1990 Episodes

The dates:

It is a bank holiday in episode 752, 15th January in episode 756, 16th January in episode 757, and Chinese New Year in episode 759. It is February 7th in episode 763, as it is mentioned in episode 758 that the tender winner will be announced, and Frank’s interview will take place, on that date. As this is “tomorrow” in episode 762, it must then be February 6th! It is Valentine’s Day in episode 765, and March 1990 in episode 772. In episode 769 Harry says he is leaving for America on 21st March, which happens in episode 775. The letter Billy receives in episode 773 is dated 7th March 1990; and, based on dialogue in episode 776, it is Wednesday in episode 777. It is Lent in episode 780, and, based on dialogue in episode 779, Monday. Mick is told that Harry is coming back on 14th May, which is two weeks’ time rather than three, in episode 786. It is April 1990 in episodes 786, 787 and 789; Wednesday in episode 787; and Bank Holiday Monday in episode 788.

Name-checks:

Laurel and Hardy (757); Bill and Ben (757); Kenny Dalglish (757); [Tom and] Jerry (758 ); Bros (760); Stock, Aitken and Waterman (762); Florence Nightingale (765, 784); Mother Teresa (765); David Owen (768 ): Mike Tyson (772); “Antiques Roadshow” (772); Marco Polo (773); Prince Charles (773); Harry Secombe (774); “The Invisible Man” (774); Betty Grable (774); Rachman (775); Maggie [Thatcher] (778 ); Shakespeare (780); “Hamlet” (780); Barry Manilow (780); John Lennon (780, 786); Buddy Holly (780); Bing Crosby (780); St Francis of Assisi (780); “The Accused” and “Communion”, video films (781); Fred Astaire (781); Jive Bunny (781, 782); [“Elementary, my dear”] Watson (785); The Queen (785); Cecil Beaton (785); Genghis Khan (785); Ali Baba (786); Nero (786); Arnold Schwarzenegger (787); Bryan Robson (787); Paul Daniels (787); Mike Yarwood (787); the Christians (788 ); and Spielberg (788 ).

Locations:

All of the action in this season is set in or near Liverpool, except that there are some scenes involving Viv and Guy in Manchester Airport in episode 775.

Births:

None. We are told that Tracy is 19, nearly 20, and ten years younger than Barry (752); Billy is seven years younger than Sheila (752); Melanie is 13 (757); Ronnie is 17 (766); Sammy is 16 (767, 770, 773); it is Bobby’s birthday in episode 777, which is “on Wednesday” in episode 776; and it is Terry’s dad’s birthday in episode 782.

Marriages:

None. However, Ralph is soon to marry Lana in Las Vegas (770), Chrissy implies that she was 20 when she got married (771), Billy’s decree nisi is dated 7th March 1990 (773), and Sheila was married to Bobby for 30 years (775).

Deaths:

One – James Markham is killed in a car crash in Aberdeen in episode 780. Unseen characters mentioned who are no longer alive are: Mei Lin (765, 790), who died 15 months ago (765), Michael’s mother (765); Sinbad’s father (768 ); Frank’s mother (771); Sheila’s dad (772); Dr O’Rourke’s mum (778 ); and Sue’s dad (779).

Mentioned, not yet seen, but guaranteed to turn up at some point:

Owen’s father (762, 765), Owen’s mum (783); and Josie, Mick’s wife (769, 776, 777, 779).

Gone but not forgotten:

Characters seen previously and still mentioned occasionally, but do not reappear in these episodes:

Nikki (752, 753); Rod (752, 755, 757, 759, 760, 761, 771); Linda (752); Mrs Caston (756); Jessica (756); Ray (757, 761, 764, 765, 766 [“Roy”], 770); Terry’s dad (757, 777, 782); Edna (761, 765, 769); Nisha’s mum and dad (762, 765); Ralph (763, 768, 769, 770); Debbie (763); Kav / Mr Frannie Kavanagh (765); Mr Tony Hampson (765); Lana (768, 770); Bobby Grant (769, 771, 775, 776, 777, 778, 781, 782); Tim (770); Doreen (771, 772, 776, 781, 784); Bagga (779); Damon (782); The Pope (782); Cheryl (782, 784); Matty (784); Mona / Gran (785, 786); Gerald (785); Anthony (786); Louise’s father (786); and Brian Lawrence (788).

And those that are also mentioned, but are destined to remain unseen forever:

