Roy Cropper (David Neilson) recently came up with a solution to a very specific set of housing problems on Coronation Street.
With Cassie (Claire Sweeney) having moved in with Tyrone (Alan Halsall) and the girls, Evelyn (Maureen Lipman) was refusing to be under the same roof with her but that meant staying at the precinct flat, clutching a hot water bottle because it was a less than cosy situation.
Roy’s idea was for Evelyn to move in with him, and Lauren (Cait Fitton) – who was also looking for a place to stay – could have the precinct flat.
Over the years Roy has had a range of different flatmates. There was his beloved wife Hayley (Julie Hesmondhalgh), of course. But at other times Carla Connor (Alison King) has been a long-term resident, as has Roy’s niece Nina (Mollie Gallagher). Even Ken Barlow (William Roache) has stayed at the flat.
So Roy, despite being one of the Street’s most eccentric characters, has also shown himself to be prepared to adapt to the needs and ways of people very different to himself.
Evelyn Plummer, however, is a whole new level of different. And life with the famously cantankerous great-grandmother did not get off to a great start in Wednesday (September 13)’s episode.
To start with, she was woken at an early hour by Roy listening to the Shipping Forecast. He finds it soothing, while she finds people talking about ‘German bights and dogging’ anything but relaxing. Roy offered to use headphones while listening, but Evelyn had a point to make and she wasn’t ready to be appeased.
Issuing orders to Roy to get some shopping in because his cupboards were empty she flounced back to the flat.
Later Tyrone told Evelyn to go easy on Roy, reminding her that it was him who was doing her a favour and not the other way round. Accordingly she went off to do the shopping herself.
On her return, it was Roy’s turn to find fault. They would be having lamb chops, jacket potatoes and salad, Evelyn informed him.
‘Delicious,’ he said. ‘Potentially.’
Was he casting aspersions on Evelyn’s cooking skills? Well, no. It was her choice of spud that had him bothered. These were just standard baking potatoes and not his preferred option: ‘Maris Piper. The Rolls Royce of jacket potatoes.’
Evelyn stormed out, but later she returned with a bag of Roy’s preferred root vegetables and apologised for ‘stalking out.’
‘I’m sorry I was so lofty on the potato front,’ he conceded.
‘Nothing wrong with knowing what you like,’ she told him.
It seemed like peace had been restored, but by the time they headed back to the flat the Shipping Forecast discussion had reignited, Evelyn was getting irritable and Roy was trying to keep the peace.
If they can get through this settling in period without killing each other they’re going to end up being the best of flatmates – and in the meantime for the viewers they’re comedy gold.
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