Think you know everything there is to know about Coronation Street? Maybe something in this little lot will leave you surprised. From what’s really in those pints at the Rovers to how many eggs Roy fries in a week – here are some amazing facts from the cobbles.
1. Shandy secrets
The ‘beer’ served in the Rovers is weak shandy. And the G&Ts are just fizzy water. Yum.
2. Roy’s real rolls
In 2010 – with the introduction of HD – the food in Roy’s Rolls became real after fake food stuffs were previously used.
3. Masses of make-up
50 boxes of tissues, 20 packs of make-up wipes, ten lipsticks, five powders, six eyeliners, four blushers, six eye-shadows and 15 large cans of hairspray are reportedly used in one month alone to get Liz McDonald ready. Joking – that’s for the whole cast.
4. Roy’s bag
Roy Cropper’s famous shopping bag belonged to actor David Neilson’s late mother who passed away shortly before he began playing everyone’s favourite soap misfit.
5. Plenty of Peter
As many actors have played Peter Barlow as Steve McDonald has had marriages. The current – of course – being the lovely Chris Gascoyne.
6. Dozens of deaths
There have been 178 deaths in Corrie since it began including Maria Connor’s dog Ozzy and Craig Tinker’s rat Darryl.
7. Goodbye Hilda Ogden
Corrie’s most watched episode was back on Christmas Day 1987 when Hilda Ogden left the cobbles. The episode drew in 26.65 million viewers. Wow.
8. Landlords and ladies
The Rovers Return has had 19 different licencees. We won’t run through them all but the most recent are Johnny and Jenny Connor.
9. Egg-cellent eggs
Apparently Roy’s Rolls will fry over 300 eggs a week for its hungry clientele. Even vegan Toyah Battersby has been seen tucking into an omelette in the café.
10. Cobble count
Apparently there are more than 11,000 cobbles on Coronation Street. That’s a lot of balancing to do if you’re wearing Carla Connor’s heels.
11. Filming frenzy
It reportedly takes 66 hours to film five episodes of Coronation Street which are long hours for the cast of Coronation Street and crew. When Kate Oates took over in 2016, she upped the amount of episodes from five to six a week.
12. Record-breaking Barlow
Ken Barlow – who is played by William Roache – is the only member of the original cast still in the show. This accolade has won him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
13. Live lessons
When Corrie first started broadcasting back in 1960 it was filmed live. Since March 1961 though, it’s been pre-recorded. Imagine that intensity six times a week.
14. Special episodes
The soap went back to its roots in 2000, 2010 and 2015 when special live episodes were broadcast to mark Corrie’s 40th, 50th and 55th
15. Creative writing
Corrie was created by Tony Warren. He wrote the first 14 episodes by himself.
16. First words
The first words ever spoken on the soap were: “Now the next thing you’ve got to do is get a sign writer in” which were said by Elsie Lappin as she handed the corner shop over to Florrie Lindley.
17. Corrie complaints
When Ken Barlow said the very unsavoury word ‘bloody’ back in 1961, it generated 83 complaints. In March 2018 Pat Phelan’s double murder generated 541 complaints.
18. Shopping sprees
The Wardrobe Department have to go shopping for the characters’ clothes every single day. What a job!
19. Mega magazine
Gossip magazine Chit Chat is Corrie’s own publication produced by the props department after the show went HD in 2010
20. Worldwide wonder
Corrie is a world wide hit currently being broadcast in more than 40 countries including Canada; Australia; New Zealand; Ireland; Morocco; Taiwan; South Africa; Estonia; Poland.