A few weeks ago, the depressing Debbie Downer character created by US comedian Rachel Dratch got a mention on Corrie. This episode, Stu Carpenter is concerned about his granddaughter Eliza Woodrow staying with her dad Dom Everett, but he apologises for continually harping on about it and being ‘a Derek Downer’. Derek sounds like a good match for Debbie, who in one Saturday Night Live sketch fell for a man called Bob Bummer.
Paul Foreman rumbles that his mum Bernie Winter is fencing dodgy computer equipment. He indulges in a bit of Derek Downer behaviour himself, saying that any scheme involving Big Garth is doomed to failure. Paul tells her the proverb ‘Crime doesn’t pay’ could have been coined for perennially-apprehended Big Garth. The saying was actually first used during the Victorian era, but entered common parlance after the FBI employed it as a maxim. It was also a catchphrase of the comic-strip detective Dick Tracy. Paul decides not to get involved with Bernie’s activities, and instead busies himself looking for a classic gospel record on vinyl for Shelly Rossington. Unfortunately, he falls over on the way to her home and the record is smashed. Todd Grimshaw comes to the rescue, but wonders why Paul didn’t call Billy Mayhew. Paul explains that Billy would only use the fall to push his ‘wheelchair agenda’, which Todd reckons sounds like a Wet Leg song. Paul is unaware of the Isle Of Wight indie duo. It’s a surprise he’s never heard them at Roy’s Rolls, because Shona Platt is a big fan.
Roy Cropper films a video message for Yasmeen Metcalfe’s 70th birthday, but he feels a bit awkward speaking on the clip. So he uses a series of cue cards to send her his best wishes, looking like an updated version of Bob Dylan’s legendary Subterranean Homesick Blues video. Corrie-lover Dylan had the poet Allen Ginsberg on hand back in 1965, while Roy is assisted by Eliza, Hope Dobbs and Sam Blakeman. Later, Paul rings Shelly to apologise for not making it to her place with the record (which is revealed as an Edwin Hawkins album), but he doesn’t realise she’s sadly passed away in her sleep.
Coronation Street episode 11059/11060. Originally aired 15th Sept 2023.