Janice, Marsland’s secretary (752); Melanie’s mum (752); Mr Emmett, one of the businessmen selling to Guy (753); Harrison, one of the co-operative members (753); Alec Stevenson, an accountant on holiday in Kenya (754); Bumper’s mum (755, 756, 757), his family: “She won’t miss one, there’s a lot of us” (756), his dad (757), and sister (760); McKenzie, a contact of Marsland (756); Austin Duncan, assistant transport manager leaving for his beloved West Sussex (756); Marie Cosgrove, Frank’s first date (757); Denton, Frank’s personnel officer (758 ); Kelly, who Growler speaks to on one of the numbers he dials trying to trace Kim (758 ); Pauline, at the clinic (758 ); Neil, who has a bottle-fed baby (758 ); Kim’s mam (759); Caroline and Michael’s uncle (760, 765, 778); Kim’s little sister (760); Kathy’s sister (762); Mei-Lin’s parents / Jessica’s grandparents (765, 767, 768, 778), Rob, (765, 768 ) / Hattie’s father (788 ); Ronnie’s sister (767); Nicky, one of Sammy’s friends, and her dad (767); Douggie the Dog, the worst cat-burglar in Liverpool, with whom Jimmy was on remand (767, 768, 769); Dr Barlow, Chrissy’s usual doctor (770), who is female (775); Graham Rowe, who telephones Jonathan (771); Martine from Sammy’s school (771); Dr O’Rourke’s children (771, 779); Mr Witherspoon, a client of Viv (774); Harry Pearson’s wife (774); Gary in the storeroom, Eileen in the office, and Mr Walker, the manager, at Seren Design in Warrington (774); Jean le Tournier, a contact of Viv in St Helier, and his wife Pascale (775); Maureen, Dr O’Rourke’s receptionist/secretary (775); Dr Bryant, a colleague of Dr O’Rourke (775); Dr O’Rourke’s brother-in-law and niece (778 ); James’s parents (779). including his father in Hong Kong (778 ); Angela, a nervous whispering student on Sheila’s course (778 ); Ewan McDonald, a mate of Sue’s dad who was in the Boys Brigade (779); Michaela, a contact of Karen (780); Jean, a possibly imaginary work colleague of Chrissy (784); Frenchman Jean-Luc, and the wife he wouldn’t leave for Lucy (785, 786); Louise’s mum (786); Davy, who worked with Michael (788 ); Tony, who is having Michael’s car when he is away (788 ); Liam’s half-Italian mother (788); and Joe and Karen Mooney, friends of Alison (789).

Goofs:

At one point in episode 766, Terry says “Roy” when he means “Ray”.

In episode 787, Mick consults the list Harry left him to see what Monty’s Wednesday meal ought to be, and finds that it is chicken and liver. Unfortunately, when Harry put together that list in episode 769, it was BEEF and liver for Mondays and Wednesdays, chicken for Tuesdays and Thursdays!

In episode 788, when Lucy is criticising Paul’s approach to Louise, she says he keeps “taking her aside” instead of “taking her side”.

Sue rips her calendar, originally seen in episode 786, off the wall and tears it up in episode 787; but in episode 789 it has magically been restored to its original position and condition.

Trivia:

Caroline’s business, “Choi Industries” (772), is run by James, a trained accountant (753). The video Sinbad takes from his car boot and gives her to watch is “The Mutilator” (755, 756). Sinbad asks for three sugars in his tea (768 ), and claims, fictitiously, that he has a broker called Hugo (753). Having heard that Caroline is looking for new markets for her jewellery, he puts down a deposit on a stall on Paddy’s Market, on the corner of Great Ormond Street (754). Shelley Style, based in Newcastle, contact James expressing interest (759); and he insists on answering when someone calls Caroline from Seren Design (760), the firm she later visits (774) and through which he is swindling her. After she leaves for London, Alison and Hattie move in, and Hattie puts up a poster of Jason Donovan (784). The Chois’ “for sale” sign bears the name “G. Samuels” (the firm where Chrissy works!) and the telephone number 051 259 6971 (784, 786). [Maybe they changed their number because they were getting too many calls for Brian Lawrence….]

Chrissy was in Liverpool (783) on a teacher-training course when she found out she was expecting Sammy (775). Other tenders for the maintenance contract are from Macintyre Lyneham and Rutherford’s, and other firms likely to be interested are Arlotts and Marshall Motors (753). The door of the managing director’s office, which has been broken into, bears the name G.I. Thompson (754). Dave, a member of the co-operative, is married (754). Sammy is reading Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” for general studies (780). Frannie (Kav) was Mrs Kavanagh’s only son (766), which means that he must have been inventing the brother he had mentioned to Sammy in episode 724. She tells the court he had claimed the car that crashed was his brother’s (766) – although he had actually said in episode 727 that it was his cousin’s! Ronnie lives at 24 Skeffington Court, Manor Park (766), while Growler’s girlfriend Kim used to live in Birkenhead (759), and most of Dr O’Rourke’s relatives are in Canada (783).

Jonathan’s “for sale” sign bears the name “Binenan Estates” and the telephone number 051 259 9106 (786). He asks for the “Marriott file” (771), while Viv is dealing with the “Gilmore case” (774). Jonathan used to play rugby with Guy MacLeish (774). Guy’s business is the MacLeish Jersey Corporation (752, 775), and one of the businesses he bought – twice over – was H.G. Pearson (Builders’ Merchants), Runcorn (774). Terry’s dad used to help him make Airfix kits (777); Louise has never been to France, but did go to London once to see her mum (786); Harry met Edna on his 21st birthday (765); Barry reads the “Daily Mirror” (764); Susan met Bobby at a conference, and is now pregnant with his child (769); Linda Spencer, teacher at the school for the deaf, has no children (756), and Sheila tells her that she was late for work because there was an accident on Queens Drive (757); and Jonathan (754, 770), Billy (765), Harry (770) and Sue (775), are all right-handed.