The Rovers Return Inn is a fictional public house on the long running British television soap, Coronation Street. British television broadcasting started in 1936 and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media through which there are up to 600 channels A soap opera is an ongoing episodic work of Fiction, usually broadcast on Television or Radio. Coronation Street (commonly known as 'Corrie' is an award-winning Soap opera created by Tony Warren
The Rovers Return occupies the corner of Coronation Street and Rosamund Street. Since the first episode it has been the prinicipal setting in the show and many of its most memorable moments have occurred there. It was originally owned by the equally-fictional brewery Newton and Ridley, but has been a "free house" since 1996, though the brewery continues to supply the pub. Newton and Ridley is a fictional British Brewery. It is based in Manchester at the Stag Brewery (a Stag's head is the firm's logo and owns several The Rovers Return has since been emulated by EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks who created the Queen Vic, the Woolpack and The Dog in the Pond respectively. EastEnders is a most popular and award-winning Television Soap opera, first broadcast in the United Kingdom on BBC1 on 19 February 1985 Emmerdale, known as Emmerdale Farm until 1989 is a British Soap opera that has aired on ITV since 1972 Hollyoaks is a British television Soap opera which was first broadcast on 23 October 1995 on Channel 4. For the Queen see Victoria of the United Kingdom. Queen Vic is also the nickname of the Queen Victoria Market. The Woolpack is a Fictional Public house on the popular ITV Soap opera Emmerdale. The soap pub is thus seen as one of the clichés of British television.
History of the pub
The Rover's Return (with an apostrophe) was opened in 1902, on the newly built Coronation St (1902 being Coronation year for Edward VII, hence its name). It was originally to be called The Coronation, but the brewery was forced to change its name when the go-ahead had already been given for the street to be named Coronation Street. [1] When Lieutenant Philip Ridley returned from active service in the Boer War, the pub was named in his honour. Lieutenant (abbreviated Lt or Lieut) is a Military, Naval, Paramilitary, Fire service, Emergency medical services See also First Boer War,, South African Wars (1879-1915 The Second Boer War ( Dutch: Tweede Boerenoorlog, Afrikaans: [1] In 1918, to celebrate the return of the soldiers from World War I, the apostrophe was removed, thus making it The Rovers Return (plural+verb). World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All [1] When Coronation Street began in 1960, the signage of the pub read "The Rovers Return" but at some point was changed to read "Rovers Return Inn", without a "The".
Originally, the bar was divided into three separate bars; the public, the snug (usually inhabited by unaccompanied ladies) and the select (where drinks were more expensive but were served by a waiter). [2] As late as 1960, the ruling in the pub was that ladies were not allowed to remain at the bar after being served. These archaic rules were dropped in the early 1960s. When the fire gutted the pub in 1986, the three bars were knocked into one large modern bar. [3] A mock-up of the Snug bar was a feature of the Granada Studios Tour. Granada Studios Tour was an entertainment complex in Castlefield, Manchester, England operating from 1988 to 1999
In early 2008, the Rovers Return was re-vamped to bring it into the 21st century, including new wallpaper. A smoking shelter has also been built, which can be accessed by a new door in the main pub area.
Licensees
Jim Corbishley (1902-1919)
Salford grocer Jim Corbishley sold his shop for £40 to take over the newly-built pub in 1902, which he managed along with wife Nellie and son Charlie until 1919. He and Nellie retired after the passing of Charlie, who was fatally injured at the Battle of the Somme. The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, fought from July to November 1916 was among the largest battles of the First World War
George Diggins (1919-1937)
In July 1919, George Diggins took over the Rovers Return. He and his wife Mary had no children, but a dog that slept in a beer barrel basket under the counter. His wife Mary ensured for the first time that women could be served in the Public as well as the Snug. They later retired to Southport.
