Plot[]
Chalkie puts No.9 up for sale as Bob Whitely needs the money. Chalkie plans to move to a council flat by the park. Ken can't believe that he hasn't got the job and wants to find out why. An anonymous Valentine is sent to "the redhead" at No.11. As all three occupants are redheads they don't know who it's from. Ken asks Alf to find out why he didn't get the job. Fred tells Suzie that he wrote the Valentine to her - she is horrified. Stan finds it impossible to climb his ladders any more. His customers refuse to pay him for just cleaning downstairs. Fred reorganises the bar so that Suzie has to bend down to get beers. Stan gives Hilda his day's takings - only £8. She tells him it's not good enough. Deirdre can't bring herself to leave Ken as he's so down. Mike promises he'll look after Tracy. He tells her that they should go away together for a few days.
Cast[]
Regular cast[]
- Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson
- Chalkie Whitely - Teddy Turner
- Ken Barlow - William Roache
- Deirdre Barlow - Anne Kirkbride
- Alf Roberts - Bryan Mosley
- Mike Baldwin - Johnny Briggs
- Emily Bishop - Eileen Derbyshire
- Bet Lynch - Julie Goodyear
- Marion Willis - Veronica Doran
- Suzie Birchall - Cheryl Murray
- Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix
- Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens
- Eddie Yeats - Geoffrey Hughes
- Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander
- Fred Gee - Fred Feast
- Tracy Langton - Christabel Finch
Guest cast[]
- Florrie Todd - Joan Campion
Places[]
- Coronation Street
- Rovers Return Inn - Public
- 1 Coronation Street - Back room and kitchen
- 11 Coronation Street - Back room/kitchen
- 13 Coronation Street - Back room and kitchen
- Corner Shop
- Hardman Street
Notes[]
- This episode was scheduled to be transmitted in the programme's usual time slot at 7.30pm on Monday 14th February 1983 and this week's episodes were given a greater than usual amount of publicity in preparation for the Ken Barlow/Deirdre Barlow/Mike Baldwin "love triangle" storyline that was reaching its conclusion. However the EETPU (Electrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union) whose staff handled electronics for the ITV companies decided to hold a meeting to discuss a pay rise which had been given to a foreman without union knowledge and they chose the scheduled transmission time of this episode for the meeting. All 105 electricians at Granada Television joined in the meeting, switching off the equipment beforehand as they claimed it would be incorrect for it to be left unattended and consequently ITV in the north-west of England was blacked out and the remainder of the country was unable to broadcast Coronation Street. The union claimed to the press that they had given management the statutory seven days' notice of the meeting which may be true as Granada programme controller (and previous programme director) Mike Scott managed to reach a deal for this and the following episode (which was first aired on Thursday 17th February) to be given an advertised special omnibus repeat on Channel 4 on Sunday 20th February 1983 at 10.15pm in preparation for what ITV hoped would be a high-rating set of episodes in the coming week.
- TV Times synopsis: Which of the Street's redheads has received an unexpected Valentine? Mike Baldwin pressures Deirdre Barlow to reach a decision on their future.
- Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 17,600,000 viewers (1st place).
| February 1983 episodes |
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