It was a bit of a stretch to find a Z entry for our A to Z feature but we did come up with Zaire. A much loved character, Maggie Clegg, has been featured as one of our unsung heroes and life wasn't easy for her. There is a good biography of Maggie's time on Coronation Street over on Corrie.net . Maggie finally found happiness and married Ron Cooke and moved to Zaire which is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo in north central Africa. We assume she's living there in wedded bliss to this day.

We hope you enjoyed our A-Z look at Coronation Street.

We're almost at the end of our A to Z feature. Today's entry is the letter Y for Youtube, a great video sharing site where you can find all kinds of Coronation Street clips and video of former and current actors in a large variety of appearances, either in other tv shows or movies or appearances in game shows, talk shows, interviews and other entertainment. YouTube is search friendly. Just pop over and plug in "Coronation Street", a character or actor name and see what you come up with. Some of the ones we've come across are all in our YouTube section right here on Corrieblog!

We hope you enjoyed our A-Z look at Coronation Street.

X-rated scenes on Coronation Street? Where!? Well, not quite as you might think. There have been very few scenes where you see both partners in bed and almost all of them used to show people just waking up in the morning or people with their backs turned to each other looking miserable. We've also had two people modelling sans clothing for art classes in the forms of Nick Tilsley (Well, we always knew he was a poser!) and Jack Duckworth. Chesney saw a naked Sally in shower though we didn't see it. I bet Chesney wishes he hadn't either.

Click through to read a bit more about unbridled passion and nudity on Coronation Street!

We could write reams on the appeal of Coronation Street women. Daran Little’s great book The Women of Coronation Street is a must for fans to find out more about the appeal of Corrie’s strong / vulnerable women. Our former editor, Flaming Nora, has also done her fair share of academic analysis of Corrie women in postgrad essays and for anyone wanting to read her own personal view of why Coronation Street women make compulsive viewing and why the current ones in particular are intriguing to watch, click here to read an article she wrote for Shiny Media’s women’s blog, Dollymix

Have a look at all of the A-Z of Coronation Street

Coronation Street doesn't feature characters with disabilities too often though not not ago we met Freda, Emily's hearing impaired niece, who was featured in the storyline where Emily met her husband's murderer, Ed Jackson. We've had a few characters take to wheelchairs over the years, most of them as a temporary measure to recover from an injury. The first time we saw one was after a coach accident from the Lake district. Ray Langton was injured and spent a few months wheeling over the cobbles. Jim McDonald took a bad fall off some scaffolding into a skip and was in a wheelie for a few months as well. Once he pulled himself out of a depression with the help of Maud Grimes, and got some physical therapy, he was soon back on his feet.

There have been a stream of VIPs wanting a walk-on part on Coronation Street. I list below those I can recall having been on the soap but I’m sure this list doesn’t include all of them. Please do jump in and let me know if I’ve missed anyone and let’s try to get a complete list of all the VIPs who have ever appeared on Corrie either as themselves or in character. Appearing as themselves were Prince Charles and The Earl of Devonshire (during an outing to Chatsworth House in the 1960s), the 13th Duke of Bedford (Woburn Abbey in the 70s) and members of Status Quo, Les Battersby's favourite band. Appearing in character, not counting people that went on to greater fame and fortune, were as follows: Cliff Richard, Ian McKellan who played scam writer Mel Hutchwright, rocker Noddy Holder and singer/actor Michael Crawford (bit part, punter in the bar). Can you fill in a few more names?

Off screen, of course, Queen Elizabeth II has visited the set as has Tony Blair and Margaret Thatcher and one or two other politicians back in the 60s.

Have a look at all of the A-Z of Coronation Street

It's not always easy to come up with something for every letter of the alphabet for our A to Z feature because we are looking at topics, not individual characters. "V" had us stumped a bit but we came up with quite a popular drink, mainly among some of the women. Vodka Tonic is a favourite of Rita in particular. Sometimes Deirdre will indulge as well as Audrey though others prefer Gin with their Tonic. On a different note, a quick Google search uncovered this web radio station out of Phoenix called Vodka Tonic Radio, a mix of "dangerous rock and roll"! Sounds good to me!

Check out all of our A to Z feature here on Corrieblog!

There are forty-seven years of history behind Coronation Street and it doesn't look like it's going to end any time soon. Long time viewers know a lot about the show, from watching it and from all of the many books published about it over the years. The most prolific author, Daran Little, has written some wonderful books gathering together summaries and trivia lists of the show as well as devising a history of Coronation Street that reaches back to 1902, when the physical street was supposed to have been built.

Long before there were gay characters in Coronation Street, a controversial character was introduced. Hayley Patterson's story is well known to most Corrieblog readers and the writers still inject comments and issues into her dialogue. Even now, after all these years, Hayley will remark on her past or be subjected to unkind remarks or jokes at her expense. Hayley's story has almost always been handled with the utmost sensitivity though opinions about her recent storyline are divided. Maybe it's not keeping faith with Hayley's backstory as it has been presented to us, but it has given Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson a good workout of their acting chops yet again.

