GOING LIVE: THE TRAM CRASH DISASTER!
CORONATION STREET: 50 YEARS
Turning 50 was a major milestone for the UK’S longest-running soap, so the celebrations in 2010 had to be suitably spectacular. And Corrie didn’t disappoint, with a full week of shows – including an hour-long live episode – in which a tram crashed off the viaduct, destroying the houses below before hurtling into Dev’s shop.
RUBBLE TROUBLE
Peter Barlow, who was celebrating his stag do in the Joinery Bar, Nick Tilsley and Ashley Peacock were among those trapped beneath the debris fighting for their lives, while Rita Tanner – who was feared dead, but later found in the Kabin – was left traumatised by the ordeal.
Elsewhere, Molly Dobbs made a tearful dying confession to horrified Sally Webster that her baby son Jack was in fact Kevin’s child, as feckless killer John Stape used the drama to smuggle out the body of Charlotte Hoyle, whom he’d just murdered.
As if heroic Ashley and Molly’s final moments weren’t enough, the episode ended with a heartbreaking deathbed wedding for Peter and Leanne. Despite being one of the most ambitious episodes of the soap ever, Corrie boss Phil Collinson felt they nailed it.
“Our 50th anniversary couldn’t have gone any better,” enthused the producer. “It became everything I’d hoped for, and I think the whole country stopped for a week. Everybody watched it, as we had massive audiences right across the week. I think it was a great showcase for the talents of the cast and crew up here: it showed people what Coronation Street could do, what it could be, and it reminded people how important it was to them.”
CRITICS’ CHOICE
Indeed, it wasn’t just Phil who believed that the soap hit the high notes. Critical responses to the dramatic storyline were hugely positive, with the Metro labelling it “a winning formula”; The Guardian calling the crash “vivid and terrifying”; and The Independent stating that “the 50th birthday party… passed with flying colours”.
No wonder it’s taken the top spot in our soap anniversary countdown!