1985: Daran Little - Coronation Street's Quiz Kid

Found this article in the newspaper archive today, dated April 7, 1985, about (the then) eighteen-year-old Daran Little.

Daran, of course, would go on to succeed Eric Rosser as the Street's archivist, but in 1985, then an art student, he was hailed as "The Street's Quiz Kid". He was also a huge fan of the BBC's then fledgling soap EastEnders and wanted to become that show's paid historian!

Daran said of Corrie:

"My friends are amazed at the time and effort I put into watching Coronation Street. But I think it's a lot saner than hobbies like fishing.

"I feel as if I know the characters as people. Some you hate, some you love. It's the same as in real life.

"My favourite was Elsie Tanner. I feel close to her because I know all about her life. For instance, the twenty-three affairs she has had."

So, there you are! If you fancy being a future Corrie historian, start studying the show and who knows!

The newspaper set Daran twenty questions to test his knowledge. And he passed 100%. Daran then set twenty questions for readers. Here's a selection...

1985 Questions Set For Daran Little...

How many times has Elsie Tanner married, when, and who were her husbands?

In which year did Bet Lynch first appear?

When did Annie Walker's husband Jack die?

What happened to David Barlow and Irma Ogden?

Fred Gee has had two affairs, with Vera Duckworth and Alma Walsh. But who did he marry in 1981?

Name Mavis Riley's two suitors of last year [1984]?

1985 Questions Set By Daran Little...

Who played Mrs Gilda Montefiore in the 1962 Christmas play?

Who gave Lucille Hewitt a black eye when she tried to fiddle the factory bonus scheme and in which year?

How many people have had their names above the Corner Shop (to 1985)?

Name the original occupant of No 5?

What degree did Ken Barlow obtain?

Why did Len Fairclough sack Dennis Tanner in 1966?

Who kidnapped Christopher Hewitt in 1962, and who found him?

Who did Dickie Fleming catch his wife Audrey kissing in 1971?

Thinking caps on and remember, you couldn't Google in 1985! Answers coming soon!

The Once Around Weatherfield Challenge - Part 2

Once Around Weatherfield - the story so far - Paul Lowther was Colin Jackson in 1981, Gabrielle Daye made occasional appearances as Beattie Pearson from 1961 to 1984.

I've had a terrible day. I got soaked waiting for the bus, fell off a medicine ball and cracked my knee at the gym, and as if THAT wasn't enough, the miniscule gym I use was densely populated by young people from a dance company today. Made me feel positively geriatric. Glancing in one of the full length mirrors, I was horrified to discover that the scene, ancient old me and the chirpy, hyper-healthy little perishers,  resembled Uncle Fester and the Kids From Fame working out together. To cap it all, I've just discovered that I can't get annual leave from work and I'm going to have to toil on MY BIRTHDAY!!

So, I've decided to be a thorough ratbag and set you a stonkingly hard Once Around Weatherfield challenge. You remember Once Around Weatherfield? It's our new quiz in which we show you a photograph of a minor character from the Street's 60s/70s/80s era and ask you to identify the character and the performer and write a little about both, thus earning yourself the glory of publication here at Back On The Street.

I began the Challenge by demonstrating how it's done with a write-up about the 1981 character Colin Jackson and the actor Paul Lowther - that's here - and then I presented Beattie Pearson played by Gabrielle Daye as the first mystery photograph. Reader Sue Bennett did us absolutely proud with her write-up about the performer and the character. You can read that here.

So, for this challenge, this stonkingly hard challenge, we have a "blink and you'd miss her" minor character from 1980. She appeared in just TWO episodes! And, to make it even harder (because I'm feeling super-grumpy today) the photograph shows the actress in a different TV role in 1985, not in her role as the 1980 Coronation Street character. She looked very different in The Street! You'd have to be an absolute Corrie genius to work this one out, and I'm not expecting answers any time soon!

The mystery lady is pictured below. Ha! Now, I'm off for a smug chortle in a Radox bath. Good luck! xx

Susie Blake - Before Bev Unwin...

