Adrian's updates - October 1997

Wednesday 1 October 1997
The early morning light heralded the return of Rita to the Kabin as she took the helm of her shop following her return post haste from the Lake District. She was all tales of woe as she explained to Ken and Emily how she had backed away from the deal when she had endured a week in well meaning Mavis's company. She had definitely come to the conclusion that country life was not for her even if Mavis had taken a shine to it. However it did leave some tricky scenarios to be resolved once Mavis had returned and extricated herself from the deal they had already struck with the guest house owners.

Bill was finalising plans to leave Weatherfield by the end of the week as well which included offloading the flat to Chris who was waiting in the wings to take the flat on as his own now that it was vacant. I must say I thought this was inconsistent though as I thought the plan was to turn it into storage space for the shop. Still it would give Chris a more permanent roof over his head for the time being although it would be an obvious disappointment to Sally who as we could see was getting a tad fond of having Chris around the house.

The marriage of Fred and Maureen continued to turn into marital wreckage tonight as we saw more unhappiness from Maureen and more signs of desperation from Fred who must realise by now his blushing bride feels she has made a mistake. He was on hand to offer all manner of romantic solutions to Maureen to cure the desperately unhappy scenes that were created between them. One idea included a trip to Amsterdam but Maureen again was indecisive about whether to go, there seemed only one solution for her but she seemed too scared to admit it. Maud Grimes however knew what was going on and told Maureen a quick end to the sham marriage was what was needed now.

Don Brennan drifted in and out of unconsciousness in the hospital with his guarding nurse getting bored with his rambling tales of Nicky and Brian and his stake in Betty's Hot Shot. It was all a scam though because the nurse nipped out for a crafty cigarette only to return to find Don's bed empty. Brennan had done a runner and some clothes and money were missing from the porter's office. There was an emergency on now because Don could be anywhere.

Mavis returned all smiles with the news that despite Rita's reluctance to invest in guest house in the Lakes she was pressing on with the deal alone. Rita was shocked to say the least and tried to talk her friend out of the deal more out of a sense that she would miss her old sparring partner in the Kabin than anything else. Mavis was undeterred though and it seemed the deal was almost signed between her and the original owners.

Natalie eat humble pie and backed down over the matter of taking Sally to court, she spoke to Sally face to face in the factory unit where she worked and told her she would be taking the matter no further. It would seem the weight of local opinion and her whingeing boyfriend had finally made her mind up for her. The episode ended at Bettabuys, news of Don's escape had broken in the Rovers thanks to loud mouth Martin broadcasting to all and sundry over a pint (including an angered Mike). However Alma was unaware her stalked was out and about and in the shop itself looking suspiciously like an out take from a zombie film (without the bite marks). He leered at one of Alma's promotional poster before rolling it up and slipping into his jacket and then stalking off to find his prey...

Friday 3 October 1997
The big exit night for Bill Webster was a focal point of tonight's episode as one half of the Weatherfield handy man duo prepared to leave for Germany courtesy of Graham Park's axe. Still it wasn't all Bill related there were other storylines to be had in this episode. Starting with Alma at home with Mike, she hadn't fell foul of a pasty looking Don Brennan in the previous episode as we might have thought instead she was hale and hearty and not worried about any possible Brennan related problems at all.

She even went as far as to confess her little meeting with him in the days previous, that of course fired Mike off as you might expect. He wasn't too pleased to hear his wife had been to see the man who had almost seen her drown in the murky depths of the local canal only a few months before. He intended to see to it however that Alma wouldn't come to any harm while he was around though and she would accompany him throughout the day to be on the safe side.

Maureen was still in the depths of depression following her bad life choices of late, Fred was unwittingly becoming the bane of her life and although it wasn't his fault as such she was now certain she couldn't be happy with him. Maud was a voice of support to her though and explained she had to make some tough choices in her life and be happy. It was a time to make a decision or live the rest of her life in regret thanks to her unwillingness to take a chance.

That chance would crop up sooner than Maureen dared suspect as well, Bill came into the shop to say his goodbyes and finalise things regarding the handover of the shop keys. He could see the sadness that had become inherent in Maureen and offered her the escape clause she needed. He told her to come to Germany with him, this was a no strings attached offer but she would have accommodation and he would have a job to bring some money in for them to start with. Bill concluded saying he would understand if she decided not to come but the taxi would be waiting at 8 'o' clock that night.

Mavis was still pressing on with her plans to relocate to the Lakes and begin her own little business enterprise, Of course there were many doubting types who were quick to assume she was not up to the job including Rita for one. In fact it could be said there was quite a souring of their relationship tonight as they began lobbing the odd catty remark at each other. Mavis said on more than one occasion she effectively felt she had been used somewhat during their 25 year relationship.

In the Rovers at lunchtime Fred was keen to inflict his presence on his lady wife with promises of a luxurious trip to Amsterdam. He still hadn't taken on board the fact that his wife was not in love with him and despite the obvious way it looked to us the casual viewers he was still looking at their relationship through rose coloured spectacles.

Don finally showed up still looking like death but moving around in a surprisingly able fashion for a man about to throw a seven. He turned up at the school and took Sarah Louise for lunch at the local chippy. It was something of a last visit for him before he went away on a long long journey (his words, not mine). He told Sarah he had one last thing to do before he left and it was something he was going to enjoy very much. Needless to say he told Sarah to keep their meeting a secret.

Maureen meanwhile was deliberating over her choices that had suddenly come up thanks to Bill's offer, deep down Maud could see her mind was made up but told her she had to do what she felt was right. Maureen explained how her guilt might consume her but Maud explained Fred would get over his heartbreak and she herself would manage her life quite well now she was in the old people's home.

Bill said his goodbyes to Kevin and the two parted on decent enough terms despite their recent falling out over Natalie and the fact that he had left his wife and children for a woman he absolutely hated. He explained how he would always look out for Kevin as they were indeed family and blood is thicker than water.

The night ended with Bill on the steps of the Rovers with his bags in hand and a send off from Jim and Steve McDonald. It was all somewhat tearful with others like Mike and Alma coming past to say goodbye once and for all as Bill made steps to restart his life in Europe. Bill looked around looking for signs of Maureen but there were none so he quietly got into the cab and it began to roll away across the cobbles for the last time.

....until out of the shopping waving frantically came Maureen, with nothing but her passport and a small bag with a change of clothing she peered in through the cab window and asked Bill if she could still come with him. The offer of course was still on and she got in the cab and the two drove away holding hands.

I half expected 'Love Lifts Us Up Where We Belong' as the taxi sped away, I must also say that Bill managed to put across a decent bit of acting tonight in places as well. I wonder will they ever return......

Sunday 5 October 1997
A lively little episode starting off with Don 'Walking Dead' Brennan shambling back to his old homestead in Coronation Street with the intention of dying in freedom rather than under the watchful eye of a guard in hospital. Nobody told him about the Battersby family though and before you knew it Don was being chased out of his old back yard by a screaming Les who didn't take kindly to strangers.

