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Logo 1995

1998 was Coronation Street's thirty-ninth year.

Main characters[]

Ranking Character Played by Duration Number of Episodes Running total Previous year's ranking
1 Leanne Battersby/Tilsley Jane Danson Full year 129 186 41
2 Alec Gilroy Roy Barraclough January and March to December 124 850 7
3 Les Battersby Bruce Jones Full year 121 181 39
4 Janice Battersby Vicky Entwistle Full year 120 195 31
5 Gail Platt Helen Worth Full year 117 1820 13
5 Sally Webster Sally Whittaker Full year except for February 117 1035 3
7 Natalie Horrocks/Barnes Denise Welch Full year 116 227 15
8 Jim McDonald Charles Lawson Full year except for August 114 871 3
9 Kevin Webster Michael Le Vell Full year except for February 113 1213 1
10 Vera Duckworth Elizabeth Dawn Full year 112 1594 5
11 Toyah Battersby Georgia Taylor Full year 111 162 43
12 Greg Kelly Stephen Billington From April 110 110 -
13 Nick Tilsley Adam Rickitt Full year except for March 109 677 53
14 Rita Sullivan Barbara Knox Full year 108 2107 7
15 Roy Cropper David Neilson Full year 107 221 38
16 Mike Baldwin Johnny Briggs Full year 103 1589 15
17 Alma Baldwin Amanda Barrie Full year except for May 101 922 24
18 Des Barnes Philip Middlemiss January to June and September to November 98 772 26
18 Ashley Peacock Steven Arnold Full year except for July 98 239 18
20 Audrey Roberts Sue Nicholls Full year 97 1152 21
21 Maxine Heavey Tracy Shaw Full year 96 302 201
22 Steve McDonald Simon Gregson February to July and from September 93 682 37
23 Liz McDonald Beverley Callard January, March to July and September to November 92 872 27
24 Ken Barlow William Roache Full year except for February 91 2728 13
25 Gary Mallett Ian Mercer Full year except for August 88 293 6
26 Jack Duckworth William Tarmey Full year except for February 87 1409 15
27 Martin Platt Sean Wilson Full year 86 938 24
27 Deirdre Rachid Anne Kirkbride January, March to April, July to August and from October 86 1852 11
29 Spider Nugent Martin Hancock Full year except for May and November 85 94 63
30 Fred Elliott John Savident Full year except for March 80 219 31
31 Zoe Tattersall Joanne Froggatt January to February, April to June and October to December 78 126 44
32 Hayley Patterson Julie Hesmondhalgh January to April and from June 77 77 -
33 Fiona Middleton Angela Griffin January to July and September 75 491 10
34 Emily Bishop Eileen Derbyshire Full year except for August and October 74 2347 22
34 Betty Williams Betty Driver February to September and from November 74 2119 35
36 Samantha Failsworth Tina Hobley Until June 71 225 11
36 Judy Mallett Gaynor Faye Full year except for July 71 288 2
38 Curly Watts Kevin Kennedy January to April and July to September 70 1149 28
39 Maud Grimes Elizabeth Bradley Full year except for March and August 67 405 22
40 Sophie Webster Emma Woodward From March 53 160 47
41 Rosie Webster Emma Collinge From March 50 369 40
42 Lorraine Brownlow Holly Newman From July 46 48 69
43 Jackie Dobbs Margi Clarke March to April and from November 28 28 -
44 Shannon Tattersall Lucy Whipday January to February and April 25 61 48
45 Chris Collins Matthew Marsden Until March 21 137 7
46 Tony Horrocks Lee Warburton From October to December 20 97 61
46 Anne Malone Eve Steele From August to October 20 100 54
48 Alf Roberts Bryan Mosley January to February, July to September and December 19 1779 50
49 Tyrone Dobbs Alan Halsall From November 12 12 -
50 Angie Freeman Deborah McAndrew January and March to April 11 345 19
51 Sarah Louise Platt Lynsay King January to February, May, September and December 9 370 56
52 Linda Sykes Jacqueline Pirie October and December 8 8 -
53 Ida Clough Helene Palmer July and August 7 255 55
53 Vicky McDonald Chloe Newsome December only 7 260 -
53 David Platt Thomas Ormson January to February, May and December 7 314 58
56 Blanche Hunt Maggie Jones December only 4 105 71
57 Becky Mallett Megan Foster December only 3 3 -
57 Billy Mallett Lewis Ablett December only 3 3 -
59 Alison Wakefield Naomi Radcliffe December only 2 2 -
60 Edna Miller Joan Kempson June only 1 1 -

Production[]

Park's masterplan[]

Deirdre in court

Deirdre Rachid lands in court after falling for the machinations of conman Jon Lindsay

Brian Park announced that he was stepping down as producer in April, feeling that he'd accomplished what he set out to do. After completing his contract, Park set up his own production company, Shed Productions. His replacement was David Hanson, who received his first credit in Episode 4520 on 6th December. Coronation Street's former executive producer Carolyn Reynolds returned to her old role at the same time.

Park's resignation occurred when the programme was resolving its notorious "Deirdre in prison" storyline. After falling for supposed airline pilot Jon Lindsay, Deirdre Rachid had been embroiled in his web of lies, and ended up being sentenced to 18 months in prison after being found guilty of his crimes despite being completely innocent. The storyline was very well received and generated a lot of press attention, with The Sun and The Guardian entering into the spirit of the occasion by calling for Deirdre's release, dubbing the campaign "Free the Weatherfield One". Deirdre was pardoned after three weeks when another victim of Jon's came forward. Her cellmate in prison was Jackie Dobbs, played by Margi Clarke who reprised her character full-time in November. Jackie was accompanied in her second stint by her oafish but kind-hearted son Tyrone, with Alan Halsall playing Tyrone.

The most noteworthy character created this year - and Park's proudest achievement on the programme - was Hayley Patterson, a new Firman's Freezers recruit who, upon starting a romance with Roy Cropper, confessed to him that she was a pre-op trans woman. Before Hayley, Coronation Street had never featured an LGBT character and ITV had started making enquiries about whether they planned to introduce one. Script editor Ann McManus pitched the character as a way to have the programme be seen to be leading the way instead of chasing the other soaps' coattails. Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson filmed scenes in Amsterdam when Hayley went there to complete her transition, with Roy joining her there and the couple returning together to Weatherfield. Despite the initial focus on Hayley's transgenderism and the difficulties she faced in her everyday life, writers were careful to avoid having it define Hayley's character. Her warm personality and friendships with Roy, Alma Baldwin and Curly Watts were established before revealing the truth to the audience, and over time her transgenderism was mentioned less and less, while Roy and Hayley became one of Coronation Street's most enduring and popular couples.

Cast changes[]

With Underworld now up and running, new machinists were cast, including Linda Sykes played by Jacqueline Pirie and Alison Wakefield played by Naomi Radcliffe, while Helene Palmer as Ida Clough and Deborah McAndrew as Angie Freeman made their last appearances. Angie dissolved her partnership with Mike to work for Jarvis Rousseau Associates in London, while Ida wasn't given a firm departure. Mike's new partner was the hitherto unknown son of Les Battersby, Greg Kelly, who was developed as a villainous character who moved in on Sally Webster due to her receiving a large inheritance after her mother's death. The year also saw the birth of Billy and Becky Mallett on Christmas Day, the return of Lorraine Brownlow as a new Rovers barmaid, and a one-off appearance by Joan Kempson as miserable cleaner Edna Miller, who returned full-time in 2000.

Jack and Vera Duckworth's reign at the Rovers came to an end when Alec Gilroy bought them out, with the condition that they were kept on as staff and remained in residence. This unworkable agreement ended with a Christmas Day stand-off between Alec and the Duckworths, with Alec eventually admitting defeat and selling up to Natalie Barnes. 26 years after his debut as Alec, Roy Barraclough decided to leave, this time making his final exit from the programme. Chloe Newsome made a brief return as Vicky McDonald for the storyline, in which Alec decided to invest in a wine bar in Brighton with his granddaughter.

Natalie cradles des 1998

The violent death of Des Barnes earns Coronation Street its biggest audience of the year, with 20.3 million viewers

Natalie's ownership of the Rovers was bittersweet, coming a month after the death of her husband Des Barnes at the hands of drug dealers. After nearly nine years playing Des, Philip Middlemiss decided to leave but, against his wishes, writers chose to kill off Des to make Natalie's story more tragic. Lee Warburton returned briefly as Tony Horrocks, on the run from gangsters who caught up with him at No.6, leading Des to try to intervene only to receive a fatal blow to the head.

Meanwhile, Chris Collins departed when Matthew Marsden quit after a year to attempt a pop music career, Tina Hobley quit after two years as Samantha Failsworth, and Joanne Froggatt left after 19 months as Zoe Tattersall, departing with a memorable storyline in which Zoe joined a religious cult, the Etheric Foundation, after the death of her daughter Shannon from meningitis. Fiona Middleton left after six years - taking her son Morgan with her - and Liz McDonald after nine years, although Beverley Callard would make several returns to the part starting in 2000.

Two major storylines were affected by the unavailability of Kevin Kennedy as Curly Watts. In the first instance, Kennedy had emergency surgery after picking up a bug on holiday, causing Curly to be hurriedly excised from Samantha Failsworth's exit storyline. Three months later, Kennedy checked into a clinic to be treated for his alcoholism. Curly was written out of a revenge storyline in which Anne Malone returned to ruin Curly, causing him to be wrongly arrested for blackmail. Her plans backfired when a security guard accidentally locked her inside a walk-in freezer when she was putting WD-40 on the fish fingers at Freshco, resulting in her being frozen to death. Kennedy left the clinic after a month having beaten the bottle but Curly spent the rest of the year off-screen, having skipped bail and gone travelling.

Viewing figures[]

1998 ratings

Ratings chart for the year

For the first time in six years, Coronation Street increased its yearly average. At 15.76 million viewers, this put 1998 slightly ahead of 1996 and well ahead of 1997. This was also only the fourth time - and the first since the 1960s - that every month increased its audience from the same month the year before. The biggest increases were in March and December, each of a million and a half viewers. The former month featured Deirdre and Jon Lindsay's trial for fraud.

Des Barnes's death was the biggest audience-puller of the year, drawing 20.3 million viewers. This was the highest peak since 1993. As in 1997, 43 episodes reached number one in the ratings, and none fell outside the top twenty.

ITV2 started transmission on 7th December and consequently Episode 4521 (7th December 1998) was the first edition of the programme to be repeated on that channel later on the night of its first showing.

