Irony often plays an important role in the awarding of nicknames in Coronation Street. Betsy Swain is referred to as ‘Little Miss Sunshine’ by Underworld boss Carla Connor, despite her failure to display any discernible signs of a cheery disposition. Amazingly, it’s been 18 years since the film of the same name picked up two Academy Awards for its tragicomic take on the US beauty pageant circuit. Evelyn Plummer is someone who often deploys irony to disguise her true emotions (especially at the tender end of the spectrum), so she predictably puts on a brave face while visiting Roy Cropper in hospital. Evelyn reckons that lying in bed and drinking tea all day means Roy is ‘living the life of Riley’ (a phrase that probably derives from a popular 1880s ballad).
Bethany Platt is tracing Lauren Bolton’s whereabouts via the tried-and-tested method of following the money. A worried Joel Deering says Bethany reminds him of Tintin. He suggests she should get a dog like the comicbook Belgian reporter’s four-legged friend Snowy. At Underworld, Carla jokily likens the knicker factory to Apple and herself to the tech giant’s late co-founder Steve Jobs. However, her comment lands like a lead Golden Delicious. Betsy witnessed Carla injuring a youngster at the precinct, so now she’s exploiting the situation. An unsuspecting Fiz Dobbs checks the news and confirms that the lad (more accurately, a feral thug who’s merely listed as Yob in the credits) was injured. ‘He wasn’t Tupac,’ says Fiz. ‘Someone will have seen it.’ Meanwhile, Joel schemes his way into helping Bethany look for Lauren. Now, like Tintin, she has her very own Snowy. Unfortunately, this version possesses an extremely nasty bite.
Coronation Street episode 11311/11312. Originally aired 15th July 2024.