Maud came bearing obvious bad news for Fred tonight but she didn't take the delight in telling the burly butcher that his wife of a fortnight had run off to Germany with Bill Webster. For once it was a chance to see Fred with the wind well and truly knocked from his sails. His performance though was somewhat understated and I did to be honest expect better from him. He spent the episode trying to rationalise what had happened with Maud by his side her face set in stone.

Next up on the rolling plot line mill was Ken, sent again by Dreary to the airport on a pick up run for a Sunliners customer. Weatherfield's most boring ex teacher found himself with time to kill and decided on a look round the Tie Rack shop at the airport. Who should Ken behold there but none other than honest John the man who should by rights be in Singapore according to the story he gave Dreary over the breakfast table that morning. Ken observed John serving some customers just to be on the safe side but in the end he couldn't be clearer that John had been lying through his back teeth.

Les wanted to watch some racing on the TV but it looked like a non starter as his wife and kids were hogging the box leaving him out of luck. Gary was another source that would turn up no dividends which left his neighbours who would be out at a church fete all day leaving the house empty. Maybe a visit to Percy and Emily's would be in order....and explain the odd few missing items that Percy has been complaining about ?

Don meanwhile went to cry on Ashley's shoulder at the butcher's shop, the shop was closed but Ashley was preparing some meat for the next day when Don popped up over the counter. Ashley showed concern for his friend and listened as Don encouraged him to make a better life for himself than one in the butcher's trade. What was worrying was the fact that he was casually holding a butcher's knife as he said all this. In the end after a tirade of suicidal talk Don left asking Ashley to keep quiet about seeing him. By the way for anyone who is curious he left the knife as well. However he did leave through the back which meant he could have picked up another weapon easy enough.

Rita continued her negative slant towards Mavis's plan of departure and the air still seemed frosty between them. Rita enlisted Des freshly back from taking Sam on the canals and more than likely a few other places to try and talk her down from her lofty idea. It was no good though Mavis was dead set on leaving and nothing would stand in her way now.

After a hard day Ken and Dreary got together in the pub for a drink, Ken was testing the water and asked Dreary how serious she was about John. She confirmed his worst fears as she told him she was madly in love with the man. How was Ken supposed to avoid shattering his ex-wife's heart so brutally after she had been led astray by this charalatan.

Percy came home from the charity day to discover the TV had been messed with causing the colours to go all funny. He then discovered an empty vodka bottle down the side of the chair, this was all adding up to the viewer. Les wanting to watch TV hence the TV had been played with, the cakes in the kitchen going missing could be Les sneaking a bite to eat. The money in Percy's jar going astray is not beyond the boundaries of Les's dishonesty. Of course we can now look forward to Percy believing Mrs Bishop is the Phil Mitchell of Weatherfield without the stubble.

Ashley finished the day wanting to tell Fred about Don, however discovering the matter of Maureen doing a runner pretty much put the kibosh on that little plan. Fred would now need some time to heal the grievous wounds dealt to his heart.

Well I was well and truly hoodwinked with the Percy storyline, a thieving Battersby now explains away Percy's impending dementia and finally the truth about John is well and truly out :)

Monday 6 October 1997
A Don preoccupation was the order of the night as Brennan continued to skulk in the shadows near Baldwin's factory in the early morning light. He witnessed Mike turn up for work early to receive and order of fabric and listened as he complained about having to turn out at such an unsociable hour in the morning. What made it worse was another delivery was due just as early on Thursday.... ammunition for Don says I.

Ken meanwhile was more interested in checking out dishonest John who had been successfully knitting and pulling the wool over his ex wife's eyes for months now. He was at the Tie Shop again and this time spoke to an assistant while John was away just to confirm who this would be pilot actually was. He had all the evidence he needed to be sure his wife was involved with a wrong 'un.

Mike continued to spend his time trying to protect his wife from any potential Don related threats and instructed her to stay in crowded places such as the Rovers or the cafe with friends like Gail. This all came after Don had been sited wandering around outside her flat and after a somewhat busy afternoon which had involved lurching around the local cemetery. Don had been there to see (or perhaps spit on) the grave of his dead wife Ivy. He had bumped into Emily who was tending the grave of her beloved Ernest and the two exchanged some very strained chit chat with Don losing the plot and his temper on more than one occasion.He ranted and raved about how all the women in his life had been nothing but trouble for him during his life and then told Emily not to follow him before he limped off to cause mischief elsewhere.

Fred Elliott was another person not in the best of sorts tonight following the departure of his wife with Bill Webster to Germany. He was drowning his sorrows in red wine to dull the pain of his broken heart and even a fine meal prepared by Ashley could not tempt him from his dour and somewhat inconsolable mood.

Ken confided his findings about John in Emily whose day as we now know had already been somewhat stressful. Emily insisted the truth was better told and Dreary would thank him for his efforts in the long run as it would save her endless amounts of pain. Ken wanted to broach the subject but backed off on a number of occasions due to losing his nerve. Incidentally Percy noticed how Emily had imbued more than a couple of nerve steadying drinks throughout the day which supported his view that she was becoming a raving alcoholic. In truth all this trouble they were suffering regarding bottles being found was down to Les Battersby.....

Don finished the night by ringing the Factory of Mike Baldwin and 'rescheduling' the Thursday delivery for Wednesday night when he was sure Mike would be on the premises and probably alone. It was also considerate of him on our part as well as we would be able to watch the outcome as well :)

Wednesday 8 October 1997
A busy little episode with a couple of storylines drawing to a close, preparation was in hand for Mavis's big send off before she ventured out to the Lakes to start her new life. There was still some tension in the air bubbling under between her and Rita as they both tried to plan the party to perfection for the close circle of friends who would be attending.

Mike was still pacing up and down like a caged tiger as he sought to keep his wife Alma safe from harm as Don still stalked the streets of Weatherfield. As we know Don had arranged a bogus delivery to keep Mike near the factory at closing time. However up till that point Mike spent his time ferrying Alma to and from work till she was driven to distraction by his fussing and mithering.

Ken meanwhile was still trying to explain to Dreary how her boyfriend was little more than a compulsive liar who had been spinning her something of a yarn these past few months with tales of derring do along the commercial airways of the world. All the while he and Emily seemed to be playing something of an elaborate game with Percy to test his faculties as both accused each other behind the other one's back of drinking too much.

All the while Fred had sunk into the depths of despair and was now drinking himself witless in the home he should be sharing with Maureen. Maud got wind of this and came round to try and snap him out of his stupor but for once he showed some real fire and anger in his performance and showed himself as a man who didn't want to be helped. In this bitter incarnation I daresay he would be a match for the old battle axe and judging by appearance she did appear to be treading a little more carefully than usual.