Here's a quickie teaser question for you! Susie Blake appeared as Bev Unwin in Coronation Street, but she's seen in our photograph playing a very different role on a very different TV programme way back in the 1980s. Can you tell me - who was she then?

Back On The Street - The Big Question: " 'Oo's She?"

Well, lovey, we couldn't be bothered with a Sunday roast. Bought some barm cakes from Alf Roberts at the Corner Shop yesterday and 'ad 'em for our dinner today - three 'am, two cheese 'n' a corn beef. We've sided pots and we're just puttin' our feet up with a nice box of mint imperials. Before we settle down to a lovely evening in front o't telly, we thought we'd give yer a little bit of a brain teaser: here's a young madam who lived in Weatherfield many moons ago. She were nowt but trouble - yer can ask anyone, ask Ida Clough - but who were she? Ooh, nasty perm. But they were all the rage when she lived 'ere.

Alf Roberts from the Corner Shop - "Three 'am, two cheese, 'n' a corn beef". He knows who she was.

Fags On't Windowsill Quiz - The Answer

Well, did you guess the correct answer to our "Fags And Matches In't Picture" AKA "Fags On't Windowsill" quiz? Of the e-mails and comments received, nobody did - William Tarmey and Liz Dawn, Julie Goodyear, Michael Le Vell and Jill Summers were the clear winners, but it was actually an unknown member of the group of actors who played the Clayton family in 1985. The United Newspapers photograph was captioned: The Clayton family (L to R) Susan (Jane Hazlegrove), Andrea (Caroline O'Neill), Connie (Susan Brown) and Harry (Johnny Leeze).

1985: Fags & Matches In't Picture...

Flamin Nora! You're called out on to the Street's exterior set for some publicity photographs, and suddenly find you've nowhere to put your fags and matches (after all, you can't be seen clutching them in't photo). And then you happen upon a handy windowsill.

So, your Silk Cuts and Swan matches are popped down, and there you stand, all fragrant and smoke-free. But, to your chagrin, the fags and matches appear as large as life on't photo anyway - it seems the camera angle was wider than you'd thought...

Can you guess whose windowsill that was, and which 1985 Corrie actor/s are now forever connected with the fags and matches on't windowsill? Was it a single person, duo or group photo? Choose from't followin':

Bill Waddington (Percy Sugden) and Eileen Derbyshire (Emily Bishop).

Julie Goodyear (Bet Lynch).

William Tarmey (Jack Duckworth).

Anne Kirkbride and William Roache (Ken and Deirdre Barlow).

Johnny Leeze (Harry Clayton), Susan Brown (Connie Clayton), Caroline O'Neil (Andrea Clayton) and Jane Hazlegrove (Sue Clayton).

Johnny Briggs (Mike Baldwin), Helene Palmer (Ida Clough), Lisa Lewis (Shirley Armitage), Liz Dawn (Vera Duckworth) and Lynne Perrie (Ivy Tilsley).

Liz Dawn (Vera Duckworth) and William Tarmey (Jack Duclworth).

Kevin Kennedy (Curly Watts), Nigel Pivaro (Terry Duckworth) and Michael Le Vell (Kevin Webster).

Jill Summers (Phyllis Pearce).

We'll let you know the answer next week.

Whose Living Room Is This?

Several thousand years ago, we asked you, our readers, to identify a character's dinner as seen in a 1979 episode of The Street. That wasn't beyond you. So, today, we're going to ask you to identify a Street living room from the past. This pic dates back to the early 1990s, when I visited the Street a few times on the Granada Studios Tour, and the room was quite trendy at the time. Many of the trends represented were actually continuing from the 1980s.

The figure with the blanked out face is me - it's for the best, I know you all relish your sleep.

There's an absolutely mega-clue as to the location of this room... take a look, go to the comments, and let me know!

Name That Cliffhanger 2 - The Answer!

Mavis Riley (Thelma Barlow) thought that Fred Gee (Fred Feast) was a very nice man. Rita Littlewood (Barbara Knox) was quite unmoved.

