Family Affairs

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30c4Q9c7uIg

[DRW50]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMwH3zjFRTA

[Ben]

These must be from 98-99-ish. I don't remember ever seeing the first story, but the second article is from when I first tuned in.

[DRW50]

Thanks so much for sharing these with us. It's great to see some material on this show.

[Ben]

I'm glad you like.

I've got quite a few articles from a lot of the soaps, so it's good that someone can get some use out of them, as I was going to chuck them out for recycling! And quite a few build on the storylines, so you can get a broader picture of how some of them panned out.

[Ben]

[DRW50]

Thanks for sharing these. Did they gain any viewers from the explosion?

Kind of gruesome to even let us know about the dead kids.

I never liked Farrington on Emmerdale (a lot of contrived gruffness and ham acting), although he was good on Corrie. Did you enjoy him on this show?

[Ben]

Well, looking at BARB, the ratings for the show always seemed to be inconsistent during 1998-2000. The show could easily rate 1.15-1.60 in a week, but it looks like in late '99 the show did gain a small increase and was hitting 1.85 for some episodes, but for others it would fall back to 1.40 and thereabouts. I guess the show was inconsistent. However, the first half of 2000 saw the ratings slip to lows of 1.10 and not really reaching passed 1.30. So, Paul Marquess' sensational revamp was a failure as he couldn't sustain the viewers for not even a year. The show did pick up again in the latter half of 2000 to 1.40-160, so they must have revamped the show - again. Judging from BARB, the ratings pre-PM were not bad, and didn't really need to be revamped, as the audience was increasing the more Channel 5 became available.

I never saw him on FA as I wasn't watching then. I was kind of an inconsistent viewer during this period. IA, I wasn't a fan of Tom King on Emmerdale. When was he in Corrie?

[DRW50]

He was Billy Walker, off and on (usually a year or two stints at the most) from 1961-1984. Billy was usually up to little good, although he did love his mother, Annie. His only real romantic pairing on the show was with Deirdre, which was cut short when he quit (she was put with Ray, the last good pairing Deirdre had). In his last stint he was cold and hard and used the Rovers for gambling, and he left town in shame, having to sell the pub to the brewery. I think the actor felt betrayed by that last story, as several other early cast members felt at that time.

Thanks again for sharing these with us. I have a few of these but don't know where they are at the moment. I really appreciate the time and effort you are taking.

[Ben]

I don't know why I called Brian Park, Paul Marquess?! Doh! Guess I was mixing up sensational producers that this show had.

This is why I don't remember him in Corrie, as it was way before my time.

Do you have a few of these articles from Inside Soap? Have you spent time in the UK, as I've always thought you are American, Carl?

Edited August 6, 2012 by Ben

[DRW50]

I am American. I got a few issues in a sale.

How long did that Pam character stay around?

[Ben]

Pam was around from 1997-99. When the body was discovered, she went to prison. She later returned as a recast in 2005, and was quite bitter and cold; she stayed for several months.

The original actor was Sandra Hendrickse, and I wonder if she is any relation to Hollyoaks' Bianca Hendrickse-Spendlove (Texas)? I think they do look-a-like...

[DRW50]

Was Roy the one who stayed around quite a while and was one of the only original cast members left? Or is that someone else?

Those articles are interesting. The Sadie story is one that may sound better on paper than onscreen.

I hope this Hendrickse is a better actress than the one on Hollyoaks.

[Ben]

Yeah, Roy stayed with the show for a good few years after his on screen married family were killed off.

[Ben]

Edited August 21, 2012 by Ben