Corrie's Ken and Deirdre marry

Setting The Barlow

There was a wedding in 1981 that had a joyous nation gripped. During that long and sultry July, hearts were lifted and grins permanently plastered on the face of every true British mug as a fairytale betrothal between two of the most recognisable people in the country finally took place.

Of course I’m talking about the marriage of Ken Barlow and Deirdre Langton that took place on Coronation Street. It happened just a couple of days before the royal wedding of Charles and Diana and actually got better viewing figures for ITV, as 24 million people watched Alf Roberts take Deirdre up the aisle.

And of course, things worked out great for Ken and Deirdre. Apart from the affairs, the imprisonment for fraud, their daughter getting done for murder and Deirdre’s toy-boy lover getting bludgeoned to death. But they did get married again in 2005, an event watched by 13 million viewers, compared to the 9 million who watched Prince Charles marry Camilla Parker Bowles the next day.