The Royal Wedding weekend was a special one for us here at Practical Motorhome: not only did we have an unforgettable time at our Reader Rally, but we got a big mention on the world’s longest-running soap opera, Coronation Street!
Corrie still commands up to 14m viewers per episode, and fans will know that eccentric spinster Mary Taylor (played by Pattie Clare) owns a Bessacarr motorhome.
The plot for the week saw Mary’s ’van go on something of a magical mystery tour, thanks to a practical joker. On Monday the ’van is found in Viaduct Street, and later in Rosamund Street, but on Friday it’s discovered damaged, and goes into the garage for work.
11 min 10 seconds into the episode on Thursday 28 April 2011 and Mary, keen to crib up on her Bessacarr, bursts into the Kabin, the legendary newsagent on the street:
“Have you got this month’s Practical Motorhome?” says Mary.
And in the following episode, on Friday 29 April, as she complains to Norris about Prince William marrying a ‘commoner’, our April issue with the Swift Kon-Tiki 659 on the cover is in full view on the newsstand.
Both episodes are still available to watch on ITV Player. Let’s hope some of those 14m viewers take a leaf out of Mary’s book, join in our hobby, and find themselves reaching for our magazine on the newsstand over the coming days…