[guide.chat] Rovers go up in flames

  • From: "Carol O'Connor" <missbossyboots33@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "guide chat" <guide.chat@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:58:02 -0000


It's last orders for two of the Coronation Street cast when the Rovers Return 
goes up in smoke.
These action-packed pictures capture the dramatic scenes as the country's most 
famous boozer catches fire with two characters trapped inside.
Viewers will see tragedy strike on the cobbles on March 18.
One of the victims is Sunita Alahan, Oldham-born actress Shobna Gulati.
She is trapped inside the pub along with landlady Stella Price, former 
Eastenders actress Michelle Collins.
Corrie bosses are not confirming who the second fatality will be but it is 
understood it will not be a major character.
The fire is thought to have been started by Stella's jealous ex Karl Munro, who 
cheated on her with Sunita.
The blaze destroys the pub and Shobna, 46, described it as 'an amazing send 
off'.
View gallery 
Coronation Street fireView gallery  
She added: "It feels great and I feel so pleased. The Rovers itself burning was 
hard to watch.
"When you watched the inside burning there was Betty's picture in flames, along 
with all those memories. Sunita was a barmaid there too so she had an inside 
out relationship with the pub.
"I had a stunt lady there to do any scenes I didn't want to do, but when it 
came to it I just thought this is the last time viewers are going to see me as 
Sunita, so you might as well see my face and not the back of the stunt double."
Sunita, who will end a 12-year on-off stint at the soap, added: "When I 
finished filming the fire I cried. I thought how awful it must be to actually 
be in that kind of disaster. It must be horrific because the heat was 
horrendous.
I could feel the burn. You could actually feel your skin burning. I had a 
bucket of cold water for me to cool down in because I was that hot; hot beyond 
belief."
Michelle, 51, added that she too had been impacted by the blaze.
She said: "Stella's left the Bistro quite upset after the palava with Sunita 
and goes home. She just wants to relax and de-stress so she goes back to the 
Rovers for a nice bath. The lights go out first of all before she starts to see 
and smell smoke.
At this point she doesn't realise anyone else is in there and she thinks she's 
the only one trapped indoors. Obviously she thinks everyone's in the Bistro and 
that nobody will come to rescue her.
At that point I think she genuinely believes she's going to die. She tries to 
open the window, and it's jammed and she can't get down the stairs either. "
Viewers of a certain age will remember the Rovers catching fire in 1986 when 
Jack Duckworth's botched electrical repair work led to then landlady Bet Lynch 
having to be rescued. 

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