February 1997

Sunday 2 February 1997
It was an early start for Sally as she was set to accompany Mike on his Sunday market run around the locality. Kevin was his usual cheery self at the prospect of going out working on this supposed day of rest. Sally was undeterred and said she would be back to cook lunch by 2 'o' Clock. Although I fail to see what's wrong with Kevin going into the kitchen.

Judy had some bad news for Gary when she revealed she wasn't really pregnant after all. It would seem Joyce had jumped the gun with her premature announcement. Gary genuinely looked gutted but tried to put a brave face on the matter. He then began to wonder whether he was to blame for Judy's lengthy time in getting pregnant. Judy reassured him but the thought was still lingering at the back of his mind.

Alec invited Rita to the Rovers for lunch and a drink when he nipped into the Kabin for his morning paper. Rita was only too glad to accompany him and laughingly told Mavis who had just packed Derek off to the allotment that she still had "pulling power".

There was friction ahead come lunchtime though as Dreary prepared for lunch with Ken. Something was bothering her in the respect that everyone she spoke to was expecting her to move back in with Ken when she quit Crimea Street when her tenancy was over. It would seem Ken was also of this opinion but he was in for a rude awakening. Dreary stated that she was not ready to move in with anybody at all. Ken was hurt by this statement but the two of them tried to put the matter out of mind whilst they eat dinner.

However the matter wasn't going to lie easily and Ken simmered as he eat in silence. Finally Dreary broke the silence and asked if she had hurt Ken with her words. He announced he was furious and told her he felt used as a stepping stone for Dreary to leave behind her grief for Samir and step back into a social life again. He said she only showed interest in him because he was "familiar territory". Needless to say Dreary was upset and stormed out of the house.

In the Rovers, Roy Cropper tracked down The Platts who were enjoying a lunchtime drink. He was on a mission to find Alma and Mike and discuss his plan to buy the cafe. The problem being however that he didn't know the address of Mike and Alma's flat. Martin obliged and even offered Roy a lift but Roy decided he would rather walk.

Sean meanwhile was propping up the bar with Des and learning that Sam was off work for the afternoon offered to take her out for lunch. Sam almost declined but Sean insisted. Shortly after Curly came in offering Sam lunch as the meal he had prepared was too big for just one. Sam took the opportunity to reschedule her lunch plans to invite Sean along as well. This scuppered any amorous intentions the bookie might have much to Des's amusement.

Roy turned up at the flat to find Alma alone, he began explaining in his own roundabout way his intention to buy into the cafe. Alma of course wasn't taking him seriously and everything he was telling her might as well have been going in one ear and out of the other. Roy insisted on waiting for Mike to return home before discussing his business plan just so they could both get an idea of what he intended.

Sally meanwhile returned home after an extremely fruitful morning working the markets with Mike. According to Sally, Mike had a natural flair for that kind of environment and let it show. They had set off that morning with a large van crammed to the roof with merchandise. Now they had returned with nary a sock between them.

Sue Jeffers came round to Ken's house only to find him alone and looking like he might have had a little too much to drink. He explained how he had rowed with Dreary and how following this argument there was probably now way back for their relationship now. Sue's eyes nearly popped out when she heard this and she was literally hanging on his every word. Ken spoke of when they had been away on the seminar and asked Sue if she wished anything had happened between them when they had been away. The answer was a definite yes and it seemed pretty clear what was going to happen next.

Dinner at Curly and Sam's was a civil occurrence with the usual genial chit chat taking place around the table. The subject of marriage was unwittingly broached by Curly which made Sam squirm a little bit but Sean kept his word and didn't reveal any of Sam's secrets. Later as Curly washed the dishes and Sean and Sam talked in privacy on the settee the subject got round to Sam's marriage. One of the factors that had caused a problem was the physical aspect of the relationship. Sam revealed she didn't like physical intimacy and she never had. She was basically telling Sean that if his agenda was sex then he was wasting his time. It has to be said that Sean did look a tad disappointed.

Dreary sought solace with Emily in the Rovers and explained about the argument that she had with Ken. At the end of the day Dreary didn't want to fall out with Ken as she shared too much history with him so she decided to go to his house and break bread and make peace.

Meanwhile Mike arrived home and despite his successful day wasn't really in the mood to deal with the ramblings of Roy Cropper. Roy tried to put his point across but Mike just simply wasn't taking proper notice of the man and in essence he fobbed Roy off saying he would get in contact with him within the next week. Although judging by Mike's attitude it was clear that he wasn't going to do anything of the sort.

Dreary arrived at Ken's and let herself into his place and was surprised to see nobody downstairs. She shouted his name and had a look around and saw an item of clothing on the floor. The next thing she noticed was Ken in his dressing gown looking flustered at the top of the stairs. Dreary stormed out despite his pleas for her to wait.

 

Monday 3 February 1997
Ken was rapidly regretting hitting the sack with Sue Jeffers after seeing Dreary storm out of his house the previous episode. Sue of course thought she was the cat who had got the cream until Ken's behaviour towards her was very cool following their little upstairs session.

Bill meanwhile was preparing himself for moving into the new flat above the shop and was enthusiastic about making some changes to his new home. Maureen meanwhile seemed somewhat frisky as the script writers took the opportunity to drop in a few double entendres for the couple as they walked to the pub.

In the Rovers, Samantha was very much the focus of attention as she sat and had a chat with Emily Bishop and they discussed of all things marriage and relationship. Emily passed on the benefit of her knowledge to Sam who listened intently. Jim also seemed to be showing some interest in Sam although his efforts seemed to be pretty much wasted. The person in with the better of chances was still Sean who was still showing interest in her despite what she had told him the previous episode.

