Sally Metcalfe tries to lift her husband Tim’s spirits by suggesting they go to the Halloween party at Viaduct Bistro. ‘You could go as one of the living dead from Zombezi,’ she says. She tells him to take the day off, but forbids him from watching the new episode of Zombezi (Corrie’s own version of The Walking Dead) without her. Given Tim’s listless state, it won’t require a major makeover to turn him into a zombie. At Roy’s Rolls, Nina Lucas claims she doesn’t have anything to wear to the party. ‘I’m joking,’ she says. ‘Halloween’s goth Christmas, innit?’ Bernie Winter also shares her sexy/zombie rule for Halloween costumes, which is based on someone dressing in the outfit they wear for their job and adding some racy/gory accessories.
Light is let in on magic at the Bistro, as preparations are underway for the big night. Nick Tilsley has got hold of some mannequins from Underworld. Leanne Battersby is unsure if mannequins are scary. Daisy Midgeley observes that they’re very Doctor Who, which – she says unconvincingly – is a really scary show. Her sarcastic tone suggests that Daisy has never hidden behind the sofa when the adventures of the renegade Time Lord are on the telly. She’s far too young to remember the 1970 debut of Doctor Who’s enemies the Autons – disturbing animated dummies who made a whole generation of children wary of shop window fashion displays. Hopefully, the producers of Doctor Who won’t hold Daisy’s scornful attitude against her, so that actress Charlotte Jordan can one day follow in the footsteps of cobbles alumni who’ve travelled in the TARDIS. The list includes Susanne Jones (Karen McDonald), Julie Hesmondhaigh (Hayley Cropper), Bruno Langley (Todd Grimshaw), Helen Worth (Gail Rodwell), Shobna Gulati (Sunita Alahan), Millie Gibson (Kelly Neelan) and many more. Ryan Connor is also on hand to provide a spooky playlist for the Bistro bash. Nick promises Leanne the playlist doesn’t just contain the 1962 novelty song Monster Mash by Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett And The Crypt-Kickers, although Ryan admits it mostly does.
At The Kabin, Brian Packham tries to makes the awkward wait while a credit card transaction goes through a little more entertaining by impersonating Tommy Cooper. Just like that, over at No 4, Steve McDonald encourages Tim to open up about his feelings. ‘It’s good to talk,’ says Steve, who gets called ‘Bob Hoskins’ by Tim because he’s repeating the actor’s catchphrase from British Telecom’s mid-Nineties ad campaign. The benefits of conversation are ably demonstrated when Bernie tells Dev Alahan she would rather see her son Paul go out with Vlad The Impaler than witness his current struggle with Motor Neurone Disease. Bernie’s heartfelt words put life into perspective for Dev, who determines to heal the rift with his son Aadi.
Steve reckons actions can sometimes speak louder than words, so he takes Tim on a surprise fishing trip. ‘Like that programme with the “suits you” bloke and the other fella,’ explains Steve, badly. He means Mortimer & Whitehouse: Gone Fishing. There’s an essential difference, though. Bob Mortimer and Paul Whitehouse love fishing, while Tim hates it. There’s also a surprise for Daisy, when she comes home to find Daniel teaching Lauren Bolton. Their chosen text is Roddy Doyle’s 1993 novel Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha, but the hidden subtext is that Lauren is still threatening to tell Daniel about Daisy’s dalliance with Ryan. As blackmailer Lauren gets her teeth into Daisy’s finances, Daniel’s son Bertie enters in his Halloween costume. Fittingly, he’s dressed as Count Dracula. Daisy feels Lauren could teach the king of the vampires a thing or two about sucking people dry.
On the riverbank, trivia-lover Steve asks Tim to guess the age of Bubbles, Michael Jackson’s pet chimpanzee. Tim’s shocked to hear that the answer is 40. The question of whether apes have a mid-life crisis breaks the conversational ice, like an Inuit fisherman in the Arctic, and Steve and Tim get their rods out (ie, they start fishing). Back at the Bistro, Hungry Like The Wolf by Duran Duran plays as the customers arrive. Nick wasn’t wrong when he said the playlist would be big on horror. There’s more on the subject of mid-life crises when Gary Windass and Maria Connor turn up. They’ve chosen to come as Frankenstein’s monster and his other half. ‘I’m 40 years old, dressed as the Bride Of Frankenstein,’ complains Maria, wishing she had gone for the sexy option instead.
Steve and Tim have moved on to discussing one of life’s biggest topics. Death. Steve thinks Tim will outlive everyone, because he’s indestructible like the T-1000 from Terminator 2: Judgment Day. Neither of them are fishing for compliments, but they tell each other what great friends they are anyway. Tim even lands a tiddler. And away…
Coronation Street episode 11097/11098. Originally aired 30th Oct 2023.
