Coronation Street is often compared to the past; everyone has an era of the show that they enjoyed. It could have been a great story line, or even memories of who they watched the episodes with. For many people the 1970's are seen as the shows heyday. Although many of the characters were set up in the 1960's, the ensemble of residents that are seen through the decade all take on a life of their own and are still remembered today.
Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples, Annie Walker, Ken Barlow and the Ogdens had all made their names during the 1960's. For many they were Coronation Street, it is their lives mixed in with the new Characters that made the show so enjoyable. But as well as the old guard, the show introduced many characters that endured the test of time. Betty Turpin, Bet Lynch and Rita Fairclough had all made appearances in the previous decade but their time on the street was heightened in these 10 years. Bet Lynch introduced fully the concept of sex before marriage. Elsie Tanner had already been accused of playing with the soldiers in the war, but due to changing times, the show introduced many men entering Bet’s life, and leaving her quite shortly after. She becomes one of the first ‘Replacements’, a character that has the same traits as a loved character that has since left. With Elsie Tanner off to live in America, the show needed a new Tart with a heart. Bet would be part of some of the funniest story lines of the time, including one with Free Gee and Betty Turpin that involved a runaway car, a lake and a cow pat.
Betty Turpin is known as one of the sturdiest, honourable and pleasant women on the street. It was sad then that she lost her policeman husband whilst he was on the job. Today, a police officer losing their life on the job would be seen as a social statement, in the days of the early 70's, the story concentrated on Betty losing her beloved Cyril.
Rita Fairclough provided some fire as the sexy older woman for the show. Her unstable background changed when she met and married Len Fairclough. Soon she became staple of the show, running he corner shop with Mavis Riley. The two became one of the most loved double acts. Rita’s knowledge of the world and experience compared to Mavis’s innocent and fairy tale view. Rita remains with the show today, whilst Mavis left in the late 90's.
Jack and Vera Duckworth were the Ogdens of the future. With the ill health of Bernard Youens (Stan Odgen), the physical comedy of the Odgens had to be played down. Jack and Vera were brought in to fill the void. The couple would go on to win the hearts of the nation and remain in the show for over 30 years.
Deidre Hunt showed is what the fun loving northern girls were doing in the 1970's, not bogged down with the need to marry, she set out as a working girl. Her time during the 1970's mainly see her go from Billy Walker to Ray Langton, being engaged to them both but eventually marrying Ray. She would go on to give birth to Tracey Barlow who during the 1970's was a little angel. Her match with Ken Barlow would go on to provide one of the best loved couples and some of the highest regarded stories. Her mother, Blanche, would have an equal effect on the programme but it wouldn’t be until her return in the 90's that this would become the Blanche we loved.
With Deidre showing us what the northern teenagers did in the early 70's, it was down to Gail Potter to show us what the teenage girls did in the late 1970's. Gail was the calm and nicer friend of Suzie Birchall, the two teenage girls took lodging with Elsie Tanner, who would become a mother figure in her real mother’s absence. When Gail got involved with an older man, her world came crashing down as it turned out he was married. Gail would be mentioned in the divorce proceeding but Elsie stuck up for the young girl. Gail also found danger when a stalker made cold calls, she was held in her own flat until Emily Bishop noticed something wrong. She ended the 1970's getting married to Brian Tilsley, the only son of the formidable Ivy. The devoted Christian took the sour and bitter old woman role left vacant by the aging Violet Carson’s Ena Sharples. Gail and Ivy would go head to head throughout the 1980's and early 90's when Ivy turned into the mother-in-law from hell.
Mike Baldwin came into the show as the cocky cockney, his southern charm wooed the women of the street but they soon saw him as the snake he was. As viewers we always sided with the women of his factory, in reality Vera, Ida and Ivy must have been awful employees. Mike would go on to sack nearly every woman who worked for him. Although his feud with Ken would not start until the early 80's, it was Mike that wooed Deidre first.
The show had always tackled hard story lines, but the way they are conducted depends on the era they were made. During the 1960's, Hilda is the victim of domestic abuse but it is played as a comedy. Move forward to 2020 and the way this story is handled is very different. With this in mind, the intensity of the stories shown in 1970's Corrie may not be as graphic or as detailed as they are today but they did not shy away from what they could do in a pre-watershed soap during the 70's.
Deidre Langton gave birth to a lovely baby girl, she devoted her daughter but was devastated at the thought of losing her when a lorry crashed outside the Rovers Return. She had left the child in a pram outside the doors. When she thought the child dead she ran. Eventually she was found standing beside the canal. Tracey was safe but at first Deidre didn’t believe it at first but soon realised it was true.
Ken Barlow has never been lucky with the women in his life, his first marriage to Valerie ended with her accidental death by electrocution. His second wife took her own life as he slept downstairs. It wasn’t the first time that suicide has been touched upon; it was the first time that the character has completed the action. She was found dead in Ken’s bed.
The Street reached new heights during the decade, the stories and characters live on in pop culture even to this day, 50 years after the 70's began. Images of Deidre, Bet, Vera and Rita can be found on merchandise and are recognisable even to those who never watched the show. The perfect merge of the old northern England and the new meant that this era of the programme always seemed current yet reminiscent. Whereas the 1960's has been hot on the mark with the fashion, events and mood, the 1970's always seemed too nice to be too realistic. But that is the charm of this era, it is a drama and a comedy in one and that is the essential formula for the show.
Coronation Street of the 60's worked well in black and white, the smoke covered streets looked better in the monotone colours. It almost said that this is a cold and dank place we live in but the people are what make it warm and happy. The 1970's burst into colour and in its first few years of the decade it struggled to break free from the 1960's feel, eventually it did and an explosion of colourful characters and funny stories emphasised the fact the people are what make the programme. It couldn’t be replicated today, everything has moved too far from this point and the decade that followed had some stiff competition to keep up with. The 70's live on as a unique blend of clothes, music and television, and Coronation Street was already on its way to being the mainstay of British television. Every episode was must see TV.
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