Fifty Years of Coronation Street

by Tim Randall

Coronation Street first hit British screens at the end of 1960, a groundbreaking show based on real life and using accents that had never been heard on British television before. It was an instant hit, and has remained consistently one of the UK's most popular shows ever since. The joy of Coronation Street is in the quality and humour of its writing, and the wonderful characters that have been created over the years. For the first time, here is a book that not only reminds readers of all the storylines over the last fifty years, but also celebrates these two very special things. The book includes profiles of fifty Coronation Street icons - from Ena Sharples to David Platt - and the author has had unprecedented access in order to include interviews with all of those still with us. There are also hilarious extracts from the script and classic lines remembered. FIFTY YEARS OF CORONATION STREET is the only official book celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Coronation Street. It is the definitive book on five decades of life on the Street and no fan of the show would want to be without it.

Genres: Nonfiction, Tv

288 pages, Paperback

First published October 14, 2010

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifty Years of Coronation Street is a good read & a great way to celebrate Corrie's 50 years & look back on the 5 decades of Corrie :) This book is wonderfully detailed with full character histories of everyone on the show. There are some fabulous behind the scenes photographs and comments from the actors themselves. A wonderful read!

[Peter McGinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another great book about the long-running British soap opera (let's see, shall we guess 50 years when this was published?). I have stated elsewhere that the 40th anniversary book on the show by Daran Little is the one I keep going back to, because it lists characters and events year by year so you can find almost anybody or anything. But that doesn't make this book any less enjoyable. I wouldn't want a retread of that excellent book. Instead, this volume discusses the show by decade, and includes a lot of breakout pages talking about the key characters who play them. And there are sections called "Overheard," where we see snatches from the scripts, which is a nice addition. And there are sections on other miscellaneous topics, such as brawls on the street, spooky happenings, repeating actor who played different roles. And a lot more. Plus of course it travels ten more years into the future than the book I mentioned above.

So while this isn't a book I go back to in order to find or remind myself when someone appeared or when events happen, it is a good read and worth going back to multiple times for that reason. As someone who much prefers the pre-2000 Coronation Street, before the constant murders and bad guys and gals cycling through the street, I am glad to have this history to take me back to the earlier years.

[Simon Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since my mother wasn’t even born when Coronation Street began in 1960, I missed out on the classic characters such as Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner the first time round. Corrie is a British legend, and this book charts its first 50 years.

Split into decades, Fifty Years of Coronation Street chronicles the major plots in time order, interspersed with 1- or 2-page “Icon” profiles for fifty major characters, from Ken Barlow to Tina McIntyre. It’s very well put together with some special features, such as a page of Blanch-isms, and very easy to follow. My only disappointment is that there isn’t more of it – but perhaps that’s just greedy.

It’s a fantastic overview and helps the reader make connections with characters and storylines gone by. It’s a must for any Corrie fan, for educational or nostalgic purposes depending on your age.

[Jaq · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a way to recap on the parts of Corrie I missed, and this book was it. The photos and backgrounds to some of the major characters of the Street were useful and enlightening.

Who knew Patrick Stewart and Martin Shaw had both trodden the Street in their time?

[Pamela Stadden · Rating 4 out of 5]

It provides a good understanding of the current story lines.