Day Tripper 2

For 53 years the iconic television soap was filmed at the same studios in Manchester.  My parents watched Coronation Street in black and white when it first hit the screen.  The signature tune also became bedtime at the end of the programme. I remember those first characters and have grown up with Ken, Dennis, Elsie, Deidre, Bet, Betty and all the others.

I feel privileged to have toured the set where Gail, Sally, Steve, Kevin etc will have gone to daily as their workplace.  I saw the dressing rooms of Beverley Callard, Sally Dyvenor, Jack P Shepherd and current cast members; stood in the wardrobe area and makeup area; and feasted my eyes in amazement at the scene sets.

 

Even the barge where Ken had his fling was open sided for all to see.  Everything looked so much smaller than on screen and we were told of camera trickery.

I pulled the pumps in the Rovers Return and saw the Bafta and other trophies won by the longest
television 'soap' of all time.  Deidre's glasses, Uncle Albert's bowler and Ena Sharples hairnet were among memorabilia cases.  Hayley's and Fred Elliot's coffin lay on a podium surrounded by RIP plaques of other characters who had died out of the series.  Becky, Dev's and Rita's wedding attire cheered us and seeing Roy's train set fascinated us.

Stepping out onto the cobbles to the well known music of the signature tune was surreal.  Cameras and phones clicked away as visitors posed outside the Kabin, Jack and Vera's cladded house frontage and all the other familiar places in both Coronation Street and Rosamund Street.  The exterior of the Rovers Return was quite a distance from its interior setting and we were informed of the number of hours and crew needed to film one scene.

I walked the 'ginnel' and felt the cobbles beneath my feet.  Wow what a mood booster trip.  I'm sure I will watch 'Corrie' more avidly now knowing one or two 'inside' stories and things to watch out for.

And a GOLD STAR to Marks and Spencer, Chester and Manchester, for providing a healthy and yummy alternative to sandwiches for lunch.  King Prawns with a thousand island dressing dip in a little plastic container, followed by a fresh fruit mix pot.  Very enjoyable and refreshing.