The evening came and the factory was deserted, Mike was all alone waiting for his 'delivery', from round the side of the building Don Brennan crept wielding a blanket and a chair leg (get real). Mike was on the phone with Alma as he sneaked into the offices through the open door and before you know it this man who was in the final throes of pancreatic cancer and supposedly too weak to do any harm had thrown the blanket over Mike's head and smashed him over the noggin with a chair leg. The actual blow looked pretty shoddy and you could tell Don had pulled his punch.

Across the road at Rita's the party was underway with Rita and Mavis still on frosty terms while Dreary turned up with John still in his pilot's outfit. This of course generated a level of sarcasm from Ken but John didn't suspect that he was rumbled at all but then again why should he. As always though Ken was called on to do the speaking honours and stated how much Mavis would be missed when she went away. A present was then handed over which took the form of a framed picture. It held significance for Mavis as it was her and Rita taking in younger days by Emily's late husband Ernest (so it had to be over 20 years old as he has been dead that long). Seeing this brought to tears to both Mavis and Rita's eyes and the two hugged and made up as they prepared to say their goodbyes to each other.

Across the road Mike had gradually come round following his knock on the head only to discover he had been roped to some shelving in the factory. He lay at Don's mercy on the floor with a nasty looking cut on his head while Don hovered over him waving the chair leg menacingly. Don announced he had come looking for vengeance against his old enemy for all the wrongs he had committed in his life. He rambled on explaining how Mike was going to die a rich man as he would be the one who would kill him. Mike however still refused to bow down to Brennan even in weak position like the one he was in right now. He told Don he would never beg for forgiveness or plead for mercy but Don reckoned different.

Just at that moment a saviour was on hand as Angie returned to the office only to see her partner lying prone on the floor with Don standing over him. Without a second thought she launched herself at him using her handbag as a weapon. Don staggered back despite being previously strong enough to knock a man out and tie him up he was now too weak to resist an empty looking handbag.

While Angie struggled to free Mike, Don hobbled outside with the factory keys in a bid to make an escape. Mike followed on but the next thing he saw was Don behind the wheel of Alma's car, with the engine roaring Don let the clutch out and sped the car towards Mike in an effort to run him down. For a moment Mike was transfixed before leaping out of the way and letting Don hurtle past and straight into a wall behind the factory.

For a moment there was silence with Don slumped back in the driver's seat but suddenly the car burst into flames and within seconds it was consumed by fire..

Don did a helluva lot for a dying man and did the car need to explode like that, I thought I was watching something tacky and American ;)

Friday 10 October 1997
Tonight's slice of Street life saw the charred remains of Alma's car being towed out of Coronation Street taking with it the last vestiges of Don Brennan's legacy. A smattering of people including Ken and Emily stood and reflected upon how once Don had once been a decent man and a good neighbour. Somewhere along the way however things had just gone astray for him.

It was also a time for Fred to come out of his self imposed shell and face the world again as he nursed his battered pride following Maureen's departure. As ever he sparred with Maud over the counter although they did share a common loss now Maureen had left their lives. Fred ever the proud concocted a story for the local folk of how he and Maureen had parted by mutual consent when they realised that their marriage was an ill match. Maud agreed that if that's the story he wanted people to learn then that is what she would stick to as well if people asked.

Mavis was preparing to leave the Street for the last time as she prepared for her new life in the Lake District her last hours in Weatherfield were spent in the shop with Rita and when the time came it was something of a tearful farewell as a gathering of her closest friends ushered her into the taxi which would spirit her away to pastures new. It was all a bit much for Rita and the news was hitting her harder than she would let on but the viewer could see as she bit her lip and choked back tears that she would feel more than a little lost without her best friend.

Ken was still deliberating over what to do about John and the fact he was lying to Dreary about his life in general. He was almost convincing himself that Dreary might be better off ignorant to the fact that she was living with a habitual liar. However Emily explained that he would be doing Dreary a favour in the long run by giving her the truth and freeing her from John's web of lies. Ken was going to have to bit the bullet and do the right thing.

Percy appeared to be having another one of his little memory loss episodes when he entered the Rovers proclaiming that Emily had pinned his medals to his pyjamas. Emily was in complete denial about the incident and this merely convinced she was spending her time with a man who was slowly losing his grip on his mental faculties. I think however it was the work of Les Battersby myself the nefarious next door neighbour with a penchant for wanting to watch other people's televisions.

Ken finally went to see Dreary about what he knew about John, it was tough for him to tell her what he had seen. He explained how he had seen John selling ties at the airport and to confirm his suspicions had spoke to an assistant a week later to confirm his sighting. Dreary was locked into a state of disbelief over what Ken was saying and refused to take the news in. She reckoned Ken was mistaken with story and she tried to cling to the belief that it could be someone who looked like John or could even be a relative of his. Nothing Ken said seemed to make her believe him so he left.

In the end however Dreary was overcome by her own curiosity and went to the airport and lo and behold there was John large as life and selling ties to the public. Dreary was understandably hurt and annoyed and told him she wanted nothing more to do with him before walking away from the airport in tears thanks to John's betrayal.

I thought John's discovery was a bit weak, I wanted Dreary to belt him one in the mouth or react a little bit more animated when she discovered what had been happening to her.

Sunday 12 October 1997
Sunday A night of explanations for John the tie salesman as he stood outside Dreary's flat in an effort to speak to her, it looked like all his efforts might be in vain as the door to her place remained firmly shut. There was some more mischief at work in the Battersby household tonight as well as Les reported strange occurrences going on in the house while he had been alone in the house.

Speaking of Battersby's Leanne tried to get a job in the Kabin now Rita was advertising for a replacement. It was no good though because Rita would rather have employed her worst enemy than the thoroughly obnoxious girl stood before her. It would seem Leanne was going to have look elsewhere for her employment prop sects in Weathefield.

John finally gained access to Dreary's flat as she let him in to give him perhaps a chance to speak up and explain who and what he really was. Now this bit was difficult, was this the truth or merely lies within lies (personally I would go for the latter) but here goes.

John explained that in truth he was actually a qualified airline pilot however about a year ago he had failed his annual medical on account of an inner ear problem that would leave him apparently unable to fly. He took a job in retail management because he couldn't bear a ground staff job in an airport on account of how much it would hurt him to be so near to the job he loved but could no longer do.

He continued by claiming he had lied to Dreary because he never expected the night they met to ever develop into anything more than a series of casual dates. John then claimed that he had tried to come clean to Dreary about his real life but couldn't because he felt she loved him partially for his job as much as for who he was as a person.

Fred was still at home feeling sorry for himself even though he was supposed to be opening the shop on Coronation Street for Maud. He was still nursing that bruised pride of his when Maud came round to see him to explain she had been sent a letter from Maureen. The letter asked Maud to put the shop on the market as soon as possible and let Fred have the first refusal on it. Fred was incensed that he had no further mention in the letter and vehemently declared he wanted nothing more to do with Maureen or her shop for that matter.

Emily and Percy were being cautious within their home as the "strange occurrences" kept happening in the Street. Percy religiously checked the TV before going out as over the last few weeks the colour and picture quality had been altered mysteriously by the time they got home by some mystery force they couldn't understand.

