Coronation Street in 1995

1995 was Coronation Street's thirty-sixth year.

Main characters

Ranking	Character	Played by	Duration	Number of Episodes	Running total	Previous year's ranking
1	Fiona Middleton	Angela Griffin	Full year	109	217	29
2	Vera Duckworth	Elizabeth Dawn	Full year	108	1250	21
3	Jim McDonald	Charles Lawson	Full year	106	548	23
4	Gail Platt	Helen Worth	Full year	104	1516	1
5	Des Barnes	Philip Middlemiss	Full year	103	507	10
6	Steve McDonald	Simon Gregson	Full year	102	466	13
7	Raquel Wolstenhulme/Watts	Sarah Lancashire	Full year	101	467	2
8	Liz McDonald	Beverley Callard	Full year	100	593	8
9	Jack Duckworth	William Tarmey	Full year	98	1121	22
10	Betty Turpin/Williams	Betty Driver	Full year	97	1897	18
11	Ken Barlow	William Roache	Full year	93	2434	10
12	Alma Baldwin	Amanda Barrie	Full year	91	650	6
13	Rita Sullivan	Barbara Knox	Full year	89	1792	3
13	Vicky Arden/McDonald	Chloe Newsome	Full year	89	204	40
15	Don Brennan	Geoff Hinsliff	Full year	88	598	30
15	Mavis Wilton	Thelma Barlow	Full year	88	1625	5
17	Andy McDonald	Nicholas Cochrane	Full year	86	416	23
18	Martin Platt	Sean Wilson	Full year	82	703	27
18	Curly Watts	Kevin Kennedy	Full year	82	919	3
20	Maureen Holdsworth	Sherrie Hewson	Full year	79	246	7
20	Mike Baldwin	Johnny Briggs	Full year	79	1299	16
20	Audrey Roberts	Sue Nicholls	Full year	79	875	19
23	Maud Grimes	Elizabeth Bradley	Full year	78	177	19
24	Kevin Webster	Michael Le Vell	Full year	77	878	28
25	Denise Osbourne	Denise Black	Full year	73	251	15
26	Reg Holdsworth	Ken Morley	Until November	71	410	13
27	Derek Wilton	Peter Baldwin	Full year	70	629	16
28	Tricia Armstrong	Tracy Brabin	From January	64	70	46
28	Percy Sugden	Bill Waddington	Full year	64	863	24
30	Deirdre Rachid	Anne Kirkbride	From March	63	1560	32
30	Alf Roberts	Bryan Mosley	Full year	63	1670	32
32	Bill Webster	Peter Armitage	From July	61	127	-
33	Emily Bishop	Eileen Derbyshire	Full year	58	2126	24
34	Bet Gilroy	Julie Goodyear	Until October	55	1963	8
35	Josie Clarke	Ellie Haddington	From January	54	54	-
36	Maxine Heavey	Tracy Shaw	From May	50	50	-
37	Sally Webster	Sally Whittaker	Until March and from June	49	719	31
38	Nick Platt/Tilsley	Warren Jackson	Full year	41	526	36
39	Phyllis Pearce	Jill Summers	Full year	40	499	50
39	Sarah Louise Platt	Lynsay King	Full year	40	314	38
41	Daniel Osbourne	Lewis Harney	January, March to July and from October	37	37	-
42	David Platt	Thomas Ormson	Full year	34	267	35
43	Jamie Armstrong	Joseph Gilgun	Until August	32	34	50
43	Sophie Webster	Ashleigh Middleton	Full year	32	37	47
45	Sean Skinner	Terence Hillyer	Until April and from November	31	47	43
46	Billy Williams	Frank Mills	May to June and from September	29	29	-
47	Tracy Barlow	Dawn Acton	Until July	28	579	45
48	Samir Rachid	Al Nedjari	From April to June	25	67	38
49	Rosie Webster	Emma Collinge	From March to December	23	237	37
50	Norris Cole	Malcolm Hebden	January to April, September and December	17	36	41
51	Gary Mallett	Ian Mercer	From October	16	16	-
52	Judy Mallett	Gaynor Faye	From October	15	15	-
53	Alec Gilroy	Roy Barraclough	July to August	11	528	-
53	Tony Horrocks	Lee Warburton	From November	11	11	-
55	Tommy Duckworth	Darryl Edwards	April to May and September	10	112	47
56	Steph Barnes	Amelia Bullmore	September to October	9	130	-
56	Roy Cropper	David Neilson	July and from November	9	9	-
58	Fred Elliott	John Savident	February, August and from November	8	13	47
58	Anne Malone	Eve Steele	From September	8	8	-
60	Gordon Clegg	Bill Kenwright	September to October	3	96	-
61	Ashley Peacock	Steven Arnold	February only	2	2	-
62	Ida Clough	Helene Palmer	August only	1	204	-

Production

1995 cast photo, marking Coronation Street's 35th anniversary

Sue Pritchard spent her second year as Coronation Street's producer, with Carolyn Reynolds continuing as executive producer.

The programme marked its 35th anniversary in December with its first purposely written hour-long episode, featuring the surprise wedding of Curly Watts and Raquel Wolstenhulme (previous hour-long episodes were made as single episodes which were edited together for scheduling purposes). Curly and Raquel's honeymoon aboard the QE2 was unseen on the main programme but served as the basis of its first straight-to-video spin-off, released under the title Coronation Street - The Feature Length Special. The video also starred Barbara Knox and Thelma Barlow, with Rita Sullivan and Mavis Wilton ending up on the same cruise at the Watts, and featured an appearance by Roy Barraclough as Alec Gilroy. Meant as an optional bonus for viewers, offering them a chance to see familiar characters in a more exotic locale, the special had a self-contained plot which was teased in the main programme but was not required viewing to follow current storylines.

After 25 years playing Rovers barmaid and landlady Bet Lynch, Julie Goodyear decided to move on from the programme. Goodyear's exit storyline saw brewery Newton & Ridley sell the Rovers Return, and Bet quietly leave Weatherfield for an uncertain future after failing to convince Rita and Vicky McDonald to fund her takeover of the pub. The Rovers was bought over by Jack and Vera Duckworth, using their £30,000 inheritance following the deaths of Jack's brother Clifford and sister-in-law Elsie and the sale of 9 Coronation Street. The Rovers becoming a free house brought an end to 35 years of brewery-related storylines, and led to more frequent changes of landlords. Meanwhile, No.9 was bought by Gary and Judy Mallett, a new young couple played by Ian Mercer and Gaynor Faye.

Ken Morley also quit, after six years playing Reg Holdsworth. The door was kept open for Morley, with Reg working away in Lowestoft and maintaining an off-screen presence until April 1996 when he ran off with wages clerk Yvonne Bannister. Curly Watts became the new manager of Firman's Freezers, which had first appeared as a continuing location in February. Although not seen as often as Bettabuy had been in the earlier part of the decade, Firman's served the same role in being the main workplace which wasn't part of Granada's backlot. Other staff members included Anne Malone, played by Eve Steele who joined the main cast in September.

Another setting introduced this year which was similarly shot on location was 5 Crimea Street, a large Victorian house converted into flats and owned by Mike Baldwin. With Anne Kirkbride well enough to return to a full-time role, Deirdre Rachid's husband Samir was killed off. The attack itself was not seen, but viewers were left to assume that Samir had been beaten up by a gang while walking to Weatherfield General to donate a kidney to Tracy Barlow, who was on dialysis after taking bad Ecstasy. The storyline also marked the departure of Dawn Acton from the regular cast, although she returned for short stints as Tracy in 1996, 1997 and 1999. Deirdre was subsequently offered a flat and the job of caretaker at 5 Crimea Street by Mike. One of the tenants was Roy Cropper, who was introduced as a creepy loner who hung around Deirdre. When David Neilson was asked back full-time, the darker elements of Roy's character were removed, establishing him as a harmless eccentric.

Ivy Brennan suffered a fatal stroke, 17 months after Lynne Perrie's last appearance. In order to claim No.5 as his inheritance, Nick Platt had to change his surname back to Tilsley. Don's new partner Josie Clarke was played by Ellie Haddington, who joined the cast in January. Helene Palmer returned as Ida Clough for Ivy's funeral.

Other new cast members included Tracy Shaw as hairdresser Maxine Heavey, Lee Warburton as mechanic Tony Horrocks, Lewis Harney as Daniel Osbourne, newborn son of Ken Barlow and Denise Osbourne, Frank Mills as Billy Williams, who wed Betty Turpin in October and, for two episodes, Steven Arnold as helium-voiced butcher Ashley Peacock. Meanwhile, Tracy Brabin and Joseph Gilgun as Tricia and Jamie Armstrong were made regulars, Peter Armitage returned as Bill Webster after ten years, and Roy Barraclough, Bill Kenwright and Amelia Bullmore made short returns as Alec Gilroy, Gordon Clegg and Steph Barnes respectively, the latter making her final appearances in the role. Lastly, Sally Whittaker was absent for three months between March and June due to maternity leave.

A small change was made to the title sequence following Episode 3819. The last shot, which featured a dog frantically running up the length of the Street appeared for the last time in that episode. From the next episode onwards (and many beforehand), a differing number of shots of activity in the Street closed the sequence and if the opening scene was set on the Street, then the title caption appeared over the start of that scene.

Viewing figures

Ratings chart for the year

For the fourth year in a row, Coronation Street sat atop the charts on most weeks of the year. 44 episodes reached number one, down from 46 in 1994, and for the third year in a row no episodes fell outside the top twenty. The highest-rated episode was Episode 3802 on 9th January, which saw Curly Watts fight Des Barnes after Des convinced Raquel Wolstenhulme to break her engagement with Curly. 19.44 million viewers either watched the episode on original transmission or saw it as part of the omnibus.

Overall, ratings declined by the same factor as in 1994. The average (aggregated) was 16.07 million viewers, a drop of 366k on the previous year. All months except October and December were down, with the biggest drops (of a million viewers) occurring in March, May and August.

The first hour-long Christmas special was shown at 6:30pm on 25th December, gaining an aggregated audience of 12.78 million viewers and charting at 13th place for the week. From 1997 onwards, an hour-long episode of Coronation Street was shown every Christmas Day.

