Corrie legend Julie Goodyear MBE has announced she will be donating a large chunk of her character’s jewellery to be auctioned off.
Julie played the Rovers Return legend Bet Lynch from 1966 to 2003, and is one of the most recognisable characters, donning unforgettable amounts of cheetah print, bright lipstick and plenty of gold chains.
She’ll be auctioning off the jewellery in aid of Willow Wood Hospice in Ashton-under-Lyne, as they can no longer go ahead with their 21st anniversary due to Covid-19 restrictions.
She said: “I have always taken a keen interest in Willow Wood Hospice, which is a fantastic local charity, as their founding patron was my dear friend Roy Barraclough who played my screen husband Alec.
“When I heard that they had been forced to cancel almost all their fundraising events in this, their 21st year, I wanted to do something to help.”
Among one of the items is the iconic bird cage earrings that Bet wore as she left the Rovers in 1995.
Karen Houlston, Willow Wood Hospice’s chief executive, said: “We are very proud of our links with Roy Barraclough and his family, who continue to support us, and thrilled that Julie has chosen to help us in this way.
“The hospice relies on volunteers and charitable donations to serve the community of Tameside and Glossop and this year has been tough.”
Next month, Willow Wood were set to have a Corrie-themed fundraiser to run alongside the soap’s 60th Birthday, however the plans have been scrapped due to the pandemic.
The charity has patrons including the late Roy Barraclough and Last of the Summer Wine’s Kathy Staff, who also played Vera Hopkins in Corrie.
Currently, Julie Hesmondhalgh who played Hayley Cropper in the soap is also a patron.
Karen added: “We have a lot of Corrie fans amongst our supporters and volunteers so were really looking forward to a pint, a bowl of hotpot and a lot of Corrie anecdotes from our patron Mark Llewellin who has been connected with the show for over two decades and a Coronation Street tour guide and expert.
“It was such a shame when we had to cancel and of course, it has certainly affected us financially.”
As part of the new fundraising, patron Mark Llewellin – who has been connected to the show and is a Coronation Street tour guide and expert – has created a fan film about the show with many of the cast making an appearance.
The film will feature tales from the shows last 60 years and will feature the likes of Julie Goodyear, Julie Hesmondhalgh, Amanda Barrie, Jennie McAlpine, Sally Ann Matthews and Ted Robbins.
Karen said: “Rather than just showing it to our existing supporters we are hoping that Corrie fans around the world will make a donation and download the film to watch at home wherever they are.
“Every penny will go to providing palliative care and to support those in our community with other long-term issues such as dementia.
“We can’t thank people enough – Corrie fans are definitely streets ahead!”
Popular BBC detective drama Shetland is returning for two new series.
The long-running crime drama will return with Ashley Jensen and Alison O’Donnell reprising their roles as Detectives Ruth Calder and Alison ‘Tosh’ McIntosh.
Filming on the next season, its ninth, will get underway later this month.
The broadcaster said Shetland was the biggest drama of the year across Scotland and all channels and streamers in 2023, after Yorkshire crime drama Happy Valley.
Last season averaged seven million viewers and was the first to see Ashley Jenson take the lead role after taking over from Douglas Henshall as Jimmy Perez – a role he played for a decade.
Ms Jenson said she was ‘thrilled’ to be coming back as Detective Calder.
She said: “The reaction to the last series was incredible and I’m excited at the prospect of unravelling more intrigue.
“The Shetland Isles are breath-taking – without a doubt one of the most memorable and unique filming locations I’ve been to.”
Ms O’Donnell also expressed that she ‘could not be happier’ about returning to film another series. She added: “Ashley and I just scratched the surface of our dynamic in Series 8 and I am delighted that we now have the opportunity to build on that.”
Fans of the programme will be delighted to know Steven Robertson (Sandy), Lewis Howden (Billy) and Anne Kidd (Cora) are also confirmed to return.
Lindsay Salt, director of BBC Drama, said the news showed the corporation was ‘further strengthening’ its commitment to the show, which first aired in 2013.
