Episode 297 (16th October 1963)

Plot[]

Minnie hates not talking to Ena and Martha prevents her calling at the vestry. Walter refuses to go to the wedding as he has nothing smart to wear but Dennis tells him he's made arrangements for a sharp new suit from a dressmaker to the stars. Myra admires the new suit Dennis has got for himself but upsets him when she says that there's only time for one spot for Walter at the reception. The residents have a council of war in the corner shop, saying they've all danced for long enough to Ena's tune. They send her to Coventry when she comes in but Ken tells them they're behaving like spiteful kids. Jerry takes Myra to meet Ena and give her an invitation, saying she'll be sat with her friends. Emily and Minnie are upset at the atmosphere created by snubbing Ena. Emily blames herself for her outburst. Swindley has to see Ena about a special service on Sunday, despite being shocked at her attitude. Minnie has had enough and breaks ranks. Ena gives Myra a lace handkerchief as a "something borrowed" and shuts the door in Minnie's face. Alone in No.11, a hungry Walter almost causes a fire on the kitchen stove. Elsie puts it out. She also finds out from Joe that Dennis has got his suit on hire purchase on her instalments. Jerry books the Rovers' select for his stag party, inviting all the regulars. Elsie confronts Dennis when he returns. He babbles that it's so that he wouldn't show her up at the wedding, making out he's done her a favour. Martha refuses to go in the snug when she sees that Ena's in there and prevents Minnie joining her. She leaves instead, following Ena out. Ken gets exasperated with everyone's attitude. Minnie grows concerned about Ena's health. She calls at the vestry and tells Vera that she thinks Ena's going senile. Vera suggests Ena moves closer to her. Ena drags out of her daughter what Minnie said.

Cast[]

Regular cast[]

Guest cast[]

Places[]

Notes[]

Patricia Phoenix remembered an incident from the recording of this episode when being interviewed by Gloria Hunniford on her magazine programme Sunday, Sunday in 1982:

"There was one particular occasion where we had to have frying pan start to smoke on the gas cooker, and it did more than smoke, it blazed up about six feet high (Ms Phoenix exaggerates this for comic effect - the chemicals on the prop pan did catch fire, but they were only a few inches high and not the height she claimed). But it was the end of the tape, and we couldn't stop it because we were running out of time. So we just gagged the scene in and I remember Chris Sandford who was Dennis’s best friend at the time, jumping on the table, on the frying pan, stamping out the flames while we ad-libbed around it."

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 were credited but did not appear: Lucille Hewitt (Jennifer Moss) and Len Fairclough (Peter Adamson).
TV Times synopsis: Minnie's loyalty is stretched to its limit, and Elsie buys something she couldn't possibly wear
Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 8,367,000 homes (1st place).

Notable dialogue[]

Annie Walker: "We all tend to forget at times that Mrs Sharples is really a very unimportant old woman."

October 1963 episodes
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