Episodes[]

# Ep.
No.
Date Writer Director Viewing
Figures
(With omnibus)
Chart
Position
1 4327 Friday 2nd January Catherine Hayes Laurence Moody 16,950,000 2
2 4328 Sunday 4th January Sally Wainwright Terry Dyddgen-Jones 18,370,000 1
3 4329 Monday 5th January Sally Wainwright Terry Dyddgen-Jones 18,320,000 1
4 4330 Wednesday 7th January John Stevenson Terry Dyddgen-Jones 17,550,000 2
5 4331 Friday 9th January John Stevenson Terry Dyddgen-Jones 16,830,000 3
6 4332 Sunday 11th January Catherine Hayes Kay Patrick 14,460,000 8
7 4333 Monday 12th January Maureen Chadwick Kay Patrick 18,000,000 1
8 4334 Wednesday 14th January Peter Whalley Kay Patrick 17,970,000 2
9 4335 Friday 16th January Martin Allen Kay Patrick 17,390,000 3
10 4336 Sunday 18th January Phil Ford Michael Kerrigan 15,700,000 5
11 4337 Monday 19th January Catherine Hayes Michael Kerrigan 18,330,000 1
12 4338 Wednesday 21st January Jan McVerry Michael Kerrigan 17,500,000 2
13 4339 Friday 23rd January David Lane Michael Kerrigan 16,500,000 3
14 4340 Sunday 25th January Peter Mills Brian Mills 15,010,000 6
15 4341 Monday 26th January Adele Rose Brian Mills 17,850,000 1
16 4342 Wednesday 28th January Martin Allen Brian Mills 17,610,000 2
17 4343 Friday 30th January Maureen Chadwick Brian Mills 16,340,000 3
18 4344 Sunday 1st February Adele Rose Laurence Moody 16,250,000 5
19 4345 Monday 2nd February Sally Wainwright Laurence Moody 17,030,000 2
20 4346 Wednesday 4th February Catherine Hayes Laurence Moody 17,260,000 1
21 4347 Friday 6th February Mark Wadlow Laurence Moody 16,780,000 3
22 4348 Sunday 8th February Peter Whalley Terry Dyddgen-Jones 15,460,000 4
23 4349 Monday 9th February Peter Whalley Terry Dyddgen-Jones 17,390,000 1
24 4350 Wednesday 11th February Maureen Chadwick Terry Dyddgen-Jones 16,870,000 2
25 4351 Friday 13th February John Stevenson Terry Dyddgen-Jones 15,630,000 4
26 4352 Sunday 15th February Mark Wadlow Garth Tucker 15,770,000 3
27 4353 Monday 16th February Phil Ford Garth Tucker 17,370,000 1
28 4354 Wednesday 18th February Phil Woods Garth Tucker 17,020,000 2
29 4355 Friday 20th February David Lane Garth Tucker 16,620,000 3
30 4356 Sunday 22nd February Peter Mills Michael Kerrigan 16,130,000 5
31 4357 Monday 23rd February Jan McVerry Michael Kerrigan 17,200,000 1
32 4358 Wednesday 25th February John Stevenson Michael Kerrigan 16,690,000 2
33 4359 Friday 27th February Maureen Chadwick Michael Kerrigan 16,210,000 4
34 4360 Sunday 1st March Catherine Hayes Brian Mills 16,280,000 3
35 4361 Monday 2nd March Jan McVerry Brian Mills 17,440,000 1
36 4362 Wednesday 4th March Peter Whalley Brian Mills 13,040,000 7
37 4363 Friday 6th March David Lane Brian Mills 15,710,000 3
38 4364 Sunday 8th March Maureen Chadwick Laurence Moody 15,850,000 2
39 4365 Monday 9th March Andy Armitage Laurence Moody 17,310,000 1
40 4366 Wednesday 11th March Peter Mills Laurence Moody 17,010,000 2
41 4367 Friday 13th March Phil Ford Laurence Moody 15,950,000 4
42 4368 Sunday 15th March Phil Ford Mike Adams 16,120,000 3
43 4369 Monday 16th March Phil Woods Mike Adams 17,480,000 1
44 4370 Wednesday 18th March Peter Whalley Mike Adams 14,960,000 4
45 4371 Friday 20th March Sally Wainwright Mike Adams 15,030,000 3
46 4372 Sunday 22nd March Mark Wadlow Garth Tucker 16,000,000 2
47 4373 Monday 23rd March Catherine Hayes Garth Tucker 17,570,000 2
48 4374 Wednesday 25th March John Stevenson Garth Tucker 16,430,000 3
49 4375 Friday 27th March Martin Allen Garth Tucker 15,840,000 4
50 4376 Sunday 29th March Martin Allen Michael Kerrigan 17,610,000 1
51 4377 Monday 30th March John Stevenson Michael Kerrigan 17,130,000 1
52 4378 Wednesday 1st April Peter Mills Michael Kerrigan 13,370,000 5
53 4379 Friday 3rd April David Lane Michael Kerrigan 15,520,000 3
54 4380 Sunday 5th April Adele Rose Brian Mills 15,860,000 2
55 4381 Monday 6th April Jan McVerry Brian Mills 15,920,000 3
56 4382 Wednesday 8th April Sally Wainwright Brian Mills 16,570,000 1
57 4383 Friday 10th April Peter Whalley Brian Mills 15,170,000 4
58 4384 Sunday 12th April Maureen Chadwick June Howson 15,950,000 2
59 4385 Monday 13th April Martin Allen June Howson 17,510,000 1
60 4386 Wednesday 15th April John Stevenson June Howson 14,740,000 4
61 4387 Friday 17th April Sally Wainwright June Howson 17,140,000 3
62 4388 Sunday 19th April Phil Ford Mike Adams 17,440,000 2
63 4389 Monday 20th April Jan McVerry Mike Adams 16,720,000 1
64 4390 Wednesday 22nd April Phil Woods Mike Adams 16,590,000 2
65 4391 Friday 24th April Peter Whalley Mike Adams 15,180,000 4
66 4392 Sunday 26th April David Lane Garth Tucker 15,660,000 3
67 4393 Monday 27th April Catherine Hayes Garth Tucker 16,210,000 1
68 4394 Wednesday 29th April Maureen Chadwick Garth Tucker 15,480,000 2
69 4395 Friday 1st May Peter Mills Garth Tucker 14,630,000 3
70 4396 Sunday 3rd May Mark Wadlow Tim Dowd 13,870,000 4
71 4397 Monday 4th May John Stevenson Tim Dowd 16,150,000 2
72 4398 Wednesday 6th May Phil Woods Tim Dowd 16,290,000 1
73 4399 Friday 8th May Jan McVerry Tim Dowd 13,770,000 5
74 4400 Sunday 10th May Jan McVerry Noreen Kershaw
Brian Mills
14,770,000 3
75 4401 Monday 11th May Phil Woods Noreen Kershaw
Brian Mills
15,960,000 1
76 4402 Wednesday 13th May Ken Blakeson Noreen Kershaw
Brian Mills
13,760,000 2
77 4403 Friday 15th May Martin Allen Noreen Kershaw
Brian Mills
13,320,000 3
78 4404 Sunday 17th May Maureen Chadwick Noreen Kershaw
Brian Mills
12,550,000 6
79 4405 Monday 18th May John Stevenson Noreen Kershaw
Brian Mills
14,300,000 1
80 4406 Wednesday 20th May David Lane Noreen Kershaw
Brian Mills
12,910,000 3
81 4407 Friday 22nd May Catherine Hayes Brian Mills
Noreen Kershaw
13,660,000 2
82 4408 Sunday 24th May Peter Whalley June Howson 12,670,000 4
83 4409 Monday 25th May Peter Mills June Howson 15,220,000 1
84 4410 Wednesday 27th May Mark Wadlow June Howson 14,900,000 2
85 4411 Friday 29th May Phil Ford June Howson 13,240,000 4
86 4412 Sunday 31st May David Lane Mike Adams 13,030,000 5
87 4413 Monday 1st June Martin Allen Mike Adams 16,200,000 1
88 4414 Wednesday 3rd June Sally Wainwright Mike Adams 15,840,000 2
89 4415 Friday 5th June Catherine Hayes Mike Adams 14,140,000 4
90 4416 Sunday 7th June Maureen Chadwick Laurence Moody 15,790,000 3
91 4417 Monday 8th June Peter Mills Laurence Moody 16,350,000 1
92 4418 Wednesday 10th June Phil Woods Laurence Moody 14,430,000 3
93 4419 Friday 12th June Mark Wadlow Laurence Moody 12,640,000 6
94 4420 Sunday 14th June John Stevenson Tim Dowd 14,750,000 2
95 4421 Monday 15th June Ken Blakeson Tim Dowd 15,720,000 1
96 4422 Wednesday 17th June Catherine Hayes Tim Dowd 14,760,000 2
97 4423 Friday 19th June Peter Whalley Tim Dowd 12,360,000 4
98 4424 Sunday 21st June Phil Ford Brian Mills 13,540,000 3
99 4425 Monday 22nd June Maureen Chadwick Brian Mills 14,030,000 5
100 4426 Wednesday 24th June John Stevenson Brian Mills 13,500,000 6
101 4427 Friday 26th June Martin Allen Brian Mills 12,570,000 9
102 4428 Sunday 28th June Sally Wainwright Robert Khodadad 12,590,000 8
103 4429 Monday 29th June Phil Woods Robert Khodadad 14,170,000 4
104 4430 Wednesday 1st July Peter Whalley Robert Khodadad 14,420,000 3
105 4431 Friday 3rd July Peter Mills Robert Khodadad 12,330,000 6
106 4432 Sunday 5th July Maureen Chadwick Noreen Kershaw 13,130,000 5
107 4433 Monday 6th July Sally Wainwright Noreen Kershaw 15,280,000 3
108 4434 Wednesday 8th July Jan McVerry Noreen Kershaw 14,790,000 4
109 4435 Friday 10th July Peter Mills Noreen Kershaw 13,090,000 8
110 4436 Sunday 12th July Phil Woods Laurence Moody 13,280,000 7
111 4437 Monday 13th July Catherine Hayes Jim O'Hanlon 16,660,000 1
112 4438 Wednesday 15th July David Lane Laurence Moody 14,970,000 2
113 4439 Friday 17th July Mark Wadlow Laurence Moody 13,000,000 3
114 4440 Sunday 19th July David Lane Tim Dowd 12,240,000 6
115 4441 Monday 20th July Peter Mills Tim Dowd 14,810,000 2
116 4442 Wednesday 22nd July Sally Wainwright Tim Dowd 15,220,000 1
117 4443 Friday 24th July Martin Allen Tim Dowd 13,070,000 3
118 4444 Sunday 26th July Ken Blakeson Brian Mills 13,050,000 7
119 4445 Monday 27th July Maureen Chadwick Brian Mills 15,330,000 2
120 4446 Wednesday 29th July Phil Ford Brian Mills 15,550,000 1
121 4447 Friday 31st July Peter Whalley Brian Mills 14,340,000 5
122 4448 Sunday 2nd August Maureen Chadwick Will Brenton 11,900,000 7
123 4449 Monday 3rd August Peter Mills Will Brenton 16,010,000 1
124 4450 Wednesday 5th August John Stevenson Will Brenton 14,250,000 3
125 4451 Friday 7th August Ken Blakeson Will Brenton 13,130,000 6
126 4452 Sunday 9th August Phil Woods Noreen Kershaw 11,150,000 7
127 4453 Monday 10th August Peter Whalley Noreen Kershaw 13,910,000 2
128 4454 Wednesday 12th August Phil Ford Noreen Kershaw 12,290,000 7
129 4455 Friday 14th August Jan McVerry Noreen Kershaw 13,390,000 3
130 4456 Sunday 16th August Jan McVerry Jim O'Hanlon 12,860,000 5
131 4457 Monday 17th August Peter Whalley Jim O'Hanlon 15,380,000 2
132 4458 Wednesday 19th August Martin Allen Laurence Moody 13,300,000 7
133 4459 Friday 21st August Mark Wadlow Laurence Moody 13,840,000 6
134 4460 Sunday 23rd August Jim O'Hanlon Ged Maguire 14,350,000 5
135 4461 Monday 24th August Phil Ford Ged Maguire 15,790,000 2
136 4462 Wednesday 26th August Peter Mills Ged Maguire 15,860,000 1
137 4463 Friday 28th August Phil Woods Ged Maguire 13,960,000 6
138 4464 Sunday 30th August Mark Wadlow Michael Kerrigan 11,520,000 8
139 4465 Monday 31st August John Stevenson Michael Kerrigan
Jim O'Hanlon
14,640,000 5
140 4466 Wednesday 2nd September Martin Allen Michael Kerrigan
Jim O'Hanlon
15,990,000 2
141 4467 Friday 4th September Phil Ford Michael Kerrigan
Jim O'Hanlon
17,000,000 1
142 4468 Sunday 6th September Catherine Hayes Will Brenton 15,300,000 3
143 4469 Monday 7th September Jan McVerry Will Brenton 16,610,000 1
144 4470 Wednesday 9th September Peter Mills Will Brenton 16,420,000 2
145 4471 Friday 11th September Peter Whalley Will Brenton 15,310,000 4
146 4472 Sunday 13th September Phil Ford Noreen Kershaw 13,860,000 6
147 4473 Monday 14th September John Stevenson Noreen Kershaw 16,330,000 1
148 4474 Wednesday 16th September Catherine Hayes Noreen Kershaw 13,390,000 7
149 4475 Friday 18th September Ken Blakeson Noreen Kershaw 15,180,000 3
150 4476 Sunday 20th September Peter Whalley Jim O'Hanlon 14,270,000 6
151 4477 Monday 21st September Sally Wainwright Jim O'Hanlon 15,370,000 4
152 4478 Wednesday 23rd September Peter Whalley Jim O'Hanlon 16,780,000 1
153 4479 Friday 25th September Phil Woods Jim O'Hanlon 15,880,000 2
154 4480 Sunday 27th September John Stevenson Mike Adams 15,650,000 3
155 4481 Monday 28th September Mark Wadlow Mike Adams 16,680,000 1
156 4482 Wednesday 30th September Peter Whalley Mike Adams 12,350,000 8
157 4483 Friday 2nd October Phil Woods Mike Adams 16,350,000 3
158 4484 Sunday 4th October Sally Wainwright Michael Kerrigan 16,470,000 2
159 4485 Monday 5th October Martin Allen Michael Kerrigan 17,230,000 1
160 4486 Wednesday 7th October Catherine Hayes Michael Kerrigan 17,160,000 2
161 4487 Friday 9th October Peter Mills Michael Kerrigan 16,290,000 5
162 4488 Sunday 11th October Peter Mills Will Brenton 16,950,000 3
163 4489 Monday 12th October Catherine Hayes Will Brenton 17,120,000 2
164 4490 Wednesday 14th October Jan McVerry Will Brenton 15,870,000 5
165 4491 Friday 16th October Sally Wainwright Will Brenton 17,330,000 1
166 4492 Sunday 18th October Peter Whalley Brian Mills 16,810,000 3
167 4493 Monday 19th October Sally Wainwright Brian Mills 18,170,000 1
168 4494 Wednesday 21st October Mark Wadlow Brian Mills 13,510,000 10
169 4495 Friday 23rd October Ken Blakeson Brian Mills 17,530,000 2
170 4496 Sunday 25th October Peter Mills Jim O'Hanlon 17,110,000 3
171 4497 Monday 26th October Sally Wainwright Jim O'Hanlon 17,470,000 4
172 4498 Wednesday 28th October Jan McVerry Jim O'Hanlon 17,890,000 3
173 4499 Friday 30th October John Stevenson Jim O'Hanlon 17,190,000 5
174 4500 Sunday 1st November John Stevenson Mike Adams 16,810,000 7
175 4501 Monday 2nd November Martin Allen Mike Adams 18,290,000 1
176 4502 Wednesday 4th November Catherine Hayes Mike Adams 14,690,000 8
177 4503 Friday 6th November Mark Wadlow Mike Adams 16,780,000 5
178 4504 Sunday 8th November Catherine Hayes Michael Kerrigan 16,560,000 6
179 4505 Monday 9th November John Stevenson Michael Kerrigan 17,690,000 3
180 4506 Wednesday 11th November Peter Whalley Michael Kerrigan 18,960,000 1
181 4507 Friday 13th November Peter Whalley Michael Kerrigan 16,200,000 7
182 4508 Sunday 15th November Phil Ford Terry Dyddgen-Jones 17,170,000 5
183 4509 Monday 16th November Phil Ford Terry Dyddgen-Jones 19,400,000 2
184 4510 Wednesday 18th November Phil Ford Terry Dyddgen-Jones 20,300,000 1
185 4511 Friday 20th November Catherine Hayes Terry Dyddgen-Jones 17,960,000 3
186 4512 Sunday 22nd November Catherine Hayes Brian Mills 17,610,000 5
187 4513 Monday 23rd November Catherine Hayes Brian Mills 18,450,000 1
188 4514 Wednesday 25th November John Stevenson Brian Mills 14,390,000 8
189 4515 Friday 27th November Peter Whalley Brian Mills 17,570,000 3
190 4516 Sunday 29th November Peter Whalley Jim O'Hanlon 17,650,000 2
191 4517 Monday 30th November Phil Ford Jim O'Hanlon 18,410,000 4
192 4518 Wednesday 2nd December Phil Ford Jim O'Hanlon 18,570,000 3
193 4519 Friday 4th December Phil Ford Jim O'Hanlon 17,300,000 5
194 4520 Sunday 6th December Maureen Chadwick June Howson 17,200,000 7
195 4521 Monday 7th December Peter Whalley June Howson 18,740,000 1
196 4522 Wednesday 9th December John Stevenson June Howson 15,260,000 7
197 4523 Friday 11th December Phil Ford June Howson 17,210,000 6
198 4524 Sunday 13th December Mark Wadlow Michael Kerrigan 17,560,000 5
199 4525 Monday 14th December Phil Woods Michael Kerrigan 17,700,000 3
200 4526 Wednesday 16th December Peter Mills Michael Kerrigan 17,260,000 4
201 4527 Friday 18th December Peter Mills Michael Kerrigan 16,800,000 5
202 4528 Sunday 20th December Peter Mills Tim Dowd 15,810,000 7
203 4529 Monday 21st December Phil Woods Tim Dowd 17,890,000 4
204 4530 Wednesday 23rd December Peter Whalley Tim Dowd 18,460,000 3
205 4531 Friday 25th December John Stevenson Tim Dowd 17,710,000 5
206 4532 Sunday 27th December John Stevenson Brian Mills 16,250,000 8
207 4533 Monday 28th December Phil Ford Brian Mills 16,210,000 8
208 4534 Wednesday 30th December Mark Wadlow Brian Mills 17,330,000 6