Emily went round to Ken's house to consult him on the matter of Percy's behaviour and the prospect that they may in fact have intruders. She sat down on Ken's settee and noticed something pushed down behind the cushions. Much to her horror it was a pornographic magazine and the mere site of it was enough to send Emily into shock. She quickly made her excuses and left the house heading for the Rovers for a stiff drink and a sit down.

Ken noticed how quickly she left and under such odd circumstances and then noticed the magazine, he had no knowledge of it or where it had come from and quickly rushed after Emily to clear the matter up. There was something of an assembly of householders in the Street all comparing odd happenings going on in there houses. Percy and Emily had experienced strange happenings for weeks while Ken as we had just discovered found a porno magazine down his sofa. Les's wife recounted the strange happenings with her husband's record collection.

Audrey took the opportunity to blame the spirits of Ivy and Don Brennan, even though the spirit of Ivy had been "exorcised" years before. She claimed however Don could be haunting the house on account of his violent death only days earlier. This was enough to put the frighteners up some of the more sensitive souls in the Street anyway.

There was however an explanation to how all this skullduggery was going on and it all boiled down to Les and his usual brand of mischief. He had discovered that in all old terraced houses like those on Coronation Street they had a shared loft space. Thus he could climb into his own loft and crawl along into the roof space of any house he wanted in the Street. As a result of this knowledge he had been creeping into different houses and making mischief while the occupants had been out. However for now Les turned up in the Rovers claiming he had been a victim of some more supernatural goings on and upon awakening from a little nap on the settee had found an empty vodka bottle stuffed in his shoe.

Over at Dreary's house John was still wittering on about his "true" life and the reasons behind his lies, he seemed to be working Dreary's ticket good and proper and although she wasn't yet convinced he seemed to be slowly winning her over. He was now on to explaining where he was when he wasn't home or at Dreary's place, he explained that he was at other branches in other parts of the country checking on stock and the likes.

He then made a move to leave saying that he didn't expect Dreary to forgive him for the terrible tissue of lies he had built around their lives. As he walked out of the door Dreary burst into tears.

That John sure can think on his feet can't he, I am 95% confident that his new story about him being an ex pilot is just as much bullsh*t as his previous version of events. However this new version could be harder to prove. Apart from that storyline it was all coasting stuff...

Monday 13 October 1997
This ghost fiasco storyline soldiered on with Les Battersby managing to scare his wife half to death with his spooky antics tonight. He was loving every minute of it as the neighbours and his own family got sucked into believing his pranks had an element of the supernatural to them. Leanne was the only one who wasn't taking the matter seriously and she took every opportunity to make fun of her mother Janice and sister Toyah.

Dreary meanwhile poured her heart out to Ken about what a fool she had been over John and recounted what he himself had told her the day before. Dreary was really down in the dumps and Ken essentially invited himself round for a meal that night to cheer her up and get her back on form.

Fred was getting more and more bitter as regards Maud and all her family and what they stood for her, despite Ashley wanting to help the old dear in the shop Fred demanded he stay away and leave them to their own devices. He was alas still wrapped up in his own misery and dragging him out of it would be a task and a half.

Percy was now doing door to door enquiries about the strange occurrences and was asking if anyone had seen anything untoward in the last few weeks. Les agitated the scenario by breaking one of Janice's mirrors in the house making her even more scared. Meanwhile Leanne wound Toyah by helping her with a seance but making fun of her spiritual efforts by spelling T.O.Y.A.H I.S F.A.T with an ouija board.

Judy Mallett found herself stepping into Mavis's shoes in the Kabin to help Rita out now she was on her own in the shop. Judy agreed to work there especially due to the fact that Katy would be allowed in the back of the shop so Judy could keep an eye out for her. Speaking of Mallett's Gary was finding the accusatory stares from people who saw him as a dirty love cheat hard to take. It was tough living a lie like that when you hadn't done anything wrong in the first place to justify it.

Speaking of lies, Dreary went to see John and lo and behold she wanted to have him back, of course Mr SupereffectiveBulls*itter played his part to perfection and told Dreary there would be no more lies from him because there was apparently nothing more to lie about. Talk about being seen coming eh Dreary.

Wednesday 15 October 1997
It was onwards and upwards for the ghost saga of the Street but for Les guilt was starting to play on the edges of his mind. I thought for a moment he was going to own up to being the prankster of Weatherfield and come clean about his little paranormal japes. However an argument with Janice soon put paid to that little idea and thanks to his bad temper he decided to make matters even worse for his wife and the neighbours.

John the tie selling ex pilot had got his feet back under the table with Dreary that they could have been wedged in concrete for all we knew. He was all apologies and penance for his sins of lying to his lady love and she believed every word of it. I must admit though I was sat wondering myself whether he was lying or not. Anyway Dreary's main concern was now concocting a story to keep the gossip at bay now John was going to be forced to tell the truth about his life as an ex pilot (or whatever).

Mike had fixed up a meeting for Angie so she could hopefully clinch a big deal for their Underworld company. Mike had the confidence in her to let her attend the meeting alone and get them set up with a nice juicy deal. It was a sign their partnership was maturing and they were finally getting on an even keel.

In the shop Judy was settling into Mavis's shoes but I did seem to think she looked out of place somehow. The shop always seemed to be there for older characters to work in not the bright twentysomethings. Judy then got round to explaining about Katy and Gary's "fling" with Zoe. Despite the fact that on paper it all added up Rita seemed at odds with the story and looked almost a shade disbelieving.

Janice returned home from work only to nearly pass out from shock to discover a pillow at the bottom of the stairs ripped to shreds with feathers all over the place. She screamed and the neighbours came running leading her away from the strange scene looking very shocked. Toyah took it upon herself to recruit Roy "Spooky" Cropper as chief Ghostbuster and come and offer some advice on the matter objectively of course.

It was Don's funeral tonight and it was a pretty poor send off for Weatherfield's favourite one legged maniac. Gail and Martin were accompanied by Ashley and they followed the coffin to it's final resting place. However before the burial could take place a floppy haired stranger came sprinting out of nowhere. Who could it be because I couldn't recognise him ?. It was none other than Nicky Platt Version 2.0 back from Canada with a new actor taking on the role.

Back in the Street, Dreary had implored Ken to back her and John with their little fabrication of the truth. Ken however reckoned being with John was madness and reckoned he couldn't keep up their lies for them. Besides he confessed Emily was already aware that John was not as honest as the day was long.

Angie ended the night on dodgy ground, her business meeting was going O.K until the client turned out to be a bit of a pervert who after looking at the merchandise wanted Angie to do an impromptu modelling session. I thought Angie would leap up and batter him on the head for such a remark but she showed restraint and appeared to do nothing. I hope to God she doesn't do anything stupid as it would be so out of character.

