After delays, bad reviews and cancellations the Corrie musical Street Of Dreams has hit it's biggest crisis yet as star of the show Paul O'Grady has hit out at the producers in a damning email to The Stage.

O'Grady plays (or played) the narrator of the show, which opened and closed in Manchester last week. He is now saying that the production was 'bedlam', that he had to 'cobble stuff together' to make the show work, that the set was unfinished when the show opened, that the cast had to provide their own costumes, that the producers are 'incompetent, inept and unprofessional' and that cast members remain unpaid. Pretty strong stuff.

The rest of the show's tour was cancelled after the Manchester opening with producers citing artistic problems. O'Grady, though, claims that excuse is 'out of order' and he could see things were wrong for a long time. He claims that he only stuck with the show because he feared being used as a scapegoat for the failure if he quit. He said: 'I also thought, if I go, it gives them the perfect excuse to close everything and blame it on me. So I stuck it out, as did the rest of the cast, because we felt a commitment to this thing, which we had been involved in for so long.'

He says of the unpaid wages: 'That is what is killing me. I can afford it, but they [the cast and crew] can't. I feel like screaming out, "Pay your crew". That is what is sickening me. And there were people on this for whom this was their first job, and I had to tell them it's not like this all the time.' He says that he doesn't want paying but would like to see everyone else compensated.

He also effectively quit the production, saying that even if the show came back he wouldn't be part of it: 'I don't think I could to tell you the truth, I have been poisoned so much. We all feel like we have been thrown down the rabbit hole, gone through some crazy wonderland, and come out the other side saying, "What was that about?".'

It may be a coincidence but after a string of bad reviews the Corrie musical Street Of Dreams has had its tour postponed until the end of the year.

The show opened in Manchester last week and received poor feedback from several publications. An email received by The Stage from the show's producers says: The producers have now announced that: "We will be re-working the show for dates later in the year. The upside is that we had a terrific reaction from the fans on both Wednesday and Thursday night and an improved show certainly has the potential to go on and be a long-running hit. We had some mixed reviews but also some raves. But it needs to be changed."

The show opened in Manchester but was due to move on to Dublin, Belfast and Newcastle but those shows have been cancelled. No details have yet been given about refunds or rescheduling.

The new Coronation Street musical Street Of Dreams opened in Manchester this week and now the reviews are in.

The show features Corrie cast members old and new as well as Paul O'Grady as the narrator and guest stars such as Russell Watson. It has been designed to play in huge arenas rather than traditional theatres and features vintage clips from the TV show as well as specially written songs.

The critics do not seem too impressed. What's On Stage thought that there was far too much going on, saying: 'Too many cooks spoil the hotpot, so this ambitious musical ends up being a bit of a mess.'

The Mirror thought a mixture of technical issues and unimpressive writing affected the show. Their critic said: 'Repeated sound ¬problems and a script that seemed more cobbled together than constructed gave the whole thing a disappointingly dis-jointed feel.'

The Mirror did, though, praise Paul O'Grady as a 'masterful MC', unlike Dave Simpson of the Guardian who wanted him killed by Richard Hillman. He said: 'It's just a pity that with so many versions of the serial murderer around, one of doesn't quietly claim another victim and bump off Paul O'Grady.'

Simpson also declared the show 'hit and often miss' and enjoyed the original clip and script elements of the night most of all, saying: 'The real star here is the original series'.

Not great feedback then, but most of the reviews said that the audience seemed to enjoy the show and that Julie Goodyear as Bet Lynch provided the real stand-out turn. Not bad for a 70-year old.

After 6 months away from Weatherfield to film a new series of Red Dwarf, actor Craig Charles is back on the street and his character Lloyd Mullaney is set to go to war with best friend and ex-business partner Steve McDonald.

Lloyd left Corrie after splitting up with girlfriend Cheryl and sold his shares in cab firm Street Cars to Steve's ex Becky. Now he's back and is either starting up his own cab firm or working for a rival, depending on which tabloid newspaper you believe.

The Daily Mirror today quotes an 'insider' as saying: ''There were all kinds of rumours flying around that Craig wasn't coming back at all. But it seems he is back with bang. Craig is well liked by the production crew and has some great banter with them, so he has been missed. It's a relief and a joy that he is back.''