Jack and Annie Walker (1937-1983)
(Arthur Leslie and Doris Speed) Jack and Annie moved into the Rovers on 4 February 1937. Arthur Leslie (1901 – 30 June 1970) was a British Actor whose greatest claim to fame was his role of pub landlord Jack Walker in Doris Speed OBE ( 3 February 1899 - 16 November 1994) was a British actress best known for her role as snooty Rovers During World War II Jack was away from the pub for some time on army duty, leaving Annie to run things by herself. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces.
The pair were considered very different. Jack, a broad, northern speaking man (the phrase "Eeee Annie" heard on many occasion), was no different from his customers, whilst Annie was a snobbish, "well spoken" lady. Northern English is a group of dialects of the English language. Despite this, the pair were inseparable until Jack's untimely death in 1970 whilst on holiday. (This was due to the sudden death of Arthur Leslie offscreen).
Considered by many to be the best landlady of them all, Annie Walker held the reins at the Rovers for 46 years. Her sometimes vicious snobbishness often alienated her from her customers and she ran the pub with class and stood no nonsense. [4] Behind her mask of a hard landlady, Annie was a very vulnerable person. In 1975 she was held up in her bedroom by two young thieves. After refusing to reveal where she kept her money, they fled, receiving a beating in the yard courtesy of Ray Langton and Len Fairclough. Raymond Anthony "Ray" Langton is a major character in the British television Soap opera Coronation Street. Len Fairclough, is a Fictional character in the British television Soap opera Coronation Street. Though calm throughout, this ordeal caused Annie to collapse later. The brewery had heard rumours that she was becoming an absentee landlady, something which she had always feared. [5] She did not like to feel detached from her duties and was always free to speak to customers and develop friendships with the staff, in particular Bet Lynch and Betty Turpin. Elizabeth Theresa "Bet" Lynch (previously Gilroy) is a Fictional character on the Soap opera Coronation Street. Elizabeth "Betty" Williams (née Preston, previously Turpin) played by former music hall star Betty Driver, is one of the longest-standing
She continued her tenancy until 1983, before passing the baton to her son Billy.
Billy Walker (1983-1984)
Wayward son of Annie, Billy Walker first appeared in Coronation Street in January 1961, but took over at the Rovers in 1983 after his mother retired as landlady. Ken Farrington (born April 18, 1936) (sometimes credited as Kenneth Farrington) is an English Actor. It didn't last long however, and he left for good in 1984 after a series of run ins with police due to the lock-ins held after hours.
Bet and Alec Gilroy (1985-1995)
(Julie Goodyear and Roy Barraclough)
Arguably the most famous barmaid on Coronation Street, Bet Lynch was in charge of the Rovers for a little over ten years. Julie Goodyear, MBE (born Julie Kemp 29 March 1942) is an iconic English Television actress and personality Roy Barraclough MBE is a Comic Actor. He is best known for his role as the shifty lugubrious landlord of the Rovers Return, Alec Gilroy The brewery, Newton and Ridley, unhappy with the way the pub was being run into the ground by Billy Walker's wayward behaviour, made him an offer he couldn't refuse for the licence. The post of manager was advertised, and Bet applied, despite the fact that she thought she had little chance as the brewery normally favoured married couples. She was astounded, however, to be told by Dame Sarah Ridley that the 'regulars' at the pub had signed a petition insisting she be given the job. She became the brewery's first single manageress and the first ever manageress of the Rovers. She was almost immediately put under threat as the Rovers caught fire in 1986. She was saved by a combination of Kevin Webster and the fire brigade. Kevin John Webster, played by Michael Le Vell, is a long running character in the British television Soap opera Coronation Street A fire station (also called stationhouse) is a structure or other area set aside for storage of firefighting apparatus (i She maintained an intriguing love/hate friendship with Alec Gilroy, who ran the bar next door to the Rovers, The Graffiti Club. Bet, however, was never the best businesswoman and soon got into debt. Unable to cope, she fled to Spain, and Alec bought the licence of the Rovers. Tracking her down to Spain, Alec proposed - that way, he argued, she could have the Rovers back. She agreed, reasoning to herself that Alec Gilroy was the only man who tried to charm her without pretending to love her. This list contains former cast members of the ITV Soap opera Coronation Street, beginning with the most recently departed They were married a year later on 9 September.
