0:00:33 > 0:00:35Tony!
0:00:35 > 0:00:39- Edna, have you seen Tony? - Don't move. Your padding's slipping.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Go easy. Some of that in there is actually me.
0:00:43 > 0:00:50- Now I know what Vivien Leigh went through on Gone With The Wind.- If you're after Tony, try the gents.
0:00:50 > 0:00:56- Derek, you'll have to go down. She's in the lighting grid. She's not coming down.- Dick, I'm on my way.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01- What's going on?- The cat from the opening shot has gone walkabout.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04- Where's Tony?- No idea. - He should be here.
0:01:04 > 0:01:06Tony!
0:01:07 > 0:01:10Don't mind me, love. No-one's looking.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Bugger off, this cubicle's occupied!
0:01:13 > 0:01:15Tony, it's me.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Leave me alone.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21- I need you.- I need me too. Go away.
0:01:21 > 0:01:25I don't see what you're worried about. You've done your part.
0:01:25 > 0:01:28- It's up to us now.- Exactly.
0:01:28 > 0:01:31Shouldn't you be somewhere?
0:01:32 > 0:01:36Forget the cat. Get the two hooligans from the Tanner scene down here.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39It's the same day, so there's no costume change.
0:01:39 > 0:01:44Tell Frank I want the kids in silhouette. I don't want to see their faces.
0:01:44 > 0:01:46This girdle's cutting right in.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50- Doesn't even flatter. Have a Mint Imperial.- May I?
0:01:51 > 0:01:53What time is it?
0:01:53 > 0:01:57- It's seven, just coming up. - Come on, it's about to start.
0:01:59 > 0:02:04Listen to that rain. The weather's perfect for it, anyway.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07You can rely on Manchester for that. Turn it up.
0:02:07 > 0:02:09OK, people, this is it.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12Going live in ten. Good luck, everyone.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16TURNS TV SOUND UP
0:02:20 > 0:02:22'From the North, this is Granada...'
0:02:22 > 0:02:27# Oh, well, I'm old enough to kick and old enough to rock the bop
0:02:30 > 0:02:34# Oh, well, I'm old enough to kick and old enough to rock the bop
0:02:36 > 0:02:41# I got on my swinging jeans and I'm lookin' for a dream
0:02:41 > 0:02:44# Cos I'm old enough to rock the bop
0:02:46 > 0:02:50# I like the sax when it starts to scream
0:02:50 > 0:02:54# Man, I'm gone and I dig the scene
0:02:54 > 0:02:57# The drummer in the band is a-settin' the beat
0:02:57 > 0:03:00# And I'm sittin' here with itchy feet
0:03:00 > 0:03:06# Because I'm old enough to kick and old enough to rock the bop
0:03:08 > 0:03:10# Well, I'm old enough to kick
0:03:10 > 0:03:13# And old enough to rock the bop... #
0:03:15 > 0:03:17Hello. It's Tony Warren.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22- Warren.- To see Margaret Morris. Casting.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24I'm an actor.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26You don't say!
0:03:26 > 0:03:28Third floor.
0:03:36 > 0:03:40I'm sorry, darling, there's just nothing I can do about it.
0:03:40 > 0:03:46Thank you, Josie... You're quite right. I'd do the same. It's just the way we have to do it at Granada.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48Goodbye now.
0:03:48 > 0:03:50Sorry about that. Where were we?
0:03:50 > 0:03:54- You were killing my acting career. - Tony, you have to be realistic.
0:03:54 > 0:04:00This is television. You've had a good run for your money, but you're at that awkward stage.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04- Stick to radio, darling. - I've had enough of radio.
0:04:04 > 0:04:10- Anyway, I don't think they want me back.- Well, I'm sorry. There's just nothing for you at the moment.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14Well, thank you for your time.
0:04:14 > 0:04:18It's a pity you're not a writer. They're crying out for them upstairs.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21Actually, I am a writer.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24- I mean a scriptwriter.- So did I.- Oh.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26- Are you any good?- No.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29- I'm brilliant.- Of course.
0:04:29 > 0:04:35- My mistake. Well, there's a producer, Harry Elton...- The Canadian, Shadow Squad?- That's the one.
0:04:35 > 0:04:38He's looking for northern writers to nurture.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41PHONE RINGS Excuse me.
0:04:44 > 0:04:46DRAMATIC MUSIC ON TV
0:04:58 > 0:05:05- 'That's a form horse, all right. - What happens if he loses?- He can't lose, I tell you. He's a good 'un.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- 'How much are you going to have on it?- Half a crown each way.
0:05:09 > 0:05:15- 'Half a crown each way on Paradise Lost.- Who's the bookie?- Why on earth do you want to know that...?'
0:05:15 > 0:05:17I must be mad.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26- Your name's not on these lists. - Really?
0:05:26 > 0:05:30Well, it should be. Could you ring through to Mr Elton's office?
0:05:30 > 0:05:33It's Tony Warren...the writer.
0:05:33 > 0:05:37- I thought you were an actor. - That was yesterday.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43I don't understand. Margaret Morris said she'd arrange an interview.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48- She's not said anything to me.- Maybe she spoke to Mr Elton directly. It's in his interest to see me.
0:05:48 > 0:05:54- There's nothing in the diary and he's rather busy.- I've got a voice that needs to be heard!
0:05:54 > 0:06:00- If Mr Elton doesn't snap me up, somebody else will!- Who's got a voice that carries through walls?
0:06:00 > 0:06:03- I'm trying to work in here! - Mr Elton, I'm Tony Warren.
0:06:03 > 0:06:07I'm a writer, I'm northern and I'm ready to be nurtured.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10- How old are you?- I'm 23. Please may I give you this?
0:06:10 > 0:06:12- What is it?- Shadow Squad.
0:06:12 > 0:06:19I've written you the first half of a script. If you want to know how it ends, ring me on Pendleton 5698.
0:06:19 > 0:06:23- You might want to write that down. It's Pendleton...- 5698. I got it.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27Well, thank you for seeing me. I'll let you get on with your work.
0:06:27 > 0:06:29Goodbye.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35- I'll take that from you.- No, no.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57You should never chain-smoke alone, you know.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01- Do you want one?- Would you mind? - No, help yourself.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Thanks.
0:07:05 > 0:07:08You were in to see Margaret the other day, weren't you?
0:07:08 > 0:07:13- Yeah, it was just a general meeting. - I thought so.- It's Josie, right?
0:07:13 > 0:07:18- Yeah, I never forget a face.- And I never forget a name. Tony Warren.
0:07:18 > 0:07:24- She had nothing for you?- She did, as a matter of fact. A coffin for my acting career.- Oh, sorry.
0:07:24 > 0:07:31- Don't be. I've just had a meeting with Harry Elton, the producer. Do you know him?- Of course.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34He's very interested in a script of mine.
0:07:34 > 0:07:40- A writer as well as an actor? - I've always been a writer, really. Since I was 12, as a matter of fact.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43I used to play wag from school for weeks on end.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47I'd sit in that vast, circular Central Library...
0:07:47 > 0:07:50and I'd just devour plays.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52It's where I learnt my craft.
0:07:52 > 0:07:56- And the school didn't mind? - They didn't know.
0:07:56 > 0:08:02- "Yes, hello. Tony's not at all well. I'll have to keep him off school a while longer."- They believed you?
0:08:02 > 0:08:06Of course. I'm a dab hand at me mother.
0:08:12 > 0:08:16Good God, Mother, whatever colour is that?
0:08:16 > 0:08:19African violet. And don't say "God".
0:08:19 > 0:08:22It's for your father's ladies' evening.
0:08:23 > 0:08:27Well, what are you standing there looking so gormless for?
0:08:28 > 0:08:31May I have the pleasure of this dance?
0:08:32 > 0:08:34Certainly.
0:08:34 > 0:08:38But mind my hem. You've got feet like your father.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41HE HUMS TUNE
0:08:42 > 0:08:46I was wearing deep purple when I first met him.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49It was at the Langworthy Dance Studio.
0:08:49 > 0:08:55They used to put French chalk on the floor to give your feet a bit of extra zip.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00Oh, if I close my eyes, I can still picture it.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02PHONE RINGS
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Pendleton 5698?
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Who...?
0:09:11 > 0:09:13Harry Elton?
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Well, he's pretty good. I'll give you that.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34- Sorry, who is?- Your father.
0:09:34 > 0:09:39- Your father, the writer. - My father's never written anything in his life. He imports fruit.
0:09:39 > 0:09:42- No, I'm the writer.- Really?
0:09:43 > 0:09:49- Are you a drug addict?- Certainly not.- The story you've written, it's all about drug addiction.
