Coronation Street - Season 31 (1989)

Charlie's presence at the Rovers proves far from uplifting for staff and patrons alike. Rita confronts Alan with her suspicions. Sally deserts Kevin to be at the hospital with her dad.

Alan's scheming pays off handsomely at the bank. Alec learns of a lucrative employment opportunity. Gina leaves Sally to help their mum to plan Eddie's funeral.

Bet meets one of the star attractions of Alec's foreign job opportunity. Charlie oversteps the mark with Betty. Sally receives some good news on the day of her father's funeral.

Alec hears worrying news from his accountant. Mavis finds the property of her dreams. Sally has big plans for her £1000 windfall. Bet determines to get rid of Charlie.

While Alec frets about his tax mystery, Bet hatches a plot to rid the Rovers of Charlie. Sally's idea to boost Kevin's career prospects meets with opposition. Alan stresses over the upcoming shop opening.

Alec faces uncertainty as he goes for a meeting at the tax office. The Wiltons view a bungalow which Mavis hopes will become their new home. Ivy pokes her nose into Gail and Brian's marriage.

Alan has an unwelcome visitor at the opening party for his new shop. Alec prepares for his showdown with the Inland Revenue. Brian's temper arouses Don's suspicions.

Dawn's presence at the shop hampers Alan's shady dealings. Alec frets over how to rectify the shortfall in his finances. Ivy takes a keen interest in Gail and Brian's plans.

Alan invites Dawn out to lunch. Bet forces Alec to make a decision about paying the outstanding tax. Ivy's meddling results in her making a nasty discovery.

Brian accuses Gail of upsetting Ivy with the truth about their marriage. Emily's new double-glazing aggravates Vera. Ken finds Jason drinking at home with his mates.

Brian cannot understand Gail wanting another divorce and they row. Sandra confronts Ken in the Rovers and accuses him of setting the police onto Jason. Vera waits impatiently for work to begin on the stone-cladding of Number 9.

The police call on Gail to deliver the terrible news of Brian's death. Dawn rejects Alan's advances. Cash-strapped Alec tries to gain employment on the tour he turned down.

Sandra's meeting with a social worker forces her to make a drastic decision. Gail and Ivy clash over plans for Brian's funeral. Alan tries a different approach with Dawn.

Ivy and Gail remain at war as Brian's funeral takes place. Alan makes it clear to Dawn that he still intends to pursue her. The Wiltons agree to hold a dinner party.

Alan is determined to get Dawn alone. Ivy seeks guidance from the church to deal with her anger for Gail. Plans for the Wiltons' dinner party are subject to change.

Dawn accuses Alan of sexual harassment. Kevin takes umbrage when Gail meets a potential buyer for the garage. Percy misinterprets Mavis' invitation.

Rita sneaks into Alan's office to search for evidence. Kevin drags his feet raising the funds to buy the garage from Gail. Mavis has a meltdown over her dinner party.

Rita pays a visit to the building society and realises the extent of Alan's deceit. Kevin is reluctant to work for Tom Casey. Percy is put out when Emily arranges a lunch date with Arthur.

Rita is hospitalised following Alan's vicious attack. Emily chastises Percy for discussing her relationship with Arthur. Bet chooses a new barmaid for the Rovers.

Alan's request presents Jenny with an impossible dilemma. Tina starts her first shift behind the bar. Percy feels pushed out when Emily entertains Arthur.

Jenny asks Martin to drive her to meet Alan. Bet questions whether Jack has had his fingers in the till. Emily avoids Percy at every opportunity.

Vera works out what Jack's problem is. Rita returns home from hospital and reflects on Alan's actions. Emily's friendship with Arthur goes from strength to strength.

Jack reluctantly visits an optician to have his eyes tested. Mavis warns Emily of the rumours about Arthur. Rita uncovers Jenny's insecurities.

Curly buries his head in his revision books while Shirley plans a party. Tom introduces Kevin to his new mechanic. Percy catches Arthur in a lie.

Shirley reaches a decision about Curly. Percy holds his tongue as Emily plans another date with Arthur. Jack avoids collecting his new spectacles.

Kevin lets Mark know who is boss. Curly hangs around outside the factory to see Shirley. Jenny receives a letter from Alan asking her to visit.

Curly wallows in misery as Shirley refuses to talk to him. Jenny steels herself to visit Alan in the remand centre. Tom challenges Kevin's decision to sack Mark.

Curly's state of mind becomes a cause for concern when he shuts himself away. Derek insists on Mavis matching his executive standing. Bet longs for a night out.