Salford is the model for Weatherfield. It is a city in its own right, not under the umbrella of the city of Manchester, it's neighbour. It has it's own mayor and town council as well. It is actually an older city than Manchester, and has always been a working class area, with lots of mills and factories that sprang up in the Industrial Revolution in the late 19th century. It's starting to have more upscale areas including a massive redevelopment along the old shipping canals, which is mirrored in Weatherfield as Weatherfield (aka Salford) Quays. They even used an exterior shot of this part of the Quays as "Montreal Quay", where Dev, Steve (in the 1990s when he was married to Vicky) and Mike had their posh flats.

Hands up if you can remember when, where and why there was a sea lion in the bath of the Rovers Return in Coronation Street? You can’t? Well, read on and find out. Back in 1962, Dennis Tanner was working as an entertainment agent. He had a charity concert set up but sold more tickets than he had seats. Minnie Caldwell ended up having to keep the audience entertained while Dennis scrambled when his main act didn't show up due to troubles with their "big end" but sent the sea lions on ahead. What to do with the animals!? Since the Walkers were planning to stay out overnight after a function, he talked Concepta into letting him have the key and he put the sea lions in the bathtub in the upstairs quarters and stashed three exotic dancers in the Walker's bed. The Walkers came back because the hotel room hadn't been confirmed, and they both got quite a surprise! Ah Dennis Tanner. Whatever happened to him? Do you think he's still trying to pull off inept scams?

What did Annie see? Click through to find out.

It's common in the U.K. to hear about someone in your family referred to by name with "Our" preceding the name, though it always sounds more like just the "R", and Coronation Street is no different. Sometimes, you might refer to your (usually younger) brother or sister as "Our Kid" or, as it is usually heard, "R'Kid" (as in "kid brother/sister").

Who can forget this wonderful Queen tribute video with the lads done up in drag representing Coronation Street characters? It’s definitely a tribute to Coronation Street with Freddie wearing the short skirts and big blonde hair, reminiscent of Bet Lynch. Don't you think Roger (the blonde in the school outfit) looks a bit like Jenny Bradley? Watch it on YouTube!

Liz McDonald was once landlady at The Queen's pub when she was having a fling with Des Barnes’ younger brother, Colin. In real life, The Queens pub is The Pig and Porcupine on Deansgate in Manchester, handily located just around the corner from the Corrie set at Granada TV.

Have a look at all of the A-Z of Coronation Street

In the craving to be 'representative', British soaps are often criticised for their depiction of ethnic minorities, but did you know that Coronation Street's first cast included an immigrant worker? Ivan Cheveski has already been the subject of a Corrieblog analysis, yet the news that modern-day Corrie would feature immigrant workers at the factory seemed to a big concern indeed. The common link between these characters is that they are originally from Poland, having moved to the UK for better job prospects and better pay. Wiki Dankowska is currently the only Pole in the Corrie cast, but she's not been seen for donkeys months! Bring her back!

It’s hard to think of it now, but in the 1980s having a Deirdre perm was the very height of fashion. Perms recently celebrated their 100th anniversary and along with Kevin Keegan, Deirdre Barlow’s perm was all over the press in recognition of the curly hairdo’s big day. Vera’s early curly look was something Liz Dawn picked out because it stood out from the rest of the female cast at the time, pre-Deirdre perm. Has a Corrie haircut ever made bigger news? I even had one in the 90s myself! Now that oversized specs are trendy, do you think the perm will ever make a come-back?

Have a look at all of the A-Z of Coronation Street

Pigeons have been an integral part of Coronation Street for a long time. Most people think Jack was the only owner but the original owner of the pigeon loft was Chalkie Whitely who was the previous owner of Number 9. Jack bought the pigeons with the house! As well as his little swamp duck, Vera, Jack’s other passion in life has always been his pigeons. Remember when Vera served up pigeon pie to Jack after she was fed up with the attention he was spending on his birds instead of his wife? Vera’s never been keen on the mucky pigeons but Jack’s had plenty of people willing to lend a hand with cleaning and feeding the birds, including Tyrone, Jamie Armstrong, Curly and Chesney. Even Frankie Baldwin looked after the pigeons in her next-door yard after Vera threatened to get rid of them all. Pigeon magazines were recently responsible for landing Jack with a sprained foot!

Have a look at all of the A-Z of Coronation Street

Coronation Street is beamed to many countries around the world but the main bulk of its fans seem to be here in the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand - where they are many Corrie fan clubs. In fact, New Zealand fans top the list for Google internet searches on "Coronation Street". We also know that Corrie is also beamed out in Belgium and in Germany. Now that the official Corrie site allows fans to watch the soap online, Corrie is no longer restricted to those countries which receive it by TV. However this only works if your computer has a U.K. IP address, so you’d have to set up a proxy setting first! (and no, I don’t know how but maybe some technically minded reader can explain it?) We already know that Corrieblog has a diverse and international readership around the world which reflects the fans who watch in different countries but who, reading this, can claim to be the furthest away from Weatherfield?

