   #copyright

Coronation Street

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Television

   Coronation Street
   Coronation Street's current opening credits, introduced in 2002.
   Genre Soap opera
   Created by Tony Warren
   Developed by ITV Productions
   Starring See current cast (around 65 actors)
   Opening theme Eric Spear
   Country of origin Flag of United Kingdom  United Kingdom
   No. of episodes 6548
   Production
   Produced by Steve Frost
   Camera setup Multiple-camera setup
   Running time 22 minutes
   Broadcast
   Original channel ITV1
   Picture format 16:9 Widescreen
   Original run 9 December 1960 – present
   Links
   Official website
   IMDb profile
   TV.com summary

   Coronation Street is an award winning British soap opera. It is the
   longest-running television soap opera in the United Kingdom, first
   broadcast on Friday 9 December 1960 in the Granada region of ITV. The
   programme is consistently the highest-rated programme on British
   television.

   The show was created by Tony Warren and is produced by Granada
   Television (now branded ITV Productions), holder of the ITV franchise
   for the north-west of England, and was initially shown only in that
   area. Between December 1960 and March 1961, however, other ITV
   franchises began to broadcast the programme. The show became fully
   networked on 3 March 1961 when ATV, the only remaining franchise, began
   airing it.

   Coronation Street (commonly nicknamed and written as 'Corrie' or 'the
   Street') is set in a fictional street in Weatherfield, a fictional
   suburb of Manchester, England, based loosely on Salford. The programme
   focuses on the experiences and driving forces behind the residents of
   Coronation Street, and examines families and individuals within the
   community who are of different ages, classes and social structures. The
   purpose of Coronation Street is to entertain through initiating the
   viewer into the ways of the people who live in the street.

   The working title of the show was Florizel Street, but a tea lady named
   Agnes remarked that 'Florizel' sounded like a brand of disinfectant so
   the name was changed. The choice of new name was between Jubilee Street
   and Coronation Street, with Granada executives Harry Latham, Harry
   Elton and H.V. Kershaw deciding on the latter..

   Commencing in May 2007, ITV will relaunch its online website to include
   video on demand content. This will allow viewers to watch episodes of
   Coronation Street any day (free of charge) after their original
   transmission within a 30 day window.

Transmission

   Coronation Street is broadcast five times a week in Britain on
   terrestrial network ITV1 at the following times:
     * Sunday - 19.30
     * Monday - 19.30 and 20.30
     * Wednesday - 19.30
     * Friday - 19.30

   Episodes are repeated later on in the evening on ITV1's sister channel,
   ITV2, and again the following morning. Omnibus editions on both
   Saturday and Sunday afternoons (also on ITV2).

   In the Republic of Ireland, Coronation Street is simulcast on TV3. The
   programme has aired in many countries worldwide including Canada,
   Australia, Belgium and Holland.

Background

   Coronation Street is known on occasions for its light humour and comic
   characters, which carry on traditions of northern variety, with many of
   the show's actors having previously worked in repertory theatre,
   notably the Oldham Rep. The programme is also recognised as a drama
   serial, and its story lines have covered diverse topics and themes
   including death, marriage, divorce and murder.

   For a number of years, Coronation Street became known for the portrayal
   of strong female characters, with characters like Ena Sharples, Annie
   Walker, Elsie Tanner and Hilda Ogden becoming household names during
   the 1960s. Tony Warren created a programme that was largely matrifocal,
   which some commentators put down to the female-dominant environment in
   which he grew up. The 1970s and 1980s saw the development of characters
   such as Bet Lynch, Rita Fairclough, Vera Duckworth and Ivy Tilsley who
   also fitted the 'strong woman' mould. While a wider view of the
   community is now presented within the programme, its matrifocal nature
   is still in evidence with contemporary characters like Eileen Grimshaw,
   Karen McDonald and Carla Connor.

Characters and characterisations

   Since 1960, Coronation Street has featured hundreds of characters,
   whose popularity with viewers and critics has differed. The original
   cast was created by Tony Warren, with the characters of Ena Sharples (
   Violet Carson), Elsie Tanner ( Patricia Phoenix) and Annie Walker (
   Doris Speed) as central figures. These three women remained with the
   show for 20 years or more, and became archetypes of British soap opera,
   often being emulated by other serials, with Ena as the street's
   busybody, battleaxe and self-proclaimed moral voice, Elsie as the tart
   with a heart, who was constantly hurt by men in the search for true
   love and Annie Walker, landlady of the Rovers Return Inn, who had
   delusions of grandeur and saw herself to be better than other residents
   of Coronation Street.