Episodes

#	Ep. No.	Date	Writer	Director	Viewing Figures (With omnibus)	Chart Position
1	3799	Monday 2nd January	Barry Hill	Brian Mills	18,150,000	3
2	3800	Wednesday 4th January	Martin Allen	Brian Mills	18,620,000	2
3	3801	Friday 6th January	Frank Cottrell Boyce	Brian Mills	18,870,000	1
4	3802	Monday 9th January	Tom Elliott	Kay Patrick	19,440,000	1
5	3803	Wednesday 11th January	Stephen Lowe	Kay Patrick	18,450,000	2
6	3804	Friday 13th January	Peter Whalley	Kay Patrick	17,820,000	3
7	3805	Monday 16th January	John Stevenson	Michael Kerrigan	18,530,000	1
8	3806	Wednesday 18th January	Martin Allen	Michael Kerrigan	17,070,000	3
9	3807	Friday 20th January	Julian Roach	Michael Kerrigan	18,160,000	2
10	3808	Monday 23rd January	Sally Wainwright	John Michael Phillips	18,590,000	2
11	3809	Wednesday 25th January	Stephen Mallatratt	John Michael Phillips	17,880,000	3
12	3810	Friday 27th January	Adele Rose	John Michael Phillips	18,980,000	1
13	3811	Monday 30th January	Stephen Mallatratt	Brian Mills	18,840,000	1
14	3812	Wednesday 1st February	Tom Elliott	Brian Mills	17,670,000	3
15	3813	Friday 3rd February	Peter Whalley	Brian Mills	17,840,000	2
16	3814	Monday 6th February	Sally Wainwright	Colin Cant	18,330,000	1
17	3815	Wednesday 8th February	Mark Wadlow	Colin Cant	17,200,000	3
18	3816	Friday 10th February	Adele Rose	Colin Cant	18,210,000	2
19	3817	Monday 13th February	John Stevenson	Michael Kerrigan	18,390,000	1
20	3818	Wednesday 15th February	Stephen Lowe	Michael Kerrigan	18,240,000	2
21	3819	Friday 17th February	Martin Allen	Michael Kerrigan	18,110,000	3
22	3820	Monday 20th February	Martin Allen	John Michael Phillips	17,990,000	2
23	3821	Wednesday 22nd February	Stephen Lowe	John Michael Phillips	18,420,000	1
24	3822	Friday 24th February	Julian Roach	John Michael Phillips	17,690,000	3
25	3823	Monday 27th February	Stephen Mallatratt	Brian Mills	18,270,000	1
26	3824	Wednesday 1st March	John Stevenson	Brian Mills	17,970,000	2
27	3825	Friday 3rd March	Phil Woods	Brian Mills	17,630,000	3
28	3826	Monday 6th March	Adele Rose	Colin Cant	17,820,000	1
29	3827	Wednesday 8th March	Tom Elliott	Colin Cant	17,050,000	2
30	3828	Friday 10th March	Peter Whalley	Colin Cant	16,410,000	4
31	3829	Monday 13th March	Stephen Lowe	Michael Kerrigan	18,000,000	2
32	3830	Wednesday 15th March	Mark Wadlow	Michael Kerrigan	18,070,000	1
33	3831	Friday 17th March	Barry Hill	Michael Kerrigan	14,870,000	7
34	3832	Monday 20th March	Peter Whalley	John Michael Phillips	17,510,000	2
35	3833	Wednesday 22nd March	Julian Roach	John Michael Phillips Jon Woods	17,440,000	3
36	3834	Friday 24th March	Stephen Mallatratt	Jon Woods	16,930,000	4
37	3835	Monday 27th March	Patrea Smallacombe	Brian Mills	17,600,000	1
38	3836	Wednesday 29th March	John Stevenson	Brian Mills	16,650,000	2
39	3837	Friday 31st March	Adele Rose	Brian Mills	15,890,000	5
40	3838	Monday 3rd April	Peter Whalley	Colin Cant	16,700,000	2
41	3839	Wednesday 5th April	Barry Hill	Colin Cant	16,850,000	1
42	3840	Friday 7th April	Sally Wainwright	Colin Cant	15,770,000	3
43	3841	Monday 10th April	Patrea Smallacombe	Penelope Shales	16,270,000	1
44	3842	Wednesday 12th April	Stephen Lowe	Penelope Shales	15,730,000	2
45	3843	Friday 14th April	Stephen Mallatratt	Penelope Shales	15,110,000	3
46	3844	Monday 17th April	Adele Rose	Jon Woods	17,940,000	1
47	3845	Wednesday 19th April	Julian Roach	Jon Woods	16,410,000	2
48	3846	Friday 21st April	John Stevenson	Jon Woods	15,470,000	3
49	3847	Monday 24th April	Peter Whalley	Brian Mills	16,940,000	1
50	3848	Wednesday 26th April	Mark Wadlow	Brian Mills	15,440,000	2
51	3849	Friday 28th April	Martin Allen	Brian Mills	14,820,000	3
52	3850	Monday 1st May	Phil Woods	Colin Cant	14,740,000	1
53	3851	Wednesday 3rd May	Adele Rose	Colin Cant	14,100,000	2
54	3852	Friday 5th May	Frank Cottrell Boyce	Colin Cant	13,220,000	5
55	3853	Monday 8th May	John Stevenson	Penelope Shales	11,610,000	8
56	3854	Wednesday 10th May	Stephen Mallatratt	Penelope Shales	13,510,000	4
57	3855	Friday 12th May	Julian Roach	Penelope Shales	15,850,000	1
58	3856	Monday 15th May	Barry Hill	Jon Woods	15,610,000	2
59	3857	Wednesday 17th May	Peter Whalley	Jon Woods	16,150,000	1
60	3858	Friday 19th May	Tom Elliott	Jon Woods	14,840,000	3
61	3859	Monday 22nd May	Sally Wainwright	Brian Mills	15,300,000	2
62	3860	Wednesday 24th May	Adele Rose	Brian Mills	13,350,000	5
63	3861	Friday 26th May	John Stevenson	Brian Mills	14,840,000	3
64	3862	Monday 29th May	Patrea Smallacombe	Colin Cant	15,120,000	3
65	3863	Wednesday 31st May	Stephen Lowe	Colin Cant	14,460,000	4
66	3864	Friday 2nd June	Stephen Mallatratt	Colin Cant	15,480,000	1
67	3865	Monday 5th June	Stephen Mallatratt	Gareth Morgan	15,170,000	2
68	3866	Wednesday 7th June	Adele Rose	Gareth Morgan	15,320,000	1
69	3867	Friday 9th June	Peter Whalley	Gareth Morgan	14,600,000	3
70	3868	Monday 12th June	Frank Cottrell Boyce	Jon Woods	15,780,000	1
71	3869	Wednesday 14th June	Mark Wadlow	Jon Woods	15,530,000	2
72	3870	Friday 16th June	Phil Woods	Jon Woods	12,800,000	5
73	3871	Monday 19th June	John Stevenson	Mervyn Cumming	15,290,000	1
74	3872	Wednesday 21st June	Tom Elliott	Mervyn Cumming	13,750,000	2
75	3873	Friday 23rd June	Paul Abbott	Mervyn Cumming	13,110,000	4
76	3874	Monday 26th June	Paul Abbott	Kay Patrick	14,020,000	1
77	3875	Wednesday 28th June	Patrea Smallacombe	Kay Patrick	13,250,000	2
78	3876	Friday 30th June	Tom Elliott	Kay Patrick	12,540,000	4
79	3877	Monday 3rd July	Peter Whalley	Brian Mills	15,020,000	2
80	3878	Wednesday 5th July	John Stevenson	Brian Mills	13,920,000	3
81	3879	Friday 7th July	Stephen Mallatratt	Brian Mills	13,630,000	4
82	3880	Monday 10th July	Stephen Lowe	Gareth Morgan	14,610,000	1
83	3881	Wednesday 12th July	Adele Rose	Gareth Morgan	14,320,000	2
84	3882	Friday 14th July	Barry Hill	Gareth Morgan	13,990,000	3
85	3883	Monday 17th July	Frank Cottrell Boyce	John Michael Phillips	15,430,000	1
86	3884	Wednesday 19th July	Martin Allen	John Michael Phillips	13,930,000	2
87	3885	Friday 21st July	Barry Hill	John Michael Phillips	13,540,000	3
88	3886	Monday 24th July	Julian Roach	Mervyn Cumming	14,080,000	1
89	3887	Wednesday 26th July	Sally Wainwright	Mervyn Cumming	13,980,000	2
90	3888	Friday 28th July	Peter Whalley	Mervyn Cumming	13,180,000	3
91	3889	Monday 31st July	Stephen Mallatratt	Kay Patrick	14,090,000	1
92	3890	Wednesday 2nd August	Adele Rose	Kay Patrick	13,630,000	2
93	3891	Friday 4th August	Patrea Smallacombe	Kay Patrick	12,750,000	4
94	3892	Monday 7th August	Phil Woods	Brian Mills	14,210,000	1
95	3893	Wednesday 9th August	Julian Roach	Brian Mills	13,340,000	2
96	3894	Friday 11th August	Adele Rose	Brian Mills	12,660,000	3
97	3895	Monday 14th August	John Stevenson	John Michael Phillips	14,020,000	1
98	3896	Wednesday 16th August	Martin Allen	John Michael Phillips	13,390,000	2
99	3897	Friday 18th August	Mark Wadlow	John Michael Phillips	12,740,000	3
100	3898	Monday 21st August	Tom Elliott	Mervyn Cumming	14,020,000	2
101	3899	Wednesday 23rd August	Stephen Lowe	Mervyn Cumming	15,170,000	1
102	3900	Friday 25th August	Peter Whalley	Mervyn Cumming	13,650,000	3
103	3901	Monday 28th August	Peter Whalley	Kay Patrick	14,500,000	2
104	3902	Wednesday 30th August	Julian Roach	Kay Patrick	15,420,000	1
105	3903	Friday 1st September	John Stevenson	Kay Patrick	14,030,000	5
106	3904	Monday 4th September	Phil Woods	Brian Mills	15,720,000	2
107	3905	Wednesday 6th September	Tom Elliott	Brian Mills	15,780,000	1
108	3906	Friday 8th September	Frank Cottrell Boyce	Brian Mills	15,300,000	4
109	3907	Monday 11th September	Patrea Smallacombe	June Howson	14,740,000	5
110	3908	Wednesday 13th September	Stephen Mallatratt	June Howson	13,300,000	9
111	3909	Friday 15th September	Barry Hill	June Howson	16,200,000	2
112	3910	Monday 18th September	Martin Allen	Colin Cant	15,990,000	2
113	3911	Wednesday 20th September	Mark Wadlow	Colin Cant	15,920,000	3
114	3912	Friday 22nd September	Peter Whalley	Colin Cant	15,510,000	4
115	3913	Monday 25th September	Julian Roach	Kay Patrick	16,110,000	3
116	3914	Wednesday 27th September	Tom Elliott	Kay Patrick	15,500,000	4
117	3915	Friday 29th September	Barry Hill	Kay Patrick	16,400,000	1
118	3916	Monday 2nd October	Phil Woods	Brian Mills	16,510,000	3
119	3917	Wednesday 4th October	Stephen Lowe	Brian Mills	17,220,000	1
120	3918	Friday 6th October	Patrea Smallacombe	Brian Mills	17,220,000	1
121	3919	Monday 9th October	Phil Woods	June Howson	17,040,000	1
122	3920	Wednesday 11th October	Adele Rose	June Howson	16,870,000	3
123	3921	Friday 13th October	Julian Roach	June Howson	16,940,000	2
124	3922	Monday 16th October	Stephen Mallatratt	Colin Cant	19,220,000	1
125	3923	Wednesday 18th October	Peter Whalley	Colin Cant	16,380,000	4
126	3924	Friday 20th October	John Stevenson	Colin Cant	17,560,000	3
127	3925	Monday 23rd October	Barry Hill	Kay Patrick	18,170,000	1
128	3926	Wednesday 25th October	Sally Wainwright	Kay Patrick	17,740,000	4
129	3927	Friday 27th October	Tom Elliott	Kay Patrick	17,940,000	3
130	3928	Monday 30th October	Sally Wainwright	Brian Mills	18,060,000	1
131	3929	Wednesday 1st November	Julian Roach	Brian Mills	14,620,000	8
132	3930	Friday 3rd November	Tom Elliott	Brian Mills	17,530,000	2
133	3931	Monday 6th November	Frank Cottrell Boyce	Penelope Shales	17,850,000	3
134	3932	Wednesday 8th November	Martin Allen	Penelope Shales	17,870,000	2
135	3933	Friday 10th November	Phil Woods	Penelope Shales	17,770,000	4
136	3934	Monday 13th November	John Stevenson	Jon Woods	17,090,000	4
137	3935	Wednesday 15th November	Peter Whalley	Jon Woods	17,300,000	3
138	3936	Friday 17th November	Adele Rose	Jon Woods	17,660,000	2
139	3937	Monday 20th November	Frank Cottrell Boyce	John Michael Phillips	17,770,000	2
140	3938	Wednesday 22nd November	Adele Rose	John Michael Phillips	15,460,000	6
141	3939	Friday 24th November	Sally Wainwright	John Michael Phillips	15,470,000	5
142	3940	Monday 27th November	Barry Hill	Kay Patrick	17,120,000	1
143	3941	Wednesday 29th November	Julian Roach	Kay Patrick	16,880,000	2
144	3942	Friday 1st December	Martin Allen	Kay Patrick	16,500,000	4
145	3943	Monday 4th December	Mark Wadlow	Penelope Shales	17,720,000	2
146	3944	Wednesday 6th December	Tom Elliott	Penelope Shales	14,200,000	7
147	3945	Friday 8th December	John Stevenson	Penelope Shales	19,420,000	1
148	3946	Monday 11th December	Barry Hill	Jon Woods	18,190,000	1
149	3947	Wednesday 13th December	Adele Rose	Jon Woods	16,860,000	2
150	3948	Friday 15th December	Stephen Mallatratt	Jon Woods	16,620,000	3
151	3949	Monday 18th December	Patrea Smallacombe	John Michael Phillips	17,400,000	1
152	3950	Wednesday 20th December	Martin Allen	John Michael Phillips	17,300,000	2
153	3951	Friday 22nd December	Peter Whalley	John Michael Phillips	17,120,000	3
154	3952	Monday 25th December	Julian Roach	Brian Mills	12,780,000	13
155	3953	Wednesday 27th December	Tom Elliott	Brian Mills	17,550,000	2
156	3954	Friday 29th December	John Stevenson	Brian Mills	16,620,000	3