0:09:49 > 0:09:53- I thought it was very Shadow Squad. It's all in the detail.- Is it?
0:09:53 > 0:09:59Yes, I'm very thorough when it comes to research. If I was to write something with a Canadian in it,
0:09:59 > 0:10:04I'd want to know where my character was born, Ontario, for example,
0:10:04 > 0:10:10- where he was educated, Detroit perhaps, if he'd come to England... - OK, OK, you've done your homework.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13Well...
0:10:13 > 0:10:17I have to admit, I'm curious to see how it ends.
0:10:17 > 0:10:23- Congratulations, Mr Warren. You've just become Britain's youngest TV scriptwriter.- He liked it?
0:10:23 > 0:10:28He loved it. He wants me to finish it and he's commissioned me to write another.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32- I'm getting my own bloody office! - Oh, Tony!
0:10:44 > 0:10:47You have the look of a lad who needs a brew.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49Thank you.
0:10:49 > 0:10:51Oh!
0:10:51 > 0:10:54- Do you mind?- No, help yourself.
0:10:54 > 0:11:00- Got you writing Biggles now, has he? - If you feel the urge to drop it in your urn, don't let me stop you.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03I would've thought it was just up your street.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08- Hey now, don't be kidded by the speech and drama. I'm from Swinton.- Me too.
0:11:08 > 0:11:15I've got a plate full of biscuits on the trolley for the conference room. They'll not miss a couple.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Ta!
0:11:21 > 0:11:26- Bed, Board And Romance - did you ever do that one? - Yes, I did. God, it was awful.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30- I can't believe I never saw you in anything.- I saw you.- You didn't?
0:11:30 > 0:11:36You were with the Saxon Players. You played two parts - a schoolboy, then chairman of the school governors.
0:11:36 > 0:11:43- You had hair full of white talcum powder.- Goodbye, Mr Chips. I was good in that, don't you think?
0:11:43 > 0:11:48You were, but every time you moved your head, a cloud of talc would float up around you.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Stop the tape!
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Cut the fan.
0:11:56 > 0:11:58BELL RINGS
0:11:58 > 0:12:03Dickie, the goggles are not straight. Can we sort that out? More snow, guys.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Hmm, very Ingrid Bergman.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12I was trying more for Ingmar, actually, but at least I try, unlike some people.
0:12:12 > 0:12:14What was that supposed to mean?
0:12:14 > 0:12:20- "He pulls the thing which lands the plane."- Which is exactly?- How should I know?- Well, you wrote it.
0:12:20 > 0:12:25Just tell him to grab whatever he wants. No bugger's going to care what he's on about.
0:12:25 > 0:12:31Why should they if we don't? It starts with the writer. I can only direct what I'm given.
0:12:31 > 0:12:37If it isn't true for you, what hope is there for the rest of us? On camera one coming to two, please!
0:12:37 > 0:12:41Keep it going. It's really, really freezing.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48- I'm speaking to you...- Settle down! - I'm down there in that office 12 hours a day...
0:12:48 > 0:12:53He's been up there since half past. I can't go to lunch until he comes down.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57He needs his leg smacking, that one! THEY LAUGH
0:12:57 > 0:13:03- I've had enough of Biggles and Ginger!- There's people begging to write this stuff.- Let them.
0:13:03 > 0:13:09I'm not the only one who feels this way. We thought the whole point of a new channel was to do something new.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13I want to write something real, something from the heart,
0:13:13 > 0:13:17something with dirt under its fingernails. Do you understand?
0:13:17 > 0:13:23- Come down from there and we can talk about this properly. - Not until you agree.- OK, I agree.
0:13:23 > 0:13:28- Anything to get you down. - Agree to what?- To whatever you want. Just come down.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31So you'll let me write what I want to write?
0:13:31 > 0:13:36What else can I do if anyone within earshot is going to get any work done this afternoon?
0:13:36 > 0:13:38Can you hold these?
0:13:43 > 0:13:46They could do with some fresh water.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53- So you want to write about something real?- Yes.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56- About something I know. - What do you know?
0:13:56 > 0:14:00- Theatre. I can write about that.- No, it's the kiss of death. What else?
0:14:03 > 0:14:05Well...
0:14:07 > 0:14:09I know about out there.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13I know about Manchester.
0:14:16 > 0:14:18Can you write about that?
0:14:18 > 0:14:20Of course I can.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24I'd write about a street.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26A real street out there.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30A back-street terrace and all the people who live in it.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33How long will it take?
0:14:33 > 0:14:35Is tomorrow fast enough?
0:14:35 > 0:14:39- Are you serious? - I've already written it in a way.
0:14:39 > 0:14:41- You have a script?- I had a script.
0:14:41 > 0:14:46I tried to sell it to the BBC and never even got a proper reply, so I ripped it up.
0:14:46 > 0:14:48Pity.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51I could write it again.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55I can make it better. It is a strong idea.
0:14:55 > 0:14:59Strong enough to take Britain by storm? That's what they want.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02It'll be on your desk in 24 hours.
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Get yourself an umbrella.
0:15:29 > 0:15:31- Good morning, Jack.- Morning.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34Don't tell me. Today we're a painter?
0:15:34 > 0:15:37- I don't think I could be. - What is it?
0:15:40 > 0:15:47- It's Prince Florizel hacking his way through the enchanted forest.- Very nice.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50Yeah, I thought it might cheer up the office.
0:16:36 > 0:16:39- He hasn't read it.- What do you mean, he hasn't read it?
0:16:39 > 0:16:45- He was in the studio till late last night.- Did he say anything when you gave it to him?- Yes, he did.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48He said, "Thank you."
0:16:48 > 0:16:53Oi! He's in a meeting on the seventh floor, then he has a lunch and he's casting at two.
0:16:56 > 0:16:59All right. All right, I'm going.
0:17:01 > 0:17:04I love the hair today, by the way.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09Thank you. I'll let you know as soon there's any news.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40What's that doing on the wall?
0:17:40 > 0:17:47Cheering me up. I kept my side of the bargain. I had that script on your desk in 23 hours and 7 minutes.
0:17:47 > 0:17:52- What have you done with PT? - Have you read it?- The only picture permitted is PT Barnum.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56- To remind us that... - There's one born every minute.
0:17:56 > 0:18:03To remind us we're supposed to be making the greatest shows on Earth. What does every great show need?
0:18:03 > 0:18:06- A chariot race? The parting of the Red Sea?- This is Granada.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09What every great show needs is a memo.
0:18:09 > 0:18:16- A what?- A memo, neatly typed on grey paper, setting out exactly what your show is all about -
0:18:16 > 0:18:22what we're going to see, who we're going to see, where we're going to see it, why we're going to like it.
0:18:22 > 0:18:26- A memo for upstairs. - Can't they just read the script?
0:18:26 > 0:18:29This is television, Tony. No-one reads scripts.
0:18:29 > 0:18:35- Where did you get the name from? - Florizel Street?- Yeah. - From my head like everything else.
0:18:35 > 0:18:39- I'll be back in an hour. - But did you like it?- An hour.
0:18:42 > 0:18:45'Read that bit back to me.'
0:18:45 > 0:18:49"Seven terraced houses, an outdoor beer licence, a raincoat factory,
0:18:49 > 0:18:54"the Glad Tidings Mission Hall and a pub named The Rovers Return."
0:18:54 > 0:19:00- You do realise this is my lunch break?- It needs something before it. - Tony, please!- It has to be perfect.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Right... "A volume of unwritten rules."
0:19:05 > 0:19:07No, wait.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11"A fascinating freemasonry..." Why aren't you typing?
0:19:11 > 0:19:15"A fascinating freemasonry, a volume of unwritten rules.
0:19:15 > 0:19:21"These are the driving forces behind working-class life on a street in the north of England."
0:19:21 > 0:19:26- I overheard a conversation this morning.- The minute I saw you, I knew you'd have your uses.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31I told you I was Margaret Morris's assistant and you thought, "I'll get in with her."
0:19:31 > 0:19:37- This conversation, was it about me? - Not everything is about you, but this time, it was.
0:19:37 > 0:19:43- Go on, go on.- Margaret Morris was talking to Harry who is very excited about your script.- And?
0:19:43 > 0:19:48They've sent it upstairs. They're having a meeting to discuss it tomorrow.
0:19:48 > 0:19:52- Already? I only sent the memo yesterday.- They obviously like it.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57- I feel sick. - Tony, you knew that Mr Sidney would have to read it eventually.
