Alya really worked hard this week, making one last effort to persuade Yasmeen to plead not guilty to attempted murder. In some really powerful scenes, Yasmeen finally told the truth about what had been happening behind closed doors, including that Geoff killed Charlotte the Chicken and fed her to her. Although she continued to defend Geoff, Alya clearly got to her and by the time she reached court, despite some hesitation, she changed her plea to not guilty. I am so relieved! Now, at least the poor woman has a fighting chance! And it was nice to see Eileen and Cathy in the gallery supporting her. Better late than never.
Yasmeen pleads not guilty! (photo credit: Digital Spy)
With Yasmeen now pleading not guilty, Sally finally made her position clear to Tim – she isn’t comfortable with Geoff and he can’t stay with them anymore. Tim was horrified and the situation is clearly going to cause a rift between them, especially when she told him that he had to be the one to ask his Dad to leave. He was very diplomatic about it but Geoff wasn’t happy. Sally’s card is clearly marked with him. Well, he doesn’t like women calling the shots, does he? But I am so proud of Sally for standing up for what she believes in, for standing up for Yasmeen. She knows what it’s like to be in an abusive relationship and she knows what it’s like to be in prison for something you haven’t done. And I was reminded the other day that Yasmeen came to visit her during that time to pledge her support so their bond is long standing.
Tim has no option but to ask his Dad to leave… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Dev was relieved to see Asha beginning to settle into her new school and looking to the future. My concern here, aside from how on earth he is going to afford everything he is throwing at his daughter’s well being, is that he is quite clearly favouring Asha. Aadi needs love and attention too and I think things are going to sour very quickly. Dev is criticising him, if only in a joke and heaping praise and compliments on Asha, trying to make her feel better about what happened. Aadi is already a very angry young man, as we’ve witnessed in fights with Corey and other boys. I think we have a storyline with Aadi bubbling away under the surface (presumably because they have recently changed the actor) so Dev needs to be careful!
Gary took matters into her own hands regarding Kelly and tracked down her mother, demanding that she took her back into her care. Now, this woman is clearly not fit to look after a child. I’m not a Kelly fan. She was hideous to Asha. But she also has problems and you can see a very vulnerable side to her. So, it was sad to see her being manhandled into the car by her mother when she just wanted to stay safely with Billy and Paul. And anytime Gary gets a win makes me unhappy anyway!
A stranger turns up at the newsagent’s, spinning a line about needing cash to pick her son up. Despite knowing she’s lying, Cathy and Toyah both put their hands in their pockets, only for Brian and Cathy to find her in the pub later. Of course, Brian caused a scene, much to Cathy’s mortification. Now, the reason she was in the pub, was to watch Carla, who is running the pub while Johnny and Jenny are away. After closing, the woman tracked Carla down in the toilets, demanding to talk. The only problem is that while the woman clearly knew Carla, poor Carla had no idea who she was…
New girl, Chelsey has some unexplained history with Carla… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Coronation Street has now resumed filming
It still airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 7:30pm
Imran tried again with Yasmeen who had decided to plead guilty to her charges. What he did get out of her though, was that Geoff had been seeing escorts.
Back on the Street, Sally clearly had her doubts about Geoff, prompting her to have a serious conversation with Alya who filled in some gaps about her father in law’s behaviour – his lies about the trip to Spain and faking his heart condition, not to mention the recent revelations about the escorts. Geoff then walked into the pub, clearly annoyed to spot the two women talking. Stood up by Tim, Geoff was further annoyed to realise that nobody else wanted to have a drink with him. It’s a relief to realise that everyone is starting to have their doubts about the vile bully and are beginning to realise that whatever Yasmeen has done, she must have had a reason, even if they don’t know what that reason is.
Back at home, Sally reluctantly informed Tim about the escorts, to which Tim immediately, disbelievingly told his Dad about the ‘lies’ that Yasmeen was spouting about him. With no options left, Geoff admitted that he had seen two escorts and despite Tim being aghast, he empathised with his Dad for Yasmeen’s neglect, alcoholism and horrific treatment of him. And unfortunately, Sally has now unwittingly provided Geoff with a motive for Yasmeen stabbing Geoff, something she then had to confess to angry Alya. It’s not that often I feel sorry for Sally but in this instance, she obviously knows that Geoff is a bad guy and Yasmeen has been mistreated and clearly wants to do the right thing. And being married to Geoff’s son, she is in an almost impossible situation. I have a lot of faith in Sally at this moment that she will be someone that comes through for Yasmeen though. Let’s not forget that many, many years ago, she was subjected to violence at the hands of Greg Kelly. She might well be a huge saving grace for Yasmeen when she needs it most.
Geoff is under pressure to hold all his lies together (photo credit: Digital Spy)
So, while Tim took Geoff off to the police station to change his story and provide Yasmeen with a much more credible motive for attempted murder, Alya rushed to the prison to visit her Gran and beg her to change her plea. While Yasmeen reluctantly revealed that Geoff had given her chlamydia, she refused to tell the court the sordid details of Geoff’s abuse. We can only hope now that Alya will get through to her and persuade her to be brave enough to tell her side of the story. Geoff has to pay for what he has done to her. Yasmeen’s suffering must not continue!