   Of the original cast, only one character remains: Ken Barlow ( William
   Roache). Barlow entered the story line as a young radical, reflecting
   the youth of 1960s Britain, where figures like The Beatles, The Rolling
   Stones and the model Twiggy were to reshape the concept of youthful
   rebellion. Though the rest of the original Barlow family were killed
   off, Ken has remained the constant link throughout 46 years of
   Coronation Street.

   1964 saw the introduction of Stan and Hilda Ogden, with Hilda ( Jean
   Alexander) becoming one of the most famous British soap characters of
   all time. In a 1982 poll, Hilda was voted the fourth most recognizable
   woman in Britain after the Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother, Queen
   Elizabeth II and Diana, Princess of Wales. Hilda's best-known
   attributes were her pinny, hair curlers and the "muriel" in her living
   room with three 'flying' duck ornaments. Hilda Ogden's final episode on
   25 December 1987, remains the highest rated episode of Coronation
   Street ever, with nearly 27 million viewers.

   Bet Lynch ( Julie Goodyear) first appeared in 1966, before becoming a
   regular in 1970, and would go on to become one of the most famous
   Corrie characters ever. Bet stood as the central character of the show
   from 1987 until departing in 1995, often being dubbed as 'Queen of the
   Street' by the media.

   Coronation Street and its characters often rely heavily on archetypes,
   with the characterisation of some its current cast based loosely on
   past characters. Blanche Hunt ( Maggie Jones) embodies the role of the
   acid-tongued busybody, which was originally held by Ena Sharples. Sally
   Webster ( Sally Whittaker) has grown snobbish, like Annie Walker, while
   a number of the programme's female characters mirror the vulnerability
   of Elsie Tanner and Bet Lynch. Other recurring archetypes include the
   war veteran ( Albert Tatlock, Percy Sugden), the bumbling retail
   manager ( Leonard Swindley, Reg Holdsworth, Norris Cole), and the
   perennial losers (Stan and Hilda Ogden, Jack and Vera Duckworth).

History

1960s

   The serial began on 9 December 1960 and was not initially a critical
   success. Granada Television commissioned only 13 episodes and some
   inside the company doubted the show would last its planned production
   run. Despite the negativity, viewers were immediately drawn to the
   serial, won over by Coronation Street's 'ordinary' characters. The
   programme also made use of Northern English language and dialect;
   affectionate local terms like "eh, chuck?", "nowt" and "by heck!"
   became widely heard on British television for the first time.

   Early episodes told the story of student Kenneth Barlow, who had won a
   place at university and thus found his background something of an
   embarrassment. The character is one of the few to have experienced life
   'outside' of Coronation Street, and in some ways predicts the growth of
   globalisation and the decline of similar communities. In a 1961
   episode, Barlow declares: "You can't go on just thinking about your own
   street these days. We're living with people on the other side of the
   world. There's more to worry about than Elsie Tanner and her
   boyfriends."

   Also at the centre of many early stories was Ena Sharples, caretaker of
   the Glad Tidings Mission Hall, and her friends: timid Minnie Caldwell (
   Margot Bryant) and bespectacled Martha Longhurst ( Lynne Carol). The
   trio were likened to the Greek chorus, and the three witches in William
   Shakespeare's Macbeth, as they would sit in the snug bar of the Rovers
   Return, passing judgement over family, neighbours and frequently each
   other. Headstrong Ena often clashed with Elsie Tanner, whom she
   believed espoused a rather disgusting set of morals. Elsie resented
   Ena's interference and gossip, which, most of the time, had little
   basis in reality.

   In September 1961, Coronation Street reached No.1 in the television
   ratings and remained there for the rest of the year. Earlier in 1961, a
   Television Audience Measurement (TAM) showed that 75% of available
   viewers (15 million) tuned into Corrie and by 1964 the programme had
   over 20 million regular viewers, with ratings peaking on December 2,
   1964, at 21.36 million viewers.

