Coronation Street in 1980



1980 was Coronation Street's twenty-first year. It contained the 2000th instalment of the programme, which was marked with a street party on the Grape Street set which was covered by TV Times special Coronation Street 2000.

Bill Podmore, producer since 1976, continued in the role for another year. His most noteworthy casting decision of 1980 was the axing of Madge Hindle's character Renee Roberts, owner of the Corner Shop and wife of Alf. Podmore was dissatisfied with Renee and Alf's partnership and killed off Renee (in a dramatic car crash in the countryside) to save Alf from what he described as a "humdrum marriage". Alf then took over the Corner Shop alone, where he remained until 1994.

Violet Carson made her final appearance as Ena Sharples in April. Carson had struggled with ill health for some time and throughout the late 1970s Ena was regularly written out, with Carson returning to the role when she was able. In Episode 1983, Ena made a low-key departure from Weatherfield - deciding she'd had quite enough of Albert Tatlock's hospitality while the builders worked on her flat, she swapped the smoky skies of Weatherfield for the sea air at her usual retreat, St. Annes. She was expected to return but Carson's health worsened later in the year and she never returned to filming.

Storylines included Emily Bishop marrying Arnold Swain who turns out to be a bigamist, Mavis Riley being harassed by a mystery caller, Rita Fairclough leaving Len, Elsie Tanner accidentally setting No.11 on fire, Elsie's grandson Martin Cheveski coming to stay, Jim Sedgewick turning the cafe into a transport cafe, Gail and Brian Tilsley having a son, Bet Lynch being burgled, and Eddie Yeats becoming a bin man (and going to war with Annie Walker after thoughtlessly revealing the contents of her bins to the Rovers regulars).

105 new episodes were broadcast on ITV in 1980. The ratings reached a peak with 19 million viewers with Episode 2053 on 3rd December, and fourteen episodes reached the top of the weekly rankings - an increase on 1979; after varying degrees of success in the charts throughout the 1970s, Coronation Street began the new decade in a stronger position than it had been in for nearly ten years.

Main cast

 * Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson
 * Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander
 * Mavis Riley - Thelma Barlow
 * Mike Baldwin - Johnny Briggs
 * Martin Cheveski - Jonathan Caplan (June to December)
 * Ena Sharples - Violet Carson (until April)
 * Vera Duckworth - Elizabeth Dawn
 * Emily Bishop - Eileen Derbyshire
 * Betty Turpin - Betty Driver
 * Bert Tilsley - Peter Dudley
 * Fred Gee - Fred Feast
 * Tracy Langton - Christabel Finch
 * Bet Lynch - Julie Goodyear
 * Renee Roberts - Madge Hindle (until July)
 * Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth
 * Eddie Yeats - Geoffrey Hughes
 * Deirdre Langton - Anne Kirkbride
 * Rita Fairclough - Barbara Knox
 * Alf Roberts - Bryan Mosley
 * Audrey Potter - Sue Nicholls (May to June, September to October, December onwards)
 * Ida Clough - Helene Palmer
 * Susan Barlow - Suzy Paterson
 * Ivy Tilsley - Lynne Perrie
 * Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix
 * Brian Tilsley - Christopher Quinten
 * Ken Barlow - William Roache
 * Annie Walker - Doris Speed
 * Arnold Swain - George Waring (April onwards)
 * Gail Tilsley - Helen Worth
 * Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens

Who lives where
Coronation Street Rosamund Street Others
 * Rovers Return Inn - Annie Walker and Fred Gee.
 * 1 Coronation Street - Albert Tatlock and Ken Barlow.
 * 3 Coronation Street - Emily Bishop. Deirdre and Tracy Langton (until September). Arnold Swain (from September to December).
 * 5 Coronation Street - Bert and Ivy Tilsley. Brian and Gail Tilsley (until August).
 * 9 Coronation Street - Len. Rita Fairclough (until February, then from March onwards).
 * 11 Coronation Street - Elsie Tanner. Dan Johnson (from March to April). Martin Cheveski (from June to December).
 * 13 Coronation Street - Hilda and Stan Ogden. Eddie Yeats (from July).
 * Corner Shop (No.15) - Renee Roberts (until July). Alf Roberts.
 * Corner Shop Flat (No.15a) - Bet Lynch (until April). Deirdre and Tracy Langton (from September).
 * Community Centre Flat - Ena Sharples (until February).
 * The Kabin - Mavis Riley.
 * 37 Hillside Crescent - Betty Turpin. Bet Lynch (April only).
 * Ludlow Avenue - Bet Lynch (from April).
 * 5 Buxton Close - Brian and Gail Tilsley (from August).
 * 20 Inkerman Street - Jack and Vera Duckworth.