Who Won Christmas and New Year?

4^th Coronation Street

Billy provided the entertainment for the Street on Christmas Day!

I’m ranking Corrie last because although Corrie had some great bits this Christmas and New Year and I loved the focus on it being about family and community, it didn’t pack all that much punch. I found myself getting distracted while I was watching. I loved Billy playing the piano on the Street while people gathered around. I loved the Barlows and the Platts unable to get along. A real highlight was Tyrone and Phill fighting in their rubber gloves, although I find it reprehensible that Fiz wants to sell Jack and Vera’s house. Although, to be fair, if Tyrone hadn’t had some kind of early midlife crisis and gone off with Alina…

And what on earth was George thinking when he bought a coffin for Eileen?! Merry Christmas! Let’s plan your death!

Abi and Kelly’s scenes were heartbreaking and I was shocked by the revelation that it was Abi that Imran had a one night stand with. I just hope that this doesn’t break her and Kevin up. He has stood by her through everything and forgiven so much.

And I don’t know about anyone else but I am already sick of Adam’s lothario storylines. He’s either having an affair or a one night stand or he’s suffering the effects of having had one. And subsequently, he and Sarah are always arguing. They never give him a different storyline. It’s so boring.

3^rd Hollyoaks

Luke left a beautiful message for Cindy for Christmas…

I felt genuinely emotional as I watched Cindy desperately try to create the perfect Christmas for her and Luke and their family. But everything went wrong. Ollie got caught up with Becky and her bonkers conspiracy theories and Luke was so poorly and forgetful that everything fell apart. And then the next day, he completely forgot the big argument they had and was so lovely to her; he thought they’d had a lovely Christmas. I also loved the video he had made for her during a more lucid moment. She came to realise that no Christmas could ever be perfect. It’s too late and this is how they live now. It was really sad.

Ella had big news and revealed to Charlie and the rest of the family that she is pregnant! It was fairly obvious that this is where the story was going as they made such a big deal of their first time and they had that pregnancy scare before. It would be interesting if they hadn’t done exactly the same story with Tom and Peri. However, I am curious to know how they will write Sarah Jayne Dunn out when her on screen daughter has such a big story on her hands…

It is always nice to see the McQueens taking centre stage and this Christmas saw Mercedes and Sylver return with Bobby after their trip away to try and rebuild their marriage. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to Mercedes, Sylver is planning to leave and move away, unable to forgive his wife for her infidelity.

Maxine went all out to keep Trish in the Village (why she wants to, I have no idea – she’s never anything but horrible to her!) New Year seemed the appropriate time to reveal that newcomer, Dave (Emmerdale’s killer Cameron who dated Debbie Dingle played by Charley Webb who is the real-life sister of Jamie Lomas who plays Warren Fox, just for a bit of trivia), who is already aware but has 0% interest in getting to know his daughter and disrupting his already complicated family set-up. Charming.

So, although I wouldn’t exactly call any of these episodes ‘Christmas specials’, Hollyoaks also doesn’t dominate any prime time viewing over the Christmas period. It did have some good stories and Cindy and Luke’s story really did get to me.

2^nd Eastenders

Gray was determined that the wedding would go ahead…

I was desperately looking forward to the Christmas and New Year episodes of Eastenders; they had promised so very much, what with Gray’s crimes and Rocky’s identity being uncovered and an explosive hate crime at the clock struck 2022.

Unfortunately, they delivered very little. The Christmas Day episode just never really got going. It was over before anything really happened. The Boxing Day episode was incredible though. It was almost as if they were behind schedule or something considering the difference in the quality between the episodes. And it was a real shame as the episodes leading up to Christmas too were so good! I was hooked all week long and so disappointed on Christmas Day. And I promise I am not going to sit here and complain that an evil, far right gang failed to blow up a building intended to be a mosque. Obviously. But again, the discussions regarding New Year were that everyone would be struggling after the traumatic events of New Year. And nothing actually happened at New Year. That was the big story. So, although I am very glad that the explosion did not take place, it still adds to the general feeling of overpromising and underdelivering.

As for storylines, Zaarah Abraham absolutely knocked it out of park and Toby-Alexander Smith was terrifying! I could have throttled Mitch for bringing Chelsea back to the Square, no questions asked. And I feel it’s a real plot hole that he has some kind of forgiveness amnesia when it comes to Gray. It was only last year that he suspected Gray of foul play with Chantelle himself. So, if a woman is clearly frightened of her husband and is fleeing the day after her wedding, wouldn’t you at least ask why?

I was glad that the truth finally came out about Rocky, although I like him so much that I still hope there will be away forward for him and Sonia. She wants a Dad and he wants a daughter – little knowing he does actually have one in Dotty! I feel stupid not to have seen that coming. Also, are we about to see him and Shirley get together?! It would be nice if Shirley met someone. She always seems to be on the romantic sidelines.

I was really happy to see Mick knock Janine back when he found her in his bed. However, it was disappointing to see that that wasn’t the end of it. Although it was wonderful to see Kellie Bright back on screen, albeit briefly, we should have known that Janine would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Unfortunately, despite how brilliant the scenes between Janine and Linda were, this plot, again, has so many flaws.

Linda has met Janine before, right at the beginning of the Carters’ time in Albert Square and Janine is not exactly the kind of person you forget.
The implication was that Janine persuaded Linda into drinking that first time but when Nancy and Zack went to see her, she implied that she’d been back on the booze for a while, so which is it? If it was the first time with Janine, she sure spiralled very quickly!
After finding out that Janine had been to visit Linda, why wasn’t Mick even more suspicious of the situation?
After finding out that Linda was drinking again, why wouldn’t Mick at least try to work things out and go and see Linda?
Why would Mick have left it so long to communicate with Linda anyway? They share a young son! How would it have even got to this stage?

And with the news at the weekend that Danny Dyer has quit the show… who on earth knows what will happen with Mick and his clan this year?!

And speaking of plot holes – as if Mr Lister wouldn’t know who Stacey was?! She has had a stall on the market for years! Come on!

1^st Emmerdale

Manpreet would live to regret uncovering Meena’s secret… she hoped!

I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of the Christmas and New Year Emmerdale episodes. Every episode so was well done and so full of drama.

First there was devious Al blowing up the pub. I can’t stand Al at the best of times but honestly, how dare he?! Doesn’t he know how iconic that place is?! What an awful man! And I certainly wasn’t expecting Meena and Manpreet, in the middle of a completely separate plot, to get caught up in the blast!