   Story lines throughout the decade included: a mystery poison-pen letter
   received by Elsie Tanner, the 1962 marriage of Ken Barlow and Valerie
   Tatlock, the death of Martha Longhurst in 1964, the birth of the Barlow
   twins in 1965, Elsie Tanner's wedding to Steve Tanner as well as a
   train crashing from the viaduct (both in 1967), the murder of Steve
   Tanner in 1968, and a coach crash in 1969.

   In spite of rising popularity with viewers, Coronation Street was
   criticised by some for its outdated portrayal of the urban
   working-class, and its representation of a community that was a
   nostalgic fantasy. After the first episode in 1960, the Daily Mirror
   printed: "The programme is doomed from the outset... For there is
   little reality in this new serial, which apparently, we have to suffer
   twice a week." By 1967, critics were suggesting that the programme no
   longer reflected life in 1960s Britain, but reflected how life was in
   the 1950s. Granada hurried to update the programme, with the hope of
   introducing more issue-driven stories, including drugs, sex,
   homosexuality and pregnancy, but all of these ideas were dropped for
   fear of upsetting viewers.

1970s

   The show's production team was tested when many core cast members left
   the programme in the early 1970s. When Arthur Leslie died suddenly in
   1970, his character, Rovers landlord Jack Walker, died with him. Anne
   Reid quit as Valerie Barlow, and was killed off in 1971, electrocuting
   herself with a faulty hairdryer. Ratings reached a low of 8 million in
   February 1973, Pat Phoenix quit as Elsie Tanner, Violet Carson (Ena
   Sharples) was written out for most of the year due to illness, and
   Doris Speed (Annie Walker) took two months’ leave. ITV daytime soap
   Crossroads saw a marked increase in viewers at this time, as its
   established cast, such as Meg Richardson ( Noele Gordon), grew in
   popularity. These sudden departures forced the writing team to quickly
   develop characters who had previously stood in the background. The
   roles of Bet Lynch, Deirdre Hunt ( Anne Kirkbride), Rita Littlewood (
   Barbara Knox) and Mavis Riley ( Thelma Barlow) were built up between
   1972 and 1973 with characters such as Gail Potter ( Helen Worth),
   Blanche Hunt ( Patricia Cutts and Maggie Jones) and Vera Duckworth (
   Elizabeth Dawn) first appearing in 1974. These characters would remain
   at the centre of the programme for many years.

   The 1970s was also the decade when Coronation Street began to include
   more comedy in its story lines, at the insistence of new producer Bill
   Podmore who joined in 1976, having worked on Granada comedy productions
   prior to his appointment. Stan and Hilda Ogden were often at the centre
   of overtly funny story lines, with other comic characters including
   Eddie Yeats ( Geoffrey Hughes), Fred Gee ( Fred Feast) and Jack
   Duckworth ( William Tarmey) all making their first appearances.

   In 1976, Pat Phoenix returned to her role as Elsie Tanner and, after a
   spate of ill health, Violet Carson returned as Ena. Coronation Street's
   stalwart cast slotted back into the programme alongside the newcomers,
   examining new relationships between characters of different ages and
   backgrounds: Eddie Yeats became the Ogdens' lodger, Gail Potter & Suzie
   Birchall moved in with Elsie, Mike Baldwin ( Johnny Briggs) arrived in
   1976 as the tough factory boss, and Annie Walker reigned at the Rovers
   with her trio of staff Bet Lynch, Betty Turpin and Fred Gee.

   Storylines throughout the decade included: a warehouse fire in 1975,
   the birth of Tracy Langton in 1977, the murder of Ernest Bishop in
   1978, a lorry crashing into the Rovers Return in 1979, and the marriage
   of Brian Tilsley and Gail Potter (also in 1979).

   Coronation Street had little competition within its prime time slot,
   and certain critics suggested that the programme had grown complacent,
   moving away from socially-viable story lines and again presenting a
   dated view of working-class life.

