Coronation Street Live (2010 episode)

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Episode 7487
Coronation Street episode
Episode no.Episode 7487
Directed byTony Prescott
Written byJan McVerry
Produced byPhil Collinson
Original air date9 December 2010 (2010-12-09)
Running time60 minutes (including adverts)
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Coronation Street Live is a

Granada Studios complex in Manchester
.

To celebrate the show's 50th anniversary, episodes were broadcast every day during the week 6–10 December 2010 under the advertisement banner "Four Funerals and a Wedding". An episode broadcast the preceding Monday showed a gas explosion in local bar The Joinery, causing a

Jack
.

The episode attracted an average of 14 million viewers, peaking at 14.9 million, the show's highest audience for seven years.[1] Critical reception was mainly positive. According to Daniel Kilkelly of the Digital Spy website, the opening of the episode featured the first computer-generated imagery in live television.[dubious – discuss] Jennie McAlpine (who plays Fiz Stape) also became the first actress ever to act out a birth live on a soap opera.

Plot summary

The special anniversary was marked with a storyline in which the residents had to deal with a tragic accident and its aftermath. In the storyline,

Colin Fishwick (David Crellin
), Charlotte's supposed partner, attempting to turn off her life support. Peter marries Leanne in an emergency hospital ceremony shortly before going into cardiac arrest, although he later rallies and makes a slow recovery.

Production

Origins

Early episodes of Coronation Street were broadcast live. A

first episode, said that ITV would not be airing another live edition of Coronation Street, saying, "We're not going to do a live episode, we did that in the Millennium year [the show's 40th anniversary], we don't want to do that again."[2] Reflecting upon the 2000 episode in November 2010, Roache said that he was glad when it was over and that "they won't do that again". He joked, "anyone who said that they enjoyed the live episode are either not telling the truth or they're masochists."[3] However, on 29 August, actor Keith Duffy said that Coronation Street would air a live episode to celebrate its 50th anniversary,[4] something which was confirmed on 1 September by ITV.[5] It was later confirmed that the episode would be aired as part of a week-long celebration of the soap's 50th birthday. Phil Collinson
, who had only recently taken over as producer, explained:

I thought we wouldn't go live, but quickly realised we should. I think we can deliver the most spectacular piece of live television people have ever seen. Coronation Street has such a heritage – the first episodes were filmed that way, and we did it ten years ago. My ambition is for the episode to be like a disaster movie with stunts. It'll be action-packed. I want people to sit at home and think, 'There's no way they did that live, not in a million years!'[6]

The anniversary was celebrated with a storyline involving an explosion in The Joinery, causing a tram to crash from the viaduct into the Kabin and Corner Shop. According to producer Phil Collinson, the storyline was a sign that TV shows now have to strive harder to make an impact. "Television has changed. Programmes like Coronation Street have to stand up against massive pieces of

The X Factor. So we had to do something extraordinary. When drama pushes the boat out, it has to push it out really far. I think the days are over when television drama can sit back and leave it to your imagination. We have to compete against those great big juggernauts."[7]
The tram crashed during an episode broadcast on Monday 6 December, with episodes later that week, including the live episode, depicting the rescues and aftermath.

Filming

The Coronation Street exterior set surrounded by the Granada Studios complex and Manchester city centre (photographed in Oct 2007).

The live show involved 65 actors and a 300-strong crew.

The Mill, the post-production company that had worked on the tram crash. Collinson had worked with The Mill during his tenure as producer of Doctor Who
.

The episode was directed by Tony Prescott, who had directed the 40th anniversary live episode in December 2000. Prescott also directed the two episodes surrounding this live episode to gain continuity.[9]

The live episode provided some challenges for dressing the set. The other episodes during the 50th anniversary week, including the tram crash, were filmed in October. As episodes are usually filmed weeks in advance, the tram had to be removed from sight for the filming of the Christmas and New Year episodes and then put back in place over the weekend 4–5 December, in time for rehearsals and transmission.[9] Also, the cast and crew had to deal with extreme cold on the outdoor set during the days of rehearsals and broadcast as the UK was plunged into record levels of cold weather for the time of year.[10]

The producers reportedly banned the actors from drinking alcohol for 24 hours before the transmission to reduce the chances of accidents. Producers also banned the sweepstake that some cast members were running to bet on who would "fluff" their lines first.[11]