I have read and heard a lot of criticism for the Meena story; people feeling like it is dragging on too long and is becoming over the top. But I completely disagree. The whole idea is that this woman is a psychopath and lacks any kind of empathy. I’ve found it really compelling to see her pushed into a situation where the one person in the world that she genuinely does care for, has discovered her secret. We saw her by Manpreet’s bedside in the hospital, willing her to die so she didn’t have to kill her. And normally, she would have revelled in murdering somebody and she would have done it immediately. But instead, Manpreet has ended up being held hostage in the house while Meena has been going quietly (or loudly) mad, realising that she has to kill her. I am honestly going to be devastated when Meena is caught or killed or vanishes into the distance; however, this story turns out. For a serial killer, she sure has injected a lot of life into the Dales.

Finally, my Vanessa returned to the Village! I have been so very desperate for her to come home! It has been forever! She returned just as Mack and Charity were confessing their love (yuck) – Mack because he means it and Charity because she wanted to mean it. Within about an hour, it was quite clear that Charity had lost all interest in Mack and was desperate to be with Vanessa again. I mean, she’s going to have to work harder than that but I have high hopes for them for 2022. I was a little thrown by Vanessa having a girlfriend but then it turned out that she was the woman that Nate cheated on poor Tracy with so that solved that issue…

Meanwhile, Ellis abandoned Belle and little Kyle out in the woods, accidentally taking the car keys with him when Priya called him for help. Staying out all night, the pair ended up in hospital with hypothermia. When Priya then rejected Ellis’s assistance, why he decided to get drunk with his Dad instead of going back to Belle and Kyle (or you know, look in his pocket and discover the car keys he accidentally took with him?!), I will never know. But Cain was very soon out for revenge…

So, yes, I absolutely loved Emmerdale over this holiday season. In 2021 and into 2022, it has gone from being probably my least favourite soap to one of my most favourites, if not my favourite. I love it. The writing, the storylining and the performance are all amazing and everyone should be very proud.

Multiple Shades of Gray

I am so intrigued by the story we are venturing down with Gray, Chelsea and Whitney in Eastenders. I think this is one of the cleverest and most intricately written stories we have seen in such a long time.

There was a lot more to Gray and Chantelle’s relationship than people knew…
(Metro)

We first met Gray when he was married to Chantelle. They were presented as the perfect couple. They were beautiful and successful, they’d bought the fanciest house on the Square, they had their gorgeous children; everything was presented as the couple intended people to see them as. After a while, I realised that we only ever saw them outside of their beautiful house and that that must have been done on purpose – so what was happening inside the house? Gray was giving off uncomfortable vibes. And sure enough, one day we witnessed the violence and it was clear that this was not the first time he had harmed his wife.

As viewers, we then experienced Chantelle’s heartbreaking life as she tried to keep her family together and protect her children from the hell she was living through with her husband’s violent rages. It was clear she loved him and there were so many desperate episodes where I shouted at the screen, begging her to tell her Mum, Karen, what was happening to her.

Chantelle died at her violent husband’s hands – with the help of the dishwasher…
(Entertainment Daily)

Eventually, she connected with neighbour, Kheerat, who fell in love with her and she decided that it was time to leave Gray and take her kids to start a new life. I remember those awful (but brilliant) episodes where she was so close to telling her Dad, Mitch and if only she had, things might have turned out differently. But instead, before she could leave Gray for good, he killed her. And now, all these months later, her parents still don’t know the truth of what happened and still believe their daughter’s widower is a good and grieving man. They also have no idea he has killed two more people since then! (RIP Tina and Kush.)

I thought it was really brave of Eastenders to take the story in this direction and I don’t think anyone was expecting it. Off the top of my head, I cannot think of any domestic abuse storyline that has ended in the death of the victim; it’s always been about surviving. In fact, it’s usually the abuser that ends up dead (such as being buried under the patio). But with domestic homicides on the increase, this storyline has played a brave and important role in social consciousness. While Coronation Street is doing a great job of showing Yasmeen, a woman who will forever be haunted by her experiences of living under the coercive control of her abusive husband (who incidentally died by falling off a roof), Eastenders has shown the other side: not surviving at all. Both stories have been devastating in different ways.

Gray and Whitney began to grow closer…
(Metro)

Another interesting aspect of Gray’s story is the obvious assumption that he would then get together with Whitney not taking place. For starters, she is Eastenders’ constant victim (Tony King, Leo King etc.) Gray fixated on her very quickly – he even killed Kush to stop them from leaving together (and murdered poor Tina because she worked out the truth about Chantelle)! He ruined Whitney’s chance of working on the cruise ship, which was very cruel. He worked very hard to manipulate her into a relationship with him too.

However, the moment she saw that flash of his anger, the hateful way he spoke to her when he found out that she already knew about Chelsea’s pregnancy and accompanied her to the clinic, she walked out on him. I was certain that it was already too late for poor Whitney and she was already too drawn in by Gray but really, I should have known that he’d shown his cards too early. I was so very proud of our Whit for halting things and knowing that this was a road she did not want to go down.

Gray proposed after discovering that Chelsea was pregnant
(Metro)

My last comments, regard Chelsea. Her relationship with Gray has been so interesting from the start. I wasn’t a massive Chelsea fan to begin with. To be honest, she was very annoying when she first returned to the Square! I find her shallowness quite grating and that whole drugs story was beyond tedious. However, now all that nonsense with Lucas and the drugs are over, her character has massively improved and putting her together with Gray was a stroke of genius. She has certainly kept him on his toes so far – spending his money and retaining a lot of the power between them. However, that power is clearly waning. We can see this with that way that he moved her in without even telling her and went over her head and told the children about the baby when she wasn’t ready.

One of the really interesting things to watch here, I think is that Gray and Chantelle came to the Square as a ready-made couple. We don’t know how things began between them, how this beautiful, strong woman, who was raised by a powerhouse of a mother ended up in such a terrible situation. We have also only recently gained any insight into Gray’s upbringing. Although he has told people that his father was a deadbeat Dad who abandoned the family, we now know that it was a lot more complicated than that – Gray was clearly a violent young man. It sounds like he harmed his mother and frightened his father. So it will be very interesting to see Gray, who is hiding many secrets – including three murders and has just had the loss of his job uncovered – get together with pregnant Chelsea. He is already beginning to take control of their relationship and she is already starting to feel vulnerable. Will Chelsea’s pregnancy protect her from violence? That was a tactic Chantelle used at one time when she was frightened of her husband.