I must say I am warming to Janice, she is somehow likeable in an unusual sort of way with that daft squeaky voice. In fact the Battersby's as a whole have sort of improved, Les still needs work but his little schemes against the oldies are watchable now. Toyah seems to have formed some form of rapport with Roy and is no longer a complete out and out bitch that she was. Leanne still needs work though but there is room for improvement.

This new improved Nick (not) has less acting ability than the old one if that were indeed possible. He seemed downright embarrassed in front of the camera and showed no potential whatsoever and every line he uttered began with "erm...".

John was good though in a "is he lying or not " kind of way, I want to see this storyline develop.

Friday 17 October 1997
Leanne Battersby started the day by getting well and truly stitched up by her sister Toyah. As she sat over the breakfast table munching toast she waxed lyrical about how she had been dancing the night away with hunky Chris the mechanic from across the road. However Toyah and we all knew Chris had changed his plans and hadn't gone to the club he was supposed to be going to the night before. Thus with egg on her face Toyah was forced to tell the truth about how she hadn't been clubbing with the man of her dreams. Les was not happy and vowed that any man who messed his daughter about would be on the receiving end of some verbal from him and no mistake.

Nicky 2 was settling back into the mundane lifestyle of Weatherfield and preparing to continue his education. A year in Canada had bred an ambition to be a P.E teacher within him and he was all set to apply to college to see how he would go about doing just that. Everyone he encountered was amazed at the difference in the boy and i'm talking about the attitude here not the new on head on new shoulders that we have seen but the Street has missed :)

Speaking of Nicky, Leanne quickly forgot about Chris when she saw this year's model walking down the Street their eyes met across the cobbles and he fixed her with that boyish if slightly stupid grin.

Angie was still smarting from the indecent proposal of her potential client the night before. The deal was still on because Angie had kept her head and not knocked his off. However it irked her that she had to endure such humiliation from the oily friend of Mike's and this in turn led to friction between her and Chris. Speaking of Chris he was drinking in the Rovers when Les came up to him getting all heavy about how Leanne had been stood up by him the night before. Les quickly realised he was out of his depth when a dumbfounded Chris grabbed him by the jacket and looked ready to stick a punch on him. Les turned the situation to his advantage as always and started talking about cars in the hope of changing the subject quickly.

John went to see Ken and used his charm to "preserve Dreary's dignity" in essence he got Ken to collaborate on the cover up story about John's piloting career. John to his credit spun a good yarn about losing the job meant losing his pride and so on. Ken begrudged lying for John but did so for Dreary's sake in turn lied to Emily to complete the story.

Speaking of Emily, her house was the victim of more ghostly pranks in the form of Les coming in through the loft and turning off Emily's water. He then later called round asking if he could borrow a bucket of water as his was mysteriously off and then proceeded to act surprised when the tap ran dry. He quickly "checked" the main supply tap which he had adjusted and told Emily it was fine. He reckoned he would arrange for a plumber friend to call and help her out when his own water was turned back on. He turned Emily's water back on when she was out again later that afternoon.

Roy was quickly called in to act as chief ghostbuster again and this time came armed with some tools of paranormal trade which included a box of sand which he would leave on the floor. He reckoned a paranormal influence would leave some form of pattern in the sand which would a human would be unable to replicate. When everyone was at the pub later that evening Les sneaked in again and used a portable fan to blow some very "crop circle" type patterns in the sand. A moment I thought was priceless.

Angie and Chris were all but over as an item, the truth of the matter was there was no true commitment between them and their relationship was heading nowhere. It was a painful moment for both of them but Angie reckoned the best thing for them to do would be to split up. Chris didn't put up much of a fight and more or less agreed to go straight away. It would seem no matter how well they got on there was nothing below surface level to keep them together. As ever Curly was on hand as the shoulder to cry on.

Dreary thanked Ken for being supportive but Ken reiterated his earlier point about only lying for her sake and he told Dreary he hoped John was worth all the dishonesty.

The Battersby ghost story is actually amusing at the moment for some strange reason, this sort of thing rarely appeals to me.

As for Nicky I sat back and thought about giving him a second chance but after watching him tonight I still think he is absolutely crap. Why does he keep smiling with every passing sentence are the introductory wages that good ?

Sunday 19 October 1997
Emily's birthday was the cause of some celebration tonight with a party of a few friends being invited round to celebrate the event. Needless to say Percy was on hand to prepare some sausage rolls for the occasion although to be honest relations between him and Emily were still somewhat strained.

The ghost shenanigans were still going on and Ken was showing all those concerned the mysterious 'crop circles' in the sand trays he had discovered the night before. Roy was now convinced of paranormal activity and was keen to discuss ways of finding out more about these weird happenings. Ken however remained sceptical about the incidents but was at a loss to describe what could be really causing the strangeness.

Nicky 2, Weatherfield's resident grinning idiot was out and about tonight and talking to the dreaded Leanne Battersby. In conversation she seemed pleasant enough and Nicky was obviously on the look out for a bit of rough as the two of them arranged to meet that night at 6:30. That was obviously something Gail was going to dislike intensely considering her objection to anything Battersby related.

Angie and Chris were circulating the story of their relationship and it's quick clean death, Angie drowned her sorrows in the Rovers while Chris complimented an interested Sally on her new hairstyle. It won't be long before Chris is invited round for supper methinks and why not says I.

Percy's mood was still troubled and Maud could see that because Percy was talking about moving into Mayfield Courts. He was quizzing Maud about the benefits of living in the sheltered housing scheme and she explained how he would be living like a king for the price of his rent. Percy reflected on this and reckoned a decision would be out of him before too long.

Dreary and John prepared to go public with John's little revised story about losing his pilot job. Liz was present as the two of them poured out their little scripted performance for the benefit of those around them. John recounted his tale of a failed medical and how he would never fly again, we then discovered a friend had set him up for work in a tie shop travelling at times from branch to branch checking stock and the like. Ken of course was covering for them but the lying was getting to him and he never missed an opportunity to stick the needle in where he could.

Leanne called for Nicky and the two of them went out for the evening, as you would expect Gail went mental at the prospect of Nicky going out with something beneath her social level. Martin meanwhile took it all in his stride and reckoned it was just a case of boy meets girl and reckoned Gail would do well to just get over it.

Emily's birthday party went well with the exception of Percy sitting in the corner all maudlin and despondent, Emily appeared to be having a go at him regarding the amount of sausage rolls he had made for the event. Maud of course sided with Percy and reckoned he would be better off in Mayfield Court away from the unappreciative Emily Bishop. At the end of the night Percy announced his intention to leave and blatantly accused Emily of drinking too much and being responsible for all the strange happenings in the house while in a drunken stupor. Of course this threw a wedge between them immediately and Emily told Percy she would be glad if he went sooner rather than later.

Monday 20 October 1997
A very very sharp episode tonight starting with the departure of Percy Sugden who was leaving for Mayfield Courts now his relationship with his landlady Emily Bishop had deteriorated. With his bags packed he gave warning to Emily that moderation on the booze might be a good idea at her time of life and then with no more than a bye your leave Percy was out of the Street for good we presume although it would seem a door is wide open for his return. After all if Maud can trundle into the Street from Mayfield Court the old soldier can definitely do the same.

