CORONATION STREET

GIRLS WILL BE… ER, MEN

So, it looks as if we’re all set for Weatherfield’s first lesbian wedding, when Kate and Rana discover they were both planning surprise proposals (pictured). Now, the marriage bit doesn’t bother me, but Rana asking Johnny for Kate’s hand really does, as it harks back to a time when women were treated like chattel. If any man had ever asked my dad for my hand in marriage, he’d be missing both his own hands long before we made it up the aisle. So, far from being progressive, Rana’s action smacks of chauvinism and sexism – the very opposite effect of what the show is trying to say. Hmph. So there.

It’s not long before it all starts to go south, anyway, when Kate announces that one of the reasons she chose Rana was that she’d make a great mother. Goodness me: now we’re talking a double whammy of sexism. Sensing it’s not what Rana wants, Imran suggests she warn Kate before it’s too late. Personally, I’d get the engagement ring valued first; if it’s under £10K, all bets are off.

Tim has been oblivious to Gina’s growing feelings for him, but the factory girls have sussed her. So has Geoff, who warns his son. But Tim is thrown off the scent when Gina informs him she’s joined a dating site. It doesn’t take much to throw Tim ‘nice but dim’ off any scent; he’s like a dog with sinusitis. Carla, on the other hand, is like a sniffer dog at Bogota international airport, and she’s onto Nick and his secret life in Nottingham.