Prince Charming
Kirk and Beth’s wedding was as wonderful as I’d hoped. But there were last-minute jitters, and those gave me my scene.
Kirk is late for the ceremony, making everyone nervous. Beth fears he’s backed out. And she doesn’t even know about his wibbly spell the previous night.
The registrar says the time on their booked slot is running out, the couple booked next fuss about their wedding maybe running late, the guests mutter about a no-show groom. Beth doesn’t want to hear any of that, so she’s out front on the steps, nearly in tears. Sinead is with her. Beth tells Sinead she thought all the bad times with men were behind her now, thought Kirky was the one.
As she tries to reconcile herself to being jilted, Kirk jumps out of a van, carrying a boombox and singing along with it – “Prince Charming.” He’s Adam Ant. He’d decided to find the outfit she’d wanted. He wanted to surprise her, go beyond her expectations. He wanted to show her he’d do anything for her because he loved her so very much. Beth wasn’t the only one in tears! I was too.
Later, during the reception at the Rovers, there was an unintended heartbreaking moment. Kirk wants to give his speech, so he yells above the noise, asking for “a minute of silence.” Tracy laughs, “Why, has somebody died?”
Anne Kirkbride
In a coincidence of timing, it happened that episode aired in Canada the same night that Anne Kirkbride (Deirdre) died. Soon after hearing that sad news, watching Corrie and trying to absorb the fact that we’d never see Deirdre again, hearing what her on-screen daughter said sent me into tears again.
Somehow though, if that line had to occur on that particular night, it is right that it came from Tracy. Even when she doesn’t mean to, she can put her foot in it. I could see Deirdre’s look of shock and hear her – “Oh, Tracy luv! What a thing to say!”