Alya is horrified over what Yasmeen has to say… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Shona agreed to move in with Roy upon release from hospital. Sadly, this new Shona has no empathy for Roy regarding Hayley’s death and she was very rude to Nina. The gentleness and compassion Shona used to have, that made us love her so much has gone. It’ll take a long time to get used to the person in her place. But it will definitely be an interesting journey to go down, I think. And a great character to do this with, to take such a compassionate, sympathetic character and change her so much, through no fault of her own. It just makes it all the more heartbreaking to deal with.
Asha and Aadi’s first day at their new school didn’t get off to a flying start, with Asha walking out after her third lesson. The appalling video that Corey took and Kelly shared, evidently got as far as this posh, private school and was being shared around merrily as soon as she arrived with all the kids making her life hell there as much as they were in her old school. Epic fail. However, she clearly has a good friend in Nina who has some kind words for her and wise words for Dev. And a fantastic moment came when Asha finally stood up for herself and told Corey exactly what she thought of him. Later, he messaged her to grovel. Hopefully, she will not go back there!
Dev only wants the best for his kids… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Imran’s suspicions regarding Gary looking out for Kelly continued, leading to a somewhat awkward moment when he actually tried to talk to her. I agree with the kid, it was a bit weird. I mean, has he never heard of stranger danger?! Worried that Imran was sniffing around, Gary has clearly decided it’s time for Kelly to move on!
Coronation Street has now resumed filming
It still airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays @ 7:30pm
While David continued down his path of destruction, getting into more close scrapes with local thugs and even getting himself arrested, his family finally noticed and became worried about him. Meanwhile, Shona had a disastrous visit to the prison with Clayton, who filled her head with his troubled childhood as well as lies about her marriage to David, completely freaking her out. Sarah then came to visit Shona and told her the truth about her life and how much David needs her to save him – again.
Shona returns to Coronation Street a very different person… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Shona agreed to a home visit, provided that David wasn’t present. But the Shona who arrived really wasn’t the Shona we used to know (damn you, Gary Windass!) She has of course, forgotten her life with David and the family, including the kids but she has also had a personality transplant, telling little Harry that the drawing he has done for her is rubbish! There was a bit of light when she found she remembered where the teabags were. But then she ran off to the café when she formed a tentative bond with Roy. David eventually asked Roy to take Shona in when she is released from hospital, which he agreed to. Now they just need Shona to agree…
Someone else in desperate need of salvation is Yasmeen, who we haven’t seen in a while. But Alya was finally able to see her Gran last week, albeit briefly. She was the mere shadow of herself as she entered the visiting room and ended up walking back out before the end of the visit. In her desperation for the truth, Alya pushed too hard. Yasmeen was still under Geoff’s control, even after everything and wanted to take the blame for stabbing him, regardless of him pushing her to it.
Alya and Ryan attempt to lock Geoff out of the house… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Back on the Street, Tim brought his Dad home and the pair were horrified to discover that Alya and Ryan had had the locks changed. The police were called and Craig (who seems to suddenly be the most senior policeman Wetherfield have), sorted out the domestic. Although he clearly sympathised with Alya, legally, he had to request the keys be handed over to Geoff. The moment he was alone, Geoff got rid of the camera he had set up in the house and deleted the incriminating footage from the night of the stabbing. When Tim caught him, Geoff easily spun him a lie, which he immediately fell for.
Geoff hides the evidence as soon as possible… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Leanne, Steve and Nick kept a vigil by Oliver’s bedside as they prepared to learn the extent of his brain damage. Leanne persuaded the Doctor to allow Oliver home where she took complete control of his care, shutting everyone else out.
One of the babies accidentally posted Gemma’s vlog, with positive results. James had a generally positive experience on the football team, having now come out. Dev pulled Asha and Aadi out of school due to lack of support over what happened to Asha, transferring them to the local private school. And could we all take a moment to enjoy the comedy genius that is Evelyn?
Coronation Street have resumed filming
It continues to air on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
The focus shifted to the Bailey Family this week and they really proved their worth as relatively new additions to the Street. Now, we already know that Lorna Laidlaw is incredible, having previously played St Mrs Tembe in Doctors but the rest of the actors in the family have also proved to be pretty awe inspiring, particularly in Friday’s episode, as Ed finally stood up for himself and his loved ones against vile Ron. I mean, where the hell did this guy even come from anyway?
Ed had been putting up with remarks for days while working for him and Ray. Eldest boy, Michael, just couldn’t understand why he was just taking the things he was saying. When the Street turned out for the Bistro launch, Ed finally had enough, overhearing Ron making a vile racist joke. All I can do here is applaud the writing of what is an amazing speech, as well as Trevor Michael Georges for his perfect delivery. I would recommend that everyone watches this episode and particularly this moment. It’s as emotional as it is challenging.