Gail was upset that Mike hadn't took Roy seriously so Martin decided to change the situation somewhat by explaining a few home truths to Mike who was at the bar. He explained casually about Roy's secret fortune which sparked Mike's interest. When Martin left the pub he left Mike and Roy in conversation and before the day was out Roy's offer had been accepted.

Dreary decided to get away from it all by going to London for a while to sort out things in her head with regards to everything that had happened with Ken. Reconciliation between these two didn't look promising at the moment as Dreary had few kind words to say about her ex.

There was an unpleasant atmosphere for Ken between him and Sue in School as Ken had difficulty looking her in the eye. Sue was eager to follow up their liaison but Ken was definitely dragging his heels on the matter. Sue ended the conversation with him just wishing to know where she stood.

Alma stuck her nose in regarding the sale of the cafe and decided to put the block on Roy's offer. Her reasoning was because she believed Roy to naive to be in charge of the business and felt he was being exploited by predators. In not so many words she felt Gail was using him to make her own position within the cafe safe. Needless to say Roy was most upset and angry about Alma's about face turn.

 

Wednesday 5 February 1997
Starting with some friction between Sally and Kevin as he tried to make an effort to bring the family together more now that Sally was working Sundays. Sally however seemed reluctant for Kevin to meet her at the Sunday Markets which led to something of a row. In fact Kevin even hinted that she might be having an affair with Mike.

At the cafe Roy was still smarting over Alma's refusal to take his offer and it showed. Gail was annoyed too but tried her best to cheer him up but it was to no avail and she found herself wanting to sort the matter out with Alma face to face.

Ken was rushing around like a headless chicken at school as he had overlaid and was now late for lessons. To compound things there was still something of an awkward atmosphere between him and Sue Jeffers following the other night's amorous antics. Sue was playing it cool with him and told him to sort his head out when they spoke later in the day.

On the workfloor Sally was taking flak from all sides as the gossips lead by Ida began making noises about suspicious goings on in the factory. A store room which was usually accessible was now strangely locked. The reason behind this was the fact that there was counterfeit KayBec gear being stored inside. Mike covered this up by saying he had discovered someone being a bit light fingered in the factory as an excuse.

This enraged Ida no end and she took out her temper on Sally who after a fragile start to the day was in mood or form to fight back against her older and more mouthy opponent. In fact incidentally there was a few girly giggles passing around from Ida's side of the fence that Sally and Baldwin might be having an affair. The rumour mill hath started....

Gail put on her best angry look (but she didn't stick out her chin in defiance) and went to square up to Alma. The two had things to discuss especially regarding Roy and the cafe. Alma explained that she didn't feel it would be morally right for Roy to take on the cafe. Gail disagreed and explained that Roy had convinced her it was the right thing to do. The two of them verbally pushed and pulled over old ground until Alma looked like budging on the subject.

Derek and Mavis faced another one of their trials as Billy Williams somberly informed Derek his allotment shed had been broken into. Derek's main concern was his year planner chart which informed when he should attend to certain tasks in the allotment. However this planner hadn't been stolen and although there was damage the thieves had took little.

Later in the Rovers, a confused Roy spoke to Alma about the cafe and asked her why she had not sold to him. Alma who had obviously now had a change of tack relented and let the cafe go to him for the agreed sum. Roy looked pleased, Alma looked relieved and Mike looked confused. After all he had endured Alma's ever changing mind on the subject for days.

Kevin came home in a temper and promptly prepared to go down the Rovers leaving his wife alone at home. Sally's day had been so bad she began to cry...

...she explained that she had been under such stress at work and to make matters worse she was now involved in selling Mike's counterfeit goods. She regarded herself as little better than a criminal. Kevin looked angry and from the look of him he was going to do something about it.

 

Friday 7 February 1997
It was make or break time tonight for Sally as her conscience began to prey on her mind and with the addition of Kevin sticking his oar in Sally was having difficulty coming to terms with the dodgy things she was doing at the Sunday Markets with Mike.

Ken meanwhile was planning to get away from his entangled love life in Weatherfield by going up to Scotland to see his baby son Daniel. The prospect of the long drive didn't appeal to him as he explained to Rita and the tactless as ever Mavis. He also had to clear his departure with a frosty Sue Jeffers but after that he was home and dry.

At the factory Mike was in his office when Sally came in for a word with him, she explained how she wasn't happy with the legality of her actions whilst at the Sunday Markets and she wanted to quit. Mike quickly began to turn on the old sob story routine about how the business was relying on their work at the Sunday Markets and he effectively said Sally was either with him or against him. This left Sally in something of a quandary as she wanted to continued working for Mike under legitimate terms but not on the sly. What did make Mike concerned was that Sally had told Kevin about what he was doing with the KayBec gear.

Mike didn't let the matter lie and spoke to Kevin in the pub at lunch time, he laid on the sob story routine much as he had with Sally and mentioned how nearly 30 people would be out of work because of him talking to Sally and in turn her refusing to do the markets.

Today was the day Sean Skinner and his would be conquest Sam were due to go to the self defence lesson, Sam of course thought she was going with a rank amateur but was pleasantly surprised to find that Sean showed a level of expertise at Judo that he had kept hidden from her before now. Sam seemed impressed as she talked to Curly about their exploits later that evening. He remained unimpressed sure that Sean's motives were strictly dishonourable.

Sally and Kevin at home were talking to each other about their respective days and their respective clashes with Baldwin. They came to the conclusion they were being played off against each other by the scheming Baldwin. Sally thus went and confronted him in the Rovers and explained her conscience wouldn't allow her to continue working with him. So Mike and her parted company on those terms leaving Mike to recruit bleach blonde Ashley to do his monkey work for him.

 

Sunday 9 February 1997
A nicely paced episode with lots going on tonight kicking off a leisurely Sunday with a panicked Sean speaking to Des about his impending parachute jump with Sam. In more accurate terms the discussion was about how Sean was going to get out of doing the jump which Des said he would help him with.