Storylines

January

• Raquel Wolstenhulme and Curly Watts hold an engagement party at which Raquel's ex-boyfriend Des Barnes shows up and asks her to marry him instead. Although she rejects him, Raquel realises that she only loves Curly as a friend and calls off the engagement. Curly is devastated and feels that Raquel was only with him to make Des jealous. After picking a fight with Des at Skinner's Bookies, he breaks down at Soopascoopa by shovelling kidney beans into Percy Sugden and Emily Bishop's basket. When he's reprimanded, he resigns from the food store.

Daniel Osbourne is born

• Pregnant Denise Osbourne goes into labour at Jim's Cafe. Against Denise's wishes, Alma Baldwin informs the father, Ken Barlow. Denise eventually relects and calls Ken, who is by her side as she gives birth to Daniel. Afterwards, Denise declares that Daniel will be an "Osbourne" rather than a "Barlow", and upsets Ken by leaving his name off the birth certificate. Ken begins suffocating Denise again, making up a bed on her sofa for himself and never leaving her alone.
• Clifford Duckworth gets his brother Jack to field calls for him at 9 Coronation Street. The calls come from a mystery woman. Jack also gets a black eye when a man mistakes him for Cliff and punches him. The woman, Cliff's wife Elsie Duckworth, shows up at No.9 to collect her husband, as Jack and Vera find out that his claims of having a fatal heart condition were made up.
• Derek Wilton decides to get fit for his medical at Hawthornes. Norris Cole interests him in buying a "Mile Muncher" running machine, and Derek horrifies Mavis by purchasing one for £700. When Mavis tries out the machine in her court shoes, she is thrown off and suffers a concussion. Derek is unsympathetic until Martin Platt suggests suing Mile Muncher for damages.
• Martin makes an effort with Nick Platt by giving him a United team shirt.
• Vicky Arden turns eighteen and inherits her parents' trust fund of £240,000.
• Jim and Liz McDonald celebrate their 21st wedding anniversary.
• Ken decides to buy 1 Coronation Street back from Mike Baldwin for his new family but Mike intends to rent it out. Out of spite, Mike also refuses to return Albert Tatlock's old furniture. Ken is able to let himself in and take the furniture after Emily gives him her own key. Mike responds by reporting Ken to the police, but the officer, PC Bathurst, is an ex-pupil of Ken's and declines to press charges. Mike attempts to provoke Ken into a fight at the Rovers Return by challenging him about his bastard son, but Bet Gilroy intervenes before things get ugly.
• Tricia Armstrong enquires after Jim's Cafe flat for her and her son Jamie. As there's only one bedroom, Alma arranges with Mike for them to move into No.1 on a short-term tenancy instead.
• Reg Holdsworth fixes Curly up with a new job under him as assistant manager at Firman's Freezers.
• With Ivy Brennan still at a religious retreat, Don helps fare Josie Clarke look for her daughter and kindly lets her off when she's £2.50 short for her fare. She later tracks him down to repay him and they start seeing each other, with Don introducing her to the Rovers regulars.
• Sean Skinner's divorce is finalised. While out celebrating, he offers Liz a job at the betting shop, an offer he later forgets making due to being drunk at the time. Nevertheless, Liz chases it up and gets taken on, keeping the Rovers on in the evenings. Working there makes Liz realise how much her son Steve is gambling. When she refuses to place his £300 bet, Des takes it instead and Liz is reprimanded by Sean. Concerned, Liz asks Steve's girlfriend Fiona Middleton to keep an eye on him, but Fiona relays her orders to Steve instead causing a row between mother and son. Liz resigns from the bookies, but returns following a show of support from Des.
• Roger Crompton continues his friendship with Rita Sullivan but is put off when a jealous Mavis tells him that Rita can't have a platonic relationship with a man. Over lunch, he and Rita clear the air and agree that they only want companionship.
• Andy McDonald considers selling his car as he can't afford to run it. Steve gives him enough from his gambling winnings to get it through its MOT.
• Tracy Barlow visits Ken, expecting a generous cash present for her eighteenth birthday, but slams out after he only gives her £50.
• Jack is accused of going out with Tricia when Jamie identifies him as the man his dad Carl thumped in March 1994.
• Tricia tries to get taken on at the Rovers, but puts her foot in it by asking Bet to put in a good word with the "slab-faced" landlady.
• Audrey Roberts regrets her decision to resign as Mayoress when she discovers that a royal is attending the upcoming County Hall bash. She nags Alf to take her, but Alf is adamant that her replacement, Betty Turpin, should have the honour.

February

• Derek makes Mavis pretend that her injury is more serious as he stymies Norris's own investigation into the accident. When Rita warns Mavis that a court will find her at fault for wearing court shoes on the Mile Muncher, Mavis tries to make Derek drop the lawsuit idea, but he's already filed the compensation claim. In order to avoid going to court, Norris agrees to settle with the Wiltons, however their employer Angela Hawthorne orders Derek to drop the claim instead and he dutifully obeys his ex-wife.
• Steve starts doing his gambling in other betting shops and tells his family that he's given up betting. However, he finds himself blacklisted at Billy Featherstone's shop after Sean spreads it about that Steve refused to settle the £2,000 owing on his account. When Fiona finds out that his credit card has been cut off, Steve admits that his debts run to £6,000 and they row over his lies. Steve proposes to Fiona, thinking she must really love him to stick with him when he's broke, but she refuses to marry him until he's paid his debts. Fiona convinces Steve to give up his Weatherfield Quays flat and arranges with Alma for them to move into Jim's Cafe flat.