Bet had given birth to a son, Martin, when aged 16 in 1956. She gave him up for adoption. Adoption is the act of legally placing a child with a Parent or parents other than those to whom they were born In 1975, as a successful soldier based in Northern Ireland, he tracked down his mother "Elizabeth". Disgusted by Bet's common and lewd behaviour with the 'regulars', he stormed out of the pub without even telling her who he was. When a soldier friend of his visited Bet to give her the tragic news that he had been killed in a car crash, Bet was heartbroken - "The only decent thing a fellar ever gave me. . . and now even that's been taken away from me. "
Contemplating suicide, she was talked out of it by Eddie Yates, whose kindness and willingness to listen made her realise that life was still worth living.
Alec had baggage of his own, a daughter, Sandra. Once again, ironically, Sandra and her husband met the same fate as Martin in 1991, leaving their 15-year-old daughter Vicky distraught and orphaned. Vicky moved in with her grandfather at the Rovers, before leaving after a disastrous relationship with bad-boy Steve McDonald. Steven James "Steve" McDonald, played by Simon Gregson, is a Fictional character on the British Soap opera Coronation Street
Eventually, Bet and Alec parted ways. Alec left for a dream job in Southampton, and Bet ran the pub herself until 1995 when Newton & Ridley decided to sell the Rovers as they were selling off their smaller pubs to focus on their larger, more profitable pubs. Southampton ( IPA /ˌsaʊθˈhæmptən/ is the largest city in the county of Hampshire, on the south coast of England Bet unfortunately could not come up with the money to purchase the pub, and thus would probably lose her job and livelihood under new ownership. She asked her long-time friend Rita Sullivan to become business partners however she refused and this led to a blazing row between the two. Rita Sullivan (née Littlewood, previously Fairclough and Bates) is a long running character on Coronation Street. Name-calling and dredged up memories were flung between the two, and the fight ended their friendship permanently. Bet then turned to Vicky, who was now married to Steve McDonald. She was also unwilling to invest, gand her offer to buy a house for Bet to rent out just infuriated her. She threw Vicky out of the Rovers and, in a rage, threw everyone out of the Rovers in the middle of a busy afternoon session. Bet, now with no friends and soon to have no pub, promptly packed her bags and called herself a taxi. After a last look an Annie's photo, Bet climbed into the taxi and, after one last look at the pub where she had lived and worked for decades, left the Street.
Jack and Vera Duckworth (1995-1998)
(Elizabeth Dawn and William Tarmey)
Newton & Ridley put the Rovers up for sale. Elizabeth Dawn MBE (better known as Liz Dawn, born Sylvia Butterfield on November 8, 1939 in Leeds, England is an Bill Tarmey (born William Cleworth-Piddington on April 4, 1941 in Ardwick, Manchester) is an English actor and singer best Possible owners were the Duckworths, and Jim & Liz McDonald. Liz had run the Queens Pub in 1993 for the company. Though they had lived through financial hardship for much of their lives, Jack came into a large inheritance gained from the death of Jack's brother Cliff and sister-in-law Elsie in a car crash. Combined with the money made from selling No. 9, Jack and Vera had the cash ahead of the McDonalds and were allowed to buy the pub. As Jack had a criminal record, Vera was made the licensee. For Vera, who always had elevated ideas of her own status, she had finally made something of her life.
Her happiness was short-lived when in 1997 they discovered they owed £17,000 in taxes and were forced to take on Alec Gilroy, who had returned from Southampton, as a business partner who allowed them to continue living in the Rovers and stay on as members of staff. When Natalie Horrocks took over the pub a year later, she evicted the Duckworths and they ended up running a friend's B&B instead. Natalie Felicity Barnes (née Brownlow; previously Horrocks) is a Fictional character in the British Soap opera Coronation Bed and breakfast, also known as B&B, is a term originating in the United Kingdom, but now also used all over the world for an establishment that offers accommodation
Natalie Barnes (1998-2000)
Natalie raised her own standards by her purchase of the Rovers. Jacqueline Denise Welch (born 22 May 1958) is an English Television presenter and actress. Known for interfering in the Webster's marriage, she was one of the street's typical sirens.