Ashley was all set to go out for the day with Mike selling at the markets although as you can imagine this fired up some of the usual anger and bile from Don Brennan who tried to convince Ashley that Mike was almost the son of satan.

Alec was looking forward to taking Rita out for the day where they would enjoy a leisurely drive followed by lunch and perhaps a quiet drink. However Rita was ever the one to spring surprises on Alec and today's would be bringing along Sally's kids so her and Kevin would get a break. Needless to say Alec has looked happier about things and it showed on his face as he stood aghast at the prospect of looking after a couple of "junior citizens" for the day.

Jack Duckworth's day was looking like not going to plan as he planned to go to a licensed brewery bash the following Friday. Unfortunately he had failed to take into consideration that Vera as the licensee hadn't intended taking Jack along. Thus it was down to Jack to do some serious grovelling/manipulation to get his way and to be allowed to accompany Vera to the bash.

That only left one problem in the form of nobody being around to look after the pub. Volunteers were in short supply although Tricia was keen but judging by her condition it hardly seemed wise to leave her unattended behind the bar of the Rovers.

Sean's plan of action regarding ducking out of the jump began smoothly enough in the Rovers as he stood talking to the object of his desires Sam. He had planned with Des to tell her he couldn't jump because he had no sponsors despite his hard efforts to drum up support. This is where Des dropped a true piece of treachery into proceedings as he double crossed Sean by sponsoring him there and then much to Sam's delight. He then revealed he had spoke to everyone at Sean's four branches and got a tremendous sponsorship response going for their boss. Even the likes of Mavis and Derek were keen to add their support to the cause which was to raise money for a hospital scanner. Sean of course vowed revenge on Des who was finding his prank very amusing.

Anne was staking out the Rovers waiting for Curly to arrive from his Sunday shift at the Firman's. He arrived at ten past two meaning he had left nearly an hour early. In fact he had left the keys with a responsible member of staff but this meant little to Anne as she intended to grass Curly up to Eric for his misdemeanour.

If you cast your mind back a short while you'll remember Liz's admirer Frazer the jailbird who had plagued Liz's life for a while in the recent past. As of tonight he was a jailbird no more as he walked out jail a free man to be met by his loyal aide at the gates. One of his main ports of call now he was out would be to check out Liz and catch up for old time's sake.

After what had been what seemed a tiring day Alec and Rita returned Sally's children although Alec was still playing his grumpy old self to the hilt. Alec was desperate to retire to the Rovers for a drink with Rita who promised that next time they went out it would be a child free experience.

Ashley and Mike returned after a successful day on the stalls with Mike looking jubilant. He treat Ashley to a drink and paid him the money for a days work(although he tried to diddle him for a fiver). Sally came along before too long sticking her nose into business which no longer concerned her. She asked if Ashley was aware he was involved in selling dodgy gear and Mike told her it was none of her concern and to keep her conscience to herself and keep her mouth shut.

Liz was on at the Hourglass and after getting Andy a free meal at the bar she settled down to get some work done. However before she knew a smartly dressed Frazer swanned in with his friend and ordered the finest champagne. He proclaimed things were to be different now and he would be seeing a lot of Liz. His manner was in fact a tad menacing as he poured him and Liz a glass of bubbly.

Ken turned up at Sue Jeffers after his weekend up in Scotland with Daniel which it would seem had been a complete disaster. Daniel's link to his father appeared to be weakening as whenever he was with Daniel the boy would cry. In fact on one occasion Daniel didn't want to see Ken leaving him most deflated and left to journey back to Weatherfield despondent.

Thus he had stopped of at Sue's more for a shoulder to cry on more than anything else and as always Sue was quick to get the bottle out and for them to drink away their sorrows. She then asked Ken to stay the night as he didn't need to be alone at a time like this.

 

Monday 10 February 1997
Liz McDonald asked for Fiona's help tonight regarding the matter of Frazer Henderson. She had already explained to Andy that her admirer was out of prison and as a result had already been to see her at the club. Andy was pretty much neither use nor ornament tonight as he was recovering from a hangover that would have made his father proud in his drinking days.

In the Rovers, Vera was working on Betty to get her to cover for him on Friday night so she and Jack could go the licensee bash. Eventually her efforts paid off with Betty agreeing to do the shift even though it meant she was abandoning her policy of not doing nights especially Friday nights. Jack's runaway mouth would scupper that plan as before the episode ended we would hear another one of Betty's famous 'I don't have to listen to this' speeches.

Roy finalised the contracts tonight meaning that very soon he would be a partner in the cafe. This meant the future of the cafe was saved although Percy had reservations about whether Roy would start altering the menu when he took over. Gail assured him things would stay the same.

Curly was having the administrative rug pulled from under his feet by Anne who had set up a sexual harassment meeting for the female members of staff. This made Curly feel a tad awkward and you can bet that was Anne's intention. He went to voice his feelings to Eric but found no support in that corner mainly because Anne's cunning ideas were well thought out leaving Curly no room to manoeuver. He even dropped himself in it unnecessarily when it came to his knocking off early the day before when he needn't have.

Ashley backed out of the Sunday Market's because Sally informed him there was something dodgy going on. Mike suspected she was the source of the problem and went to see her about it. He expressed his anger about her tale telling and reiterated the point he had little choice in the matter when it came to his dodgy actions.

There was more support coming for Sean Skinner and his parachute jump leaving him less likely to be able to back out of the event now he was involved in it. Still it had won him Sam's admiration anyway.

Fiona's boyfriend Alan had a chat with Liz about the attention she was getting from Frazer although it was strictly off the record. He explained that while Frazer was responsible for fraud he was in no way a violent man and Liz should find herself safe in most respects. His alterior motive though was to use Liz as a way of keeping tabs on one of Manchester's major villains. Perhaps Liz was in more danger than she suspected.

