Controversial Storyline for Corries 50th - Contains Spoilers

[Perdita]

Coronation Street stars have been banned from changing their hairstyle in the run-up to the soap's live episode. The milestone event focuses on the aftermath of the tram crash disaster, and picks up where the cast left off filming two months ago.

Graeme Hawley, who plays hapless John Stape, told the Mirror: "We've not been allowed to cut our hair, lose weight or put on weight.

"The morning of the live episode they are going to get pictures of how we looked when the tram crashed in order to get our hair exactly the same."

Sixty-five members of the cast will be involved in the hour-long transmission, which comes 10 years after the soap's last live broadcast.

Graeme, whose character was seen clobbering barmy Charlotte Hoyle (Becky Hindley) with a hammer on Monday, has one of the busiest roles in the episode, and has to whizz between sets.

He said: "I've got to sprint so fast from scene to scene that I've been asked to beef up my shoes with special grips because I'm worried about slipping over.

"In one scene I'm in the alley and then exactly one minute and 40 seconds later I'm due inside the Stapes' house. They are filmed on two completely different sets."

He added: "The worst thing is that on screen it only looks like I've done a six-foot walk so I'm not supposed to be out of breath - I've no idea how I'm going to cover that up."

[sean slater]

ha, thats sounds like something worth watching.

[alan45]

Coronation Street's producer Phil Collinson has spoken out in praise of tonight's live episode, hailing the special broadcast as "brilliant".

Earlier tonight, the soap's cast and crew performed live to the nation to mark the programme's 50th anniversary as the aftermath of Weatherfield's tram crash disaster continued to unfold on screen.

Events featured in the live transmission included the death of Molly Dobbs and the birth of Fiz Stape's daughter Hope.

Fans also saw Peter Barlow marry Leanne Battersby while seriously ill in hospital, before he flatlined in a dramatic cliffhanger.

In a statement, Collinson commented: "I'm so proud and gobsmacked at how brilliant it looked - it was like seeing it for the first time. I'm stunned and amazed."

[alan45]

The highlight of Coronation Street's 50th anniversary celebrations takes place tonight as the ITV1 soap broadcasts an hour-long live episode. Show bosses have promised to deliver some spectacular and explosive scenes in the special transmission, and with several long-running stories coming to a head, fans will also be hoping for some twists and surprises tonight.

Who will survive the tram crash disaster? Who will die? Will anyone fluff a line? And what other shocks could be in store? Join Digital Spy here from 8pm as we provide live coverage and eagerly await the answers to these questions and more. And don't forget to add your thoughts using the form below!

8.00pm: The ITV1 announcer promises "distress and horror" and the live episode is upon us! With no opening titles, we see snapshots of the key characters and that nice CGI shot of wider Weatherfield again. The emergency services try to get everyone away from The Joinery on the street, but David rushes over to the wreckage as Nick stumbles out.

8.01pm: Peter has arrived at the hospital. We see Charlotte's body at the Stape house, and the chaos continues on the cobbles.

8.02pm: A distressed Claire is comforted by Audrey as she demands to know what's going on. At The Rovers, Becky confronts Kylie about her shock reappearance. Kylie then announces that she took Max to see if Becky would miss him! Becky and Steve rage at Kylie.

8.03pm: Sally demands to go in to see Molly and comfort her, but the Webster girls and Sian are horrified. The emergency services finally agree to let her in - under strict conditions.

8.05pm: Tyrone and Kevin hear that the baby needs a blood transfusion. Also at the hospital, Fiz frets that she could be having a miscarriage as Owen, Katy and Chesney arrive. Katy and Chesney agree to stay - and John is relieved to hear that Chesney hasn't been home. Suddenly, Fiz's labour pains get worse…

8.06pm: Audrey tells Claire everything at Roy's Rolls. Claire screams in anguish at the news, branding Ashley an idiot for his heroic actions. Dr Carter tries to calm her down, but it's clear that there's no comforting Claire…

8.07pm: At the pub, a brazen Kylie starts to demand more money. She wants another £5,000 - admitting that she's "invested" the money she received in the first place.