Here is a pic of new Corrie star Sue Johnston's first day in Weatherfield.

Sue has joined the cast as Stella Price's mum Gloria who will play a key part in the ongoing story of Stella's troubles with errant hubby Karl.

Expect to see Gloria appearing in episodes from sometime in June.

It was a case of last orders, not starters orders, for Olympic golden girl Jessica Ennis as she swapped the training field for Weatherfield and served up a swift half behind the bar of the Rovers Return.

The avid Coronation Street fan - Team GB's brightest hope of a gold medal at the London 2012 Games - was given a special tour of the hit soap set in a break in between training.

The Sheffield lass, who has never missed an episode of Corrie, confessed she would jump at the chance of a cameo role on the Street.

She said: "I'm a huge Coronation Street fan and it is wonderful to set foot on the world famous cobbles. If I'm out training, or away competing, I always record Corrie and watch back-to-back episodes when I get the chance.

Ennis, 26, was in Manchester ahead of the Great CityGames on May 20th, when she will formally kick-off her Olympic season and begin her quest for glory in earnest.

Jessica will be joined by over a dozen Olympic and World medallists as she kicks off her Olympic season in front of thousands of fans on the streets of Manchester and broadcast live on BBC2.

In what is becoming part of a traditional start to her summer season, she will race in one of her favourite events - the 100m hurdles - at the unique street competition held on Deansgate.

Taking place on a purpose built track, it will be the last chance to see medal hopefuls compete outside of London ahead of this summer's Olympic Games.

Outside the Rovers, Ennis met Corrie stars Antony Cotton (Sean Tully) and Samia Ghadie (Maria Connor) and the pair told the heptathlete that the whole country was behind her.

Samia Ghadie said: "We were star struck to meet Jessica, she is a true sporting hero and we are all backing her bid for Olympic gold. We wish her - and all the other members of Team GB - the very best for the London 2012 Games."

Both Cotton and Ghadie are competing in the tenth Bupa Great Manchester Run, raising money for The Christie Hospital and East Cheshire Hospice respectively.
This year the biggest field ever - of 40,000 runners - will join the professionals to pound the city streets in what has become the nation's favourite 10k event.

The Bupa Great Manchester Run and Great CityGames will both be broadcast live on BBC2 on May 20th.

For more information go to www.greatrun.org or www.greatcitygames.org

As Britain's Got Talent's live finals week approaches, ITV have announced details of how this will affect Corrie's schedule.

Basically from Monday 7th of May to Thursday 10th of May Corrie will be on once a night at 9PM. The on Friday 11th of May things go back to normal with shows at the usual times of 7:30PM and 8:30PM.

After all, what Mr Cowell wants, Mr Cowell gets (except when he wants Cheryl Cole, if this week's papers are to be believed)

The longest serving soap character anywhere in the world turns 80 today. William Roache, who plays the Street's slightly dull Ken Barlow, has been at Corrie since the beginning in 1960 and has been the only surviving member of the original cast member since Elise Tanner left in the 1980s!

Back in the 60s, Ken was the fiery socialist son of the Barlow clan, though these days his character is much more laid back - mellow even (most of the time). Best known for his relationship with onscreen wife Deirdre (Anne Kirkbride), Ken has in fact had 27 relationships during his time on the cobbles!

However, that's nothing compared to the actor who plays Ken. In real life it seems Bill is slightly more interesting than his character, confessing in an interview with Piers Morgan that he has bedded 1000 women (though his former onscreen nemesis Johnny Briggs - who played Mike Baldwin - later said that he had bedded more than Bill.)

And despite a recent bout of pneumonia which he contracted while on a speaking tour of Canada, Bill seems to be in fine form, showing no signs of hanging up his pens just yet. You can say what you like about Bill Roache but you can't deny that he looks pretty good for his age. We pay tribute to the Peter Pan of the soap world in this picture gallery below:

Images: Press Association, ITV

Corrie star William Roache (Ken Barlow) is convalescing after a bout of pneumonia contracted while on a recent speaking tour of Canada.