Have a look at all of the A-Z of Coronation Street

Ahoy me hearties, it's time for N for Navy and the boys in Coronation Street who have served as naval officers. So far on Corrie we've had Peter “a woman in every port and sometimes two at the same time” Barlow and his Irish friend Ciaran McCarthy who have served in the Navy. And if you cast your mind back to 1961, Len Fairclough introduced Elsie Tanner to an old Navy buddy, Petty Officer Bill Gregory. Bill and Elsie had a passionate affair that ended in tears in July 1962 when Bill's wife turned up and he left Elsie to return home. Can you remember any more fellas from the Navy in Corrie?

On the same theme, Betty Driver (Betty Williams) once had a hit with the song Sailor with the Navy Blue Eyes and it was also reported back in 2002 that The Navy had installed satellite dishes on their ships so that sailors could keep up with their soaps on the high seas!

Have a look at all of the A-Z of Coronation Street

What would Coronation Street be without milk stout? Ena Sharples & Co. may not have been as outspoken had they not enjoyed their daily stimulant. But just what is this sacred drink? Milk stout is derived from lactose, a sugar found in milk, which increases the number of calories as well as the sweetness. Stout is often prescribed to new mothers and people who are ill as its nutritional value helps to restore the body. Coronation Street reflected this fable when Ena was hospitalised and both Martha and Minnie snook bottles of stout into the hospital. Ena scoffed at their attempts and gleefully pointed out that she got a bottle a day on the NHS! [Ben]

Coronation Street is set in the fictional town of Weatherfield, based on Salford which is a neighbouring city to Manchester in the north west of England. Manchester figures quite prominently in the show with multiple references to the Arndale Shopping centre, the Trafford Centre (photo left, an upscale shopping mall), Piccadilly train station and the Triangle (a posh shopping area). The lads mostly support either Manchester United or Manchester City football teams and people are always talking about going "into town", meaning the Manchester city centre which is full of old Victorian buildings, a great Chinatown area, some great theatre and shopping. There are good galleries and museums and some lovely parks. Click through for a few more photos that I've taken when there on my travels. Check back to see more A to Z here on Corrieblog.

This week's Fab Photo Friday is brought to you by the letter L. L stands for Locked In which is precisely what has happened to Albert and Stan in this snap from March 1976 as they find themselves "incarcerated" overnight in the cellar of the Rovers Return Inn. It's like a dream come true for these two unlikely "cellmates"; whilst they drink and sing the night away, Hilda is beside herself with worry when Stan fails to return home after another night's suppin'. She heads out into Coronation Street to search for him, but it's not until the next morning when she and Annie Walker hear their voices coming from the cellar that all is revealed. Although the two men have drunk themselves sober, Stan gets a clout around the head and Hilda's voice ringing in his ear all the way down the street. "Poor Mr Odgen", remarks Annie! [Sky Clearbrook]

Coronation Street characters have spawned their own look-a-likes and there are agencies out there who can supply you with your very own Eileen Grimshaw, if you should find yourself needing one. The most stunning look-a-like I’ve seen was this picture of ex-Corrie actress Denise Black and ex-Brookside actress Sue Johnston who both played Pat Phoenix on TV. Of course, not all Corrie look-a-likes are as good, big or clever. We started finding so many that were comically related in the look-a-like world that we created a special section for them here on Corrieblog. Have a look at them all here.

Have a look at all of the A-Z of Coronation Street

Ey up! Coronation Street was pretty much the first television show broadcast in England that actually used the language and accent of the North of England as opposed to the proper BBC spoken English. They took a chance that it would fly and indeed, it soared. The actors have mostly been those that have been born in the North but not always. Some actors had their natural accent trained out of them but have to revert back to the speech that they grew up with for the show. Helen Worth is one of these. Sometimes the book pictured here, "Street Talk, the Language of Coronation Street", is featured on Ebay, or you can check your second hand shops as well.

Wow, when you stop to think of it, Coronation Street has seen a lot of killers over the last 47 years! Quite a few for such a small back street, anyway. Joe Donelli killed Steve Tanner and Len Fairclough nearly took the blame for Steve Tanner's murder. Ernest Bishop was shot by Ed Jackson in the factory wages heist. He was forgiven years later by Emily Bishop. Samir Rachid was killed by thugs on his way to the hospital to donate a kidney to Tracy Barlow. Speaking of whom...Tracy killed Charlie Stubbs in cold blood, trying to make it look like self defence! And Terry Duckworth, as shown in this photo? He gave his mother an unsafe car, causing Vera and Judy Mallett to be in an accident. Judy's badly bruised leg turned into DVT and she died from it. That makes him a killer in my book, don't you think? Gary Mallet thought so too and thumped Terry soundly on Christmas Day.

More killers through the link!