Storylines[]

January[]

  • Natalie Horrocks continues to play her part in the running of Coronation Street Garage, showing business partner Kevin Webster that she won't go easily.
  • Liz McDonald starts work as a trainee machinist at Underworld.
  • Jon Lindsay tries to win back Deirdre Rachid following her discovery that he's a married man, telling her that he and Linda are divorced but he has to spend time with her as she threatened to kill herself. Now seeing him for the con man that he is, Deirdre tries to make Linda see that she's married to a fraud, but is dismissed as a fantasist. Disentangling herself from Jon, Deirdre starts making withdrawls from his presumed bank account to recoup her £5,000. When a bank machine swallows her gold card, Deirdre finds out from the manager that the account she has been using actually belongs to Captain Ian Jenkins. The police are called in and a search of her house uncovers bills showing that the mortgage is also in Jenkins' name. With Jon and his family having done a bunk, Deirdre is charged with obtaining a credit card by deception and procuring a mortgage by fraud. While on bail, Deirdre moves in with Ken Barlow at No.1, while Mike Baldwin pays for legal aid from Frances Stillman. Initially supportive, Ken grows doubtful that Deirdre is completely innocent, as she would have to have been extremely gullible to continually fall for Jon's lies. Deirdre is hurt that he doesn't believe her and, forced to take a leave of absence from Sunliners Travel Agency, she goes to stay with Blanche Hunt.
Episode 4339

Spider's protest brings out the rebel in Emily Bishop

  • Spider Nugent and Roy Cropper hold a protest meeting against the concert bowl on the Red Rec. Toyah Battersby joins the cause but she and Spider miss a Town Hall meeting about the dome when they rehearse chaining themselves to the railings and end up trapped at No.3 all afternoon with the key to the padlock out of their reach until Emily Bishop releases them. A proponent of the concert bowl, councillor Alf Roberts is horrified when the campaigners camp out on 5 Grasmere Drive's lawn overnight, with Emily playing a didgeridoo in protest. To drum up publicity, Emily alerts the Weatherfield Gazette to the demonstration, and Audrey Roberts is photographed manhandling the campaigners off her lawn. Spider then moves the protest to the Red Rec, tunneling under the trees to stop the builders bringing in earth-movers. Les Battersby, forced by Janice to apply for a job as a security guard at the Red Rec, attacks the protesters with a chainsaw, leading them to climb the trees to save them. Emily ascends one and spends a cold night atop it, coming down only when she sees that her protest has made the Gazette's front page.
  • Nick Tilsley and Leanne Battersby go on a secret holiday to Scotland. While there, they decide to get married, but finding that they have to give two weeks' notice, they make a reservation in Kirkcudbright and return to Weatherfield, telling their families nothing of their plans. Roy discovers that they're intending to elope when he overhears Leanne and Nick talking in Roy's Rolls, but doesn't tell anyone. Two weeks later, the teens head north again and are married. They agree to keep their nuptials a secret until Gail Platt gets to like Leanne.
  • Single mother Zoe Tattersall is desperate for a night out and arranges for Toyah to babysit Shannon while she goes clubbing with Ashley Peacock. A guilty Ashley returns home early but Zoe stays out all night, crashing at a friend's squat. When she turns up the next day and gets grief from Ashley, she moves out with Shannon. The news delights Ashley's uncle Fred Elliott, who had been plotting to evict Zoe from No.4, feeling she was taking Ashley for a ride. When Ashley finds Zoe at a hostel and convinces her to return, Fred tells them all to move out as he's selling No.4. His hand is forced when Zoe reminds him that she and Ashley have a rent book and have rights as sitting tenants. Fred agrees to let them stay in return for £60 a week rent.
  • As part of his work with Alec Gilroy's Golden Years Agency, Ken escorts Viv Fay to a book launch where Viv tries to use him to make her husband Bob - the author - jealous. The experience leads Ken to decide to retire from escorting.
  • Gary and Judy Mallett return from holidaying in Newcastle and try to get back to normal, with Gary becoming a partner in Jim McDonald's building firm and convincing Paul Fisher to take Judy back on at the arcade. Judy, who previously had sex with Paul in exchange for an advance on her wages, returns when he agrees to view their session as a one-off.
  • Vera Duckworth traps her foot in the Rovers Return hall staircase when she puts it through a rotten step. After Jack frees her, she hires Gary and Jim to replace the staircase, thinking it must be rotten. Returning from Switzerland, Alec refuses to let the Duckworths pay for the staircase out of the pub's account, noting that the stairs belong to the house which is theirs alone. The dispute drags on, causing Jim and Bill to remove the staircase until they're paid. Vera, afraid to use a ladder, is trapped upstairs. After some power plays with Jack and Alec, Vera calls the fire brigade to rescue her, and pays Jim and Gary to replace the staircase.
  • Des Barnes proposes to Samantha Failsworth. She accepts, but refuses to beg Ritchie Fitzgerald for a divorce in order to facilitate it. Behind her back, Des goes to London to ask Ritchie himself. Ritchie readily agrees, but advises Des to get away from Sam while he can. Sam is annoyed when Des starts to rush her, giving her an engagement ring in front of all the Rovers customers and getting his solicitor to make up divorce papers for her.
  • Alma Baldwin befriends Hayley Patterson, Curly Watts's secretary at Firman's Freezers, but quickly grows tired of the friendless Hayley following her around.

