Coronation Street in 1960



1960 was the year that Coronation Street was first broadcast on ITV, following its creation by Tony Warren. Commissioned at the reluctance of Granada Television bosses, Coronation Street was purported to reflect the lives of the working class in the north of England, especially Lancashire, with the programme's supporters in Granada believing that the characters would resonate with viewers, with their regional accents and everyday problems.

The series debuted live at 7.00pm on Friday 9th December, in an episode which introduced Coronation Street, Weatherfield and its residents, including Elsie Tanner, Annie Walker, Ena Sharples and Ken Barlow, all of which would be with the series for years to come.

The programme was initially broadcast twice weekly, with a live episode transmitted on each Friday, and the following episode recorded immediately afterwards for transmission on the following Wednesday. The series continued with two episodes a week until 1989. All seven episodes of the year were written by Tony Warren and produced by Stuart Latham.

Main cast

 * Florrie Lindley - Betty Alberge
 * Harry Hewitt - Ivan Beavis
 * Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant
 * Martha Longhurst - Lynne Carol
 * Ena Sharples - Violet Carson
 * Linda Cheveski - Anne Cunningham
 * Ida Barlow - Noel Dyson
 * Christine Hardman - Christine Hargreaves
 * Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth
 * Dennis Tanner - Philip Lowrie
 * Concepta Riley - Doreen Keogh
 * Jack Walker - Arthur Leslie
 * Leonard Swindley - Arthur Lowe
 * Lucille Hewitt - Jennifer Moss
 * Esther Hayes - Daphne Oxenford
 * Frank Barlow - Frank Pemberton
 * Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix
 * Kenneth Barlow - William Roache
 * David Barlow - Alan Rothwell
 * Annie Walker - Doris Speed
 * Ivan Cheveski - Ernst Walder

December

 * Florrie Lindley takes over the Corner Shop when Elsie Lappin retires and moves away. Florrie is just getting used to the new neighbourhood when she is caught by the police selling firelighters after closing time. She is fined £1 and her name appears in the newspaper - something which worries her more than the fine, as she is worried what people will think of her.
 * Student Ken Barlow starts dating middle-class Susan Cunningham, but is ashamed of his working class background.
 * Linda Cheveski admits to her mother Elsie Tanner that she has left her husband Ivan, but won't explain why. Ivan shows up at the Rovers Return, looking for her, and they eventually reconcile when Linda reveals she is pregnant and Ivan is thrilled by the news.
 * Linda's brother Dennis Tanner has been having trouble getting a job since his release from prison, but doesn't seem to care much when his mother Elsie nags him about it. When he shows up with a wad of money, Elsie thinks he stole it, especially since a local robbery happened at the same time he said he won it at the dogs. Neighbour Harry Hewitt hears about the trouble Dennis is in and reveals he witnessed the win, and tells the police so that Dennis is no longer a suspect in the robbery.
 * Lay preacher at the Mission of Glad Tidings Leonard Swindley and Mission caretaker Ena Sharples argue over Ena frequenting the Rovers Return Inn. Ena collapses from the stress, and in hospital is told she has senile decay. She worries about getting old.
 * Lucille Hewitt runs away from an orphanage to be with her father Harry at Christmas.
 * May Hardman returns home to No. 13 from a mental hospital. Her daughter Christine tries to protect her by confronting Ena about her gossiping. Christine and neighbour Esther Hayes try to take care of her but she is still seriously ill and has episodes of severe pain, eventually dying alone in her hallway on New Year's Eve.

Who lives where
Coronation Street Mawdsley Street Others
 * Rovers Return Inn - Jack and Annie Walker, Concepta Riley
 * 1 Coronation Street - Albert Tatlock
 * 3 Coronation Street - Frank, Ida, Kenneth and David Barlow
 * 5 Coronation Street - Esther Hayes
 * 7 Coronation Street - Harry, Lucille Hewitt (home for Christmas from the orphanage)
 * 9 Coronation Street - Empty
 * 11 Coronation Street - Elsie and Dennis Tanner (with Linda and Ivan Cheveski temporarily lodging for part of December)
 * 13 Coronation Street - May and Christine Hardman
 * Corner Shop (No.15) - Florrie Lindley
 * Corner Shop Flat (No.15a) - Empty
 * Glad Tidings Vestry - Ena Sharples
 * 7 Mawdsley Street - Martha Longhurst
 * 15 Jubilee Terrace - Minnie Caldwell and Amy Carlton
 * Warrington - Ivan and Linda Cheveski