Fred Elliott instructs his assistant and nephew Ashley Peacock

• Audrey declares war on Alf and asks Fred Elliott to escort her as she branches out on her own as mayoress. At their first "engagement", Audrey re-organises the official opening of the South Weatherfield Leisure Centre so that Alf and Betty don't arrive in time. Alf decides to give in to spare himself further humiliation, but with Betty refusing to give ground, he's left with no option but to stay home and let the women attend the County Hall bash as mayoress and friend. Afterwards, Audrey is full of stories about meeting the princess but Betty admits to everyone that they hardly got near her.
• Mike decides not to prosecute Ken over the stolen furniture.
• Vicky drops out of school and tells Bet she plans to live off her inheritance. Bet doesn't approve, but is forced to accept her decision when Raquel warns her that Vicky is considering leaving Weatherfield as she's sick of Bet's bitchiness. When Alec Gilroy finds out, he blames Bet, leading Vicky to go to Southampton to put her grandfather straight.
• Bet takes on Tricia as Rovers cleaner.
• Liz gives up the Rovers when her job at Skinner's is made permanent. When Sean makes a pass at her, Liz turns him down, prompting Sean to order Des to fire her. However, Des refuses to do so without grounds, so Sean apologises to Liz and asks her to forget what happened.
• Jon Welch enters the Weatherfield Federation of Hairdressers competition, with Raquel agreeing to model for him in exchange for six months' worth of free haircuts. He persuades Fiona to compete, with Steve as her model. On the day, Jon wins second prize and Fiona gets a special commendation.
• Josie begins to look after Don by doing his laundry and cleaning. Vera, as Ivy's oldest friend, is disgusted to see Don with another woman.
• Vera befriends Tricia when she hears that her estranged husband Carl Armstrong used to knock her about. She decides to matchmake her with Curly, inviting them both to No.9 for tea. The evening goes well but Curly is alarmed when Jamie advises him to take precautions when seeing his mother.
• Jamie takes an interest in Jack's pigeons and the two start to bond.
• Martin writes his thesis at No.7, where he's disturbed by Tricia borrowing tea. Gail walks in on them and when word reaches Alf that they were alone together in the house, he quizzes Martin about how things are with Gail. Later, when Martin sees Alf kissing Rita on her birthday and makes a jokey comment, Alf uncharacteristically flies off the handle. Alf later explains his coldness to Martin, revealing that he saw him kiss nurse Cathy Power at Weatherfield General on Christmas Day.
• Reg and Curly react to the news that Firman's is being taken over by American Edibles. Reg panics when Norris tells him that they have a reputation for sacking anyone over forty.
• When Alec offers Vicky a free three-week cruise holiday to North Africa for two, she invites Bet along. Bet asks Raquel to run the Rovers in her absence, but Raquel isn't convinced that she's up to the challenge and stalls Bet, resulting in her being passed over in favour of brewery-appointed Rodney Bostock, a retired policeman.
• Maureen Holdsworth gets fed up when the Corner Shop van keeps breaking down.
• The Wiltons and Norris are invited to dinner by Angela Hawthorne. When Angela makes a play for Norris, Derek advises him to be masterful, delighting in the thought that she'll eat him alive.
• Maureen wonders what Reg is up to when a mystery man keeps phoning and doesn't leave a message.
• Rodney agrees to a lock-in after-hours at the pub, at Jack's suggestion. However, all of Jack's friends prove too busy and Jack has a miserable night listening to Rodney playing his trombone.

March

• Reg has a £300 hairpiece fitted in order to give himself a more youthful appearance for the Americans. At first, he only wears the wig at work and hides it from Maureen. When the van breaks down again, Maureen drives Reg's car and pulls down the sun visor, causing the hairpiece to fall onto her lap. Coming clean, Reg is met with support from Maureen, while Maud Grimes mocks him for being too scared to wear the toupee in public. Reg braves the Rovers and begins wearing the hairpiece regularly, even purchasing another one with longer hair to make it seem his hair is growing.

Martin confesses to his fling with nurse Cathy Power

• Alf fills Audrey in on Martin's illicit kiss. When Martin begs Alf to keep quiet about what he saw, the Roberts become worried that there was more to it, with Alf warning Martin that secrets always find their way out. Martin then confesses to Gail that he was unfaithful to her but tells her it only happened once and meant nothing. Afterwards, Gail falls into a depression and refuses to let Martin touch her. Trying to comfort her daughter, Audrey gives away the fact that she and Alf knew, causing Gail to become further embittered. Meanwhile, Nick and Martin have a bust-up over Martin's fling, with Martin telling Nick that he started everything by hating him. Nick leaves No.8 and tries to stay with Don before he along with Sarah Louise and David are taken in by the Robertses, in order for Gail and Martin to have time alone. As she considers whether to forgive Martin, Gail tracks down Cathy and is shocked to find that she isn't bothered she slept with a married man.
• Jack reluctantly baby-sits Jamie while Tricia goes out with Curly. Worn out by the lad's pranks, Jack nevertheless enjoys himself and promises Jamie a newborn pigeon the next time one hatches.
• Josie assumes that Don is going off her after he refuses to let her stay the night at No.5. Don explains that he isn't ready for a sexual relationship and they agree to continue as friends. When he hears that Josie has been talking to Denise, Don makes her aware that he stalked Denise over the phone in 1993. Although shocked, Josie carries on seeing him.
• Percy looks after Rosie Webster to help Sally out.
• Jack fears Rodney is carrying out a time and motion study at the Rovers when he helps out with the cellar work. In protest, Jack throws the beer away, telling Rodney the customers are complaining about the taste.
• Steve and Fiona move into the cafe flat. Collecting the £500 deposit money from the Quays flat, Steve spends it at the dogs and wins £300. However, Sean sees him win and takes the £800 off him to pay off some of his debt. Fiona doesn't trust Steve to balance the books, especially when his credit card is cut up at an expensive restaurant. When Billy Featherstone demands Steve settle his debt with him, Steve reports Sean to the police for robbing him in the hope of getting the £800 back. Sean explains to the police that it was a gambling debt and gives Des's name as a witness. However, Des fails to back up his story, forcing Sean to let to Steve pay off his debt at £20 a week in exchange for him dropping the charges.
• Alma receives a £2,000 inheritance after her ex-husband Jim Sedgewick passes away and shocks Mike by buying a sports car. Thinking she must have been swindled, Mike clears the car with an agency, causing Alma to retaliate by having Mike's Mercedes checked out. They're amazed to discover that the Merc is stolen, and Mike immediately puts the vehicle up for sale.
• Norris's relationship with Angela is going well, much to Derek's chagrin.
• Rodney decides to liven the Rovers up with a karaoke evening. Denise, Fiona, Jon, and Reg have turns on the karaoke machine, but a returning Bet steals the show with "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?". Smitten with Bet, Rodney calls on her with flowers.
• Reg tells Maureen that he doesn't want to mark his birthday and is disappointed when she takes him at his word and doesn't buy a present.
• Ken grows tired of being a baby-sitter for his own son. When he finds out that Denise went out with Jon, he tells her he's seeing a solicitor and getting full rights to Daniel.
• Vicky decides to give up on her dream of running a stables and invests £2,000 in Steve's deal with Costello's Club. Steve doesn't tell Fiona about the arrangement.
• The Americans arrive to look over Firman's Freezers. Afraid that one of them will lose their job when the deal goes through, Reg and Curly nobble each other, with Reg talking Curly into meeting Brad Martin without his glasses and Curly failing to warn Reg that Brad is touchy about his wig. They both make a terrible impression but fortunately the Americans pull out of the deal anyway.
• Tracy is rushed to hospital after taking bad Ecstasy. As Ken waits for Tracy to wake from a coma, her mother Deirdre Rachid arrives from Morocco. Ken lets Deirdre live at No.12 while in the UK but is shocked when Denise refuses to allow him to live with her temporarily. Tracy awakens from her coma as Deirdre repairs her friendship with Emily.
• Raquel lets Curly know that Tricia has been seeing Sean. Curly finishes with Tricia.

April

Mike has a fight on his hands to evict Tricia

• Reminded of his promise to give Deirdre any profit he makes on No.1, Mike puts the house up for sale and tells Tricia to move out. Tricia refuses to leave, citing her rights as a sitting tenant, and she and Jamie rip up the "For Sale" sign.
• Gail goes back to work but remains deeply unhappy. At Martin and Alma's urging, she sees a doctor and is prescribed anti-depressants. Martin considers leaving Gail as he gets sick of waiting for her to decide whether they have a future together.
• As Tracy recovers in hospital, Ken and Deirdre are informed that her kidneys are damaged and she'll be on dialysis until a donor is found. Tracy falls into a depression upon being told. Meanwhile, Samir Rachid arrives in the country as Deirdre extends her stay until Tracy is better. When Deirdre announces her intention to give Tracy one of her kidneys, Samir is unsupportive due to the immense risk to her and the fact that even if it goes well, it would make them unable to have children. Deirdre is tested but is found to be incompatible. While Deirdre attempts to track down Tracy's biological father Ray Langton to test him for compatibility, Ken puts himself forward as a donor, causing friction between Deirdre and a jealous Samir. When Ken is also rejected, Samir decides to get tested to please Deirdre.
• Ken sees a solicitor about Daniel but is told he has no rights as he's not named as the baby's father. Forced to reach an agreement with Denise, Ken gives her a letter outlining his requests concerning access and his say over Daniel's future.
• Rodney decides to buy Mike's Mercedes to impress Bet. Taking Tricia out to the country on a test drive, he does a check on the vehicle using his police contacts and discovers it's stolen. Desperate to sell, Mike offers Rodney half price for the car if he doesn't go to the police but he already has. Mike is questioned and released without charge, having purchased the vehicle in good faith, but the police seize the car leaving him £9,000 out of pocket.
• Bet puts Ken up at the Rovers while the Rachids are using No.12, refusing to take no for an answer.
• The Mayor of Charleville, Valery Picot, makes an official visit to Weatherfield, staying with the Roberts at Grasmere Drive. Due to a series of misunderstandings, Valery comes to believe that Betty is Alf's mistress and the Rovers is a brothel. When a charmed Audrey tries to get herself invited to a Town Hall dinner as Valery's escort, Valery thinks she's offering herself to him and turns her down, having already secured Raquel's services for the occasion. He again gets the wrong idea when Raquel tells him that she's a model known for hand jobs, and after the dinner he tries to get into her bedroom, only to be baffled when she rebuffs him. Meanwhile, a rejected Audrey invites ex-Mayoral Rolls driver Brian Bowes for a drink to make Alf jealous. After the Town Hall dinner, Alf returns to the Rovers and catches Audrey flirting with Brian.
• The print shop, renamed Dun 2 A T, finishes the Costello order with Steve collecting a cheque from Nick Gerrity. Vicky then agrees to invest a further £1,500 on the condition that Steve enters into a business partnership with her. Steve manages to convince Fiona that the partnership with his ex-girlfriend is just business, while Andy warns his brother about messing both women around. Due to Costello's going bust, Gerrity's cheque bounces and Vicky is left out of pocket. Putting it down to experience, Vicky drops Steve and signs up for a business administration course at the Community College.
• Des is down on his thirtieth birthday.
• Fiona qualifies as a stylist.
• The Duckworths join Don and Josie at the theatre, after which Don and Josie spend the night together for the first time.
• Derek buys a couple of gnomes for the Wiltons' garden. Norris laughs at the gnomes when he visits Derek to show off his new watch from Angela.
• Jon continues to pursue Denise. When Denise begins to open up to him, Jon kisses her only to be firmly rejected. Feeling misled, Jon tells Denise she's sick for the way she treats men and quits the salon. Following his departure, Denise begins rowing with Fiona at the salon. Eventually, Denise leaves the street with Daniel, telling Fiona that she can't cope anymore.
• Sean sorts out a lease for a new betting shop in Fallowfield.
• Jack books a caravan holiday in Mold, where he was evacuated during the war. The Duckworths' grandson Tommy arrives to stay ahead of the excursion. Jack agrees to let Jamie look after his pigeons while he's away.