1980s

   Between 1980 and 1989, Coronation Street underwent some of the biggest
   changes since its launch. By May 1984, Ken Barlow stood as the only
   original cast member, after the departures of Ena Sharples, Annie
   Walker, Elsie Tanner and Albert Tatlock. In 1983, antihero Len
   Fairclough ( Peter Adamson), one of the show's central male characters
   since 1961, was killed off, and in 1984, Bernard Youens (Stan Ogden)
   died. While the press predicted the end of Corrie, H.V. Kershaw
   reminded viewers that "There are no stars in Coronation Street."
   Writers drew on the show's many archetypes, with previously established
   characters stepping into the roles left by the original cast. Phyllis
   Pearce (Jill Summers) was hailed as the new Ena Sharples in 1982, the
   Duckworths moved into No.9 in 1983 and slipped into the role once held
   by the Ogdens, while Percy Sugden ( Bill Waddington) appeared in 1983
   and took over the grumpy war veteran role from Albert Tatlock. The
   question of who would take over the Rovers Return after Annie Walker's
   1983 exit was answered in 1985 when Bet Lynch (who also mirrored the
   vulnerability and strength of Elsie Tanner) was installed as landlady.
   In 1984, Shirley Armitage became the first major black character in her
   role as machinist at Baldwin's Casuals.

   Ken Barlow married Deirdre Langton on 27 July 1981. The episode was
   watched by over 24 million viewers - more ITV viewers than the wedding
   of Prince Charles and Lady Diana two days later. The 1980s also saw the
   cementing of relationships between established characters: Alf Roberts
   ( Bryan Mosley) married Audrey Potter ( Sue Nicholls) in 1985, Kevin
   Webster ( Michael Le Vell) married Sally Seddon ( Sally Whittaker) in
   1986. Bet Lynch married Alec Gilroy in 1987 and the marriages of Ivy
   Tilsley and Don Brennan, and Derek Wilton and Mavis Riley took place in
   1988.

   The arrival of Channel 4 and its edgy new serial Brookside in 1982 was
   one of the biggest changes for Coronation Street, as well as the BBC's
   new prime time soap opera, EastEnders in 1985. While ratings for
   Coronation Street remained consistent throughout the decade, EastEnders
   regularly obtained higher viewing figures. With prime time competition,
   Corrie was again seen as being old fashioned, with the introduction of
   the 'normal' Clayton family in 1985 being failure with viewers. Between
   1988 and 1989, many aspects of the show were modernised by new
   producer, David Liddiment. A new exterior set had been built in 1982
   and in 1989 it was redeveloped to include new houses and shops.
   Production techniques were also changed, with a new studio being built
   and the inclusion of more location filming. New pressures also saw
   introduction of the third weekly episode on 20 October 1989, broadcast
   each Friday at 19:30.

   The 1980s featured some of the most prominent story lines in the
   programme's history, such as Deirdre Barlow's affair with Mike Baldwin
   in 1983, the first soap story line to receive widespread media
   attention. Such was the interest, the message "Deirdre and Ken
   reunited; Read tomorrow's Daily Mail for an action replay."" appeared
   on the electronic scoreboard at Old Trafford football ground to inform
   the 56,635 spectators what had occurred in the episode that had just
   finished being broadcast. The feud between Ken Barlow and Mike Baldwin
   would continue for many years, with Mike even marrying Ken's daughter,
   Susan. In 1986 there was a fire at the Rovers Return, and between 1986
   and 1989, the story of Rita Fairclough's psychological abuse at the
   hands of Alan Bradley ( Mark Eden), and his subsequent death under the
   wheels of a Blackpool tram, was played out. The show's highest rated
   episode (26.6 million viewers) came in 1987, when Hilda Ogden left the
   show. Other stories included: the birth of Nicky Tilsley in 1980, Elsie
   Tanner's departure and Stan Ogden's funeral in 1984, the birth of
   Sarah-Louise Tilsley in 1987, and Brian Tilsley's murder in 1989.

   New characters were introduced, such as Kevin and Sally Webster, Curly
   Watts ( Kevin Kennedy), Martin Platt ( Sean Wilson), Reg Holdsworth (
   Ken Morley) and the McDonald family.

1990s

   In spite of updated sets and production changes, Coronation Street
   still received criticism. In 1992, chairman of the Broadcasting
   Standards Council, Lord Rees-Mogg, criticised the low-representation of
   ethnic minorities and the programme's portrayal of the cosy familiarity
   of a bygone era. Some newspapers ran headlines such as 'Coronation
   Street shuts out blacks' ( The Times) and 'Put colour in t'Street'
   (Daily Mirror). Patrick Stoddart of The Times wrote: "The millions who
   watch Coronation Street – and who will continue to do so despite Lord
   Rees-Mogg – know real life when they see it […] in the most confident
   and accomplished soap opera television has ever seen". Black and Asian
   characters had appeared, but it wasn't until 1999 that show featured
   its first regular non-white family, the Desai family.