February[]

  • Leanne becomes frustrated as she and Nick return to their normal lives, living in separate houses. In order to get a job at The Kabin, she tells Rita Sullivan that she's married Nick, and Rita takes her on. Nick reveals the truth to the Platts when Gail finds Leanne at No.8 in her dressing gown and yells at her. Horrified, Gail and Martin accuse Nick of marrying Leanne to spite them and wait for him to realise what a mistake he's made. Getting a better response from the Battersbys, Leanne and Nick sleep on the sofa at No.5 until they find a place of their own. To show his support, Les organises a celebration for the newlyweds. Gail, excluded from proceedings, tries to make amends by inviting Nick to tea, but Leanne gatecrashes it to her annoyance.
  • Roy admits to Gail that he knew of the wedding. She upsets him by calling him mentally retarded, but they make up.
Episode 4359

Roy learns Hayley's secret

  • Alma provides Hayley with emotional support when her father Harry passes away. When Hayley thanks her with an expensive sweater, Alma decides that she's becoming too clingy and holds a dinner party at the Baldwins' flat in an attempt to matchmake her and Curly, inviting Roy along to make up the numbers. The meal is a disaster, with Roy boring everyone and Curly making a quick exit when Audrey lets slip that it's a setup. Getting a taxi home together, Hayley and Roy strike a chord and they start seeing each other, finding companionship in their awkwardnness. Roy falls for Hayley, but is unable to express his feelings. When he entertains her after closing time at Roy's Rolls, Hayley reveals that they can't have a physical relationship as she's a transsexual.
  • Steve McDonald gives Gary a labouring job at a building site he's running, but refuses to do the same for Jim, still bearing a grudge over Jim's one-night-stand with Fiona Middleton. Meanwhile, Maxine Heavey goes clubbing and impresses James Worth by telling him the salon is hers and her name is Fiona. When James sends a message out on the local radio to 'Fiona' from Jim, telling her he loves her, Steve hears it and confronts a puzzled Jim. The pair are about to come to blows at the salon when Fiona explains the truth behind the message.
  • Samantha decides that she can't be with Des anymore as she fears marriage will trap her. She tries to leave him, but chickens out when she realises how much it'll break his heart. Determined not to get married, she visits Ritchie and asks him not to grant the divorce. Although Ritchie obliges her, she's given away when Des goes to London to confront Ritchie and Ritchie plays an answerphone message from Sam begging him not to let Des know she was with him. Thinking they slept together, Des finishes with Sam, and she moves in with Natalie, rejecting a reconciliation attempt by Ritchie. Samantha decides to start over in London, but when faced with losing her forever Des asks her to return to him and she agrees. Later, when Des is away on business, Sam opens up about her relationship problems to Chris Collins and they kiss.
  • As the protest at the Red Rec continues, Les trips and is taken to hospital. It turns out to be nothing serious, but Les insists he's in pain and claims for compensation. Knowing that his 'injury' is put on, Martin challenges Les when he walks round with a stick, causing Les to hit him with it.
  • Roy and Hayley get involved with the protest, but Spider is angered when they fall through the ground and ruin their best tunnel. Helping Spider dig a new tunnel, Roy uncovers a mosaic floor and, realising they've found a Roman bath house, he and Spider rush to authenticate the discovery before the bulldozers move in. While Emily leads a sit-down protest in front of the machines, Professor Barker looks at the relics and declares them to be genuine. As the site is of historical interest, the dig is called off. Aghast, Les searches for an old brooch he'd previously discarded, but is unable to find it in the mud. Spider considers moving on to a protest in Kent before deciding to remain in Weatherfield.
  • Ashley finds out Zoe has applied for benefits and told the agency that she pays him £100 a month rent. He panics that he'll go to prison for fraud. To liven things up at No.4, Zoe invites Leanne and Nick to move in as paying lodgers.
  • Fiona goes into labour at the salon and is taken to hospital in Steve's car. He stays with her during the birth of her son, Morgan. Afterwards, Fiona leans on Steve for support but makes it clear that they'll never be more than friends again. Her mother Pam isn't happy to see them together and warns Steve off, much to Fiona's anger. Behind her daughter's back, Pam visits Alan McKenna and finds out that he doesn't want anything to do with the baby. Fiona tells her to stay out of her life in future, tired of her interference.
  • Eric Firman tasks Curly with delivering a speech to WARTS on the relationship between business and the environment. Curly asks Spider to write the speech for him, but when Spider hands it to him, he discovers it's an indictment against shopkeepers for helping to ruin the planet. Curly delivers the speech but presents it as propaganda by fanatics, impressing his bosses with Eric deciding to market him as the voice of Firman's. Enraged, Spider causes a scene at the supermarket by accusing Curly of supporting whale-hunting by selling Norwegian prawns and threatens action unless they're removed.

March[]

  • Hayley tells Roy that she was born a man called Harold but identifies as a woman and is having treatment to change her body to match. Overwhelmed by the news, Roy at first rejects Hayley, but after some time to process it he throws his support behind her. Hayley also comes out to Alma, who promises to keep her secret but Roy remains anxious that it will slip out. At Hayley's insistence, they go to tea at the Platts' as a couple after Roy had previously turned down the invitation.
  • Samantha and Chris start a casual affair, having sex behind Des's back. Kevin realises what's going on when he sees them all over each other at the garage, but when he warns Des he's accused of making it up to get back at Chris over his relationship with Sally. After returning to No.6 while supposedly away overnight at a race meeting and finding Samantha alone, Des is satisfied that she's been faithful. Chris, who sneaked out of the house just in time, feels that they're taking too big a risk and finishes with Sam. However, when Sally turns down a reconcilation in favour of her secure but loveless marriage to Kevin, bitter Chris resumes the affair. They're finally caught out when Kevin sees Sam going into Chris's flat and tips off Des, who smashes the door down and confronts them in bed together. While Des kicks Sam out for good, Chris resigns from the garage and makes plans to move to Coventry. He agrees to take Sam with him, but it's Sally he really wants and when she rejects him again, he's devastated and leaves Weatherfield on his own, standing Sam up. Samantha moves in with Natalie.
  • Alec persuades Ken to do one last escorting job for Golden Years. When the client, Babs Fanshawe, dies part-way through the meal, Ken is mistaken for her grieving partner by emergency services and her brother, Colin, who accuses him of preying on old women after he admits he's an escort. To protect Golden Years, Alec gives an interview about the agency to journalist Malcolm Bradford, but the resulting Gazette article makes the business out to be sleazy and calls Ken a gigolo.
  • Spider escalates his protest against the prawns by playing whale music outside Firman's to drive customers away. Sympathetic to their cause, Curly gives in and removes the prawns from sale, but Eric Firman forces him to restock them. The protesters return when Toyah sees that they're still on sale, leading Curly to call the police and have them removed. To show her devotion to Spider, Toyah ruins the prawns by spraying them with antifreeze - a criminal offence. Emily is furious when she confesses her actions to Spider, having provided Toyah with an alibi. When Spider moves his girlfriend Log Thwaite into No.3, Toyah is distraught and sends Curly an anonymous letter saying that Log poured on the antifreeze. Realising it's from Toyah, he doesn't take any action, but fearing the police will call Emily flushes away Spider's supply of marijuana, revealing that she's known all this time that Spider smokes pot. Spider finishes with Log when he catches her eating Emily's cooked breakfast and realises she lied about being vegan.
Episode4376

"I didn't do any of it!"

  • Deirdre returns from Blanche's and moves into the Baldwins' flat. Depressed, she considers suicide but Mike removes her tablets. As her trial nears, she's stunned when Jon tracks her down, apologises for everything, and asks her to run away to Venezuela with him. Deirdre agrees in order to stall him until the police get there and arrest him. Jon feeds the police a pack of lies, saying that Deirdre made him pretend to be a pilot and used him to secure the mortgage, threatening to hurt his family if he didn't comply. Ken is also questioned about Deirdre asking him to lie about Jon's profession, and told that he'll have to testify in court. Thinking Jon has won, Mike persuades Deirdre to flee the country using Alma's passport, but Ken stops her at Manchester Airport and talks her out of it. She moves back into No.1, but Ken and Mike continue to quarrel over what's best for Deirdre, with Mike putting up the money for a new barrister, Stuart Hamilton. Alma grows increasingly uncomfortable at the amount Mike is doing for his ex-girlfriend. As the trial begins, Jon pleads guilty to conspiracy to obtain money by deception. He testifies that Deirdre orchestrated the fraud, with Ken's evidence supporting his version of events. Deirdre does her best, but is unable to explain why Jon would commit a fraud in which she was the sole beneficiary. The jury finds Deirdre guilty of all counts, and she's sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, while Jon is let off with a suspended sentence. At Redford Prison, Deirdre is put into a cell with Jackie Dobbs, while back in Weatherfield Deirdre's friends begin campaigning for her release. Mike pays her £10,000 legal bill out of Underworld's account.
  • Steve gets Rachel Forbes to finish with him by hanging around Fiona and babysitting Morgan for her. He declares his love for Fiona but she rejects him, feeling that he'd ruin her life again. When Fiona admits to Pam that she longs to have Steve back, Pam puts her own feelings aside and tells Steve that her daughter still loves him. He tries Fiona again, and this time she acquiesces.
  • Gary ends his partnership with Jim in order to get more work from Steve.
  • Maxine returns from holidaying with James Worth.

