Happily watching Robin's latest appearances in the soap "Coronation Street"! So far I've watched Dec 11-16, but Robin wasn't in the episodes from the 16th. I had great luck in finding them on YouTube! There are these mysterious people - it's either a bunch of different people or just one using different accounts - who upload the latest episodes right after they are shown and then take them down within a day, so if I act fast I can grab them. I guess the network that broadcasts this show doesn't allow it to stay up indefinitely.
First episode: Dec 11:
Robin is introduced to the show as aging rock star Rodney Purvis using the stage name of Richie Duvries. A regular character in the show, Dennis Tanner is an old friend of his and excited about seeing him again. They meet in a restaurant ("Nick's Bistro", I think?) in which (I think) the daughter of his wife(?) owns. I think. Ha ha. They sit around a table and talk of old days. Richie used to be in a band called "The Power", which had a hit in 1965 with a song called "Sweets of the Night". They used to tour with famous bands like Manfred Mann and the Yardbirds. He tells them that there's only two original members left, as one had died and one has emphysema. They ask him if he'd like to play a gig at the restaurant, and he is interested.
Dec 13 (part 1)
There are two parts to the show on some of the days. In part one there's not much of Richie. He walks into the pub and everyone says hi to him.
Dec 13 (part 2) They talk at the restaurant about the gig. Richie laughs about the place, but the woman with Dennis (wife?) says that the occasional celebrity does pop in. Two more women come in and the overweight one is introduced to Richie and sits down at their table. Richie talks about touring with the Yardbirds in their early days when Eric Clapton was with them. The overweight girl becomes interested and says how she writes to Eric and occasionally gets a photo back from him. She starts getting interested in Richie and tells him how she's looking forward to seeing his band play. He looks nervous and hurriedly leaves. They talk afterward of dressing '60s for the show and how she could dress up like Mary Quant!
Dec 16 (parts 1+2)
No Robin. But, there is some talk amongst the characters about the gig. The woman who owns the restaurant is hesitant about the gig being held there. Later, Dennis talks to a young woman who works in the restaurant. They have a typical "Older person - young person" music exchange with her never having heard of any of Richie's hits from the '60s, and how 1965 might as well have been the dinosaur age.
Robin's character is definitely the most energetic character on this show! Everyone else is so dour and wallowing in misery and drama. I just fast-forwarded through most of the other stories going on. One other story kind of captured my interest, though. Cute little blond boy in a red pullover sweater, can't resist listening to little British kids talk with their adorable accent! hee hee. That story is something about his dad having done something really wrong, possibly illegal? And his brother not wanting him to see the boy, and the mom not being a very involved mom, and a grandma trying to hold them all together? Something convoluted like that, but I'd be interested in finding out what the dad did that was supposed to be so bad his own brother and ex-wife don't want him around the kid!
Anyway, great seeing Robin again, as peppy and happy as ever. Best actor on the show, really!