Nicky2 meanwhile was setting up his new life now he was back in Weatherfield, his desire to inflict punishment on school children not that much younger than himself was manifesting itself in his desire to be a P.E teacher. He wandered along to the local TEC and enrolled on the course and more or less started there and then. Leanne Battersby who had taken something of a fancy to him in recent days was along on the pretence that she was interested in pursuing a career in hairdressing.

Before long though she was bored and was trying to lure studious Nicky2 away from his classes so they could skive around town. Nicky2 was having none of it though and armed with that devil may care grin he sat down to hit the books. Leanne sloped off in a huff but later came back to apologise for her bad temper, her timing was impeccable though. She relayed her apology through a teacher and said she would see him that night so they could go out.

Angie's mood was downright bloody awful from start to finish tonight, her breakup with Chris had left her the most grumpy person on the planet and it wasn't helped by Des and Sam going gooey eyed over each other at the breakfast table. Her day got worse when Mike told her to wine and dine the creepy bloke who had been wanting to play touchy touchy feely feely at their last meeting.

Ken was delighting in his role as chief bulls*itter for Dreary and John, he took great pleasure in letting off barbed little digs at Dreary while in the presence of Emily who was unaware of what had really transpired between the three of them. John meanwhile was in...ahem...Birmingham tonight having a meeting with a manager of another branch of the tie shop.

Chris meanwhile was going round to Sally's place to cheer her up with a bottle of wine, she put the kids to bed and there was some chit chat between then....WHAM! Chris looked at Sally and Sally looked at Chris and there was some serious chemistry going on. Gail walked in at that moment and Chris made his excuses and left without having any wine. Great potential between the two of them there if you ask me..

Angie meanwhile was drunk, she took the opportunity to bother Curly for a while before heading back home to announce to Des that she was leaving his place and moving into Curly's .This meant Sam would have to move into Des's to complete the equation. It wasn't a move that Sam had counted on but at the end of the day she was faced with little choice, Des it has to be said was more than a touch happy about the arrangement and saluted Angie for her creative if somewhat inebriated thinking.

John rang Dreary from Birmingham at a pay phone to tell her about his day.....it was a pay phone with floral wallpaper and a picture hung inside it. As John put the phone down you couldn't help but notice this pay phone was a touch larger than the normal sized type with a couple of other rooms and surprise surprise a ready made wife sat in it.

Yes it was the grand unveiling and we saw the flip side of John's false life, this man has more front than Blackpool as he spoke with his wife about work and played with a child's toy indicating he had kids as well!

Wednesday 22 October 1997
Young Nicky2 and Leanne were getting closer and closer much to the annoyance Gail. The two seemed to be spending as much time together as humanly possible as their respective college courses progressed. Even as the day started the two of them walked arm in arm to the campus together.

Meanwhile John Lindsay, International Man Of Mystery was also with a woman who was definitely not Dreary. In fact as revealed last episode she had more the trappings of a wife. John kissed her goodbye and set off for work which was apparently going to be a long haul job in Birmingham which would keep him away for some time. The wife wished he would stick with an office job to which John just smiled and wished well for the kids before spiriting away to Weatherfield...Double life ahoy!

Angie was left with a head full of regret as she nursed a hangover at Curly's the day after her little bender. She fully regretted house swapping with Sam and was well and truly stuck now that Des was refusing to swap back. In fact Des was happy dishing out the champagne breakfast to Sam as they celebrated their first day together in her new home.

Judy was becoming more of a liability than anything else as she nursed Katy seemingly non stop in the Kabin, Customers went unserved and Rita was stretched to the limit as Katy needed burping, changing, feeding, playing with etc etc. Rita might as well be on her own behind the counter but as always she was too kind hearted to voice her very real opinions on how things were working out.

After college Nicky2 and Leanne went back to the Battersby household. He was nervous about doing the old meet and greet routine with her parents but was soon made to feel welcome. Even Les was cordial and offered the boy a beer. Before long Leanne had took Nicky up to her room for a bit of privacy.

Meanwhile Gail was having kittens, how could her son fraternise with such a hussy. Her feelings of dislike were compounded by Toyah claiming that Leanne was in love with Nicky which fired Gail up no end. Still as a distraction Sally had dumped her kids on Gail as she was going out for a drink that night apparently.

Where Sally was going was over to the garage all dressed up to kill....well rather to stun actually if we are going to be honest. She had her eyes set on Chris and was set to ask him out for a drink, Chris declined having a prior engagement and Sally deflated quicker than a week old party balloon. She went home sad and angry at herself for being in her own words stupid.

Nicky2 meanwhile got a visit from Martin asking when he was coming home from the Battersby house. Martin of course was spying for Gail and Nicky knew this. He told Martin he would be back when he was good and ready and not before. This left Martin to go home and face the wife with news that Nicky had found his independence in the bedroom of Leanne Battersby.

Friday 24 October 1997
Frosty moods all round at the Platt breakfast table thanks to Nicky2 and his budding relationship with Leanne Battersby. Gail still disapproved of any fraternisation between the two of them and was quick to ask what they had been up to the previous night. Martin quickly covered for his stepson and mentioned he had seen him watching a film with Leanne over the road.

Angie was about to have something of a bad day thanks partially to the machinations of Mike Baldwin. Once again the creepy buyer George turned up wishing to finalise the deal with their company by taking Angie out for lunch. Mike volunteered Angie for the job although she was clearly unhappy with the prospect of spending the afternoon with George and voiced her opinion to Mike under her breath.

The Kabin was once being run as a one man band by Rita as Judy was once again cooing over baby Katy in the back of the shop. It was a source of annoyance to Rita as the shop quickly became cluttered with potential customers going all gooey eyed over the baby and not buying anything. All this was happening and Judy was under the mistaken belief that Rita might want to offer her some more hours work.

Alas nothing could be further from the truth and when Gary broached the subject with Rita the truth about how the job was going came out into the open. Rita effectively wanted Judy to finish at the Kabin as thanks to Katy's continued presence things were not working out at all. Gary was stunned as he had thought everything in the garden was rosy but he had to concede to Rita's wishes.

In the Rovers, John mentioned to Dreary his job prospects were looking decidedly better and he could be up for a promotion in the near future with a top job in the company. Dreary looked a tad suspect at her bloke as if to say she thought he could be lying but John picked up on this and after looking a touch hurt Dreary went back to believing any lie that he could dish out.

Over lunch with George things began taking a turn for the worse regarding the contract. George made it clear if the contract was to go ahead there would have to be a few extras included for his benefit. In essence he meant that Angie would be spending some business weekends away with him every now and then. This was something Angie was not up for and she told George straight how she felt about him. In no nonsense terms she told him where he could stick his contract and the deal was immediately off as was a shell shocked Angie.