April[]

  • Deirdre refuses to adapt to life in prison, continuing to insist that she's innocent. Her superior attitude annoys her fellow inmates and makes her a target for warder Maggie Veitch, who torments her by luring her to reception a non-existent appeal hearing and later having her committed to the prison hospital for refusing to accept reality. Meanwhile, Ken is approached by Mary Docherty, a previous victim of Jon's who was in a bigamous marriage to him and was similarly implicated in a credit card fraud. Eager to put him behind bars, she tells her story to the police, leading to Jon being arrested and charged. When Deirdre discovers that Veitch has withheld the news from her, Jackie does her a favour by hitting Veitch on her behalf. Released on bail, Deirdre moves into No.1 but when Ken makes it clear that he has romantic intentions, she leaves to live with Liz at 17 Victoria Street.
  • Angie Freeman leaves Underworld after finding out that Mike borrowed money from the company account. She goes to London to work for Jarvis Rousseau Associates, ending her business partnership with Mike.
  • Alma is humiliated by Mike paying for Deirdre's defence and begins to suspect that Deirdre is his mistress. Mike insists he's just helping an old friend, but when he refuses to choose between her and Alma, Alma leaves him and goes to stay with Gail. She returns when Mike promises to stop funding Deirdre's appeal, but when Deirdre is released and kisses Mike to thank him for all his help, her suspicions are reignited. Alma confronts Deirdre about her and Mike's 'affair', and finally accepts that there's nothing going on when Deirdre swears her innocence on Samir's memory. Officially sacked from Sunliners, Deirdre is offered a job as Mike's PA, but she turns it down rather than be beholden to him.
  • Leanne gets into trouble for being late for her shift at the Kabin and getting the deliveries wrong. She blames it on Shannon's constant crying. Ashley becomes concerned about Shannon's health when he hears the baby coughing but Zoe warns him and the Malletts off when they raise their concerns, thinking they don't trust her to look after her daughter. Against Gary's wishes, Judy volunteers to babysit Shannon to let Zoe go clubbing. Zoe starts taking advantage of Judy again, using her at her convenience. While Nick and Leanne are babysitting, Shannon starts making strange noises and vomits. Judy finds that she's stopped breathing and rushes with her to hospital, where the child dies of meningitis. Following her daughter's death, Zoe rejects the neighbours' sympathy, upset that nobody had time for her while Shannon was alive. Ashley is similarly scornful of Fred's offer to pay for the funeral, though he ultimately accepts it. Shannon's father Liam Shepherd is a no-show at the funeral, while Zoe accuses the neighbours of prying when she returns to a packed No.4. Zoe eventually lets Judy mourn with her, accepting that she also loved Shannon. Not wanting Zoe to be alone, Ashley gets her to help out at the shop, where she nicks money from the till. Becoming increasingly hysterical, Zoe hits Emily when she offers to pray for her.
  • A man called Greg Kelly arrives in the street looking for Les. Les is amazed when he tells him he's his son and shows him an old photo of his mother, Moira Wood, to prove it. Finding out that Greg is well-off, Les welcomes him into the family, and immediately starts cadging money off him. Deciding to stay a while, Greg chats up Maxine and goes clubbing with her.
  • Hayley receives her inheritance from her father's death and leaves for Amsterdam to have her final operation.
  • Kevin tells Sally he'd like a son, but Sally isn't ready to have another child.
  • Jack has a complete check-up at the hospital after experiencing pains in his leg. The GP, Dr Jones, tells him he could lose his legs if he doesn't change his lifestyle and stop smoking. Jack resolves to quit when Alec bets him £50 that he can't do it, but it's Alec who cashes in when Jack picks up a burning cigarette that Alec deliberately left in his reach. When Vera imposes a smoking ban, Jack tries to get around it by taking up a pipe, but Vera breaks it in half. To help him quit, after her suggestion of making the Rovers a no-smoking pub is shot down by Jack and Alec, Vera makes an appointment for Jack with hypnotherapist Magenta Savannah. During the session, Jack pretends to regress into a past life as an eighteenth century rake - "Lusty Jack".
  • Steve moves in with Fiona at the salon flat.
  • Nick comes face-to-face with Brian Tilsley's killer when his class at Granston Technical College receives a talk from convicted murderer Darren Whateley. Afterwards, he becomes obsessed with his father's death and persuades Leanne to write to Darren to find out when he's being released.
  • Lonely Des and Natalie start going out together as friends. Scarred by his relationship with Samantha, Des is reluctant to take things further.
Episode 4391

Steve accidentally pushes Jim off the scaffolding

  • Unemployed Jim worries the neighbours with his constant drinking. Under pressure from Liz, Steve agrees to employ Jim if he asks for a job, but Jim gets himself a position at the garage and tells Steve he won't need his charity. An argument between the pair at Steve's building site becomes physical and Steve accidentally knocks Jim off the scaffolding and into a skip. As Jim is rushed to hospital, Steve tells the police that Jim was drunk and fell off the scaffolding himself. Liz keeps a vigil by a comatose Jim's bedside.
  • The Malletts celebrate when Judy discovers she's pregnant.

May[]

Episode 4399

A suicidal Zoe abducts Morgan

  • A grieving Zoe sets Shannon's pram on fire outside No.9, resentful of Gary and Judy's baby joy. When Ashley finds her cutting her hair off, he calls in Doctor Lamball, who sections her. She spends a few days convalescing in hospital before returning to the street, apparently of sound mind. When she snatches Morgan from the salon, a manhunt ensues which leads to a stand-off with the police on a canal bridge. After Ashley convinces Zoe to give Morgan up, she jumps into the canal, seeing no reason to live. She's rescued by Gary and Nick and placed in psychiatric care. Ashley considers finishing with Zoe, but his guilt at leaving her with no one to turn to leads him to stay with her.
  • Jack adopts his "Lusty Jack" persona at the Rovers, using it to get away with groping the barmaids - though Betty Williams wallops him when he pinches her bottom. His "regression" attracts the interest of Roy, who quizzes him to learn more about 18th-century Weatherfield. Jack gives himself away when he indicates that he thinks Bonnie Prince Charlie fought the Scots, and Roy tells Vera that he's having them on. Having been completely fooled by the act, Vera gets revenge by serving Jack pigeon pie; only after he he's dropped the trance act does she assure him that his beloved birds are safe with Jamie Armstrong.
  • Darren writes back to Leanne, telling her he's up for parole. When Leanne refuses to write more letters, Nick pens one himself, forging Leanne's signature and sending a photo of Leanne to lead him on. He confesses what he's done to Leanne when Rita takes him to task for using her as bait, making Leanne afraid for her life. To protect her, Nick hides follow-up letters from Darren, resulting in Leanne being caught unaware when a paroled Darren shows up at No.4. Darren tries to get Leanne upstairs, but she's able to stall him until Ashley gets home. Nick, still obsessed with Brian's death, has gone to meet Alison Oakley, the woman Brian was with when he was stabbed. Traumatised by her experience, Leanne leaves Nick and demands a divorce. Meanwhile, Darren hears Gail and Toyah talking in Roy's Rolls and realises he's been set up when he finds out that Leanne's surname is Tilsley. Enraged, he traps Leanne inside No.5, but Nick saves her when he kicks the door down and threatens Darren with a bread knife.
  • Des and Natalie's friendship leads a jealous Samantha to move back into No.7 and tell people that Natalie kicked her out. To get back at Natalie for "stealing" Des, Sam steals her gold ring and enjoys watching her hunt for it before "finding" it on the floor. When Vera finds £25 missing from the petty cash, Sam makes a plea for Natalie's innocence in such a way that Vera thinks she's protecting her, causing her to take away Natalie's key to the petty cash.
  • The Websters go to Scarborough when Sally's mother Elsie Seddon dies.
  • Les becomes interested in Moira when he hears that she's now a rich widow. Getting her phone number from Greg's organiser, he's invited over to her house and drives to Warrington in a Jag loaned to him by Charlie West. However, when he tries to get Moira into bed she throws him out. Driving back to Weatherfield, Les hits an unmarked police car. He's breathalysed and charged with drink driving. Not wanting Janice to know that he saw Moira, Les tells her he was in hospital after saving Charlie from a blazing car. After the magistrate fines him £200 and imposes an 18-month driving ban, he burns all the copies of the Gazette from the Kabin so that Janice doesn't see the report on the case and pretends to twist his back to explain why he isn't driving.
  • Greg messes Maxine about, getting her thinking they're going out to a posh restaurant called "Viaggiatore" which turns out to be Italian for "Rovers". Maxine is still keen, but he refuses to go home with her when he finds out that she still lives with her parents. Later, he invites her out to dinner at his hotel, but abandons her when Les is arrested. Maxine gets her own back by drinking all the champagne in the hotel mini-bar, running up a bill of £67.
  • Samantha tells Des that she's pregnant with his baby and asks him to take her back. While Des wants a child, he doesn't trust Samantha, suspecting it's a ruse to get back at him for dumping her. When he rejects Sam, she announces that she's having an abortion as she'd rather do that than be a single mother. Meanwhile, Sam stirs things by telling Vera that Des is pressuring her to get rid of the baby. When Des asks Natalie for advice, she admits that she's fallen in love with him. Sam's ultimatum pushes Des to agree to set up home with her and raise their child together.
  • Steve makes a tearful confession to Fiona that he pushed Jim on the scaffolding while they were fighting, but says he didn't mean for him to fall off. When Jim comes out of his coma, he doesn't remember anything of the accident and accepts Steve's testimony that he fell because he was drunk. Meanwhile, Doctor Cole breaks the news that Jim has a fractured lumbar spine and may never walk again. Jim is sickened at the thought of having to rely on other people to care for him and starts to wallow in self-pity. When he's discharged, he returns to No.11 in a wheelchair, with Liz looking after him and Steve installing a surgical sofa bed downstairs.
  • Greg introduces himself to Mike and blags his way into a job as a sales consultant at the factory.
  • Steve takes Fiona on a two-week holiday in Tenerife.

June[]

  • Maxine tells Janice about Les seing Moira after Les suggests she isn't good enough for Greg. After Janice kicks him out of No.5, Les moves into Charlie's camper van. Their rift deepens when Janice catches Toyah cooking for Les at No.5 and goes to the police to get the van moved from outside the house, accidentally getting Les into trouble for having a van when he's banned from driving. Les has to remove the van's wheels to stop the police nabbing him. Following advice from Leanne, Les gives Janice flowers and serenades her with 10cc's "I'm not in Love", and the couple are reunited. Fred has the van removed by a scrap metal dealer after he kicks it, causing it to fall off its bricks and block the road.
  • Leanne returns to Nick and they report Darren to the police for breaking into No.5, causing his parole to be revoked. Leanne feels guilty for deceiving Darren with the letters when he calls her from Strangeways revealing that he could serve another five years because of what happened. Visiting him in prison, she's asked to tell the police that he didn't know they were Brian's family, but Nick refuses to let her. Leanne confides in Gail who, after her initial horror at them being in contact with Darren subsides, convinces Nick to tell the police the truth. Det. Inspector Grey assures the Tilsleys that he'll recommend the matter doesn't go to court and he'll make sure Darren doesn't come near them again.
Episode 4421

