Earlier in 1961, a Television Audience Measurement (TAM) showed that 75% of available viewers (15 million) tuned into Corrie, and by 1964 the programme had over 20 million regular viewers, with ratings peaking on 2 December 1964, at 21.36 million viewers. 1 in the television ratings and remained there for the rest of the year. In March 1961, Coronation Street reached No. He left again and then returned 42 years later in 2008. He left in 1963, but returned three years later in 1966. In April 1961, Jed Stone ( Kenneth Cope) made his first appearance and returned the following year in 1962. Elsie resented Ena's interference and gossip, which most of the time had little basis in reality. Headstrong Ena often clashed with Elsie Tanner ( Pat Phoenix), whom she believed espoused a dauntlessly loose set of morals. The trio were likened to the Greek chorus, and the three witches in William Shakespeare's Macbeth, as they would sit in the snug bar of The Rovers Return Inn, passing judgement over family, neighbours and frequently each other. Īt the centre of many early stories, there was Ena Sharples ( Violet Carson), caretaker of the Glad Tidings Mission Hall, and her friends: timid Minnie Caldwell ( Margot Bryant), and bespectacled Martha Longhurst ( Lynne Carol). There's more to worry about than Elsie Tanner ( Pat Phoenix) and her boyfriends." Roache is the only remaining member of the original cast, which makes him the longest-serving actor in Coronation Street, and in British and global soap history. We're living with people on the other side of the world. In an episode from 1961, Barlow declares: "You can't go on just thinking about your own street these days. In some ways this predicts the growth of globalisation, and the decline of similar communities. The character was one of the few to have experienced life outside of Coronation Street. Įarly episodes told the story of student Ken Barlow ( William Roache), who had won a place at university, and thus found his working-class background-as well as his younger brother, David ( Alan Rothwell) and his parents, Frank ( Frank Pemberton) and Ida ( Noel Dyson)-something of an embarrassment.
The programme also made use of Northern English language and dialect affectionate local terms like "eh, chuck?", "nowt" ( / n aʊ t/, from nought, meaning nothing), and "by 'eck!" became widely heard on British television for the first time. Despite the criticism, viewers were immediately drawn into the serial, won over by Coronation Street 's ordinary characters. Granada Television had commissioned only 13 episodes, and some inside the company doubted the show would last beyond its planned production run.
#Program script for 60th birthday series#
The first episode was aired on 9 December 1960 at 7 pm, and was not initially a critical success Daily Mirror columnist Ken Irwin claimed the series would only last three weeks. įurther information: Storylines of Coronation Street 1960s The show premiered its 10,000th episode on 7 February 2020, and celebrated its 60th anniversary later that year. The show currently averages around six million viewers per episode. Initially influenced by the conventions of kitchen sink realism, Coronation Street is noted for its depiction of a down-to-earth, working-class community, combined with light-hearted humour and strong characters. In 2010, it became the world's longest-running television soap opera. Ĭoronation Street is made by ITV Granada at MediaCityUK and shown in all ITV regions, as well as internationally. Warren's initial proposal was rejected by the station's founder Sidney Bernstein, but he was persuaded by producer Harry Elton to produce the programme for 13 pilot episodes, and the show has since become a significant part of British culture. The programme was conceived by scriptwriter Tony Warren. Originally broadcast twice weekly, the series began airing six times a week in 2017. The programme centres around Coronation Street: a cobbled, terraced street in Weatherfield, a fictional town based on inner-city Salford. Coronation Street is a British soap opera created by Granada Television and shown on ITV since 1960.