Thanks so much to those participated in our latest Name That Cliffhanger challenge. Only one right answer this time - and congratulations to Coronation Street Corner , who wrote:

Am I right in saying that she pretended he was her boyfriend because Fred Gee was pestering her to go out with him - she kissed him when Fred came to the shop to check up on her. What would be interesting if you could evaluate the Fred/Rita relationship in a blog post. Fred was one of many that held a torch for our Rita!

Absolutely correct answer, and an interesting idea for a future blog post. Thank you!

Anonymous wrote:

Had Rita been drinking? Was she not responsible for her own actions?

Well, knowing how our Reet liked to nip in The Rovers at lunchtimes, she probably had BEEN drinking, but that didn't contribute to her actions in this case!

Greg wrote:

1976 - the year before Rita married Len - so I wonder if she was kissing Derek to make Len jealous? Mavis was probably in on it.

Interesting scenario, Greg, but not the right one!

Cerys wrote:

Mavis was sick of Derek and asked Rita to take him off her hands. However, Rita's overtures made Derek realise that he loved Mavis.

Another interesting scenario - have you ever thought about taking up soap scriptwriting?!

The full, unexpurgated truth, is below.

At that time in 1976, Fred Gee was new to the permanent cast, and the lazy, randy, ogling Fred of the late 1970s and early 1980s had yet to emerge.

This was Fred's first venture into the romantic arena since losing his wife, Edna, in the warehouse fire the previous year.

He was completely smitten by Rita, took her a pot plant ("Keep blooming," he told her), and invited her to a big band concert.

Rita was horrified and took the coward's way out - telling Fred she already had a boyfriend.

Fred, however, did not give up, and called at The Kabin just to make sure Rita's sweetheart turned up for their date, ready to whisk her off to the big band concert if not.

Derek's arrival at that point, with a message for Mavis, was a gift from the gods for Rita. Fred didn't know him, and she swooped on him, giving him a big kiss and greeting him as her boyfriend.

Fred was crestfallen, telling Derek he was a lucky man - and to look after Rita.

Rita couldn't resist teasing Derek after Fred had left the shop, with her "just ask and it shall be yours!" comment.

Of course, it all came out - and Mavis was furious, telling Rita she couldn't keep her hands off any thing in trousers. She also gave Derek his marching orders.

Rita managed to win Mavis round, and engineered a meeting between her and Derek in The Rovers. So, the relationship which would culminate in marriage in 1988 was back on track.

Meanwhile, Fred was hurt to discover the truth about Rita's fella, and told her there had been no need to make a fool of him.

And Rita was left feeling rather shabby.

Name That Cliffhanger - 2

In our second Name That Cliffhanger session, we've headed back to 1976 and The Kabin (then based at 14 Rosamund Street). Rita Littlewood (Barbara Knox) and Mavis Riley (Thelma Barlow) may have got on each other's nerves at times, but they were the best of friends really - neither would ever do anything to hurt the other.

Or would they?

Witness the scene above - Rita greeting Mavis's boyfriend, Derek Wilton (Peter Baldwin) with a passionate kiss...

Worse still, Mavis was out - having a drink at The Rovers at the time!

At the double doors leading up to her flat, Rita said:

"Derek, just ask and it shall be yours!"

Derek replied nervously: "What?"

Rita smiled, saucily: "Anything!"

And the scene faded to the closing credits.

Was Rita really out to steal the boyfriend of her best pal Mavis?

Does anybody know the answer out there?

Norris Cole, But Not Norris Cole Quiz Question...

Flaming Nora! It looks like Norris Cole has stumbled into a highly dramatic situation here!

But, of course, although the man on the right is Malcolm Hebden, now the lovely Norris, he wasn't Norris then. It was a different show and Mr Hebden was playing a very different character.

Can you name the show and the character Mr Hebden played?

The Stone Cladding Man - Who Was He Before?

Quite a lot of Corrie performers over the years have played more than one role - usually beginning as bit-parts, characters who flitted through a plot, appearing in only a couple of episodes.

