IN
I'd guess the reason This Morning make a big deal of it is the fact they have 15 hours a week most of the year to fill with content.
BU
Nationally. They seemed to make a big deal about the 35th, almost as much as they did for 40. They had a special show on ITV which was shown in all regions. I seem to remember there was also a magazine for the 35th as well as, a book and the QE2 video mentioned above.
For some reason 35th seemed to be a viable anniversary to make a big deal out of in the 90s, which may have been the nostalgia boom. Blue Peter and (to a lesser extent) Doctor Who also did it.
Did Coronation Street celebrate 35 years nationally or was it just something Granada did in the region?
Nationally. They seemed to make a big deal about the 35th, almost as much as they did for 40. They had a special show on ITV which was shown in all regions. I seem to remember there was also a magazine for the 35th as well as, a book and the QE2 video mentioned above.
For some reason 35th seemed to be a viable anniversary to make a big deal out of in the 90s, which may have been the nostalgia boom. Blue Peter and (to a lesser extent) Doctor Who also did it.
JA
They had an hour long episode (the first ever specifically made as an hour long- as opposed to two previous examples which were two episodes combined at the last minute), and even had a special endcap on it.
Did Coronation Street celebrate 35 years nationally or was it just something Granada did in the region?
They had an hour long episode (the first ever specifically made as an hour long- as opposed to two previous examples which were two episodes combined at the last minute), and even had a special endcap on it.
LV
Nationally. They seemed to make a big deal about the 35th, almost as much as they did for 40. They had a special show on ITV which was shown in all regions. I seem to remember there was also a magazine for the 35th as well as, a book and the QE2 video mentioned above.
As well as a big indoor tourist attraction, with a recreation of the street, at Blackpool. All linked to the 35th.
Did Coronation Street celebrate 35 years nationally or was it just something Granada did in the region?
Nationally. They seemed to make a big deal about the 35th, almost as much as they did for 40. They had a special show on ITV which was shown in all regions. I seem to remember there was also a magazine for the 35th as well as, a book and the QE2 video mentioned above.
As well as a big indoor tourist attraction, with a recreation of the street, at Blackpool. All linked to the 35th.
SW
This also coincided with a particular drive by Marcus Plantin at ITV to make the most of the soaps in the schedule. I remember an interview with Plantin in the Radio Times in 1995 where he said that he was now making a point of going to Corrie - and Emmerdale and The Bill - and asking them when their big moments were going to be so that ITV could build a schedule around them. Whereas before that Corrie had been three days a week at 7.30 and that was pretty much it, whatever happened.
So the 35th anniversary was presumably a convenient hook to hang a big storyline and some special scheduling on.
They had an hour long episode (the first ever specifically made as an hour long- as opposed to two previous examples which were two episodes combined at the last minute), and even had a special endcap on it.
This also coincided with a particular drive by Marcus Plantin at ITV to make the most of the soaps in the schedule. I remember an interview with Plantin in the Radio Times in 1995 where he said that he was now making a point of going to Corrie - and Emmerdale and The Bill - and asking them when their big moments were going to be so that ITV could build a schedule around them. Whereas before that Corrie had been three days a week at 7.30 and that was pretty much it, whatever happened.
So the 35th anniversary was presumably a convenient hook to hang a big storyline and some special scheduling on.
SP
Interesting – I presume nowadays it's the other way around, so ITV tells the soaps when to have their big moments, such as during the week of the BGT finals.
This also coincided with a particular drive by Marcus Plantin at ITV to make the most of the soaps in the schedule. I remember an interview with Plantin in the Radio Times in 1995 where he said that he was now making a point of going to Corrie - and Emmerdale and The Bill - and asking them when their big moments were going to be so that ITV could build a schedule around them.
Interesting – I presume nowadays it's the other way around, so ITV tells the soaps when to have their big moments, such as during the week of the BGT finals.
JA
Uh, 2 times 5 is 10, not 15.