Rumour has it that over Christmas, when Gray and Chelsea are due to wed, Whitney will uncover a lot more regarding Gray’s crimes so will everything come to a head at last? And will everyone come out alive? I for one, will be absolutely gripped. I absolutely love these characters, this story and the writing. And the actors have all been incredible from the start.

Heartbreaker!

Little Sam in Coronation Street is one of the cutest, loveliest characters. Jude Riordan, who plays him is a real talent and he should be so proud of himself for everything he has achieved so far. He reminds me of how we all felt about Alex Bain (Simon Barlow) and Sam Aston (Chesney Brown) when they were child stars. Watching Corrie, we have watched them grow and develop into talented young men who have continued to shine throughout.

From his first scene as Sam, Jude absolutely stole my heart! Sam is so clever and so charming. He is absolutely adorable and undoubtedly steals the limelight from all his co-stars! The gentleness with which Sam has handled Leanne after the loss of her baby boy has been heart rendering. And now we are watching a little boy grieve for the loss of his mother, his only constant for his entire life. The scenes where he and Natasha said goodbye to each other had me in tears and when Sam was worried that Nick would be left out if he wrote about it being him and Natasha against the world in her card pretty much finished me off!

Sam had to say goodbye to his mother
(Liverpool Echo)

I wonder now what will be the breaking point that will make Sam feel able to speak again. I had hoped that it would be Roy who would come through for him but alas, that was not to be. I miss his lovely voice and all the contributions to conversation he has to offer. I will watch with heartfelt eagerness to see who or what it will be that is able to connect with him and make him feel safe again. But whatever the case, lots more Sam and Jude please!

Rainbows and Affirmations

The incredible Leah Bracknell as Zoe Tate

I remember watching the soaps when I was a closeted teenager, in awe of the likes of Zoe Tate, who was such a rare gem on 90’s TV. Not only had she been out and proud since the early nineties, but her sexuality was also only part of her story. She was a powerful, even formidable character. She had money and knew how to use it. She had her own career as a vet, that she loved. She had a wicked streak. In later years, actress Leah Bracknell portrayed the most heartbreaking scenes as Zoe battled Schizophrenia. When people think back to the nineties in terms of the presence of LGBTQ characters, their minds immediately flashback to Beth Jordache and ‘that kiss’, which is of course important but Zoe came out a year before this and was the first lesbian character in a British Soap. She was also the first gay character to have a wedding/blessing, many years before Civil Partnerships or equal marriage were even dots on the horizon for any of us. I was genuinely saddened in 2019 when Leah passed away from cancer.

Flash forward to present day and this past June when many of us have been marking Pride month with such gratitude that we are here, that so many things have changed and that we have the capacity and strength to try and change the things that still need changing. I have seen so many things online that remind us of why we still need Pride so much. One of things that struck me hardest was a post about while we live in a world where kids are still sat at home believing they would be better off no longer in this world than being gay, then we still need Pride. Pride isn’t a party. Pride is a march of survival. It’s a moment in time where we embrace every single ounce of ‘different’ inside and let it sing. Even if we sing out of tune.

I’ve been that kid, sat at home, scared for my future because I didn’t fit in, because while all my friends were watching the boys on TV, I was watching the girls. And it has been a long road in terms of being and out and proud soap addict to watch these shows change their characters, their storylines and their attitudes towards their characters and their storylines over the past twenty five years or so, when I first started tuning in and I started consciously battling my sexuality.

Lindsey fell for best friend, Shelley in Brookside

I remember, back in the day, that occasionally, a soap would have two dimensional gay man in it to back up another character and have no plot of their own. They certainly wouldn’t have a love life. Then there came the phase of the scandal storylines to boost ratings, where quite frankly, the characters and the LGBTQ viewers were badly mistreated. There was the random storyline of Lindsey Corkhill falling in love with her best friend, Shelley who actually had a thing for her mother in Brookie. Then there was that time that Todd kissed Nick in Corrie purely to pull viewers in to witness a ‘shock, gay kiss’ between two attractive men. And more recently, Tracy Barlow slept with Paula for literally no reason.

Charlie and Joey had a short lived romance in Home and Away #CJ

But Willow and Alex got a happy ending! #Willex

Over in Australia, back in 2009, Home and Away’s Charlie Buckton had a dalliance with Joey Collins, which I confess I got completely sucked into. It ended when Charlie cheated on her with some bloke and Joey left, never to be seen or heard of again. Charlie (the police officer) slept with one criminal bloke after another before she got shot and died. Delightful. They did redeem themselves recently though with Willow and Alex’s relationship, which I also fell in love with – they actually got a happy ending. Off screen, of course. Well, you can’t have everything.

The landscape of how soaps have presented the LGBTQ characters and relationships have definitely changed in a positive way over the years, I think. So many of the partnerships people have grown to love and adore, have not been heterosexual ones. Once upon a time, a soap would have to handle every aspect of gay relationships with ‘sensitivity’, in case they offended the homophobes when really, people like me and fellow members of the LGBTQ community were just desperate to see ourselves and our lives (or the lives we wanted to live), validated on TV.

Lana and Sky finally got their happy ending in Neighbours

I remember back in the day when in Eastenders, Tony left Tiffany for her brother, Simon. It was a scandal, not because of the affair but because of the sexuality aspect. I remember Shannon and Mandy falling in love so subtly that you could have missed it. Neighbours attempted to have Lana and Sky get together but the homophobia was so strong, they abandoned the story. They were so proud that for their 35^th anniversary to be able to rectify this and have the girls get married. It had always felt for the show and for the actors like an unfinished storyline.

Christian and Syed lived happily ever after in Eastenders (in Birmingham, actually)

Ben and Callum are one of Eastenders’ most popular couples today #Ballum

I also remember the huge story that Eastenders took on when they got Christian and Syed together. It was amazing! Not only were they addressing Syed coming to terms with his sexuality, he also had to work out how this fitted with his religion. And despite the complaints, they became such a loved and popular couple. Since then, one of the show’s most popular couples are ‘#Ballum’ – Ben and Callum – who got together in a very similar way to Christian and Syed (an affair in the lead up to a wedding). And one of the most special moments in the show’s history was the moment that Johnny came out to his Dad, Mick and received nothing but pure love and acceptance in return – no hesitation.