He's Weatherfield's longest standing resident and celebrates his 80th birthday this week. The People quote a 'source' as saying: "Everyone was concerned for him but he's such a battler and he never lets ¬anything get a hold of him. Pneumonia can be a killer for older people but Bill has always taken care of his health and well-being and that's why he's in such remarkable shape. He's planning a party to celebrate his 80th birthday and wild horses wouldn't keep him away from that. He can't wait to be with his family and friends."

A spokesperson is further quoted: "Bill is currently at home recovering from pneumonia. It isn't ideal, especially with his 80th birthday coming up. But he is doing very well and feeling much better now."

Get well soon, Bill from all at Corrie Blog.

And so the cast list keeps getting more impressive. Not content with featuring Paul O'Grady, Judy Cavanagh, Kym Marsh, Jodie Prenger, Julie Goodyear, Kevin Kennedy and Brian Capron the new Corrie musical Street Of Dreams has now signed up singing star Russell Watson.

The Manchester-born tenor will appear at the premier of the show and sing the closing number 'Ghosts - Take My Hand'.

The show's composer Trisha Ward said: "Russell has a voice of extraordinary quality and is a world-class artist. Coming from Manchester himself, he is also the perfect guest star to join us for this - our first ever performance of the show."

In a quite spectacular non-story coup, The Mirror is saying that Corrie actress Brooke Vincent (Sophie Webster) has not been kidnapped.

It says that last Thursday night someone was attacked, robbed and bundled into a car on a garage forecourt in Gorton, Manchester. When a member of staff called the police to report the incident they said it may have been Brooke who was kidnapped as she has used the garage in the past.

The police went to Brooke's house, she said it wasn't her, they left and a week later The Mirror manages to fill a full page with this twaddle. They even managed to fabricate a quote from a 'source': "Brooke was happy to put the record straight that it wasn't her. Police have to be careful in these cases.
The attacker is often a boyfriend or husband and the victim can be too scared to tell the truth." Well, thanks for clearing that up, Mr Source.

Who was attacked? Who bundled them in to the car? Why didn't the police check the garage's CCTV? What does Brooke normally buy from the garage? Why are petrol stations the only place you can buy Salt & Vinegar Discos? All these questions will now, sadly, remain unanswered.

Corrie actress Natalie Gumede has told Inside Soap that her character's parents will be arriving in Weatherfield this summer.

She plays the pregnant bunny boiler cop Kirsty Soames who is engaged to grease monkey Tyrone Dobbs (Alan Halsall) and had this to say about the development: "Kirsty's parents will arrive in a couple of months and her father is a force to be reckoned with. Of course, nothing can justify Kirsty's behaviour, so I don't think the viewers will have any sympathy for her. Even so, it may give them more of a clue as to what made her the way she is.'

While Kirsty's jealous behaviour has so far been relatively benign things are due to get more serious as she hits Tyrone. She says: "The writing so far has been fantastic - things are set to get very dark indeed between Tyrone and Kirsty. It's nerve-wracking and daunting to play, but I do think it's a story that needs to be told."

The stars of Corrie have settled their pay dispute, which will stop their income being slashed by up to a third.

The dispute concerned ITV moving omnibus editions of the show from ITV1 to ITV2 which meant that repeat payments for the actors would have been lower as terrestrial showings pay more than satellite.

The repeat fees are worth around 37.5% of the actors' income but ITV and the union Equity have now come to an agreement which will help protect the money.

An Equity spokesman said: We've prevented members' incomes falling off the edge of a cliff. That's what would have ¬happened if they'd lost 37.5 per cent.
You never get everything you ask for, but we have got more than they initially wanted to give away."

There had been the possibility of strikes or even resignations if the proposed pay cuts had happened but they seem, for the time at least, to have been averted.

After 5 years of sponsoring the ad breaks on Corrie, furniture firm Harveys have announced that they are ending their deal with the soap in January next year.

In a statement Harveys managing director Stephen Campbell said: "Over the last five years, Coronation Street has been a fantastic alignment for us, but we feel the time has come to look for something new. Having contemplated long and hard about continuing with Coronation Street, we felt it would be a good time to do something different and we are currently considering a number of options."

With Nationwide currently paying for product placement on the street (they have a cash machine in Dev's shop along with signage on the shop front) it won't be too hard for producers to attract another big name to take up Harvey's reigns.

It looks like the current Coronation Street set may be scrapped instead of preserved when production moves to the new Salford Quays studios.

