Home

20th November 1972: Ever since his business interests had collapsed in the summer of 1970, Alan Howard had been desperate to get back into the big time and not just be running the Canal Garage. Sleazy businessman Jimmy Frazer presented such an opportunity when he began discussions with bookie Benny Lewis about going into the club business with Alan looking after his interests when he wasn't in town. Elsie, ultra-protective of Alan after his brush with bankruptcy two years before, was not keen at all on the idea and Alan therefore kept it quiet from her that he was progressing his dealings with Jimmy. He met the man at the Vine pub where Jimmy had brought along two attractive girls - Deirdre Hunt and her friend Annie. Elsie however tracked her husband down and wasn't pleased to see him in the company of the two leggy girls...

• For more information see Episode 1236 (20th November 1972).

Bethany Platt

Bethany Platt is the daughter of Sarah Platt and half-sister of Harry. Sarah gave birth to Bethany in 2000 at age thirteen, following a brief sexual encounter with classmate Neil Fearns. Bethany's infancy had plenty of drama; in 2004 she was kidnapped by her unstable paternal grandmother Brenda Fearns, and when she was seven she almost died after taking an ecstasy tablet her uncle David Platt had hidden inside her doll. That same year, Sarah and Bethany left Weatherfield for a new life in Milan, returning in 2015 after Bethany was expelled from her school in Italy. Now a teenager, Bethany was very close to Sarah and at times they behaved more like sisters than mother and daughter. However, she had grown rebellious and difficult to control. In 2016, Bethany was the victim of school bullying which led to self-esteem issues. She then met 35-year-old Nathan Curtis, who was part of a gang in involved in grooming young girls in order to be pimped. Bethany was coerced into having sex with random men and was on the verge of being sold into prostitution abroad when she found the courage to report Nathan and his cohorts to the police. The experience has haunted her ever since.

Previous featured characters: Mavis Wilton; Billy Walker; David Barlow; Maggie Cooke; Steph Barnes; Jackie Ingram.

...that Anthony Schaeffer holds the current record of most roles in the programme with fifteen credited to date?
...that the first episode of the programme ever transmitted that did not feature any of the original cast members from 1960 was Episode 1428 (23rd September 1974)?
...that Stanley Wood, who wrote Episode 1237 (22nd November 1972), was the father of comedian Victoria Wood?
...that in Episode 1183 (17th May 1972), the character of Rita Bates gave her maiden name as "Foster" and not the later-established "Littlewood"?
...that although the character of Armistead Caldwell had died in 1935, his voice was heard in Episode 1256 (29th January 1973)?
...that the first ever repeat of an episode of Coronation Street was on Friday 10th February 1961 when strike action prevented the transmission of that night's edition and Episode 1 was shown in its place?