Her reign was also short lived. A month after their marriage, husband Des Barnes was murdered by thugs in search of Natalie's son. Desmond Francis "Des" Barnes is a Fictional character on British ITV Soap opera Coronation Street played by actor She fell unexpectedly pregnant and left both the pub and Weatherfield in search of a new life.
Fred Elliott, Mike Baldwin and Duggie Ferguson (2001-2006)
(John Savident, Johnny Briggs and John Bowe)
Natalie put the pub up for sale when she left. John Savident (born January 21, 1938, Guernsey, Channel Islands) is a British Actor, best known for playing the part Johnny Briggs, MBE (born 5 September 1935 in Battersea, London) is an English Actor. John Bowe (born 1 February 1950 in Cheshire, England) is an actor best known for his performances on television However, the interested party was a pub chain called Boozy Newt. Fearing that they were about to lose part of their local heritage, the above consortium of businessmen put together the £75,000 needed to buy the pub.
Duggie was the only one with previous experience as a landlord, and was left doing the lion's share of the day to day running, the other two simply reaping the profits. He devised a plan that resulted in Fred and Mike selling their share to Hamilton Griffiths Holdings, only for Duggie to reveal that he was the man behind this company. He now took full control of the Rovers.
Duggie Ferguson
(John Bowe)
Duggie's time in charge was short-lived however, deciding to buy Weatherfield Rugby League and Social Club, Duggie being a former Rugby League player. Weatherfield is a fictional area of Greater Manchester which serves as the setting for the British ITV Soap opera Coronation Street History See also History of rugby league The grass roots of rugby league can be traced to early football history, through the playing of ball games The resulting auction caused a massive bidding war between barmaids such as Geena Gregory and Shelley Unwin. Shelley Victoria Unwin is a Fictional character who appeared in ITV 's British Soap opera Coronation Street. However, Fred Elliot came back and stumped them all with his bid, acting on the wishes of his new wife, Eve Elliot.
Eve and Fred Elliott
(Melanie Kilburn and John Savident)
As a couple, their time in charge was short, with Fred discovering that Eve had in fact committed bigamy by marrying him. Melanie Kilburn (born Sarah Melanie Jean Kilburn on 16 March 1956) is an English actress well known for playing PC Laura Bryant in ITV 's The term polygamy (a Greek word meaning "the practice of multiple marriage" is used in related ways in Social anthropology, Sociobiology, and Eve left Fred for her husband Ray Sykes, but had no legal claim to the Rovers as all documents called her Eve Elliot, which was not her name, given that the marriage had never occurred. Fred thus became the sole licencee.
Fred Elliott
(John Savident)
The local butcher, Fred was never really interested in running a pub, although he would frequently help out. A butcher is someone who prepares various Meats and other related goods for sale Thus Shelly Unwin became the first manageress of the Rovers since Bet in 1985. However, following a nervous breakdown, Shelly became agoraphobic. Agoraphobia is an Anxiety disorder, often precipitated by the fear of having a Panic attack in a setting from which there is no easy means of escape Her inablitity to leave her bedroom seriously compromised her ability to the run the pub although she eventually recovered, returning it to relative stability. In September 2006, Fred planned to move away with his soon-to-be wife Bev Unwin and agreed to sell the pub to Steve and Liz McDonald. Beverley "Bev" Unwin is a Fictional character in the long-running British Soap opera Coronation Street played by Susie Elizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald (née Greenwood, previously Tomlin) is a Fictional character on the ITV1 Soap opera However Fred died shortly after agreeing to the sale, and nothing had been finalised on paper and the pub now legally belonged to Fred's son Ashley. Ashley Sibelius Peacock is a Fictional character from the British ITV Soap opera Coronation Street. Liz began to worry that the pub was slipping out of her hands again, and was relieved when Ashley, who did not have the time or the interest for running the Rovers, honoured the conditions of the sale, allowing Liz to fulfill a long-time dream of running the Rovers Return.