The Sun false story

On the day of transmission, tabloid newspaper The Sun claimed that police were "throwing a ring of steel" around the filming. Greater Manchester Police issued a statement saying that they "have categorically not been made aware of any threat from Al-Qaeda or any other proscribed organisation."[12] The statement said that Granada had approached the police to assist a private security firm to help ensure that the "live programme went ahead without outside interference", but "to reiterate there is no specific intelligence threat to Coronation Street or any such event"[12] The Sun published a correction on 28 December. The Guardian pointed out that the apology had been negotiated by the Press Complaints Commission.[13]

Characters and cast

Reception

The hour-long episode averaged 14.03 million viewers (52.1%), peaking at 14.9 million. It was the series' most-watched episode in seven years, and drew an additional 2.04 million viewers (14.1%) when repeated at 10.35 pm. Viewing figures did not surpass those of "EastEnders Live", a live episode of the BBC soap opera EastEnders watched by 16.6 million viewers in February 2010. Following the live broadcast, the second part of a two-part documentary, Coronation Street: 50 Years, 50 Moments, averaged 6.81 million viewers (27.2%).[14]

Live episodes are prone to mishaps and actors fluffing their lines.[15] This episode was commended for how smoothly it seemed to have gone. Critic Mark Lawson commented that "the producers were clever in setting every scene among characters under stress or grief, so any flapping might have been taken as acting."[15] The only mistake the press pointed out was the character Sally Webster being allowed into the wreckage of Dev's shop without a safety helmet.[16]

EastEnders, the Street's biggest rival, supported the anniversary by having its character

Kat Moon complained that she'd "rather watch a lot of dirty laundry going round".[15]

The Live episode along with all the 50th Anniversary episodes and also included special features. which included: • The Making of Anniversary week,• The Filming of the tram crash,• The filming of the Live episode,• Tram Crash News Flash (dramatised ITV News),• Farewell Ashley,• Richard Arnold Blog ' What's Next for the Websters',• Ken Barlow – A Life on the Street,• 50 Years of Corrie Stunts hosted by Craig Charles. were released on DVD by ITV Home Entertainment as a two-disc set on 21 February 2011.[17]

The 50th Live episode was repeated on 11 December 2020 on ITV3; this will also be the first classic episode to be produced and re-transmitted in 1080i High Definition, as part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations of Coronation Street.[18]

Footnotes

  1. ^ Arnold makes an uncredited voiceover as Ashley.

References

  1. ISSN 0261-3077
    . Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  2. ^ Millar, Paul (5 April 2010). "Bill Roache rules out live Corrie special". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  3. ^ Richard Bacon (17 November 2010). "Daily Bacon: Coronation Street". bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pstlg (Podcast). BBC Radio 5Live. Archived from the original on 3 March 2012. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  4. ^ Daniels, Colin (29 August 2010). "Duffy: 'Corrie will go live for 50th'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  5. ^ Love, Ryan (1 September 2010). "'Coronation Street' confirms live episode". Digital Spy. Retrieved 23 December 2010.
  6. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (19 October 2010). "Corrie producer reveals live ep plans". Digital Spy.
  7. ^ a b "Live drama marks Coronation Street's 50th anniversary". BBC News. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  8. ^ Kilkelly, Daniel (9 December 2010). "Phil Collinson (Producer, Corrie)". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  9. ^ a b Coronation Street: The Live. itv.com. 2010. Archived from the original (Flash) on 13 December 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  10. ^ "Climate summaries". Met Office. Archived from the original on 5 April 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2015.
  11. ^ "Coronation Street stars get alcohol ban before tram crash live episode". Metro. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 6 January 2011.
  12. ^ a b "Police dismiss report of Al Qaeda threat to Coronation Street". This is Lancashire. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  13. ^ Greenslade, Roy (29 December 2010). "The Sun admits publishing false story". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  14. ^ Plunkett, John (10 December 2010). "Coronation Street live show draws show's biggest audience for seven years". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  15. ^ a b c Lawson, Mark (10 December 2010). "Coronation Street live episode – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  16. ^ "Coronation Street live: practically perfect apart from Sally slip-up?". STV.tv. 9 December 2010. Retrieved 3 January 2011.
  17. ^ "Coronation Street: Tram Crash [DVD] [2011]". Amazon. 21 February 2011. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
  18. ^ "ITV3 TV listings 7 December 2020 – 11 December 2020". TVGuide.co.uk. 2 December 2020. Retrieved 2 December 2020.

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