to Coronation Street, the show's star has revealed.
David Dawson told how Bill, who plays Ken Barlow, was reduced to tears watching the drama at a Granada screening last week.

The one-off BBC Four film - which airs at 9pm tonight - charts Corrie creator Tony Warren's battle against Granada executives to get the show on air.

Bill's son James Roache plays Ken in the film - making it even more emotional viewing.

The Secrets Of A Call Girl actor David - who plays Tony as a young man - said: "We watched the drama together.

"Bill is a lovely man and had tears in his eyes at the end.

"You forget it has been 50 years of his life and a little bit of it is being shown on the screen."

David says he and Tony have become "great friends". He added: "What initially was quite nerve-wracking to have him around very soon became a real luxury.

"He would send me emails with clips of films he loved and music that he liked which gave a huge insight."

The includes Jessie Wallace - who plays Elsie Tanner actress Pat Phoenix - as well as Jane Horrocks, Steven Berkoff, Henry Goodman and Celia Imrie. They spent a boozy two weeks filming in Manchester.

[Perdita]

CASUALTY star Sophia Di Martino was thrilled to get tarted up for her Road to Coronation Street role.
Sophia, usually seen in green paramedic gear, said: "We don't get a chance to glam up on Casualty so this was lovely."

The 26-year-old, who plays Granada It girl Josie Scott, added: "The high heels and girdles did make it difficult to walk."

The Sun

[Perdita]

James Roache has revealed that he studied old episodes of Coronation Street to prepare for playing his father Bill.

Roache will play the Corrie veteran in BBC Four's The Road to Coronation Street. He is also currently appearing in the ITV soap as Ken Barlow's grandson, alongside his half-brother Linus.

"I watched old clips of daddy," he told The Sun. "It will be very strange watching it with him."

He added: "He was very dashing. It's the Roache genes."

The 24-year-old praised the one-off drama's cast, which includes Jessie Wallace, Lynda Baron and Celia Imrie.

"The cast is amazing," he said. "It was such a privilege."

The Road to Coronation Street airs tonight at 9pm on BBC Four.

[Dazzle]

Did anyone see this? I found it really enjoyable, and even tense at times. The performances were all excellent too. It'll be on iPlayer if anyone wants to catch up, and is bound to be repeated on BBC4 at some point.

[parkerman]

Did anyone see this? I found it really enjoyable, and even tense at times. The performances were all excellent too. It'll be on iPlayer if anyone wants to catch up, and is bound to be repeated on BBC4 at some point.

Only saw it last night. I had it recorded on Sky+. I agree, I thought it was excellent. Jessie Wallace and Lynda Baron were great. It gave a good insight into how the programme started and Tony Warren's determination but also, even more so, that of Harry Elton who saw the potential and continued to argue for it when even Warren seemed to have given up

The only thing I thought was a bit unbleiveable was the number of times they made Bill Roache say something like, "Oh well, it's only for a week" or "It's only for 13 episodes". I wonder if he really did say those things at the time!?

[Dazzle]

The only thing I thought was a bit unbleiveable was the number of times they made Bill Roache say something like, "Oh well, it's only for a week" or "It's only for 13 episodes". I wonder if he really did say those things at the time!?

Yeah, those lines were a bit contrived, but they were funny. I was a little disappointed we didn't see more of Bill Roache except to comment on how short a job it would be . I suppose he was just a minor character at the beginning.