Coronation Street in 1979. In 1982, the arrival of Channel 4, and its edgy new soap opera "Brookside", was one of the biggest changes for "Coronation Street". Unlike "Coronation Street", which had a very nostalgic view of working-class life, "Brookside" brought together working and middle-class families in a more contemporary environment. The dialogue often included expletives and the stories were more hard-hitting, and of the current Zeitgeist. Whereas stories at this time in "Coronation Street" were largely about family affairs, "Brookside" concentrated on social affairs such as industrial action, unemployment, and the black market. The BBC also introduced a new prime time
Mike Baldwin (Coronation Street) confusion, Mike's father was also named Frankie. In late October 2005, viewers discovered that Danny was actually Mike's son, a result of a fling between Mike and his sister-in-law, Viv (Patricia Brake). Towards the end of 2005, Mike was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, aged 63. He soon split from his beautiful girlfriend Penny King (Pauline Fleming), whom he had intended to marry. He once asked Rita Fairclough (Barbara Knox) how her husband Len (Peter Adamson) was - when he had in fact died more than 20 years ago. He also went into The Rovers Return and asked where Bet Lynch