Samantha rides out of Coronation Street

  • Samantha suddenly announces that she doesn't want to get back with Des and will have an abortion after all. Des is unable to stop her, but when Judy tells him she saw Sam out shopping when she was meant to be at the abortion clinic, Des confronts her and she admits that she was never pregnant in the first place and it was all a ploy to split up him and Natalie. Samantha continues her revenge by sending Natalie on a wild goose chase to Leeds, claiming to have taken a phone call from the hospital saying that Tony Horrocks has been in a car crash. When Natalie returns, she resigns from the Rovers, refusing to work with Samantha anymore. However, Sam manages to shift the blame onto Sally by telling Betty that it was Sally's voice on the phone, and Natalie returns to the pub. Samantha's deceit is eventually revealed when Des finds Natalie's missing cat Tiger at No.7, kidnapped by Samantha while Natalie was in Leeds. Sacked from the Rovers and ostracized, Samantha tells Des that she really is pregnant before leaving the street on her motorbike. Des, intent on getting on with his life, tells Natalie how he feels about her and they kiss passionately.
  • The Websters dip into Sally's inheritance money to buy Natalie's half of the garage for 50% of its value plus £2,000. When Samantha warns Sally that Natalie and Kevin are planning to run away with the rest of the money, Sally believes it and takes the girls to stay at Rita's flat, threatening to contact her solicitor if Kevin doesn't vacate No.13. She returns after Samantha is exposed as a liar, but remains unhappy in her marriage. Kevin annoys her further by arranging a holiday for the family in Florida without her approval.
  • Greg suggests to Maxine that she get a place of her own so they can see more of each other. Fred agrees to let out the shop flat for £65 a week, but Maxine struggles to come up with £510 for the deposit and first month's rent.
  • Jim stops Gary from carrying out work to make No.11 wheelchair-friendly, refusing to think of his condition as long-term. He again turns to drink, but decides to give up when he abuses Vera at the Rovers for denying him service due to his medication, and especially when he spends the night on the living room floor after getting drunk and falling out of his chair. In his depression, he wheels himself into the path of Mike's car, but Mike manages to avoid him.
  • Zoe is discharged from hospital and moves back into No.4. She reveals to Judy that she knows she had sex with Paul Fisher, as she saw him at group therapy where he talked about his guilt at using her. Although Zoe promises not to tell Gary, Judy refuses to take the risk and confesses all to her husband, causing him to walk out. He returns and they agree to try and put the past behind them when Judy shows him a baby scan and reveals that they're having twins.
  • Greg realises that Sally is attracted to him and invites her out for a drink. She refuses out of loyalty to Kevin.
  • Roy decides to fly out to Amsterdam and tell Hayley he loves her. Going abroad for the first time, Roy arrives in the city and reunites with Hayley, but is again unable to put his feelings into words.
  • Vera advertises for a barmaid to replace Samantha, but refuses to employ a bimbo. After she turns down morbid Edna Miller, Alec hires an old actress friend, Barbara Day, to be Vera's idea of a perfect barmaid, and to pretend to be attracted to Jack in order to convince Vera to hire somebody younger who would never fancy him. His ploy backfires when Vera takes on blond hunk Sandy Hunter as a barman. Sandy proves a hit and shows off his skills with the cocktail shaker, creating a "Bloody Vera".
  • Alf retires from politics, triggering a council by-election. Spider announces his intention to stand as an independent Green candidate, with Emily managing his campaign, though he does not intend to take up the post if he wins. Audrey stands against him, backed by Fred and Alec who plan to use her to push their own policies. Toyah gets Gail to sign Spider's nomination form so that, when she later tries to sign Audrey's form, she's told it's invalid. Having to get a stranger to nominate her, Audrey is humiliated and gets back at Spider by telling the Gazette that he spent nights on the Red Rec with a teenage girl. Fred and Alec force her to retract the claim when Spider threatens to sue for libel.

July[]

Episode 4443

Audrey is elected councillor

  • Emily and Ken persuade Spider to take his council seat if elected, and even get him to smarten up his appearance for his campaign photographs. However, feeling he's selling out, Spider rips the new posters down and reverts to his usual vagabond image. The disagreement causes Emily to bow out as campaign manager, with Curly replacing her. Audrey also has campaign photos taken, but upset that she looks so old in them she replaces them with one of her taken in the 1960s. Her campaign goes from bad to worse as she's jeered at by students at the Tech for saying she'd bring back the Miss Weatherfield contest, gets into a spat with Rita for making her paperboys deliver her leaflets, and deals with a threat from Spider to tell the Gazette that Alec tried to bribe him to stand down. On Voting Day, Audrey's side finds out that Spider was in prison, and Fred alerts the returning officer in order to have him disqualified. However, as he was only in prison for 14 days, he's allowed to stand. Audrey defeats Spider by seven votes and is elected councillor.
  • Maud Grimes gives Jim a pep talk, reminding him of his army days and telling him it takes more courage to live in a wheelchair than to die as a soldier. Jim becomes more optimistic about his future, and asks Liz to stop helping him as he wants her to get on with her life. Jim's physiotherapist Michael Wall helps the pair admit their feelings for each other, and they reunite with Liz also moving back into No.11.
  • Roy and Hayley sightsee in Amsterdam before Roy returns home alone. Finding a gold watch he's left for her, Hayley realises she loves Roy and returns to the UK with him. When they land, Hayley is stopped by an immigration officer as her passport says she's a man. The couple go on their first proper date at the boating lake, where they share their first kiss. Hayley moves in with Roy at the cafe flat and clears out her father's house, but is upset to find a picture of herself as a boy. Roy frames it for her, encouraging her to be proud of who she was as it made her the woman she is today.
  • Alec signs Sandy up to Golden Years. On his first escorting assignment, he's spotted in town despite calling in sick from the Rovers, and Vera fires him.
  • Greg offers to talk to Fred about lowering Maxine's rent, but instead of doing so he takes the shop flat on himself and tells Maxine she can't live with him as he needs his own space. When he makes a pass at Fiona, Fiona doesn't have the heart to tell Maxine and is accused of being jealous when she she warns Maxine that Greg isn't the settling-down type. Meanwhile, Kevin puts the garage in his and Sally's name and asks her to be their bookkeeper, but she refuses to give up her job at Underworld. Over an after-hours glass of wine at the factory, Sally tells Greg that she doesn't love Kevin anymore and is only with him for the girls' sake. They have sex in Mike's office and begin an affair. Greg remains with Maxine, falling back on her whenever Sally is too busy to see him.
  • Sick of everyone thinking she's thick, Toyah starts secret English literature lessons with Ken for £5 an hour.
  • Vera takes on Natalie's niece Lorraine Brownlow to replace Sandy. Immediately falling for Spider, Lorraine goes out with Curly to get close to him. Having helped set the pair up, Spider shocked when Lorraine tells him it's him she fancies, but refuses to go out with her due to his friendship with Curly. Lorraine snogs Spider to show him what he's missing, leading Curly to suspect them of carrying on behind his back.
  • Kevin gives Nick a summer job at the garage.
  • Alec buys a second-hand portable TV for the Rovers customers to watch the World Cup on. When the regulars desert them in favour of the British Legion and its widescreen TV, he coughs up for a similar one to entice them back. On the day of the final, Vera makes Jack work behind the bar while she watches the football, while Sally cancels her evening out with Kevin so he can watch the match, even though it's her birthday.
  • Mike trials Hayley at Underworld when Roy offers to pay him £100 if she can't out-machine all of his girls. When she performs well, he takes her on but the the other staff resent her for showing them up. Hayley wins them over by doing some of their work as well, happy just to be one of the girls.
  • Rita grows increasingly unwell with head pains. When she falls unconscious in her flat, Greg kicks the door in and gives her the kiss of life before the ambulance arrives. She's diagnosed with carbon monoxide poisoning and makes a slow but steady recovery. Her brush with death causes Alec to realise how much she means to him. As she recuperates, Alec assumes control of the Kabin, and annoys Leanne by taking Ken on. When gas inspector Ralph Alwood determines that Rita's gas fire was wrongly installed by Steve a year ago, Steve asks Rita not to prosecute, as it was Jim's firm and going to court will affect his recovery. Alec is stunned when Rita decides not to go to after the McDonalds, and makes an anonymous call to the Health and Safety people telling them who fitted the fire, though Rita again refuses to press charges. Thinking she means nothing to Alec and was only a means for him to get back at Steve over Vicky, Rita stops talking to him. She's shocked when Alec tells her he loves her and wants to marry her. Rita turns Alec's proposal down, but agrees to move to being more than friends.

August[]

  • Alma is forced to share Hayley's secret with Mike when it emerges that the tax office still has her down as Harold. Fearing production at the factory will be disrupted if the other girls find out, Mike decides to fire Hayley but he promises her secret is safe with him if she goes quietly. Her sacking goes down badly with the staff, with Ida Clough threatening to bring the girls out on strike unless Hayley is reinstated. Eventually, Mike gives Hayley her job back to stop Alma from nagging him.
  • Fred starts to court Audrey after her election win, mollifying Alf by telling him that his interest in his wife is strictly political.
  • Rita sees Dr Keane after suffering memory problems following her carbon monoxide ordeal. She's told that it's the after-effects of the poisoning and will eventually clear. Rita insists on carrying on as normal, but when she absentmindedly leaves the Kabin keys in the lock resulting in the newsagent being ransacked during the night, Alec packs her off to Cartmel to stay with Mavis Wilton for a few days. In her absence, Alec and Ken clash at the Kabin, causing Ken to threaten to quit. Rita dismisses Alec upon her return. The couple row again when Alec pays Les £10 of his own money after Les tries to swindle Rita by accusing her of short-changing him. To clear the air, Rita cooks Alec a meal but he annoys her by proposing again.
  • Lorraine gets wound up by Toyah's crush on Spider, especially when she follows them to a club resulting in Spider abandoning Lorraine to take her home. Spider placates Lorraine by spending the night with her at No.3 while Emily is away. When Toyah finds out, she dresses up and tries to seduce Spider, but is thwarted by Lorraine. For inspiration, Toyah reads an article about "entrapping your man" in teen magazine Only 16. It doesn't help her with Spider, but she's invited to submit an article after writing to the editor complaining about how rubbish the magazine is. Her article, typed up on Curly's laptop, slags off older people for dressing younger. When the editor refuses to print it, Toyah gets revenge by making a hoax bomb threat to their head office. She's punished by Les after the police trace the call to No.5. Later, when Les sees Toyah coming out of No.1 after a lesson with Ken, he accuses Ken of being a pervert and punches him. She's gutted when Ken tells her the lessons will have to stop. When Janice slaps her after she says that Les belongs in a sewer, Toyah leaves home and heads for London in search of her real father, Ronnie Clegg, ringing Leanne after the fact to let her know. Les and Janice set off for Ronnie's to find Toyah, whilst Toyah arrives at a different address and introduces herself to Neil Flynn as his daughter.
Episode 4455

Curly adopts a new look

  • Curly has a mid-life crisis triggered by a letter from Raquel asking for a divorce, and Alma thinking he's in his forties when he's only 35. At Spider and Lorraine's party at No.3, he makes a splash by debuting a new look, sporting new clothes and glasses and two earrings, but it only causes people to pity him. When he reads Toyah's article on his laptop, he takes it personally, but nevertheless realises he's being ridiculous and goes back to his old look.
  • Alec demands the Duckworths buy him out of the Rovers after they dock his pay for spending too much time with Rita. Following Rita's rejection, he decides to return to Southampton, but when she decides that she does want to marry him after all, he changes tack and brokers an agreement with Jack and Vera whereby Alec buys their half of the pub, but he keeps them on as staff and they can continue to live there. Desperate to maintain their status, they agree.
  • Greg continues see Sally in order to get his hands on her money, while using Maxine for sex. At the factory, Greg gets Sally to take an evening job demonstrating knickers in customers' homes so that they can see more of each other. When Sally tells Kevin that she's changed her mind and wants her mother's money put away somewhere safe for the girls, he suspects her of hoarding money so she can leave him. He's forced to take out a bank loan to buy Natalie out of the garage, but Sally refuses to sign the bank documents to mortgage No.13, so Natalie remains a partner. Sally struggles with lying to Kevin, especially when Maxine warns Kevin that she saw Sally at Greg's flat with a bottle of wine and Sally makes an angry Kevin feel guilty for not trusting her. As she prepares to walk out on Kevin, Greg suggests that it'd be better for her divorce settlement if Kevin started seeing Natalie again. Sally invites Kevin to resume his affair, saying it's obvious he still loves Natalie. Kevin eventually leaves her for working too much, hoping it'll make her realise where her responsibilities lie. Afraid that he'll be landed with Rosie and Sophie if the Websters separate, Greg convinces Sally to go back with Kevin for the time being. He talks Sally into forming a business partnership, setting up in competition with Mike. Sally readily agrees to dip into her mother's money to get the business started.
  • Eric Firman retires and sells Firman's Freezers to Freshco, a big American firm. Curly is kept on as manager, but his new area manager turns out to be none other than his old enemy Anne Malone. Convinced she's out for revenge, he considers quitting but is assured by Anne that she's a changed woman. Anne orders Curly to lay off part of his workforce, including Alma. Curly manages to save Alma's job, but under his nose Anne steals a book from No.7 and cuts words out of it.