According to his autobiography, The Importance Of Being Percy, Bill Waddington was four different "bit part" characters, before becoming Percy Sugden in 1983. He'd first appeared in the show in the late 1960s, and was at No 3, where Percy would later lodge, playing the best man at Emily Bishop's "wedding" to bigamist Arnold Swain, in 1980.

Another Corrie legend, Jean Alexander, had briefly appeared as the landlady of the woman who had kidnapped baby Christopher Hewitt in 1962 before becoming Hilda in 1964.

There's a lengthy list, but here's a nice easy question for you.

It's 1989. Percy is outraged to discover the workman putting up the Duckworths' stone cladding blasting out Roachford's Cuddly Toy on his radio, and gives him a proper ticking off.

"That wireless is a public nuisance!" rants Percy.

The actor who played the workman had notably played somebody else in The Street years before - his reign was brief but dramatic.

Can you name the actor and the character he once played?

The "Which Year?" Question Revisited

I'm a little disappointed by the response to the question I posed a week or two back - "which year was the photograph above taken?"

So far, readers have only established that it could be 1979 or it could be 1980. But there is somebody in the photograph, a member of the cast, perhaps even two members of the cast, who firmly pin the pic to one of those two years.

Come on, folks, take a closer look!

Name That Cliffhanger 1 - The Answer...

Actor Ian Mercer - flippin' 'eck, it's Pete Jackson! Nay, yer puddled - it's Gary Mallett...

Thanks to those who took part in my first Name That Cliffhanger quiz.

Tvor said...

That was the guy that later played Gary Mallett but back then he played one of Terry Duckworth's mates (Pete something?). Terry, however, ran off with this guy's missus.

Cerys said...

It's Ian Mercer as Pete Jackson, ex-army mate of Terry Duckworth. Terry ran off with Pete's wife Linda in the 1980's. Ian Mercer returned later as Gary Mallett and thumped Terry!

Darlene said...

Ian Mercer as Pete Jackson - he was dishy back then. I felt sorry for Pete when his mrs ran off with naughty Terry and would of loved to comfort him!

Paula G said...

Yes, Ian Mercer was nice looking. His wife was called Linda in the show and I thought she was a mug to run off with Terry. I remember Pete (Ian) cried and it was well acted and I felt so sorry for him! Terry was back in Weatherfield, minus Linda, in 1988.

Quite right!

It was rather a sad story. Nigel Pivaro had decided to quit his role as Terry Duckworth, and so up popped an old Army pal in the story-line, Pete Jackson (Ian Mercer).

Terry found Pete was living in the Weatherfield district when he was on the rounds with his "Cheap And Cheerful" door-to-door venture, and wasted no time in getting re-acquainted. The two men reminisced about their boozy Army days and "romantic" exploits and Terry discovered that Pete had left the Army and married.

Terry was immediately attracted to Pete's wife, Linda (Kazia Pelka), and she to him.

Pete had been made redundant from his last job as a security guard.

Terry invited Pete to join him and Curly Watts (Kevin Kennedy) at Cheap and Cheerful, and began an affair with Linda.

Linda hated herself for submitting to Terry's advances, but couldn't help herself.

Pete quickly became aware that she was unhappy. "It's not me, is it?" he asked her, aware that he'd been having a few too many boozy nights out recently.

No, she said - she didn't know what it was.

Determined to cut down on the boozy nights out, Pete returned home early one evening to find Linda in Terry's arms.

Unable to believe the betrayal of his wife and "best mate", Pete was stunned. The following day, he broke down in tears and begged Linda to stay with him.

Moved by his distress, Linda agreed, and Pete called at the Yard to tell Terry - and to warn him to keep away from Linda.

But Terry couldn't. He gave Curly £250 for his half share in the works van, dissolved their business partnership, and drove over to the Jackson house.

At first, Linda remained strong - she would stay with Pete, he needed her, she needed him.

But finally her will broke - and she packed her suitcase.

Terry told Pete he'd never wanted to hurt him. Pete replied: "Yer a bastard!"