The latest series will be written by Paul Logue and Denise Paul and produced by Silverprint Pictures, with filming scheduled to take place throughout this year and next.
We can’t wait for this!
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A new true crime docuseries on Netflix is leaving viewers traumatised and ‘disturbed’ after bingeing it in a night.
The three-part show delves into the world of ‘cons, cults and kidnappings’.
And of course, it’s called The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping, and details the traumatic events a group of school kids experienced.
The true story highlights serial abuse at Ivy Ridge, a disciplinary school in rural Ogdensburg, New York.
Imagine being at school and suddenly you’re called to the principal’s office and then put in handcuffs or solitary confinement. It may sound like a horror story but this was real life for Katherine Kubler and a number of survivors of this troubled youth academy.
Kubler, who directs this docuseries, was sent to Ivy Ridge for acting out as a teenager.
At first glance, it seemed like a regular high school, but behind closed doors something a lot more sinister was going on.
It features interviews from former students who expose what happened while they were there.
The series reveals how students were prohibited from speaking to, or looking at each other. They were mostly not allowed to go outside and the school was run on a points system – which determined how long they would remain there, according to former students.
Ivy Ridge closed down in 2009, but Kubler decided to make this documentary, as she explains ‘there really was nothing out there to help explain what had happened to [her], to [her] friends and family to warn them about these places, The Times reports.
“So, now that resource exists,” she said.
A former student, Kubler found video footage and files on students lying around in the abandoned building.
On her return visit to Ogdensburg, she spoke with a former staff member who said she was just carrying out orders.
Kubler said: “These programs destroy families, and it’s very hard, so I wanted [viewers] to see what it’s done to my family.”
The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping has captivated audiences with its three episodes and many have even binged the series in just one night.
On X (formerly Twitter) one viewer said: “The Program on Netflix is crazy from the start but about 7 minutes into episode 2 the level of f**ked up psychological warfare reaches another level. No idea how so many parents bought into this s**t.”
Another said: “Twisted AF. ‘The Program’ on Netflix is one of the wildest most disturbing docs I have seen.”
After sharing her harrowing story, Kubler hopes that the troubled teen industry will be exposed and shut down.
She adds: “This industry exists because there are not many good resources out there for families in a crisis, so we need to figure out alternate solutions,” she explained.
“Ultimately the goal is to expose these places and to get this industry shut down.”
You can stream The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping on Netflix now.
Jason Manford will join the cast of Waterloo Road when the high school series returns later this year.
The actor and comedian will take on a more serious role as headteacher Steve Savage, and he says viewers can expect his character to ‘ruffle a few feathers along the way’.
Manford, 42, from Manchester said it was ‘an absolute treat’ to be joining the show ‘right here in my home city’.
The series was originally axed in 2015, but following a revival in audiences during the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, it returned to screens after an eight-year break.
After admitting to binge watching the show with his family during lockdown, Manford added: “It’s such a brilliant, iconic show, so I’m dead proud to now be part of its history.
“Growing up, I always wanted to be a teacher and now, becoming a headteacher, I know I would have been terrible!”
While fans of the show may be left wondering where the current headteacher Kim Campbell might be – played by Angela Griffin – viewers will have to wait to see how the storyline plays out, the BBC said.
Waterloo Road’s season 13 finale aired on Monday night (February 26th), with series 14 coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year.
Cameron Roach, Executive Producer of Waterloo Road and Founder of Rope Ladder Fiction, said: “We’re thrilled that Jason Manford is joining Waterloo Road, as the show returns for a fourth series since returning to BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
“Jason is a phenomenal comic actor, and has fully embraced the tone and spirit of the show, we can’t wait for the audience to meet Steve Savage and his son Billy.
“As with all of our adult cast, Jason has been an inspiring and approachable mentor to our younger cast and crew; we love that a new generation of Northern talent are able to learn their craft alongside brilliant household names.
“The legacy of Waterloo Road goes from strength to strength.”