Episode 1 (Coronation Street)

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"Episode 1"
Coronation Street episode
Episode no.Series 1
Episode 1
Directed by Derek Bennett
Written by Tony Warren
Produced by Stuart Latham
Featured music Eric Spear
Original air date9 December 1960 (1960-12-09)
Running time25:09 minutes
Episode chronology
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"Episode 2"
List of episodes

"Episode 1", the first episode of the British television soap opera Coronation Street , was broadcast live on ITV on 9 December 1960, and was broadcast in black-and-white. Episode 2 was video taped shortly after the airing.

Contents

Plot

The series first introduces Florrie Lindley (Betty Alberge), who has bought up the local Corner Shop from Elsie Lappin (Maudie Edwards), who has now retired after working there for many years. Elsie stays on in order to show Florrie the ropes; warning her about some of the residents on the Street.

At No. 11, Elsie Tanner (Pat Phoenix) berates her 18-year-old son Dennis (Philip Lowrie), who has recently been released from prison. She wants him to find work, which is not easy for him because of his criminal record, but she accuses him of not trying hard enough. Because he went to prison for theft, she also accuses him of stealing two shillings from her purse, which he denies. Elsie tells Dennis that she wishes they were more like the Barlow family, who apparently do not argue all the time.

At No. 3, 21-year-old student Ken Barlow (William Roache) is eating dinner with his parents, Frank (Frank Pemberton) and Ida (Noel Dyson). Frank starts accusing Ken of being too snobbish and being embarrassed by his working class family, but Ken defends himself, and Ida tries to keep the peace. Ken states that he is taking his middle class girlfriend, Susan Cunningham (Patricia Shakesby), to the Imperial Hotel, which Frank angrily forbids, as Ida works as a cleaner in the kitchens there and he does not like the thought of Ken spending money in the same establishment where his mother works hard to earn it. Ken's younger brother David (Alan Rothwell) arrives home from work and tells his father that his bicycle has got a puncture, which Frank is more than happy to repair. David sits at the table and asks Ken what is wrong and Ken tells him about the argument between him and Frank, which David is not surprised about. The two brothers seem to get on fine despite their differences.

Ken heads to The Rovers Return Inn, run by Annie Walker (Doris Speed). Ken orders cigarettes, while Dennis enters and orders a half pint of mild. Annie seems to approve of Ken more than Dennis. Dennis begins to wind up Ken about him being smart and being at university. When Dennis cannot afford cigarettes because of his drink, Ken gives him a pack. Annie disapproves of this, telling Ken not to waste his sympathy on Dennis, and that it is Elsie she feels sorry for.

Meanwhile, Elsie's daughter Linda Cheveski (Anne Cunningham) comes to visit Elsie. She reveals she was the one who took the two shillings from Elsie’s purse and also informs her that she has separated from her husband Ivan (Ernst Walder) and is planning a divorce, but refuses to explain why. Elsie decides to let Linda stay at No. 11. At the Corner Shop, Florrie serves her first customer, Ena Sharples (Violet Carson), the live-in caretaker of the nearby Glad Tidings Mission Hall, who fiercely questions her about her background and religious values. Ken goes to Number 1 to visit his friend, pensioner Albert Tatlock (Jack Howarth). Ida comes to inform Ken that Susan has arrived at No. 3. They go home, where Ken is relieved to find out that Susan likes his family.

Characters and cast

Subsequent showings

The episode is often aired when the soap reaches an important milestone in its history. In this regard it was broadcast in December 1990 when the soap reached its 30th anniversary. The first episode was shown again at 7:00pm on 9 December 2000 on the evening of the show's 40th anniversary, on the evening on the 50th anniversary celebrations on 6 December 2010, [1] then once again on ITV3 in the week of the programme's 60th anniversary celebrations on 7 December 2020. [2] The episode is available commercially via digital download from iTunes and DVD. The complete first seven episodes, all from 1960 including a bonus 1961 episode, as only seven episodes were aired in the debut year, is also available on Region 2 DVD, included in Network's Coronation Street: The Best of 1960–1969, a 10 disc box set released on 31 July 2006 and subsequently reissued on 5 September 2011. [3]