   New characters Des and Steph Barnes moved into one of the new houses in
   1990, being dubbed by the media as ' Yuppies'. Raquel Wolstenhulme (
   Sarah Lancashire) first appeared in 1991 and went on to become one of
   the most popular characters ever. The McDonald family were developed
   and the fiery relationships between Liz, Jim, Steve and Andy interested
   viewers. Other newcomers were Maud Grimes, Roy Cropper ( David
   Neilson), Judy and Gary Mallett, Fred Elliot ( John Savident) and
   Ashley Peacock ( Steven Arnold). The amount of slapstick and physical
   humour in story lines increased during the 1990s, with comic characters
   such as Reg Holdsworth and his water bed.

   Storylines in the early part of the decade included: the death of Katie
   McDonald in 1991, Mike Baldwin's wedding to Alma Sedgewick ( Amanda
   Barrie) in 1992, Tommy Duckworth being sold by his father Terry in
   1993, Deirdre Barlow's marriage to Moroccan Samir Rachid, and the rise
   of Tanya Pooley ( Eva Pope) between 1994 and 1995.

   In 1997, Brian Park took over as producer, with the idea of promoting
   young characters as opposed to the older cast. On his first day he axed
   the characters of Derek Wilton, Don Brennan, Percy Sugden, Bill
   Webster, Billy Williams and Maureen Holdsworth. Thelma Barlow, who
   played Derek's wife Mavis, was angered by the sacking of her co-star
   and resigned, while the production team also lost some of its key
   writers when Barry Hill, Adele Rose and Julian Roach all resigned.

   In line with Park's suggestion, younger characters were introduced:
   Nick Tilsley was recast, played by Adam Rickitt, single mother Zoe
   Tattersall first appeared, and the Battersbys moved into No.5. Story
   lines focussed on tackling 'issues', such as drug dealers,
   eco-warriors, religious cults and a transsexual. Park quit in 1998,
   after deciding that he had done what he intended to do; he maintained
   that his biggest achievement was the introduction of Hayley Patterson (
   Julie Hesmondhalgh), the first transsexual character in a British soap.

   Viewers were alienated by the new-look Coronation Street, and the media
   voiced disapproval. Having received criticism of being too out of
   touch, Corrie now struggled to emulate the more modern Brookside and
   EastEnders. In the Daily Mirror, Victor Lewis-Smith wrote: "Apparently
   it doesn't matter that this is a first-class soap opera, superbly
   scripted and flawlessly performed by a seasoned repertory company."

   One of Coronation Street's best known story lines occurred in 1998,
   with Deirdre Rachid being wrongfully imprisoned after a relationship
   with con-man Jon Lindsay. 19 million viewers watched Deirdre being sent
   to prison, and 'Free the Weatherfield One' campaigns sprung up in a
   media frenzy. Prime Minister Tony Blair even passed comment on
   Deirdre’s sentencing in Parliament. Deirdre was freed after three
   weeks, with Granada stating that they had always intended for her to be
   released, in spite of the media interest.

2000s

   On 8 December 2000, the show celebrated its fortieth year by
   broadcasting a live, hour-long, episode. The Prince of Wales made a
   cameo in the episode, appearing in a pre-recorded segment as himself in
   an ITV News bulletin report, presented by Trevor McDonald. Earlier in
   the year, 13-year old Sarah Platt ( Tina O'Brien) had fallen pregnant
   and gave birth to a baby girl, Bethany, on June 4. The episode where
   Gail was told of her daughter's pregnancy being watched by 15 million
   viewers. The year also saw the programme's first two-hander, between
   Curly and Raquel Watts.

   From 1999-2001, Jane Macnaught was Coronation Street's producer, and
   received harsh criticism from both viewers and critics. In an attempt
   to compete with EastEnders, issue-led story lines were introduced such
   as Toyah Battersby's rape, Roy & Hayley Cropper abducting their foster
   child, Sarah Platt's Internet chat room abduction and Alma Halliwell's
   death of cervical cancer. Such storylines were unpopular with viewers
   and ratings dropped and in October 2001, Macnaught was abruptly moved
   to another Granada department and Carolyn Reynolds took over. Corrie
   continued to struggle in the ratings, with EastEnders introducing some
   of its strongest stories. In 2002, Kieran Roberts was appointed as
   producer and aimed to re-introduce "gentle story lines and humour",
   after deciding that the Street shouldn't try and compete with other
   soaps.

