Perdita
05-07-2011, 16:58
The Corrie Years
Episode: 1 of 3
Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 7:30PM - 8:00PM
New three part series, The Corrie Years, focuses on 50 years of storylines which have been national talking points throughout its history. It touches on the plots and characters that have made headlines and courted controversy, broken new ground in television drama, challenged taboos and reflected the seismic changes in society which have occurred since the very beginning of the soap in 1960. Narrated by David Morrissey, the programmes will exclusively feature previously unseen footage, cast interviews both past and present and classic highlights from the show. This series celebrates Britain’s longest running TV soap and provides a closer look at how the show has continually produced some of the most talked-about storylines ever seen.
Ep 1: The Corrie Years: The Headline Makers
The first episode concentrates on stories that over the past five decades have made the headlines, including one that made its way from fictional Weatherfield to the House of Commons.
1963 Sheila’s Suicide: After the story was leaked and reported by the papers that factory worker Sheila Birtles was to take her own life in 1963, Coronation Street hit the front pages of the tabloids. Margaret Morris, the [soap’s] first female producer, went out on a limb for this story but was not prepared for the backlash in the press. With the controversial scenes already filmed - and the episode due to go out the day the news broke - Granada cut the programme short as it aired. The following episode was hastily re-written and Sheila’s life was saved. Eileen Mayers who played Sheila Birtles shares her memories of filming that final scene and her shock at leaving the studios to be met by a mass of journalists, as well as her disappointment that the original storyline was never aired.
1983 Deirdre’s Affair: When Deirdre Barlow embarked on an affair with Mike Baldwin in 1983, Coronation Street found itself receiving more column inches than it had done for years, with the papers’ phone polls and agony aunts asking their readers if she should leave husband Ken, or stay for the sake of youngster Tracy. The climactic scene in which Ken comes face to face with his nemesis Baldwin on his own doorstep prompted a front page splash, and changed the way in which tabloids reported on soaps. Anne Kirkbride, who plays Deirdre, tells the programme: “Ken and Deirdre had a nice and pleasant marriage, but of course it’s Coronation Street and people don’t want to watch pleasant things, they want to watch things go wrong.”
1998 The Weatherfield One: This story was based on a friend of Carolyn Reynolds, the executive producer of the show at the time. Viewers witnessed a cruel injustice when innocent Deirdre Rashid was jailed for crimes she didn’t commit after falling for conman Jon Lindsay. The impact of the storyline caused a rare occurrence of soap life impacting on real life when Deirdre’s custodial sentence sparked a media frenzy, and people all over the country jumped on board the campaign to free Deirdre. The storyline even got as far as Downing Street, with MPs also discussing the miscarriage of justice. Ultimately, Deirdre was released after serving three weeks in prison when the real culprit was caged, and received a warm welcome back in Weatherfield. One newspaper even took the credit for freeing Deidre - even though her release had already been written months beforehand!
2000 Sarah Lou’s Baby: Sarah Louise Platt shocked the nation when a trip to the doctors with mum Gail revealed that the 13 year old was actually five months pregnant. After being praised by government ministers for raising the issue of teenage pregnancy and for showing the hardships that young mothers face, Coronation Street was then applauded by its peers when the plot won Best Storyline at the British Soap Awards.
2009 Sally’s Cancer Battle: After bracing himself to tell his wife Sally that he was leaving her for Molly Dobbs on Christmas Day 2009, Kevin Webster was stunned into silence when Sally broke her devastating news first that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Actress Sally Dynevor, who plays Sally Webster, researched the storyline herself, but found the scripts drew a parallel with her own life - when she too found a lump.
The Corrie Years is series produced and directed by Kerry Allison and executive produced by Mark Robinson.
Episode: 1 of 3
Wednesday, 20 July 2011, 7:30PM - 8:00PM
New three part series, The Corrie Years, focuses on 50 years of storylines which have been national talking points throughout its history. It touches on the plots and characters that have made headlines and courted controversy, broken new ground in television drama, challenged taboos and reflected the seismic changes in society which have occurred since the very beginning of the soap in 1960. Narrated by David Morrissey, the programmes will exclusively feature previously unseen footage, cast interviews both past and present and classic highlights from the show. This series celebrates Britain’s longest running TV soap and provides a closer look at how the show has continually produced some of the most talked-about storylines ever seen.
Ep 1: The Corrie Years: The Headline Makers
The first episode concentrates on stories that over the past five decades have made the headlines, including one that made its way from fictional Weatherfield to the House of Commons.
1963 Sheila’s Suicide: After the story was leaked and reported by the papers that factory worker Sheila Birtles was to take her own life in 1963, Coronation Street hit the front pages of the tabloids. Margaret Morris, the [soap’s] first female producer, went out on a limb for this story but was not prepared for the backlash in the press. With the controversial scenes already filmed - and the episode due to go out the day the news broke - Granada cut the programme short as it aired. The following episode was hastily re-written and Sheila’s life was saved. Eileen Mayers who played Sheila Birtles shares her memories of filming that final scene and her shock at leaving the studios to be met by a mass of journalists, as well as her disappointment that the original storyline was never aired.
1983 Deirdre’s Affair: When Deirdre Barlow embarked on an affair with Mike Baldwin in 1983, Coronation Street found itself receiving more column inches than it had done for years, with the papers’ phone polls and agony aunts asking their readers if she should leave husband Ken, or stay for the sake of youngster Tracy. The climactic scene in which Ken comes face to face with his nemesis Baldwin on his own doorstep prompted a front page splash, and changed the way in which tabloids reported on soaps. Anne Kirkbride, who plays Deirdre, tells the programme: “Ken and Deirdre had a nice and pleasant marriage, but of course it’s Coronation Street and people don’t want to watch pleasant things, they want to watch things go wrong.”
1998 The Weatherfield One: This story was based on a friend of Carolyn Reynolds, the executive producer of the show at the time. Viewers witnessed a cruel injustice when innocent Deirdre Rashid was jailed for crimes she didn’t commit after falling for conman Jon Lindsay. The impact of the storyline caused a rare occurrence of soap life impacting on real life when Deirdre’s custodial sentence sparked a media frenzy, and people all over the country jumped on board the campaign to free Deirdre. The storyline even got as far as Downing Street, with MPs also discussing the miscarriage of justice. Ultimately, Deirdre was released after serving three weeks in prison when the real culprit was caged, and received a warm welcome back in Weatherfield. One newspaper even took the credit for freeing Deidre - even though her release had already been written months beforehand!
2000 Sarah Lou’s Baby: Sarah Louise Platt shocked the nation when a trip to the doctors with mum Gail revealed that the 13 year old was actually five months pregnant. After being praised by government ministers for raising the issue of teenage pregnancy and for showing the hardships that young mothers face, Coronation Street was then applauded by its peers when the plot won Best Storyline at the British Soap Awards.
2009 Sally’s Cancer Battle: After bracing himself to tell his wife Sally that he was leaving her for Molly Dobbs on Christmas Day 2009, Kevin Webster was stunned into silence when Sally broke her devastating news first that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Actress Sally Dynevor, who plays Sally Webster, researched the storyline herself, but found the scripts drew a parallel with her own life - when she too found a lump.
The Corrie Years is series produced and directed by Kerry Allison and executive produced by Mark Robinson.