May

• Fiona calls in her friend Maxine Heavey to help out at the salon as she soldiers on single-handedly. As Denise continues to stay away, Maxine encourages Fiona to pocket the takings rather than put them through the till but Fiona remains loyal to her employer.
• Vera throws a party for Tommy and allows Des to take her grandson out for the day. Des enjoys it when Tommy is mistaken for his son.
• A moody Tracy is discharged from hospital and moves into No.12. The flat proves to be a tight squeeze for the three of them and Deirdre arranges for her and Samir to stay at No.11, with Ken moving back into No.12 to look after Tracy and Andy taking Des's spare room at No.6.
• Samir's initial tests show that he is a match for Tracy, much to everyone's surprise. While he awaits further tests, the Barlows keep Tracy in the dark so as not to get her hopes up. Unaware of Samir's sacrifice, she continues to needle him for marrying Deirdre. While Samir presses ahead with becoming a donor, he admits to Jim that he only put himself forward as he didn't think he'd be compatible, and now he feels obliged to carry on with the operation. Final tests prove positive, and Tracy is told that Samir will be her donor. At a counselling session, Samir convinces Tracy of his love for Deirdre and they finally start to get along. As the operation nears, Deirdre and Samir start making plans to remain in Weatherfield. The day then arrives and Samir chooses to walk to the hospital on his own to prepare himself for surgery. On the way, he bumps into a gang of youths who make racial slurs at him.
• Vicky begins pursuing Steve again, offering to invest more money if she has total responsibility over the finances. Together they buy a paper company, Dalmation Consolidated Holdings, with Vicky putting up the cash. Vicky then plans a business trip to Dublin with Steve to secure a contract with Red Ferret Records. Meanwhile, Fiona becomes increasingly convinced that Vicky has designs on Steve. When the couple return having landed the contract, Vicky tells Andy that she intends to have Steve.
• While Steve and Vicky are in Ireland, a heavy, Denny Bull, calls at Steve and Fiona's flat and smashes furniture as a warning for Steve to pay his debts. Fiona is terrified but Steve shows little concern upon his return. She's grateful when Andy lends her a sympathetic ear.
• Fiona gives Ken Denise's address in Macclesfield and he goes to see her and Daniel to make sure they're all right. Surprised that he didn't take the opportunity to pressure her over access, Denise decides to return to Weatherfield and give a proper relationship a try in order to give Daniel stability. However, Ken turns her down, as he feels she'll change her mind again. After a pep talk from Bet, Denise convinces Ken that she really does want him and they are reconciled.
• Arthur the gnome goes missing from the Wiltons' garden. Derek and Mavis realise they're being pranked when they receive a postcard from Arthur in Eastbourne. The mystery deepens when, weeks later, the gnome re-appears.
• After passing his nursing exams, Martin takes the Platts away to a caravan in Mold. Arriving at the site, the family discover they're in the caravan next to the Duckworths'. Vera volunteers Jack to baby-sit the Platt children, which he gets around by playing hide and seek with them and "hiding" miles away. Returning at midnight after a sing-song at the local pub, Jack can't find his own caravan and spends the night under the Platts'. Seeing Jack and Vera bickering the next morning makes Gail realise what she's got with Martin and they patch up their marriage.
• Don and Josie's plans for an intimate weekend are thwarted when Nick arrives to stay with them while the Platts are away. While there, Nick skives off school with his girlfriend Melanie Hesketh. Josie catches them snogging at No.5 and Don warns Nick about skipping school.
• Maxine makes a play for Des, finding him attractive.
• The fiftieth anniversary of VE Day arrives. At the Rovers, Betty is reunited with her old flame Billy Williams when he recreates a pub crawl from five decades ago. He begins to romance her again, taking Betty dancing at the Ritz Ballroom. She is shocked when Billy tells that her he wrote to her in 1945 proposing marriage, but the letter never reached her.
• Tricia is pleased to be given bar work at the Rovers, but resigns when Bet docks her pay for her continued lateness. Raquel is forced to do the cleaning at the pub.
• Alf and Betty's term of office comes to an end.
• Alma and Audrey go shopping in Southport, where they meet a couple of men in the guise of a fashion buyer and caterer. Gareth Jenkins asks Alma to look over his pub, The Wheatsheaf. Keen to see Jeff Bryant again, Audrey rings Gareth on Alma's behalf, forcing Alma to make an appointment to see his pub so that she can go along. There, Gareth asks Alma to make up a sample menu and Alma decides to take the job to prove to Mike that she is a good businesswoman.
• Maureen and Maud go down with gastroenteritis. Reg pushes Maureen into work while she's sick before employing Tricia to help out. Maud gives Tricia her approval when she calls her a misereable old hag for giving her a hard time.
• Jim fixes up his old motorbike in the yard, with Jamie giving a hand. Jim returns the favour by taking Jamie along on a chauffeuring job.

Audrey spreads the good news

• The Prime Minister writes to Alf offering him an OBE. Although it's not official yet, a proud Audrey announces it to all the Rovers regulars.

June

Samir Rachid dies after a blow to the head

• Samir is found by the canal with a head injury and rushed to hospital. Despite the doctors' best efforts, he dies without regaining consciousness. A grieving Deirdre allows his kidney to be removed and given to Tracy. After the operation, Deirdre can't bring herself to see Tracy, feeling that she caused Samir's death by taking drugs. She leaves for Morroco with Samir's body, leaving Ken to break the news to their daughter. Tracy is devastated, thinking Deirdre will never forgive her, and goes to stay with her friend Lorraine's brother Mark in Blackpool.
• Steve takes Denny Bull's threat more seriously when the heavy returns and demands he settle up with Frank Mottram or else. Refused a £5,000 loan from Vicky, Steve disappears off to London to find some work to pay off the lenders. When he returns, he's battered by a heavy with a baseball bat. Jim tells Liz that Steve was jumped by a burglar, but Fiona forces Steve to tell his mum all about his debts when he admits he doesn't know who jumped him as he owes money to so many people. He also tells Vicky, who gains further control over him by giving him £500 plus an additional £1,000 if he sells his car to raise the other money. Fiona, who has decided to stand by Steve, is appalled when they dine out on Vicky's money and kicks him out out of the flat, saying Vicky is welcome to him. When Vicky learns that he's sleeping at the print shop, she goes there and starts undressing in front of him, telling him to stop her if it's not what he wants. The begin a secret affair, and are engaged within days. Phyllis Pearce rumbles them when she catches Steve and Vicky showering together at No.6, but Vicky buys her drinks to secure her silence. Oblivious to the affair, Fiona hopes that Steve will return to her and is upset when he says he's not coming back. Meanwhile, the McDonalds spoil Steve and Andy on their 21st birthday, giving each of them £500. At their joint birthday party at the Rovers, Vicky tells all the guests, including Fiona, that she and Steve are getting married.
• Denise decides to stop work and appoints Fiona as manager of the salon.
• Billy asks Betty to marry him. Betty turns him down, as she still considers herself married to Cyril Turpin. Later, when she hears Billy is ill, Betty calls on him and he apologises for upsetting her. They agree to be friends again.
• Alma fulfils her catering contract and receives a cheque for £500. Mike suspects the client fancied her.
• With Maureen and Maud back at work, Maureen tells Tricia she's no longer needed at the shop.
• Vera is sacked from Bettabuy for denting tins in order to buy them cheaply. She declares that she doesn't want to work anymore, much to Jack's despair. The Duckworths' money troubles escalate as it transpires that Jack hasn't paid the council tax for three months and Vera is two months behind with the mortgage. With Bet refusing to employ Vera as a cleaner at the Rovers, Vera goes to St. Luke's Church and prays for money. The Duckworths are stunned to read in the paper that Cliff and Elsie Duckworth have died whilst on holiday in Malaga, with Vera, anticipating an inheritance, thinking she caused it with her prayer. Worried about being stuck with the funeral expenses, Jack visits the couple's home and is relieved to learn that Elsie's brother Harold Baxter is footing the bill. At the funeral, Jack appropriates Cliff's old camel coat and Josie, accompanying Don as he drives the Duckworths there and back, has a go at Vera for her lack of gratitude.
• Audrey gets carried away with the OBE preparations, organising a photographic "at home" piece for the press. Alf is talked into giving an interview at the Rovers when the reporter promises not to report anything until it's official. The Gazette runs the piece with a photograph of Alf and Betty in the foreground, angering Audrey.
• Curly tries to chat Maxine up but she doesn't look upon him as a sexual object.
• As Mike starts showing buyers around No.1, Tricia keeps the house untidy and answers the door in her dressing gown to put them off.
• Josie gives Raquel darts lessons at the Rovers.
• Derek cements the gnomes down but Arthur vanishes during the night, leaving gnome footprints in the cement. Derek accuses the Platt children of making the prints with doll's shoes.
• Alma realises she's forgotten her wedding anniversary when Mike gives her flowers for the occasion. She takes him out for anniversary meal to cover her lapse.
• Chief Executive Jeremy Pilkington queries a missing £7,000 from the mayor's charity fund. As the incumbent mayor, Alf comes under suspicion of embezzling the money. Alf sets out to clear his name as the press report on the scandal, threatening his OBE.
• Martin celebrates when he's taken on at the hospital on a six-month contract.
• Nick is embarrassed as he introduces Melanie Hesketh to Gail and Martin.
• Rita enjoys herself looking after Daniel, thinking about what she's missed out on.
• Jamie is suspended from school.
• Mike buys a large Victorian house at 5 Crimea Street and asks Deirdre, freshly returned from Morocco, to move into one of the flats and be caretaker in exchange for a minimal rent. Deirdre isn't sure if she plans to stay in Weatherfield and goes to visit Blanche Hunt.