   In 2002, one of Coronation Street's best-known story lines began, which
   culminated in 2003. Gail Platt married Richard Hillman ( Brian Capron),
   a financial advisor, who would go on to leave Duggie Ferguson to die,
   murder his ex-wife Patricia, attempt to murder his mother-in-law,
   Audrey Roberts, murder Maxine Peacock and attempt to murder Emily
   Bishop. After confessing to the murder of Maxine and his ex-wife,
   Hillman attempted to kill Gail, her children Sarah and David, and her
   grand-daughter Bethany, by driving them into a canal. The story line
   received massive press attention, and viewing figures peaked at 19.4
   million, with Hillman dubbed a "serial killer" by the media.

   In 2003, Todd Grimshaw began to question his sexuality, becoming
   Corrie's first regular homosexual character, after years of criticism
   about non-representation. The character of Karen McDonald ( Suranne
   Jones) was developed, with her fiery marriage to Steve and warring with
   Tracy Barlow.

   In 2004, Coronation Street retconned the Baldwin family when Mike's
   nephew Danny Baldwin and his wife Frankie moved to the area from Essex,
   with their two sons Jamie and Warren. Until this time, Mike Baldwin had
   been portrayed as an only child, with his father appearing in the
   programme between 1980 and 1982 confirming the fact.

   In 2006, the highly publicised storyline of Tracy Barlow's alleged
   abuse by Charlie Stubbs began. Using this as a ploy to gain support,
   she murdered him in cold blood and consequently faced a murder trial,
   at which she was found guilty. Tracy was given a minimum jail term of
   15 years, leaving her daughter with the father.

   Between 2000 and 2007, a range of other storylines featured, such as
   the bigamy of Peter Barlow, Maya Sharma's revenge on former lover Dev
   Alahan, Katy Harris murdering her father and subsequently committing
   suicide, Charlie Stubbs's psychological abuse of Shelley Unwin, the
   deaths of Mike Baldwin and Fred Elliott. More recently, the arrest of
   Joanne Jackson being suspected of gaining illegal entrance into the
   United Kingdom has started to develop in April 2007.

Production

Broadcast format

   Between 9 December 1960 and 3 March 1961, Coronation Street was
   broadcast twice weekly, on Monday and Friday. During this period, the
   Friday episode was broadcast live, with the Monday episode being
   pre-recorded 15 minutes later. When the programme went fully networked
   on 3 March 1961, broadcast days changed to Monday and Wednesday. The
   last regular episode to be shown live aired on 3 February 1961. From
   episode one until 19 November 1969, the programme was broadcast in
   black and white. Broadcast switched to colour from 24 November 1969,
   but in October 1970 a technician's strike at a film developing company
   affected the entire ITV network and virtually all the programming on
   ITV had to return to using black and white, including Coronation
   Street. The strike was resolved in early 1971 and the last black and
   white episode aired on 8 February 1971.

Theme music

   The show's theme music, a solo cornet piece, with clarinet and double
   bass accompaniment, reminiscent of northern band music, was written by
   Eric Spear and has been only slightly modified since its debut.

   Click the link for a downloadable version of the current Coronation
   Street opening titles .

Sets

   As befitting the soap-opera genre, Coronation Street is made up of
   individual housing units, plus communal areas; a newsagent's (The
   Kabin), a small café (Roy's Rolls), a general grocery shop (D&S
   Alahan's), a factory (Underworld), a butchers (Elliott and Son), a
   garage (Webster's Autocentre), a hair salon (Audrey's), a fast food
   take away (Jerry's), a fish and chip shop ~(Wong's) and a public house,
   the Rovers Return Inn, which is the main meeting place for characters
   on the programme.

   From 1960-1968, all interactions on the 'outside' street were filmed on
   a sound stage, with the houses reduced in scale by 3/4 and constructed
   from wood. In 1968, Granada built an outside set which was not all that
   different from the interior version previously used, with the wooden
   façades from the studio simply being erected on the new site.

   In 1982, a full-size exterior street was built in the Granada backlot,
   constructed from reclaimed Salford brick. The set was updated in 1989,
   with the construction of a new factory, two shop units and three modern
   semi-detached houses on the south side of Coronation Street.

