Apparently Jack Duckworth isn't going to die in Coronation Street's much publicised tram crash later in the year.

But will take his own life with the help of lady friend Connie after discovering he has terminal cancer - at least according to the News of the World.

Now I'm all for gritty storylines from time to time, but personally I find it all a bit depressing. And if there's one reason why I've always preferred Corrie to 'Enders it's because it is, on the whole, more cheerful.

The News of the World reports that Jack will discover he has terminal cancer, and will ask his lady friend Connie to help him to die before his suffering becomes unbearable.

The article also adds that before he dies, Jack will carry out "secret good deeds" for several of the Street's residents.

Via TV Throng

Kym Marsh, who plays Corrie's Michelle Connor, has waded into the row over the National TV Awards by saying in her New magazine column that the Beeb's complaints were just sour grapes, reports Digital Spy.

Kym Marsh claimed that BBC insiders were making "excuses" when they accused National Television Awards bosses of being biased towards Coronation Street when it won the 'Most Popular Serial Drama' prize ahead of EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.

Writing under the headline "Sour grapes" in her column, Marsh said:
"They always have an excuse when we win! But it was just our year. You don't get to 50 [years] without making good TV. So 'in your face' is all I can say!"

BBC sources claimed that viewers may have been influenced by a three-minute Coronation Street showcase which aired on the NTVA programme while vote lines were still open. However, the ceremony's independent adjudicator PromoVeritas later dismissed the claims by confirming that the ITV1 drama had been ahead at all stages of the voting.

Coronation Street's Kym Marsh has hinted there could be a love triangle on the cards involving her character and Carla Connor, according to a story from The Press Association.

The actress and Celebrity Mum of the Year said she and Carla (Alison King) may become love rivals after the return of Ciaran McCarthy (Keith Duffy) to the soap.

Kym said: "There's a rivalry between them both, and there'll be some fella involved somewhere down the line, probably Keith Duffy or Chris Gascoyne (Peter Barlow)."

Asked whether Carla's going to have her eye on Irish charmer Ciaran, Kym said: "She may do, but I think he's going to have his eye on Carla more likely."

It's a rumour that has been doing the rounds for a year or so, ever since he told The Daily Star "why they've never asked me to be in it is really one of the scandals of our age." But now Noel Gallagher, who is known to be a huge fan of the soap, is looking set to appear in Corrie as part of its 50th anniversary celebrations next year.

Producer Kim Crowther told NME.com that she would love to bring the ex-Oasis star into the show alongside some older characters: "I would love to bring Hilda back and Mavis. Noel Gallagher would be great."

If Gallagher does make a cameo on the series he won't be the first rock/pop star to appear. Slade's Noddy Holder, also a hero of Gallagher's, appeared as Stan Potter in a live episode in 2000 to mark Corrie's 40th Anniversary. And of course Status Quo's Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt appeared as themselves in 2005, drinking in The Rovers and playing at Les and Cilla's wedding.

Samia Smith was nervous about telling Corrie bosses about her pregnancy, and now has a craving for doughnuts.

Becky's one-night stands are coming back to haunt her, according to Katherine Kelly.

Footballer Dean Windass has been meeting his Corrie namesakes but admits that "Eddie Yeats was my all time favourite character."

Shobna Gulati says she can't bear to look at herself in a full-length mirror. And she's definitely coming back to Corrie, according to ITV.com.

Ryan Connor is about to have a spot of bother involving a "teen sex scenario."

Julia Haworth would love to appear on Strictly Come Dancing.

ITV.com has photos of filming of the beach scenes where Maria gives birth.

Corrie wins 6 awards at the British Soap Awards.

Andrew Sachs talks about his arrival in Coronation Street as Norris's brother.

It's rumoured that Shobna Gulati will return to the Street to play Sunita Alahan.

Joe McIntyre is going to become addicted to painkillers in an upcoming storyline.

Suranne Jones talks about a recent trip to the Congo for the charity Christian Aid. Video here.

Kym Marsh talks about losing baby Archie.

Ghost of Pat Phoenix stalks the Coronation Street set, says the Sun. "So many people have seen and felt the same things that there has to be something in it," says Sue Cleaver.

They try to make Peter Barlow go to rehab, but he says "no, no, no," according to the Star.

There's an excellent interview with Corrie producer Kim Crowther over at Digital Spy.

