Nothing's changed I still love you, oh, I still love you (The Smiths)

SWMBO and I were reacquainted with some old friends this week – the cast of Coronation Street.

It's been a while because while we were in the UAE we decided not to watch it – mainly because we'd come from NZ where the Street is about 2 years behind the new episodes shown in the UK and these were what they were showing on our TV in the sandpit. NZ is so far behind because it appears pretty much each night in the UK but only 3 times a week here. You do the mathematics!

We decided to wait until we got back to Nu Zild before re-establishing contact and then, once back, we forgot about TV…

…until last week. The train's derailment and subsequent destruction of the street episodes finally appeared on TV One's schedule. Now we're back on…um…track.

Last week I also enjoyed a TV special 50^th year celebration thing of The Street. It was a viewers' choice type list of 50 favourite Corrie scenes. SWMBO went to bed – unbelievable but true. It was fantastic, I loved it as it brought back so many memories.

Corrie became part of the fabric of my life back in 1967. My mum watched it and loved it and I started to get involved in the serial as well, probably because it was on TV – not much to choose from on NZ sixties TV. My dad hated it. My brother was never committed to it either.

Anyway – I have stuck with it, although not constantly – there have been a few gaps over the years – but it's easy to pick up new characters along the way and there are always familiar regulars.

Albert Tatlock in the Rovers' Return

Apart from the fantastically funny scripts, the writers have consistently drawn some amazingly iconoclastic characters. Some of my favourites over the years have been Albert Tatlock, Annie and Jack Walker, Hilda Ogden of course, Reg Holdsworth, Blanche Hunt, and Elsie Tanner.  

Only Blanche is currently part of the cast (I think) which maybe goes some way to explain the lack of loyalty over the last couple of years.

Never mind – I'm back now. Two years behind the UK, and again looking forward to the next episode and that familiar theme tune whilst supping on a milk stout..  

Love/peace and tarrah chuck - Wozza