   Between 1989 and 1999, the Granada Studios Tour allowed members of the
   public the opportunity to visit the set. The exterior set was extended
   and updated in 1999, to include Rosamund Street, Victoria Street and a
   new viaduct on Rosamund Street. The majority of interior scenes are
   shot in the adjoining purpose-built studio.

Scheduling

United Kingdom

   For 47 years, Coronation Street has remained at the centre of ITV1's
   prime time schedule. The programme is currently shown in five episodes,
   over four evenings a week on ITV1.

   From 9 December 1960 until 27 February 1961, the programme was shown in
   two episodes broadcast Monday and Friday at 19.00. Schedules were
   changed and from 3 March 1961 until 18 October 1989, the programme was
   shown in two episodes broadcast Monday and Wednesday at 19.30. The
   third weekly episode was introduced on 20 October 1989, broadcast
   Friday at 19.30. 1996 saw the introduction of the fourth weekly
   episode, broadcast Sunday at 19.30. The second Monday episode was
   introduced in 2002 and was broadcast at 20.30 to usher in the return of
   Bet Lynch. The Monday 20.30 episode was used intermittently during the
   popular Richard Hillman story line but has become fully-scheduled since
   2003. Additional episodes have been aired during the weekly schedule of
   ITV1 at certain times, notably in 2004 when, between 22 November and 26
   November, eight episodes were shown.

   Classic episodes were shown on Granada Plus throughout its life. On the
   channel's launch in 1996, episodes were shown starting from April 1976.
   By the time the channel closed in November 2004, they were broadcasting
   episodes from January 1994.

Overseas

   Coronation Street is also shown in many countries worldwide, being the
   centre of the TV schedule in Ireland where the programme is aired on
   independent television station, TV3 Ireland, which broadcasts the show
   in the same slot as ITV1.

   In Canada, episodes of Coronation Street air on CBC Television. As of
   2007, episodes appear on CBC about eight-and-a-half months after their
   UK air date. It moved from a daytime slot on CBC to prime time in 2004.
   CBC Country Canada, a digital television service operated by CBC,
   broadcasts older episodes as Corrie Classics. The 2002 edition of the
   Guinness Book of Records recognizes the 1,144 episodes sold to
   CBC-owned Saskatoon, Saskatchewan TV station CBKST by Granada TV on 31
   May 1971 to be the largest number of TV shows ever purchased in one
   transaction.

   The programme started to be shown in Australia in 1963 on TCN 9 Sydney,
   GRV 9 Melbourne and NSW 9 Adelaide and by 1966 Corrie was more popular
   in Australia than in the UK. The show is currently on UK.TV, where it
   is shown in half-hour instalments, with episodes being around 18 months
   behind the UK.

   The series is also currently shown in New Zealand, on Television New
   Zealand's TV One. In New Zealand, the show consistently rates in the
   top ten programmes nationally. Hour long episodes are shown at 7.30
   p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays. "Corrie Street catchups" are often
   scheduled on Wednesdays to prevent falling further behind. Episodes are
   around eleven months behind those broadcast in the UK.

   Dutch broadcaster VARA showed 428 sub-titled episodes on Netherlands TV
   between 1967 and 1975.

   In 2006, the small network Vitaya started broadcasting Coronation
   Street for viewers in Belgium, with episodes aired roughly two years
   behind the UK. In the U.A.E., episodes of Coronation Street are aired
   two and a half weeks after their UK showing.

Spin-offs

   Granada launched one spin-off in 1965, Pardon the Expression, following
   the story of clothing store manager Leonard Swindley ( Arthur Lowe)
   after he left Weatherfield. Swindley's management experience was tested
   when he was appointed assistant manager at a fictional department
   store, Dobson and Hawks. Granada produced two series of the spin-off,
   which ended in 1966.

   In 1968, Arthur Lowe returned as Leonard Swindley in Turn Out The
   Lights, a sequel to Pardon the Expression. It ran for just six episodes
   before it was cancelled.

   In 1999, six special episodes of Coronation Street were produced,
   following the story of Steve McDonald, Vicky McDonald, Bet Gilroy and
   Reg Holdsworth in Brighton. This spin-off was subtitled The Rover
   Returns and released on VHS tape.
   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coronation_Street"
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