 

Wednesday 12 February 1997
Jack was regretting running off the mouth with Betty Williams as the episode started today. Vera however would solve that little problem a short while later when she would enter into some craft negotiations at the cafe with Billy Williams. Sean arranged a night out at the dogs with Sam in fact their relationship seemed to be moving forward a little as the dates went on. Ashley was still the object of Becky's desire although he didn't realise it. He was still focussing on Maxine at the salon for whom he was buying a valentine card.

Fiona meanwhile was trying to track down her elusive boyfriend for a morning coffee and a chat. As always he turned up late and their little meeting had to be rescheduled for the evening.

Alma tried to encourage Mike to apologise to sally for his little outburst the episode previous. She argued that Sally had been loyal and hard working while she had been in his employ and that nastiness wasn't truly in her nature at all. Mike wasn't convinced but he could see Alma's point of view.

The feuding between Curly and Anne broke briefly for a few moments of sanity between this warring couple. Curly was trying to get to the bottom of her animosity towards him. He tried to remind her of their friendship and how he had helped her achieve her goals. In turn she explained her negative feelings towards him had been fuelled by her attraction towards him but she still claimed he had been acting odd since Raquel left him. Curly revealed how unhappy he had been which was truly a touching line well delivered. This upset Anne and she left the office in tears knowing that his heart was still firmly in Raquel's hands. Unfortunately as she fled the office Eric walked in and assumed the wrong thing.

The next thing we saw was Curly and Anne in Eric's office being asked what was going on between them. Eric was assuming Curly had been up to no good. Anne was content to let him believe that by staying tight lipped as Curly tried to protest his innocence for crimes he hadn't committed. Indeed things were looking a tad dodgy for Curly here.

Dreary turned up on Ken's doorstep leaving Ken with a grin of delight on his face. He assumed she had come to patch things up (Cheeky Sod that he is) and the two of them would get back on track with their relationship. Dreary was thinking nothing of the sort as she would explain to Ken. Her time in London had given her time to think and while she was keen to remain friends anything else was to be out of the question. their romantic relationship was over.

Vera's mission to get Betty back behind the bar was successful, Billy had talked her round. Mainly because Vera had sowed the seeds of doubt in his head when she explained how Betty might take her boredom out on him if she was at home at the time.

Sam and Sean went out for the night at the dogs and Sam as always enjoyed herself in Sean's company. When the night ended though Sean began to think it was time to make his move romantically. Sam however rebutted him and this was something frustrating for the amorous Sean Skinner. He told Sam he would play things her way for now but not wait forever.

In the Rovers Roy's plans for the cafe were minor changes at best which involved putting small vases of fresh flowers on the tables. Meanwhile in the corner Fiona and Alan talked about Frazer and Fiona explained her worries about Liz being exposed to a criminal of his nature. Alan however was more than happy to leave Liz in his presence as he could keep an eye on him from there.

Ken and Dreary continued their debate about reasons to get back together again. Ken was becoming increasingly desperate and the conversation was becoming increasingly heated. In the end Dreary fled the house in tears adamant their relationship was over.

 

Friday 14 February 1997
Some competition winners called Ann and John kicked off the episode smooching in full view in the Street. However for the rest of episode it was a normality with a sugar coating added for Valentine's day, however it wasn't going to have pleasant repercussions for everyone. Ashley received a valentine card and as a result was pining on the doorstep to see if the object of his affections Maxine was going in to work. He showed no interest in the card's real sender Becky though.

Curly was stuck for a lift in to work as Anne had let him down, as a result he had to rely on Derek for transport. Poor Curly's situation was compounded by the fact that he was late for a very important meeting and when he eventually escaped Derek's presence which to put it mildly was becoming annoying to say the least he had to face the wrath of Eric Firman.

Eric was annoyed with Curly but after a swift verbal bashing it was to be business as usual except Curly had a score to settle with Anne. He reckoned that she had deliberately let him down and left him stranded on today of all days. Anne explained that her car had broken down and she had to call out a breakdown service to get her going again. Curly was still furious and stormed off but Anne now becoming tearful followed him into the changing room area. By now she was weeping and trying to explain how she wanted peace between them and how she could offer Curly so much in life. Curly backed off but she wouldn't leave him alone with her incessant screeching. In the end Curly grabbed Anne by the shoulders and shook her and told her effectively to stop playing games as he could play just as rough. Unfortunate Eric overheard this as he was just coming out of the toilets as the argument happened. As a result Curly was out of his job instantly.

Jack was still in the dark about how he would be going to the licensee bash after all despite giving Betty a dressing down the other day. Vera and Betty had been plotting and Betty at that moment came in with a tuxedo arranged for Jack. Jack's eyes lit up and he showered Vera with kisses overjoyed that he was going to be enjoying a night out after all.

George Freeman turned up at the Hourglass explaining that he had an important business meeting to conduct there that evening and as a result Liz and staff should be on their best behaviour. Liz of course did her best to be courteous to George despite the fact that he seemed incapable of keeping his hands off Liz for more than a moment at a time. Frazer Henderson walked into the hourglass soon after and began chatting to Liz at the bar. The conversation flowed and the atmosphere seemed almost pleasant between them. It would turn out though that George's little business meeting was actually going to be with Frazer and the aforementioned Mr Henderson was going to become the new owner of the Hourglass.

Curly ended up confiding his woes in Sam and she was understanding to his problems, Curly of course was fearing his good name now being mud following his sacking. Sam encouraged him to not lie down and take this matter without putting up a fight.

In the Rovers, Ashley seemed completely under Maxine's power as he sat and drank with Fiona. It would seem for the time being Ashley was content to follow Maxine around like a lost puppy. The Rovers was in the capable hands of Betty and the less capable but genuinely meaning well hands of Tricia. She was midway through serving when she was laid low by a twinge which put her out of action. The twinges quickly developed into what would appear to be contractions which meant Alec had to step into the breach to man the bar while Betty tended to Tricia in the back.

