1974 was Coronation Street's fifteenth year. Eric Prytherch completed his two-year stint as producer in May after a four-week handover period between Prytherch and his successor Susi Hush. The rest of the year's episodes beginning with Episode 1390 were produced by Hush, except for episodes 1416 to 1421 which were overseen by Leslie Duxbury.

With Patricia Phoenix having left the series, and Violet Carson appearing in only a handful of episodes due to illness, Hush faced the challenge of replacing two enormously popular characters. Rita Littlewood, Deirdre Hunt and Bet Lynch were developed into more headstrong, acerbic personalities and given more emotional storylines akin to Elsie Tanner in her heyday. For Ena, and with Irene Sutcliffe departing as Corner Shop owner Maggie Clegg, a new family was introduced as the tenants of the shop, led by callous pensioner Granny Hopkins. The Hopkins family was meant as a vehicle for Granada starlet Kathy Jones, who played Tricia, the youngest member of the clan.

Other new characters included Vera Duckworth, Gail Potter, Eddie Yeats and Blanche Hunt, mother of Deirdre. Blanche was initially played by Patricia Cutts but was recast following the suicide of the actress. Maggie Jones played the character thereafter. Meanwhile, after struggling with personal problems for some time, Jennifer Moss was dismissed from the programme, causing a storyline involving Lucille Hewitt reuniting with Gordon Clegg to be shelved.

Key storylines included the death of Cyril Turpin, the breakdown of Ken and Janet Barlow's marriage, Minnie Caldwell and Albert Tatlock getting engaged (for practical reasons) before calling it off, Deirdre Hunt and Billy Walker's developing relationship, Maggie Clegg marrying Ron Cooke, Emily and Ernest Bishop becoming foster parents, Rita Littlewood's affair with Jimmy Graham, the Hopkins family discovering that Betty Turpin is Gordon's real mother, and a excursion by eight of the Street's women to Majorca in the programme's first foreign location shoot.

103 new episodes were transmitted in 1974. Episode 1375, shown on 20th March, was watched in 8,300,000 homes and was the highest rated episode of the year, while only five episodes topped the viewing charts. Ratings overall were up on the previous year, arresting a downward trend which had been began in 1970.

EpisodesEdit

Main castEdit

• Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson
• Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander
• Janet Reid - Judith Barker (until June)
• Mavis Riley - Thelma Barlow
• Alan Howard - Alan Browning (until January)
• Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant
• Ray Langton - Neville Buswell
• Ena Sharples - Violet Carson (January - February, December)
• Norma Ford - Diana Davies (July)
• Idris Hopkins - Richard Davies (July onwards)
• Vera Duckworth - Elizabeth Dawn (August)
• Emily Bishop - Eileen Derbyshire
• Betty Turpin - Betty Driver
• Megan Hopkins - Jessie Evans (July onwards)
• Billy Walker - Kenneth Farrington (January onwards)
• Bet Lynch - Julie Goodyear
• Jerry Booth - Graham Haberfield
• Ernest Bishop - Stephen Hancock
• Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth
• Eddie Yeats - Geoffrey Hughes (December onwards)
• Tricia Hopkins - Kathy Jones (July onwards)
• Blanche Hunt - Patricia Cutts (August), Maggie Jones (September onwards)
• Gordon Clegg - Bill Kenwright (July, December onwards)
• Deirdre Hunt - Anne Kirkbride
• Sheila Crossley - Eileen Mayers (September to October)
• Alf Roberts - Bryan Mosley
• Lucille Hewitt - Jennifer Moss (until July)
• Rita Littlewood - Barbara Mullaney
• Ivy Tilsley - Lynne Perrie
• Ken Barlow - William Roache
• Edna Gee - Mavis Rogerson (August and November)
• Annie Walker - Doris Speed
• Vera Hopkins - Kathy Staff (July onwards)
• Maggie Clegg - Irene Sutcliffe (until July, December onwards)
• Gail Potter - Helen Worth (July onwards)
• Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens

StorylinesEdit

Who lives whereEdit

Coronation Street

• Rovers Return Inn - Annie Walker. Lucille Hewitt (until July). Billy Walker (from January onwards).
• 1 Coronation Street - Albert Tatlock. Ken Barlow and Janet Barlow (until January).
• 3 Coronation Street - Ernest and Emily Bishop. Vernon and Lucy Foyle (from November to December)
• 5 Coronation Street - Minnie Caldwell. Ena Sharples (until February and December only).
• 9 Coronation Street - Len Fairclough, Ray Langton and Jerry Booth. Alison and Jonathan Wright (June only).
• 11 Coronation Street - Ken Barlow (from January onwards). Janet Barlow (from January to May).
• 13 Coronation Street - Stan and Hilda Ogden. Tommy Deakin and Michael O'Ryan (from May to June).
• Corner Shop (No.15) - Maggie Clegg (until July). Idris, Vera and Megan Hopkins (from July onwards).
• Corner Shop Flat (No.15a) - Tricia Hopkins (from July onwards).
• Community Centre Flat - Gertie Robson (from March to September). Gary Turner (from April to May).

Rosamund Street

• The Kabin - Rita Littlewood.

Victoria Street

• 20 Victoria Street - Deirdre and Blanche Hunt.
• 44 Victoria Street - Bet Lynch.

Others

• 37 Hillside Crescent - Betty Turpin
• 23 Jubilee Terrace - Mavis Riley