A British institution reaches the age to collect its bus pass today.

It’s not a person but a TV series, one that has reflected the changing fortunes of Manchester from gritty, post-industrial monochrome to modern cultural colossus.

It has celebrated ordinary lives lived large, survived countless traumas and even launched a campaign to ‘free the Weatherfield one’ [see picture above].

As Coronation Street celebrates 60 years of kitchen-sink drama from the streets of Weatherfield, I joined a virtual tour of the key sites with tour guide Sue McCarthy of Tour Manchester.

My preview of tonight’s anniversary tour is published today in the i Newspaper.

Here’s a preview:

“Many of those classic female characters were based on Tony Warren’s extended family,” explains Sue.

“I admire the feisty female spirit that has been a trademark of the show throughout the years,” she adds.

Read the full story, How to join a celebratory virtual tour of Coronation Street.

More about Tour Manchester

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