July

• Convinced that Steve is marrying Vicky for her money, Bet summons Alec from Southampton to stop the wedding from happening. Meanwhile, Steve persuades Vicky that they should marry quickly and, forewarned of Alec's arrival, the couple book a registry office ceremony for later in the week and check into a hotel so they don't have to face him. In desperation, Alec pretends to approve of the marriage but persuades Vicky to postpone it in order to marry in style in a church. He then takes his granddaughter to Southampton for a few days to wean her off Steve. Much to his dismay, Vicky remains just as determined to marry Steve upon their return and books the wedding for 19th August at St. Paul's Church. Alec then turns his attentions to Steve. Having failed to lure him away with the promise of a job as entertainments officer on a cruise, Alec asks Frank Mottram to lean on Steve to repay his debt, but Mottram refuses. Alec then tells Steve that there's a clause in the Ardens' will withdrawing the inheritance if Vicky marries against the wishes of her trustees, but Vicky sees through the lie. Finally, Alec offers Steve £5,000 to leave Vicky alone.
• Brian Bowes informs Audrey that the missing mayoral funds were being paid to Councillor Harry Potts with the help of his girlfriend Connie Holroyd, who wrote the cheques for Alf to sign when he was mayor. Hearing Brian's tale himself, Alf recognises the non-de-plume Potts uses when betting as one of his payees, and takes Brian to see Jeremy Pilkington. Hauled in for questioning, Potts and Connie implicate each other and Alf's name is cleared.
• The battle for No.1 continues as Tricia barricades herself and Jamie inside the house. Mike gets a pot full of water over his head when he attempts to gain entry. As the neighbours side with Tricia, Mike compromises by offering her and Jamie one of the Crimea Street flats. She accepts and moves in with the help of Ken, who buys his old house back from Mike.
• The Wheatsheaf starts Alma's new menu. Audrey takes Alf to check it out, passing him off as a client come to sample the food. Gareth is impressed and recommends Alma to Jeff. Out of deference to Mike, Alma decides to give up her consultancy but she changes her mind when she's the last to know about his Crimea Street flats deal.
• Andy finishes his first year at university, but gets little recognition at home as Jim and Liz are taken up with Steve.
• Deirdre returns from Blanche's and sees Tracy for the first time since Samir's death. She's keen to build bridges with her daughter but Tracy rejects her.
• Jack and Vera are stunned to learn from Cliff's solicitor that they've inherited the Duckworths' holiday insurance: £30,000. While waiting for the payout, the couple clear Cliff's house with the intention of selling off his belongings to pay for a holiday in Spain. A dealer identifies the most valuable item in the collection as a storage tin which Cliff used as a poker bucket. Having sold the tin to a junk man, leaving only the lid, Jack asks for it back, but his keenness alerts the vendor to its value and he pretends that he's already sold it. The Duckworths make only £27 from selling Cliff's things at the market but a sympathetic Curly and Des give them £200 each allowing them to go on holiday.
• Josie has a terrifying ordeal at the surgery when a youth comes in looking for drugs and threatens her. Afterwards, she starts staying at No.5 more regularly and considers moving in, prompting Don to write to Ivy saying he wants a divorce.

Deirdre receives help from Roy Cropper

• Deirdre accepts the role of caretaker at the Crimea Street flats. Moving in, she meets fellow tenant Roy Cropper. Despite Roy's helpfulness, Deirdre finds him too over-friendly and is unnerved when he uses a leak at the flats to get close to her. When he begins pestering Deirdre late at night, she complains to Mike, who tells Roy to move out. Meanwhile, gossip spreads that Deirdre and Mike are having an affair.
• Derek believes Steve to be the gnome-napper when he receives a postcard from Arthur in Ireland while Steve is there on business. Accusing Steve via Fiona, Derek ends up shoved over a Rovers table. A second postcard arrives from Holland, in which Arthur says he's going to rescue Guinevere. Derek constructs a mantrap made of pots and pans to ensnare the author, with Percy volunteering for guard duty. When the Wiltons find a dwarf azalea by Guinevere with a note from Arthur, Derek becomes enraged and walks into his own trap.
• Rita takes Sally, Rosie and Sophie to a cottage in Anglesey for a couple of weeks. While they're away, Kevin gets word that his father Bill is coming to see him for the first time in ten years. Father and son have an emotional reunion, with Kevin learning that Bill's wife Elaine has left him for his foreman in Germany and taken his brother Carl with her. Now jobless after hitting the foreman, Bill decides to stay on in Weatherfield and meet Sally. Percy is saddened by the news about Elaine, his niece.
• As Ken, Denise and Daniel move into No.1, Denise agrees to have Ken's name put on their son's birth certificate.
• Maxine moves into the cafe flat with Fiona. Nick takes an interest in the girls while helping out at the cafe, making out he's sixteen. They scare him away by inviting him to move in with them.

August

• Bill decides to cook dinner for the Websters when Sally gets back from Anglesey in order to make a good impression on his daughter-in-law. While doing so, he accidentally sets fire to No.13's kitchen. Sally returns to find her kitchen ruined but she nevertheless takes to Bill, who sets about building a new kitchen himself. Hearing about Rita's generosity towards the Websters, Bill tells her that he'll be the one to help the family out financially in future. Rita helps Bill realise that No.13 is too small for them all, leading him to move out into lodgings at the Rovers.
• Alma has a bad meeting with Jeff Bryant after Audrey passes on the rumour about Mike and Deirdre. Her faith in her husband wavering, Alma confronts Mike about his purported affair but she eventually accepts his and Deirdre's assurances that he was only helping a friend. Later, when Mike lets himself into Tricia's flat to empty the meter, his tenant takes out her anger on his "lover" Deirdre.
• Steve turns down Alec's bribe and, enraged by Alec's behaviour, the betrothed couple decide to elope to St. Lucia. To salvage their relationship, Bet gives Vicky her blessing before she leaves, but Alec refuses to follow suit. Steve later sends word to the McDonalds that he and Vicky are married.
• Back on good terms with Bet, Alec asks to stay on at the Rovers. Bet turns him down and he returns to Southampton.
• The Duckworths' money woes continue when they arrive home from Spain. Finally, the inheritance money comes through and Jack celebrates by framing the £30,000 cheque and installing an old set of optics behind the Spanish bar in No.9's back room. Deciding that they'd like to run a business, Jack and Vera view the corner shop and offer the Holdsworths £15,000 below the asking price for it, knowing that Reg is desperate to sell. In anticipation of their offer being accepted, Jack resigns from the Rovers, and Bet takes Bill on as the new cellarman. However, an insulted Reg rejects the Duckworths' offer and Jack is left jobless.
• Basking in his newfound wealth, Jack throws a party for the neighbours where he gives Vera an engagement ring, which she's never had before. He then goes shopping for expensive cars with Don, who pretends to be his chauffeur when salesman Malcolm Teeson gets snotty with them. He ends up buying Fred Elliott's old ex-Mayoral Sierra.
• Alf has a spat with Reg when Vera looks at the shop's books and gossips about the £26 on his slate. Reg had not wiped off the amount Alf took for a children's charity and later paid back.
• A parcel is delivered to No.4 with a severed gnome's ear inside and a ransom note for fifty chocolate doubloons. Leaving the chocolate at the specified location at the Red Rec, Derek lies in wait for his tormentor, but is instead apprehended by the police and accused of being the Weatherfield flasher. Derek shows the police the ransom note, proving his innocence, but nonetheless begins to crack under the strain and shouts at the neighbours when they gawp at the police activity outside No.4.
• Des and Curly join the gym when Raquel tells them they're out of shape. In a bid to get fit, Curly assembles "The Rovers", a five-a-side football team with Des, Kevin, Jim and Andy. Despite losing their first match, Curly signs them up for a league, with Martin replacing Jim on the team and Maxine and Fiona agreeing to cheerlead.
• Tricia spends the night with her Spanish boyfriend Salvador and arranges for Jamie to stay with a friend. However, he runs away and is put up for the night by Deirdre she catches him trying to get back into his flat. The next day, Deirdre lays into Tricia for neglect.
• Des realises that Phyllis can no longer cope with cleaning No.6 and upsets the pensioner by doing the chores himself. He cheers her up by agreeing to pay her to do his ironing in future.
• Eric Firman announces that he is retiring and appointing a younger man to run Firman's Freezers. Expecting a promotion, Reg is deflated when Eric's nephew Leo gets the job instead. Reg holds a barbecue at 7 Nightingale Street which fails to impress his new boss.
• Liz tells Jim she might be pregnant. Having been warned against having more children, the McDonalds consider an abortion. They're relieved when it turns out to be a false alarm. Jim decides to have a vasectomy to make sure that Liz is never pregnant.

Tempers flare at Ivy Brennan's funeral

• Gail visits Ivy at the retreat and finds her a wreck due to Don's divorce claim. Days later, Father Donnelly breaks the news to Don that Ivy has died of a stroke. As his marriage was over, Don doesn't mourn Ivy and refuses to pay his last respects when he visits the retreat. At the funeral, Vera and a returning ida Clough show their contempt for Don and Josie, but Don refuses to be ashamed of his girlfriend. Meanwhile, the Platts are stunned when Nick receives a letter from Ivy telling him she wants him to have her house. When Don stops Nick from drinking alcohol at the funeral, Nick declares that it's his house now so he can't stop him. The families wait to find out if the letter has any legal standing.
• Percy buys drinks for the regulars in order to toast the memory of VJ Day.
• Percy receives a letter from Elaine explaining how Bill neglected her and did nothing but drink in his spare time. He challenges Bill on the subject.
• Emily finds a damp patch in Percy's room. Bill checks the roof and tells Emily it's in a bad way.

September

• Ivy's will is read, leaving £200 and a necklace to Vera and everything else, including No.5, to Nick, on the condition that he changes his name back to Tilsley. When it becomes clear that Nick intends to press his claim to the house, Don sees a solicitor and, informed that he has rights to No.5 as Ivy's husband, prepares to fight the Platts through the courts. Josie begins to drift away from Don as he becomes obsessed with beating Ivy, refusing her suggestion of moving in with her and letting Nick have the house. Meanwhile, with Gail and Martin's blessing Nick goes ahead with the name change. Treating No.5 as his property, Nick lets himself in and plays his ghetto blaster loudly, annoying the neighbours. Don is locked out and has to smash a window to get back inside. To prevent further incidents, Don has the locks changed.
• Emily puts Curly up to inviting Percy to stay with him while the builders are at No.3. Much to his surprise, Curly enjoys having Percy at No.7, with the ex-soldier doing all the cooking. Percy is similarly contented and tells the builder at No.3 to take his time. However, when the work completes and Emily fails to invite him to move back in, Percy puts it about that she has evicted him, unaware that she is having his bedroom decorated as a surprise. Confronting Percy, Emily tells him the truth and he returns to No.3.
• The Duckworths have Tommy for a few days over his birthday and throw him a party in Des's garden. Vera enjoys having money to spoil him.