I'd guess the reason This Morning make a big deal of it is the fact they have 15 hours a week most of the year to fill with content.
SW
Well, presumably it's give and take - ITV ask if the soaps can have something special for particular big moments in the schedule, and the soaps will approach ITV to let them know when they're planning something big, so you don't end up with a major episode being wasted (the obvious example being the Rovers burning down at 6.15pm during the World Cup). All the usual business of running a channel, I suppose.
Before I'm a Celebrity became fixed in its slot, around the turn of the century for a couple of years ITV would always have a big week in November when they would show Corrie and Emmerdale five nights a week and launch a few big new shows, seemingly just to give the channel a big boost at a very important time for advertising, a bit like Sweeps in America I suppose. The first time they did that was in 1999 when they also had that After Hours special at 10pm every night with the return of Bet. Presumably the scheduling of that was half Corrie having this big storyline lined up and half ITV wanting something special.
But to take it back to the general point, sometimes they can just latch onto any kind of anniversary as an excuse. We didn't see it on BBC4 but the 900th episode of Top of the Pops in 1981 was a special episode where they launched Yellow Pearl and the new titles and so on. Of course, nobody normally celebrates 900 episodes of anything but seemingly Michael Hurll wanted to do a relaunch and so decided to hang it off an arbitrary anniversary to make a big deal of it to get a few column inches. And so the 35th anniversary may have had more to do with wanting to get something quite big on ITV in an important time for adverts than a particular desire to celebrate the anniversary. It's always helpful Corrie anniversaries are always in the run-up to Christmas.
Interesting – I presume nowadays it's the other way around, so ITV tells the soaps when to have their big moments, such as during the week of the BGT finals.
Well, presumably it's give and take - ITV ask if the soaps can have something special for particular big moments in the schedule, and the soaps will approach ITV to let them know when they're planning something big, so you don't end up with a major episode being wasted (the obvious example being the Rovers burning down at 6.15pm during the World Cup). All the usual business of running a channel, I suppose.
Before I'm a Celebrity became fixed in its slot, around the turn of the century for a couple of years ITV would always have a big week in November when they would show Corrie and Emmerdale five nights a week and launch a few big new shows, seemingly just to give the channel a big boost at a very important time for advertising, a bit like Sweeps in America I suppose. The first time they did that was in 1999 when they also had that After Hours special at 10pm every night with the return of Bet. Presumably the scheduling of that was half Corrie having this big storyline lined up and half ITV wanting something special.
But to take it back to the general point, sometimes they can just latch onto any kind of anniversary as an excuse. We didn't see it on BBC4 but the 900th episode of Top of the Pops in 1981 was a special episode where they launched Yellow Pearl and the new titles and so on. Of course, nobody normally celebrates 900 episodes of anything but seemingly Michael Hurll wanted to do a relaunch and so decided to hang it off an arbitrary anniversary to make a big deal of it to get a few column inches. And so the 35th anniversary may have had more to do with wanting to get something quite big on ITV in an important time for adverts than a particular desire to celebrate the anniversary. It's always helpful Corrie anniversaries are always in the run-up to Christmas.
RE
Am I remembering things wrong or did an episode of Corrie premiere or unintentionally went out first on ITV2? Something to do with the football on the main channel no doubt.
NW
At some point in 2000 when ITV broadcast the Champions League on a Wednesday night the decision was taken to show Coronation Street on ITV2 at 7.30pm, and then on ITV at about 9.45pm. They did this a few times, however the season afterwards they moved Corrie to 8pm on Tuesdays for a short while when football was shown on Wednesdays.
Am I remembering things wrong or did an episode of Corrie premiere or unintentionally went out first on ITV2? Something to do with the football on the main channel no doubt.
At some point in 2000 when ITV broadcast the Champions League on a Wednesday night the decision was taken to show Coronation Street on ITV2 at 7.30pm, and then on ITV at about 9.45pm. They did this a few times, however the season afterwards they moved Corrie to 8pm on Tuesdays for a short while when football was shown on Wednesdays.