8.08pm: Becky tries to reason with Kylie, but an angry Steve orders her out. At the café, Roy and Hayley try to comfort Claire.

8.09pm: Mary arrives at the café and grips Norris in a tight hug! She explains that she heard about the crash on the radio and rushed over.

8.10pm: At the pub, Sean asks Maria for news about Jack. Kirk and Maria share a hug, and Lloyd and Cheryl also discuss recent events.

8.11pm: Anna bursts into the pub, fretting that she can't find Gary. Eddie agrees to help her find him. As Jason enters the pub, everyone applauds in recognition of his heroism.

8.12pm: We see Gary having more flashbacks to his horrifying time in Afghanistan. Carla and Leanne are at the hospital and hear from the doctor that Peter needs an urgent operation as he has internal bleeding. It transpires that his condition is very serious, and if Carla and Leanne have anything they need to say to him, now is the time to do so. We then go to the first advert break…

8.17pm: Back from the adverts. Everything seems to have gone well so far! Sally is now with Molly and the emergency crews encourage Sal to talk to her friend as this will help. At the hospital, the doctor explains that there may not be enough blood for the baby.

8.18pm: Tyrone admits that he's not the biological father and cannot donate any blood, leaving Kevin facing a massive dilemma. At the pub, Kylie goes to storm out, vowing that she'll find Becky when she needs her. Back at the hospital, Dev is by Sunita's bedside as she panics, waking up from a nightmare.

8.19pm: Dev assures Sunita that the destroyed shop doesn't matter - he has everything he needs in her and the kids. He cries as he realises how he could have lost Sunita, but she's keen to look to the future, saying they need to make a fresh start now.

8.20pm: At the café, Graeme is comforted by Tina as he mourns the loss of Ashley. Meanwhile, Nick has been given a clean bill of health at the hospital - but he can't believe what's happened to Ashley.

8.21pm: Nick tells David that he wants to see Leanne, but David warns him to stay away. In Fiz's hospital room, she's panicking as her pains are getting worse - but the nurses refuse to give her any pain relief as it's now too late for that.

8.22pm: Carla and Leanne see Peter at his bedside. Carla gets particularly close and it's clear that she's heartbroken. Peter becomes breathless and warning bells go off from the machinery around him. The doctor arrives and tries to resolve the situation.

8.23pm: A distressed Leanne vows to get Peter down the aisle. Peter suggests that they have the wedding now…


8.24pm: Fiz gives birth to a baby girl, but the new arrival has to be examined by the nurses and they take pictures of the baby. Fiz is shocked to realise that the baby isn't crying - and she hears that the newborn child has to be taken to ICU.

8.25pm: The rescue teams are still working to free Molly. Sally keeps her chatting, telling her that her baby needs her and she should hang on.

8.26pm: Sally suggests that Molly could make things up with Tyrone once she's free. The attempts to free Molly continue.

8.27pm: Kevin tries to get rid of Tyrone, telling him that Molly needs him. Tyrone reluctantly agrees to leave the hospital while Kevin stays.


8.28pm: In Peter's hospital room, Leanne is distressed to realise that Peter is giving up. The doctors agree that a wedding could take place at the hospital - and Ken agrees that it's a good idea if it's what Peter wants, but Carla is clearly unhappy.

8.29pm: At The Rovers, Becky frantically tries to convince Steve to go along with Kylie's demands, but Steve firmly says that they have no more money. As they move to the main part of the pub, Sean tells Steve about Ashley's death and how they're looking after Freddie and Josh for now. Izzy shares the news of Fiz's baby and everyone in the pub makes a toast.

8.30pm: Fiz and John go to visit the baby, but Fiz is very distressed that she can't give her little girl a cuddle. Fiz decides that her baby should be called Hope.