Robert and Aaron were made for each other in Emmerdale #Robron

Throughout the soaps, there have been some amazingly popular couples and characters, which show the strength of writing, performance and on-screen chemistry. Who can forget Robert and Aaron – #Robron – in Emmerdale? Not my favourite, granted, but massively popular and there were a lot of devastated fans out there when Robert was sent to jail. Their counterpart, if you like, are Vanessa and Charity (who I much prefer). I am very hopeful that when Michelle Hardwick (Vanessa) returns from maternity leave, a reconciliation will be on the cards! Charity herself was initially one of those ‘ratings bisexuals’ when she had a random affair with Zoe Tate in the early noughties. So it was brilliant when they revisited this and created what has become a fantastic relationship with Vanessa. Until it all went badly wrong. Oh and let’s not forget that once upon a time, Charity’s daughter, Debbie, had a fling with best friend, Jasmine, played by Jenna Coleman. Jasmine went to prison. I don’t think she’ll be coming back…

I still believe in Charity and Vanessa! (Emmerdale) #Vanity

John Paul and Ste belong together (Hollyoaks)

One of my favourite Hollyoaks pairings is John Paul and Ste. Between them, they’ve had more relationships than hot dinners and many would say that John Paul’s true love is Craig and Ste’s true love is Brendan. But personally, I never subscribed to either of those relationships. Neither of those men ever treated John Paul or Ste very nicely. Brendan was violent and Craig dangled John Paul on a shoestring for most of their relationship. But although I have adored people like Doug and Keiron (RIP) and James and Harry (RIP) have been great players thrown into the mix, I firmly believe that Ste and John Paul belong together.

Aaron and David are the perfect couple in Neighbours

Over in Australia, Neighbours has excelled itself in waving the rainbow flag. For me, they have outshone every soap. Years ago, it dipped its toe in the water with the character of Chris and from there, more and more gay characters arrived. Now, it can celebrate one of the best partnerships the show and in fact, soap, has ever seen in David and Aaron who are not only legally married (and walked down the aisle to Kylie and Jason!) but have also been foster parents and are expecting their first child. Aaron’s sister, Chloe is also bisexual and not just telly bisexual where she’s actually straight and goes off with a girl now and again to boost ratings. Chloe is such a vibrant character and has brought so much diversity to show in terms so showing someone who can love and have relationships with people for who they are, not for what gender they are.

In more recent years, Doctors have created some great character development with Emma who now identifies as pansexual after being very surprised to find herself falling for a female friend. Since then, she has had relationships with either gender and a couple of years ago, the show had an extremely harrowing storyline where Emma and her then girlfriend, Jasmine experienced a homophobic attack. It was not dissimilar to that awful story of the girls on the bus in London a few years ago.

Neighbours has taken Pride further in recent years with the amazing trans activist, Georgie Stone, who plays Mackenzie. Following Mackenzie’s story has been so emotional and so enlightening. She has been the Hayley Cropper of the millennial generation. But joking aside, it has been incredible to watch this young person, both the actress and the character, essentially explain her journey. She has not only portrayed the character but also been involved in the writing and story lining and I have genuinely wept during parts of her tale, as she had undergone surgery and struggled with acceptance from her family.

Hayley Cropper, Coronation Street. The Original.

I remember years and years ago, attending a transgender workshop and the first thing the trainer said was that they would love to say their charity was responsible for the education regarding trans people but it was actually Coronation Street. Everyone laughed because it was funny and also because it was a little bit true. This is the far reach of soaps and also the heavy responsibility they have to make sure that as well as entertaining people, they are socially responsible. I remember when Hayley first turned up in Corrie and it was such a scandal. I was about thirteen years old and still trying to get my head around my sexuality. I had no idea about gender diversity or anything and I had never heard of being transgender before. But the idea of someone not quite fitting, not feeling like they were who or how they were meant to be, completely connected with me. And Hayley turned out to be this angel, the kindest woman to ever walk the cobbles and they put her together with Roy, the kindest man to ever walk the cobbles… Well, the magic was made.

Since then, of course, Sally has turned up in Hollyoaks and the actress who plays her helped Coronation Street create Hayley so even though Hayley is gone, it’s kind of like she lives on. So even though Corrie was extremely late in bringing in the L, the G and the B, they did lead the charge with the T, something other soaps haven’t always been that eager (or that good) at doing. Currently, it’s only Emmerdale, (alongside Neighbours)who have Matty with any trans visibility. His story is particularly special as we actually knew his character as Holly, years ago. This hasn’t been done before. What’s also been a turning point in recent years with LGBTQ characters is that most of the actors who are playing the roles are members of the LGBTQ community.

So, at the end of this June – Pride Month – I am happy to reflect on how hard our soaps have worked to become inclusive and reflect the society we do or should live in. I am happy that I have all manner of characters and pairings to discuss, enjoy and dislike amongst all the different soaps. I love that I don’t have to cling to the single character that exists in each soap just because they’re gay. Firstly, there are plenty to choose from (except in Home and Away) and secondly, they are written so well that actually, sometimes they’re just not very nice. Because not all gay people are nice! Not all gay men are camp and fluffy. And gay women come in all variations too! Imagine!

Swooning (over) Shannon in Home and Away

When I was growing up, that just wasn’t how it was. You only knew Shannon liked Mandy because she talked about her incessantly. A bit like I talked about Shannon, actually! You were lucky if Zoe could hold hands with her wife. And two guys together were a rare scandal. Now, homophobia on screen is rare and definitely dealt with. I am reminded of a scene in Eastenders where Callum’s Dad was vile to him and Ben and Phil Mitchell to stood up for them. It was such a fantastic and affirming scene.

All the while people are not safe in the world because of their gender or sexuality, there is a lot of work to do. All the while there are people who don’t feel they belong in this world because of their gender or sexuality, there is a lot of work to do. But just for a brief moment in time, it is nice to reflect on how far this small corner of our society has come, even in my lifetime. When I was a teenager, I absorbed every message that these shows delivered to me and I am overwhelmed at how the messages have changed. You couldn’t pay me any money in the world to be a kid today with social media and mobile phones constantly beeping at me and recording my ever move and mistake. But I do think the positive approach to diversity and acceptance is a special thing that I definitely didn’t have twenty (ish) years ago. Soaps are intended to reflect life. They beam their way into our homes on a daily basis and right now, I praise them for doing a good job of positively affirming us, the LGBTQ community.

Love Beyond Measure…

Although I was expecting the awful attack on Seb and Nina (the Internet and my favourite magazine, Inside Soap had prepared me); I wasn’t expecting the tragic outcome. I don’t know why but it just didn’t enter my head that it would result in death – in murder. It shocked and distressed me so much, as it should have. I was expecting it to be upsetting and then I was expecting a really interesting story about a hate crime assault. This story about a hate crime murder has been so overwhelming and I mean that in a good way.