Jack and Vera were back early as Vera appeared to have been laid low with a stomach complaint which left her with stomach cramps (sympathetic pains perhaps ?). By the time they were in the pub Tricia had given birth to a baby boy and she was in hospital leaving room for celebration for the Duckworths

 

Sunday 16 February 1997
Kicking off at the hospital with Tricia and her new baby born a few weeks premature and as a result in an incubator. A good deal of tonight's episode centred on this storyline and covered the reactions of Jack and Vera and a few other notables. At the Rovers the general air was one of doom and gloom as the ill informed Jack and Vera doubted the new born's chances of survival on account of his early birth. Unfortunately for them young Jamie overheard what they were saying and their negative words instilled a good deal of doubt in him as well.

Liz was keeping Fiona posted on things that were happening at the Hourglass and the fact that Frazer had bought it. It seems that Liz actually thought she could be the reason for the purchase but as we were to learn Frazer needed a base for his business operations in the area. Not even he could be as daft as to throw away money on Liz. These activities fired up Alan's interest in the situation and he wanted to see Liz later that day when she had some time away from the bar.

In the Rovers a smug looking Sean was waving around a second sponsorship form for the parachute jump. This was much to the admiration of Sam and indicated a big change of heart for Sean who hadn't seemed anywhere as keen on the idea of leaping out of a plane before. However there was a reason for his joviality over the situation as we discovered the new sponsor form was for none other than Des Barnes. There was no backing down for Des either as the list was almost full.

Anne Mullone came into the Rovers and tried to make peace with Curly who had been pouring out his woes on Ken Barlow. Any attempt at settling the situation was not going to bear fruit as Curly bore her malice like never before now she had cost him his job. Sam didn't show too keen on her either as the two exchanged words as Anne left the Rovers.

Sue Jeffers returned from one of her conferences and tracked down Ken in the pub and they quickly retired back to his place. It would seem that his view on their relationship was very different now and things did appear to be very sweetness and light between them. Complete with Sue revealing her fantasy of kissing Ken in the assembly hall of all things.

At the hospital there was uncomfortable silences punctuated by awkward conversation all round as Tricia, Jack & Vera and Jamie passed on the time following a visit to see Tricia's new son. Vera kept putting her foot in it regarding the new baby for example when Tricia revealed she had not picked a name for the child Vera said it didn't matter. Unfortunately Tricia mis-read this as meaning her son was going to die. There were plenty of other examples of this going on throughout the episode.

Don Brennan of course had his own take on the subject and reckoned the baby wasn't premature at all. He reckoned Tricia had lied about the father of the child and had got pregnant five weeks earlier than she claimed. Using Terry as a connection Tricia had now being given all the support from the Duckworths.

Frazer dropped Liz at Fiona's where Alan gave her a minor grilling about Frazer. He revealed he hadn't been completely honest about Frazer and explained he could actually be dangerous. You could tell Alan was desperate to make Frazer his big bust to move him up the police ladder. Fiona of course wanted to know what was going on because she felt kept in the dark.

 

Monday 17 February 1997
More of the same negative approach material at the hospital as Tricia continued to think the worst about her newborn son. In the Street this was hardly aided by Jack's mind thinking about what Don Brennan had been saying the other day about the potential fatherhood of the baby.

Frazer Henderson was keeping a high profile stature at the Hourglass now he was the new owner. Liz pottered around in the bar before opening looking somewhat nervous as the new owner sat reading his paper and making small talk. Liz was starting to find employment at the Hourglass uncomfortable but hard to leave because Frazer just passed another pay rise her way.

Gail had a quiet word with Roy about the business partnership they had struck up at the cafe. Gail felt that in light of her experience in the cafe trade she should be in charge and she should make the decisions to run the cafe. She anticipated dissension from Roy but she should have known better as Roy was in full agreement to her wishes.

Joyce was finding life tough on the financial front and it wasn't made any better when her attempts to grovel to Alec for her old job back were kicked into touch leaving her feeling very bitter and twisted. Her argumentative mood was taken out on Judy whilst a brain dead Gary sat in front of the TV swilling beer and eating crisps with carefree abandon.

Des was trying to get out of the parachute jump using any trick in the book including using Claire's dead ex-RAF husband as an excuse which wasn't in the best of taste but then again Des was desperate. His attempts were useless though as Sean was determined to see this through with Des by his side.

Somebody at the hospital finally noticed a new mother hovering in the doorway in an obviously distraught state and finally decided to come and explain something about the state of her child to her (sarcasm mode : off). Martin explained to Jack that baby Armstrong was in no real danger as his prematurity wasn't too extreme. He explained the last few weeks of pregnancy were to fatten the baby up and incubation at this stage was to monitor for infection and temperature changes.

Sam made a mess of things tonight as she invited Sean Skinner round for a drink while Curly was out. It had to be noted she was downing the red wine like there was no tomorrow and it soon became clear that she was working up some of the old dutch courage so she could seduce Sean. As we would soon discover though Sean wasn't buying into Sam's little ploy. He only wanted Sam if he could be sure she would derive some pleasure from their bedroom antics and not simply be dulling her senses with drink so she could get the experience over and done with. Sean was angry and offended by Sam's intentions and promptly left.

Alan met with Liz following her day at the Hourglass, he was virtually drooling at the prospect of getting some juicy information on Henderson and was keen to get Liz on board as his stooge. There was even talk of a bit of plea bargaining for Steve and getting him transferred to an open prison.

 

Wednesday 19 February 1997
Sean came round to try and make peace with Sam tonight but found a frosty reception awaiting him when she opened the door. After the briefest of communique Sean wandered off looking decidedly miserable while Sam sat down despondently in the house.

