September 1967, and the TV Times came up with a souvenir magazine to celebrate the wedding of Elsie Tanner (Patricia Phoenix) to her American wartime love Steve Tanner (Paul Maxwell). This started a bit of a trend for TV Times, which also produced Street "special" magazines for the show's tenth anniversary in 1970, the wedding of Len Fairclough (Peter Adamson) and Rita Littlewood (Barbara Knox) in 1977, and the 2000th episode in 1980. So, Elsie married a man from her past, a US Army Master Sergeant she had met during the Second World War. Eee, those were the days, chuck - the days when the Yanks were oversexed, over here and over at Elsie's. "Got any gum, chum?" And Elsie's second husband had the same name as her first, although he couldn't have been more different from the shifty Arnold. Behind the scenes, it was handy that Steve shared Elsie's surname as he wasn't going to be around for long and Elsie Tanner could simply continue being Elsie Tanner after the marriage broke up. Eee, 'eck, lovey, there was some classy nosh at the wedding reception - as Ena Sharples (Violet Carson) discovered. But whilst I have written about the sometimes too upmarket diets of the Street's characters (occasionally more reflective of well-heeled scriptwriters than genuine back street people), it was fitting that the wedding food should be "posh" as Steve was a pretty classy guy! For Pat Phoenix, the wedding was apparently an emotional affair in which the fine line between fact and fiction was broken. Jack Rosenthal, the Street's producer at the time, recalled years later that Pat refused to leave her dressing room before the wedding scenes were due to be recorded. "She said, 'I'm not coming out.' I said 'You've got to come out, we're all waiting to shoot, you've got to come out, it's the wedding scene.' She said, 'That's why.' And that's precisely what it was and this mood had been prevalent and increased during the run-up." Finally, Pat let Mr Rosenthal into her dressing room. "I sat and held her hand and she said, 'Don't you understand, it's my wedding day.' I held her hand and I did what you do with a bride, with your daughter, and I said 'You're beautiful and you're radiant and it's going to be the most wonderful wedding. Come on now, I want you to go out there.' I couldn't believe it was happening but it did happen and she came out and walked down the aisle." The wedding took place over two episodes on the fourth and the sixth of September, 1967. This was a special pose for the TV Times - Steve never kissed Ena on-screen. She'd would probably have hit him with her handbag - because you couldn't have men taking liberties. Or anybody else, for that matter! Another TV Times pose as Elsie and Steve prepare to fly off to Lisbon on their honeymoon. Their departure was not seen on-screen. Well, lovey, that were it. The marriage broke up quickly. Steve was then murdered. And Elsie was alone again. But not for long...
I don't watch much television, but the one show I never miss, is Coronation Street. It's like being wrapped up in a nice warm blanket. The characters have their fair share of drama, but they're all down to earth and feel like old friends. My husband generally walks out of the room when the theme song starts, so watching the show is my private time. Much of the action on Coronation Street centres around the local pub — The Rover's Return — and like many English pubs, there must be some tasty offerings on the menu to keep punters around during the dining hours. Coronation Street's Betty Turpin, played by 91-year old Betty Williams One of Corrie's signature dishes, is Betty's Hotpot. Imagine my surprise, when I discovered that there is a campaign afoot to secure Protected Geographical Indication status for the Lancashire hotpot, meaning that Betty and the regulars of the Rovers won't be eating hotpots made anywhere else in the world. Protected status has already been bestowed on foods such as Melton Mowbray Pork Pies and Stilton cheese, which means that once identified with a specific region, a food cannot be made elsewhere and be given the same name. Champagne, for instance, can only be called champagne if it originates from the champagne region of France. So, if the current campaign convinces the EU to protect the hotpot it would mean that Betty can be genuinely considered an artisanal crafts-person and her hotpot recipe would enjoy a level of protection known only to some of the finest foodstuffs on earth. Quite right too! Betty's Lancashire Hotpot Lancashire Hotpot is a classic one-pot dish made traditionally from just three ingredients — lamb or mutton and onion, topped with sliced potatoes, left to bake in the oven all day in a heavy pot and on a low heat. The 'hot pot' referred to is a tall brown earthenware pot with straight sides, that, using the embers of the last night’s fire, would get the best out of cheap cuts of meat. Originating in the days of heavy industrialisation in Lancashire, in the North West of England, Lancashire Hotpot requires a minimum of effort to prepare and is relatively inexpensive — this recipe cost me $16! There are a few recipes around the internet for Lancashire Hotpot, but this recipe was featured in a Special British Corrie Sunday Supplement in the 90s, featuring Coronation Street characters and their recipes — so here is Betty's Official Hotpot recipe! Betty's Hotpot Serves 4 1 lb 'scrag end' or best end neck of lamb, cubed 1 1/2 lb potatoes, peeled and fairly thickly sliced 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 1/2 cups water (or beef stock — my addition) 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp of flour 1 bay leaf 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce salt and pepper to taste Brown the lamb in a heavy saucepan with 2 tablespoons of very hot oil over medium-high heat, then remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, add the sliced onions and fry until they begin to brown. Sprinkle flour into the pan with the onions and stir to soak up the fat. Turn off the heat and add the water (or beef stock) slowly while stirring vigorously to prevent lumps forming. Add a dash of Worcestershire Sauce; salt and pepper to taste. Then mix the onion, meat and stock together and stir in a bay leaf. To compose the hotpot, alternate layers of the meat and onion mixture with thinly sliced potatoes in an ovenproof dish. The top layer should be potato. Cover and bake at 325°F for 2-3 hours. Remove cover and continue to bake until the top layer of potato browns. Serve hot with traditional condiments as chutney, pickled red cabbage or pickled onions. Note: Although not part of Betty's original recipe, I used beef stock instead of water, and added some chopped thyme to the meat and onion mixture. I also dredged the lamb in flour before browning it.