Liz McDonald (2006- )
(Beverley Callard)
For years, Liz had worked at the pub on and off. She dreamed of buying it at one point with her then-husband, Jim. Her dream finally came through when Landlord Fred Elliott put the pub up for sale. After her son, Steve, looked through the books and paid the money, Liz became the landlady. She also owns part of the Rovers.
Current employees
- Landlady: Liz McDonald
- Landlord: Steve McDonald
- Barmaids: Betty Williams, Michelle Connor, Leanne Battersby
- Bartenders: Sean Tully
- Potman: Vernon Tomlin
Current residents
- Liz McDonald
- Steve McDonald
- Amy Barlow
- Vernon Tomlin
- Michelle Connor
- Ryan Connor
Incidents
Martha's death, 1964
Episode 357, transmitted: 13 May 1964
In 1964, the producership of Coronation Street was handed to young, enthusiastic Tim Aspinall. Elizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald (née Greenwood, previously Tomlin) is a Fictional character on the ITV1 Soap opera Steven James "Steve" McDonald, played by Simon Gregson, is a Fictional character on the British Soap opera Coronation Street Elizabeth "Betty" Williams (née Preston, previously Turpin) played by former music hall star Betty Driver, is one of the longest-standing Michelle Sinead Connor (played by Kym Marsh) is a Fictional character from the British ITV1 Soap opera Coronation Street Leanne Anika Battersby (previously Tilsley) is a Fictional character on the Soap opera Coronation Street. Sean Tully is a Fictional character in the British ITV Soap opera Coronation Street portrayed by Anthony Cotton since Vernon Tomlin is a Fictional character of the ITV1 Soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Ian Reddington. Elizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald (née Greenwood, previously Tomlin) is a Fictional character on the ITV1 Soap opera Vernon Tomlin is a Fictional character of the ITV1 Soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Ian Reddington. Michelle Sinead Connor (played by Kym Marsh) is a Fictional character from the British ITV1 Soap opera Coronation Street Events 1497 - Pope Alexander VI excommunicates Girolamo Savonarola. Year 1964 ( MCMLXIV) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the 1964 Gregorian calendar. He immediately began to ring changes. Since it had been fully networked across the various ITV regions in 1961, Coronation Street had never been out of the top ten ratings of the week (incredibly, that continues to this day, 47 years on). However, competition came from the BBC (there were only two channels in those days, BBC Television and ITV - BBC 2 was to follow later that year). The BBC placed their most popular comedy series such as Steptoe and Son opposite the programme. Steptoe and Son is a British sitcom written by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson about two rag and bone men living in Oil Drum Lane a fictional street In those pre-video recorder days, viewers were forced to chose what to watch, and, as a consequence, Coronation Street began to lose the ratings war. It was decided, by Aspinall, that several 'blockbuster' storylines would have to be staged, the most radical being the death of Martha Longhurst.
Despite being a nosy old gossip and, in the Mancunian dialect of the show was ". . . no better than she should be. . . . ", Martha was a highly popular character; thus she was chosen to be killed off in a highly cynical bid to boost the ratings.
On the night of her death, the residents were gathered in the Rovers, singing songs and celebrating Frank Barlow's £5000 win on the Premium Bonds. A Premium Bond is a lottery bond issued by the United Kingdom government's National Savings and Investments scheme Martha, on her way to Spain the next day, had been showing off her new passport, of which she was very proud. She began to feel faint and retreated to the Snug, away from the singing punters, all in tune with Ena Sharples on piano.
Feeling flushed she undid her top button, pushed off her beret, clutched her chest and collapsed onto the table. The regulars, with the impression she was drunk came to see what was going on. Upon inspection Len Fairclough pronounced her dead. She had suffered a fatal heart attack at the table she had frequented for years. The punters left, leaving only the Walkers, lifelong friend Ena and the late Martha Longhurst.
