The Road to Coronation Street
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''The Road to Coronation Street'' is a 2010 British drama first broadcast on BBC Four. It is a dramatisation of the creation of '' Coronation Street'', the UK's longest-running television soap opera, from conception to its first transmission in December 1960. Set mainly at
Granada Studios Old Granada Studios (known simply as Granada Studios and previously known as The Manchester Studios) is a television studio complex and events venue on Quay Street in Manchester with the facility to broadcast live and recorded television programm ...
, Manchester in 1960, the 75-minute-long programme follows the true story of
Tony Warren Anthony McVay Simpson (8 July 1936 – 1 March 2016) publishing under pen name Tony Warren, was an English television screenwriter and actor, best known for creating the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He created other television dramas ...
, a struggling scriptwriter who creates a vision of a television programme depicting normal life in a Salford street of
terraced houses In architecture and city planning, a terrace or terraced house ( UK) or townhouse ( US) is a form of medium-density housing that originated in Europe in the 16th century, whereby a row of attached dwellings share side walls. In the United State ...
. The production first aired in October 2010, and was one of several programmes celebrating the 50th anniversary of ''Coronation Street'' that year.


Background

''The Road to Coronation Street'' was written by
Daran Little Daran Little (born 11 May 1966) is a BAFTA-winning and Emmy Award-nominated British television writer. He is the only writer to pen more than 100 episodes of both '' Coronation Street'' (from 2000 until 2010) and '' EastEnders'' (from 2010 onwa ...
, a long-time
archivist An archivist is an information professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to records and archives determined to have long-term value. The records maintained by an archivist can consis ...
on ''Coronation Street'' who became a scriptwriter. At the time, however, Little was a scriptwriter for ''Coronation Street''s rival, '' EastEnders'', broadcast on
BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
. Though ''Coronation Street'' is and always has been, broadcast on ITV, a competing network, the idea of documenting the show on the anniversary of its half century running was picked up by its natural rival, the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
. Since the original broadcast, it has been repeated several times on ITV3 and, on the occasion of Tony Warren's death, ITV itself. On 28 June 2020, it was screened on ITV as 'another chance to see', a rare occasion of a BBC-aired show produced by ITV airing on the channel itself.


Casting

The role of
Tony Warren Anthony McVay Simpson (8 July 1936 – 1 March 2016) publishing under pen name Tony Warren, was an English television screenwriter and actor, best known for creating the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He created other television dramas ...
, ''Coronation Street''s creator and writer, was given to actor David Dawson. ''Coronation Street''s producer, Canadian-born Harry Elton, was played by
Christian McKay Christian Stuart McKay (born 30 December 1973) is an English stage and screen actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Orson Welles in the 2008 film '' Me and Orson Welles'', for which he was nominated for over two dozen awards includ ...
.
Casting director In the performing arts industry such as theatre, film, or television, casting, or a casting call, is a pre-production process for selecting a certain type of actor, dancer, singer, or extra for a particular role or part in a script, screenp ...
Margaret Morris and her young assistant Josie Scott, who befriends Warren, were played by
Jane Horrocks Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in th ...
and
Sophia Di Martino Sophia Di Martino (born 15 November 1983) is an English actress known for portraying Sylvie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series ''Loki''. Early life and education Di Martino was born in Nottingham and grew up in the suburb of ...
, respectively. Derek Bennett, the director, was portrayed by
Shaun Dooley Shaun Dooley (born 29 March 1974) is an English actor, narrator and voice-over artist. Early life Dooley was born in Barnsley in Yorkshire. He studied at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester between 1992 and 1995. Career Dooley's f ...
, while Sidney Bernstein was played by Steven Berkoff.
Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Kat Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' since 2000. Her role as Kat won her the Natio ...
was given the role of
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
, who played
Elsie Tanner Elsie Gregory (also Grimshaw, Howard and Tanner) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Pat Phoenix from the series' inception in 1960 to 1973, and again from 1976 until 1984. Elsie Tanner was ...
in ''Coronation Street''. Wallace briefly had sessions with a dialect coach before filming commenced. James Roache plays his father
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
in the drama. The elder Roache has played
Ken Barlow Ken Barlow is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera '' Coronation Street'', played by William Roache. He was created by Tony Warren as one of ''Coronation Street''s original characters and December 2020 marked Ken's 60th anni ...
in ''Coronation Street'' since its inception. As well as acting in ''The Road to Coronation Street'', James was filming scenes for ''Coronation Street'' in a non-regular role as Ken Barlow's grandson, James Cunningham at the same time.
Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...
played
Doris Speed Doris Speed, MBE (3 February 1899 – 16 November 1994) was an English actress, best known for her role as landlady of the Rovers Return Inn Annie Walker on ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from the programme's first episode in 1960 un ...
, who played the character of Annie Walker and
Lynda Baron Lilian Ridgway (24 March 1939 – 5 March 2022), known professionally as Lynda Baron, was an English actress and singer. She is best known for having played Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC sitcom ''Open All Hours'' (1976–1985) and its sequel ...
played the role of
Violet Carson Violet Helen Carson, OBE (1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress of radio, stage and television, and a singer and pianist, who had a long and celebrated career as an actress and performer during the early days of BBC Rad ...
, who played one of ''Coronation Street''s most iconic characters,
Ena Sharples Ena Sharples (née Schofield) is a fictional character from the British ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'', played by Violet Carson. She appeared in the first-ever episode, broadcast on 9 December 1960, and stayed with the show until 2 April ...
. John Thomson and
Michelle Holmes Michelle Holmes (born Corinne Michelle Cunliffe; 1 January 1967, Rochdale, Lancashire), is an English actress who has appeared in several television serials. Career Holmes performed in a pop band called the Dunky Dobbers. She changed he ...
, who had previously been members of the ''Coronation Street'' cast, appeared as
H.V. Kershaw H. V. Kershaw, also known as Harry Kershaw, (29 May 1918England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007 – 18 April 1992) from Manchester was a British television scriptwriter and producer best known for his long association with the so ...
and Harry Elton's secretary respectively.