I was surprised to see her begin recounting her life story to Curly as she mentioned her two minute marriage to her own personal Mr. Wrong. At this point I thought she might pull in the reins and hold off from spilling any more details about her personal and private life. However this was not to be the case. She went on to explain about her difficulty forming sexual relationships with people.

Don had another irrational outburst but this time in the salon. He was having his hair washed by Maxine and was frankly enjoying every moment of it until Ashley walked in. Poor simpering Ashley asked Maxine out for a date again and she flatly said no but thanked him for the chicken he had got her anyway. Once Ashley was out of the door Don leapt to his young charge's defence and had a good rant and rave about how hairdresser's were all the same all take and no give. He even threw in a barbed comment about Denise Osbourne. Nutter!

In the Cafe the ownership/who takes charge issue was finally cleared up with Roy stating he was prepared to operate everything on an equal basis. He also "put his foot down" and explained how someone who had a history working a four star hotel kitchen could effectively run the cafe with one hand behind his back.

Frazer was charming Liz no end with his smooth ways and was now starting to meet and greet her friends. A somewhat guarded Dreary had her lunch bought for her by the generous Mr. Henderson at the Hourglass. However Dreary was not impressed by Frazer and later she would tell Liz her feelings in no uncertain terms. However by this time the veil was coming down over Liz's eyes and she was already been led in by the hand to Frazer's world.

Tricia and Jack had a potential frosty moment as she sat down and thought about the name of the baby. She wished to call him Terry after his father but that simply made Jack's hackles rise. In the end she cheerfully settled on calling the child Brad as in Brad Pitt. As a concession to her way of thinking she would use Terry as a middle name for the child.

Sam and Sean patched things up with him stating he was more than content to wait for Sam to sort out whatever problems she had without pressure. As long as she didn't pull any strokes like the last one they would work things out.

Fiona was still showing concern about Frazer and Liz but this would be made worse when she and Maxine enjoyed a night out at the Hourglass. Frazer would be on hand to impress Liz's friends with free champagne which impressed Maxine no end but Fiona still looked cautious. In fact Fiona took a private opportunity to warn Liz about Frazer but again Liz said she could handle things.

After hours Frazer revealed he had a gift for her because she had refused to accept his £1000 weeks earlier. In the car park outside was an F-Reg Ford Fiesta which i'm sure is just what exactly every top Manchester crime baron is buying his lady friend. Still the car fits the woman I guess :)

Anyway as Liz accepted the car Frazer showered her with compliments about her sex appeal which made me think he needed a change of optician perhaps but after he had waxed lyrical about her beauty the two melted into a kiss.

 

Friday 21 February 1997
Poor old Kevin was not starting the day off in the best way as his frustration at being constantly let down by his erstwhile business partner Tony made him see red with people. Poor Emily was the victim of his tongue lashing as she innocently asked about whether he could check her car exhaust. There was a reason of course for Tony's absence as he was off buying his new car that day.

Joyce was working the cleaning duties in the Rovers as Vera spent the day puffed up with pride about the prospect of being a grandmother to Tricia's child. She would be busy most of the day and was relying upon Gary and Judy to keep an on her dog Scamper.

The day was going to be eventful for Claire and Becky by dinner time, one of Becky's errands for the day was to pick up a hair colouring kit for her mother on her way home for lunch. Becky grudgingly agreed to do her mother's bidding but was hardly happy about it.

At the Salon, Alan was chewing Fiona out about being in the presence of Frazer Henderson the night before. He explained the perils of hanging around with such a dangerous man and went on further to explain that he loved Fiona and he didn't want her to come to any harm. Fiona was touched by his sentiments and was overjoyed to known how Alan felt about her but he wasn't been entirely truthful with her about his chats with Liz.

By now of course Liz was truly melting into Frazer's charms even though she was getting warned by the likes of Dreary about the consequences of her liaisons with him. However Frazer was offering not just the car but wedges of money for her to spend on shopping trips and this had really turned Liz's head. In fact she was really turning into quite the gangster's moll.

Dinner time brought disaster for Claire and Becky though as mother and daughter experimented with a home hair colouring kit. A while passed and the pair of them almost burst down the salon door in an effort to get to Fiona and Maxine. The home kit had gone wrong and as a result Claire now was bleached whiter than white and as a result Claire was in a panic. It was up to Maxine to save Claire's hair which to her credit she managed to do by giving her a short hairstyle.

Joyce meanwhile was in a rush following coming to Judy and Gary's house following her shift at the Rovers. Her precious Scamper was waiting to be walked as Judy had not took the dog out earlier that day as she had promised.

Meanwhile at the Hourglass the sexual tension was boiling over between Liz and Frazer as in one of the back offices of the building the two of them were peeling off clothes and getting down to business. There seemed to be no stopping them now as the relationship deepened. However Liz was indeed burning the candle at both ends as she played against Alan and Frazer both.

Scamper would be the death of Joyce tonight as she walked the dog near the road, unfortunately Scamper decided to run across the road. Joyce ever devoted to her dog ran out into the road and promptly got struck by Tony Horrocks who was driving down the road.

For Joyce it was all over but for Tony the nightmare was just beginning......

 

Sunday 23 February 1997
Eventful night tonight starting off with Liz waking up in the abode of her new lover Frazer Henderson, she marvelled at the splendour of her new surroundings and was pleased to discover that Frazer had awarded her to a day away from the Hourglass. Today was going to be a day of leisure for her as she didn't need to be back behind the bar until that evening.

The Rovers was once again looking understaffed as it prepared to open for a new day, Betty was off ill and Joyce was nowhere to be found for he usual cleaning duties. Hence it was down to Sam to go to Firman's freezers and pick up some food to stave off the starving hordes come dinner time at the Rovers.