Ed had some powerful words to share… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
When the horrified partygoers filed into the Rovers, it led to some really interesting ‘woke’ discussions on racism, particularly between Dev and Kev(in). It also forced Ed to confront his own homophobia and he finally, properly supported his son in time to not give up football.
In the locker room the next day, when James received some hassle from one of his teammates about his sexuality, not only did others stand up for him but, inspired by his Dad, he was able to stand up for himself. It’s a proud moment.
While Leanne and Steve kept a vigil by Oliver’s bed, the rest of the family were dutifully worried. Tensions flared between Leanne and Nick when he lost his temper over her and Steve’s determination to be positive about the situation, despite the likelihood that their son has a very serious, possibly life limiting condition.
The pressure is on when it comes to Oliver… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Thankfully, they did sort things out because really, who needs to be fighting with their partner at such a crucial time? Steve, Leanne and Nick were by little Oliver’s side when he finally woke up but unfortunately, he was largely unresponsive, sending Nick rushing out to track down a Doctor for help.
And Julia Goulding has returned from her maternity leave! We saw Shona at a progress appointment at the hospital, not seeming herself at all, what with her memory loss and all that, demanding to go home to Clayton. Seeming not for the first time, she has to be told that Clayton is in prison, to which she demanded to see him there. But of course, when she met her son, she freaked out, not recognising the man he has become. Well, it’s probably not the first time she’s felt like that.
Shona doesn’t recognise her son… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Meanwhile, news of Shona’s latest ‘progress’ hit David had and off he went to the park to start another fight with some kids. Very mature,
Sean suggested that Gemma created a vlog about her post-natal depression and he and Cathy helped her create her first post but she was very hesitant to post it. Although, it looked to me like she had actually posted it. I’m not sure… I’ll keep you, um… posted.
Coronation Street intends to resume filming in June
For now, it airs on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
Many apologies for the lack of update on Corrie. I have no excuse. I mean, I haven’t exactly been out gallivanting! Emmerdale, Home and Away and Neighbours will follow shortly.
So, we continued to witness Yasmeen’s utter trauma in the wake of stabbing Geoff as Monday 4th’s episode opened. In state of shock, she hardly knew what to do but did eventually do the right thing and call 999. Convinced Geoff was already dead, she didn’t even know what service she needed and brokenly told the operator that she had killed her husband.
The locals in the pub were pulled away from their gossiping when two police cars and an ambulance flew into the Street, straight over to Yasmeen’s. It seems clear to me that Eileen and Peter had been quite troubled by the evening’s events, something not quite sitting well with them about Geoff and Yasmeen’s behaviour that they couldn’t quite put their finger on. However, Cathy and Brian should, quite frankly, be ashamed of themselves. Even after Geoff was taken to hospital and Yasmeen was arrested (by the kindest policewoman ever), they gave a really unhelpful representation to the police about Yasmeen and her relationship with Geoff.
Fragile Yasmeen attempts to explain what happened… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Tim was devastated over what has happened to his Dad and cannot understand why Yasmeen would have attacked him. While he kept a vigil by his bedside (at this point it was touch and go as to whether he would survive or not), Sally was also puzzled as to what has been going on. I’m pretty sure she has been puzzled for a while, again, not quite able to put her finger on what was wrong.
Meanwhile, at the police station, the police took the awful red dress from Yasmeen and gave her a tracksuit to wear. And I’ve never been happier to see Imran before in my life! Ryan had contacted Alya to call her home and also sent Imran over to the station to represent Yasmeen, who panicked that she couldn’t pay him. He was so gentle and so kind to her, reassuring her about the money and begging her to be careful about what she said to the police to not get herself into further trouble. He was exactly what she needed. I am so desperately worried about Yasmeen now. My only hope is that she phoned the police on Geoff’s phone because of course he had confiscated hers so perhaps they will have to take that into evidence and they will discover the evidence of abuse on it…
Yasmeen continues to suffer… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
While Yasmeen suffered terribly in her cell, trying to clean it after the months of control and abuse from Geoff, SOCO examined the crime scene at the house, unaware that they were being filmed by Geoff’s secret camera. Tim and Sally kept a vigil by Geoff’s bed but when he woke up, claiming that Yasmeen tried to kill him, it was clear that Sally was troubled by his version of events. When Alya turned up, having first tried and failed to see her Gran, insisting that Geoff is a liar and an abuser, I am certain that Sally was wavering in her commitment to Geoff. Please follow your instincts, Sally!
Geoff lies, physically and verbally in his hospital bed… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Geoff claimed that they were arguing about her drinking. Yasmeen hit him and he has no idea why she stabbed him but that she has hit him a couple of times before. At the station, Yasmeen was still clearly in shock. She was desperately worried about Geoff (even after everything) and begged to see him (no!). She struggled to explain what happened except that Geoff had a knife. Thankfully, the police officer seemed to be beginning to piece things together and questioned Geoff not only about Yasmeen but also about his ‘violent’ ex, with whom there was the pub incident and also about his ‘violent’ ex, Tim’s Mum. Interesting that he has had so many violent exes with drink problems. Unfortunately, Yasmeen is unable to give her enough to prevent her charging her with attempted murder and the judge refused bail. Honestly, this is more upsetting than that time Diedre went to prison!