September[]

Episode 4466

Toyah is bound and gagged by Neil Flynn

  • Janice and Les arrive at Ronnie's house only to find that he hasn't seen Toyah. They then try his old flat, where Neil now lives. Toyah hides but realises when she hears Janice introducing herself that Neil isn't her father. When she freaks out, Neil binds and gags her. She manages to break free when Neil takes her to Epping Forest. Suspicious of Neil, the Battersbys call the police and he's apprehended. Toyah is found after a police search and reunited with her parents. Grateful for all that Les did for her, Toyah starts treating him better, which leads Les to apologise to Ken for hitting him. Ken starts tutoring Toyah again. Janice pawns her jewellry to pay for a holiday for Toyah to her cousin Kirsty's in San Antonio.
  • Alec pays the Duckworths £30,000 for their half of the Rovers. Now just bar staff, Jack and Vera annoy Alec by working to rule. Alec asserts his authority by docking their rent from their wages.
  • Anne uses the cuttings from Curly's book to make up an extortion letter demanding £50,000 from Freshco. Curly hesitates before calling the police in case Spider is the sender, but Anne persuades him after they receive a second letter. DI Fox gets Curly to make a money drop whilst under police surveilllance in an unsuccessful attempt to catch the blackmailer. In another letter, the blackmailer informs Curly that the beetroot has been tampered with. Curly has all the jars checked and finds one with glass inside. Anne then sets up her final revenge, telling the police that she suspects Curly of sending the letters and then returning the book to No.7 while visiting Curly. When the police search the house, they find the book with the words cut out, and Curly is charged with extortion. Afraid of going to prison, Curly flees Weatherfield after being granted bail.
  • Kevin discovers Sally's affair when he sees her and Greg kissing in the factory. He responds by throwing Sally's bags into the street, changing the locks and barring her from seeing the girls. Greg takes Sally in and finishes with Maxine, who causes a scene at the factory resulting in Greg physically throwing her out. Sally gives Greg £12,500 for their business, Greg Kelly Enterprises, and signs the partnership papers without reading them. Greg's solicitor friend Richard Taylor also helps her get a court order giving her access to the girls, but she's warned that it'll take months. In the meantime, Kevin digs his heels in, closing the garage rather than ask Sally for help when his childminder falls ill. Sally tries to take Sophie off Natalie when she finds her babysitting, but Kevin stops her. With persuasion from Natalie and Martin, Kevin gives Sally limited access to the girls. Sally has Sophie over for tea but it goes badly as she spills lager over Greg's laptop and gets so upset that she has to be taken home. Unwilling to wait for the courts, Sally moves Rosie and Sophie into the shop flat and threatens to move away from the street with them if Kevin interferes. He agrees to let her have the girls if he can see them and she agrees. After rowing with Kevin, Sally turns to Rita for comfort but Rita's unsympathetic and refuses to give her any more help.
  • After a fruitless day of flat-hunting, Hayley accepts Roy's invitation to move in with him at Jim's Cafe flat. Nervous at the thought of cohabitation, Roy intends to sleep on the sofa until he and Hayley are married, but Hayley reminds him that they can never marry as she's legally a man. They sleep together for the first time, learning as they go as they're both virgins.
  • Steve's upset when Fiona admits she'd let Alan have a role in Morgan's life if he turned up, as he thought Fiona saw him as Morgan's father. They argue and Fiona goes to stay the night at her parents' house. Steve spends the afternoon with Maxine, and they have sex in Fiona's flat. When Fiona returns, she's apologetic and gets engaged to Steve so that he can adopt Morgan. Maxine reveals her one-night-stand to Fiona when she compares Steve favourably with Greg, but Steve is able to make Fiona believe that Maxine made it up out of jealousy and get Maxine to go along with the lie in order to save her job. When Fiona ends her friendship and sacks her anyway, Maxine and Steve have a row, which Fiona overhears. Realising that Maxine was telling the truth, she finishes with Steve, who moves out of the flat and back into No.11. With nothing to stay in the street for, Fiona sells the salon and moves back in with her parents.
  • Jim starts to regain feeling in his legs. When he tries to persuade Fiona to forgive Steve, she tells him that Steve pushed him off the scaffolding. Jim considers getting the police onto Steve for attempted murder, but decides against it for Liz's sake.
  • Fiona gives Audrey first refusal on the salon. Audrey wants to accept, but in order to persuade Alf to invest she first gets Fred to agree to buy it for her. Alf dutifully puts up the cash, while Fred is hurt at being used by Audrey. Audrey takes over the salon, re-employing Maxine. After taking over, she receives a demand from Steve for £1,000 for work he carried out for Fiona. Fred sorts Steve out by reminding him that Audrey could use her council influence to hurt his business.
  • Alec and Rita decide to live together rather than marry, with Pat Hegherty putting a door between their two flats. When the builder doesn't turn up to finish the job, Alec tries to do so himself and is covered in plaster when part of the wall collapses.
  • Looking for betting money, Jack persuades Vera to sign a form making his the only signature needed to withdraw money from their joint building society account. He promptly loses £1,000 at the dogs. When Vera talks about a holiday to Tenerife, Jack asks Alec to deny them the time off, but Alec delights in granting it. Jack manages to win back the amount plus £800 profit but Vera discovers the withdrawl and transfers the remaining funds to a new account which is in her name only.
  • Des and Natalie are invited to Colin Barnes's wedding.

October[]

Episode 4488

Chill death do us part

  • Posing as Curly's cousin, Spider asks Anne to help him find Curly, telling her how fond he was of her. Anne is persuaded to try and clear Curly's name, but her solution is to set Alma up instead by writing a letter with her fingerprints on it. Meanwhile, Alma unsuccessfully tries to find Sheila Dixon, the shelf-stacker who said Anne set Samantha up on the shoplifting charge. Teaming up with Alma, Spider tricks Anne into showing him the letter whilst under the surveillance camera, but Anne catches Alma trying to recover the tape and fires her. Anne then tries to frame Spider by spraying antifreeze in the lock-up freezer, but it backfires when Trevor the security guard shuts the door, unaware that she's inside. Her frozen body is found the next morning, and Spider is suspected of killing her as an environmental protest. The finding of the security tape clears Spider, and Alma returns to work with a promotion to temporary manager.
  • Mike continues to bully Hayley at the factory. When he calls her a freak, Roy throws a pint over him at the Rovers. Hayley mollifies Mike by paying for his suit to be cleaned, but unable to bear his nastiness anymore, she tells the girls that she's a transsexual. The news spreads quickly around the street and Hayley faces taunts from Les, while at work machinist Linda Sykes tries to bar her from using the ladies toilets. Hayley decides that she's had enough and packs her bags, but Roy convinces her to stay and together they brave the Rovers.
  • Toyah returns from holiday with her yobbish boyfriend Philip Dobson, aka Dobber, in tow. She is besotted with him, and loses her virginity to him in the back of his brother's car. When she finds out that her sister is having sex without precautions, Leanne forces her to take morning-after pills. Les and Janice don't like Dobber either, and he's thrown out of No.5 for saying that Janice looks like a horse. Toyah makes her family accept him by threatening to run away again if they split them up. Dobber also gets Toyah to steal money from the cafe and give him money meant for a lesson with Ken.
  • Greg masks his fury when he returns from a business trip to find Sally has moved Rosie and Sophie into the flat. Kevin, livid when Sally leaves the girls with a childminder while she goes to the Rovers with Greg, alerts Mike to the fact that they've set up in business and are stealing his customers. Mike publicly fires them both and warns the staff that there may be redundancies if they lose work. Martin has to stop Greg from hitting Kevin with a glass bottle, while Sally, upset that her friends now hate her, gets no sympathy from Gail or Rita, who feel she's brought everything on herself. She continues to fund the business, though they argue when Greg presents her as his secretary to a customer, and later when he excludes her from a business lunch with Maggie Knight. Greg lands the firm its first big contracts with Khans and Reubens, undercutting Underworld, but while they're celebrating Mike wins back the Reubens contract.
  • Des asks Natalie to move in with him. Natalie accepts, but Des is upset when she decides to rent her house out, thinking she's hanging onto it in case they split up. He responds by presenting Natalie with a "For Sale" sign, asking her to sell her house and marry him. The couple get engaged and start planning their wedding. Devastated by the news, Kevin gets drunk and proposes to Natalie himself, leading Des to have a talk with him urging him to move on with his life. Lorraine agrees to be bridesmaid, but Martin refuses to be best man out of loyalty to Kevin. As a joke, Des asks Les, but Les takes the offer seriously and gets so excited about it that Des doesn't have the heart to set him straight. Des's stag night at the Rovers ends with Les and Des slumped against each other in one of the booths. Des and Natalie are married on 23rd October at Weatherfield Register Office.
  • Tony Horrocks returns, ostensibly for Natalie's wedding. He decides to stay a while and rekindles his relationship with Maxine.
  • Gary sells his drum kit after a disastrous audition for a band, giving up his ambitions of fame. He uses the money to decorate No.9 and buy cots for the twins.
  • Jim's recovery continues as he takes Liz out to a restaurant, but he makes a scene when a businessman chats Liz up and shows sympathy for her being stuck with a man in a wheelchair. Liz is dismayed that despite everything that's happened to him, Jim is still his old aggressive self. She decides to finish with him, but can't bring herself to do so as she feels sorry for him. Receiving sympathy from Michael, she lets him kiss her and they begin an affair. Both are wracked with guilt, and they agree to break it off for Jim's sake but Michael quits as Jim's physio, not wanting to be around Liz if he can't have her. Liz is mortified when, at the Barnes wedding reception, Jim announces that he'd be the happiest man alive if Liz would marry him again. Meanwhile, Michael applies for a job in Milton Keynes, unwilling to wait around for Liz to leave Jim.
  • Audrey advertises for a trainee at the salon, causing Maxine to worry that she intends to replace her.
  • Les, Dobber and Charlie West start to dig up the cobbles at night in the hope of selling them for a profit. When they're interrupted by car lights, they make a run for it, but Dobber drops one of the cobbles on Les's foot leaving home to hobble home.
  • On a night out at the Cosher club, Zoe meets oddball couple Ben Andrews and Ruth Morgan. Zoe misplaces her purse at the club but Ruth later tracks her down and returns it. She offers to help Zoe when she hears that she lost a child.
  • Mike hires Deirdre to work in the factory office as PA.