Sam's journey to the shops would turn out to be most eventful because as she pottered round the isles of Firman's she caught the eye of her nemesis Anne Mallone. The vengeful Anne had just finished giving a major rollocking to a shelf stacker and now decided to turn her attention to Sam.

As Sam looked through the freezers, Anne slipped an item into her shopping bag with a view to getting sam stitched up on a shoplifting charge. Sam headed for the exit after checking her food through the till but was quickly stopped by a gloating Anne who was sure she had got her enemy good and proper.

Kevin meanwhile was snowed under with work as Tony wasn't around to do his share of the work yet again, Alec tried to book his car into the garage for a quick look over but Kevin was so busy there was no way he was going to fit Alec into his schedule.

Judy and Gary arrived back from their weekend away refreshed and in good spirits unaware of events which had transpired in their absence. Curly had been trying to locate the Mallett't all weekend but hadn't been successful up until now. Instantly when Curly told her what had happened Judy assumed the worst.

Meanwhile at Firman's things were looking bad for Sam as Anne appeared to have her evidence against the Rovers barmaid covering all bases. This was all well and good until Anne's plan was brought toppling down around her ears by the shelf stacker she had been shouting at earlier. The young girl revealed to Eric that Anne had dropped an item in Sam's bags. Hence a hasty rethink by Eric when it came to the sacking of Curly Watts a week or so earlier.

Curly was called into Firman's to face an apology from Eric and to witness the sacking of Anne Mullone, Anne protested her corner and made threats of going to a tribunal for unfair sacking but it was no good her days at Firman's were over and Curly was back in the helm again complete with a pay rise to boot.

Tony turned up to face an unsympathetic Kevin at his house, he shakily tried to recount what had happened to him the night before and how he had killed Joyce Smedley in a road accident. Kevin was more concerned with the fate of the reputation of the garage than his partner's well being. Meanwhile Gary tried to console Judy who was numbed with shock. Her way of coping with grief was seeking physical affection from her husband. Gary was surprised to find himself being asked to go to bed at the strangest of times.

Liz had spoken to Steve in the prison were she had discovered that Frazer was married, this caused some jealousy from her when she spoke to Frazer later that day. He assured her that his wife was off the scene and the marriage was dead. Liz seemed happy with this news in fact her infatuation with Frazer now seemed almost complete.

 

Monday 24 February 1997
The grief of Judy became one of the focal points of the episode, many had plenty to say when it came to the subject of Joyce's death and all were quick to offer condolences. Gary meanwhile was doing his best to keep his wife and his own spirits up.

Elsewhere Liz woke again in Frazer Henderson's flat and the more time she spent with him the more she seemed to become an image of the traditional gangster's moll. This transformation she was undergoing would begin to draw negative attention to her as the episode wore on.

The first person she would end up at loggerheads with would be none other than Alan. He had arranged a little meeting with her above Fiona's flat expecting Liz to be forthcoming with loads of information about Frazer. However it wasn't going to be like that at all because Liz had a bone to pick with Alan.

Her annoyance came from the fact that she had been kept in the dark about Frazer's wife and as a result her opinion of Alan and of being a "coppers nark" had dropped considerably. Liz then explained angrily how she was going to continue seeing Frazer and any deal she had struck with Alan and the police was now completely out of the window.

Among the smaller storylines floating around tonight there was Maxine lying to Ashley and explaining to the hapless fool she already had a boyfriend to try and put him off his relentless pursuit. Tricia revealed that she would be bringing home baby Brad in the very near future.

Vera went around to see the grief stricken Judy in an effort to help ease her pain. Judy seemed somewhat embittered and took her time with Vera to explain how Joyce had been something of an embarrassment to her for a good portion of her life. She was obviously getting a lot of the negative emotion out and Vera was simply in the right place at the right time.

Frazer and Jerry were discussing some of their plans for the future when Liz inadvertently walked into their discussion. Frazer asked her somewhat coolly what she wanted leaving an uncomfortable silence between them. Could his somewhat snappy behaviour towards her in that moment be a harbinger of things to come.

Tony turned up at the Mallett household to try and explain his side of things to the grieving couple. The unfortunate truth of the matter was that nobody had yet told them that Tony was responsible for Joyce's death. He tearfully tried to explain what had happened and slowly it dawned on Judy and Gary that he was responsible. Judy broke down and said told Tony to leave the house.

Andy finished off the night by having something of an argument with his mother in the Rovers. He was criticising Liz's conduct and explaining that she should perhaps start acting her age. Liz however was having none of it and flounced out of the pub in her usual cocky swaggering fashion.

 

Wednesday 26 February 1997
Things were picking up steam tonight starting off with Judy's grief turning to anger somewhat as she struggled to come to terms with her mother's death. There was still the issue of what to do with her dog Scamper. Judy's response was to have the dog put to sleep which is something Gary was going to have trouble with.

Roy was in the mood for change at the cafe starting with the removal of Fruit Machines and Video Games. Gail had no objections to the move but was surprised all the same. The older mob such as Percy and Emily were all in favour of the removal of this distracting element. In place of the machines Roy intended to supply newspapers for the punters to read while they enjoyed their tea and meals.

Liz came into the Rover's all dressed up a la tacky in clothing that Frazer had obviously supplied the money for. The mobile phone was also becoming something of a permanent fixture glued to her ear as well. Andy took one look at her and began something of a verbal pasting of his mother. In essence he stated his regret at defending her in all the previous years when Jim had called her a hoar. Liz was stunned but responded by giving her son a good smack around the face. It did indeed look quite a belt as well.

Kevin received a visit from Tony's Mother and was informed that Tony would not be coming back to work at the garage now or ever. The shock of his actions had traumatised him to the extent he would probably never get behind the wheel of a car again either. As a result Tony's mother explained that she had financed his entry into the partnership and as a result she had control of his share of the business. In essence she was allowing Kevin to take over the day to day running of the garage including the hiring of someone to help with the workload. If he had wanted to buy her share of the garage then that was also something to be discussed as well.