While the locals all tried to get their heads around what happened and Yasmeen’s friends begin to realise the truth, Alya made no secret of the abuse Yasmeen has endured and the way people have let her down. Roy has to break up a row between her and Tim in the café. But let’s take a moment to praise Evelyn and Rita who can clearly see though Geoff and know that Yasmeen must have been pushed to the brink to do what she did. If anyone thought this was going to be the climax of the story, they were wrong; I think we are just at the beginning of a long, heartbreaking road.
Evelyn knows exactly what kind of man Geoff is… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Meanwhile, Oliver was rushed to hospital with another seizure and then again with a third, this time landing him in intensive care. While most of the family are sure that he must have epilepsy, it turned out he has a condition called Mitochondrial Disease. So, I went against the Doctor’s advice and Googled and this is going to be a seriously heartbreaking story. Be warned.
Leanne and Steve attempt to wrap their heads around Oliver’s diagnosis… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
While Ed and Michael endured those kind of ‘backhanded’ racist comments as they completed the building work at The Bistro (Danny has moved down south for a new job), Tim had to intervene when James was the victim of homophobia. So, not a great day for the Baileys. Not a great day for society, really.
Ed and his family are due some difficult times… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
In other storylines: Nina protected Asha from bullies and attempted to show her how beautiful she is – I think this could be a really lovely direction for both these characters; Gary persuaded Paul to allow Kelly to continue living with him, Billy and Summer despite her awful behaviour; David continued his reckless behaviour and let Max down; Craig very sweetly reached out to David; Chesney took Gemma to a post-natal depression group, making her realise that she isn’t alone and finally; Evelyn and Arthur went on a date.
Coronation Street plans to resume filming in June
For now, it will air on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
Dev showed what a lovely Dad he is, taking back the words he unthinkingly said in anger, pledging his support to his daughter, offering to retract his statement to the school and begging Asha to go back to her education at the end of the holidays. Kelly tried and failed to apologise, having been taken in by Billy and Summer.
Tracy proposed that Ken allow her and Steve to delay buying the house, in the meantime he pay for the broken boiler and that he let them keep the master bedroom. Ken declined. He is no longer selling the house at all, he will indeed pay for the broken boiler and he wants his bedroom back! Well, at least all will soon be as it should be in the Barlow House! Oh and Daniel returned with a slightly improved beard and a much better attitude.
Things are getting seriously dark in the Geoff and Yasmeen abuse storyline, which is quite frankly saying something. The guy has taken away her freedom, her money, her dignity, her confidence, he locked her in a box and left her in it and he killed her chicken and fed it to her. And now, thanks to his frequenting of ‘escorts’, he has given her chlamydia. Of course, has taken no responsibility for it, even blaming it on her, accusing her of cheating on him and even suggesting she caught it from her ex-husband long before she met him.
The scenes of sheer verbal, mental and emotional abuse are horrifying to watch as Geoff called Yasmeen all the vile names he could think of. It’s truly uncomfortable and upsetting to watch. Shelley King and Ian Bartholomew have given everything they have to this story and are absolutely faultless. Yasmeen is heartbreaking and Geoff’s character is utterly hideous. Knowing full well that he is responsible for the STI, he even phones the escort agency demanding a refund! All the while, he continues to blame his wife for the situation. With the last vestiges of energy that she has left, she contacts the woman Sharif was having an affair with. She had an STI test at the time the truth came tumbling out and it all came back clear. Yasmeen cannot be the source of the chlamydia – it has to be Geoff.
Geoff destroyed Yasmeen’s last hope (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Wednesday was a particularly harrowing episode as Geoff’s accusations continued. Then at the shop, he spotted her on her phone with her bag, hidden in the cupboard. Returning home, he bullied her into giving up the key before snatching the bag and taking it into the garden, locking her in the house where she could only watch him send her hope up in flames, burning the contents of her escape plan. By the end of the episode, I confess I was nearly in tears as Geoff forced Yasmeen to get onto her knees and swear she would stay. He told her he would rather see her dead than with someone else.
Geoff continued to humiliate Yasmeen… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Things have most definitely taken an even more sinister turn now. There is no pretending anymore than he is looking out for her or doing any of this because he loves her. He has shown all his cards. He doesn’t need to lie to keep her. Now it’s about force. He has made her believe that she is completely isolated and that nobody would want her. He has eradicated any sense of self worth in order to destroy her. All we can hope is that in the coming days, Sally will remember what she saw through her conservatory windows, Yasmeen standing over the fire looking devastated. She also mentioned to others in the pub that it was a strange time to have a bonfire.