0:19:57 > 0:20:01You can't order a paper clip without him knowing about it.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05Yeah, but Josie, Sidney Bernstein's worked with Chaplin and Hitchcock.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09Now he's working with Tony Warren. Don't worry, he will love it.
0:20:09 > 0:20:11We all love it.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17- Good morning, Jack. - Good morning, Mr Sidney.
0:20:19 > 0:20:22- Oh, Jack...- Yes, Mr Sidney?
0:20:22 > 0:20:26- Do you mind if I ask you something? - Certainly, Mr Sidney.
0:20:26 > 0:20:33- Do you ever repair your bicycle in the living room?- No, Mr Sidney, I can't say that I do.- Thank you.
0:20:35 > 0:20:39Who wants to see a back street in the middle of nowhere?
0:20:39 > 0:20:46I drove in today from the airport past beautiful houses, houses with gardens, houses with TV aerials.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48That's our audience - Granada Land.
0:20:48 > 0:20:54But every city has streets like this one and every street has its Elsie Tanner and Ena Sharples.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58This is television for everyone. Leave the privileged few to the BBC.
0:20:58 > 0:21:03Ena Sharples, that's the old lady, isn't it? Even her name sounds unpleasant.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05That's exactly as it should be.
0:21:05 > 0:21:11Look at Dickens. He found the extraordinary in the ordinary. He celebrated the grotesque.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16That's what we're supposed to be doing? Celebrating the grotesque?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18We're in show business, Harry.
0:21:18 > 0:21:23Our job is to entertain, to take people out of themselves.
0:21:23 > 0:21:28Now, Hitchcock used to say to me, "Sidney, you know what drama is?"
0:21:28 > 0:21:32- "Life with the boring...- Life with the boring bits cut out." Exactly.
0:21:32 > 0:21:37Now, what your writer seems to have done is to pick up all the boring bits
0:21:37 > 0:21:41and strung them together one after another.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46I'm sorry, Harry, but this is too important for us and for the channel.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49Did I tell you about Barnum?
0:21:49 > 0:21:53He didn't start in the circus business until he was 60.
0:21:53 > 0:21:5660 years old, same age as me.
0:21:56 > 0:22:02He started at 60 and became the best in the world.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Quality entertainment. That's what I want for Granada.
0:22:06 > 0:22:11Oh, I saw Arthur Miller in London last week. He's interested in writing for us.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15- That's something we can talk about. - OK, thank you.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22- Can I join you? - We're not much company.
0:22:22 > 0:22:26Get yourself a bowl of custard. Always cheers me up.
0:22:26 > 0:22:30- Come on, Tony, crack a smile. - What have I got to smile about?
0:22:30 > 0:22:36You've fallen at the first hurdle. Good job Harry's got more stamina!
0:22:36 > 0:22:38How do you mean?
0:22:38 > 0:22:41Everybody always says no to a great idea.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44Harry won't give up.
0:22:49 > 0:22:53Cecil, you found it. I got us a table over here.
0:22:53 > 0:22:55Thanks for the game.
0:22:55 > 0:23:01I suppose you chose this place to prove a point? Are these customers real or did you hire extras?
0:23:01 > 0:23:05- Let me get you a drink. - No, thank you. I can't stay.
0:23:06 > 0:23:11- I read it.- And what did you think? - It's got its merits.
0:23:11 > 0:23:16- Your brother doesn't seem to think so.- Sidney always takes things very seriously.
0:23:16 > 0:23:22- You agreed to meet me, so are you maybe thinking differently? - Let's put it this way.
0:23:22 > 0:23:28I know we've made a commitment to broadcast programmes that reflect the lives of people...people like this.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32And no-one can deny your script does that.
0:23:32 > 0:23:38- But...?- But Sidney's right. Most of the characters are unsympathetic and there's so many of them.
0:23:38 > 0:23:44- So many families.- That's the beauty of it - the story of a street where every life interconnects.
0:23:44 > 0:23:51It'll mean building a lot of sets. Look at The Army Game - one hut, ten characters. Everyone's happy.
0:23:51 > 0:23:54This young writer of yours, is he really 23?
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Yes. Meet him. He's extraordinary.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00No, that's all right. That's your department.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02- Is he under contract?- Yes.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Will he listen to you?
0:24:04 > 0:24:07He wants to see it made.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12Look, Cecil, I have a suggestion which might help change Sidney's mind.
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Oh, it's you.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23I can't see how you do any work in all this squalor.
0:24:23 > 0:24:27Don't be confused by the illusion of chaos. Everything has its place.
0:24:27 > 0:24:31So, I had to bribe Brenda the beautiful, but I read your script.
0:24:32 > 0:24:35- And?- A masterpiece.
0:24:35 > 0:24:38- Of course. - Seriously, Tony, I love it.
0:24:38 > 0:24:45- Who are they going to get to direct it?- I've asked for you, obviously, and Denis Parkin to design.- Perfect.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50- Brenda tells me upstairs aren't too happy. - Yeah, they hate it, apparently.
0:24:50 > 0:24:56It's never going to happen. Let's talk about something else, please. Anything.
0:24:56 > 0:25:01The writer's young. And he's on contract for £30 a week, no matter how much he writes.
0:25:01 > 0:25:07We'd be using local actors, so we'd be saving on travelling expenses, hotel bills.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Is that a good enough reason to make a programme?
0:25:10 > 0:25:13Well, it's a consideration.
0:25:13 > 0:25:19So many shows have been going over budget. Look how much we spent bringing the Russian Ballet over.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23And now Hewat wants to take a film crew to Cuba to interview Batista.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27- That I like.- I know, Sidney, but like it or not,
0:25:27 > 0:25:31we have a commitment to make programmes here in the North.
0:25:31 > 0:25:37I know. I'm not being unsympathetic, but a Manchester accent doesn't exactly lend itself to television.
0:25:37 > 0:25:43Nobody in London will know what's going on. I had to read the script four times before I understood it.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46Maybe we should stop reading it and listen to it.
0:25:46 > 0:25:52Harry has come up with a suggestion. He wants to get some actors together and do a dry run, shoot a pilot.
0:25:52 > 0:25:58He's passionate about it, Sidney. Isn't that why we brought him over from Canada in the first place?
0:25:58 > 0:26:04- I thought we brought him over because he understood commercial television.- Perhaps he does.
0:26:06 > 0:26:12You're the hero of the North, of everyone who's crossed a back yard and sat on an ice-cold lav seat!
0:26:12 > 0:26:16- It's only a trial programme.- There's a few things I'd like to change,
0:26:16 > 0:26:22like the outdoor beer licence to a corner shop, so Florrie can get done for selling firelighters after 7.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27And the Barlows should have two sons, rather than Kenneth and Enid.
0:26:27 > 0:26:32It's all very well saying you don't want to look in London, but that's where everybody is.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36I'm not saying we won't look in the North. Of course we will.
0:26:36 > 0:26:42- We're not going to London.- Tony, they're actors. You of all people should know that. They can act it.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48No, the viewers will always sniff out an impostor. We need Salford and Manchester.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51- I thought I'd start a Bible. - "In the beginning was the word..."
0:26:51 > 0:26:57I'll write down the names of every northern actor who's ever trod the boards like Dora and Thora.
0:26:57 > 0:27:02- Thora Hird? We can't afford her, can we? - We can't afford Dora Bryan either.
0:27:02 > 0:27:06But if we're doing this list, we're doing it properly.
0:27:07 > 0:27:13No fancy curtains. Elsie has peeling paintwork. It probably hasn't seen a lick of paint for 15 years.
0:27:13 > 0:27:19The Barlows are very house-proud, so clean lace curtains. And a pot vase in front of them.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22But nothing fancy. He's only got a postman's wage.
0:27:22 > 0:27:27Two milk bottles on every doorstep, but Mr Tatlock lives on his own, so he'll have one.
0:27:27 > 0:27:32- Which one does he live at?- No.3, but I might swap him with the Barlows,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35because I don't think they'd ever live next to a public house.
0:27:35 > 0:27:40- You want cobbles?- Of course I want cobbles. Get yourself a stencil set.
0:27:40 > 0:27:44No, no, never. He's a possible Jack Walker.
0:27:44 > 0:27:48- She's worth seeing. He's got a lisp. Have you found Doris yet?- Who?
0:27:48 > 0:27:54- Doris Speed.- We did Children's Hour together on the radio. - I haven't heard of her for years.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58- Who is she for?- Annie Walker. She's perfect.- I'll track her down.
0:27:58 > 0:28:05- He's a possible Kenneth Barlow... What's so funny?- He looks like you. You don't want to play him yourself?
0:28:05 > 0:28:08No, you can't sit both sides of the desk.