Nina and Seb are attacked (pic from Express)

To start with, the social distancing in this story actually improved it. We were not brutalised by the violence we may have seen in non-Covid times. In fact, it was more emotional to see those poor kids on the ground, shadows towering over them and the attack left to our horrified imaginations.

And assuming that they would survive, wondering if they were drift apart or pull together, how they would cope with their injuries and face their attackers in court meant that Seb’s tragic death was all the more upsetting. I suppose the clue was that he and Nina were so deliriously happy before the attack and busy planning their future. No couple in soap are ever allowed to be that happy. It surely means one of them is about to be killed off.

I can’t confess to have been a massive Seb fan myself. I mean, he was alright. He must have been desperately in love with every single girl he ever met, including Nina. And let’s not forget Faye, Alina, Emma… But his death, especially in such a terrible way did make me shed a tear. Watching his mother fall apart has been awful, especially when she doesn’t know where to direct her anger. And seeing Nina so very shaken and blaming herself when she was the victim.

It’s also important and interesting that she and Seb really did nothing to provoke this attack. They weren’t mouthy or argumentative. They were just there. And they were running away when they were attacked. They saw the danger of the situation and they left. They didn’t want any conflict. Corey has always been an awful character, from the first moment he turned up and shared that video of Asha. What on earth she was thinking getting back with him, I have no idea but at least she can see the truth about him now.

I cannot find a single thing to criticise about this storyline. It has been written, directed and portrayed so perfectly. Everyone involved should be so proud of themselves. It has been utterly excruciating to watch but that’s the point of it. It shouldn’t be easy.

One moment that really stands out to me was when Roy put Evelyn in her place, telling her that it’s people that highlight other people’s differences that cause these kinds of attacks. Roy’s whole response to this and in fact his entire relationship with Nina is such a beautiful thing. When Hayley died, we lost something so special in their relationship, this constant reminder of love beyond measure. Coronation Street have replaced that love not with a romantic relationship but in the most ingenious way with Roy’s love for his niece. She doesn’t fit society’s ‘rules’ and she doesn’t try to. Roy sees past her ‘differences’ unblinkingly and without question. And that has never been more evident than his devotion to her now.

Let’s just take a moment to remember Roy and Hayley – may she rest in peace (pic from Daily Star)

So, well done, Corrie. You have impressed me and devastated me in equal measure and I look forward to justice being done (although I am sure it will not be straightforward).

The Soap Dish Update

At the end of next week, my soap blog (as it currently stands) will be coming to an end/pause, as it is just taking up so much time that I am not getting a chance to work on any of my other projects. I will continue to write blogs regarding various storylines but weekly reviews of episodes will cease, at least for now.

So this week as been the last review for Coronation Street, Doctors, Eastenders, Hollyoaks and Neighbours. I’m afraid I fell behind with Emmerdale quite some time ago! As this week is the last week of Home and Away in the UK for this year, I will just finish that one off and that will be my last ‘review blog’ for now.

Coronation Street: So Much For My Happy Ending

(Friday 9^th October – Friday 13^th November 2020)

Apologies, it’s been a few weeks since my last Corrie update and a fair bit has happened on the Street…

Things finally moved on with this whole Johnny and Scott storyline. I’m grateful, to be honest. That Scott is very annoying and I don’t really care about Johnny’s ‘dark past’. Anyway, Scott carried out an armed robbery on the Bistro but rather than join him, Johnny, who was suffering MS symptoms from the stress, called the police instead. Craig, who has feelings for Faye, charged in against advice and ended up getting shot but thankfully, he is alright. And Faye who has recently been dumped by Noah (who the hell is Noah?!), asked Craig out.

Craig gets caught in the crossfire…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Todd resurfaced and attempted to persuade Eileen to identify a random dead body as him to get the guy he owed money to off his back. As it turned out, the guy was someone he was having an affair with and after some aggression, fighting and waving a gun about, all it really took to sort things out was a) returning the money and b) Eileen giving the bloke a bit of counselling and he went off with his husband.

Todd was then back on the Street, eager to derail Paul and Billy’s relationship. He scored a job at the factory and generally popped up at any given moment with an opportunistic comment to either get Billy very flustered or upset Paul. I’m not happy. I cannot stand Todd. He’s horrible. And Paul and Billy have been through so much together. It’s such a shame that they are very clearly going to break up because of this.

Alya reported to Yasmeen that Abi locked Geoff in the conservatory in order to prevent him from attending Tim and Sally’s wedding. She laughed her head off! It was a lovely scene. Alya was thrilled to report back to Geoff. Imran also happened upon the possibility of charging Geoff with fraud after they discovered Yasmeen’s terrible credit score but Yasmeen unhappily admitted she probably signed for loans without knowing what they were. She then admitted the depth of the financial abuse and control she suffered.

There were definitely some teething problems when Shona moved back into the family home, as David struggled to have to look after her as if she was a child. He struggled with patience and she struggled to feel loved. This is such a sad storyline. She has to learn everything new every day, what to do, what not to do. I’m impressed that the show hasn’t miraculously cured her like soaps tend to do when they get bored of stories like these.

Gary reluctantly got involved in Ray’s plot to take over the whole Street with his building development plan. He persuaded David to sell up on the promise that he would be allowed to rent the house back. For now. It was also revealed that Debbie, who randomly turned up after lockdown and has been hanging around like a bad smell, is there for a reason – she is working with Ray. She set her sights on Sally and Tim’s house, winding Geoff up into smashing up their garden and persuading them that they shouldn’t have to live next door to such an angry man. But Ray swooped in too quickly with an offer, making Sally think she could hold out for more.

Debbie manipulated the fragile situation between Tim and Geoff
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Things got very heavy in the story surrounding little Oliver and it really is so heartbreaking. Leanne and Nick have now been torn apart, as the truth came out about his own feelings regarding whether they are doing the right thing, fighting the hospital to keep him alive. I feel ever so sorry for Nick. He never wanted to give his opinion. He only wanted to stand by Leanne and support her. And he loves Oliver like his own son. I am not sure how he and Leanne will get through this. It’s so sad after everything they have already been through.

I have to say though that Tracy has been amazing throughout this storyline. She has made her own opinion clear – she doesn’t think putting Oliver through the courts is the right thing – however, she is committed to him and to Steve and the family and she has been nothing but supportive. Even when Leanne hit on Steve, she charged over to the hospital and offered Leanne kindness, compassion and friendship. Something has really changed in Tracy over the last year and it’s for the good. She’s still witty and funny. She hasn’t lost that. But she’s developed a lot of heart. Long may it continue.