Over on ITV.com, there's a video of Jennie McAlpine, Katy Cavanagh and Craig Charles when they appeared on This Morning. They also have the nominations for ther British Soap Awards, and one of them is pocket-sized genius Alex Bain (Simon). Hurrah!

Poppy (Sophiya Haque) and Mary (Patti Clare) will be leaving Coronation Street soon after the characters "failed to make an impact," according to reports. The same report also says that Paula Carp (Sharon Duce) will be leaving, but she was never intended to be a permanent characteranyway and was just part of the storyline about Colin. ITV have denied that the characters are leaving due to cost cuts.

Andrew Sachs says he's having trouble remembering the names of the huge Coronation Street cast, what with having to remember their real names and their character names. Here's a hint: he needn't bother learning Patti Clare's or Sophiya Haque's.

Craig Kelly (Luke Strong) is supporting a local theatre in the north west, where he grew up.

Corrie director Kay Patrick, who was recently injured in an accident on the set, apparently faces a long recovery following damage to her shoulder and knee.

Finally, I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I didn't let you know about this: Sean Wilson (Martin Platt) will be judging a cheese show in Nantwich in July. It sounds like something Victoria Wood could have written, but it's absolutely true.

These are difficult economic times, as we all know. Belts are being tightened left, right and centre, and job security is a thing of the past. Could this also be true for Coronation Street? We know that ITV have assured the future of the show, but, according to newspaper reports at the weekend, that hasn't stopped cast members from fearing for their future. The People quote Michael Le Vell (Kevin) as saying, "We are scared that we face getting axed with what's going on."

The People also says that producer Kim Crowther is getting angry at the amount of storylines that are being leaked to the press (it's not us, Kim, honest). She's apparently been scrutinising the mobile phone records of employees to find out if any of them are the infamous "moles" and "insiders" that the press love to quote. Script meetings have been moved to ITV's Manchester offices rather than hotels (though this could possibly be a cost saving exercise rather than anyone getting jumpy about leaks), and reports are that a bugging expert swept the room for listening devices. "The atmosphere is really bad now because everyone is worried about their jobs in this difficult climate," says an "outraged insider" (who is still leaking stories to the press despite these clampdowns, obviously). "Crowther hates any negative stories about the show coming out." And who can blame her?

Comments? Email Corrieblog!

Sophie Webster has already made what her mother calls a "lifestyle choice" when she decided to become a Christian. How will Sally feel if the Mail is correct, and Sophie becomes the first lesbian character in Coronation Street?

Apparently Sophie is going to dump her boyfriend Ben (we just knew that boy was too perfect to last) and will find herself a girlfriend instead. There's speculation as to whether this will be a new cast member, or her friend Sian (who is played by Sacha Parkinson). The Mail's Corrie mole says that the programme's bosses "are acutely aware that they need more gay characters and that they need to tackle more gay issues."

Kelly and Becky were rumoured to be poised to be the first Corrie lesbians in 2006. In 2007 there was speculation that it could be Violet. It's something that has been on the producers' minds for quite some time, and possibly in Brooke Vincent they believe they've found the actress who could carry the idea forward.

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Remember that nasty DC Hooch, who tried to get Becky into more trouble than she was already in for her drunken rampage? Steve McDonald rescued her from that one, but will he be able to rescue her from what Hooch does next? Will he even believe she's innocent this time?

According to the Sun, there's going to be huge trouble for Becky when Hooch gets her former boyfriend Slug to plant class A drugs in the Rovers - and then Becky is busted. "Say goodbye to your new life Becky, because this time you're going down and I'll make sure they throw away the key," says the nasty Hooch. Yikes! The Sun's Corrie mole says, "Her relationship with Steve will be teetering on the brink. It'll be touch and go whether she goes down or not." And only loyal Roy Cropper stands by her.

I wonder if this means Slug will be putting in an appearance? He was played by Marshall Lancaster, who has said that he was asked to come back to Corrie on a previous occasion but was committed to Ashes to Ashes at the time. A new series of the time-warp drama has just been announced, with Lancaster again part of the cast.

What would you do if you earned £120k a year? You'd stay in and watch Coronation Street, of course. That's what Manchester United and England footballer Rio Ferdinand ("one of the most composed central defenders in the game") does, bless him. He looks after his two little boys and makes sure he's settled in front of the telly in time for Corrie (and That London-Based Soap, but let's not worry our pretty heads about that). "I'm an avid fan. I always make sure I get home in time to watch them," he says, and one of his "pals" told the Daily Star, "Rio absolutely loves Coronation Street. It takes his mind off the pressures of playing at Manchester United. He is like an adopted Mancunian."

