Guest Author - Pam Lawrence

A Coronation Street Family Album is a fast paced extremely entertaining look at three of the Street's most famous (or infamous) families. The commentary is witty, the actors revealing, and the old clips will bring back some very fond memories. This DVD from Koch Vision would be welcome under any Corrie fan's Christmas tree.

The Baldwin family has had some great storylines over the past year or so, with the Jamie/Leanne/Danny business, the death of patriarch Mike and the bizarre twist of Jamie getting together with step mum Frankie.

Over thirty years Mike's knicker factory, Underworld, has kept many of the women of Corrie in work, and we see great clips of the dramatic 'fire, fornicating and fighting' that has taken place there. It's a hub of Street gossip, and as Jacqueline Chadwick (Linda Sykes Baldwin) points out, Mike became a real 'equal opportunity' employer with heterosexual, homosexual and transsexual machinists...

Such is the power of realism the show conveys, Johnny Briggs claims he regularly received letters asking for employment at Underworld. We get a brief recap of the four Baldwin wives, plus the 'big scene' from 1983 when 'sexy specs' Deidre picks 'cardigan Ken' over Mike. Ken and Mike had some fisticuffs over the years, and one of the most memorable fights was when Ken decked his nemesis on the factory floor. Great to relive that one.

The next generation of Baldwins have been true chips off the block- irresistible to women, often mean and arrogant- but we loved the culture clash as the Londoners descended on the Street in the form of Danny, Frankie and the lads.

The Battersbys caused such a furor among audiences when they pulled into the Street in 1997 that after two episodes, 97% of viewers wanted them gone. From the moment they came round the corner with their jalopy and trailer, like the Beverly Hillbillies (according to Bruce Jones (Les) ) we all knew the Street would never be the same. They were loud, rude, obnoxious and the neighbours from hell.

I'm glad we get to see the clips of Theresa the Turkey and her tragic end. I almost fell off my chair at Leanne's line "I can't eat this, look, it's even got tyre marks on it!" at the time, and it's still hilarious.

Then along comes Cilla Brown, Les's perfect match and 'Queen of the Chavs'. To be honest, she is the only character in the show I really cannot stand. Wendi Peters does portray her marvellously though.

The Duckworths are last to open their family album. I can't say much about Jack and Vera that hasn't been said a million times, other than I really don't know what will happen when Liz Dawn leaves the show in the New Year. The pair have been as integral to the Street as its cobbles since we were introduced to machinist Vera in 1974 and Jack in 1979 . Amid 'fry ups bust ups and booze' the Duckys have done it all.

I'd forgotten how hunky Nigel Pivaro was as 'tasty Terry', their son, and the ultimate bad lad. I'd also forgotten the storyline about how Vera almost died donating a kidney to her grandson.

A Coronation Street Family Album offers more than an hour of memorable moments, great plotlines and characters. Whether you're new to the Street, and want a great introduction to some of the most famous families in Britain, or if you're a long standing fan, this offers super entertainment value.