The 1995 Cruise apecial

[roverman]

The episodes currently being shown on ITV3 are December 1995. Bet has left, Betty married Billy. Alf got his OBE (eventually).

Timeline wise we’ve just had the cruise (which happened off screen but you could buy on video)

Just as Raquel gets back, both she and Betty hear from Bet who is in the Canaries, and is not coming back.

This made me wonder. This was about 8 weeks after Bet exited the Rovers, was it merely going to be a short term thing with Julie potentially returning to the show, and then when it set that she’d permanently left they did the letters and the sorting out of her belongings.

I like the fact they remembered Emily collects jumble to raise money for the hospital. It’s little side things like this that show attention to details.

[CAEF]

I had a sub to an old newspaper website with British newspapers archives right up to about 10 years ago and found out lots of info on soap stars. Julie Goodyear signed up for another year in September 1994. In early 1995 it was rumoured she was leaving for good, and the rumours were quelled, but then confirmed in May 1995 that she was bowing out.

Pat Phoenix quashed rumours she as leaving in early 1983, and bosses said she was staying put, but then later in the year it was said she had quit.

[Nathan]

I still own the VHS in which it is marketed as Coronation Street - The Feature Length Special.