Episode 3406 (6th July 1992)

Plot

Don refuses to tell Ivy about his amputation. The windows are replaced at No.7. Julie is stunned when Don tells her about his leg. Martin is told about the amputation at work, he tells Gail but tells her not to tell Ivy; he'll be thrown off the course. Gail refuses to listen and calls Ivy but she is told by Julie and rushes to the hospital. Angie is flattered when workman Neil Mitchell flirts with her. Alf begins to think that Ted is after Rita's money. Emily returns home. Ivy tries to stop the operation but is held back by nurses. She can't understand why Don is turning his back on her. Don's lower leg is amputated. Reg agrees with Alf that Ted needs to be watched. Martin is furious that Gail rang Ivy but she tells him that someone else got to her first. Ivy rings Julie and thanks her for alerting her about Don. Curly doesn't like the way Angie finds Neil attractive. Bet wonders if Alf is right about Ted. Ivy is relieved when Don's pleased to see her after his operation and talks positively about the future. Curly rings up Angie from work to check on her and Neil. Bet realises that Rita is unhappy and thinks she regrets marrying Ted. The residents push Alf to find out why Ted seems to be upsetting Rita. Curly is annoyed when Angie goes out for a meal with Hanif. Ted is puzzled when Bet is cool towards him. Ivy tells Gail that everything is going to be right in the future but Martin has reservations, thinking Don's thinking might be affected by painkillers.

Cast

Regular cast

Guest cast

Ted Sullivan - William Russell
Nurse Clark - Anne Orwin
Nurse Sweeney - Michael Gunn
Neil Mitchell - John Lloyd Fillingham
Julie Dewhurst - Su Elliot (Credited as "Su Elliott")
Anaesthetist - Boo Bennett
Hanif Ruparell - Ayub Khan-Din

Places

Coronation Street
Rovers Return Inn - Public, back room and hallway
3 Coronation Street - Back room, hallway and kitchen
5 Coronation Street - Downstairs rooms
7 Coronation Street - Downstairs rooms
Corner Shop
The Kabin
Jim's Cafe - Cafe and passageway
Bettabuy - Shop floor
Weatherfield General - Ward, Anaesthetist's room and corridor

Notes

For the first time in its history, Coronation Street was broadcast as a one-hour episode. The reason for this is that on 6th July 1992 the BBC launched its new soap opera Eldorado which they hoped would become as big a success for them as EastEnders which had started in February 1985. Determined to "strangle it at birth", ITV Executives ordered that two episodes of Coronation Street, planned originally to be shown two days apart as per the normal schedules, be edited together and shown at 7.00pm directly opposite the new programme. They needn't have been concerned as Eldorado was a ratings and critical disaster for the Corporation. After one year, and despite some improvements in both the viewing figures and the quality of the programme, the BBC cancelled it after 156 episodes, the final instalment being shown on 9th July 1993. After this successful try-out, ITV again edited together two episodes into one for a spoiler episode against EastEnders on 18th April 1994. The first purpose-written one-hour special was Episode 3945 on 8th December 1995 to celebrate the programme's thirty-fifth anniversary.
TV Times: The magazine did not carry a synopsis for this episode, merely a statement that this was "A special double-length episode."
Viewing Figures: UK broadcast - 15,400,000 viewers (4th place).
The ITV3 repeat of this episode on 21st May 2019 showed it in its original format of two episodes with separate end credits.

Notable dialogue

Ivy Brennan: "Bert, Brian, now Don...'Poor Ivy', they keep sayin'. It's not me they should be feelin' sorry for. I brought it on 'em... I'm bad luck, Gail."

July 1992 episodes
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