We then have the most incredible episode on Friday, focussing solely on Yasmeen and Geoff, covering the course of an entire day. It’s heartbreaking and harrowing in equal measure as we witness Geoff humiliating, bullying and traumatising Yasmeen to the point that she can hardly stand. One of the worst moments in the whole episode is the sheer obliviousness of her neighbours and friends, as he allows her to go for a drink with him, Tim and Sally but dresses her up in this awful red dress he has bought for one of his escorts. Not one person in the pub seems to realise the depth of the horror that’s going on in front of their very eyes. When he eventually drags her out of the pub, they even laugh at her for her outfit. It’s awful. Eileen, who has previously had her suspicions of Geoff even sees him locking her in the house but rather than raising the alarm, merely comments that they were having a row.
Things became very tense in The Rovers… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
Inside the house, Geoff taunts and torments Yasmeen, holding a knife, threatening to kill her. Having not eaten in days, utterly traumatised, on medication for the chlamydia he has passed onto her, out of her mind with grief and fear, she lashes out. Now, we don’t know if he will survive. It doesn’t currently look likely. And I’m in two minds over whether it would be better for Yasmeen if he lived or died. On the one hand, if he died, she would at least be physically free of him and the police would have a much better chance of discovering the phone evidence of his abuse – the video he recorded of him tormenting her and the camera he has of the house, which will have recorded so much of what has transpired over the past few months. On the other hand, she has been through enough without having a murder or manslaughter charge against her and she is trapped in such a cycle of abuse that she will blame herself for what she has done when it was not her fault.
And things spiralled out of control at home… (photo credit: Digital Spy)
This episode was so incredible. It was perfectly written and directed and if Shelley King and Ian Bartholomew don’t get awards for their performances, there is something wrong with the Soap Awards. This storyline is so frustrating in all the right ways. All I want is for someone to rescue Yasmeen but the truth is, she has to save herself. This episode was so sad in so many ways but hopefully, whatever the outcome, she will find love and support in Alya when she returns and even those who laughed at her and gossiped (Cathy, Eileen – shame on you) and those who were concerned but not enough to respond (Sally and Peter, I’m talking to you), will be there to help her through these dark days. Well done, Coronation Street. You have excelled yourself.
Due to the Coronavirus, Coronation Street has had to cease filming
For the foreseeable, Coronation Street will air on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
It’s great to see the younger cast taking centre stage in Corrie right now and Tanisha Gorey, is showing what she is made of as she portrays Asha, caught up in the most terrible ordeal of having posed nude during a video call with her boyfriend, not realising he was recording the call. Now, her spiteful friend, Kelly has spread the video around and within moments, it has found its way onto a dodgy porn site and Asha’s image has become global. Such is the power of the Internet.
Asha’s world has come crashing down around her…
It’s such a hideous but important storyline, hopefully showing kids (and adults) the awful dangers of this kind of thing. As her brother tells her, nothing is private. It’s so hard to see how broken she is. It’s lovely to see her protective her best friend, Amy is. There’s a wonderful scene between David and Dev as David is faced with telling him about the video, having found it on his son’s phone. You cannot help but feel for Dev as he charges through so many different emotions but overwhelmingly, all he wants to do is protect his daughter.
Across the street, Yasmeen is an utterly broken woman. Last Friday’s episode was one of the worst in a different way to other episodes. Geoff seems to have beaten her down to a point that she is now the shadow of her former self. And without Alya, she really is cut off from the rest of the world.
An argument with Cathy left Yasmeen more trapped than ever…
Hope arrived in the form of Cathy but while Geoff was overly nice to her, Yasmeen ended up losing her temper and pushed her away, possibly severing their friendship. I am so worried that Geoff has full control of Yasmeen now. All I can cling to is that she does have that bag locked away in the cupboard and that he hasn’t looked at the camera footage and doesn’t know it’s there. She has also reached out the police already. Please muster the strength to leave him, Yasmeen! I know you can!
In other news… Leanne and Steve continued to argue over their son; Johnny ran away from his new B&B guest, taking Jenny to France and leaving Carla and Peter in charge of The Rovers; Ken won the election at Stillwaters, handed it over to Norris, broke up with Claudia and moved back to The Street!
Ken leaves Stillwaters (and Claudia) behind…
Due to the Coronavirus, Coronation Street has had to cease filming
For the foreseeable, Coronation Street will air on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
Many apologies for the delay in updating this blog. Easter and everything. Well, the whole world is in chaos right now, isn’t it? Anyway…
Last week was a huge week for Yasmeen as she took a huge step in the right direction toward exiting her abusive relationship. While this storyline is genuinely excruciating to watch, it has me utterly gripped. I love the little details and how honest it is. Yasmeen finally musters all her strength to say no to Geoff and while not ending the relationship, decides to go to Spain for a break and to be with her family. Within hours, she is back with him, having endured countless texts ranging from begging, pleading, abuse and finally threats of suicide.