0:28:08 > 0:28:10Only asking.
0:28:10 > 0:28:16- Remind me of that Elsie Tanner description.- Mid-40s, battered remains of looks and figure.
0:28:16 > 0:28:20Don't worry. We'll know her when we see her.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25We made a decision, Margaret.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30We made a decision together to only see northern actors!
0:28:33 > 0:28:38Tony...! What are you looking at? Send the next one in.
0:28:48 > 0:28:50He's got someone in with him!
0:28:50 > 0:28:54Harry, you've got to talk to Margaret now. Harry, I mean it!
0:28:54 > 0:28:59- I'm in a meeting. - She's had some actress up there with Wimbledon written all over her!
0:28:59 > 0:29:03She's panicking. She doesn't have the faith in the North that I have.
0:29:03 > 0:29:09- Go down and tell her. They have to be real. If they're not real, no-one will understand.- Calm down.
0:29:09 > 0:29:15- Say hello to Harry Kershaw.- Hello. - Hello. I was just saying how much I admire your scripts.- Thank you.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19And I'm looking forward to working on them.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22- Sorry?- Harry's coming on board as script editor.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27- I don't need a script editor. - Just give us a minute, Harry.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31Tony, I'll talk to Margaret. Don't worry. If necessary,
0:29:31 > 0:29:36I'll stand at Piccadilly Station and send any southerners back on the London train.
0:29:36 > 0:29:40And you do need a script editor. You can't do this without support.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43I thought you'd approve of him. He's from Manchester.
0:29:43 > 0:29:46- So you'll really talk to her? - I promise.
0:29:46 > 0:29:52- Oh, have you heard? Josie's found your actress.- Who?- The Annie Walker, but she works for a brewery now.
0:29:52 > 0:29:56Go talk to Josie and don't worry about Margaret.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05No, Valerie, we leave two spaces after a full stop.
0:30:05 > 0:30:09Didn't they teach you anything at that secretarial college?
0:30:09 > 0:30:12PHONE RINGS
0:30:14 > 0:30:18- 'Mr Henley's office?'- Good afternoon. Is that Doris Speed?
0:30:18 > 0:30:22- Yes. Who is speaking, please?- 'This is Miss Scott calling from Granada.'
0:30:22 > 0:30:27- I was wondering if you could come in for an audition? - 'I don't know. I'm very busy.'
0:30:27 > 0:30:33- Tell her I wrote the part specially for her.- The writer has created the part specially for you.
0:30:33 > 0:30:37- Tony Warren?- 'Never heard of him.' - She's never heard of you.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40Try "Tony Simpson". It's my real name.
0:30:40 > 0:30:45- Does the name "Tony Simpson" mean anything to you?- 'Simpson?'
0:30:46 > 0:30:53Oh, dear. Indeed it does. The little boy who never stopped talking.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55- That'll be him.- What's she saying?
0:30:55 > 0:30:59He's a writer now and he barely talks at all.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04He has written the most perfect part for you.
0:31:04 > 0:31:06I can't for the life of me think why.
0:31:06 > 0:31:09Television, did you say?
0:31:09 > 0:31:14- Yes.- If he's gone to all that trouble, I suppose it would be rude of me not to come.
0:31:14 > 0:31:20- 'Miss Speed, can you step in here?' - Yes, Mr Henley. I'm on the phone to Accounts. I won't be a moment.
0:31:24 > 0:31:27When did you say he wanted to see me, dear?
0:31:27 > 0:31:30Thursday at four?
0:31:32 > 0:31:37I need something for the exterior, even if it's just the outside of the door.
0:31:37 > 0:31:38Derek!
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Oh...
0:31:42 > 0:31:44Derek!
0:31:44 > 0:31:48- Derek, wait a minute! - I'll catch you up, all right?
0:31:48 > 0:31:54- This Florizel Street? It's really about a back street in Salford with ordinary families?- Absolutely.
0:31:54 > 0:32:01- I've never dressed anything like it. I don't know where to start. - Just put them in ordinary clothes.
0:32:01 > 0:32:05I run a costume department. We don't have clothes. We have costumes.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09But never let it be said that Edna Walker doesn't rise to a challenge.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13If you want ordinary, ordinary is what you'll get.
0:32:14 > 0:32:21Would you like to take it from the top of page 21, please, Miss Speed? I'll be reading Jack for you.
0:32:21 > 0:32:25- Where's my clean shirt?- Where do you think it is? It's on the bed.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28What are you standing there looking so gormless for?
0:32:28 > 0:32:34- I'd just like to know what...- Sorry. With the "gormless" line, could you try saying it more despairingly?
0:32:34 > 0:32:38Like, um... "What are you standing there looking so GORMLESS for?"
0:32:38 > 0:32:44- And what are you standing there looking so gormless for?- I'd just like to know what I've done...
0:32:44 > 0:32:50- Am I ever going to meet your mother? - If I brought a young lady home, she'd choke on her Battenberg.
0:32:50 > 0:32:52What are you doing Sunday teatime?
0:32:52 > 0:32:57- I want to have a bath and something to eat before the rush starts.- Thank you, Doris.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01- Would you mind if we were to age you up slightly?- Age me up?
0:33:01 > 0:33:06Yes, we were thinking Annie was somewhere around...55?
0:33:08 > 0:33:12Oh, well, yes, I suppose I wouldn't object to ageing up to...
0:33:12 > 0:33:14Shall we say 52?
0:33:14 > 0:33:17Perfect.
0:33:17 > 0:33:19Thank you.
0:33:24 > 0:33:29# I won't betray his trust
0:33:29 > 0:33:33# Though people say I must
0:33:33 > 0:33:37- # I've got... #- People are trying to get some sleep!- We're only singing.
0:33:37 > 0:33:41Save your voices for churches. This is a decent street.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44- Oh, shut up yourself! - What did you say?
0:33:44 > 0:33:48He said, "Shut up!" And wash those nets. They're a disgrace!
0:33:49 > 0:33:53- You're cutting off my circulation! - Guess who I've found.- Who?
0:33:53 > 0:33:58Don't make it obvious. Look over my right shoulder, look down the corridor.
0:33:58 > 0:34:02It's the boy sitting on the bucket. I said, "Not obvious, Tony."
0:34:04 > 0:34:08- His name's William Roache and he's an actor.- Where's he from?
0:34:08 > 0:34:12- Derbyshire. Don't panic. - He's not bad.
0:34:12 > 0:34:17- He's a bit of a dish. - Don't get too excited. I don't think you bat for the same team.
0:34:17 > 0:34:23- He's not my type. He's not muscular enough.- Kenneth Barlow doesn't have muscles though, does he?
0:34:25 > 0:34:29Yes, you're quite right. It's definitely a bucket.
0:34:29 > 0:34:34- Hello, I'm Josie from Casting. I don't think we've met. It's William, isn't it?- Yes.
0:34:34 > 0:34:39- Have you got a minute? - Absolutely, yes. - How's that play going?- Good, thanks.
0:34:42 > 0:34:48I don't care what they do in St Helens, but in Salford, no-one puts soap next to bacon.
0:34:48 > 0:34:53In 27 episodes of Biggles, we never argued about what the inside of a Turkish jail looked like
0:34:53 > 0:34:56or Mata Hari's bedroom furniture.
0:34:56 > 0:35:02Ever since we started putting up these sets, every bloody spark in the building seems to have an opinion!
0:35:05 > 0:35:08Well...what do you think?
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Oh, my God!
0:35:14 > 0:35:16TONY LAUGHS
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Oh, it's Elsie's.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21It really is.
0:35:21 > 0:35:25Oh, you have no idea what it's like to stand inside something
0:35:25 > 0:35:28that's only ever existed in your head!
0:35:31 > 0:35:35- But we need a set of three plaster ducks on this wall.- Don't you start!
0:35:35 > 0:35:41- I've got some in a drawer at home. I'll bring them in.- Now all we need is someone to live in it.
0:35:51 > 0:35:58Bloody hellfire! Am I too late? I thought I wouldn't chance the train, so I got me fella to drive me.
0:35:58 > 0:36:04He's got a taxi, so he knows the roads, but I think he reckoned I was a paying customer, the time he took!
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Then a fruit van crashes on Deansgate. Grapefruits everywhere!
0:36:07 > 0:36:11It's always the case when you're in a hurry.
0:36:11 > 0:36:15Then to top it all, I twanged one of my stockings on a door back there.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17Pat Phoenix. Here's my pictures.
0:36:17 > 0:36:23- Oh, you were meant to be here an hour ago.- I told Bill! I said, "We'd have done it quicker on a tandem!"
