At Home on Coronation Street

Corrie is the longest running television drama in the world. It has been in production for forty years and it is still the most popular television program in the UK. It is woven deep into the fabric of British life.

Four nights a week, about eighteen million people sit themselves down and catch up on what's been happening in the lives of the residents of a small, run-down, lower class street in a fictional suburb of the northern industrial city of Manchester, England, the same way their parents and grandparents did. Why?

The British poet laureate Sir John Betjeman (lifetime chairman of the British League for Hilda Ogden) once remarked that Coronation Street was a modern version of Dicken's Pickwick Papers. The action is character driven and because the main characters are built around the actors strengths and given time to develop, they are complex with rich histories. At it's best, the show is gritty, realistic, whimsical, touching and hilarious all at the same time. Even when it's just muddling along, there is always something that is compelling. It is very addictive. Many of us feel the same way that Sir John did, writing in 1974: "I think it's brilliantly written and faultlessly acted. I get very concerned about the characters... The call of the music before Coronation Street is to me like a call to prayer for a Muslim."

The mere mention of the names "Annie Walker", "Hilda Ogden" or "Raquel Watts" will conjure up a happy flood of warm memories for many an English person. And even for those viewers in other countries, like myself, it's the place where we most feel at home. Even if we don't know what a "ginnel" is.

CORONATION STREET ON THE INTERNET

And then along came the internet. There is a wealth of resources for fans of the show. There is so much that it can sometimes be confusing. Even if you've never seen Coronation Street, you can now follow it on the web at csvu.net, a site featuring visual updates of every episode posted the day after they are aired. If you are a long-time fan, there are discussion groups, updates, character and actor profiles, games, puzzles etc. etc. Start with corrie.net and go from there.

If it's OK with you, I'd like to be your be your companion as we explore the world of Coronation Street on the net. Hopefully we'll be able to deepen your appreciation of the show and at the same time, have alot of fun. After all, it's only a TV show. It's the best TV show in the world, but it is only a TV show.

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