While Alya cannot understand while her Gran just can’t switch off and let him go, Yasmeen is still tied to the man who has been brainwashing her for so many months, subtly controlling everything she thinks and everything she does. So, she stays. And just as Alya warns her, Geoff waltzes back in as if nothing ever happened.
Thankfully, this prompts Yasmeen into finally contacting ‘Clare’, the police contact that her granddaughter put into her phone weeks before and she is able to learn more of her partner’s past. While the previously mentioned affray led nowhere, his partner at the time had previously made a complaint of harassment against him. Yasmeen turns down the offer of being taken to safety but she does go home and secretly pack a bag. I just hope that Geoff doesn’t find it, either physically or on that awful security camera of his. He has definitely found the domestic abuse leaflet.
Yasmeen bravely contacts the police…
This storyline is uncomfortable in every way that it is supposed to be uncomfortable. The actors and the writing are all superb. Every episode, I am rooting for Yasmeen to free herself. And I truly hope that that’s how it will be in the end, that she will free herself. I know that she has Alya and that there are others on the Street such as Ryan, Cathy and Eileen who are kind of looking out for her to differing degrees but I truly want it to come from Yasmeen in the end. I want her to be her own hero.
Another story that Corrie have done very well, I think, is Gemma’s postnatal depression, which came to a head this week when she left the quads on the bus on purpose, unable to cope any longer. Having shut Bernie out and felt too ashamed to talk to Chesney, we were witness to a tender moment between Gemma to Rita, as the younger woman finally admitted how she was truly feeling. It was a nice reminder of the depth of love between these two women. Rita was so gentle with her as she just sat and listened, took her for some food and then returned her to Chesney so he could take her to the Doctor and get some actual help. Gemma is such a great character to do this story with. She is so loud and bouncy and well, irritating. To see her so vulnerable is really sad. You can’t help but root for her.
Chesney pledges his support to Gemma…
My only criticism is that after the emotion of Gemma laying her soul bare to Doctor Gaddas and Chesney, it seemed a real shame to rush the treatment. Surely anyone at home going through a similar situation would care about the conclusion. Instead, Steve bursts in and interrupts them and we find out later that she got ‘a prescription’ and a referral for therapy. It just felt like suddenly they decided they’d spent too much time on this story and they needed to move on. Next!
So, why did Steve interrupt Gemma’s appointment? Well, it all began with Emma having a really bad week… First, she broke up with Seb because she quite rightly twigged that he was still in love with Alina, although he continued to deny it. Then she was left to dog sit, only for Eccles to be rushed to the vet with a tumour on her spleen and have to be put down. Tracy was a complete bitch and blamed Emma for the dog’s death (because the dog sitter is of course responsible for an undiagnosed tumour on a one hundred year old dog) and Ken couldn’t have been more passive aggressive if he’d tried. So Emma moved back into the flat with Seb and tried and failed to get him to move out. Steve left Oliver with Summer to break up the argument and when he arrived home, Oliver had just started having some kind of fit so he rushed him down to the medical centre for help, bursting in on Gemma’s appointment. The kid is fine. He overheated or something. But now things are very tense between Steve and Leanne. Oops.
Leanne blames Steve for Oliver’s condition…
And now it’s time for the teenagers to come into play. I actually can’t believe these kids are old enough for this kind of storyline. How old does this make me?!
Amy decides to throw a party, which immediately gets out of hand, largely due to this annoying friend of her and Asha, some girl called Kelly (that thug Rick’s daughter, I think). The crux of it is that Asha has done something extremely stupid and extremely dangerous, which she confesses to Amy before the party – the night before, during a video chat with Corey, she took her top off. Why do these kids do these silly things? Well, I just hope this storyline serves its purpose and raises awareness because you don’t have to have a crystal ball to work out where this one is going to go… While Aadi (played by newcomer Adam Hussein) gets off his face on vodka, stolen from the shop, Kelly gets pissed off for being blamed for breaking a lamp. So, she takes Corey’s phone and passes round the topless picture of Asha. Because of course Corey kept evidence of the chat. Of course he did! Poor Asha. This boy is the one who has done the wrong thing – and Kelly too for passing the picture round. But it’s going to be Asha that suffers. The only thing she did wrong was trust the wrong person.
Amy’s party spirals out of control…
Due to the Coronavirus, Coronation Street has had to cease filming
For the foreseeable, Coronation Street will air on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
Geoff books another date with ‘Rachel the Escort’ while having a go at Yasmeen for making too much noise, hoovering the house he is so obsessed with being perfectly clean. He is then too busy with his ‘date’ to go with Yasmeen to the Doctor about her stomach cramps, snapping at her that he doesn’t need permission to go out and he is entitled to a life of his own. What a bloody cheek! Also, what is wrong is Yasmeen?!
