When two soaps collide… you get a perfect blend of action and comedy: CLAUDIA CONNELL gives Corriedale FIVE STARS for explosive crossover
Corriedale: FIVE STARS
Considering that Emmerdale village was once devastated by a plane crash, while Coronation Street’s Weatherfield survived a tram disaster, it’s not unlikely that residents of both villages will meet each other on the Transpennine route.
Considering the fact that most characters have been kidnapped, in a coma, and/or unknowingly married to a serial killer at some point, we’d say this is pretty commonplace.
But Corriedale was anything but dull, with rival northern soaps joining forces in a dramatic one-hour special. Instead, it delivered explosive, groundbreaking drama that more than lived up to the hype.
In recent weeks both soaps – Manchester-based Corrie, now 65, and Emmerdale, 53, based in the Yorkshire Dales – have been teasing us with subtle hints about their tentative reunion.
A wanted poster of Emmerdale serial killer John Sugden was on display at Weatherfield Police Station. In Emmerdale, wedding planner Belle Dingle was organizing the nuptials of Debbie Webster in Coronation Street.
Corriedale was anything but boring, as rival northern soaps joined forces in a dramatic one-hour special (Graham pictured back from the dead)
Within minutes, characters are fighting for their lives in a massive car crash, before beloved pastor Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brockelbank) is struck by a terrifying explosion.
The action took place on a dark, windy road with various characters in various cars. No one had a leisurely ride.
Emmerdale’s Charity Dingle was pregnant and was supposedly acting as surrogate for her granddaughter Sarah.
She was being driven quickly by her husband, Mac, who discovered that the baby might be his (but it was much more likely to belong to another man).
Meanwhile, Aaron Dingle had been kidnapped at gunpoint by her murderer husband Sugden.
There was also a minibus full of Corrie revelers heading home after Debbie’s wedding in Yorkshire.
Then… disaster! Crash, bam! They all piled into each other.
Luckily, the passengers included a paramedic, a medical student, and a general practitioner whose contract had expired and who could save the lives of dying people.
Unlike the BBC’s EastEnders, ITV’s soaps have always incorporated humour, and last night’s drama was no exception.
Billy was driving the minivan carrying Weatherfield residents from Debbie Webster’s (Sue Devaney) wedding.
Viewers feared Cain might be doomed, but they later saw him in hospital, where he received word he might have cancer after doctors found a tumor.
At Emmerdale’s Hotten General, Charity Dingle and Coronation Street’s Carla Connor bumped into each other in the lift. Carla said she and her injured girlfriend had a ‘big problem’ to deal with.
“A very bad coat?” asked Charity in a beautifully timed speech. If only they had had more time to chat, they would have realized how much they had in common. Both are bisexual, with seven husbands and a number of illegitimate half-siblings between them.
Written by Owen Lloyd-Fox, who wrote the screenplays for both series, and directed by soap veteran Duncan Foster, Corriedale could easily have become an over-the-top mess.
But it was superbly done, with the perfect blend of action, comedy and suspense; was every bit as exciting as TV’s best series.