0:36:23 > 0:36:27I'll just sit over here, shall I? Sorry, what's the part?
0:36:27 > 0:36:30- Elsie Tanner.- All right, thank you.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40- Sorry, you've a late arrival. Pat Phoenix?- Never heard of her.
0:36:40 > 0:36:46- She was supposed to be here at three. - I know her from rep. Pat Pilkington.
0:36:46 > 0:36:50Frederica Pilkington. I saw her in Snow White.
0:36:50 > 0:36:55- No, this is Patricia Dean.- She's too young.- I thought we finished at five.
0:36:55 > 0:36:59Shall I send her away? No, tell her to wait.
0:36:59 > 0:37:05- Sorry. I wasn't sure if I should come in or not.- Come in. - Right. I'll just get myself sorted.
0:37:05 > 0:37:07(She's not changed.
0:37:07 > 0:37:14- (She used to cut the ends of her bras off so her nipples showed.) - Oh, I love her already.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18- Wonder if she does it for auditions. - Right...
0:37:18 > 0:37:20- How do you want me?- Take a seat.
0:37:22 > 0:37:29- Josie!- Hello, Pat. What happened to Pilkington? - Oh, too much of a mouthful.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Patricia Phoenix, rising from the flames. The bird that burnt its bum.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39- Patricia, can we have a look at Scene Two?- Call me Pat.- Pat.
0:37:39 > 0:37:45- Any questions about Elsie?- I take it she's mutton? Dressed as lamb?
0:37:45 > 0:37:52Yes, but she carries it well. She works in the slightly better dress department at Miami Modes.
0:37:52 > 0:37:55- Think C&A without the floor space. - Right.
0:37:55 > 0:38:00- Where would you like me to read from?- Bottom of page six.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02Do you want to take your coat off?
0:38:04 > 0:38:06No, thank you. I'm fine.
0:38:06 > 0:38:10I'll leave the rest to your imagination.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13- Who's reading him?- Tony.
0:38:13 > 0:38:18- Actually, do you mind if I stand? - Not at all. Go ahead.
0:38:27 > 0:38:33- Right. Come on, Dennis Tanner, where is it?- Where's what? - Don't come the innocent with me.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37- I don't know what you're talking about.- Two shillings from my purse.
0:38:37 > 0:38:44- It's nothing to do with me. - Oh, I suppose some Mayfair cat burglar nicked it?- Funny, eh?
0:38:46 > 0:38:53- Let's get this straight. You asked me for two bob for cigarettes.- And you wouldn't give it me. We know.
0:38:53 > 0:38:58- So you stooped to going in a lady's handbag?- Just listen to it.
0:38:58 > 0:39:05- A lady? Is that what you crack on you are these days? - A fine son you are(!)
0:39:05 > 0:39:11- That tongue'll get you hung. - Oh, give over. You've lost two bob. What can I do about it?- Get work.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15- That's what you're supposed to do. - Change the record, will you?
0:39:15 > 0:39:18Did you go down to the Labour today?
0:39:18 > 0:39:24- No. I'm not due 'til tomorrow. - You know what your trouble is? You just don't want work!- Drop it!
0:39:24 > 0:39:30- No, I won't! Every time...- Look! You know as well as I do why I can't get a job.
0:39:30 > 0:39:33You're out that place seven weeks.
0:39:33 > 0:39:39Oh, no, don't let's wrap it up. If you mean prison, say it. Everyone else does.
0:39:39 > 0:39:44- You can't go on like this. - What am I supposed to do? Tell me.
0:39:44 > 0:39:51- Why did it have to be me who had a son like you?- I suppose you'd rather have me like Kenneth Barlow.
0:39:51 > 0:39:55And what's wrong with him? He'll have no trouble getting a job.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58He's got it up here where it counts.
0:39:58 > 0:40:04I sometimes wish we were more like them Barlows. At least they're not rowing all the time!
0:40:08 > 0:40:12- Good enough for you? - Very good.
0:40:14 > 0:40:16APPLAUSE
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Thank you.
0:41:05 > 0:41:11- Just pick one!- None of them are right! Ena is a 70-year-old woman with the vitality of a girl of 17.
0:41:11 > 0:41:17- We've seen nearly 50 actresses. After every one, you've had that look on your face.- What look?
0:41:17 > 0:41:23You know what look. You probably practise it in the mirror. Tony, you're choosing an actress,
0:41:23 > 0:41:29- not someone to spend your life with. - Tony, none of them are perfect, but we start rehearsing tomorrow.
0:41:29 > 0:41:33- We need an Ena. We need her now. - Fine.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35She's the best of the bunch.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41Excuse me, pet.
0:41:41 > 0:41:46- I'm after Florizel Street rehearsal room.- It's right here.
0:41:46 > 0:41:52- Are you...?- Nita Valerie, well recognised. I'm playing Ena Sharples.- We're just about to start.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56- Follow me. - It's like a maze, this place!
0:41:56 > 0:41:59I've been all over.
0:41:59 > 0:42:05We'll have two day rehearsals in here, one in the studio and on Friday we record as live.
0:42:05 > 0:42:13- So sorry, everybody. Nita Valerie, playing Ena. - Right. Take a seat, please, Nita.
0:42:13 > 0:42:14Allow me.
0:42:14 > 0:42:20- Yes...transmission. We will be recording as if it were a live...- Thanks ever so.
0:42:20 > 0:42:22Sorry.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31- OK?- Oh, yes, dear. You carry on.
0:42:31 > 0:42:37- Once we star recording, we don't stop until the end of the episode. - (Script? Script?
0:42:37 > 0:42:41- (Doris? Are you in this?) - Yes, dear. We're all in this.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46I want everybody off book by the producer's run. No exceptions.
0:42:46 > 0:42:52It's no worse than working in rep. And you can forget the lines the minute you've said them.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56Ladies and gentlemen, please have a look at the beautiful set.
0:42:59 > 0:43:01- You all right, love?- Yes, dear.
0:43:01 > 0:43:07I've just got rather used to radio where one doesn't learn the lines.
0:43:07 > 0:43:10Doris? Pat? Right...
0:43:10 > 0:43:12Here it is.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16It's Florizel Street.
0:43:16 > 0:43:19- The Rover's Return...- Flor-I-zel.
0:43:21 > 0:43:24- I beg your pardon?- Oh, I'm sorry.
0:43:24 > 0:43:28- It's just that...- Yeah? - You said Flori-zel.
0:43:28 > 0:43:33- I thought the pronunciation was Flor-I-zel. Sorry. - Flor-izzle Street. Right, Tony?
0:43:33 > 0:43:39- Yes, that's right.- It's a bit awkward. No one can pronounce it.
0:43:39 > 0:43:45- I think everybody can pronounce it. - So Flori-zel?- Flori-zel. - Right, everyone, let's get on.
0:43:45 > 0:43:49- William, this is your house. - Where's Ena's house?
0:43:49 > 0:43:54- She hasn't one.- She lives in the mission hall, but we don't go there.
0:43:54 > 0:43:59- We go there in episode three. - I thought we were only making two. - For this dry run.
0:43:59 > 0:44:04- If it works, we'll keep going. - Great. So...
0:44:10 > 0:44:17- Come on now. I promise it won't take long.- Are you joking?- You asked where I came from.- Round here?
0:44:18 > 0:44:23Hey now, see, my grandmother lives just up there.
0:44:23 > 0:44:29And she expected to see all of her daughters every day, so us children got dragged along.
0:44:29 > 0:44:34And I'd sit there under the table, hidden by the cloth.
0:44:34 > 0:44:36And I'd listen.
0:44:36 > 0:44:41And I learnt that women's speech patterns are different to men's.
0:44:41 > 0:44:47All those aunties and just me and my granddad and my uncle Jim, the singing waiter.
0:44:47 > 0:44:53And my grandmother would sit there, one daughter black leading the grate, another hanging curtains
0:44:53 > 0:45:00and my mother cleaning the brasses and she'd say, "Never get old. No bugger loves you when you're old."
0:45:02 > 0:45:05I'll love you when you're old. Don't worry.
0:45:05 > 0:45:09Voices telling stories. That's all any of us can hope to be.
0:45:09 > 0:45:14- But it's your voice, Tony. And that's all that matters.- Is it?
0:45:14 > 0:45:17I just kept my ears open.
0:45:17 > 0:45:23No, you've made something that everyone can hear. Something that belongs to you.
0:45:23 > 0:45:28If any bugger tries to take it from you, I'll scratch their eyes out.
0:45:30 > 0:45:36It's like my sister's husband. He were made head of plumbing in the place where they live.
