It’s the day of Justin Rutherford’s plea hearing. Alya Nazir knows it’s a difficult time for Ryan Connor, so she visits him at the hospital to distract him with a music quiz. Hope Stape is more focused on dance than music, practising the cha-cha-cha at home after being inspired by her Little Big Shotz class. The budding Strictly contestant even asks Evelyn Plummer if she can tag along to her salsa session. Evelyn says no and also rejects Hope’s notion that salsa is sexy, adding that her twerking days are long gone. TMI. She does have a modicum of history with hot-stepping, though, having watched Come Dancing back in the 1970s.
Continuing the moodlifting theme, Jenny Connor tries to raise Daisy Midgeley’s spirits by offering to lend her the latest Marian Keyes book. She must mean the 2022 novel Again, Rachel, which deals with depression, addiction and grief. Keyes does write about serious issues with wit and humour, so maybe it isn’t such a bad suggestion.
Back at the music quiz in Weatherfield General, Alya is asking Ryan which superstar had a twin who died at birth. He correctly identifies Elvis Presley and even knows The King’s twin was called Jesse. Ryan reckons he should be on Mastermind. I started telling you about Evelyn’s salsa class, so I’ll finish. She turns up with Roy Cropper in tow as her dance partner. Teacher Glenda Shuttleworth explains that salsa is a fiery blend of mamba, rumba and pachanga. That’s as may be, but the pair are adamant they’re not taking their cardigans off. Evelyn tells a rigid Roy he looks ‘like a meerkat on lookout’, which is possibly a meta reference to Coronation Street’s former sponsor Comparethemarket.
Beth Sutherland and Marco Sweeney are meeting up on the sly again. They’re planning a school reunion and Marco suggests recreating the performances they did at their leaving disco. Beth cracks up at the memory of someone called Colin Phelps, who wore a swimming cap and did a turn as Sinead O’Connor singing Nothing Compares 2 U. Marco says he’ll never forget Beth doing The Shoop Shoop Song (It’s In His Kiss) as Cher.
The salsa is too much for Roy. Evelyn suggests a waltz instead, but Roy says he feels unwell and disappears faster than Kaye Adams left last year’s series of Strictly. Twins rear their identical heads again when Marco tells Beth about another old schoolmate called Fred Chambers who’s in a Jedward tribute band with his brother. They’re called Fredward. Meanwhile, Roy and Freddie (the dog, not the Jedward impersonator) arrive home to find Evelyn waiting for them in the dark cafe. ‘Evelyn?’ says Roy. ‘No, it’s Bruce Springsteen. Who do you think it is?’ she replies. Presumably the C Street Band are waiting outside.
Crystal Hyde is Ryan’s latest visitor. He jokes about getting a Daft Punk-style helmet to wear. ‘Or Deadmau5,’ she counters, referring to the Canadian DJ and producer. As for Beth’s day out with Marco, things gets messy when she spills a drink all over herself. She changes into donated clothes that have been left outside a charity shop and ends up clad in a Frankie Says Relax T-shirt. Then she and Marco get close. Beth, don’t do it… They kiss. That’s the power of love. It’s a force from above.
Coronation Street episode 10930/31. Originally aired 17th April 2023.
