Fifty-two births, 244 deaths, 141 weddings and five – possibly seven – serial killers.
Not the latest statistics for downtown Victoria, but the colourful history of a fictional cobbled street in northern England.
Coronation Street – or “Corrie” to its legion of fans – has been dishing out drama, scandal and Betty’s Hotpot for 65 years, earning a Guinness World Record as the longest-running television soap opera.
In the U.K., an average of four million Brits tune in three times a week to catch the latest twists and turns in the lives of Weatherfield’s working-class residents.
While across the Atlantic, Canadian audiences are just as loyal, with an average of 532,000 viewers glued to each episode on CBC. It’s also been a fixture in CBC Gem’s top three programs since the streaming service launched in 2018.
But it’s not just on the sofa where Canadian fans get their Corrie fix.
For almost 20 years, the cobbles of Weatherfield have stretched all the way to Canadian stages. Stars of Coronation Street have crossed the Atlantic to tour from Halifax to Vancouver Island, packing theatres and delighting fans in more than 170 shows – selling an estimated 50,000 tickets along the way.
In 2012, Corrie royalty William Roache – suave lothario Ken Barlow since episode one in 1960 and now, at 93, the Guinness World Record holder as the longest-serving television star in a continuous role – toured Canada to a rock star welcome, even meeting then-prime minister Stephen Harper.
That same enthusiasm for the show is still going strong to this day.
Joe Duttine, better known as Tim Metcalfe, brought his northern charm to Sidney’s Mary Winspear Centre and Vancouver's York Theatre in January this year, selling out both venues faster than you can say “another pint please, love.”
Now, to mark the soap’s 65th anniversary, actors Mikey North (Gary Windass) and Ryan Prescott (Ryan Connor) will soon bring a slice of Weatherfield to the west coast, swapping the Rovers Return pub for Victoria’s Vic Theatre on Aug. 23 and Vancouver’s York Theatre on Aug. 24.
On stage, the pair will spill stories and secrets from behind the scenes of the iconic TV soap in a hosted interview, with plenty of laughs – and a chance for folks to ask their own questions.
Among the audience in Victoria will be Central Saanich resident Susan Kargel, who remembers first watching Corrie as a young teenager, back when the drama played out in black and white.
It was the thick Manchester accents, unusual colloquialisms and brash personalities that first pulled Kargel into the world of Coronation Street.
“Growing up in Ottawa, I wasn't exposed to British people … it was like a whole new world, it just fascinated me,” she said.
“It's almost like being able to travel to another part of the world, putting yourself in their living room, their kitchen or pub without leaving your armchair.”
Hooked by this glimpse into a “foreign lifestyle,” Kargel quickly became invested in the characters and their stories, which veer from laugh-out-loud ridiculous to unexpectedly poignant.
“I never take it seriously, but I do remember some really tragic storylines that really hit you deep down … maybe something that you could relate to personally, or experiences that your family could relate to,” she says.
Now retired and approaching 70, Kargel makes Corrie part of her nightly routine, sometimes joined by husband Rolf, who dips in and out of the show when the mood takes him – under one firm household rule.
“I’ve told him he’s not allowed to ask questions until the commercials are on or until the show is over,” Kargel says with a laugh.
Recently, the couple jumped at the chance to step onto the cobbles themselves, signing up for the Coronation Street Experience in Manchester, U.K., before embarking on a Scandinavian cruise.
They toured the exterior set, explored replica interiors of Roy’s Rolls and the Rovers Return, and even met Channique Sterling-Brown, who has played Dee-Dee Bailey since 2022.
“Honestly, it was pretty cool,” said Kargel about her peak behind the scenes.
As for why Corrie continues to resonate in Canada, Kargel thinks it could be tied to the country’s Commonwealth connection to Britain. “Or the fact that we have a lot of Brits here in Canada, or a lot of Canadians who have British relatives,” she adds.
Host of the upcoming Victoria and Vancouver shows Neville MacKay agrees with Kargel’s theory. For him, Coronation Street isn’t just television – it’s family history.