Geoff is fully in control…
Meanwhile, Alya discovers that Zeedan is getting married in Spain and nobody is invited. And why have they changed his character so much off-screen? There is no way that he would have ignored Alya’s concerns about Yasmeen or shut them out of his wedding. But anyway, Ryan comes up with the idea of getting herself and Yasmeen invited, without Geoff, in a bid to get Yasmeen away from her husband. She excitedly tells her Gran about the wedding. Geoff fakes excitement but the next thing Alya knows, Geoff has invited himself, claiming to have rearranged their finances and booked a fancy five star hotel for himself and Yasmeen to go on a lovely holiday.
David bonds with Alina…
David resists Maria’s support over the loss of Shona and is extremely rude to Brian. He then spends the day with Alina. Emma admits to Seb that she had an awkward conversation with Alina about her possible feelings for him and now she seems to be avoiding them. She asks him to fix it but when he goes home, he finds her half undressed on the sofa with David. He is not happy. Alina is upset to discover that David has a wife and children. When he explains, she still doesn’t want to get involved. Fair play. David winds Seb up in the pub, prompting him to punch him. Emma is heartbroken to realise that her boyfriend still has feelings for his ex. It wasn’t Alina she should have been worrying about, it was Seb. Nick begs David not to give up on Shona.
Seb can’t control his anger…
Bernie does her best to help Gemma around the house and with the children, although it is not appreciated. She also takes her to see Doctor Gaddas, although she is frustrated when Gemma is not honest about how she is really feeling. Gemma promises to let Bernie keep an eye on her and if she doesn’t think she is coping, she will let her take her back to the Doctor.
At Stillwaters, the Retirement Village, Charles finds a patch of dog urine on the carpet in the hall and then hears Eccles barking in Ken and Claudia’s room. Ken is furious to receive an excessive bill for cleaning. Norris is happy to wind the situation up as much as possible.
Evelyn and Arthur finally go out on their date and they have a lovely time. Evelyn is overwhelmed when Arthur gives her a memento from a date they had all those years ago. Hopefully this will turn into a beautiful love story.
Due to the Coronavirus, Coronation Street has had to cease filming
For the foreseeable, Coronation Street will air on ITV on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30pm
Geoff persuades Yasmeen to sell up and move to Cyprus with him. There’s an interesting moment when he educates her on washing her hands while singing ‘happy birthday’ in her head, which apparently was coincidental but is now very apt!
Alya continues to be very worried about her grandmother. She accuses Geoff of theft, which he denies and she is later shocked when someone comes to value the business. Alya charges round to see Yasmeen who has no choice but to let her in. Convinced that Yasmeen is being abused, she furious packs some clothes for her, only for Geoff to interrupt them. Geoff and Alya fight over Yasmeen who ultimately chooses her husband. He throws Alya out. It’s just so sad, especially as of course, Geoff then takes everything out on Yasmeen, accusing her of accusing him of being an abuser. He leaves her stewing for hours before she agrees to abandon her granddaughter, something that rational Yasmeen would never, ever have done before. She absolutely lived for her family.
Toyah takes Alya to the police for help for Yasmeen…
Desperately worried, Alya goes to the police to invoke Clare’s Law and asks them to search Geoff’s background and find out if there is anything in Geoff’s past that Yasmeen ought to know. Separately, Alya discovers that Geoff and an ex-girlfriend were both once charged with a public affray after a fight in a pub. She takes the information to Yasmeen who is resistant to the news. Alya begs her to hang fire on the move to Cyprus. Yasmeen rushes her out the back door when Geoff arrives home. Alya expresses her concerns to Eileen.
Geoff is immediately annoyed when the neighbours make fun of him with ‘jiggle it Geoff’ as the chain is on the door. But mostly, he is excited over their plans to move away. It all goes wrong when Yasmeen reluctantly asks him about Jocelyn, the woman he fought with. He denies any blame and challenges Yasmeen to go with him to the police station to ask them herself. He is furious that Alya was back at the house and slams his fist on the table, frightening his wife before throwing her dinner on the floor. She is so scared of the mess and wasting the money that he spent on the takeaway that she picks it up and begins to eat off the floor. He is disgusted with her. It’s one of the most horrific scenes yet. This incredible woman has been utterly degraded by this vile man.
Geoff cancels Cyprus and then walks out on her for the night. While Yasmeen scrubs the carpet, he books an escort called Rachel! The next morning, Yasmeen desperately searches for Geoff and finds Alya in the restaurant contacting the police about their background search on him. She says some very unkind things to her granddaughter and makes it clear that she chooses Geoff over her. It really is the most awful situation.
When he finally does come home, Yasmeen finds the strength to say she wants to hang fire on moving to Cyprus. At work, Alya is frustrated with Geoff for not doing any work. He is too busy booking his next ‘date’ with ‘Rachel’.
Yasmeen is unable to work due to a bad stomach. Geoff rearranges the work rota so that he and Alya don’t have to work together. Alya is about to give up on Yasmeen, feeling that all her attempts to help have only succeeded in Yasmeen pushing her away. Ryan visits Yasmeen and begs her to come and see Alya, who is upset over a phone call. Yasmeen rushes out in her dressing gown, desperately worried about her granddaughter. She finds Alya in her flat with two police officers. They have information about Geoff. Yasmeen is worried about Geoff having seen her and she doesn’t want to hear anything they have to say. She storms out. The police are unable to tell anyone but Yasmeen about Geoff.