Derek persuades Mavis to give up her job. Betty voices misgivings about Bet going out with Paul. Curly's friends and neighbours attempt to coax him out of his flat.

Derek is dealt a crushing blow at work, while Mavis and Rita struggle to remain civil. Stella Rigby pays Bet a visit. Alma reveals that she has changes planned for the cafe.

Derek resolves to plead to the managing director for his job. Bet assures Betty that she can handle Paul Rigby. Alma takes exception to Phyllis discussing her private business.

Alec's early return sparks panic among Bet's workforce. Nicky's failure to grasp Brian's death upsets Gail. Derek cannot admit to Mavis that he lost his job.

Gail, Audrey and Ivy mount a frantic search for missing Nicky. Bet makes no headway trying to convince Alec of her loyalty. Alf demands Curly's rent arrears.

Mavis tells Derek she has found out that he lost his job, but he assures her everything will be fine. Alec is taken aback when Bet consults a solicitor about the divorce. Vera orders Jack to make Curly feel welcome at Number 9.

The Gilroys refuse to back down over the divorce. Gail discovers that Ivy wants her to give up work. Derek resists all attempts to make him see reason.

Alec informs Stella of Bet's cavorting with her husband. Alma's management style aggravates Gail upon her return to the cafe. Don takes a fare to the dog track.

Ivy insists that Don gets rid of Lucky the greyhound. Bet refuses to cook and wash for Alec. Alma's handling of the cafe proves too much for Gail.

With Bet refusing to lift a finger, Alec hires a housekeeper to look after him. Don persuades Alf to buy a share in Lucky. Alma's personal problems interfere with her work.

Bet's bravado takes a knock when Alec moves in his latest housekeeper. Alma sacks Phyllis from the cafe. Alf and Don prepare a reluctant Lucky for her race.

Bet's departure from the Rovers prompts Betty to follow suit. Mavis urges Derek to be more pro-active in his job-hunting. Unemployed Phyllis follows Percy around all day.

Jack sneaks to the brewery, informing Nigel Ridley of the Gilroys' marriage split. Audrey and Ivy decide to race Lucky. Derek attends an interview for an unspecified job.

Bet starts work at The Flying Horse, while Alec receives a visit from Nigel Ridley. Audrey and Ivy take over Lucky's training. Gail seeks business advice from Mike.

Alec begins to regret his treatment of Bet. Gail and Alma reach an agreement on their business partnership. Ivy and Audrey make a discovery at the dog track.

The Gilroys' reunion shatters the Duckworths' dreams. Ken annoys Deirdre by publishing a silly story about her council meeting. Alma sends Phyllis packing.

Deirdre objects to Ken seeing her as a source of information. Jack expects to take charge at the Rovers while the Gilroys holiday. Phyllis hopes for a reprieve from Gail.

Mark's desire to take up banger racing causes headaches for Kevin. Audrey offers to help Alma to ensnare Mike. Ken refuses to disclose his council informant's name to Deirdre.

Ken's latest article on the council's plans places Deirdre in the firing line. Mike takes Alma to Alf and Audrey's dinner party. Kevin and Mark seek a car to race.

Deirdre defends herself against accusations of leaking council secrets to Ken. Tina takes a fancy to Mark. Alma plans a flat-warming to seduce Mike.

Deirdre is forced to leave a council meeting due to her colleagues' suspicions. Alma goes to a lot of effort to impress Mike. Tina steps up her pursuit of Mark.

Deirdre begs Ken to print something more worthwhile than his mole's gossip. Mark and Kevin argue over who will race the banger. Alma fears her illness put Mike off her.

Ken prints a piece that exonerates Deirdre as his informant. Sally insists on competing in the banger race time trial. Alma neglects the cafe to chase Mike.

Jack offers to take Tina out to cheer her up. Deirdre dreads her meeting with the council's chief executive. Alma and Mike show off their best moves on the golf course.

Tina calls Jack's bluff and agrees to let him take her out. Deirdre warns Ken that his secrets pose a threat to their marriage. Alma is ecstatic after spending the night with Mike.

Jack lies to Vera and whisks Tina to a fancy restaurant for dinner. Mike views a dockside apartment. Deirdre feels burdened by her promise to Ken.

Jack covers his tracks as Vera voices suspicions about his night out. Ken gets a glimpse of the trouble he has stirred up at the town hall. Mike gets Dawn to show him the flat again.

Tina begs Bet to stop Jack pestering her. Don and Ivy celebrate as Lucky gives birth to pups. Dawn asks a favour of Mike.

