Summary
"Coronation Street", created in 1960 by Tony Warren, is the world's longest running soap. After debuting on December 9 of that year, the ITV show, which was expected to run for just a few episodes, soon struck a chord with millions. Centring on a typical Manchester cobbled street in working class Weatherfield, where local residents laughed and cried between the local pub, corner shop or their respective houses, the show has seen a handful of key figures become household names: Ken Barlow, the studious teacher who romanced just about every attractive lady that passed through; Emily Bishop, the do-gooder who has spent almost as much time in the soap, local businessman - and mayor - Alf Roberts, and classic, much missed characters such as warbling cleaner Hilda Ogden, pompous Rovers landlady Annie Walker, love rat builder Ray Langton, Foghorn Leghorn-style butcher Fred Elliott, amorous supermarket manager Reg Holdsworth and those feuding legends Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner. Plots have involved armed sieges at the local supermarket, a lorry crashing into the Rovers Return, murderous Tracy Barlow beating her two-timing boyfriend (Charlie Stubbs) to death, along with assorted affairs, scandals, and those unhinged characters we loved to hate, such as Alan Bradley, Jez Quigley, Richard Hillman and Tony Gordon. However, if one storyline really caught the imaginations of millions it was the love triangle between Ken Barlow, wife Deirdre and knicker factory boss Mike Baldwin. Thanks to some stunning acting from William Roache (Ken), the end of the affair made TV history and helped turn soap stars into tabloid favourites. Aside from making the likes of Anne Kirkbride (Deirdre) and Johnny Briggs (Mike) household names, Corrie has attracted no end of famous faces, including Joanna Lumley, Ben Kingsley, Ian McKellen, Noddy Holder, Molly Sugden, Maureen Lipman and Roy Hudd.