So there we are: Rio Ferdinand - a cosy, stay-at-home, kind of guy. I bet he has an absolutely massive telly, though.

Nightmare scenario! What's worse than Rosie Webster? Answer: Rosie Webster with power and money.
And she's going to get both, according to the Sun, when John Stape gives her the proceeeds from the sale of his gran's house, in the hope that it will make amends for him kidnapping her.

Miss Rosie decides to make a few investments - some clothes, a flashy car, and a stake in the knicker factory where she works. When Luke Strong finds himself with a cash flow situation, Miss Rosie is ready and waiting with the cash. Can you imagine how insufferable she's going to get? She lords it over the menial knicker-stitchers (including her mum) as it is.

Comments? Email Corrieblog!

The Express newspaper has a bit of speculation about the future of ITV this morning. They say that things are so desperate that Chief Executive Michael Grade is looking at any way he can to boost income. Currently (it says - I'm no expert), ITV aren't allowed to charge more for advertising during popular programmes, the most popular of course being Coronation Street. Grade is looking to get this lifted, and if this happens he'll want to double the number of episodes transmitted weekly.

Personally I can't see this happening - putting out five hours of Coronation Street a week would be far too much for writers, actors and all the other staff. Quality would be bound to suffer, and they could end up killing the goose that currently lays the golden egg.

Comments? Email Corrieblog!

It seems that Coronation Street's bosses are trying to tempt Alison King back from her maternity leave early, so she can take part in a shocking plot twist. They want Carla to become a killer, according to the Sun. They're not saying who she'll kill (presumably you'd have to put your money on Tony Gordon), but it will be in self-defence. Maybe she'll get into a scrap with Gary Windass?

Alison is said to be considering the idea, as it's not long since she gave birth to her daughter Daisy Mae.

Comments? Email Corrieblog (as our comments are still broken, unfortunately).

Noel Gallagher, of Manc band Oasis, has said that he loves watching Coronation Street and he'd love to have a part in it. He knows exactly what part he'd like, as well: "A little, tiny part. Preferably punching David Platt's face in," he told radio DJ Jo Whiley. "And then go on to his mum." Punch Gail??? The thug!

There are suggestions in the press today that Kym Marsh and her partner Jamie Lomas both have their sights set on Hollywood careers. This is being denied by Corrie spokespeople, according to the People, who say that Kym is contracted to Corrie until 2010.

However, one of these "sources close to the couple"-type sources has been telling the People that a change of scene might be what the couple want following the death of their newborn baby Archie recently. They say, "The tragedy has brought Kym and Jamie closer together. And if he does get a job in America, it would make sense, given the interest in her, for Kym to get work there too."

Becky would go ballistic if she knew about this, but it's true - Steve McDonald still has Karen's number on his mobile, and they text each other regularly!

According to Suranne Jones, who played Karen, Simon Gregson is still listed on her mobile as "Steve," and she's on his mobile as "Karen." She says: "I'll text him and tell him what Karen has been up to today and he'll tell me what Steve has been doing. He did ring to let me know about him and Becky."

So that's ok, then. Suranne approves of "Steve"'s latest fiancee. "Steve and Karen were always great together, but Steve and Becky are just brilliant. I think they're a match made in heaven. I just love Katherine Kelly as an actress."

Suranne has been a busy woman since leaving the Street, with roles in various dramas, some of them more successful (Unforgiven) than others (Harley Street). Her next project is a trip to Africa for the charity Christian Aid.

Comments? Email Corrieblog!

No, not that Grace Kelly. Do behave. Katherine Kelly, who plays Becky, has a sister called Grace who is 19 and apparently as talented as her older sister. So much so that Corrie bosses were keen to give her a role when she auditioned recently. The problem is that she looks far too much like Katherine, so she didn't get the part - but there's a possibility that she could join the Street anyway, according to the Sun, which says she could appear as a relative of Becky's, possibly even as her sister. Their mole says, "She's as quirky as Katherine and she's a cracking little actress."

I'm not sure about this. I quite like it that everything we know about Becky's background comes from the woman herself, but I suppose as they're keen to keep her centre stage for at least the next year or two, eventually more elements will have to be introduced. But when I hear about quirky sisters, I can't help thinking of all the fuss that was made about Lauren Wilson when she arrived.

What do you think?