Alma is fed up of being brushed aside by Mike and demands to know where she stands. Despite her suspicions of Jack's infidelity, Vera is nevertheless shocked when he blurts out the truth. Ivy is furious when Don sells the puppies.

Vera cuts up Jack's trousers. Sally accuses Kevin of trying to jinx her upcoming driving test. Nicky proves a handful during a family day out.

Mike finds out that Maurice has bought up the land surrounding the factory. Sally's driving test goes with a hitch. Alec loses patience with Jack's absence from work.

Emily begins to get suspicious of Mike's plans for the factory. Martin invites Nicky to join him and Curly on the putting green. Jack seeks a pair of trousers to save his job.

Emily fends off questions from the girls about Mike's plans. Sally sulks as she accompanies Kevin to the banger race. Audrey and Alma enjoy a night out.

Mike's workers become convinced that he is hiding something from them. Alma begs Audrey to join her on a double date. The Barlows return from their holiday.

Ken resolves to uncover the truth behind the rumour of Mike selling up. Gail feels that Nicky is becoming reliant on Martin. Audrey fibs to Alf about her plans for the evening.

Deirdre receives a summons to the Town Hall as Ken continues to pursue his scoop. Audrey keeps her night on the tiles a secret from Alf. Martin clears the air with Gail.

Ken blames Deirdre for Wendy's suspension from the council. Gail and Martin feel awkward about their illicit kiss. Audrey's duplicity comes back to haunt her.

Gail and Martin are thrown together when Alma skives off from the cafe. Mike sells the factory and informs his staff. Sally insists on being allowed to drive the banger.

The factory girls demand answers when they are locked out of the premises. Sally looks forward to taking the banger out. Gail feels used when Martin fails to visit her.

Kevin blames Mark for Sally's accident. Deirdre happily informs Ken that Wendy lost her job. Gail gives Martin a piece of her mind.

Jenny's stirring unsettles Gail and Martin. Deirdre is furious to discover Wendy at Ken's office. Mark proves that Sally's accident was due to a fault in the car.

With the children out of the way, Gail and Martin enjoy a day out . The atmosphere between Ken and Deirdre upsets Tracy. Bored Sally returns to work with a broken ankle.

Ivy worries about the nature of Martin and Gail's relationship. Derek confronts a rival salesman. Percy welcomes a new responsibility.

Ivy shocks Audrey with the bombshell about Gail dating Martin. Emily lets the factory girls enter the derelict factory. Derek stands up to Bagshaw.

The end of an era arrives as work begins on demolishing Baldwin's Casuals. Gail finds herself under attack from Ivy and Audrey over her relationship with Martin. Rita has a shock in store when Jenny receives a visit from the police.

Vera and the girls find out who owes their redundancy pay. Jenny starts at Manchester Polytechnic. Gail punishes Ivy for her treatment of Martin.

Emily tackles Maurice Jones on behalf of the factory girls. Audrey shocks Gail with her ultimatum. Deirdre pressures Ken to run a story in the Recorder.

The factory girls stage a sit-in on Jones' building site. Gail worries that Martin is getting too serious. Rita frets about giving evidence at Alan's trial.

Maurice threatens Ken's livelihood if Deirdre continues to hassle him. Nicky's illness poses a dilemma for Audrey. Sally plans a party for her wedding anniversary.

With Deirdre pre-occupied, Ken celebrates his birthday with Wendy. Maurice agrees to pay the girls redundancy money. Martin nags Gail to attend the Websters' party.

Concern grows for Rita as she shuts herself away at home. Ivy wants an apology for Martin's drunken outburst. Ken and Wendy agree to continue their affair.

Gail struggles to cope with nursing both Nicky and Martin. Rita drinks to combat her fears of going to court. Ken and Wendy skive from the office to make love in the afternoon.

Rita and Jenny hope for different outcomes as Alan's trial takes place. Ivy swallows her pride to help Gail. Audrey seeks Mike's advice on luxury living.

Rita dreads Alan turning up now that he is a free man again. Ivy witnesses Martin's influence over Nicky. Deirdre spoils Ken's lunch plans with Wendy.

Rita cannot hide her terror at having Alan back inside her home. Audrey nags Alf to consider buying an apartment. Curly explains the value of a career in management.

Curly impresses his boss Reg Holdsworth on his first day working at Bettabuy. Alan asks Mike for investment. Audrey gets an estate agent to value Number 11.

