Coronation Street Weekly Update, March 23 2010

Well, Glenda's still busy with other things Coronation Street related, so I'm back again for another weekly update. She will be making an appearence though as she wrote a lovely piece for the blog about a departure this week so I'll include it for your delectation.

This update starts with a slow zoom in on Gail McIntyre sitting alone and scared in a police cell after being arrested for the murder of her husband. Meanwhile her family is arguing over the breakfast table about showing a united, supportive front at the hearing later in the day. How long has Audrey been the matriarch of this family? You'd thought she would have realised by now what would happen. Gail gets remanded on bail, a trial date is set and all hell breaks loose in the public gallery between David and Tina.

With Gail banged up it falls on Nick to move in to no. 8 to look after his wayward brother. A recipe for disaster if ever there was one. Gail isn't adapting well to life inside, spending most of her time in her cell. When she eventually braves the world outside in Cell Block H, she creeps around like a frightened mouse, poor woman. She cheers up briefly when David and Audrey visit her (Nick's 'too busy at the factory') but things quickly turn sour when her mother asks her if there's anything that she hasn't told her. Gail flies off the handle: 'You think I killed him!', she says and Audrey is sent packing, leaving David as her only friend in the world. Can things get much worse than that? The only glimmer of hope in her dark existence at the moment is an upcoming bail appeal.

Molly has decided to leave the street and go and stay with her dad, Diggory. Hooray! She's round at no. 9 packing her bags when Jackie Dobbs appears, fella in tow, who starts accusing Molly of stealing stuff and goes to get Tyrone.

'Who's he?' Tyrone asks his mam.
'He's Martin, my fella', Jackie repiles.
'It's Geoff, actually', says Geoff Actually.

So Tyrone kicks his mother out and gets down to looking after his estranged wife. He provides a hot bath, food and a shoulder to cry on for a very tired and run down Molly. I almost felt sorry for her. They're back together again, though it's clear her heart's not in it, it's just easier this way but she even tells Tyrone about the baby. Obviously he thinks it's his and is overjoyed but she doesn't want everyone knowing and they agree to keep it quiet. Pretty soon, it's this week's worst kept secret in Weatherfield as Kevin, Bill and Pam all find out.

Before the ink is dry on the contract, in fact before Tony Gordon has even signed it, Nick is weedling his way into Underworld. Carla soon works out how Nick managed to find out so much about her empire and tells Nick that his first job is to sack Kelly. I can see there being some mileage in this working relationship. How long will it be before Carla has Nick cleaning out the bogs? And now I'll let Glenda take over:

After being betrayed and sacked by Nick, the one fella she thought she could finally trust, she stormed into the Rovers and gave her workmates what-for. "I'm finished with this job and I'm finished with Weatherfield," and with that she was gone, storming off down the cobbles with Janice in tow. Janice tried to hand over a placky bag of cash that the girls had raised as a whip round but both of them knew there wasn't much more than 56p inside. Kelly didn't have many friends, she'd never been a girl's girl, always on the prowl for other women's men.

And so, as Kelly departed Weatherfield and the constraints of the cobbles, Janice was in tears watching her old mate go. Kelly was in tears too but that didn't stop her striding down the Street in her trademark mini-skirt with one of the best lines in decades. "I'm Kelly Crabtree!" she yelled to the Salford sky. "The one with the legs!" and then she turned the corner and waited for the Weatherfield Wayfarer to whisk her away from it all.

Mary seems to be showing increasing signs of madness in her attempts to win over Norris. Going back what originally brought them together she digs out a competition to win a holiday in Bronte country. He can be Heathcliffe and she can be Kathy. Today is the last day for entries and she's sure that together they could win it. So after downing a gin and applejuice in one, she drags Norris from the Rovers for a heavy comping session in Emily's front parlour. They win but Norris tries to get out of by asking who will run the shop. Seeing an opportunity to drop him right in it, Rita voluteers. But what has she let Norris in for?

And in other news, the sale of no. 12 has fallen through so Jason and Tina move out of Eileen's and back into the flat. Jesse's back from holiday with his parents and is desperate to get back with Eileen. She looks like her heart wants to but her head is telling her no. John has started his job teaching romantic poetry at the adult education centre. And poor Janice is heading for a fall. After a chance comment by the object of her affections, Trevor the binman, she turns down hot-cross buns, drinks at the Rovers and goes on a diet.

And that's all for this week, see you next time.

Coronation Street writers this week were Damon Rochefort, Mark Burt, Jan McVerry, David Lane and Peter Whalley.