8.31pm: John suggests bringing Ches and Katy in, but he's disturbed to hear that they're heading back to the Stape house. Again, we see Charlotte's body lying there. How will John get out of this one? We're left to ponder that as another ad break begins…

8.35pm: Nick has come to see Leanne and she says that she needs to talk to him.

8.36pm: A grief-stricken Claire enters the pub and is comforted by her neighbours. Steve explains that the boys are asleep upstairs, and Claire admits that she's dreading the thought of having to wake them up.

8.37pm: At the hospital, Leanne tells Nick that she's about to become Mrs Barlow. She says she's doing it for herself as she loves Peter. Nick coldly suggests that she may not have a future with Peter and seems reluctant to let Leanne go.

8.38pm: Finally, Nick agrees to respect Leanne's wishes, but he's devastated. On the cobbles, Ches and Katy are back in the street, but the police won't let them inside the Stape house. John has also made it back and blags his way past the cordon!

8.39pm: Anna finally finds Gary at the house. At the hospital, Kevin confesses to the doctor that he's Jack's father - but insists on strict confidentiality. The doctor admits this may not be possible…


8.40pm: Sally continues chatting to Molly at the Corner Shop wreckage, but she's in a bad way and is drifting in and out of consciousness.

8.41pm: John enters his home through the back door, grabs the hammer and gets to work on hiding Charlotte's body. At the Windass residence, Gary seems confused about where he is - confusing the situation with his Afghanistan nightmare. He's plagued with guilt over the fact that he wasn't able to help in the disaster.

8.42pm: Janice has arrived at Peter's bedside, and we hear that Deirdre is busy looking after Simon.

8.43pm: Peter and Leanne's bedside wedding begins, but it's clear that Peter is in a bad way. Unable to cope, Carla leaves the room. At the café, Norris is still struggling to get in touch with Rita, but he doesn't suspect that anything's wrong.

8.44pm: In the wreckage of the Corner Shop, Becky pockets the cash that's lying round and goes through the safe. Meanwhile, John drags out Charlotte's body as we go into the final advert break…


8.50pm: Molly tells Sally that she's dying. She says: "He chose you because you are beautiful inside as well as out". Sally is baffled.

8.51pm: At the pub, Graeme tells Tina that he's planning to identify Ashley's body. As Claire's phone buzzes, she hears Ashley's emotional voicemail and it's a poignant moment for everyone as she puts it on speakerphone.

8.52pm: A police officer finds John with Charlotte near The Joinery and he claims that he found her among the wreckage. Has he got away with murder?

8.53pm: Molly tells Sally that she regrets everything apart from Jack, but Sal still doesn't realise what she means. Sally wants to get Tyrone, but an emotional Molly says that she doesn't want to die alone. She tells Sally not to be nice to her as she can't cope with it. She says: "We loved each other for a while - he chose you, you and your girls, not me and my boy."

8.54pm: Molly adds: "I didn't want to hurt you, I don't know. Jack's not going to have his mummy - he's going to need his daddy." As Sally says that nobody knows who Jack's dad is, Molly finally reveals the heartbreaking truth: "It's Kevin - I'm sorry."

8.55pm: Sally is absolutely devastated as Molly begs her not to hate her. Molly begs Sally not to leave her, but her hand goes limp…


8.56pm: Unable to speak properly, Peter struggles with his vows but finally finishes.

8.57pm: John hears the shocking news that Charlotte has a weak pulse and is still alive! In Peter's room, he and Leanne are officially proclaimed husband and wife and they share a kiss…

8.58pm: Suddenly, Peter's heart stops beating and Leanne screams in distress. The doctors try to help him… Back on the cobbles, Sally sobs as she approaches Tyrone. Emotional, Tyrone realises that Molly is dead as the end credits roll…

8.59pm: So that's it! After months of planning it's all over! From what I could tell, it all seemed to run impressively smoothly and was excellently done all round! Well done Corrie and here's to another 50 years!