November[]

  • Les spends weeks complaining about his sore foot but Janice thinks he's putting it on. When he's admitted to hospital with osteomyelitis, he enjoys giving Martin the runaround.
  • Toyah breaks up with Dobber as he isn't romantic enough.
  • After losing the Reubens contract, Greg is left with boxes of unsold stock. Finding out that Sally told Gail about the contract, he presumes that Alma heard about it from Gail, and then warned Mike. He snaps and hits Sally, making her bleed. Warned by his solicitor Richard Taylor that the business will fold without Sally's money, Greg manages to lie his way back into her affections by talking about his abusive stepfather and how he doesn't want to turn out like him. Later, he manipulates Sally to put her money in a joint account.
  • Jim switches to crutches as he slowly regains the use of his legs. Excited about the future, he buys Liz an engagement ring but when he gets home he finds Liz and Michael in his bed together. He contains his fury, ordering them both to leave. Liz later admits that she isn't in love with Jim and they split once again. Now able to be together openly, Liz decides to take the chance of happiness with Michael by going to Milton Keynes with him. As they leave the street in Michael's car, they see Jim standing in the doorway of No.11 unaided. Liz tells Michael to carry on.
  • Ruth and Ben continue to befriend Zoe and give her a job at the Etheric Foundation. Adopting their spiritual beliefs, Zoe goes door-to-door selling crystals of Nirab, a token of the entity worshipped by the Foundation's cult, while adjusting her lifestyle to fit in with her new friends by becoming vegetarian and giving up alcohol. Quickly indoctrinated, Zoe starts to practice harmonic convergence having been told it'll help her summon Shannon's spirit, and stops having sex with Ashley as he isn't a believer. Ashley, convinced Zoe is being brainwashed, attends a meeting at the Foundation to see what he's up against, but walks out when the cult members moan and sway. He tells Zoe she's not to have anything more to do with them but Zoe refuses to give it up.
Episode 4510

Des passes away after being married to Natalie for three weeks

  • Tony's friend from Leeds, Jason Riley, brings him drugs from dealer Carl Foster. Tony plans to sell the drugs, but when his buyer is arrested, to save his own skin Jason reveals to Carl where Tony is hiding out. Carl and some heavies force their way into No.6 and assault Tony to pressure him to repay the £4,500 he owes them. Tony subsequently claims that burglars broke in and gives the police a useless description of them. Meanwhile, the Barneses return from their honeymoon and Des, catching Tony burying the drugs in the garden, flushes the powder down the sink. He offers not to tell Natalie what happened if Tony clears off and starts again somewhere new. Tony agrees but gets Natalie to agree to clear his debts. Finding out that it's drug money, Natalie becomes desperate to keep her son safe and gives him all she has, promising the rest when she sells her house. When Carl and his thugs return, Des tries to defend Tony but is knocked to the floor, hitting his head on the table. In hospital, he suffers a massive heart attack and dies with Natalie at his side. A grieving Natalie backs up Tony's statement that burglars attacked Des, but after lying to the police for him she tells Tony she never wants to see him again. At the funeral, Colin Barnes is sickened to find that everyone believes Des was killed by burglars and interrupts the service to tell them that Natalie is protecting Tony. He's thrown out of the Rovers for shouting at Natalie. Returning to No.6, Natalie is comforted by Kevin, but has to spell it out that they aren't getting back together. She goes back to work so she isn't alone, but Alec sends her home as she makes the customers depressed.
  • Nick gets an evening modelling job at college, but tells Leanne he's cleaning up a lab. Tutor Miranda Peters befriends him and persuades him to pose for her as a private commission for £300. When she sees Nick driving off with Miranda in her car, Leanne confronts him and he says they were going out for Miranda's birthday with a load of other people.
  • Roy and Hayley start taking evening classes in Spanish. While the class is suspended, they switch to art and are shocked when a nude Nick is the model. Following Emily's suggestion, the couple subsequently audition for the Weatherfield Operatic Society and are accepted to take part in The Sound of Music.
  • Alec and Rita have an official opening of the door between their flats. One night, Alec climbs into bed with who he thinks is Rita but is actually Betty, who's staying at Rita's while the decorators are at 37 Hillside Crescent. Betty wakes up and hits Alec.
  • Jackie Dobbs is released from prison and looks Deirdre up. Deirdre isn't happy to see her, but lets her stay as she has nowhere else to go. Jackie makes waves in the street, entertaining Les in the flat until Deirdre interrupts them. When Janice finds Les with Jackie at No.5, he tells her she's mad and just let herself in. To Deirdre's horror, Jackie moves her 15-year-old son Tyrone in after his father Darren throws him out.
  • Roy and Gail are offered £65,000 to sell the cafe unit to the shop next door. Roy likes the idea of starting up in a new location, but Gail wants to keep things as they are.
  • Fred decides to raffle a luxury hamper in the shop, telling Audrey that if she invites him for Christmas dinner he'll make sure she wins it.

December[]

  • Leanne gets Miranda's address from the phone book and bursts in when she spies Nick inside taking his clothes off. They explain that Nick is doing modelling work, but Leanne doesn't like the arrangement and shows Nick up at college by volunteering her own services as a nude model. At Christmas, when Miranda gets Nick a sweater, Leanne takes it as confirmation of their affair and leaves him. Nick celebrates his eighteenth birthday on New Year's Eve with a party but Leanne stays away.
  • Les opportunistically raids the hospital drugs trolley when Martin goes to help a patient, leaving the trolley unlocked. He overdoses and has to have his stomach pumped. Afterwards, Les swears he never touched the drugs trolley and accuses Martin of deliberately giving him the wrong medication. Martin is suspended from his job pending an investigation, triggering a feud between the two families. While pursuing compensation from the hospital, Les buys expensive Christmas presents for the Battersbys in anticipation of a big payout.
  • Zoe completes her indoctrination by being purified to become a daughter of Nirab. Ashley suspects Ben of grooming Zoe for sex when she goes on a retreat with the other cult members and returns with the news that she's been chosen by Nirab to have a baby with Ben. When he objects to the plan, Zoe leaves him and goes to live at the Etheric Foundation. With the police unable to help, Ashley, Gary and Nick kidnap Zoe from the Foundation and imprison her at No.4 in the hope of undoing the brainwashing. However, Ashley soon realises that the old Zoe is gone and lets her leave to live in America with Ben.
  • Seeking justice for Des, Colin tells the police that he was killed by drug dealers. Natalie continues to protect Tony, standing by the burglar story. However, when Tony returns seeking forgiveness and swears that he's no longer selling drugs, Natalie finds cocaine in his pocket and goes back to the police telling them that his friends killed Des. While he's being questioned, Natalie flushes his drugs down the toilet. Handing Tony a cheque to pay off his debts, she tells him she never wants to see him again. Tony leaves Weatherfield as Natalie returns to work at the Rovers.
  • Roy considers opening a bistro in a unit being converted in Victoria Street. Due to Martin's job uncertainty, Gail sells her share of the cafe to Hayley, but agrees to continue working there.
  • The Dobbs settle into the street, with Jackie being taken on as a machinist at Underworld, and Tyrone helping Kevin out at the garage and falling for an uninterested Toyah. Hearing that No.7 is empty, Tyrone breaks in and starts using the house as his den. When Jackie finds out, she moves herself and Tyrone in as squatters. Jackie loses her job at the factory when Mike catches her stealing knickers, but Deirdre persuades him not to call the police. Deirdre tells Jackie that they're even now and not to expect anything more from her.
  • Greg continues to spend Sally's money entertaining clients whilst she and the girls can only afford to eat beans on toast. As the business struggles, Greg turns to drink and hits Sally again when she raises concerns about how much money he's spending. After another violent row, she leaves Greg and is given shelter by Rita. While Kevin takes the girls in, Rita helps Sally cut ties with Greg and salvage what's left of her inheritance by by closing the joint account, grabbing all the stock she can and selling it to Mike, and returning their computer equipment and car to the leasing companies. Greg tries to keep going by offering to pass a job onto Mike if they split the deal, but Mike sorts out the contract for Underworld and doesn't give him any commission. He tries to charm Maxine again when she moves into the salon flat, but Sally puts Maxine off him by telling her about his abusive behaviour. Evicted by Fred and owing two months' rent, Greg dumps himself on the Battersbys. Determined to get even with Sally, Greg threatens her over the phone and then breaks into No.12 and uses Alec's door to enter Rita's flat and confront Sally.
Episode 4534

Alec tells the Duckworths they've won and he's leaving Weatherfield

  • The Hortons invite the Duckworths to spend Christmas in Blackpool with Tommy. Jack and Vera are shocked when Alec gives them the time off, unaware that he plans to fire and evict them from the Rovers in their absence. Appalled by his actions, Rita phones the Duckworths to warn them and they rush back to the Rovers, barricading themselves in their bedroom. The stand-off continues on Christmas Day, when the residents provide food and drink to the Duckworths through the upstairs window, defying Alec. Alec is furious when Rita admits to telling the Duckworths what he was up to, and they end their relationship by mutual consent, with Alec having the door between their flats boarded up. Meanwhile, Vicky pays a visit to ask Alec to look over the figures for a cafe bar she's planning on opening in Brighton. Eager to leave Weatherfield, Alec proposes a business partnership and Vicky accepts. Natalie agrees to buy the Rovers, getting it at a reduced price due to the Duckworths being sitting tenants. Alec leaves with Vicky as Natalie takes charge of the pub, giving Jack and Vera their jobs back to end the stalemate.
  • Fred does the raffle draw at the Rovers and feigns surprise when he pulls out Audrey's ticket. He's disappointed when Audrey donates it to the Platts and the Robertses spend Christmas with them.
  • Kevin initiates divorce proceedings following Sally's breakup from Greg. He only allows her minimal contact with the girls, with them straining to make Christmas and Rosie's birthday happy occasions.
  • Roy and Hayley don't know what to get each other for Christmas. When he discovers that an ever increasing number of Santa Claus in the cafe are from a "Rent-a-Santa" agency, Roy hires one to give Hayley her present. They get each other the same scarf.
  • Nick and Leanne are caught up in their parents' row when the families argue over who they should spend Christmas with. They ultimately decide not to go to either house and to have dinner with Ashley and Maud instead.
  • Judy gives birth to twins, a boy and a girl, on Christmas Day.
  • Blanche Hunt arrives to spend Christmas with Deirdre. She spends most of her time criticising her daughter's lifestyle.

Who lives where[]

Coronation Street

Rosamund Street

Victoria Street

  • 17 Victoria Street - Liz McDonald (January to July). Deirdre Rachid (April onwards). Liz McDonald (November only). Jackie and Tyrone Dobbs (both from November to December).

Others

Awards and nominations[]

National Television Awards
Ceremony held on 27th October 1998

TV Quick Awards

Coronation Street in the 1990s
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