0:45:36 > 0:45:39It gave her ideas.
0:45:39 > 0:45:43She said to him, "We're civic....
0:45:44 > 0:45:49"We're civic dignitaries now. We'll have to enter the church."
0:45:49 > 0:45:53Oh, sorry, love - just a suggestion.
0:45:53 > 0:46:00The last time I played an old dear like this, I took my teeth out. What do you reckon?
0:46:03 > 0:46:05I suppose it's worth a try.
0:46:05 > 0:46:09- You're taking it in your stride. - Sorry, dear. Am I putting you off?
0:46:09 > 0:46:15I find they sit in the head much easier if I'm doing something with my fingers, too.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20I did a television play here. I was lucky enough to get the lead.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23But film is my main passion.
0:46:24 > 0:46:31The other thing I was thinking was how do you feel about a little dog? It could give me some nice business.
0:46:31 > 0:46:35Put a little neck chief on it. The audience would love it.
0:46:36 > 0:46:40Can we take five minutes, please? Thank you, Betty.
0:46:40 > 0:46:44Yeah, I'll have a think about it. It's really coming on.
0:46:44 > 0:46:49- My agent in London... Have you got a London agent?- No, in fact.
0:46:49 > 0:46:55No? You should definitely get on. Well, he says everything is quite on the film front at the moment,
0:46:55 > 0:47:00so I thought, "Why not?" It's only a week. What harm can that do?
0:47:00 > 0:47:02Tony, love?
0:47:02 > 0:47:07- Yes?- Sorry, but... do I really need to say that line?
0:47:08 > 0:47:12- Well...- Cos I can convey the meaning without it.
0:47:12 > 0:47:15- Well, try without it, then. - Thank you, dear.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19Who knew you'd turn into such a good writer?
0:47:19 > 0:47:23Scene 7, the Barlows' living room! William, that means you!
0:47:23 > 0:47:25Oh, excuse me.
0:47:25 > 0:47:28'I know this is a hard schedule'
0:47:28 > 0:47:34for all of us, but what you've shown me here today is so much more than I hoped for.
0:47:34 > 0:47:41Try to find the truth in each character and the soul that Tony's given you the key to.
0:47:41 > 0:47:46Above all, I need those lines word-perfect for the dress rehearsal.
0:47:46 > 0:47:49Thank you, everybody. Tomorrow, same time.
0:47:52 > 0:47:53Thanks.
0:47:55 > 0:47:58Is this unflattering enough for you?
0:47:58 > 0:48:03- 'ey, Elsie, you're ready for the knacker's yard.- You look perfect.
0:48:03 > 0:48:08Can I give you this? It's lucky heather. It's the Irish in me.
0:48:08 > 0:48:10Oh, thank you.
0:48:12 > 0:48:16- I'll cherish it. - This has to work, Tony.
0:48:16 > 0:48:19Not just for you. For all of us.
0:48:22 > 0:48:29Stand by, studio. Stand by, telecine. On camera three, come in to two. Captions on one.
0:48:29 > 0:48:31Roll telecine.
0:48:31 > 0:48:33I'm going to cut to camera two.
0:48:33 > 0:48:36Stand by, everyone. Enjoy.
0:48:36 > 0:48:38And...
0:48:38 > 0:48:41Five. Four. Three. Two. One.
0:48:41 > 0:48:42And...
0:48:42 > 0:48:49'There would be a theme tune, of course. Something brass. Power with a touch of melancholy.'
0:48:49 > 0:48:53Thank you, Harry. I appreciate all of your good work.
0:48:53 > 0:49:01But at this point I haven't formed an opinion. I'd like to hear if anyone else has anything to say.
0:49:01 > 0:49:05- Walter?- Well, I'm sorry, Harry, but there isn't a single thing I like.
0:49:05 > 0:49:09I don't like the characters, or the depressing sets,
0:49:09 > 0:49:15and I don't like the story. If we put that out, advertisers will withdraw their business.
0:49:15 > 0:49:22- Anyone else feel that way? - It could be rewritten as a comedy. - It's not a comedy or a drama!
0:49:22 > 0:49:26Although it's capable of being both. Think of it like Dickens.
0:49:26 > 0:49:31A weekly story to grip the country. Like soap operas in the States.
0:49:31 > 0:49:37- But they go out in daytime, watched by a few housewives and hospital patients.- Not true.
0:49:37 > 0:49:39Cecil?
0:49:39 > 0:49:41I think the idea is good,
0:49:41 > 0:49:47but the North Country accent is the language of comedy. It's never taken seriously.
0:49:47 > 0:49:51- Ena Sharples. Is she meant to be funny?- Look, this was a try out.
0:49:51 > 0:49:56There are casting hiccups to sort. We just wanted a feel for the show.
0:49:56 > 0:50:02We know we need to make changes. Ena Sharples wasn't right, but the others are exceptional.
0:50:02 > 0:50:08Pat Phoenix is a real discovery. We have the beginnings of a great cast, all from Manchester!
0:50:08 > 0:50:11The capital of Granadaland.
0:50:11 > 0:50:15This is a chance to open viewers' eyes to the real North.
0:50:15 > 0:50:19- What's the point of being here if you can't tell its story?- Please...
0:50:19 > 0:50:23- I'm sorry. This is important. You asked for quality.- RARE quality.
0:50:23 > 0:50:29- That's what I'm offering you. A programme of rare quality. - Thank you, Harry. Anyone else?
0:50:37 > 0:50:42Right, come on. You start that end, I'll start here.
0:50:50 > 0:50:52EPISODE PLAYS ON TV
0:50:56 > 0:51:01KNOCK AT DOOR Hiya, pet? Any cups need collecting?
0:51:01 > 0:51:03Just the one, Agnes.
0:51:04 > 0:51:06Thanks.
0:51:06 > 0:51:08What's this?
0:51:08 > 0:51:11It's a pilot.
0:51:11 > 0:51:14- When's it going out?- It's not.
0:51:19 > 0:51:22VTR. The Florizel tape running on 7...
0:51:25 > 0:51:28Just a minute. Hang on.
0:51:28 > 0:51:33Is that the son they're rowing about? She's proud of him, all right.
0:51:33 > 0:51:36We've got the same clock in our parlour!
0:51:36 > 0:51:39Sorry, Jim. Just keep it running.
0:51:43 > 0:51:48That's right, love. You tell him. It's your money.
0:52:09 > 0:52:12What sort of time do you call this?
0:52:12 > 0:52:15I had to wait for a taxi.
0:52:16 > 0:52:19- Have you been drinking?- Yes.
0:52:19 > 0:52:21Made it a wake.
0:52:21 > 0:52:24Who died?
0:52:24 > 0:52:27- My dreams. - Oh, Tony...- No, it's true.
0:52:27 > 0:52:31Florizel Street IS real to me. It exists.
0:52:31 > 0:52:37Or it used to before the... the Bernsteins flattened it to build their Granadaland.
0:52:37 > 0:52:42Elsie's probably still trapped, huddled, waiting to be rescued.
0:52:43 > 0:52:47Only she's not going to be. Is she, Mum?
0:52:47 > 0:52:49And neither am I.
0:52:52 > 0:52:54Don't be too long.
0:52:54 > 0:52:59And for goodness' sake don't disturb your father. He's got an early start.
0:52:59 > 0:53:01TELEPHONE RINGS
0:53:01 > 0:53:08- Who could be calling at this time? - Well, I don't know!- It won't be good news at 10.30!- Answer it?- I can't.
0:53:17 > 0:53:19Pendleton 5698.
0:53:20 > 0:53:22Who is it?
0:53:22 > 0:53:24(It's all right. It's my boss.)
0:53:24 > 0:53:26Well, you can tell him from me,
0:53:26 > 0:53:33I don't know how they carry on in Canada, but this is England and nobody uses a phone past 10 o'clock!
0:53:33 > 0:53:35Sorry, Harry.
0:53:35 > 0:53:39Yes, I know it's late, but I've got an idea.
0:53:39 > 0:53:41I think you're going to like it.
0:53:47 > 0:53:51The televisions will be positioned all over the building
0:53:51 > 0:53:55and you are to hand these out to everyone you see.
0:53:57 > 0:54:02- This lunchtime? What - ALL lunchtime? - If you don't mind.
0:54:02 > 0:54:07It's coming to something when a person's expected to give up lunch.
0:54:08 > 0:54:14- Florizel Street?- Yeah. - It's OK, girls. It's that show they wanted ordinary clothes for.
0:54:14 > 0:54:19The first Granada programme where the costumes came from Bury market.
0:54:19 > 0:54:21Ah, you'll love it.
