Plot[]
Part One: The residents prepare for the panto. Dickie paints the scenery while Hilda sorts out the mess that Minnie as prompter is in when she uses the script for Cinderella in error. Reverend James is amazed at the progress that Emily has made. Lucille jokes that they should have done Hair instead. "Abanazer Gordon" starts to lose his voice and Minnie suggests that Ken could take his place. Val's patience with Ken is further tested when he suggests they have properly brewed coffee instead of instant. Emily visits Ken, putting on a show of intense desperation, but he refuses to take the bait. She thinks of Len instead. Marj winds up Elsie with a show of possessiveness over Len. Annie insists she is given a song in the show and overrides Emily's attempts to object. Ken takes Martin and Jo for a drink in the Rovers. He tells them he's booked Majorca for Christmas, but Val doesn't know yet. He's jealous of their expensive car. Marj plays up to Ray when alone with him. Len admits he's burnt out. Emily tells him she has just the cure for his problem and leads him away. He's taken in by her supposed concern for him.
Part Two: Stirring things up, Ray suggests to an amused Elsie and Maggie that they volunteer as Abanazer's handmaidens. Rehearsing his new role, Len is taken aback when they appear on stage next to him, and even more so when Reggie brings on Marj as a third slave girl. Elsie and Maggie are not pleased. Val invites Albert for his Christmas dinner. Ena objects to Annie's suggestions for her special song. Reggie visits Ken and asks him to be a marshall for the children at the panto. He turns him down, saying he'll be away and shocking Val by suddenly announcing the holiday. The rehearsals continue as the curtains part to reveal Stan half-undressed in his Window Twanky costume.
Cast[]
Regular cast[]
- Jack Walker - Arthur Leslie
- Annie Walker - Doris Speed
- Lucille Hewitt - Jennifer Moss
- Miss Nugent - Eileen Derbyshire
- Valerie Barlow - Anne Reid
- Kenneth Barlow - William Roache
- Hilda Ogden - Jean Alexander
- Maggie Clegg - Irene Sutcliffe
- Gordon Clegg - Bill Kenwright
- Ray Langton - Neville Buswell
- Len Fairclough - Peter Adamson
- Elsie Tanner - Patricia Phoenix
- Dickie Fleming - Nigel Humphreys
- Stan Ogden - Bernard Youens
- Albert Tatlock - Jack Howarth
- Audrey Fleming - Gillian McCann
- Ena Sharples - Violet Carson
- Minnie Caldwell - Margot Bryant
Guest cast[]
- Marjorie Griffin - Marjie Lawrence
- Martin Hepworth - Basil Moss
- Josephine Hepworth - Philippa Gail
- Reverend James - Eric Dodson
- Alf Chadwick - Eddie King
Places[]
- Coronation Street
- Rovers Return Inn - Public
- 9 Coronation Street - Back room/kitchen and hallway
- 4 Coronation Street - Living room and hallway
- Corner Shop
- Fairclough and Booth - Yard and office
- St. Mary's Church - Church hall
Notes[]
- Eric Dodson appears to fluff his lines and glances at the floor manager, but Eileen Derbyshire covers for him, allowing the scene to continue.
- Beatrice Neild, who appeared intermittently as Mrs Toft between March 1969 and May 1974, appears as an extra in the corner shop.
- The two scenes on the Grape Street set were on film.
- TV Times synopsis: Miss Nugent prepares a song and dance, while Len faces the music
- Viewing Figures: First UK broadcast - 7,800,000 homes (3rd place).
| December 1968 episodes |
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