Raised in Nova Scotia by a British war bride mother and surrounded by other strong British women, the show was part of the wallpaper of his childhood – Corrie’s instantly recognizable theme tune a signal that it was bedtime.
“Everyone watched it,” he says. “And those that say they didn’t, I call BS, because your mother or grandmother did, and you sat there with them and you watched.”
MacKay has been watching for more than 50 years, hooked on its mix of grit, humour and heart. He loves that Corrie keeps older actors front and centre, embraces imperfect looks and has always celebrated strong women.
“They’re as common as muck, the bunch of them,” he says. “None of them are pretentious, most of them as poor as church mice, so there’s no looking up to them – and that’s so refreshing compared to other ‘grand’ shows.”
His enthusiasm spills into his work – he has hosted more than 70 fan events in Canada and, for over 15 years, has led tours to northern England, culminating in visits to the show’s set.
His role gives him a unique insight into the Canadian fandom. At theatre shows, it’s clear the Corrie-watching tradition is something that continues to be passed down from one generation to the next.
“You see people from the womb to the tomb who watch it,” quips MacKay, his quick wit reminiscent of Corrie's legendary battleaxe Blanche Hunt, who once told her long-suffering ex-jailbird daughter, “Good looks are a curse Deirdre – you and Kenneth should count yourselves lucky."
For MacKay, the show’s charm is simple: real people, good humour and the occasional surprise.
“You never know who’s going to die, cry, get slapped, beaten up or fall in the canal – and that's what keeps you on the edge of your seat.”
For Coronation Street stars, nothing quite prepares them for the devotion of Canadian fans.
Actor North suspects Corrie’s enduring Canadian popularity stems from the many British expats who have settled here. But whatever the reason, the reception is always the same – warm and unmistakably Canadian.
“They're so knowledgeable about the show," he says. "They know more than me, and I'm in the show.”
On past visits, North’s been recognized everywhere from Victoria to Vancouver – even invited for an impromptu tour of BC Place ahead of the Women’s World Cup final in 2015.
A lifelong Maple Leafs fan, one career highlight came far from the cobbles – seeing his face on the jumbotron at a game and hearing the arena erupt in cheers.
“And I'm amazed at that," he says. “That's made my career a couple of times. It's amazing for me that we can travel across the pond and people still know who we are.
“I guess that's a testament to the show, that it’s stood the test of time.”
Since swaggering onto the street as resident bad boy Gary Windass in 2008, North's alter ego has ticked off nearly every soap trope imaginable. He's been to prison, served in the army, fathered two children, tied the knot with the local widowed hairdresser, killed a loan shark in self-defence, and even sabotaged the roof of a knicker factory, causing more death and destruction on the cobbles – all before turning 40.
But North wouldn’t have it any other way, especially when there’s action involved. “It's always nice playing a baddy,” he says.
“The best part of the job for me is the stunt side of things … fight scenes, gun scenes and car crash scenes and things like that.”
The most recent twist saw North’s character left in a coma by a mystery attacker, which at first sounded like the easiest acting gig in soap history.
“When I read the scripts that I was going to be in coma for a few weeks, I thought, 'Great, I can just sleep at work',” he said. “But as I've come to realize, keeping your eyes shut and not have your eyes flicker is really difficult ... we had to redo so many scenes because my eyes were flickering."
Thankfully, Gary survived – for now – and North hopes he can keep dodging the Grim Reaper’s all-too-frequent visits to Weatherfield. “That’s the north of England for you,” he jokes.
But North hints that danger may soon be stalking the street’s residents yet again. Marking a first in British soap history, an upcoming storyline will see the world of Coronation Street collide with fellow long-running drama Emmerdale, in a special crossover episode.
“I don’t know if I'm involved in that yet, but I think there's going to be a lot of deaths, so I'm sort of hoping that I'm not,” he says with a hopeful laugh.
For more information about the upcoming 65th anniversary show in Victoria and Vancouver, visit: strollpro.ca. Tickets are available for purchase through Ticketscene: www.ticketscene.ca.