It was thought that the set may be saved by the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI) as a piece of national heritage but they have released a statement that they will not be looking after the set when it becomes vacant.

MOSI director Jean Franczyk said: "There's going to be someone out there who is probably the best in the world at running a Coronation Street visitor attraction, but it's not going to be the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. That's not our role. We have so much work to do in celebrating the historic site and contents we already possess. Coronation Street is for someone else."

We reckon that if the set can't be saved for the nation then the nation should be given the chance to own a part of it. Break it up, sell pieces to the public, that's what we say. Imaging owning a bit of Jack and Vera's cladding or a tile from the Rovers doorway. That'd be great.

He may be one the UK's most celebrated and distinguished actors and a knight of the realm but when it comes to appearing in Corrie it seems Derek Jacobi is content to take a very back seat.

Sir Derek will appear for a fleeting moment in an upcoming episode as an extra in the Rovers.

A member of the production staff has been quoted by The Mirror as saying: "We have tried for years to try and sort out a role in the show for Sir Derek but we have never quite managed it. We are as big a fan of his work as he is of ours. He is an Equity member, so there was no problem getting him on set. It is highly unlikely viewers would spot him but we hope it made his day."

Apparently Sir Derek is a long term fan of the soap and once tried to sneak onto the set with friend Bradley Walsh while the latter was in the soap playing Danny Baldwin. He said: "I have always wanted to be in Coronation Street but nobody's ever asked me. So, one night I had dinner with Bradley. We both got horribly drunk, I told him how much a part in the Street would mean to me, and we hatched a plot."
It's not clear when the scene will air so you may have to keep your eyes peeled for the next few weeks to spot him.

Not content with kidnapping and selling his son, Corrie bad boy Terry Duckworth (Nigel Pivaro) is set to mark his return to Weatherfield by walloping Tommy (Chris Fountain).

Terry is returning following the death of Tommy's granddad, no doubt in an attempt to sniff out some inheritance money. But when his firm clamps Tommy's van a scuffle breaks out between the two and father lands one on his kid's jaw. Neither knows the identity of the other when the fight happens.

A Corrie source is quoted by the Daily Mail: 'Tommy has no idea that the man he is fighting with is his dad. He's never had anything to do with him but Tyrone knows all too well what Terry is capable of and makes it clear to Tommy that he's no good. But there are one or two things Tommy wants to find out and he's not about to take no for an answer. This is the start of a very interesting time for Tommy as he attempts to get to know his dad despite his dodgy reputation in Weatherfield.'

The scene will be aired next week.

The young teenager who battered his mother to death with a hammer after being inspired by fictional character John Stape has been locked up for at least 16 years. But is TV really to blame?

Obsessed with the soap's serial killer, teenager Daniel Bartlam - pictured right - bludgeoned his own mother seven times with a claw hammer at their home on Easter Monday last year before pouring petrol all over her bedroom and setting it alight. Her body was so badly burnt that she had to be identified by dental records. Nice boy.

Apparently a montage of violent scenes from various soaps was found in Bartram's house including scenes from Coronation Street, Hollyoaks and Emmerdale.

Despite being referred to a councellor over an incident in 2010, in which he shouted at a tie and said it was trying to hurt him, a mental health assessment six weeks before the murder concluded Bartlam demonstrated 'no mental illness' and was of little or no risk to himself or others. How wrong could they be?

So is TV making teenagers more violent? Well you won't be surprised to hear there is a debate going on over at the Daily Mail website. Our view? That soaps are getting more violent but they hardly make someone a killer. Unfortunately it seems this teenager was mentally ill and the authorities failed to diagnose it in time to save his poor Mum, Jacqueline Bartlam.

You can picture the scene now: Billionaire Playboy publisher Hugh Hefner frantically googling 'Coronation Street' as news filters through that Michelle Keegan reveals that she'd reveal all for his girly mag.

Michelle has announced that: "I wouldn't say no to something like Playboy if it's tastefully done. But I will never get my boobs out, unless it was for a professional acting job. They're my boobs. I don't want the world to see them. I see them as my private bits and I don't want the whole world judging them. But I'd love to do a period drama one day. I've seen nudity in a period drama and thought it looked tasteful. You weren't going, 'Oh my God -- her boobs!' It's not like in a picture where you just look like you're showing them off."

