Coronation Street cast taken at Granada studios in Manchester. Photo / ITV/Andrew Boyce
Coronation Street cast taken at Granada studios in Manchester. Photo / ITV/Andrew Boyce
Spoiler Alert! Some storylines from the last 18 months will be included here, ahead of tonight's catch up show on TVNZ1.
From this week, Kiwi fans can watch Coro as it unfolds in the UK. Long-time fan Miriyana Alexander met some of the stars to catch up on the last 18 months, and discovers a whole new era of evil.
Remember Richard Hillman? Course you do. He killed Maxine Peacock before trying to do away with the entire Platt family by driving them into a canal. Many wished he'd succeeded.
Then there's Alan Bradley. And Tony Gordon. David Platt's had his moments, and backstabbing, boyfriend-basher Tracy Barlow is still wreaking havoc.
Coronation Street has a fine history of villains, but Kiwi fans should strap themselves in because there's a new baddie in town. Builder Pat Phelan is sinister on steroids, and he's about to leave the show in a bloody finale so brutal it had to screen after the 9pm watershed in the UK.
And now TVNZ has made the bold call to wipe the 18-month lag Kiwi fans have always endured, we catch up as the story unfolds in the UK.
So a quick recap. Phelan first showed his true colours by raping Anna Windass. He's with gullible Eileen Grimshaw and has helped himself to her son Jason's inheritance to finance a dodgy property scheme.
Robert Preston, as played by Tristan Gemmill, and Michelle Connor, as played by Kym Marsh. Photo / ITV/REX/Shutterstock
By the time we catch up, things have escalated dramatically. Four Street regulars are dead and Anna is in jail after Phelan framed her. Eileen thinks he's dead, and she should know, having pushed him into the sea a few weeks back after finally cottoning onto his dastardly deeds. That Eileen, she's never been lucky in love.
But this week, serial killer Phelan makes his dramatic return to Weatherfield and while I'm dying to tell you every last, gruesome detail, I can't. I had to sign an embargo agreement and, well, you can see what Phelan's capable of when crossed.
What I can say is it's good and dark and dramatic. I'm also allowed to say that Michelle Connor is taken hostage by a gun-toting Phelan just as she's to marry Robert Preston (you didn't see that coming, did you?). There are shootings, a stabbing, and by time Phelan's reign of terror is over, he will have lost his life or his liberty.
I got a sneak preview on a recent media day in Manchester, the UK home to the set of the world's longest-running soap (the first episode was broadcast live in December 1960). We got popcorn, and the chance to see the madness unfold on the big screen.
And then the man himself walked in, beaming. "What did you think of that?" asks Connor McIntyre, who has played psychopath Phelan for the last five years.
Phelan ties up Gary Windass and Sarah Platt. Photo / ITV
He says he's had "so much fun" being Phelan, but the time is right to go.
"It's sad to leave the people you've grown really close to on the show, but it's been some ride hasn't it?
"It's the right time, the viewers have really stuck with us ... we've taken the audience on a couple of false starts and he deserves his comeuppance. They deserve the pay off, and I think it's a decent pay off."
He's proud of the ending – "it's terrific, everything is tied up very neatly" – and says it's a great privilege to go down as one of the Street's most evil villains.
He's happy Kiwi fans won't have to wait 18 months to see his dramatic exit, but of the jump forward: "I hope it makes some sense to them."
Phelan's final farewell is sure to be an audience pleaser on both sides of the world. When Eileen pushed him into the sea a few weeks back, 9.4 million people watched in the UK, the show's highest rating in three years.
Coronation Street has made waves in the UK in recent months, tackling hard-hitting subjects like the suicide of troubled factory boss Aidan Connor, the grooming of Bethany Platt, and the drugging and rape of David Platt.
Fans in the UK are split about the dark storylines, but the soap has been praised for shining a light on suicide and male mental health, and the cast believe they are important stories to tell.
A fight breaks out but Joe manages to knock Phelan unconscious. Photo / ITV
The show's bosses worked closely with suicide-prevention charities, even consulting on the script to ensure they told the story responsibly. There were no graphic scenes, and Aidan was last seen crying on his sofa.