The episode was also included on the 50th Golden Anniversary DVD boxset by ITV Studios Global Entertainment included with other episodes and specials. These include Corrie Controversies, The Stars Of Coronation Street; 50 Years, 50 Classic Characters; The First Colour Episode and the 40th anniversary live episode from 2000. [4]

Related Research Articles

<i>Coronation Street</i> British soap opera

Coronation Street is a British television soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 9 December 1960. The programme centres on a cobbled, terraced street in the fictional Weatherfield, a town based on inner-city Salford, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Barlow</span> Fictional character from Coronation Street

Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of Coronation Street's original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anniversary onscreen. He debuted in the soap's first episode on 9 December 1960. Having appeared in the role continuously since that date, Roache is the longest-serving actor in a televised soap opera, and was honoured at the 2010 Guinness World Records ceremony for the achievement, having surpassed actor Don Hastings from the American soap opera As the World Turns, who previously held this title. Roache stated in 2010 that he had no plans to leave the role and would remain in Coronation Street for as long as the producers would have him. In November 2020, Roache was again presented with the Guinness World Record for the longest serving TV soap star in the world for his six decades in Coronation Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Deirdre Barlow</span> Fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street

Deirdre Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Anne Kirkbride. She made her first screen appearance during the episode broadcast on 20 November 1972. Her final appearance was on 8 October 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elsie Tanner</span> Fictional Coronation Street character

Elsie Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was one of the original core characters on Coronation Street and appeared in the first episode. She is considered to be an icon in soap history and regarded as one of the greatest ever characters to appear in Coronation Street.

Ida Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Noel Dyson between 1960 and 1961.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dennis Tanner</span> Fictional character from British soap Coronation Street

Dennis Tanner is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by Philip Lowrie. The character was created by writer Tony Warren and was introduced in the first episode on 9 December 1960. Lowrie remained in the role for just over a year before being written out unexpectedly in 1962 when a strike by the actor's union Equity prevented new contracts being signed. Although the strike ended a few months later, Lowrie chose not to return until a year later. After a further five years, Lowrie became frustrated with the material his character was getting and chose not to renew his contract. Dennis departed Coronation Street on 12 June 1968, shortly after marrying girlfriend Jenny Sutton.

Betty Alberge was an English theatre, radio and television actress, with an extensive career which ran from the late 1930s to the 1980s. She was best known for her roles as Florrie Lindley in Coronation Street, in which she appeared between 1960 and 1965, and as Edna Cross in Brookside between 1983 and 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Appleby</span> Fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street

Christine Appleby is a fictional character from the British soap opera Coronation Street. She was played by Christine Hargreaves between 1960 and 1963.

The Road to Coronation Street is a 2010 British drama first broadcast on BBC Four. It is a dramatisation of the creation of Coronation Street, the UK's longest-running television soap opera, from conception to its first transmission in December 1960. Set mainly at Granada Studios, Manchester in 1960, the 75-minute-long programme follows the true story of Tony Warren, a struggling scriptwriter who creates a vision of a television programme depicting normal life in a Salford street of terraced houses. The production first aired in October 2010, and was one of several programmes celebrating the 50th anniversary of Coronation Street that year.

Anne Margaret Cunningham is an English actress, best known for her role as an original cast member of Coronation Street, in which she played Linda Cheveski, daughter of Elsie Tanner.

References

  1. Kilkelly, Daniel (16 November 2010). "Confirmed: Corrie's 50th week schedule". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  2. "ITV3 TV listings 7 December 2020 - 11 December 2020". TVGuide.co.uk . 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  3. "Coronation Street: Best of 1960-1969 DVD". Amazon UK. 5 September 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
  4. "Coronation Street: - Golden Anniversary Collection [2010]". Amazon UK. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2017.