FROM 30 NOVEMBER 2020 BIGISSUE.COM | 27
InhispoemAnnusMirabilis, PhilipLarkinposited
thatsexualintercoursebeganin 1963 – takingthe
endoftheLadyChatterley’sLoverbaninNovember
1960 andthereleaseofthedebutalbumbyThe
BeatlesinMarch 1963 asthetwincatalystsfora
newBritain.OnDecember9 1960,almostexactlya
monthaftertheliftingoftheChatterleybanandthe
daybeforeachastenedand work permit-lessJohn
LennonleftStuSutcliffe behindinHamburg(Paul
McCartney,PeteBestand GeorgeHarrisonhaving
alreadybeendeported),anewshowdebutedon
Granada,achannelthatwas itselfonlyfouryears
old.This showalsochangedBritaininamultitudeof
profoundwaysand continuestodoso60years later.
CoronationStreetwas createdbyTonyWarren
(real nameAnthonyMcVaySimpson),ajobbing
actor-turned-scriptwriter,whosefatherwas
resolutelymiddleclassand whosemotherwas
proudlyworkingclass.Warrenwas alsogay.Hiswas
an entirelynewperspectiveforthescreen.
Warren’sshowideahad beenpercolating
foryears. Ascriptfor OurStreet(itselfacomedic
adaptation of an earlierdramascripthehad written
aboutanorthernbackstreetcalledWhereNo Birds
Sing)wasturneddownbyBBCLeedsinthelate
1950s.Asecondswingatanewscriptideawith
Granada“aboutabackstreet”thatwas “fourmiles
inanyone direction fromthecentre of Manchester”,
initiallycalledFlorizelStreet,was accepted.Itwas
onlyamonthbeforebroadcastthatproducers
switchedthetitletoCoronationStreet(JubileeStreet
was alsoacontender)becauseatealadyatGranada
remarkedthatFlorizelsoundedlike adisinfectant.
WilliamRoache,whoplaysKen Barlow,hasbeen
withtheshow(hedisdainstheterm“soap”)since
itsfirstepisode.He saysitsarrivalneedstobeseen
inthecontextof whatwas happeningintheatre as
the1950scametoaclose,notablyJohn Osborne’s
LookBackInAngerand ShelaghDelaney’sATaste
OfHoney.“We were newand cutting-edgedrama,”
hesays. “Itwasthefirstrealismcomingon screen.
Itwas notescapism;itwas gettingstraightback
intolittlepeopleinabackstreetfacingadversity,so
everyone can identifywiththat.”
The showwas,againstexpectations,amajorhit
and remainsone ofthemost-watchedTVshowsin
theUK,wherethedramaticisintertwinedwiththe
wry,exposingthechiaroscuro of lifethroughthe
seeminglymundane.
CoronationStreettackledmajorissuesinitsfirst
two decadesthatwere rarelydiscussedbeforein
ashowlikethis–murder,suicideattempts,sexual
assault,illegitimacy–buteverythingchangedin
1983.Ken Barlowdiscovered hiswife Deirdrewas
havingan affairwithfactoryownerMike Baldwin,
Ken’sideologicalopposite,and itgrippedthenation
inawaynoBritishsoapeverhad before.“Priorto
that,thepapersand mediagenerallydidn’ttake
muchnoticeof suchshows,”suggestsRoache.
Onthenightofthestory’sdenouement,the
scoreboardatOldTraffordduringaManchester
Unitedand Arsenalgameflasheduptoreveal
thatDeirdrewas stayingwithKen. “Fromthen
onthepapersstartedhavingasoapreporterand
there were soapmagazinesand soapawards,”says