There's a funny picture in the Sun today of a little green space vehicle (it's a Smart in disguise) in a very familiar-looking street. Apparently the new episodes of Red Dwarf, which we told you about last week, are being partly filmed on the Coronation Street set, where Craig Charles, who plays Red Dwarf's Lister, is currently playing Corrie's Lloyd Mullaney. Simon Gregson (Steve) will also be featuring in the Red Dwarf shows, according to the Sun.

Craig Charles has suggested that Red Dwarf attracted a better class of fan than Coronation Street does, in the sense that when he goes to football matches now he gets a lot of people shouting comments at him, particularly since Lloyd has been having the affair with Liz. "I've never had any problems like that with Red Dwarf fans, they're generally intelligent people," he told the papers yesterday. "Maybe not so much with Corrie, it's kind of lowest common denominator stuff!"

Careful, lad - that's called biting the hand that feeds you.

This is so amusing it sounds like an early April fool, but never say never to spoilers. The Sun claims that Dev and Tara are going to branch out into the art world by opening an art gallery in Weatherfield (which, let's face it, is crying out for some culture). "We, my dear, are about to make Tate Britain look like Little Britain," the Devmeister tells his other half.

The funniest part is the first artist they sign. Who will be Weatherfield's answer to Damien Hirst? Who has been hiding their creative talents?

Bill Webster, that's who.

Alison King (Carla) is due to give birth to her first baby next month, and we'll soon see her depart from Corrie on her maternity leave.

We may have to get used to her absence, if partner Adam Huckett has his way. Alison told OK magazine that he wants five children: "He's like 'Come on, King. Knock em out!' I'd like more but I just want to concentrate on this one first."

Alison says her brain has turned to fudge since being pregnant and she has to have someone with her at all times because she's so forgetful. She also has a craving for the kind of cheese that comes in squirty tubes, and likes to squeeze it straight into her mouth. "I haven't had it since I was a kid, but now I squirt it into my mouth like a lollipop! I sometimes offer it to Adam afterwards, but strangely enough he says no."

Read more: Alison King - maternity leave and beyond

Photo: MEN

The Sun has been pretty accurate with its spoilers recently. Today they say that the catfight advertised between Michelle and Becky has had to be toned down due to Kym Marsh's pregnancy.

They say that Steve is going to give Becky the engagement ring that he bought (under duress) for Michelle - the one that spent some time in a skip a while back. And it's seeing this that makes Michelle see red and call Becky "a whippet in a frock who can't keep her knickers up," and a fight ensues.

But the bit that really interested me was a quote from the Sun's Corrie mole: "Steve and Becky are facing a lot of animosity. This is marriage number four for Steve and he's beginning to lose faith."

I'm off to buy a wedding hat immediately! Or maybe a fascinator rather than a hat, because I like the word. Obviously I'm getting miles ahead of things, because as we speak Michelle is still blissfully unaware of what's been going on with Steve and Becky, Steve is still spineless, and Becky is beginning to see the appeal of Jason Grimshaw again. But you never know.

Photo: Lavender Moon

Little bits and bobs we may otherwise have overlooked.

Zaraah Abrahams has said she'd like the chance to be in Corrie again "for a few episodes." Since leaving Corrie in 2007, Zaraah has appeared in Waterloo Road.

Speaking of Waterloo Road, the Corrie connections continue as the show has recently been joined by Katy Carmichael (pictured), who played Lucy the florist (Simon's late mother) in Corrie.

There's a posed but very beautiful picture here of ex-Corrie star Tina Hobley (she was barmaid Sam Failsworth) and her two beautiful daughters at the christening of baby Olivia.

Actor and screenwriter Julian Fellowes (he wrote Gosford Park) would apparently love to appear in Coronation Street and describes himself as "a mad, passionate fan." He's rather posh and usually plays aristocrats but wouldn't mind slumming it in the cobbled streets of Weatherfield. "Everyone has to keep re-inventing themselves," he says.

According to the TV Times, Suranne Jones received a letter from Coronation Street's bosses asking her if she'd be interested in appearing in a spin-off DVD.

Suranne says she did wonder what would happen if Karen and Steve met up again somewhere away from the Street. She says, "I have no plans to go back, but there is the huge pull of Simon Gregson."

A Steve/Karen spin-off would be a brilliant idea - I'd buy it.

Meanwhile, read a review of Suranne's latest TV series, Unforgiven, on TV Scoop.