0:54:21 > 0:54:23OK, ladies?
0:54:23 > 0:54:26Er, it's not lunchtime yet. Come on.
0:54:34 > 0:54:40PILOT EPISODE: 'I do appreciate you staying on. You know how it is in a new street...
0:54:40 > 0:54:45'We have a cup of tea with our food. I like my food swilled down properly.
0:54:45 > 0:54:49'You'd better watch out, Ida. He'll have you...
0:54:49 > 0:54:56'Don't go wasting your sympathy on him. It's Elsie I'm sorry for. Some mothers do 'ave them.
0:54:56 > 0:55:02'He nearly went mad when he found a bottle of peroxide I'd brought in. It was only for a mark on my tooth!
0:55:02 > 0:55:07'You might not know it, but he's very narrow-minded...'
0:55:11 > 0:55:16I didn't go behind your back. I just didn't float the idea past you.
0:55:16 > 0:55:20You know what the answer would have been. This is not how we work.
0:55:20 > 0:55:27I'm not suggesting the staff make the decisions. I simply wanted to show you how ordinary people react.
0:55:27 > 0:55:30Everyone filled out these forms.
0:55:30 > 0:55:34They're not the comments of people who sit at desks with broadsheets.
0:55:34 > 0:55:41They're people who ride on buses and sit in their living rooms at seven o'clock! Your audience.
0:55:41 > 0:55:47- I suppose they're all favourable? - No, not all. But people either love the show or hate it.
0:55:47 > 0:55:54- There's no middle ground. - If advertisers won't touch it, we don't have a business.
0:55:54 > 0:56:01- But the advertisers don't choose the programmes.- Harry's right. Marketing people won't decide.
0:56:01 > 0:56:06We know how they think. "It worked before, let's do it again."
0:56:06 > 0:56:13- We look forward, not back. That's why we employ creative people. - This is unlike anything on TV.
0:56:13 > 0:56:15You asked me to find new talent.
0:56:15 > 0:56:21Tony Warren's barely out of school! You want shows people will watch.
0:56:21 > 0:56:23Look at these forms.
0:56:23 > 0:56:25OK, forgive me for the stunt.
0:56:25 > 0:56:30What can I say? I was inspired by Barnum.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34Agnes!
0:57:34 > 0:57:36Aaaaah!
0:57:37 > 0:57:41You're a genius! Margaret...
0:57:42 > 0:57:44TELEPHONE RINGS
0:57:48 > 0:57:49Yes?
0:57:51 > 0:57:53What for?
0:57:55 > 0:57:57What, now?
0:58:03 > 0:58:07- Tony!- What's going on? - You've got 13 episodes to write.
0:58:07 > 0:58:13- They've commissioned it? - Florizel Street. A family drama serial by Tony Warren.
0:58:16 > 0:58:20- Has he come up on the pools?- The show's been commissioned!- What show?
0:58:20 > 0:58:28- The one you saw in my office. - Florizel Street.- Is that what it's called? Sounds like a disinfectant.
0:58:31 > 0:58:33She might have a point.
0:58:37 > 0:58:44- Oh! I believe congratulations are in order.- Thank you! - Bloody great. 13 episodes.
0:58:44 > 0:58:50- That's a lot to write, mind. - I've already written four. The rest are in my head.- Right.
0:58:50 > 0:58:56I was thinking of asking Harry if I could have a crack at a couple. Jump on the bandwagon, to help out.
0:58:56 > 0:59:01- That won't be necessary. - Come on, Tony.
0:59:01 > 0:59:04No one can write 13 episodes straight off. It's impossible.
0:59:04 > 0:59:06Watch me.
0:59:06 > 0:59:09Keeping that title, then?
0:59:09 > 0:59:11Yes!
0:59:13 > 0:59:17No! No, I won't listen to this. It's defeatist.
0:59:17 > 0:59:22- Ena is alive out there somewhere. - She's bloody good at Hide and Seek!
0:59:22 > 0:59:28Look, she's a standalone character. No family or work colleagues. She could be cut.
0:59:28 > 0:59:34- Ena Sharples IS Florizel Street. If you haven't understood that... - I DO understand.
0:59:34 > 0:59:41It's a part that's impossible to play. Actresses in their 70s just don't have the energy!
0:59:41 > 0:59:47- You'll find a dozen on any street. You're not looking in the right place!- Don't tell me where to look!
0:59:47 > 0:59:54Have you any idea what it's meant to me casting this show? Taking on actors I've respected for years,
0:59:54 > 0:59:58but never had the chance to give them their break? And the look of delight
0:59:58 > 1:00:02when they realise it's more than ordering a pint or serving in a shop!
1:00:02 > 1:00:07- I've done everything humanly possible, Tony!- London actors!
1:00:07 > 1:00:12- The best actor for each role! - No one is saying this lightly, Tony.
1:00:12 > 1:00:17We've tried everyone. No one is right. Do you want Nita back?
1:00:17 > 1:00:21No. She's very funny, but she's not Ena Sharples.
1:00:21 > 1:00:26Believe me, Tony, I wanted to find Ena as much as you did.
1:00:31 > 1:00:33All right, look.
1:00:33 > 1:00:39- There's someone I used to work with on Children's Hour.- Who? - She's a nightmare.
1:00:39 > 1:00:46- She tried to get me fired. You won't like her. She lives in Blackpool. - Why haven't you mentioned her?
1:00:46 > 1:00:50Because when I was 12 she threatened to smack my bottom.
1:00:53 > 1:00:58I'll pay for the rail fare! This is a woman I've got to meet.
1:01:08 > 1:01:13- Can I help you?- Violet Carson for a meeting with Margaret Morris.
1:01:13 > 1:01:17- Oh, an audition. - No, lad. A meeting.
1:01:17 > 1:01:22I haven't auditioned since 1937 and I've no intention of starting now.
1:01:27 > 1:01:28Yes?
1:01:35 > 1:01:39- I...- Are you the director? I'm not happy to be kept waiting like this.
1:01:39 > 1:01:42Well, I'm not the director.
1:01:43 > 1:01:45I know you, don't I?
1:01:46 > 1:01:51Tony Simpson! The lad who thought he knew everything.
1:01:52 > 1:01:54Well...I'm called Tony Warren now.
1:01:55 > 1:01:58You're not in this, are you?
1:01:58 > 1:02:03- No, I've... I've written it.- Oh, aye?
1:02:03 > 1:02:06Well, not a bad script.
1:02:06 > 1:02:08For a beginner.
1:02:08 > 1:02:15- I thought it might help if we had a chat about Ena.- Save your breath. I know all about Ena Sharples.
1:02:15 > 1:02:19She's just a backstreet bitch, isn't she?
1:02:20 > 1:02:26- When I was 12, you threatened to smack my bottom. - I remember I did smack it.
1:02:27 > 1:02:30And don't think I couldn't do it again.
1:02:33 > 1:02:39- Derek's going for a gentler approach. Tony won't like it. - He'll have to.- Still angry with him?
1:02:39 > 1:02:45"Small-boned". That's what I was told. There's nothing small-boned about Violet Carson!
1:02:47 > 1:02:50Quiet on the floor, please! Clear?
1:02:50 > 1:02:53Violet, this is your mark.
1:02:53 > 1:02:56Derek's staying on the floor.
1:02:56 > 1:03:00You kept that one up your sleeve, didn't you?
1:03:00 > 1:03:05Don't let the little old lady act fool you. This one's got teeth.
1:03:05 > 1:03:09Take it very gently at first. You can even play against the lines,
1:03:09 > 1:03:13bring out a gentler side to Ena, one that isn't so obvious.
1:03:15 > 1:03:18- What's he telling her?!- Relax.
1:03:19 > 1:03:24- Are you telling me to play her soft? - Yes. I suppose I am.
1:03:24 > 1:03:28Well, if that's what you want. I suppose you are the director.
1:03:28 > 1:03:32Roll tape, please. BELL RINGS
1:03:32 > 1:03:35All right. Stand by, studio.
1:03:39 > 1:03:41Are you trying to tell me to begin?
1:03:42 > 1:03:45Well, you only had to ask.
1:03:46 > 1:03:51- Where are you being buried?- I've not given it much thought.- You should.
1:03:51 > 1:03:53Don't go to that crematorium.
1:03:53 > 1:03:59As the coffin rolls away, they play Moonlight And Roses. I spoke to the superintendent.
1:03:59 > 1:04:07He said, "That's Andantino." So I said, "Andantino or no Andantino, I'll have Crimond."
1:04:07 > 1:04:12- Are those fancies today's?- Yes. - Half a dozen, and no eclairs.
