(Mild spoilers, including pics)
ALL TV soaps go through peaks and troughs.
Like waves on the shore, they take time to flow towards moments of crashing brilliance.
Footprints in the sand captured on screen to be remembered forever.
Tonight brings another high tide as the exceptional Katherine Kelly (Becky McDonald) takes her leave of Weatherfield.
THERE was a lot of love in the room for Coronation Street last night.
A special event at the British Film Institute on London’s South Bank, hosted by both the BFI and BAFTA, to salute the longest running drama serial in the world.
It began with a big screen outing for the first three episodes, originally broadcast half a century ago.
Followed by an hour-long panel discussion featuring Tony Warren – “the father of Coronation Street” – plus current producer Phil Collinson, executive producer Kieran Roberts and cast members Kym Marsh (Michelle Connor) and David Neilson (Roy Cropper).
Which threw up several interesting stories, including an explantion by Phil of how the axeman does not cometh when a new producer arrives.
With some “terrified” cast members hiding from him when he began the job earlier this year.
ROY Cropper made a big splash in Weatherfield last night.
Left to drown in a canal by killer Tony Gordon.
And summed up in two clear and simple lines:
Roy: “I can’t swim.”
Tony: “Good.”
David Neilson (Roy) and Gray O’Brien (Tony) filmed the canal scenes near Corrie’s Manchester HQ.
“I was out for every night of the canal shoot,” Corrie producer Kim Crowther told me when we met up recently.
Life of Wylie 