Tracy is kind to Leanne…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Simon also stepped up for Leanne, Oliver and his family, giving his testimony in court and fighting to prolong Oliver’s life and attempt to save him. But it doesn’t look likely, in my humble opinion. Oliver’s team only have their love on their side. The medical team have the medical opinions and actual evidence. As much as I want a happy ending and for that little boy to recover and live, I don’t think it’s going to happen. It’s so very sad. I am still a bit shocked that Coronation Street have gone so far with this story.

Emma made things a bit worse when she accepted stolen money from Scott after she caught him with a load of cash from the Bistro and a gun. Bless her, she used the money for Oliver’s legal fees but eventually, she had to confess and was arrested for handling stolen goods and fined.

On Friday 13^th, everyone waited with baited breath for the judge to deliver her verdict. And as expected, she sided with the hospital and the medical evidence they had provided, that it would not be possible for Oliver to recover in any way and that it would not be the right thing to continue to keep him alive. I was expecting it. I thought I was prepared for it. To be honest, I thought there was something wrong with me in that I haven’t been as affected by this story as I know others have been. But I was not prepared. I was a mess. A weeping mess.

The family wait for the verdict…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

It was just so sad, watching each of Oliver’s loved ones receive the news. Utterly heartbreaking. And then it only got worse at the hospital when Leanne took everything out on the Doctor. And then when Steve finally had to tell her the truth – they couldn’t appeal, they had to let their son go. The way Leanne broke down and begged him absolutely broke me. Jane Danson is absolutely incredible. My only criticism of this story really is that they could at least have attempted to make it look like the kid was lying in the bed during scenes!

Leanne doesn’t want to hear what Steve has to say…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

In other news:

Sean struggled to bond with his son, Dylan, during a visit. Who even remembered he had a son?!
Michael was in turmoil when Grace told him she was pregnant.
Dev and the twins made peace and he attempted to accept Corey.
Billy lost a promotion due to Paul’s drunken antics.
Adam set his sights on Alina but after advice from Carla, she backed off, not wanting to get in between Adam and Sarah.
Evelyn and Arthur split up when he revealed that he was married but that his wife was in hospital, unresponsive with brain damage after a stroke.

Coronation Street airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 7:30pm and 8:30pm

Coronation Street: A Better Generation of Metcalfe

(Friday 18^th September – Wednesday 7^th October 2020)

Abi got herself into a bit of a pickle between hiding her addiction issues from Kevin, relying a bit too heavily on Peter, getting some feelings confused, Kevin’s sister, Debbie finding out (where did she pop up from again?!), Kevin finding out that being an addict is actual quite a big deal and you don’t get your kids taken off you for no reason and then it all getting sorted out rather easily.

Actually the romantic casualty of it turned out to be Peter and Carla who have been papering over the cracks in their relationship for a long time. He has been harbouring a lot of resentment over her ‘infidelity’ for a while. Well, let’s call it what it was. Rape. And quite frankly, I thought better of Peter than that. I really do hope that they can learn to communicate better and get things back on track. How many times can these two go to hell and make it back again?

Geoff was physically prevented from going to the wedding…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Tim and Sally’s wedding was never actually cancelled so they decided to go ahead after all but failed to keep it secret from Geoff who was determined to attend, despite being specifically not invited. Good old Abi saved the day by tricking him into the conservatory and locking him in for the duration of the ceremony so he couldn’t ruin the day. As soon as he was released, he contacted the police, only for the wedding party to vouch for Abi, claiming that she attended the wedding. Craig, who was off duty for once, decided he didn’t want to know. And is this the beginning of a romance between Craig and Faye…?

Everyone vouches for Abi…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Daniel and Nicky got closer but ultimately, their relationship was doomed, which, quite frankly was a relief as the storyline was quite boring. However, Daniel did make himself an enemy of Geoff right at the end when he nabbed an opportunity to steal £5000 in cash from him. He handed the cash over to Nicky so that she and her child could go and start a new life together. Geoff caught him out when he spotted her giving some of the money back, having had no idea it was stolen and wanting him to spend it on Bertie. Once arrested, Daniel told the truth and Geoff opted not to press charges so long as he received an apology and the money back.

Michael takes drastic action to keep hold of his family…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

Fully committed to Tianna and Grace, Michael got down on one knee and proposed. He was upset when she turned him down and informed him she was already in a relationship and was moving to Spain. In a bid to stop her leaving, Michael abducted Tianna and managed to get himself arrested. At the police station, he was informed that Tianna was not his and Grace’s child. Grace is Tianna’s nanny and she has been lying to him all this time. Now, I don’t like to blow my own trumpet but it’s not often that a storyline completely flaws me. I usually have at least a hint. But I did not see this coming at all!

Grace attempted to sort things out with Michael and explain things to him, including that she lost the baby she was pregnant with when they broke up, the one he assumed was Tianna. She begged him to run off to Spain with her (there was no boyfriend and the whole plan from the beginning had been designed to hurt him, except she developed feelings from him again). Despite clearly being tempted, he did the right thing and contacted the police instead. She never got the chance to tell him she was pregnant again.

Things at the hospital became even more heartbreaking when the clinic in Germany decided that little Oliver was not a suitable candidate for treatment. With the hospital certain that their interventions would not be beneficial to his life, Leanne and Steve were determined to fight them legally to keep their son alive. Nick went along with it for the love of Leanne and of course, Oliver but Tracy could be trusted to give an honest opinion: Oliver isn’t going to get better and sadly, it isn’t in his best interests to fight the hospital’s decision.

Nick, meanwhile, had other things on his mind when he finally met Sam, the little boy he never knew he hand. And gosh, he is a cutie! When a meeting with Sam conflicted with a legal appointment for Oliver (and Nick chose Oliver), Leanne laid into Nick for being distracted. Nick finally told her the truth about Sam and she asked to meet him. She genuinely tried with the little lad but it was clear that his energy and quirkiness and ambitions for the future broke her heart in light of her own son’s tragedy. She later told Nick that she hated him (Nick, not Sam) for having everything she now she didn’t have. Heartbreaking. Utterly heartbreaking.

Nick and Leanne are at breaking point…
*(photo credit: Digital Spy)*

While the police confirmed that Kel’s death was accidental, things have become a little wobbly between Billy and Paul. This is clearly only going to get worse with the imminent return of Todd, who I presume is the person responsible for breaking into Eileen’s…

While professing to Carla that Sarah was ‘the one’, he then ended up sleeping with someone else in his office. Which Sarah overheard. Lovely.