More ghostly happenings were going on in the household of Emily Bishop. The happenings had a distinct Les Battersby flavour though as he was sat in the chair watching the TV and smoking a cigarette. This time though he nearly got caught as Emily came home unexpected in the afternoon. She sensed someone was in her house probably through the smell of cigarette smoke and quickly dashed outside in panic.

Les bolted upstairs and quickly shimmied through into the loft and made good his escape. Janice happened by and found Emily dithering on the doorstep and immediately summoned Les to help. Les jumped down through his own loft space and immediately pounded downstairs wishing to help apprehend this mystery "guest" in Emily's house however as we all know nobody was to be found.

Angie commiserated in the pub over losing the deal and when Mike found out she got a chewing out over her somewhat "weak" behaviour. The usually tough and independent Miss Freeman was rapidly feeling a touch out of her depth in this particular corner of the business world working alongside the dinosaur like types of Mike Baldwin who if anything didn't see George as much of a threat.

Sally went out for five minutes to collect some dry cleaning leaving the house in the care of her two young children. She returned to find she had lost her keys and called upon Chris to help her get back indoors. When the girls saw Sally locked outside they viewed it as a game and wouldn't play ball and let her back in the house. Chris was left with little option but to kick the door in which he did with one swift boot making me wonder just how secure Sally's home actually was.

Chris stayed and fixed the door and after the kids had gone to bed Sally broke down and told Chris she was having difficulty coping on her own. Chris as always mopped away her tears and told her everything would be alright and the two gazed into each other's eyes.

Sally then told Chris in something of a sultry tone that she didn't want to be alone tonight and she wanted him to stay with her. That old chemistry was there again and this time neither did anything to hold back as they kissed. It was all a touch tentative at first but then the two of them seemed to lose their inhibitions and the kissing became definitely more full blooded.

Sunday 26 October 1997
The early morning saw Chris sneaking downstairs with a giggling Sally close behind him their little night of passion had gone on longer than they expected and it was time for Chris to get moving before the kids noticed his presence. Sally truly looked like the cat that had got the cream.

Les accused Curly of being the mystery ghost presence in the Street. He told Emily to have a word with him just to put her own mind at rest. Against her better judgement Emily spoke to Curly and asked him if he was the intruder as he had once owned a key for the house when he lodged there. Curly was in fact very offended at the suggestion and the day started for Emily with a real upset.

Mike was wheeling and dealing trying to save the contract with Dixon that Angie had walked out of midway through the other day. Mike was lying his backside off in an attempt to resurrect the deal and was saying that Angie was very upset about her over reaction to the situation the other day. On Angie's behalf he arranged another lunch meeting for them that day. When Angie found out about this though she told him that he would be the one to go to lunch with George as she wasn't going anywhere near.

Nicky2 and Leanne put their heads together to throw the pressuring Platts off their backs. For the time being they would let everyone around them know they had split up and were seeing nothing of each other while in secret they were going out together on the sly.

Kevin turned up to take his children to the seaside for the day, he was unaware of what had gone off between his estranged wife and his co-mechanic. I doubt either of them would be in any rush to tell him either as I daresay it would make Chris's working relationship unbearable.

Les had a close call tonight whilst once again taking advantage of Emily's TV set. He was watching the racing and was just celebrating a big win on the horses when the front door lock clicked. Emily was coming in through the door and she had Rita with her. Les ducked under the table and was forced to sit tight and hide while Rita kicked off her shoes and sat with her feet mere inches from his face. Les had to listen as polite conversation turned into something of a mauling of his family. It got worse because Curly turned up which made Les's little table exile even longer.

He eventually escaped when everyone left and Emily went to wash the pots, ducking upstairs he was away across the loft space quicker than Spider Man. However he left an accidental calling card on the carpet in Emily's living room which I think will be his undoing. The evidence was a betting slip and I reckon Des will be the one to identify it.

John Lindsay seemed to be getting something of a big mouth on him tonight as he bragged to Alec and Dreary about his new job and their prospects of getting a house together to the tune of £100,000 near Chester. It seemed the latter comment was placed simply to make tongues wag. Dreary however seemed a bit wary of her own boyfriend and his stories although for his benefit she appeared to believe (and be pleased) with what he was saying.

Mike endured a painful lunch with Dixon as he tried to make amends for what he viewed was Angie's little faux pas the other day. Whether the contract was salvaged is a mystery but what was clear was Angie's disenchantment with Underworld and the way she felt she was being treated in the business partnership. Curly backed her up when she told Mike she was quitting the partnership. This made Mike nervous and he told her to think about what she was doing after all a business without a designer could be bad news.

Sally and Gail went out for a drink at the Rovers. Sally was a touch under the weather at first because Chris appeared to be blanking her. However when she rolled home at the end of the evening to her empty house Chris was waiting for her. He asked if there was a cup of tea in the offing but was turned down immediately by Sally, he seemed hurt that what they had shared together on that one night was perhaps all their was to be to their relationship. Chris's hurt turned to anger and he told Sally not to ask favours of him again.

Monday 27 October 1997
The night began and spend a good deal of it's time being preoccupied with Les and his betting slip. As we know he had a big win on the horses and intended to use the day as an opportunity to claim his cash winnings. However Janice had decided to wash his trousers leading to an almighty panic as Les put a crowbar to the washer in an effort to retrieve his ticket.

One damaged washer later and Les discovered the ticket he was looking for was not the one in his pocket, he must have lost it somewhere else namely in Emily Bishop's the other day when he was hiding under the table. His mission now was to try and sneak back in and find his lost ticket before Emily got rid of it. Things looked promising to start with as Les conned his way into the house on the premise of wanting to look at her carpet as Janice had apparently (not) took a fancy to the design. Les scoured the floor with his eyes and just as he spotted his crumpled ticket on the floor Emily picked it up thinking it was nothing more than a bit of paper that had been discarded. Much to Les's dismay she threw it in the bin and that was the end of that for the ticket.

...Except Les wasn't going to give up easily he tried to get Emily to give up her household refuse by telling her he was trying to invent an engine that ran on household rubbish. This ploy failed as well and it looked like Les might never get his ticket back. Needless to say his name was mud with Janice as a result of his blunder.

Mike managed to woo Angie back into the fold at Underworld with a bit of sweet talking about the contract he had just signed with George Dixon the lecherous buyer. He told Angie it was her designs that had won the contract back from the brink of disaster. Angie elected to stay but on a basis of learning as much as possible from Mike before striking out on her own. It was a case of mutual need that was now keeping them together as a working partnership.

Leanne was getting ready to take her secret relationship with Nicky2 that little bit further. Nicky2 was all bluster and bravado when Leanne broached the subject of sex and claimed he had "loads of experience" when Leanne said much the same I didn't have such a hard time believing her.

Liz was depressed as her she careered towards her 40th birthday, her view was that life was about to grind to a halt when she hit this milestone mark. Dreary was no help to her either as she was wrapped up in lying John who was encouraging her to look at very expensive houses for them to set up home in. She didn't say too much when John was mysteriously called away "down south" as part of his job once again.