"Dirk" suspects Norris of being the gnome-napper

• Derek has a performance review at work, carried out by a newly-promoted Norris. When Norris quizzes Derek about small problems at home, Derek suspects him of being the gnome-napper.
• Jim has his vasectomy.
• Jack and Vera decide to buy No.6. Much to the Wiltons' horror, Des accepts their offer and the Duckworths put No.9 up for sale.
• Des takes Tommy out for the day and encounters a heavily pregnant Steph working in a fast food restaurant. Surprised to see each other again, the divorced couple make a date at No.6 but Steph doesn't turn up. Meanwhile, Maxine begins pursuing a disinterested Des. After being stood up by Steph, Des beds Maxine. The next day, Steph visits Des and tells him that she and her baby's father, Chris Fox, are no longer together. Horrified that she's living in a grotty bedsit, Des helps her find a new flat and pays her £500 deposit. When Maxine interrogates him over Steph, Des makes it clear that she was just a one-night-stand and finishes with her, though he manages to win her back with an apology.
• Betty finds her house ransacked by burglars. Taking charge of the situation, Billy stays the night to calm Betty's nerves, but Betty refuses to let to stay longer, thinking it would sour their relationship. Later, Billy spends the afternoon getting drunk in the Rovers and asks Betty to marry him. When he sobers up and repeats the offer, Betty accepts the proposal. One of the first people told is Betty's son Gordon Clegg, who travels up from Wimbledon to meet his future stepfather. Due to their prior relationship, Gordon wonders if Billy is his father, but Betty confirms that he isn't.
• Percy tries to find Curly a girlfriend. Singling out assistant Anne Malone at Firman's Freezers, Percy accosts her to question her about her free time, scaring her away. Independently, Anne calls on Curly and he takes her for a drink in the Rovers. He's pleased when she asks to see his observatory, but he's unable to take her back to No.7 as she'll see Percy.
• Leo takes a fancy to Raquel after seeing her picture on Curly's calendar. When he first asks her out, Raquel refuses so as not to upset Curly, but she accepts when he asks her a second time. She enjoys their date at an exclusive restaurant, but when afterwards Leo takes Raquel to a deserted Firman's, he tries to rape her. Raquel manages to escape, and the next day tells Curly what happened. Embarrassed and ashamed, Raquel asks Curly not to confront Leo or tell anyone else. Curly struggles to be civil to his boss at work, and eventually thumps him to the ground, telling him it's for Raquel. The incident gives Leo the leverage to try and force Curly to resign, but Curly refuses and warns Leo that if he sacks him, he'll tell everyone about the attempted rape. Meanwhile, Raquel begins to question her interactions with men and reacts violently when Bill gives her a hug.
• The Rovers' team win their first match after dropping Curly from the game Martin is man of the match.
• While out shopping with Rita, Bill tries to comfort a distressed child who has lost her mother. The girl is quickly reunited with her mother, but the mother is suspicious of Bill and reports him to the police for trying to lure her daughter away. Bill is questioned and, with Rita as his witness, he's able to convince the police that there was nothing sinister going on.
• Phyllis tries to make Percy jealous by talking loudly in the cafe with a widower called Louis from Bramhall in front of him.

October

• Chris Fox tracks Steph down and asks her to move to Germany with him. Steph rejects him in favour of Des, only for her ex-husband to turn down a reconciliation, telling Steph that he doesn't love her anymore. He helps her move into her flat before they part ways for the last time. Deciding to remain in the street, Des halts the sale of No.6 to the Duckworths.
• Gary and Judy Mallett view No.9 and make an offer of £24,500 for the property. The Duckworths agree on £23,500.
• Steve and Vicky return from honeymoon and upset Bet by booking into a hotel instead of the Rovers. Steve suggests they buy his old Quayside flat, but Vicky doesn't want to live in the apartment he shared with Fiona and rents a different flat in the Quays. The newlyweds also clash over whether to keep the print shop going, with Vicky wanting to make a go of it and Steve keen to move on to other ventures. Vicky opens a joint bank account for the couple.

"Pals? You don't know the meaning of the word!"

• Stella Rigby alerts Bet to the news in the Gazette that the brewery is selling six pubs, including the Rovers and the White Swan. Newton & Ridley writes to Bet confirming the sell off and gives her first option to buy at £68,000, but without savings, Bet is unable to do so. When Rita suggests that she could buy the pub, Bet agrees and suggests a partnership. Having met with her accountant, Rita decides to back Bet, but wavers when she discovers that Bet has been treating it as a done deal and already told the neighbours. Seeking advice from Alf, Rita is asked consider why Bet needs her to put up the entire £68,000. Based on this, Rita tells Bet that she won't invest. Bet doesn't take the news well, and they row in the Kabin, ending their decades-long friendship. Bet then asks Vicky for a loan to buy the pub. Vicky instead offers to buy her a house for which she would pay a nominal rent and be around when needed. Bet is offended by the suggestion after everything she has done for Vicky, and at the end of her tether, she throws all of the customers out of the Rovers and closes the pub. Don later finds her with her bags packed as she prepares to leave Weatherfield for pastures new. She sets off in a taxi without saying goodbye to anyone.
• As Betty's wedding approaches, Bet offers to pay for the reception at the Rovers. After Bet's flit, Billy takes charge and books the British Legion. The Cleggs arrive for the wedding, including Betty's grandson Peter and daughter-in-law Caroline, who is unhappy at being in Weatherfield. Gordon gives Betty away as she marries Billy at St. Mary's Church. The happy couple then leave for their honeymoon in Torquay.
• The residents react to the news that Bet has resigned as Rovers landlady and isn't coming back. Rodney Bostock returns as interim manager while the brewery finds a buyer. Having missed out on No.6, the Duckworths decide to try for the Rovers, having enough capital with the sale of No.9 and their inheritance. The other front-runners are Jim and Liz, who put No.11 on the market at £29,950 and arrange a bank loan for the rest. Jim is out chauffeuring Mike when the brewery summons the McDonalds to sign for the Rovers, leaving Jim with no choice but to borrow the car for the purpose. The delay causes the McDonalds to be beaten to the punch by the Duckworths, and Mike fires Jim from MVB Motors for disappearing with his car.
• Having missed out on the Rovers, Jim refuses to ask Mike for his job back and makes a nuisance of himself at the Rovers while drunk, causing Rodney to bar him.
• As they prepare to take over the Rovers, the Duckworths are advised to make Vera the licensee because of Jack's past run-ins with the police.
• Martin attempts to broker peace between Don and the Platts in order to avoid going to court. Gail suggests to Don that he signs an affadavit recognising No.5 as Nick's but with Nick agreeing to let him live there for his lifetime. Don refuses the offer. He's saddened as he becomes cut off from the Platts.
• Derek receives a letter from Arthur in Tintagel, the ancient Camelot, saying that he wants Guinevere.
• Des decides to stop seeing Maxine as she's too clingy. Maxine tells him she's fine with a casual relationship and they continue on that basis.
• Anne Malone complains to Reg that Leo has been sexually harassing her. Reg promises her that action will be taken but, afraid of losing his job, he doesn't pass on her complaint to Eric. Meanwhile, Leo writes damning reports on Reg and Curly, planning to get them sacked. Reading his, Reg finally decides to take Leo on, but the women at the store are reluctant to repeat their allegations to Eric. Raquel agrees to let Curly tell Eric about the attempted rape, but asks him to keep her name out of it. Passing on the complaints to Eric, Curly is believed due to Leo's history of sexual harassment and the fact that he didn't report Curly thumping him. He tells Reg and Curly to leave it with him.
• Denise decides to have Daniel christened. Ken angers her by asking Rita to be Daniel's godmother without clearing it with her first.
• Nick accepts Steve's offer to help out at the print shop during half-term. When Don sees him reversing Steve's car in the forecourt, he rows with Vicky for getting a fourteen-year-old to drive. Nick resigns when he's challenged by Vicky, causing the Platts to blame Don for losing him his job.
• Deirdre is distraught when an inquest into Samir's death returns an open verdict. She feels she can't move on with her life until she knows what happened. Mr Bycroft, the man who found Samir, is harangued by Deirdre for not implicating the gang of youths he saw on the towpath, but the widow apologises after running into him again at the canal, accepting that he could only report what he saw. The police later inform Deirdre that they've stopped looking for the thugs.

November

• As the Duckworths officially take over the Rovers, Bill is laid off but allowed to remain in residence, Raquel and Andy are kept on, as is Betty although the barmaid resigns when Vera asks her to clean the pub as well as cook. Betty then goes on holiday so that she isn't around when Vera begs her to return. Surprisingly, Vera's own hotpot recipe goes down a treat, but the landlady is dismayed when after a tiring day in the kitchen their food profits are only £4.50. To make things easier for her, Jack buys home-made pies from Fred. However, various customers complain that the pies have given them stomach ache. When Jack goes down with the bug, he blames Fred for selling dodgy pies but Martin tells them there's a stomach bug going around.
• With the Rovers now a free house, Newton & Ridley removes their till, forcing Vera to use her handbag as a stand-in while Jack goes out to buy a new one. Meanwhile, Jack enjoys being courted by the local breweries, and starts selling Nuttall's ale at the pub after playing the breweries off against each other to lower prices.
• The Malletts move into No.9. Judy is annoyed when Gary installs his drum kit in the front room despite her telling him to sell them.
• At Liz's urging, Jim publicly apologises to Mike. He's humiliated when Mike still refuses to employ him at the garage. On Jim's 40th birthday, Jim rolls up half-cut at a family celebration at Steve and Vicky's flat and becomes aggressive towards Liz, blaming her for his misfortunes. A marriage crisis develops as Liz falls into a depression, feeling continually dragged down by Jim. When she confides her troubles in Des, Des comforts her and they kiss. Afterwards, the colleagues are confused by their feelings for each other, with Liz keen to forget it happened and Des requesting a transfer to remove the temptation, though Sean turns him down. Liz insists that they keep their relationship business-only in future.
• Leo is sacked from Firman's for sexual harassment. Blaming Raquel, he turns up at the Rovers and threatens to take her to court and humiliate her. Raquel stands her ground and throws things at him until he leaves.
• Ken and Denise entertain Denise's sister Alison Dunkley and her accountant husband Brian. The couple agree to be Daniel's godparents, instead of Rita. After the christening, Denise continues her affair with Brian.
• Raquel's agent John Fisher tries to sign Fiona as a model. When she realises he's legitimate, Fiona decides to give it a go. His offer causes Raquel to have doubts that she'll ever make it in the profession.
• Harry Potts gets nine months for embezzlement.
• Steve responds to Vicky's attempts to get him to clean the flat by hiring a cleaner to do the job. When he arranges to go to a casino with a client, Vicky puts a £150 limit on him, causing Steve to accuse his wife of not trusting him. He starts working weekends so that he isn't financially dependent on her. Steve later shows his jealousy when Vicky does business with her old friend Jordan from Cheshire.
• Still depressed over Samir, Deirdre shuts herself away in her flat. Roy alerts Mike to this fact, leading Mike to call on Deirdre and help her see that she has to get on with her life.
• To replace Jim, Mike starts Barry Halstead at the garage. Kevin finds his middle-aged assistant inflexible and sacks him when he goes home rather than finish a job. Ordered to find a replacement, Kevin poaches the younger Tony Horrocks from Walsh's.
• While pursuing a divorce from Elaine, Bill returns to the building trade, with Jim assisting him with some odd jobs. Meanwhile, Bill enquires about the salon flat but Denise turns him down, as she and Brian use the flat as a love nest.
• Fiona and Tony take a fancy to each other when Tony plays football against The Rovers. Still sour from Steve, Fiona doesn't act on her feelings, but she does agree to use her charms to persuade him to join The Rovers team for Kevin. After going bowling with Fiona and Maxine, Tony asks Fiona out, but he backs off when she admits she has an ulterior motive.

