Episode 191 (10th October 1962)

Plot[]

Gawpers continue to hang round outside No.7. Florrie asks Sheila and Doreen to keep their record-playing quiet so as not to upset the Hewitts. Joan Akers leaves a message with Florrie asking Elsie to call on her. The papers report that frogmen are going to drag the canal. The by-election is fixed for 26th November. Emily books a hair appointment with Val for her first meeting with a literary circle that she's joined. Annie worries that Concepta is going to have a complete nervous breakdown. Florrie passes on Joan's message to Elsie and her address - 46 Percy Street. Annie and Val look after Concepta. She sees the story about the canal. Elsie visits Joan and immediately recognises Christopher. She confronts Joan with the truth of her actions. Swindley decides to ring the police. Joan tells Elsie that her own baby died at three weeks old and then her husband left her. Elsie comforts her as she breaks down. Sowman takes Swindley's suspicions seriously. When Swindley hears that Doreen knows the girl, he rings Sowman back and gives him Joan's address. The police set off for her. Elsie persuades Joan to return the baby before the police find her. Doreen can't believe that Joan is responsible. Sowman finds that Joan has gone. Mrs. Webb gives him a description of Elsie. Joan returns the baby to a stunned and relieved Harry and Concepta. Ena finds Sowman in Gamma Garments and tells him the baby has been returned. Harry takes his temper out on Joan but Concepta is just relieved her son has been returned. Sowman calls at No.7 and takes Joan in for questioning. Emily tells Swindley she is going out with a man called Edwin.

Cast[]

Regular cast[]

Guest cast[]

Det Sergeant Sowman - Philip Stone
Joan Akers - Anna Cropper
Landlady - Jean Alexander
Billy Whittaker - David Cook (Uncredited)

Places[]

Coronation Street
7 Coronation Street - Back room
Corner Shop
Gamma Garments
Weatherfield Police Station - Det Sergeant Sowman's office and exterior
46 Percy Street - Joan Akers's bedsit and exterior

Notes[]

Jean Alexander makes a pre-Hilda Ogden appearance in the programme as Joan Akers' landlady, Mrs. Webb.
Beatrice Neild, who appeared in the irregular role of Mrs Toft from 1969 to 1974 appears as an extra in this episode.
At the time of production of this episode, Anna Cropper, appearing in the guest role of Joan Akers, was married to William Roache.
The child playing Christopher Hewitt is uncredited but based on press publicity photographs from the period is probably Stephen Ward.
The location scenes outside Weatherfield Police Station and Percy Street were recorded on silent 16mm film.
From Episode 172 (6th August 1962) to Episode 459 (5th May 1965) the programme featured a standardised cast list for the regular characters. This means that in this episode the following are credited but do not appear: Albert Tatlock (Jack Howarth), Martha Longhurst (Lynne Carol) and Kenneth Barlow (William Roache).
According to H.V. Kershaw's 1981 autobiography The Street Where I Live, this episode featured the first use of a swear word on the programme when Len Fairclough says "bloody" but he immediately apologised to Miss Nugent. In the episode, Len does use the word in reference to his feelings about journalists but doesn't apologise. Miss Nugent does however remark that she's never heard him swear before. However, in reality the first use of the word in the programme was in Episode 9 (6th January 1961) when Norah Dawson told Elsie Tanner that she was "bloody common".
TV Times synopsis: Swindley plays detective, but Elsie breaks the case
Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 8,625,000 homes (2nd place).

October 1962 episodes
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