[alan45]

CORONATION Street legend Jean Alexander, who played the iconic Hilda Ogden, blasted the show ahead of its 50th anniversary live show saying it's lost its identity.
Jean warned bosses the soap was missing depth because it was chock-full of lazy jobless layabouts, rather than the hardworking characters from her day.

The actress, who starred as Weatherfield cleaning lady Hilda for 23 years, said Corrie's young characters were too concerned with their clothes and make-up.

The 84-year-old, whose character stole the nation's hearts with her trademark rollers and headscarf, added she would never want to return to the cobbles because it concentrated too much on glamour and shock tactics rather than old fashioned drama.

Jean, whose last appearance on the soap on Christmas Day in 1987 earned it 27 million viewers, said the soap is "not the same as it used to be".

She added: "It hasn't got the character that it used to have. It's lost its identity somehow for me.

"You look at all the people in it - the young people in it particularly - and hardly any of them have got a job and those who have are only being paid in buttons.

"And yet you never see them in the same clothes twice running. They've got all the latest fashions, the make-up, the hairdos, all this.

"Poor Hilda could only get a pinny off the market every once in a while. It shouldn't be like that - it's too glossy now."

Jean left the soap after her character won a job as a Derbyshire doctor's housekeeper, but vowed she would never return even though writers had begged for her to come back.

She said: "It's a mistake. Hilda would be a different person now. She's now achieved her ambition of having some status.

"She wouldn't be the old scrubber Hilda now - oh no. The public would be disappointed - they'd expect to see Hilda the same as she was before.

"It's quit while you're ahead, me. And I did."

[Perdita]

Very well done to all cast and crew for a brilliant live episode

[Siobhan]

You didn't see anything whooooo!! Magic!!

[alan45]

You didn't see anything whooooo!! Magic!!

Could you ''magic'' me tonights Euromillions numbers

[alan45]

Sally Dynevor has admitted that preparing for Coronation Street's live episode was a "daunting" experience.

The actress's character Sally Webster played one of the most significant roles in last night's special 50th anniversary broadcast, as she finally heard the truth about Molly Dobbs's affair with her husband Kevin.

In a tragic twist, Molly dramatically came clean to Sally before dying from the injuries she sustained in the street's tram crash tragedy.

Speaking during a webchat on Corrie's official site last night, Dynevor commented: "We've been rehearsing for two weeks. We never normally get that long. I was very nervous because I had so much dialogue.

"I sat in the dressing room on my own and tried to stay calm before the show. I've done theatre before Corrie, but this was much more daunting. The hardest part was the scene where I had the long speech with Molly."

She added: "The atmosphere was electric backstage. It was amazing. Thank you for supporting Corrie and keep watching - the next few weeks will be amazing."

[alan45]

Coronation Street's live anniversary edition averaged over 14m and peaked at nearly 15m last night.

The hour-long broadcast, which saw a dying Molly tell Sally about her affair with Kevin, pulled in 14.03m (52%), while the audience peaked at 14.87m (52.8%) between 8.50pm and 8.55pm.

Despite the colossal figure, which is the show's best since 2003, it was unable to top EastEnders Live in February, which logged 14.9m and peaked at 16.6m.

Only 6.16m (25.3%) chose yesterday's Pat-centred instalment on BBC One, however, as the Albert Square serial fell foul to an hour of Emmerdale, which mustered 8.13m (34.7%) from 7pm.

This in turn boosted BBC Three's EastEnders repeat, which won the day's highest multichannel broadcast, grabbing a hefty 1.6m (7.1%) at 10pm.

Coronation Street: 50 Years, 50 Moments concluded with 6.8m (27.2%) in the 9pm hour, before a repeat of Coronation Street Live airing at 10.35pm on ITV1 picked up 1.89m (13.4%).