Sally confided in Gail about her fling with Chris and told her how up in the air everything was at the moment. Gail was happy that her friend had found a bit of happiness with Chris and advised her to pursue the lad if he was interested. Sally proclaimed she would snare him in the Rovers that night so they could have a proper chat about what had happened. However it was not to be as Chris had gone to help Angie view a flat on a completely innocent basis of course. Sally of course read the situation wrong and came down in her mood like a rock.

Les saw Emily drinking in the Rovers and saw this as an opportunity to get his lost ticket from her bin. Rushing home he sneaked up into the loft not realising that Leanne and Nicky2 had prepared that night as the night when they would decide to get intimate.

Les sneaked across the loft space and into Emily's place. Once inside he rooted through the kitchen and found his ticket. It was just in time as well because the door was opening to Emily's door leaving Les precious seconds before he could make good his escape. Ken had accompanied Emily home and bolted upstairs realising someone was moving through the loft space and gave chase. Les was too quick however and was out of sight before Ken could catch him. Ken however continued his chase regardless but missed his footing and crashed down through the roof landing on the bed of Leanne Battersby where she was in a clinch with a shirtless Nicky2.

Les strolled through the door with a smile on his face acting like nothing had happened and told Ken he had some explaining to do considering his ceiling had just caved in.....

Wednesday 29 October 1997
The night started with Les more or less dropping the truth about the mysterious goings on in Janice's lap. She effectively tricked her dimwitted hubby into confessing he was the culprit who had been sending the residents round the bend down Coronation Street all these past weeks. Of course when loyalty boiled down she would side with Les and to the world outside Ken would still be the culprit who had dropped into Leanne's bedroom.

Ken of course was a touch incensed that he was getting the blame especially as he was being painted as some sort of voyeur into watching Leanne and Nicky2 get it on in the bedroom. However Emily was of the opinion now the whole matter had reached an explosive conclusion it might be better to leave sleeping dogs lie. Ken was inclined to agree...anything for a quiet life.

Natalie and Kevin were fooling around in the workshop and the horseplay was getting on Chris's nerves. He was very defensive of Sally and took offence when Kevin reckoned she would never have the gumption to get up and go out and meet someone else and start her life anew. It wasn't as though he was finding life that easy either as Natalie was proving to be a bit of a party animal and poor Kevin just wanted his pipe and slippers regime. Still you can't always have your cake and eat it can you.

Speaking of Chris he collared Sally and the two of them had time for a brief chat he smouldered away in front of her for awhile and then asked Sally if she fancied going out again as he had enjoyed their previous night together so much. Sally looked overjoyed at the prospect and I must admit to enjoying the prospect of arrogant dolt Kevin squirming as his estranged wife got her act together.

Dodgy John was and about looking at a house that had been dragged straight from "Through The Keyhole" .The property they viewed was gorgeous and incredibly expensive. They were given the guided tour by Steve's ex girlfriend Rachel and Dreary fell in love with the house almost immediately. Compared to her current surroundings it was beyond belief with en suite this and that and large garden all situated in a swanky area. The hard figures of reality looked like they might make it a bit out of their price range though. However John bit the bullet and decided they should go for the house and to hell with the expense. How far is this man prepared to go to lead his double life ?

Leanne and Nicky2's secret love life was spilled out by mouthy Toyah in the cafe. Gail went ballistic with Martin later that night and claimed her beloved son should be saved from himself before doing anything as stupid as sleeping with a Battersby. Martin was of the opinion that boys will be boys and that was that and nothing they could do would stop the hormonally rampant teenagers from copping off together if they so desired.

Jim invited Liz round for a meal to cheer her up as she was enduring a blunt spot in her life. She was fearing hitting the big 40 and Jim was there to bolster her spirits. They talked over the old times and how their kids had changed in the last few years. Jim got a bit pensive when the subject turned to Fiona but nothing was said between them about the subject. Liz then proceeded to mention how attractive Jim was looking of late and how much he had changed in recent times. She seemed to be emotionally clinging to the man though more out of a fear of being alone in life. The night ended for them going into something of a big snog (complete with totally overpowering music in the background) however when the kiss ended and they hugged each other Jim looked totally cheesed off. It was akin to a man winning a second prize in a competition and getting something he never wanted anyway.

Friday 31 October 1997
The night was something of an eventful one especially as the somewhat unsettled mood between the Battersbys and the Platts began to get a touch heated to say the least. Gail had made her point perfectly clear about the family across the road. She wanted her precious Nicky2 to have nothing to do with them at any cost, her main fear was the possibility of Leanne falling pregnant by him and effectively throwing away the best years of his life.

Gail decided to air her views in front of Les and Janice, so she took her haughty manner across to the Battersby household and began shouting the odds at them. You would have thought Gail was royalty talking to the peasants the way she went off. She was effectively calling Leanne the local slapper and Janice and Les rightfully in my opinion didn't take kindly to this and tempers began getting frayed. In fact at one stage I thought that Janice or Les for that matter would punch Gail in the mouth.

John the liar and Dreary began planning their new life in their new home together. They would put in an offer for the house the very next day and hopefully find themselves living in the lap of luxury shortly after that. However there was a slight problem that John had with this situation. He wanted to be the man to keep Dreary supported financially and according to him he would be able to do that within a few months. However for now his money was tied up in some bonds and as a result he needed some financial assistance with the deposit for the house on a "temporary basis".

Dreary as trusting and stupid as ever decided she would make use of the money Samir had left her as part of his insurance policy. It would cover the £5000 necessary to secure a deposit and John did insist after all it was simply a loan and nothing more. Anyway the upshot of all this led to the two of them making an offer on the house and surprise surprise the offer was accepted. John took his little scam that bit further tonight.

Liz seemed to be making herself very comfortable in the McDonald household. She was spending more and more time their and as much as anything else was making decisive noises that she would like to get back with Jim. It must be said however that the prospect of being back with Liz didn't seem to appeal to Jim as much as it did his ex wife.

Kevin was supposed to be enjoying a night out with Natalie and her posh friends which was something that he was in fact dreading. All too conveniently he was called away on a repair job for a good customer which meant he would be late getting home to get changed for the night out. Natalie told him she would meet him at the party which he agreed to do. However when Kevin finally got home from work the only thing he could be bothered to do was flop down into a chair and drink a can of beer before falling asleep in the chair. Of course this led to Natalie tearing a strip off him when she got home from the party. In her eyes she had been made a fool of because she had been left on her own all night. An obvious row ensued and it seemed plain to see that their were cracks appearing in this relationship.

Sally on the other hand was enjoying a night out with Chris the mechanic and they were getting on swimmingly over a cosy meal in a restaurant. Chris seemed to genuinely feel something for Sally and you could see the potential relationship blooming right there and then. Chris seemed to be the confidence boost that she needed to move on with her life following Kevin's desertion.


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