Soapworld Newswrap: Emmerdale Coronation Street Brookside and EastEnders
The latest stories from the world of UK soap opera.
The latest including, an old face returns to Coronation Street while another is to say goodbye, a Brookside sign is up for grabs and the fictional E20 postcode of Walford is no longer confined to just EastEnders while Emmerdale proves a ratings hit with its Monday hour-long outing.
Coronation Street sees a farewell and a ‘ooh hello’
ITV have revealed that love rat Lewis Archer is set to return to Weatherfield next year. Actor Nigel Havers will reprise the role which saw him leave Audrey Robert’s heartbroken, after he almost stole £100,000 from her and managed to scam the bookies – getting caught on CCTV kissing Deirdre in the process.
“Audrey was devastated by his betrayal, but found he had not taken her money. Instead he left a photograph of them together with the words “I tried” written on the back, before he fled.” ITV say.
Its unclear whether Lewis will be welcomed back with open arms, but Weatherfield is very forgiving when it comes to welcoming back criminals and love rats.
The sad news this week from Corrie is that poor old Great Dane Schmeichel is to be killed-off after eight years. A campaign has been set up to save the dog, however ITV Granada note, “Great Danes do not live forever”.
The dog is owned by teenager Chesney – actor Sam Aston – who will its believed have to make the difficult decision to have his pet put down when old age catches up with him.
E20 is now a reality
For 25 years its been the fictional postcode for the equally fictional town of Walford in EastEnders, but now E20 is a reality. However, you’ll be hard pushed to find a grubby laundrette, indestructible Queen Victoria pub or a catfight in Albert Square.
The real E20 is home to what has been described as the largest shopping complex within a city centre. Covering seven miles the Westfield Stratford City is in the heart of the East End of London. Housing, over three floors, a cinema, 300 shops and 70 restaurants it might just be enough to get Pat Evans reaching for her credit card.
Brookside Sign For Sale
Now its not from the series itself, but it has become an iconic symbol of the show in recent times featuring in numerous articles and features about the Brookside DVD campaign.
The one-off sign was specially made to promote the Bring Back Brookside campaign in 2007 and has even been fixed to the original signposts for a photoshoot. Find out more about it over on that popular auction site here
Soap News In Brief:
- Craig Charles had thanked his Coronation Street bosses for allowing him to have time off to film a new series of Red Dwarf. See ITV executives can be nice you know.
- Emmerdale’s ratings for its hour-long episode on Monday night saw the Yorkshire serial reach impressive figures. Emmerdale averaged 7 million viewers followed by Coronation Street with 7.2 million at 9pm. The over all top soap was BBC One’s EastEnders with 7.6 million. You lot, you just love misery don’t you?
- Corrie bosses are apparently facing mutiny after production crew vented their anger about working unsociable hours. One former actor said recently that the ITV Granada studios were “like a factory” and the cast and crew “couldn’t wait to go home each day”.
- EastEnders actress Jessie Wallace has reportedly ordered her ex-fiance Vince Morse to move out of their home following Wallace cancelling their wedding for reasons that are somewhat like an EastEnders plot. Either way Wallace has had plenty of practice at shouting…
- Kym Marsh is ready to return to the cobbles of Coronation Street after her maternity leave. You have been warned. Sky+’s pause and then fast forward has its uses.
- EastEnders is set to give us another love triangle. “Whitney’s had an awful year and a new romance is just what she needs to help her move on” a ‘source’ told The Sun newspaper. A happy storyline in modern-day EastEnders, how very rare.
- Kate Ford has admitted that she suffers from panic attacks. The Corrie actress plays Tracey, the big-grinning panto criminal, in the saga.
Musical Interlude for former Brookside actor
The war poet, Wilfred Owen, is to be transformed into a musical by what may be seen as an unexpected director. Radio presenter and former Brookside actor Dean Sullivan is to oversee the venture entitled Bullets and Daffodils.
Wirral songwriter Dean Johnson has written the musical and it is to get its first outing in October. Wilfred Owen was born in the North Midlands however spent much of his childhood in Birkenhead. He died aged only 25 while in France during World War I.
Dean Sullivan told the Liverpool Daily Post, “Locally, Wilfred Owen is so important and I was looking at how to present him in a more mainstream way, with the story of his poetry in a more entertaining context.”
ITV Granada starts work on ‘new’ Coronation Street backlot
Coronation Street actor William Roache, the longest serving actor on the 50-year-old saga, was on hand yesterday to see the foundations being dug for what will become the new home of Weatherfield.
Roache, joined by fellow co-star Michelle Keegan, made a ceremonial hole in the ground with a shovel to mark the start of the new era of the Salford set saga.
Kevin Lygo, managing director of ITV Studios, told Place North West: “Our move to Media City UK is an historic one that will continue our commitment to the North, ensuring our longevity as the major programme maker in the region and make us a crucial part of Europe’s biggest media population. It is a very exciting time.”
The new home of Coronation Street will occupy land next to a waterway canal and shall back onto the Imperial War Museum North in Trafford. A bridge will link to the main Media City UK campus, where ITV Granada will be based across a 7.7 acre site.