Coronation Street airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 7:30pm and 8:30pm

Coronation Street: The Monster

(Friday 28^th August – Monday 14^th September 2020)

Things finally came crashing down around vile Geoff this past fortnight with not only him being carted off by the police but his son Tim, also has also had the scales fallen from his eyes and can finally see him for what he truly is – an abuser. It all started after yet another row between Geoff and Alya where Tim was clearly rattled by the way Alya is clearly so broken and so desperate over the way she believes Geoff has destroyed her Gran. He and Faye have both seen flickers of a different side to him and when he mentioned the cameras in the house, Sally bravely took it upon herself to steal Geoff’s laptop and even managed to wriggle out of it, despite her fear, when she got caught.

Tim was clearly uncomfortable but helped her break into the laptop and was satisfied when they uncovered nothing. However, when Fay returned and discovered what they were doing, she had a millennial’s way of examining a laptop and although Geoff had done a good job of deleting the camera footage, there was a link to his phone gallery and on it was that awful, hideous video he took of Yasmeen on the night of the magic show. All three of them watched it in horrified shock.

Faye and Sally examine Geoff’s laptop…
(photo credit: Metro)

At home, Geoff realised the computer was missing but it was too late. Sally and Faye had already taken it to the police station, leaving him to come face to face with is heartbroken son. Tim now seems sure that Elaine is his Mum and Geoff is the reason she has disappeared. He even called him an abuser, referencing the video, the red dress, burning Yasmeen’s clothes, how frightened she has seemed for months, locking her in the box – everything is suddenly clear. Then the police turned up to arrest Geoff. Finally, the truth is coming out!

Of course, Geoff managed to squirm out of it somehow and the people didn’t hold him. However, he didn’t manage to win Tim back. Tim located Elaine’s address and attempted to find her but she hadn’t been home for some time.

David lost patience with Shona after an entire day of inappropriate behaviour, including nearly stripping off in the Street, insulting customers, losing Lily and then eating the kids’ dinner. This was a very creative way of dealing with maternity leave! Most people have a row and go to Spain…

Upset about the day before, Shona decided she wanted to leave Wetherfield and start again. It was Nina who pushed her back to David and the family (plus Nina) spent the day in the garden, having a barbeque while Shona annoyingly jumped up and down on a trampoline. That was until a big sinkhole opened up in the garden, narrowly missing swallowing Shona. I mean, that really would be terrible luck, considering everything.

A random sinkhole appears in the Platt’s back garden…
(photo credit: Metro)

When the house was declared unsafe, Ray stepped out of nowhere and saved the day, putting them all up in his hotel, which allowed David and Shona the chance to start anew in their relationship. Now, somehow, the whole thing has been set up by Ray, who seems to want to take the house or something. I don’t know. Orchestrating a sinkhole seems a little outrageous but we are in bizarre times… Anyway, he proposed to David, once the insurers wouldn’t have a bar of it, that a friend of his would buy the house. David saw through all his kindness instantly and knew something was amiss but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can do anything about it. Anyway, it’s all a bit weird.

Todd still hasn’t reappeared. A body turned up in the canal, which Billy thought may be Kel. He opted to go the police first and they seemed to agree that it was indeed him, leaving Billy with the task of breaking the news to distraught Paul who had only just started to put the past behind him.

Toyah and Imran were passed to be foster carers. Dev has to sell the kebab shop to cover the kids’ school fees despite the fact that ignorant Asha has started seeing Corey again. She even wants to move out with him, if you please. That weird and slightly annoying storyline between Daniel and Nicky (I thought her name was Vicky, I cared that much) continued. Oh and apparently Ali got four months. I can’t actually remember what he did, he was so boring. Drugs, wasn’t it?

And in an actually important storyline, Leanne’s plans to take Oliver on holiday were scuppered when he was rushed back into intensive care and they were told he may not recover this time. Poor Leanne wasn’t able to process the news and remained fixated on the holiday. Jane Danson is breaking my heart in every scene. Meanwhile, Nick bumped into old flame Natasha (who I vaguely remember) from ten years ago. Keeping the news from Leanne, Nick overheard Natasha talking to the medical staff about her son, who would be just the right age to be his son. Apparently she aborted his child at the end of their relationship (which I didn’t remember). He confronted her and after a bit of faffing about, she confessed that her little boy was indeed his son. Well, that’s bad timing, isn’t it?

Natasha accidentally stumbles back into Nick’s life…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

At the hospital, Leanne and Steve were told that it was only life support keeping Oliver alive. Neither of them could accept that it was the end.

Coronation Street airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 7:30pm and 8:30pm

Coronation Street: Social Distanced Street

(Monday 15^th June – Wednesday 26^th August 2020)

So, it’s been a huge few months on Coronation Street, with some of their biggest stories coming into focus. We passed through VE day with it’s infamous type of Corrie sing-song (‘We’ll Meet Again’) through the 27^th July when we flashforward to all the characters having apparently lived through months of lockdown (and Mary singing opera out the window) and they began to emerge back into socially distanced civilisation. It’s actually pretty cool to watch them learning to live in a new, socially distanced world, the way the rest of us are, from navigating their way round the shop, keeping two metres apart to Jenny serving an empty pub, constantly on the phone to Rita, who never appears as none of the older cast are currently allowed on set. There was also special reference to Aggie, who works as a nurse. Abi lent the family a car when their broke down, we saw rainbows in windows and sadly, Aggie was forced to isolate in a hotel when there was an outbreak on her ward.

So, to the storylines…

One story kind of flared and then fizzled; I think the lockdown may have prompted a rewrite. But during the flare, it was fantastically done and showed Alison King at her best. Two creeps surfaced in the pub and attempted to blackmail Carla for things she had done (and didn’t remember) just to get by when she was on the streets and suffering her mental breakdown. Essentially, they abused her and were now abusing her again. But rather than give in to their demands, she told the pub the truth about what had happened, thus taking away their power. They were then removed from the pub. Later, that bloke, Scott assaulted them and I presume he was meant to have more of a role in the show but when they resumed filming and referencing Covid-19 and the lockdown, Jenny informed Geoff that Scott had left and the B&B was empty. So, who knows if and when he’ll return? Now Johnny has returned and it’s been mentioned that Scott is renting somewhere round the corner so who knows…?