1:04:12 > 1:04:17- You're from Esmeralda Street... - OK, let's hold it there, please.
1:04:17 > 1:04:19BELL RINGS
1:04:21 > 1:04:26- Well, she's mellowed.- We shouldn't spend any more time on this.
1:04:26 > 1:04:29'Sorry, Tony, but this isn't...'
1:04:32 > 1:04:38Excuse me, Tony Simpson or whatever you call yourself these days.
1:04:38 > 1:04:45- Can he hear me?- Yes, I can hear you! - Can I do it again as I think it should be done?
1:04:45 > 1:04:47Tell her yes.
1:04:47 > 1:04:50T-Tell her yes.
1:04:50 > 1:04:54- They're saying, "Yes, please." - Right.
1:04:56 > 1:05:01OK, let's go again. Roll tape, please. BELL RINGS
1:05:06 > 1:05:10Are you going to give me that silly little wave or not?
1:05:12 > 1:05:17- Where are you being buried?- I've not given it much thought.- You should.
1:05:17 > 1:05:19But don't go to that crematorium.
1:05:19 > 1:05:25As the coffin rolls away, they play Moonlight And Roses. I spoke to the superintendent.
1:05:25 > 1:05:30He said, "Moonlight and Roses? That's Andantino."
1:05:30 > 1:05:33I said, "I'm rolling away to Crimond."
1:05:33 > 1:05:39Are them fancies today's? Half a dozen and no eclairs. I said no eclairs.
1:05:39 > 1:05:44You're from Esmeralda Street. And weren't you on the bar...
1:05:44 > 1:05:47- What? She's very good. - Got any kids?
1:05:47 > 1:05:52- Better off without them. - She's perfect.
1:05:52 > 1:05:54So why are you wearing that face?
1:05:54 > 1:06:00- 'Very bay window down there.' - You don't know her.
1:06:00 > 1:06:04There's some very funny people in this street.
1:06:04 > 1:06:08She's perfect. Why didn't you mention her?
1:06:08 > 1:06:13- That was wonderful.- Did you notice? I repeated the line about eclairs.
1:06:13 > 1:06:18- Do you think they'll mind?- No. I don't think they'll mind at all.
1:06:18 > 1:06:22- Where the hell have you got her from?- She's a nightmare!
1:06:25 > 1:06:31- There. You'll do.- Can you do something with these shoes? They're pinching.- I'll find something.
1:06:31 > 1:06:36- Pull that in a bit tighter.- They've padded me out to look older.
1:06:36 > 1:06:39The glamour of television(!)
1:06:40 > 1:06:42Thank you.
1:06:42 > 1:06:45No, I mean it. Thank you.
1:06:45 > 1:06:47- What for?- Elsie Tanner.
1:06:48 > 1:06:51I'd given up, you know.
1:06:51 > 1:06:56I pretty well swore to myself I was never going to another bloody audition. Had 'em up to here.
1:06:56 > 1:07:01- Come in, flash your tits, piss off. It's no life.- Why did you come in?
1:07:01 > 1:07:05Let's just say I've always been open to persuasion.
1:07:05 > 1:07:10Got me into a lot of trouble in the past, I can tell you.
1:07:10 > 1:07:15But then I read your script and I thought to myself, "I know this street.
1:07:15 > 1:07:18"And I know all the people in it."
1:07:18 > 1:07:23Rubbing along in those tiny little houses. And I know Elsie.
1:07:23 > 1:07:27Biting her tongue whenever customers give her the runaround.
1:07:27 > 1:07:32Getting nostalgic over the war when she tastes American whisky.
1:07:32 > 1:07:34You're a bloody genius.
1:07:34 > 1:07:39- And I don't care who hears me say so.- Thank you.
1:07:40 > 1:07:45- I couldn't have dreamt of a better Elsie.- I'll tell you what.
1:07:45 > 1:07:51- How about we go down to the Union on the canal for a drink?- How do you know the Union?- I know all sorts.
1:07:51 > 1:07:54You can be yourself round me.
1:07:54 > 1:07:57And you round me.
1:07:57 > 1:08:01Let's see if either of these fit the bill.
1:08:01 > 1:08:05- All right, I give up. Change it. - No one knows what it means.
1:08:05 > 1:08:11It doesn't mean anything. I've been here 11 hours today. I've got six more scripts to write.
1:08:11 > 1:08:18I can't close my eyes without Annie Walker doing the foxtrot with PT Barnum and now you want a title!
1:08:18 > 1:08:23- I can't do it.- Well, don't. We'll do it. We'll think of one.
1:08:23 > 1:08:27- Something simple. - Go home. Get some rest.
1:08:27 > 1:08:34- If you want simple, you've Mafeking, Victory, Coronation or Jubilee. - No battles.- That leaves two.
1:08:34 > 1:08:36Take your pick.
1:08:43 > 1:08:44Jubilee?
1:08:44 > 1:08:46Or Coronation.
1:08:48 > 1:08:51Let's go to the pub.
1:08:59 > 1:09:01No expense spared, I see(!)
1:09:01 > 1:09:05- Do you want to try it on? - No, but I suppose I'll have to.
1:09:08 > 1:09:11What is that smell?
1:09:11 > 1:09:15- It has been washed. - It should have been fumigated.
1:09:15 > 1:09:21- What about my head?- They're thinking a hairnet.- Oh, are they?
1:09:25 > 1:09:29I was so pleased you agreed to join us again, William.
1:09:29 > 1:09:32Oh, well, it's only 13 episodes, isn't it?
1:09:32 > 1:09:38So lucky for us that we get to work with you before you make it big in the pictures. Excuse me.
1:09:40 > 1:09:46This is a woman who's buried children, watched her man beg for work and still gets down
1:09:46 > 1:09:49on her knees every night to pray.
1:09:50 > 1:09:54- Good. Make-up want you first. - They can want.
1:09:54 > 1:09:58There's no powder or rouge touching this face.
1:09:58 > 1:10:02If it's good enough for God, it's good enough for Granada.
1:10:03 > 1:10:10Camera three, are you all right after shot seven? If not, camera two can take that last close-up. Yeah?
1:10:10 > 1:10:16- Right, do that.- Derek, go down. She's in the lighting room. Don't ask me how.
1:10:20 > 1:10:22- Tony?- 'Get them down here.'
1:10:22 > 1:10:26It's the same day, so no costume change.
1:10:26 > 1:10:28Where's Tony?
1:10:28 > 1:10:30- He should be here. - BELL RINGS
1:10:33 > 1:10:35Tony, it's starting! I've got to go!
1:10:35 > 1:10:37I need you with me.
1:10:37 > 1:10:40Well, I'm not coming. I can't.
1:10:40 > 1:10:43Stop being such a drama queen!
1:10:43 > 1:10:45I will when you will!
1:10:45 > 1:10:49- PA SYSTEM: 'Miss Phoenix to Studio Two immediately, please.'- Bugger!
1:10:49 > 1:10:51Go on.
1:10:51 > 1:10:54Go! Give her what for!
1:11:09 > 1:11:13- Good luck.- I can't say anything back. It's bad luck.
1:11:13 > 1:11:18- Honestly!- Shouldn't you be on your own set?- Oh, yeah.
1:11:18 > 1:11:20Of course. Well, sorry.
1:11:21 > 1:11:26- Did you see the dress rehearsal? - Some of it.
1:11:26 > 1:11:32- Looks different. - Nothing like anything on the BBC. - And the new name is better.
1:11:32 > 1:11:35- More authority. - Let's hope the audience agree.
1:11:49 > 1:11:54- OK, people, this is it. Going live in 10.- Break a leg, everyone.
1:11:55 > 1:11:59Edna in Wardrobe thinks this could run as long as The Archers.
1:11:59 > 1:12:02Ye gods, I hope not.
1:12:02 > 1:12:07Coming to caption in four, three, two, one.
1:12:07 > 1:12:10And...
1:12:10 > 1:12:12"Coronation Street" THEME PLAYS
1:12:27 > 1:12:31CHILDREN SING: # As I go out Mrs Jones comes in
1:12:31 > 1:12:35# House to let, apply within As I go out Mrs Brown comes in
1:12:35 > 1:12:39# One, two, three, four Mary at the cottage door... #
1:12:46 > 1:12:51- ENA: - Now get a sign writer in. That thing above the door has to be changed.
1:12:51 > 1:12:58- Funny having my name over my own shop - Florrie Lindley.- Florence. That's your real name, intit?
1:12:59 > 1:13:01DIALOGUE FADES
1:14:50 > 1:14:54Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2010
1:14:55 > 1:14:57Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk