1982 was Coronation Street's twenty-third year.
Main characters[]
| Ranking | Character | Played by | Duration | Number of Episodes | Running total | Previous year's ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Len Fairclough | Peter Adamson | Full year | 80 | 1732 | 2 |
| 2 | Elsie Tanner | Patricia Phoenix | Full year | 75 | 1534 | 1 |
| 3 | Annie Walker | Doris Speed | Full year | 74 | 1665 | 11 |
| 4 | Eddie Yeats | Geoffrey Hughes | Full year | 71 | 441 | 15 |
| 5 | Hilda Ogden | Jean Alexander | Full year | 70 | 1265 | 8 |
| 6 | Bet Lynch | Julie Goodyear | Full year | 68 | 886 | 6 |
| 7 | Ken Barlow | William Roache | Full year | 66 | 1464 | 5 |
| 7 | Ivy Tilsley | Lynne Perrie | Full year | 66 | 331 | 13 |
| 7 | Fred Gee | Fred Feast | Full year | 66 | 430 | 2 |
| 7 | Rita Fairclough | Barbara Knox | Full year | 66 | 727 | 4 |
| 11 | Mike Baldwin | Johnny Briggs | Full year | 64 | 354 | 13 |
| 11 | Mavis Riley | Thelma Barlow | Full year | 64 | 549 | 12 |
| 13 | Stan Ogden | Bernard Youens | Full year | 62 | 1156 | 18 |
| 14 | Gail Tilsley | Helen Worth | Full year | 60 | 453 | 22 |
| 15 | Emily Bishop | Eileen Derbyshire | Full year | 56 | 1235 | 20 |
| 16 | Deirdre Barlow | Anne Kirkbride | Full year | 55 | 585 | 7 |
| 16 | Betty Turpin | Betty Driver | Full year | 55 | 926 | 15 |
| 18 | Alf Roberts | Bryan Mosley | Full year | 51 | 740 | 9 |
| 18 | Marion Willis | Veronica Doran | From February | 51 | 51 | - |
| 20 | Albert Tatlock | Jack Howarth | Full year | 48 | 1257 | 15 |
| 21 | Sharon Gaskell | Tracie Bennett | March to December | 45 | 45 | - |
| 22 | Nick Tilsley | Warren Jackson | Full year | 44 | 86 | 23 |
| 23 | Vera Duckworth | Elizabeth Dawn | January to June, August to September and from December | 36 | 178 | 25 |
| 24 | Brian Tilsley | Christopher Quinten | January and from July | 32 | 184 | 21 |
| 24 | Chalkie Whitely | Teddy Turner | February and from July | 32 | 32 | - |
| 26 | Ida Clough | Helene Palmer | January to March, May to June, August to September and December | 26 | 110 | 27 |
| 27 | Bert Tilsley | Peter Dudley | January to April, July and from December | 24 | 199 | 10 |
| 28 | Tracy Langton | Christabel Finch | May to June and from August | 23 | 203 | 23 |
| 29 | Jack Duckworth | William Tarmey | April, June, September and November to December | 14 | 24 | 28 |
| 29 | Phyllis Pearce | Jill Summers | September to December | 14 | 14 | - |
| 31 | Alma Sedgewick | Amanda Barrie | April to June | 8 | 12 | 30 |
| 32 | Derek Wilton | Peter Baldwin | April only | 3 | 36 | - |
| 33 | Gordon Clegg | Bill Kenwright | January only | 2 | 93 | - |
| 33 | Eunice Gee | Meg Johnson | November only | 2 | 56 | 19 |
| 33 | Audrey Potter | Sue Nicholls | April only | 2 | 48 | 26 |
Production[]
A new set for the 1980s[]
Queen Elizabeth II visits the new outdoor set
Bill Podmore was producer for the seventh and final consecutive year, sharing duties with Pauline Shaw from Episode 2216 to Episode 2261 and Mervyn Watson from Episode 2262 until the end of the year. After this four-week period, Watson took over as sole producer, although Podmore continued to work on the programme as its executive producer.
The new outdoor set was ready for filming by May. Costing £170,000 to build, the backlot was a scaled up version of the one at Grape Street in most respects, with the main differences being the new No.7, an alleyway between the Rovers Return and No.1, new fibreglass chimneys, and a section of Rosamund Street which would later house the Graffiti Club. The houses were proper concrete-and-brick structures but nevertheless still too small and impractical to permit shooting interior scenes there, with recording carrying on within the main Quay Street studios building. The new house, built by Len Fairclough within the programme's narrative, was designed by Peter Shuttleworth, winner of an office competition at BDP. Shuttleworth drew up plans for a modern brick house in light morter with Georgian-style windows, marking it out from the rest of the row.
The set was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh on 5th May. The royal visit was organised by the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire when planning the Queen's route in the Castlefield area of Manchester when she was in the city to open a new library. Escorted by Granada executives David Plowright and Sir Denis Forman, the Royal couple made their way down the length of the street, meeting and greeting Tony Warren, producer Bill Podmore, writer H.V. Kershaw, the programme's original designer Denis Parkin, and the entire cast, who were stood outside the houses where their characters either lived or worked (where applicable) and wearing their characters' best clothes. The event was shown live on ITV under the title The Queen in Coronation Street.
The Grape Street set was used for the last time in Episode 2203 (12th May 1982) (although the ginnel was seen in Episode 2207 two weeks later) and the new exterior first appeared on-screen in Episode 2210 (7th June 1982), which prominently showed the exterior of the new No.7. The last shot of the title sequence was also updated for the new set in that episode. Demolition of the old backlot began on 1st June, and the area became the entrance to the Granada Studios tour in 1988.
Fleeting faces[]
Len and Rita foster Sharon Gaskell
With the Faircloughs moving to the new modern No.7, No.9 was freed up for a new family. Teddy Turner's Chalkie Whitely, a friend of Eddie Yeats on the bins, moved to the street in July after appearing in two episodes five months earlier. With Chalkie came his grandson Craig, the first child to move to the street since 1964. The setup didn't last the year, with Craig's father Bob coming back for his son in December and Chalkie written out the following August. However, Craig's gravel-voiced grandmother Phyllis Pearce, played by Jill Summers, was kept on and her role grew over time.
Len and Rita's fostering storyline carried on with them taking in 16-year-old Sharon Gaskell, played by Tracie Bennett. Sharon was another short-lived attempt to represent the younger demographic, lasting only nine months.
Meanwhile, Eddie Yeats was given a girlfriend in the form of Veronica Doran as Marion Willis. William Tarmey's part as Jack Duckworth continued to grow, with 14 appearances and his first major storyline with Vera. None of the established cast left the programme although Christopher Quinten was absent from February to June to appear in a theatrical tour. This was written into storylines with Brian Tilsley working in Qatar for a few months. Once he was back, Brian bought into S & T Garage, later Tilsley's Garage. From this point onwards, the programme has always included a garage as one of its main workplaces. Bert Tilsley was also absent from May to November, due to Peter Dudley's legal troubles. No on-screen explanation was given for Bert's disappearance.
There were also brief appearances by Amanda Barrie as Alma Sedgewick, Peter Baldwin as Derek Wilton, Meg Johnson as Eunice Gee, Sue Nicholls as Audrey Potter and Bill Kenwright as Gordon Clegg, the latter for a storyline in which Gordon's birth father was revealed after eight years as Ted Farrell, former wartime sweetheart of Betty Turpin.
Two Scouse characters named Cyril and Wesley McGregor, played by Carl Chase and Tony Osoba respectively, were featured in Episode 2203 as guests at Eddie and Marion's engagement party. They made such an impression on writers Julian Roach and John Stevenson that a spin-off named The Brothers McGregor was later built around them, launching in 1985.
On 16th November, Granada released The Magic of Coronation Street, the first Coronation Street commercial release. It contained six episodes from the 1960s, including Episode 1, and included newly-recorded scenes in which Len Fairclough, Elsie Tanner and Annie Walker talk over old times as a means of introducing the episodes.
Viewing figures[]
Ratings chart for the year
After three years of rising ratings, Coronation Street fell to an average of 14.5 million viewers, shedding nearly 1.4 million of 1981's audience in the largest single-year-drop up to that point. Every month saw a fall from the same month the year before - the first time this had occurred - with drops ranging from 0.1m in April to 2.3m in June. The highest-rated episode was Episode 2167 on 6th January, with 18.95 million viewers, the lowest peak since 1974. This was the lowest-rated year of the 1980s, and the lowest up to that point excepting 1960 and 1961 when Coronation Street wasn't fully networked.
These trends are not reflected in the programme's chart positions. 36 episodes reached number one, an increase of 4 from 1981 and the most yet outside the 1962-1965 peak, and only one episode charted outside the top 20 (Episode 2227 on 4th August, which was also the lowest-rated episode of the year).
Episodes[]
| # | Ep. No. |
Date | Writer | Director | Viewing Figures |
Chart Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2166 | Monday 4th January | H.V. Kershaw | Brian Mills | 17,800,000 | 6 |
| 2 | 2167 | Wednesday 6th January | Adele Rose | Brian Mills | 18,950,000 | 2 |
| 3 | 2168 | Monday 11th January | John Stevenson | David Carson | 16,250,000 | 4 |
| 4 | 2169 | Wednesday 13th January | Peter Whalley | David Carson | 18,350,000 | 1 |
| 5 | 2170 | Monday 18th January | Bob Mason | John Michael Phillips | 16,600,000 | 3 |
| 6 | 2171 | Wednesday 20th January | Julian Roach | John Michael Phillips | 17,450,000 | 2 |
| 7 | 2172 | Monday 25th January | Leslie Duxbury | Charles Kitchen | 16,800,000 | 3 |
| 8 | 2173 | Wednesday 27th January | Leslie Duxbury | Charles Kitchen | 17,150,000 | 1 |
| 9 | 2174 | Monday 1st February | Tony Perrin | Brian Mills | 16,350,000 | 3 |
| 10 | 2175 | Wednesday 3rd February | Barry Hill | Brian Mills | 17,350,000 | 2 |
| 11 | 2176 | Monday 8th February | Adele Rose | John Michael Phillips | 16,800,000 | 3 |
| 12 | 2177 | Wednesday 10th February | Leslie Duxbury | John Michael Phillips | 17,150,000 | 2 |
| 13 | 2178 | Monday 15th February | John Stevenson | Charles Kitchen | 16,500,000 | 3 |
| 14 | 2179 | Wednesday 17th February | H.V. Kershaw | Charles Kitchen | 18,000,000 | 1 |
| 15 | 2180 | Monday 22nd February | H.V. Kershaw | Brian Mills | 16,400,000 | 2 |
| 16 | 2181 | Wednesday 24th February | Adele Rose | Sebastian Graham-Jones | 16,050,000 | 3 |
| 17 | 2182 | Monday 1st March | Leslie Duxbury | John Michael Phillips | 17,150,000 | 1 |
| 18 | 2183 | Wednesday 3rd March | Peter Whalley | John Michael Phillips | 17,000,000 | 3 |
| 19 | 2184 | Monday 8th March | Cliff Gerrard | Charles Kitchen | 16,150,000 | 2 |
| 20 | 2185 | Wednesday 10th March | John Stevenson | Charles Kitchen | 16,000,000 | 3 |
| 21 | 2186 | Monday 15th March | H.V. Kershaw | Sebastian Graham-Jones | 16,700,000 | 3 |
| 22 | 2187 | Wednesday 17th March | Barry Hill | Sebastian Graham-Jones | 17,650,000 | 1 |
| 23 | 2188 | Monday 22nd March | Adele Rose | John Michael Phillips | 16,000,000 | 4 |
| 24 | 2189 | Wednesday 24th March | Bob Mason | John Michael Phillips | 17,950,000 | 2 |
| 25 | 2190 | Monday 29th March | Leslie Duxbury | Ken Grieve | 15,750,000 | 3 |
| 26 | 2191 | Wednesday 31st March | Julian Roach | Ken Grieve | 17,250,000 | 2 |
| 27 | 2192 | Monday 5th April | Tony Perrin | Stephen Butcher | 15,400,000 | 3 |
| 28 | 2193 | Wednesday 7th April | H.V. Kershaw | Stephen Butcher | 16,900,000 | 1 |
| 29 | 2194 | Monday 12th April | Adele Rose | Brian Mills | 11,298,000 | nk |
| 30 | 2195 | Wednesday 14th April | John Stevenson | Brian Mills | 15,900,000 | 1 |
| 31 | 2196 | Monday 19th April | Leslie Duxbury | John Michael Phillips | 15,150,000 | 5 |
| 32 | 2197 | Wednesday 21st April | Julian Roach | John Michael Phillips | 15,950,000 | 2 |
| 33 | 2198 | Monday 26th April | H.V. Kershaw | Gareth Jones | 14,600,000 | 5 |
| 34 | 2199 | Wednesday 28th April | Adele Rose | Gareth Jones | 15,600,000 | 3 |
| 35 | 2200 | Monday 3rd May | Tony Perrin | Jonathan Wright-Miller | 13,900,000 | 3 |
| 36 | 2201 | Wednesday 5th May | Peter Whalley | Jonathan Wright-Miller | 16,150,000 | 1 |
| 37 | 2202 | Monday 10th May | Leslie Duxbury | John Michael Phillips | 14,900,000 | 1 |
| 38 | 2203 | Wednesday 12th May | John Stevenson | John Michael Phillips | 13,800,000 | 2 |
| 39 | 2204 | Monday 17th May | H.V. Kershaw | Matthew Robinson | 14,550,000 | 2 |
| 40 | 2205 | Wednesday 19th May | Barry Hill | Matthew Robinson | 15,100,000 | 1 |
| 41 | 2206 | Monday 24th May | Leslie Duxbury | Charles Kitchen | 14,900,000 | 1 |
| 42 | 2207 | Wednesday 26th May | John Stevenson | Charles Kitchen | 13,600,000 | 4 |
| 43 | 2208 | Monday 31st May | Cliff Gerard Leslie Duxbury |
Sebastian Graham-Jones | 11,200,000 | 4 |
| 44 | 2209 | Wednesday 2nd June | Julian Roach | Sebastian Graham-Jones | 12,800,000 | 1 |
| 45 | 2210 | Monday 7th June | H.V. Kershaw | Jonathan Wright-Miller | 12,650,000 | 3 |
| 46 | 2211 | Wednesday 9th June | Bob Mason | Jonathan Wright-Miller | 12,600,000 | 4 |
| 47 | 2212 | Monday 14th June | Leslie Duxbury | Gareth Morgan | 12,550,000 | 2 |
| 48 | 2213 | Wednesday 16th June | Adele Rose | Gareth Morgan | 12,150,000 | 3 |
| 49 | 2214 | Monday 21st June | Peter Whalley | Sebastian Graham-Jones | 12,850,000 | 1 |
| 50 | 2215 | Wednesday 23rd June | Tony Perrin | Sebastian Graham-Jones | 12,050,000 | 2 |
| 51 | 2216 | Monday 28th June | H.V. Kershaw | Eugene Ferguson | 12,900,000 | 1 |
| 52 | 2217 | Wednesday 30th June | Adele Rose | John Michael Phillips | 11,900,000 | 2 |
| 53 | 2218 | Monday 5th July | Barry Hill | Gareth Morgan | 13,400,000 | 2 |
| 54 | 2219 | Wednesday 7th July | John Stevenson | Gareth Morgan | 11,350,000 | 3 |
| 55 | 2220 | Monday 12th July | Leslie Duxbury | Sebastian Graham-Jones | 14,350,000 | 1 |
| 56 | 2221 | Wednesday 14th July | Julian Roach | Sebastian Graham-Jones | 13,000,000 | 2 |
| 57 | 2222 | Monday 19th July | H.V. Kershaw | Eugene Ferguson | 12,200,000 | 2 |
| 58 | 2223 | Wednesday 21st July | Adele Rose | Eugene Ferguson | 12,850,000 | 1 |
| 59 | 2224 | Monday 26th July | Peter Whalley | Oliver Horsbrugh | 11,600,000 | 2 |
| 60 | 2225 | Wednesday 28th July | Leslie Duxbury | Oliver Horsbrugh | 11,800,000 | 1 |
| 61 | 2226 | Monday 2nd August | John Stevenson | Jonathan Wright-Miller | 11,100,000 | 1 |
| 62 | 2227 | Wednesday 4th August | Tony Perrin | Jonathan Wright-Miller | 10,950,000 | 2 |
| 63 | 2228 | Monday 9th August | H.V. Kershaw | Eugene Ferguson | 11,900,000 | 1 |
| 64 | 2229 | Wednesday 11th August | Bob Mason | Eugene Ferguson | 11,800,000 | 2 |
| 65 | 2230 | Monday 16th August | Barry Hill | Nicholas Ferguson | 12,750,000 | 1 |
| 66 | 2231 | Wednesday 18th August | Adele Rose | Nicholas Ferguson | 11,900,000 | 2 |
| 67 | 2232 | Monday 23rd August | Peter Whalley | Charles Kitchen | 12,600,000 | 3 |
| 68 | 2233 | Wednesday 25th August | Leslie Duxbury | Charles Kitchen | 12,000,000 | 4 |
| 69 | 2234 | Monday 30th August | H.V. Kershaw | Bill Gilmour | 11,900,000 | 1 |
| 70 | 2235 | Wednesday 1st September | Adele Rose | Bill Gilmour | 11,450,000 | 3 |
| 71 | 2236 | Monday 6th September | Leslie Duxbury | Nicholas Ferguson | 12,900,000 | 1 |
| 72 | 2237 | Wednesday 8th September | John Stevenson | Nicholas Ferguson | 12,050,000 | 3 |
| 73 | 2238 | Monday 13th September | Tony Perrin | Charles Kitchen | 13,300,000 | 1 |
| 74 | 2239 | Wednesday 15th September | Julian Roach | Charles Kitchen | 12,950,000 | 2 |
| 75 | 2240 | Monday 20th September | H.V. Kershaw | Bill Gilmour | 13,850,000 | 1 |
| 76 | 2241 | Wednesday 22nd September | Adele Rose | Bill Gilmour | 13,150,000 | 2 |
| 77 | 2242 | Monday 27th September | Peter Whalley | Brian Mills | 13,800,000 | 2 |
| 78 | 2243 | Wednesday 29th September | Leslie Duxbury | Brian Mills | 13,850,000 | 1 |
| 79 | 2244 | Monday 4th October | Barry Hill | Charles Kitchen | 13,150,000 | 2 |
| 80 | 2245 | Wednesday 6th October | Tony Perrin | Charles Kitchen | 14,850,000 | 1 |
| 81 | 2246 | Monday 11th October | H.V. Kershaw | Bill Gilmour | 13,700,000 | 2 |
| 82 | 2247 | Wednesday 13th October | Leslie Duxbury | Bill Gilmour | 15,550,000 | 1 |
| 83 | 2248 | Monday 18th October | John Stevenson | Eugene Ferguson | 13,700,000 | 5 |
| 84 | 2249 | Wednesday 20th October | Julian Roach | Eugene Ferguson | 15,550,000 | 2 |
| 85 | 2250 | Monday 25th October | Adele Rose | Charles Kitchen | 12,950,000 | 5 |
| 86 | 2251 | Wednesday 27th October | Peter Whalley | Charles Kitchen | 15,800,000 | 1 |
| 87 | 2252 | Monday 1st November | H.V. Kershaw | Chris Lovett | 15,700,000 | 1 |
| 88 | 2253 | Wednesday 3rd November | Bob Mason | Chris Lovett | 15,550,000 | 2 |
| 89 | 2254 | Monday 8th November | Peter Whalley | Ken Grieve | 13,600,000 | 3 |
| 90 | 2255 | Wednesday 10th November | John Stevenson | Ken Grieve | 15,650,000 | 1 |
| 91 | 2256 | Monday 15th November | Julian Roach | Bill Gilmour | 13,350,000 | 4 |
| 92 | 2257 | Wednesday 17th November | Tony Perrin | Bill Gilmour | 15,850,000 | 1 |
| 93 | 2258 | Monday 22nd November | Leslie Duxbury | Eugene Ferguson | 14,150,000 | 3 |
| 94 | 2259 | Wednesday 24th November | Barry Hill | Eugene Ferguson | 15,800,000 | 1 |
| 95 | 2260 | Monday 29th November | Peter Whalley | John Michael Phillips | 14,250,000 | 2 |
| 96 | 2261 | Wednesday 1st December | Tony Perrin | John Michael Phillips | 15,300,000 | 1 |
| 97 | 2262 | Monday 6th December | H.V. Kershaw | Bill Gilmour | 14,050,000 | 3 |
| 98 | 2263 | Wednesday 8th December | H.V. Kershaw | Bill Gilmour | 16,050,000 | 1 |
| 99 | 2264 | Monday 13th December | H.V. Kershaw | Charles Kitchen | 14,200,000 | 3 |
| 100 | 2265 | Wednesday 15th December | Tony Perrin | Charles Kitchen | 14,950,000 | 1 |
| 101 | 2266 | Monday 20th December | Barry Hill | John Michael Phillips | 13,850,000 | 3 |
| 102 | 2267 | Wednesday 22nd December | Leslie Duxbury | John Michael Phillips | 17,200,000 | 1 |
| 103 | 2268 | Monday 27th December | Peter Whalley | Bill Gilmour | 11,700,000 | 10 |
| 104 | 2269 | Wednesday 29th December | Adele Rose | Bill Gilmour | 14,350,000 | 2 |
Storylines[]
Who lives where[]
Coronation Street
- Rovers Return Inn - Annie Walker and Fred Gee
- 1 Coronation Street - Albert Tatlock. Ken and Deirdre Barlow. Tracy Langton.
- 3 Coronation Street - Emily Bishop.
- 5 Coronation Street - Bert and Ivy Tilsley.
- 7 Coronation Street - (House rebuilt): Len and Rita Fairclough, Sharon Gaskell (from August).
- 9 Coronation Street - Len and Rita Fairclough (until August). Chalkie Whitely (from August onwards). Craig Whitely (from August to November).
- 11 Coronation Street - Elsie Tanner. Marion Willis (from May to August, then September onwards).
- 13 Coronation Street - Stan and Hilda Ogden, Eddie Yeats.
- Corner Shop (No.15) - Alf Roberts.
- Corner Shop bedsit - Bet Lynch (from June onwards).
- Community Centre flat - Empty
Others
- 37 Hillside Crescent - Betty Turpin.
- Ludlow Avenue - Bet Lynch (until June).
- 5 Buxton Close - Brian, Gail and Nicky Tilsley.
- 20 Inkerman Street - Jack and Vera Duckworth.
- 46b, St. Mary's Place - Mike Baldwin.
- Omdurman Street - Phyllis Pearce.
| Coronation Street in the 1980s |
|---|
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