Coronation Street in 1985

1985 was Coronation Street's twenty-sixth year. John G. Temple took over as producer from Mervyn Watson with Episode 2496 (4th March 1985) and remained in the role for the rest of the year. Bill Podmore continued as Executive Producer. 104 episodes were shown.

Storylines included Bet Lynch becoming Rovers landlady, Terry Duckworth fathering an illegitimate child with Andrea Clayton, Tracy Langton going missing from home, Alf Roberts and Audrey Potter getting married, the Tilsleys splitting because of Brian's refusal to buy a house, Ivy Tilsley finding love with George Wardle, Hilda Ogden taking in strike breaker Henry Wakefield as lodger, Terry Duckworth and Curly Watts starting a removal business together, Alf converting the Corner Shop into a self-service mini-mart, and a newly married Bill Webster moving to Southampton.

Production
With the exits of Bill and Debbie Webster in January, the regular cast was reduced in size to twenty. Seven new characters were introduced in the first two months of the year, among them new Rovers barmaid Gloria Todd, teenager Martin Platt, and a new family to replace the Websters. The Claytons were a carefully crafted "normal family" - milkman dad Harry, dressmaker mum Connie, and their teenage daughters Andrea and Sue. However, once they'd appeared on-screen the writers quickly decided they weren't working and they were axed in their entirety in September.

More cast additions followed John G. Temple's arrival as producer with Episode 2496. Tracy Langton finally re-appeared after an 18-month absence in July, now played by Holly Chamarette, and in October Wendy Jane Walker returned full-time as Susan Barlow, a role she last played as a child in 1974. After six years of occasional appearances, Sue Nicholls joined full-time as Audrey Potter became Audrey Roberts, whose partnership with Alf proved to be a fertile ground for comedy and had the spark Alf's marriage to Renee had lacked.

With a new producer and the chaos of 1983-1984 behind it, Coronation Street re-established itself. Bet Lynch - a surprise choice for Rovers landlady, both within the fiction and outside - proved an effective replacement for Annie Walker, and the Corner Shop received its first major makeover in its history as Alf transformed it into a self-service mini-mart.

Coronation Street's 25th anniversary took place in December. As was normal practice in this period, no fanfare took place within the programme itself, though its second VHS release, The Jubilee Years, was released in August, containing many archive clips. December also saw the first festive edition of the programme since 1972; from this point on, Coronation Street would be transmitted on Christmas Day if it fell on a Monday or Wednesday.

On 4th September, Granada launched their new sitcom, The Brothers McGregor, which chronicled the misadventures of brothers Wesley and Cyril McGregor. The characters had debuted in Coronation Street, in Episode 2203 (12th May 1982), but in order to avoid viewers prejudging what the series would be like, this fact was not played up in pre-publicity for The Brothers McGregor, which ran for four seasons.

Viewing figures
The upwards surge in ratings experienced in the last quarter of 1984 continued in 1985, with Coronation Street gaining some of its highest audience figures to date in January and February. The first six episodes of the year all crossed the 20 million mark, and the first of those - at 21.4 million viewers - was the highest-rated episode of the year, and, on a single viewing, the highest-rated episode of Coronation Street of all time.

The average figure for the year was 16.49 million viewers, the highest since 1966. All months except September, November and December gained year-on-year, with four months gaining more than 20% and two by more than three million viewers on 1984. Though the last two months of the year saw a significant drop-off from 1984, all Autumn averages remained above 15 million viewers.

32 episodes reached the top of the viewing charts, a fall of six from 1984. Coronation Street's performance in the charts was affected by the launch of the BBC's London-based soap EastEnders on 19th February, whose BARB viewing figures included those of its Sunday omnibus. Having been unsuccessful in their previous attempts to create a soap with the popularity of Coronation Street, the BBC launched EastEnders to maximum publicity, and its profile - and audience - rose steadily throughout the year. Episode 2548 was the last episode of the year to chart at 1st place, with EastEnders displacing Coronation Street thereafter.

Although not transmitted opposite the Street, EastEnders was treated as its direct competitor in the media (a situation which has remained since 1985), and when it took over the number one position in the charts, its victory over Coronation Street was reported with no mention of the fact that without its omnibus figures, it would still be behind the Street. EastEnders' dominance of the charts continued until 1989, when Coronation Street launched its omnibus. BARB discontinued this method of recording viewing figures at the beginning of 2002, adopting a policy of recording individual ratings for each showing of a programme.

Who lives where
Coronation Street Rosamund Street Others
 * Rovers Return Inn - Bet Lynch (from January onwards). Frank Mills (from August onwards)
 * 1 Coronation Street - Ken and Deirdre Barlow. Tracy Langton. Susan Barlow (from November onwards).
 * 3 Coronation Street - Emily Bishop and Curly Watts. Kevin Webster (from January to May).
 * 5 Coronation Street - Ivy Tilsley. Brian, Gail and Nicky Tilsley (until April).
 * 7 Coronation Street - Rita Fairclough
 * 9 Coronation Street - Jack, Vera and Terry Duckworth.
 * 11 Coronation Street - Bill, Kevin and Debbie Webster (until January). Harry, Connie, Andrea and Sue Clayton (from January to August).
 * 13 Coronation Street - Hilda Ogden. Henry Wakefield (from January to February). Kevin Webster (from May onwards).
 * Corner Shop (No.15) - Alf Roberts (until September. After this date the shop and storeroom were extended to include the old living quarters).
 * Corner Shop Flat (No.15a) - Bet Lynch (until January). Alf Roberts (from September onwards). Audrey Roberts (from December onwards).
 * Community Centre Flat - Percy Sugden
 * The Kabin - Mavis Riley.
 * 37 Hillside Crescent - Betty Turpin.
 * 46b, St. Mary's Place - Mike Baldwin
 * 33 Hammond Road - Brian, Gail and Nicky Tilsley (from June onwards).
 * 4 Gorton Close - Phyllis Pearce.
 * Nelson Street - Shirley Armitage.

Awards and nominations
Royal Television Society Awards
 * Best Television Performance of the Year for 1984: Jean Alexander