It's time for tears on the cobbles as one of its biggest characters has passed away - and here's a look at her greatest moments
The announcement follows a guest appearance from disabled actor Peter Mitchell in the ITV soap earlier this year
Rebecca "Becky" McDonald (née Granger) was the tearaway ex-con who was the third wife of Steve McDonald and older half-sister of Kylie Platt. Becky left home at fifteen to escape her abusive stepfather Brian Turner. She spent the next decade begging on the streets and engaging in petty crime, doing all she could to survive. She also spent some time in prison where she shared a cell with Kelly Crabtree. It was through Kelly that Becky first came to Coronation Street in 2006, attaching herself to
A fabulously easy and lighter version of the classic 1950's Coronation Chicken, my quick recipe uses reduced fat mayonnaise, half fat crème frâiche and some amazing caramelised red onion chutney (and chunky mango chutney) from Shaws of Huddersfield; as well as the chutney, I've added lemon juice and fresh spring onions for an extra freshness and a tangy taste. Serve this "lightened-up" version of a British classic as a salad or in sandwiches as a sandwich filling. It is also amazing when served as a filling for jacket potatoes too!
Played by Katie McGlynn
Played by Harry McDermott
CORONATION Street’s Sarah Platt fled to Milan following Callum’s murder, but now she’s back with a big secret. Will her luck ever change? Actress Tina O’Brien keeps her fingers crossed
From love triangles to lorries, and prison to pies - we celebrate 42 years of a true Corrie heroine
Albert Tatlock was one of Coronation Street's longest-standing residents and an uncle of Ken Barlow through his marriage to Albert's niece Valerie. A veteran of the First World War, Albert married Bessie Vickery in 1919 and they had one daughter, Beattie. Albert grew old in Coronation Street, becoming almost a part of the fixtures and fittings. He retired from his job as a clerk at Weatherfield Town Hall in 1960, a year after Bessie passed away. Often at odds with Beattie, Albert turned down off
From an official coronation quiche recipe to the procession route, here’s what we know ahead of the May bank holiday
Coronation Street producer Iain MacLeod discusses how Daisy Midgeley and Daniel Osbourne face a difficult wedding amid the former's stalker hell.
He and their four children raised a glass to the 77-year-old national icon after her 'peaceful' death and stayed up all night sharing their memories of her remarkable life.
Incredible pictures reveal the sad decay of the old Coronation Street set behind Granada Studios in Manchester. Iconic sites such as the Rovers Return Inn and the Kabin shop now stand empty.
From an official coronation quiche recipe to the procession route, here’s what we know ahead of the May bank holiday
Eerie new images of the old Corrie set
She isn't necessarily known for her enviable style. But Lily Allen replicated one of the more famous - and perhaps unlikely - British looks from yesteryear. Wearing a headscarf with her pink fringe on display, the Sheezus singer clearly went for an urban aesthetic - but ended up more like Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden.
Her death yesterday has led to an outpouring of grief from thousands who say they have 'grown up' with her character Deirdre Barlow and 'can't imagine' the soap without her.
Hilda Ogden's mural is one of the best-known set features ever to appear in Coronation Street, not just due to its archetypal tastelessness but also Hilda's own frequently quoted malapropism of referring to the picture as her "Muriel" (although, in truth, the term was first coined by the Ogdens' future lodger Eddie Yeats). In July 1976, Hilda decided that she wanted her downstairs back room decorated. Eddie, trying to get into Hilda's good books and be taken on as a lodger, offered to obtain som
The Duke and Duchess of Rothesay join King Charles and Queen Camilla for today's Coronation Service of Thanksgiving at St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh.
Bayswater is one of my favourite suburbs in Perth. If you don’t know it; think old farmhouses, sleepy streets, old trees, character houses with tons of potential, and little pockets of former farming land that make you feel like you could have stepped back in time. It has so much perfectly unpolished charm, and it often strikes me as one of the few areas left in Perth where you can