"I love you. We'll be all right!" he told Linda.

But Linda told him she loved Terry, she'd never felt this way about Pete.

And she felt that if she didn't leave with Terry, she'd regret it for the rest of her life.

Pete was shattered, but as the van drove away, he said: "I'm gonna get you, Duckworth. I'm gonna kill yer."

That was our cliffhanger.

Another person distressed by Terry's actions was Curly Watts, who faced life alone at Cheap and Cheerful. Not realising that Terry had run off with Linda, he called on Pete the following day to invite him to come back into the business.

Pete asked if this was a perverted joke?

Curly was completely unprepared for the news that Terry had scarpered with Linda.

Terry's Mum, Vera (Liz Dawn), was also deeply distressed by the news.

As it turned out, the Terry/Linda relationship didn't last.

Terry was soon back in Weatherfield.

And who knows what happened to poor Pete, betrayed by his wife and his "best mate"?

I must say, Ian Mercer was very good in the role, portraying Pete as good natured, laddish, and touchingly "little boy lost" and tearful at the prospect of losing his wife. He left some of us wondering just how Pete was going to fare alone.

Ian Mercer returned to the show in 1995 as a new character, Gary Mallett.

And Terry Duckworth deprived Gary Mallett of his wife, Judy - by inadvertently causing her death.

Name That Cliffhanger - 1

First in a new series of posts - Name That Cliffhanger.

We'll provide you with screen caps, the episode's final line of dialogue and the year of broadcast and we want you to tell us what was going on, the details of the story-line.

Here, it's 1987 and we see a young man standing in a wet street watching a van moving away.

The closing words are:

"I'm gonna get you, Duckworth. I'm gonna kill yer."

Which Year?

We're back after our summer break and we've got some fun planned!

We're not saying "Flippin' 'eck! The factory's blown up again!" or: "Is that a dead body you have there?" or: "Oooh, we hear there's a tram about to crash off the viaduct - we wonder who has a grisly death? Can't wait!"

Nope, we're saying: "Ooh, Mr Swindley, what a lovely window display!" and: "There you are, Elsie Tanner - we told you the pigeons were in your loft!" and: "Can WE join The Percy Sugden Formation Dance Ensemble, please, Mr Sugden?"

And to start off with here's a fun little brain tester. The photo of a past Corrie cast above features England's former Poet Laureate John Betjeman, a great fan of the show.

The cast line-up indicates that the photograph could only have been taken during one particular year. Do you know which year and just what indicates the fact?

Coronation Street - Newspaper Quiz Fun, '81!

Tabloid Street fun from 1981! The Sun, October 31, 1981, featured two quiz questions with Street relevance.

This sultry young lady later found fame playing the notorious femme fatale in one of Britain's most popular telly serials.

She is still* getting in her six pennyworth in the long-running show. Who is she?

*Remember, this was 1981!

Don't bother to write or phone - if you don't know the lady concerned, then I'd be very surprised indeed!

And...

Fancy yourself the champ in your family at knowing all the top talent on telly? Here's your chance to find out just how good you are.

Just crack the clues to come up with the right names. And we've even given you some pictures to make things a little easier.

Well. 'er in't curlers is easy to recognise. That's 'er from Number 13. But do you know the other hot celebrities of 1981?

Who Is It?

Originally posted on September 24, I'm bumping this one back to the top of the page. Come on, folks!

Nice and easy teaser this - one of the men in this photograph went on to become a Coronation Street star some years later. Which man was it, what was his name, and which character did he play?

Whose Dinner Is This?

It's just a bit of fun this, luvvy, just a bit of larkin' about, but can you guess whose plate of pie, marowfat peas and tomato ketchup this is? It were right tasty fare for yer dinner in 1979. Mind you, that pie looks shop-bought to me (sniffs disapprovingly).

What's Going On?

The year was 1976, the location was the Rovers Return Inn, Coronation Street. Mr Stanley Ogden (Bernard Youens) and Mrs Annie Walker (Doris Speed) were two of the characters involved. But what was the story line?