Without Yasmeen to protect him, Geoff really hasn’t been able to conceal his ugly behaviour and by the end of these few months, even Tim, who has always stood up for him, is starting to see his true colours. And Faye, who has also always stood up for him, has now caught him lying to the police and being very cruel to Sally. Sally, meanwhile, has absolutely seen through Geoff. She has visited Yasmeen in prison and understood her story. She has teamed up with Alya and handed over the wedding money Geoff gave them in order to help her buy Geoff out of Speed Daal.

Yasmeen is struggling…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

In prison, Yasmeen was still torn over her feelings for her husband and the pain he had caused her until she spoke to him on the phone and the way he spoke to her finally decided things once and for all. This was helped along by the arrival of Elaine Jones, Geoff’s first wife and Tim’s mother – formerly known as Philippa, who Geoff claimed had died. With a lot of persuasion from Alya, Elaine agreed to testify for Yasmeen (as did Sally) but Tim refused to accept that she was his mother and after a confrontation with Geoff, tragic Elaine vanished. Did he kill her?!

Geoff is beginning to lose control…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Sadly (in another rewrite, I think), the trial was postponed as the stress got too much, Yasmeen ended up in hospital with a heart attack. This story has been utterly gripping. I could watch entire episodes just of this. It has been pitched so perfectly. I hope Corrie get award after award for it. It’s been absolutely brilliant.

Things got intense for Gary when Bernie discovered Rick’s watch in the woods. With Adam obsessed with proving that Gary killed Rick, when she heard the inscription on the watch, Sarah bought it, prompting Gary to desperately try and buy it back. A socially distanced argument broke out, with Sarah running down the Street, calling the police. When she was about to walk in front of car, Gary pushed her out the way and fell in front of it, all without actually touching her. I know a lot of people criticised the stunt but actually, I thought they shot it pretty well, considering the limits on how they could do it.

Things are intense between Gary and Sarah…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Anyway, Gary was hailed a hero. He told Sarah he loved her. She stopped wanting to call the police on him and instead, got rid of the watch, successfully prompting the breakdown of her marriage to Adam, who was furious that not only was she protecting a murderer but she had also willingly become an accessory. Of course, he has no idea that she’s an old hand at this, being that she, David and Kylie bumped off Callum. But Gary knows that and he understood. Adam probably wouldn’t. Even though he’s shadier than a tree.

Anyway, while Sarah and Adam’s marriage was left in tatters, Gary and Maria went ahead and get hitched (in accordance with social distancing rules), despite Gary having just declared his love for Sarah. Oh, what tangled webs these people weave.

In a very bold and very sad story, Leanne and Steve got the worst possible news about Oliver – he does have the life limiting condition they suspected. I honestly never thought they would go so far as to kill a child. How absolutely devastating. But it is providing Jane Danson in particular with the opportunity to act her socks off! She is absolutely amazing at portraying the sheer heartbreak at the prospect of losing her son. It has been such a rollercoaster of emotion as the whole family come to terms with that has happened, each of them heartbroken in different ways.

Toyah and Imran decide against fostering as Toyah felt it would be inappropriate at the present time (a storyline that seemed to come from nowhere anyway) but upon hearing about it, Leanne insisted that her sister’s dreams should not be put on hold because of her pain. Unfortunately, she let them down with a reference when she had to support Steve.

Simon moved in with Peter when he heard Leanne telling Steve that when Oliver dies, she will have no children left, implying that she doesn’t think of him as her son. She didn’t even remember saying it and desperately tries to make it right but it’s not enough.

When Toyah persuaded Leanne to talk to a professional, Leanne found the strength and hope to make every moment of Oliver’s life count. Unfortunately, her confidence was knocked when she bumped into someone from her antenatal group whose child was doing really well and she was also pregnant again.

Shona returned to the Street and moved in with Roy, maintaining contact with David, which seemed to be going well, apart from that time she tried to kiss her support worker, Aaron. She also made friends with Gemma, who of course has history with her from their old estate. Flashforward to post-lockdown and we aren’t seeing Shona anymore but apparently David has been visiting her window every day during in order to maintain contact, as have the kids.

Shona and David begin spending time together again…
(Photo credit: Digital Spy)

Daniel accidentally spent the evening chatting up escort, Vicky and despite being offended at first, he ended up spending the night with her. Then he kept going back. However, he hasn’t been sleeping with her. He’s been getting her to wear Sinead’s cardigan and perfume and holding him – for money. And the poor bloke has been pouring his heart out to her. Post-lockdown though, she kept telling him that she was busy and couldn’t see him. He did attempt to see someone else but it just wasn’t the same. It looks to me like there are reluctant feelings there – on both sides. This is turning into quite the sad storyline.

Seb was furious with his mother when she avoided saying goodbye to the twins before the emigrated to Australia. Abi is trying to do her best for them by letting them go and start a new life. She feels like it’s the least she can do for them after all the mistakes she has made. However, she eventually agreed to go with Seb to see them. Unfortunately, right before she was due to leave, she had an accident in the garage, preventing her from saying goodbye and leaving Seb thinking she had flaked on him and the twins. This left her in a downward spiral as she stole morphine from the hospital, attempting to numb her pain. Thankfully, Peter spotted it (he rescued her from the accident in the first place) and threw the morphine away. She was not happy! However, he did persuade her to agree to go to meeting with him.

An accident preventing Abi from saying goodbye to her kids, sets of a terrible chain of events…
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Gemma was contacted on her blog by Vanessa, one of the women who was horrible to her in the mother and baby group, her life having completely fallen apart. Despite Bernie attempting to warn her away, Gemma went ahead and befriended her, not wanting her to be alone. She also very sweetly arranged a surprise birthday for her twin brother, Paul, which she couldn’t attend herself due to social distancing. She gave him a signed photo of PJ and Duncan. Cue a fantastic twin dance to ‘Let’s Get ready to Rumble’, much to the bemusement of Summer, who thought PJ and Duncan looked a lot like Ant and Dec… Kids!

Paul and Gemma do their best PJ and Duncan!
(photo credit: Digital Spy)

Sean, Mary and Billy were concerned when Todd contacted them, asking them to deposit money at a drop off point. They agreed but then a random girl showed up and took the cash, claiming that she found Todd’s phone and took a chance. So, was it a scam all along? Well, we know Todd is due to return (with a different actor) so, who knows what trouble he will bring and what this beginning storyline means?! Also, what will it mean for Billy and Paul? I do hope they don’t break them up. I really like them as a couple and I am not a Todd fan at all!

Coronation Street airs on ITV1 @ 7:30pm, Mondays, Wednesday & Fridays