Corrie's 10,000th episode was a perfect and moving love letter to British soap
When I heard that Coronation Street planned to mark its 10,000th episode with a nostalgic trip down memory lane and a nod to its own past, it seemed the right angle to aim for but I did approach the concept in writing with some cautious trepidation.
There are many who say the good old days of soap are gone – and, yes, it’s very true to say that the landscape has changed dramatically from the tone, pace and feeling of episodes from the 1960s and 1970s.
Because time has moved on and fanbases have grown up and been born since, Coronation Street as a British institution has had to evolve with the time, while doing its best to stay true to its own identity. No easy task, particularly when the longest term fans long for the slanging matches between Annie Walker and Ena Sharples and the banter between Jack and Vera Duckworth.
It is a feeling tinged with a heavy sadness that those days are gone – but such a feeling comes with all rose tinted nostalgia. The fact is, that if Corrie aired episodes like it did in the ’60s, they would be slammed and viewers would turn off. It’s not just the episodes themselves that bring the nostalgic adoration but also the era and the feelings of days gone by and the personal attachment different generations have to shows.
So in order to take that loving look back, Corrie had a challenge on its hands. It had to stay true to its current form otherwise it would be gimmicky and stand out like a sore thumb. It had to find a way to bring various generations together without being overly contrived. It had to reference the past without it seeming forced while also not forgetting there are current storylines ongoing that can’t just be suspended – such as Yasmeen’s abuse at the hands of Geoff and Sally’s marital troubles with Tim.
Did the episode get it right? It was an almost impossibly fine line to hit, but I am a happy Corrie fan writing this as it ticked every box for me and reminded me that soap can still have that warm, community, cosy feel but exist in a modern era. Thus, tonight’s Coronation Street – an episode with 9,999 before it and with 60 years under its belt – proved it’s still relevant, still funny, still warm, still for everyone and still very, very Corrie.
The only downside is how do they follow that? They have set a high bar for themselves and it would be impossible in the fast paced nature of the industry where six episodes need written and filmed and ratings need to be pulled in with event television to compete with Netflix, to have episodes packed with the same kind of nostalgia and slowness as tonight’s.
However, I do hope that at least some of it is a sign of things to come – it almost seemed like Corrie wasn’t just writing a beautiful love letter to itself and the genre it created in the UK but also serving itself a reminder of some things that had maybe been forgotten about..
Sean pointing out that he barely heard from Eileen and never sees Todd or Jason when they previously were basically a family was a moment that hammered this home for both the fans and the show – and almost seemed to have the show assuring us that it was aware that fans do look out for this continuity.
I hope, for example, that seeing the friendship between Gail and Sally reignited as if it had never waned is not just a one off – I have long clamoured to have this double act back together.
At the heart of the episode was fun and friendship; a group of people bonding, occasionally bickering but understanding one anothers’ regrets and differences. From the classic generation gap of which era of people had it hardest came a spat between Evelyn and Nina which then touchingly culminated in Evelyn offering to fix an outfit she couldn’t get her head around with her needle and thread. And Nina accepting it.
There was ample time for conversation and an exchange between Audrey, Ken and Rita about loves of their lives was welcome. Seeing Carla step up as one of the matriarchs of current and future Corrie as she gave Nina a dressing down and reminding us of names like Elsie and Bet which were mentioned and watching Rita hand over Elsie’s ring to Amy, the next generation, proved that this episode was not about being wistful and saying ‘Corrie is not like this anymore’.
On the contrary, it was saying: ‘Yes, we have changed, but our heart is still here and if we keep passing it on through generations of characters and stay true, this soap will outlive us all.’
And I truly believe that it will. It’s odd to think that there will come a time in my life that I will watch my last ever episode of Coronation Street and not know what happens next. But with laughter, tears, nostalgia, love and friendship at the heart of its 10,000th episode there is absolutely no reason why Corrie won’t remain an institution and be celebrating its 20,000th and 30,000th episodes someday.
I loved that they didn’t get to Blackpool – I was in it for the dialogue and the moments between characters of reflection, emotion and laughter. The nods to the lost faces of Corrie greats who make up the fabric of what the show remains.
And the sense that episode 10,0002 is no less important. It might be a different tone, but Corrie lives on and more legends will come and go.
It’s nice now and again to take a step back and enjoy everything that makes Corrie magical yet dramatic in one hour of escapism but the real comfort comes from knowing that Coronation Street as an institution, no matter who runs it, no matter who is in it and no matter who commissions it or critiques it, knows what it is and will always be a constant in our British lives.
And with lines like the below, that is one heck of a treat!
The best lines from Corrie’s 10,000th episode
Jenny: (holding Dennis’ urn) What, he’s dead?
Rita: Well they’d have a heck of a time getting him in there if he weren’t.
*
Gail, dressed in black: Why is it that only me and Roy’s friend have made an effort for the occasion?
Nina: …I always dress like this.
*
Yasmeen: Will you stop going on about that box?
Mary, affronted: Debbie McGee wouldn’t have got very far with an attitude like that.
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Rita to Audrey: I think you’ve had a drop too much, lady.
*
Ken: Dennis saw so much of the world…
Rita: He slept with half of it.
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Eileen about Des the bus driver needing to pee: He needs his prostate checking.
Yasmeen: Don’t look at me!
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Tim, on loudspeaker: I want to speak to me wife!
Eileen: Which one!?
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Gail, after Des has a heart attack: I have a rudimentary sense of first aid, I’ve watched every box set of ER. Twice.
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(Seeing Rita getting emotional) Jenny: Well, you did have your husband turn up unexpectedly in an urn.
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Amy: Worst. Birthday. Ever.
Emma: I know we didn’t make it to Blackpool – but we did get to see some lovely laybys.
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Rita: Annie. Elsie. Bet. Jack and Vera. Betty. They’re all gone. But they all left a little something. It’s in these walls, the fabric of this place’.
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