Alya visits Yasmeen and begs her to at least consider hearing what the police have to say. She persuades her to let her put the officer’s number in her phone under ‘Clare’, expressing how worried she is. It’s an emotional moment as Alya tells her she knows she is scared and confused. You can see Yasmeen’s conflict as she wants to reach out to Alya for help but she is trapped in this awful cycle of abuse with Geoff.
Alya attempts to bring Zeedan home to help with Yasmeen but he doesn’t believe that she is being abused and refuses to abandon his holiday with his girlfriend.
Gemma is struggling with parenthood and is reluctant to return to the Mother and Baby Group. The group are not impressed with Bernie, who has arrived back on the Street. Gemma is further upset to realise that she has been left out of a get together and embarrassed when Bernie bursts in and gives them what for. The girls appear to make a gesture by inviting Gemma and the quads out. There seems to be one girl, Imogen who isn’t very nice and deliberately keeps topping up Gemma’s Prosecco to get her tipsy and chatty and there’s another girl, Vanessa who does seem to be quite nice.
Gemma nearly has a serious accident…
Things take a turn when Gemma overhears Imogen remarking that the kids will end up in care. She storms out and nearly ends up under a car – with the kids. She is spotted by Craig and one of his colleagues who are concerned that she has been drinking, although Craig lets it go this time. Gemma breaks down and admits to Bernie that she isn’t coping but she cannot be honest with Chesney who is working so hard for the family. By the end of the episode, the quads are crying, Joseph needs help with his homework, she has spilt a cup of tea and she is sobbing in the garden. That night, she has a nightmare that she puts Aled in the washing machine. She still can’t tell Chesney what she is going through.
Gemma is surprised by a visit from the Health Visitor, who is mildly concerned about her mental health but Gemma doesn’t want to talk about it. Taking her advice, when she gets stressed, she goes outside for a moment, only to get locked out of the house. Bernie arrives and they manage to break in through the window and settle the babies down. Gemma breaks down on her mother. Bernie decides to move in and help with the babies. She wants Gemma to book a Doctor’s appointment. Chesney is not happy about Bernie moving in, especially after she takes responsibility for the broken window.
Ken and Claudia hit the ground running at the Retirement Village with Claudia volunteering Ken to run the book club, as their regular leader is unavailable. He ends up having to read an excerpt from his own book but there is a troublemaker in the form of Norris Cole, who attempts to discredit him. He is soon shut down by the other residents who don’t care if Ken has only had one book published: it’s one more book than Norris. It turns out that Norris and Freda have been living at the Retirement Village and Norris hates it. He feels like Freda has turned into a different person and he is desperate to leave. He is disruptive in an art class. You know, this Retirement Village seems rather a lot of fun! A book club, art club, cinema club, salsa class, a bar… Ken brings Norris to The Rovers to see his friends. Ken isn’t happy over the way Tracy is (not) looking after Eccles so he sneaks her into the Retirement Village.
Ken and Norris reconnect…
Fiz and Tyrone have a rather unpleasant discussion in front of the kids about cremated dogs being scattered in the Red Rec! It’s not that random – Tyrone and Evelyn have to take the dog to the vet but thankfully he will be just fine. However, his treatment is very expensive (no insurance). At the vets, Evelyn reconnects with an old flame, Arthur. They arrange a date (Evelyn even gets a makeover from Claudia and reserves a booth at The Rovers), only for him not to show up, which is a genuine shame. It would be nice for her to have a romance. Tyrone intercepts Arthur going to explain himself to Evelyn and warns him to stay away. He speaks to her anyway and explains that nerves got in the way of the date, asking for another chance. Evelyn tells Tyrone off for interfering, although she is touched that he cares.
Seb is reluctant when Emma tells him that her mother wants to pay for them both to come to Australia so she can meet him, although he does eventually agree. He also doesn’t seem to want to spend much time with her but later has a moment with Alina. Oh dear. Emma speaks to Alina directly when she gets wind of a possible attraction between her and Seb but Alina makes it clear that she would never come between them and that she values her friendship with Emma. Well, I hope that’s true.
Is there still an attraction between Seb and Alina…?
Alina tells David off for being rude to her at the pub so he buys her a drink to apologise. A possible new romance? For now, David has his own problems, as Shona refuses to see David but he reconnected with Clayton. She decides to go and visit Clayton himself and warn him not to take advantage of his vulnerable mother. He fails. Nick offers to try and see Shona and try to correct the situation. She refuses to see him. She passes on a message to David that she will not be returning to Wetherfield and she wants a divorce.
David fails to warn Clayton away from Shona…
Due to the Coronavirus, Coronation Street has had to cease filing
This week, Coronation Street will air on ITV on Monday & Wednesday at 7:30/8:30pm
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