The first episode of Coronation Street was broadcast live on ITV from Studio 2 at Granada Television's Quay Street studios in Manchester on Friday, December 9, 1960, at 7pm. It drew 7.7 million viewers, and fifteen minutes after transmission, episode two was videotaped.
Florrie Lindley took over the corner shop from Elsie Lappin, who was retiring but stayed on to show her the ropes. At No. 3, Ken Barlow – still in Weatherfield today and played by William 'Bill' Roache – clashed with his father, Frank, over a date with a college friend. Frank accused the 21-year-old student, who was dating fellow student Susan Cunningham, of being too snobbish and embarrassed by his working-class family. Ken then went to the Rovers Return Inn, run by Annie Walker, and befriended Dennis Tanner. Over at No. 11, Elsie Tanner berated her 18-year-old son Dennis, recently released from prison for theft, while her daughter Linda Cheveski arrived to say she had separated from her husband Ivan Cheveski and planned a divorce, without giving a reason.
From Florizel Street to Weatherfield
The soap was commissioned by Granada in 1960, with Tony Warren writing the first 13 episodes under the title Florizel Street, until a tea lady named Agnes said the name sounded like detergent. Warren searched Salford and chose Archie Street, since demolished, as the model for the fictional Coronation Street. In the show's fictional history, the street was built in 1902 and named in honour of King Edward VII's coronation.
In his pitch, Warren wrote that the show would examine 'the driving forces behind life in a working-class street in the North of England' and, 'in doing so, entertain.' He wrote for Granada Television full-time until 1968, then remained a consultant until his death, visiting the famous set during breaks in filming to meet the cast and crew and offer feedback and praise on storylines and performances.
Airing and re-airing
The soap was given a 7pm slot on Wednesday and Friday evenings. The first episode ended with a caption reading 'Next Episode: Wednesday 14th December 7pm'; these captions continued until episode 91 on October 25, 1961, and appeared again only after episode 98 on November 20, 1961.
The debut episode has been repeated several times: in December 1990 for the 30th anniversary, in December 2000 for the 40th, on December 6, 2010 for the 50th, and on ITV3 in the week of the 60th anniversary on December 7, 2020.
Ena Sharples nearly cut
According to The Telegraph, a never-broadcast 'dry run' left the production team feeling Nita Valerie, who played Ena Sharples, was 'completely wrong' for the role. Daran Little, who told the story of the show's creation in the 2010 drama The Road to Coronation Street, said: 'The character of Ena was going to be cut.'
A further recasting was also deemed a failure, according to the same report, 'until writer Tony Warren remembered the fierce Violet Carson, who’d threatened to smack his bum when he was 12.'
Record-breaking status
In 2010, Coronation Street became the longest-running soap opera in the world.
The show also has a following in Canada, where cast members sometimes host meet and greets after Canadian fans travel to the UK on a pilgrimage to the set at MediaCityUK in Trafford.