Got that, Hugh? No boobs, tasteful, then she's up for it. Get your cheque book out, son.

Corrie producer Phil Collinson has confirmed to ITV's This Morning that Royle Family star Sue Johnston is joining the soap to play Stella Price's mum, Gloria.

Collinson said: "I'm very excited to be able to tell you that Sue Johnston is going to be joining the Coronation Street cast. She starts recording with us in a couple of weeks, and she'll be on screen in June. She's going to play Gloria Price - Stella's mum, and Leanne and Eva's grandma. A very vivid, brilliant character, I think - already from what I'm reading in the scripts. She's feisty, brilliant - she comes over from Spain, where she's been running a bar, so she's perma-tanned! She's a terrifying, domineering, overbearing mother, so there's going to be sparks flying."

Corrie writer Jonathan Harvey later tweeted: "So thrilled Sue Johnston is joining the cast of Corrie. Been a joy writing her character."

Sue is perhaps best known for her role as Barbara in the Royle Family but also for playing Sheila Grant for many years in the Cannel 4 soap Brookside.

Corrie star Katy Cavanagh has told ITV's Lorraine programme that she will be playing the 'Angel of the North' in the upcoming musical Street Of Dreams.

Katy revealed that her character Julie Carp will lead show narrator Paul O'Grady through the soap's history but that she will not be singing during the performance as she 'can't sing'. She also said that their will be a multimedia element to the production, with archive footage being included.

The show opens in Manchester on May 9th.

Corrie, Coronation Street, Katy Cavanagh, Julie Carp, musical, Street of dreams, Paul o grady, angel of the north, narrator

2009 X Factor winner Joe McElderry will join the Corrie musical Street Of Dreams when it tours later in the year. He will perform the climatic number Ghosts - Take My Hand.

He said: "I'm a massive fan of the show so it's really exciting to perform the finale song," he said. I've seen bits and pieces at meetings to discuss the project. It's kind of like Moulin Rouge meets Coronation Street. It's really good. It's a little dip into musical theatre for me, I suppose."

McElderry will be a guest at the Newcastle dates only when the tour reaches the Metro Radio Arena on May 29th and 30th.

To absolutely no-one's surprise, Corrie star Kym Marsh will be playing street legend Elsie Tanner in the upcoming musical Street Of Dreams. There have been rumours circulating for a while now that Kym would appear in the musical and the release of images showing her dressed as Elsie confirm the casting.

Kym is quoted as saying of original Elsie actress Pat Phoenix: 'She's left some rather big stiletto shoes to fill, but to have the opportunity to represent such an iconic character of yesteryear on a stage of this scale is an absolute honour.'

And the musical's composer Trisha Ward added: 'I am thrilled Kym is joining the world premiere tour of Coronation Street: Street of Dreams to play Elsie Tanner. Elsie was at the very heart of Tony Warren's Coronation Street and a character that stayed with me through the process of writing a major musical around the world's most successful TV programme. Kym has a wonderful voice for Elsie's torch-song, 'I Know How It Feels', and embodies the same beauty and dynamic passion that embodied this most iconic of Tony's female characters.'

The musical opens in Manchester in May and will subsequently tours arenas around the UK.

Popular Corrie star Malcolm Hebden - who plays busy body newsagent Norris Cole - was taken to hospital last week after collapsing on the set.

Malcolm (72) was taken ill in his dressing room and taken to hospital for tests but was later given the all clear and allowed home. He was back at work a few hours later.

The Mirror reports yer man 'Corrie Source' as saying: 'It was nothing serious but our medical staff thought it was for the best to give him a thorough check over.'

Seeing as Norris is one of our favourite characters here at Corrie Blog, we're delighted that Malcolm is feeling better and we wish him continued good health.

Street Of Dreams, the musical based on Corrie which opens in Manchester in May, will tour arena in Dublin, Belfast and Newcastle.

It's based on the Coronation Street - Rogues, Angels, Heroes and Fools album released last year and features songs performed by ex-Corrie including Julie Goodyear and Kevin Kennedy. It will be narrated by Paul O'Grady.

The Manchester shows were originally scheduled for the end of March but had to be postponed until May due to technical issues.