Episode 357 (13th May 1964)

Plot[]

Martha tries to boast about getting her passport and taking a foreign holiday to Jack and Annie but a delighted Frank bursts in and interrupts them with the news he's sold his shop to Summit Supermarkets for £6,000. He plans an extravagant party for all the neighbours in the Rovers, putting Martha's news in the shade. Florrie realises she's blown her chances with him now he has a new life to look forward to. Jerry finishes at the yard with Len's best wishes before he starts at Roscoe & Pitts. Despite their friendship, they squabble over whose tools are whose. Frank shows off his new car to them, a Zodiac, and gives them a lift to The Flying Horse, past Martha waiting at a bus stop for her trip to Manchester. Later on, she returns with her precious document and dressed up in her best for the party. Ena warns her she's only going to Spain to be a babysitter. Frank buys a new suit and the residents gather for the after-hours party. Frank hands out cigars. Martha shows off her passport to an unimpressed Ena, annoyed that a man is sat in her seat. Jack calls time. Frank writes off the £5 that Jerry owes him. Jack gets annoyed when Frank "helps" in getting rid of the uninvited drinkers. He makes a speech that few listen to. They drink his free champagne but grow annoyed as he lords it over them. Len and Harry persuade Ena to play the piano as no one takes notice of Martha's passport. A singalong starts with On Moonlight Bay and proceeds on to I'll Be Your Sweetheart. Unhappy that no one is bothered with her own good news, Martha starts to feel unwell and retreats alone to the snug where she suffers a sudden heart attack. As they sing Down at the Old Bull and Bush and Waiting at the Church, Myra spots Martha slumped over the table and Jerry alerts Jack. He initially thinks she's drunk but he quickly realises something is badly wrong. While he rings for a doctor, Len and Annie look over Martha and realise she has died. Ena is distraught and the shocked neighbours silently leave the pub and return to their homes.

Cast[]

Regular cast[]

Guest cast[]

Man in pub - Kelvin Walker

Places[]

Coronation Street
Rovers Return Inn - Public/snug
Glad Tidings Mission Hall - Vestry
15 Mawdsley Street - Yard
Unknown road

Notes[]

Final appearance of Lynne Carol as Martha Longhurst.
This was the first episode in Tim Aspinall's run as producer. His final episode was on Episode 395 on 23rd September 1964.
After the usual photocaption of the rooftops of Ordsall, the title caption is displayed over an exterior shot of the Rovers Return Inn. The end credits are played over a shot of Martha's glasses, passport and sherry glass on the table of the snug. However, in a first for the series, no music is played during these final credits.
The scene on the road near the builder's yard was OB recorded on location.
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: Minnie Caldwell (Margot Bryant), Lucille Hewitt (Jennifer Moss), Valerie Barlow (Anne Reid) and Kenneth Barlow (William Roache).
TV Times synopsis: Frank and Martha show that good luck and misfortune always go hand in hand
Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 7,877,000 homes (3rd place).
This episode was included on the following commercial releases:
- Coronation Street 1964 released by Granada and Windsong Video on 5th November 1990.
- The Network DVD collection Coronation Street: The Best of 1960-1969, released on 31st July 2006.
This episode was added to streaming service BritBox in late 2020 under the Coronation Street: Greatest Episodes banner and included an introduction by William Roache.

Notable dialogue[]

Martha Longhurst: "I've seen plenty of springtimes in my life... and wet summers."

May 1964 episodes
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