Alf remains confident that Number 11 will attract no prospective buyers. Vera applies for a job at Bettabuy. Alan tries to interest Maurice in his proposed business.

Alf visits a doctor, feeling stressed by the prospect of moving house. Vera causes a commotion in the aisles of Bettabuy. Alan gets a job, labouring for Maurice.

Rita is unnerved by Alan working across the street. Curly fails to notice Kimberley holding a torch for him. Alf and Audrey fall out when he calls off their move.

Rita points the finger at Alan when The Kabin is burgled. Alf and Audrey reconsider their standpoints. Curly makes his position clear to Kimberley.

Jenny waits to hear whether Alan will be charged by the police. Vera arranges for Curly to spend time with Kimberley at work. Eddie Ramsden takes a shine to Tina.

Rita is frustrated when her friends start to think she could be paranoid about Alan. Bet and Alec disagree over the value of the building-site workers' custom. Vera invites Kimberley round in order to matchmake her with Curly.

Alan steps up his persecution of Rita, who is at her wits' end with worry. Alec blames Tina for the fight in the Rovers. Curly asks to see Kimberley again.

Mavis grows worried when Rita fails to turn in for work without explanation. Alec tries to lure the Websters back to the Rovers. Dawn introduces Mike to her brother, Robert.

Mike takes an interest in Robert's method of making money. Alec's football team demand a strip for the match. Mavis fears that something has happened to Rita.

The Rovers' regulars take on Jones' builders on the football pitch. Bet persuades Mavis to call the police about Rita. Mike leaves Dawn to go away on business.

Mavis becomes convinced that Alan may have harmed Rita. Ken fears that Mike will expose his affair. Eddie persuades Tina to go on a date with him.

Mavis tells the police of her belief that Rita has met with foul play. Jack stands in the way of Tina's next date with Eddie. Ken faces a choice between Wendy and his family.

The stress of viewing a corpse takes its toll on Mavis. Tina gives Eddie the cold shoulder for standing her up. The police quiz Alan about Rita's disappearance.

Alan feels victimised when the police haul him off for more questioning. Wendy asks Ken to choose between her and Deirdre. Mike's secret deal horrifies Dawn.

The police search Number 7 and Alan's bedsit for clues. Tina refuses to listen to Eddie's explanation. Mike looks forward to teaching Robert a lesson.

Alan grows resentful when Maurice refuses to reinstate him. Mike accuses Dawn of being complicit in Robert's swindle. Deirdre begins to have doubts about Ken.

Alec receives a promising lead of Rita's whereabouts. Audrey packs up Number 11 ahead of the Roberts' move. Vera annoys Curly by taking the day off work.

While Alec returns home, Bet remains in Blackpool and tries to restore Rita's memory. Alf and Audrey are unable to take up residence at their new abode. The McDonald family moves into Number 11.

Alec informs Alan that Rita is alive in Blackpool. Jenny condemns the residents for turning on her father. Audrey is incensed to learn that she and Alf are to remain homeless indefinitely.

Bet and Sally worry for Jenny in the wake of Alan's death. Curly delivers his staff assessments to Reg. Alf and Audrey agree to stop blaming each other for their predicament.

Martin comforts Jenny as she vows to give Alan a decent funeral. Alf and Audrey receive bad news. Curly is horrified when Reg decides to sack Vera.

Jenny buries her father with only a handful of her friends present. Curly ponders how to persuade Reg to reinstate Vera. Alf is relieved when Audrey goes shopping.

Gail resents Martin spending so much time supporting Jenny. Deirdre is perturbed to hear that Ken and Tracy bumped into Wendy. Jack and Vera order Curly to move out of Number 9.

Gail avoids Martin, who tells Jenny that he has his own life and she must stop depending on him. Bet and Alec warn Tina about getting involved with Eddie and his son. Curly tries unsuccessfully to find new lodgings.

Derek is in high spirits at his office party. Ken's world crashes around him following a decadent day spent with Wendy. Jenny tells Sally that she will never return to Coronation Street.

Tracy detects the tension as Deirdre struggles to be civil to adulterous Ken. Gail and Martin play host to Audrey, Alf, Don and Ivy on Christmas Day. Jack swears off alcohol following his Santa hallucination.

Ken tries to talk to Deirdre, who's in no mood for forgiveness. Mike entertains Alma and opens up about his recent financial disaster. Alec receives some sad news.

Bet worries about Alec's morbid mood. Deirdre gets upset when Tracy reveals that she knows about Ken's affair. Jim agrees to pay for Alf's broken window.