Reg takes part in an identity parade to find the Red Rec flasher

• Reg and Curly take part in an identity parade to help the police catch the Red Rec flasher. When the witness picks Reg out of the line-up, he's asked to take part in a second parade, this time making himself look different by taking his wig off. Although he isn't picked, his efforts to change his appearance mean that he remains a suspect. Meanwhile, Eric Firman offers Reg a promotion to chief executive for distribution in Lowestoft. Reg reluctantly turns it down when Maud points out that everyone will think he was the flasher. In an act of frustration, he burns the wig. When Phyllis catches the flasher, Reg's name is cleared and he races to Halifax to stop Eric from offering the executive job to the branch's manager. When he sees Eric with the manager, Reg assumes that he's too late and heads home. However, Curly tells Maureen that he can still get the promotion if he calls Eric before 4.00pm. Stuck on the A672 with a flat tyre, Reg makes it home just in time. He then leaves the street for Lowestoft, with Maureen and Maud remaining in Weatherfield to run the shop.
• Don is saddened when he's excluded from Martin's graduation. Later, Sarah scribbles out Don's face in the Platts' photo album as she's heard Martin and Gail saying that he isn't part of the family anymore.
• Vera goes to Blackpool to help with Tommy when her grandson goes down with measles. In her absence, Jack takes on Carol Starkey as a barmaid. Carol doesn't last one shift as she finds the customers too miserable.

December

• The Malletts settle into the street with a rowdy house-warming, satellite TV, and a neon sign saying "Santa's Nookie Nest".
• Busty Lorraine Ramsden replaces Carol at the Rovers. She is useless behind the bar, and when Vera returns from Blackpool she forces Jack to sack her. Betty agrees to return to the pub on her terms - lunchtimes only, no weekends and complete control over the food.
• Jim and Bill becomes building partners. Jim sells his motorbike to Gary so that they can buy a battered old van for transportation.
• Maud takes Deirdre on part-time at the shop, disappointing Alf who wanted the job for himself.
• Rita's life insurance policy matures and she decides to take Mavis on a cruise. Derek volunteers to run the Kabin while they're away after Rita suggests that he isn't up to the job.
• Bill rents a Crimea Street flat from Mike, borrowing money from Kevin for the deposit. When he receives a tax demand from 1984 for £1,400 plus interest, Bill is again bailed out by the Websters. The arrangement causes Rita to think that Bill is taking advantage and row with Sally, who tells her to mind her own business. Bill intervenes to stop the women from falling out, and Rita agrees not to pre-judge him.
• Keen to resolve the row over No.5, Gail offers £5,000 for Don to stay there until Nick is eighteen, but Don refuses. At Christmas, Don buys presents for the Platt children, forcing a peeved Gail to reciprocate.
• Fiona and Tony make up and start dating. Tony decides to swap over to The Rovers team after all.
• The Robertses set off to London for Alf's OBE in Don's cab, having missed the last train to the capital due to Audrey's tardiness. When Audrey spends the entire journey getting at him over his treatment of Ivy, Don strands her at a service station, forcing her to hitch a lift the rest of the way. Going on on without her, Alf drags in Betty - visiting London with Billy - to meet the Queen with him when he arrives at Buckingham Palace. Audrey arrives too late to go in, and swears never to forgive Alf. The Roberts' spat drags on until after Christmas, when Alf lends Betty a video of them at the Palace, which Billy returns to Audrey, despite Alf keeping its existence a secret from her.
• Fiona cuts Steve's hair when he comes into the salon to show that he doesn't bother her anymore.
• Steve begins withdrawing money from the McDonalds' joint account but refuses to tell Vicky what it's for. On Christmas Eve, the police search the print shop and find three cases of stolen whisky. Steve says he bought it cheap from a stranger, but isn't believed and is kept in a police cell overnight. The following day, he gets Vicky to buy presents for the family and for himself, from him, and the couple put on a brave face for Christmas dinner with Steve's family. The meal is ruined when the police arrive with a warrant to search the flat. Finding another case of whisky, the police charge Steve with receiving stolen goods. Vicky calls in her family's solicitor Nick Wilding to help Steve, believing in his innocence.
• Alison Dunkley tells Denise she thinks Brian is having an affair. Denise tries to convince her otherwise.

Curly and Raquel are married

• A lonely Des seduces Raquel into bed in a bid to forget about Liz. The following morning, Raquel realises she's been used and breaks down, feeling she can't trust anyone. She then stuns Curly by asking him to marry her as soon as possible, offering him no explanation. Having always loved Raquel, Curly goes along with it and books a quick wedding. Raquel cries in the registry office toilets before marrying Curly. After a honeymoon on the QE2, Raquel moves into No.7 and convinces herself that Curly is the man for her, though Des is unconvinced.
• Curly and Raquel have their parents over for Christmas dinner. Larry Wolstenhulme has an emotional reconciliation with his daughter after throwing her out five years ago.
• Vera attends a Nuttall's function as Rovers licensee and returns home feeling amorous, much to Jack's horror.
• Liz isn't impressed by Des bedding Raquel and feels he's similarly using her to boost his ego. When she calls on Des late at night to tell him they'll never be lovers, Andy sees them and misreads the situation, thinking they're having an affair. Liz confides the truth in Andy, who is appalled but agrees not to tell Jim that she kissed Des. Meanwhile, Liz pretends to be sick to stay off work, and Sean tells Des that if they can't work together, he'll sack her. Liz accepts her termination in order to get away from Des, who uses overstaffing as the official reason. Jim doesn't accept this, and has to be held back from thumping Des. Meanwhile, Andy wants to move out of No.6 but is forced to remain so as not to arouse Jim's suspicions. He tells Jim that Des was forced to sack Liz by Sean.
• The gnome saga rages on as Derek receives a postcard from Southampton from "Arthur". He suspects Rita sent it while on the cruise, but she denies the allegation. When Norris asks Derek to be his best man at his wedding, Derek reluctantly agrees. On his stag night, Norris gets drunk and returns Arthur to Derek, revealing himself as the gnome-napper. Derek takes revenge by leaving Norris in a drunken stupor and stealing his wedding suit. However, when he realises that Norris could fire him, he returns the suit and makes Norris sweat by taking him to the wrong church, arriving at the correct venue just in time.
• Raquel receives a letter from Bet in the Canary Islands asking her to donate her old clothes to charity. Raquel keeps her cigarette holder and a pair of earrings as a memento of her.
• The Watts attend their first dinner as a couple, at the Firmans'. When Raquel spills her drink over Edith Firman's dress, they fear it's cost Curly his promotion to manager of Firman's, but Eric offers him the job anyway. At Eric's recommendation, Curly is sworn in as a Square Dealer.
• The residents celebrate Christmas. Vera is run off her feet at the Rovers, with Jack ill in bed.
• Andy secures a date with Maxine but she is stood up when Andy is taken up with Steve's arrest. He manages to arrange another date.

Who lives where

Coronation Street

• Rovers Return Inn - Bet Gilroy (until October). Vicky Arden (until July). Raquel Wolstenhulme (until December). Rodney Bostock (March only). Ken Barlow (from April to May). Bill Webster (from August to November)
• 1 Coronation Street - Tricia and Jamie Armstrong (from January to July). Ken Barlow. Denise and Daniel Osbourne (from July onwards).
• 2a Coronation Street - Denise Osbourne (until July). Daniel Osbourne (from January to July). Empty thereafter
• 3 Coronation Street - Emily Bishop. Percy Sugden (except September).
• 4 Coronation Street - Derek and Mavis Wilton.
• 5 Coronation Street - Don Brennan. Josie Clarke (from July onwards).
• 6 Coronation Street - Des Barnes. Andy McDonald (from May onwards).
• 7 Coronation Street - Curly Watts. Percy Sugden (September only). Raquel Watts (from December onwards).
• 8 Coronation Street - Martin, Gail, Sarah Louise and David Platt. Nicky Platt/Tilsley.
• 9 Coronation Street - Jack and Vera Duckworth (until November). Clifford Duckworth (until January). Gary and Judy Mallett (from November onwards).
• 10a Coronation Street - Rita Sullivan.
• 11 Coronation Street - Jim and Liz McDonald. Andy McDonald (until May). Deirdre Rachid (from May to July). Samir Rachid (from May to June). Steve McDonald (from July to October).
• 12 Coronation Street - Ken Barlow (until April, then from May to July). Deirdre and Samir Rachid (May only). Tracy Barlow (May only).
• 13 Coronation Street - Kevin, Sally, Rosie and Sophie Webster. Bill Webster (from July to August).

Rosamund Street

• Jim's Cafe flat - Fiona Middleton (from March onwards). Steve McDonald (from March to June). Maxine Heavey (from July onwards).

Others

• 5 Crimea Street - Deirdre Rachid (from July onwards). Tricia and Jamie Armstrong (from July onwards). Roy Cropper (from July onwards). Bill Webster (from December onwards).
• 2 Douglas Road - Maxine Heavey (until June).
• 4 Gorton Close - Phyllis Pearce.
• 5 Grasmere Drive - Alf and Audrey Roberts.
• 37 Hillside Crescent - Betty Turpin.
• No. 4 Montreal House, Weatherfield Quays - Mike and Alma Baldwin.
• No. 6 Montreal House, Weatherfield Quays - Steve McDonald (until March, and from October onwards). Vicky McDonald (from October onwards).
• 7 Nightingale Street - Maud Grimes. Reg Holdsworth (until November). Maureen Holdsworth.
• 23 Seymour Drive, Oakhill - Fred Elliott.

Awards and nominations

National Television Awards
Ceremony on 29th August 1995 - first year held

• Most Popular Actress: Julie Goodyear (Nominee)
• Most Popular Soap: Coronation Street (Winner)
• Most Popular Newcomer: Angela Griffin (Winner)
• Lifetime Achievement Award: Julie Goodyear