The aftermath on screen has been focused on a community supporting each other, and spreading the message that talking about problems can help. The actor who played Aidan, Shayne Ward, has continued to engage with fans on social media, encouraging them to get help. Calls to suicide prevention lines surged in the wake of the screening.
And the bold storylines have paid off, with the show bagging a swag of gongs at last weekend's British Soap Awards, including the big one, best soap. McIntyre won best villain for his role as Phelan, while Lucy Fallon, who plays Bethany Platt, won best actress and Jack P Shepherd (David Platt) was best actor.
At the media day, the cast was buzzing from the reaction to the harrowing storylines.
"I'm so proud of Corrie at the moment," said Kym Marsh, who plays Michelle.
Phelan makes his way to into the bistro, interrupting Michelle Connor and Robert Preston's wedding, carrying his first casualty. Photo / ITV
"It's really important subject matter being talked about."
Shepherd said when news of his rape story emerged – the first he knew it was coming was via a leak to the tabloids – the public wasn't happy.
"There was a lot of feedback. [People said] It's ridiculous, it shouldn't be on TV, it's a family show. But the way Corrie handled it, not showing anything, just the bedroom door shutting ... like Aidan's suicide it was all off-camera, perceptions did change. It's been good to highlight male mental health."
The storylines also reflect the #metoo times we are in, says the actress who plays Anna, Debbie Rush.
"It is great to be doing such important stories about controlling men. When Anna went to that hotel room and slept with Phelan, she'd been groomed.
"He was an evil male predator and we do need to highlight these things. The stories over the last few months have been fantastic."
Sue Cleaver, the actress who plays Eileen, agrees: "Yes, let this be a lesson to you all. Beware of charming manipulators.
"Phelan is a psychopath, and psychopaths can be very charming. Eileen got flattered by it."
Phelan urges Jack to find some scissors and cut him free. Photo / ITV
The cast said the Phelan finale took a gruelling week to film. Marsh was left battered and bruised.
"It was quite physical. You put everything in, you want it to look good. I was struggling with Connor and was flung across the room. You have to do these things for real. But it's really brilliant to be involved in such a huge week, it's what you want. You don't want to be on the sidelines."
How do they cope with the intensity? In a moment that could have come straight from the Coro St scriptwriters, Cleaver said: "We go the pub."
"We filmed that episode over a week and when I got home, my poor partner tried to talk to me. I said, 'Don't speak to me, I've got nothing left to say'. Go to the pub for the weekend."
Marsh says Phelan was "the best baddie we've ever had. [Connor] plays it so well ... and he's such a lovely human being."
So who will fill Phelan's shoes? If the cast knows, they're not telling. But those cobbles won't be quiet for long.
A lot can happen in 18 months
Rovers Return Inn, Coronation Street Pub. Photo / Supplied
• There's been some spectacular bed-hopping. David's with Shona, the mother of the teen who killed his beloved Kylie. Zeedan and Rana wed and split after Rana fell in love with Kate, and Michelle is with Robert. Toyah is back, running the Rovers with Peter – yep, Leanne's sister and ex hubby are together. And as if that wasn't mad enough, Steve and Tracy are back on. Again.
• Many tears have been shed: Michelle and Steve lost their baby son and split after Michelle discovered Steve was also the father of Leanne's baby Oliver. Aidan saved Carla's life by giving her a kidney.
• And there's been controversy aplenty. Todd and Sharif are no longer thanks to controversies IRL, and eyebrows were raised when the show unveiled its biggest product placement yet, giving a Costa Coffee shop and Co-op Supermarket street frontages.
Coro catches up
Tonight at 8.30pm, TVNZ1 screens a two-hour highlights package of key storylines from the last 18 months.
Then from tomorrow, the 2018 storylines begin screening. They are on every night for the first week, before reverting to Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays at 9.30pm.
The 2016 storylines will be shown on TVNZ1 at 1pm weekdays, and both options will be onDemand.