Violet Carson, a highly accomplished pianist (she had played the piano on the BBC's long-running Children's Hour) kept her back to the camera as she played the song "Down At The Old Bull and Bush" as she was so upset by the storyline and didn't want the camera to see her tears. Violet Carson OBE ( 1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress. See also The Children's Hour (disambiguations Children's Hour &mdashat first " The Children's Hour" from a verse by Longfellow The Old Bull and Bush is a Grade II listed Public house near Hampstead Heath in London which gave its name to the Music hall
That night saw the credits roll in silence for the very first time (something that would later become the norm whenever a character was 'killed off'), with the rooftop scene replaced by a close of the snug table which contained a sherry glass, a passport and Martha's famous NHS spectacles.
Since that day, the Street has changed and producers have since emulated Aspinall's ruthlessness, fully aware of the valuable publicity and ratings increase such events could create.
Lorry crash, 1979
Episode 1893, transmitted: 7 March 1979
Deirdre Langton wheeled her young daughter Tracy down to the Rovers in her pram. Events 161 - Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius dies and is succeeded by co-Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) Deirdre Anne Barlow (née Hunt, previously Langton and Rachid) is a long-running Fictional character on the British Soap opera She was to see Annie Walker with regards to a knitting pattern. Anne 'Annie' Walker (née Beaumont) played by Doris Speed, is one of the original Coronation Street characters when the show began in 1960 Knowing Annie's strict rules concerning children on licensed premises, Tracy was left outside in her push chair.
No more than two minutes had passed as Deirdre and Annie spoke in the back room. Suddenly, their conversation was halted by screeching of breaks followed by a terrible crash, which shook the pub. Annie froze but Deirdre rushed through the pub and outside where she had left Tracy. In that very spot was a 6 foot pile of timber. Accompanying the pile was a lorry, turned on its side and smoking from the crash. Deirdre hysterically pulled away at the wood screaming for Tracy. Inside the pub, Alf Roberts had been sitting with friend, Len Fairclough in front of the window. Alf lay unconscious as Len, whose own arm was broken, desperately tried to help him.
Ken Barlow, having rushed across from the community centre, took control. Having realised the driver was dead, he began to help the distraught Deirdre who was still frantically clawing at the timber. Once the police had taken charge, and Deirdre had been taken away to be comforted by Emily Bishop and Ena Sharples, the timber was eventually cleared from the shattered pub.
The story was concluded when Tracy was found not to be under the timber, but had been snatched away moments before the pub was hit. The snatcher was a crazed young woman called Sally who had become obsessed with Tracy. Mother and daughter were re-united later by the canal as Tracy was rushed to the arms of Deirdre. For Alf Roberts, the scars remained and he underwent a personality change months after he returned from hospital.
The fire, 1986
Episode 2631, Transmitted: 18 June 1986
During a sing-a-long night, when the guests stood around the piano, the lights in the pub had been flickering and cutting out all night. Events 618 - Coronation of the Chinese governor Li Yuan as Emperor Gaozu of Tang, the new Emperor of China, initiating three centuries Year 1986 ( MCMLXXXVI) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar) Much to the frustration of Bet and the rest of the punters. Jack Duckworth, potman at the time, decided to fix the problem. John Harold "Jack" Duckworth, played by William Tarmey, is one of the longest running characters on the British television Soap opera Upon return, he was graciously thanked for solving the problem. However, he had replaced the fuse with a far stronger one, leaving the problem of a potential explosion. . . . Bet retired to bed that night, having locked up. In the middle of the night, the inevitable happened, and the fuse caught fire.
Young couple Kevin and Sally were returning from a rock concert in the early hours. Kevin John Webster, played by Michael Le Vell, is a long running character in the British television Soap opera Coronation Street Sally Webster (née Seddon) played by Sally Whittaker, is a Fictional character in the British television Soap opera Coronation Street Noticing the smoke billowing out from under the Rovers door, Sally alerted Kevin. The street came alive as residents Percy Sugden and Terry Duckworth offered a helping hand. Kevin acquired a ladder with the help of Percy and was able to reach the bedroom window.