Reception

The drama achieved a peak of 852,000 viewers on its first transmission, making it the second most popular programme in BBC Four's history, behind 2008's ''
The Curse of Steptoe ''The Curse of Steptoe'' is a television play which was first broadcast on 19 March 2008 on BBC Four as part of a season of dramas about television personalities. It stars Jason Isaacs as Harry H. Corbett and Phil Davis as Wilfrid Brambell. T ...
'' at 1.41m viewers. Sam Wollaston, a critic for ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'', gave a positive review, stating "''The Road to Coronation Street'' is fond and warm and charming", and stated there were "fine performances" from the entire cast, in particular from David Dawson and Steven Berkoff.
Phil Hogan Phil Hogan (born 4 July 1960) is an Irish Fine Gael politician who served as European Commissioner for Trade between 2019 and 2020, and previously European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development between 2014 and 2019. He previously ...
for ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'' also commented on the "superb" quality of acting, and also praised Jessie Wallace personally, saying: "Watching ''EastEnders'' star Jessie Wallace storm through her audition as blowsy Street firebrand Elsie Tanner – tearing into her delinquent son Dennis for nicking two bob out of her purse – made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end."
Grace Dent Grace Dent (born 3 October 1973) is an English columnist, broadcaster and author. She is a restaurant critic for ''The Guardian'' and from 2011 to 2017 wrote a restaurant column for the ''Evening Standard''. She is a regular critic on the BBC' ...
of ''The Guardian'' echoed Hogan's comments, saying "Obviously, the star of this show is the sublime Jessie Wallace playing 60s megastar Pat Phoenix, who played Corrie's Elsie Tanner." Jane Simon of the ''
Daily Mirror The ''Daily Mirror'' is a British national daily tabloid. Founded in 1903, it is owned by parent company Reach plc. From 1985 to 1987, and from 1997 to 2002, the title on its masthead was simply ''The Mirror''. It had an average daily print c ...
'' stated the programme was "a triumph on every level". ''The Road to Coronation Street'' was awarded Best Single Drama at the 2011 British Academy Television Awards. Additionally, Jessie Wallace and Lynda Baron were both nominated in the Best Supporting Actress Category for their performances as Pat Phoenix and Violet Carson, respectively, however,
Lauren Socha Lauren Marie Socha (born 9 June 1990) is an English actress. She rose to prominence during her role as Kelly Bailey in the E4 comedy-drama television series ''Misfits'', for which she won a BAFTA TV Award in the Best Supporting Actress categor ...
won the award for her role in the E4 series ''
Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...
''.''The Road to Coronation Street'' was repeated on 11 December 2020 on ITV3, as part of the 60th Anniversary celebrations of ''Coronation Street''.


