Long Live Coronation Street!
Sylviastel | 07/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Coronation Street was only supposed to last 13 episodes. It was never meant to last this long and maybe that's why we're not suprised after watching the first five episodes with Violet Carson, Doris Speed, Jack Howarth, and William Roache why it became such a British hit. When we think of British actors and actresses, we think of them as some of the finest of their trade and it's true. In this case, Coronation Street was the brainchild product of then 23 year old Tony Warren. The show became a huge phenomenon because I think British audiences and it was verified in the documentary accompanied with the original five episodes that Brits saw a part of themselves whether the women were wearing hairnets like Ena Sharples or being prim and proper like Annie Walker. It reminded me a lot of American soaps where the beginnings were quite humble as well. Corrie fans included Lord Olivier and even the Queen of England. I wished they had aired Coronation Street on in the United States. For Tony Warren, I don't think you can thank him enough for creating some of the most memorable characters in British television history like Ena Sharples, Hilda Ogden, Vera Duckworth, Annie Walker, etc. The show also brought honors like MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire) to Annie Walker in 1977, Jack Howarth in 1983, creator Tony Warren in 1994, Julie Goodyear in 1996, Elizabeth Dawn and Betty Driver in 2000, William Roache in 2001, and most recently Roy Barraclough in 2006. Violet Carson was the only recipient of a higher honor, the Officer of the Order of the British Empire, in 1965. But you wonder why Tony Warren hasn't received knighthood because nobody else has given us a show that has lasted this long. In 2010, Coronation Street will celebrate half-century or it's golden anniversary and it's still going stronger than ever."
Coronation Street
Lynn Sultzbach | USA | 09/25/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This brings back so many childhood memories, a real treasure to keep and pass on to my grandchildren."