Why Only Three Decades?

After Alan Bradley walks out on her, an emotional Rita Fairclough pours her heart out to Bet Gilroy about how lonely and empty her life feels without him. Bet comments: "And there's norra lot on telly, is there?" Meanwhile, Vera Duckworth gets fruity with her Jack. Poor Jack is not happy!

An e-mail from Mrs Campbell:

I'm a recent convert to this site, and I enjoy it. But I wonder why you confine it to the first three decades? I'm not complaining, because I started watching Corrie in the early 1960s and I've never stopped, so this site brings back memories and provides great insights, but I'd love to see the events of the 1990s and 0's given your very distinctive treatment!

Thanks for writing, Mrs Campbell. I write about the first three decades because they interest me most, and also because I no longer watch soaps! The "big time strife" story-lines of today's soaps don't appeal to me. My favourite era of The Street originally was 1976-1984, but I've since discovered the '60s through various DVD releases and love that decade in the show! I stopped watching the show on a regular basis in 1983, simply because I was busy and with the original characters departing, apart from Ken Barlow, felt it would no longer greatly appeal to me.

Recently I've been watching hundreds of mid-to-late 1980s episodes, and the likes of Curly Watts, Phyllis Pearce, Terry Duckworth, Percy Sugden and Alec Gilroy - alongside Mavis, Rita and co - have absolutely delighted me. I'm astonished at how well the production team coped with the departure of so many of the old favourites.

This blog has been a little 1980s-centred recently simply because I am studying those episodes.

I didn't view the 1990s and 2000s episodes, and from what I've seen of them, after about 1992, they weren't really to my taste, so that's one reason I don't include them. The other is that thirty years is quite a wide time span to cover and keeps me very busy!

As I say, I don't watch soaps now, but I'm thrilled that The Street is about to make it to its 50th anniversary. It has always reflected viewers' tastes, always updated itself, and I daresay there'll come a time when the blockbuster explosions, murders, etc, are no longer in vogue and I'll return to watching it. It's like an old friend, and I hope it continues for at least another fifty years!