Cast

* David Dawson as
Tony Warren Anthony McVay Simpson (8 July 1936 – 1 March 2016) publishing under pen name Tony Warren, was an English television screenwriter and actor, best known for creating the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street''. He created other television dramas ...
*
Jessie Wallace Karen Jane Wallace (born 25 September 1971), known professionally as Jessie Wallace, is an English actress. She is known for portraying the role of Kat Slater on the BBC soap opera '' EastEnders'' since 2000. Her role as Kat won her the Natio ...
as
Pat Phoenix Patricia Phoenix Booth (born Patricia Frederica Manfield; 26 November 1923 – 17 September 1986) was an English actress who became one of the first sex symbols of British television through her role as Elsie Tanner, an original cast member ...
*
Celia Imrie Celia Diana Savile Imrie (born 15 July 1952) is an English actress and author. She was described in 2003 as one of the most successful British actresses of recent decades. She is best known for her film roles, including the '' Bridget Jones'' f ...
as
Doris Speed Doris Speed, MBE (3 February 1899 – 16 November 1994) was an English actress, best known for her role as landlady of the Rovers Return Inn Annie Walker on ''Coronation Street'', a role she played from the programme's first episode in 1960 un ...
*
Lynda Baron Lilian Ridgway (24 March 1939 – 5 March 2022), known professionally as Lynda Baron, was an English actress and singer. She is best known for having played Nurse Gladys Emmanuel in the BBC sitcom ''Open All Hours'' (1976–1985) and its sequel ...
as
Violet Carson Violet Helen Carson, OBE (1 September 1898 – 26 December 1983) was a British actress of radio, stage and television, and a singer and pianist, who had a long and celebrated career as an actress and performer during the early days of BBC Rad ...
* James Roache as
William Roache William Patrick Roache (born 25 April 1932) is an English actor. He is best known for playing Ken Barlow in the ITV soap opera ''Coronation Street'' since it was first broadcast on 9 December 1960. He is listed in the ''Guinness World Records ...
*
Sophia Di Martino Sophia Di Martino (born 15 November 1983) is an English actress known for portraying Sylvie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series ''Loki''. Early life and education Di Martino was born in Nottingham and grew up in the suburb of ...
as Josie Scott * Ann Aris as Nita Valerie * Steven Berkoff as Sidney Bernstein *
Shaun Dooley Shaun Dooley (born 29 March 1974) is an English actor, narrator and voice-over artist. Early life Dooley was born in Barnsley in Yorkshire. He studied at the Arden School of Theatre in Manchester between 1992 and 1995. Career Dooley's f ...
as Derek Bennett * Enid Dunn as Agnes *
Henry Goodman Henry Goodman (born 23 April 1950) is a RADA trained British actor. He has appeared on television and radio, in film and in the theatre. Early life He attended the Central Foundation Boys' School and joined the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, L ...
as Cecil Bernstein *
Michelle Holmes Michelle Holmes (born Corinne Michelle Cunliffe; 1 January 1967, Rochdale, Lancashire), is an English actress who has appeared in several television serials. Career Holmes performed in a pop band called the Dunky Dobbers. She changed he ...
as Brenda *
Jane Horrocks Barbara Jane Horrocks (born 18 January 1964) is a British actress. She portrayed the roles of Bubble and Katy Grin in the BBC sitcom ''Absolutely Fabulous''. She was nominated for the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Actress for the title role in th ...
as Margaret Morris *
Christian McKay Christian Stuart McKay (born 30 December 1973) is an English stage and screen actor. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Orson Welles in the 2008 film '' Me and Orson Welles'', for which he was nominated for over two dozen awards includ ...
as Harry Elton *
Tara Moran Kathleen Tara Moran (born 1 June 1971 in Leeds, West Riding of Yorkshire) is an actress. Moran's television debut was in Yorkshire Television's educational history series for schools, '' How We Used to Live''. During the mid-1980s she played Al ...
as Edna Walker *
Phoebe Nicholls Phoebe Sarah Nicholls (born 1957) is an English film, television, and stage actress. She is known for her roles as Cordelia Flyte in '' Brideshead Revisited'' and as the mother of John Merrick in '' The Elephant Man''. Personal life Nicholls ...
as Mrs Simpson * John Thomson as Harry Kershaw * David Williams as Commissionaire


See also

*
Episode 1 (Coronation Street) "Episode 1", the first episode of the British television soap opera ''Coronation Street'', was broadcast live on ITV (TV network), ITV on 9 December 1960, and was broadcast in black-and-white. Episode 2 was video taped shortly after the airing. P ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Road To Coronation Street Coronation Street spin-offs BBC television dramas BAFTA winners (television series) 2010 television films 2010 films Films directed by Charles Sturridge Television series by ITV Studios