Inside life of Coronation Street superfan whose home is shrine to soap
EXCLUSIVE: Andy Steele is a huge fan of Coronation Street and his home has become a shrine to the long-running soap in previous years - take a look at his life as a superfan as the show celebrates its 60th anniversary on Wednesday
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If there is anything you need to know about the world’s longest-running soap just ask “The Corrie-cle”, Andy Steele, a fan whose home is a shrine to Coronation Street.
And as the soap prepares to celebrate its 60th anniversary, Andy, who has his own milestone birthday this week, turning 30, is super-excited.
He says: “To hit six decades is just amazing, such an incredible milestone.”
The walls of his bedroom in Keighley, West Yorkshire, are plastered in autographed photos of the cast, there are teetering stacks of books, as well as wardrobes crammed with Corrie annuals, crockery and VHS tapes of old episodes.
He says: "Over the years I’ve spent over £1,000 and have no plans to stop.”
His obsession dates back 23 years to 1997, when he was seven. He says: “My mum Tracy never missed Corrie.”
The first episode he remembers was when Don Brennan kidnapped Alma and drove them both into the canal.
Andy says: “I was only seven but I was gripped.
"After that, while other kids watched cartoons before bed, I insisted on Coronation Street. The late Nineties were such a golden era for the show.”
He fondly remembers the Free The Weatherfield One campaign that began when Deirdre, played by Anne Kirkbride, was wrongly jailed for fraud. And the arrival of the Battersby family.
Andy says: “I loved the drama, the humour and the fact it was a Northern soap.
"By the time I hit my teen years, I was completely hooked.”
He hunts for Corrie memorabilia on eBay, at car boot sales and in charity shops.
“Pride of place” goes to his shrine to Pat Phoenix, who played Elsie Tanner.
He says: “I have a signed photograph of her in a frame. If there was a fire, that is definitely the item I would save.”
In 2014, Andy started working as a tour guide on the old Corrie set.
He says: “It felt like a dream come true. When I stepped on to the cobbles the first time it was an unforgettable moment.”
It was during his 18 months as a guide that he earned himself the nickname “The Corrie-cle”.
He says: “There was no question I couldn’t answer. I loved sharing my knowledge with other fans.”
He also got the chance to meet some of the stars, including Kevin Kennedy who played Curly Watts and Bradley Walsh, who was Danny Baldwin.
In the first lockdown, Andy, who lost his job in retail due to the pandemic, set himself the challenge of going back to 1960 and watching every episode of Corrie he could find, on video or online.
Andy says: “It’s been my pandemic project and I’m up to 1984 now.”
He also runs a fan page on Facebook, and blogs about Corrie.
Andy has had a commemorative T-shirt and mug printed for the soap’s 60th anniversary.
He says: “I will be raising my mug to the greatest show of all, bar none.”
*Tell us who your favourite Corrie character is at mirror.co.uk/corriesurvey
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