Fiona took it upon herself to go and visit Steve McDonald at the prison. The purpose of her visit was mainly to inform her ex about what had been going on. Steve was terrified to learn that Liz was supposedly in cahoots with Alan to bring Frazer down. His fear stemmed from the knowledge of what could happen to him if things went wrong with Alan's little plan. It has to be noted that Fiona didn't seem too impressed with Alan at the moment.

Alec paid his respects at Judy and Gary's place, he meant well but you could see Judy's anger bubbling away under the surface. She reckoned if Alec had given her another chance working at Sunliners she might still be alive today. The whole atmosphere was hard work for all concerned.

Gary was then supposedly taking Scamper to be put down but the furthest he could take the unfortunate dog was the Rovers. He couldn't face the vet and was desperately looking for takers to look after the dog's welfare. The best he could manage was staving off death for the dog for one night as Jamie volunteered the Rovers as a temporary home until Tricia's new baby arrived home the next day.

Rita was dismayed to discover Roy's plan of keeping papers in the cafe for people to read while they eat. She reckoned it would harm business but she didn't seem to think about how Roy would have to buy the papers from somewhere to start with.

Liz was at the Hourglass and Frazer had noticed that her mood was dour, he took her to one side in the office and asked her what was the matter. She explained it was a private family matter involving Andy. Frazer's answer to her dilemma was to give her a big tonguey looking kiss. Before they could get to grips however there was a phonecall which thankfully Liz intercepted.

The caller was none other than Steve who was ringing her in an agitated state to warn her to keep on Frazer's good side. Liz bluffed her way through the call because Frazer was in the room with her. Steve realised this and the call quickly ended. Liz then told Frazer she had been speaking to Andy and had cleared the air with him. I wonder what the odds are of that phone call accidentally being recorded on to the answering machine.

After work Liz then went to see Fiona and Alan and began shouting and bawling about how someone had told Steve about what was going on. This wound Alan's springs somewhat because he realised that his actions involving Liz up till now had not been played by the rule book. As a result she and Steve were in some danger. After Liz had gone Fiona revealed she was responsible for speaking to Steve and explained to Alan that she used to live with Steve which left him somewhat surprised.

 

Friday 28 February 1997
Tonight was the night when they cremated Joyce and as a result the locality was getting ready to attend the big day. There was a fair number of people who were debating whether to go or not and that seemed to be the main topic of discussion.

Scamper was also the subject of much talk tonight as he staved off the final journey to the vet. He had spent the night at the Rovers but unfortunately the impending arrival of baby Brad as a resident in the pub had put paid to any plans of a permanent arrangement.

As a result Jack delivered the unfortunate dog back to the Mallett's household leaving Gary in a predicament as to where to hide the dog next. Thankfully he was able to take Scamper to the Webster household where he would find safe haven for the duration of the funeral. At this point Judy still believed Scamper to be have been put to sleep.

Alan was all apologies to Fiona when it came to the sticky subject of Liz and Frazer and Steve. He was desperate for the relationship to stand up and while he was talking to Fiona in her flat above the shop he looked close to tears. Fiona however was not content to simply accept an apology and insisted Alan clean up the mess he had made with his superiors and somehow get Steve out of any potential trouble in prison. Alan wasn't happy about this but he realised it was the only way to keep Fiona happy.

The church where the funeral of Joyce was taking place was hardly the most packed place in Weatherfield. Apart from the obvious arrival of Judy and Gary we had Vera and Betty keeping up the side from the Rovers. Percy was on hand to represent the old guard whilst Alec turned up to pay his last respects as he had been her employer. The lot of them seemed there under duress but the final arrival was going to be the most shocking of all. It was none other than Tony who seemed determined to pay his last respects.

After the funeral Tony went to the Webster household looking for Kevin essentially as someone to talk to. Kevin listened as Tony explained how he was sending the car that had killed Joyce to the wreckers. He also explained how the Doctor had put him on medication and it showed as he was acting very spaced out.

Liz turned up in her car looking for Dreary, she was desperate to talk to someone about Frazer. Dreary was not sympathetic to Liz's plight because she remembered the bad old days when Liz had been terrified of Henderson. Unfortunately Liz was now looking at Frazer through rose coloured glasses and didn't even seem to acknowledge Frazer's criminal past. To her he was the respectful businessman. At this moment Liz's priority was getting Alan off her back and she reasoned that to do that she would have a peek through Frazer's belongings and when she discovered nothing she could report back to Alan and inform him nothing was going on end of story. She would have plenty of opportunity for that as she was now moving in with him.

Fiona showed up at the Hourglass looking for Liz but unfortunately she wasn't there, her objective was to inform Liz about Alan cooling off with his intentions for her to spy on Frazer. However in her absence Frazer explained how she was moving in with him. The key point to this story was the fact that Liz had left her coat in the bar. Frazer picked up the coat and a note dropped from the pocket. It was the phone number for Alan!!

Joyce and Gary were back at the Rovers sat in quiet contemplation. The Rovers was in preparation for the arrival for baby Brad and Vera and Jack were in good spirits. Judy however was regretting her decision to have Scamper put to sleep and effectively voiced it to Sam when Gary was out of earshot. Moments later Brad was the latest to make an entrance to the Rovers. Vera was perhaps a touch tactless when she insisted Judy hold the baby but surprisingly Judy took to the task pretty well. Sam meanwhile passed on the news of Judy's upset and when they got home he surprised her by bringing Scamper in much to Judy's joy.

The night ended with Liz snooping where she shouldn't in Frazer's flat. She was going through his briefcase when Frazer crept into the room and asked in menacing tones what she thought she was doing.




Written by Adrian Carter

 

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