Inside, Bet had found her exit down the stairs blocked by flames that leapt up at her from the hallway. She let out a gut wrenching scream and crawled back into the bedroom, vomiting up the smoke that had congealed in her stomach. (Actress Julie Goodyear says that her night dress caught fire during filming the scene, and she was in genuine danger - "I can assure you, the scream at the top of the stairs is a genuine one. ") She collapsed, overcome from the smoke.
Kevin had smashed his way through the window with a brick. Shouting to the rest of the residents that he could see her, he climbed in. Down below the front windows of the Rovers blew out into the street, sending shocked residents running. As Kevin dragged Bet to the window, the Fire Brigade arrived to take over. Fire Brigade redirects here For the general term please see Firefighter.
Bet was saved as heroic Kevin was led home, refusing to be taken to hospital. Vera Duckworth had sarcastically suggested that the cause had been Bet smoking in bed, though Jack knew who was to blame. As Bet was led away in the ambulance she joked "Can you give me a minute, love, give me time to put my face on. . . ?"
Breaking with convention, the episode ended not with Bet fighting for her life, which would have been the usual soap opera cliché, but the pub itself, which Newton and Ridley thought was not worth saving and intended to demolish.
Once the Rovers was Renovationed and refurbished, Bet pinned an electrician's number up on the board telling Jack to call upon the services of a professional, as they had the Rovers back, and she intended on keeping it.
Ray Langton's death, 2005
In 2005, Ray Langton returned to Coronation Street, where he died. Raymond Anthony "Ray" Langton is a major character in the British television Soap opera Coronation Street. His death was the second death in the history of Coronation Street to take place inside the Rovers.
Dylan's Birth, February 2008
In February 2008, barmaid Violet Wilson gave birth in the pub to Dylan who was fathered by gay barman Sean Tully. Violet Baldwin Nee Wilson is a Fictional character in the British Soap opera Coronation Street. In the English language, gay is an Adjective that in modern usage refers to Homosexuality. Sean Tully is a Fictional character in the British ITV Soap opera Coronation Street portrayed by Anthony Cotton since Landlady Liz McDonald, Eileen Grimshaw and Vernon Tomlin were present at the birth. Elizabeth "Liz" Jayne McDonald (née Greenwood, previously Tomlin) is a Fictional character on the ITV1 Soap opera Eileen Grimshaw is a Fictional character in the British ITV Soap opera Coronation Street. Vernon Tomlin is a Fictional character of the ITV1 Soap opera Coronation Street, portrayed by Ian Reddington. Sean's boyfriend, Marcus Dent delivered the baby.
The Cellar, 2008
Episode 6834, Transmitted: 6 June 2008 In June 2008, Steve McDonald and Dan Mason became engaged in a petty feud. Events 1508 - Maximilian I Holy Roman Emperor, is defeated in Friulia by Venetian forces; he is forced to sign a three-year 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Daniel James "Dan" Mason is a Fictional character on British ITV soap opera Coronation Street, played by actor Matthew Crompton Steve believed that Dan scratched his car which resulted in Steve stealing Dan's mobile phone. At closing time, Dan went to the pub to confront Steve. He ended up hitting Steve by accident to which he hit Dan back with a crate Steve threw the mobile down the cellar stairs. Dan went down to get it and Steve closed the door locking Dan in. The pain from the crate was unbearable for Dan so much that he keeled over in agony on the stairs. Steve, however had left and never heard his shouting for help. The next day, Michelle Connor found Dan and he was rushed to hospital. Michelle Sinead Connor (played by Kym Marsh) is a Fictional character from the British ITV1 Soap opera Coronation Street Steve was arrested for attempted murder and unlawful imprisonment.
References
- Little, Daran. Life and Times at the Rovers Return, Boxtree, 1993. (ISBN 3-5791-0864-2)
External links
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