View source for Seven, Bessie Street (partially found soap opera script of Coronation Street creator; pre-1957)

{{InfoboxLost 
|title=<center>Seven, Bessie Street (script)</center> 
|image=Sevenbessiestreet1.png
|imagecaption=Cover page of the ''Seven, Bessie Street'' script.
|status=<span style="color:orange;">'''Partially Found'''</span> 
}}
Synonymous with the long-running ITV soap opera, ''Coronation Street'' creator Tony Warren had previously written a few scripts for a show set around the back streets of northern England. After having ''Our Street'' be rejected twice by the BBC in the late 1950s, his ''Florizel Street'' proposal was greenlit by Granada Television in 1960. Following his death on 1st March 2016, it was revealed an even earlier soap opera draft had been written by Warren. Titled '''''Seven, Bessie Street''''', Warren's friend David Tucker confirmed its concepts deviated considerably from ''Coronation Street'''s format.

==Background==
Tony Warren, real name Anthony McVay Simpson, never actually grew up in the back streets.<ref name="proposals">[https://archive.org/details/coronationstreet0000litt/page/8/mode/2up? ''The "Coronation Street" Story: Celebrating Thirty Five Years of the Street'' detailing Warren's early rejected soap opera scripts before succeeding with ''Coronation Street''.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="obituary">[https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2016/mar/02/tony-warren-obituary-coronation-street-creator ''The Guardian'''s obituary for Warren.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref> However, his family had deep working-class roots, particularly his grandmother who lived in inner Salford.<ref name="proposals"/><ref name="obituary"/> Simpson recalled listening in to conversations between his grandmother and his other female relatives, cultivating his knowledge and interest of the working-class northern culture.<ref>[https://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/articles/four-miles-from-manchester-tony-warrens-coronation-street ''ITV'' summarising how Warren's interactions with his grandmother and other female relatives shaped his interest in working-class northern culture.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="obituary"/> After his studies at Eccles Grammar School and the Shelagh Elliott-Clarke School of Dance and Dramatic Art, Simpson followed several family members into the theatre world, becoming an actor under the Tony Warren stage name.<ref name="bfi">[http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/550607/index.html ''British Film Institute'' documenting the life and career of Warren.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="bbcfound">[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-41699055 ''BBC News'' reporting on the discovery of the ''Seven, Bessie Street'' script.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="obituary"/> A big break occurred when he became a child actor for the BBC Radio show ''Children's Hour''.<ref>[http://www.turnipnet.com/whirligig/radio/childrenshour.htm ''Whirligig Radio'' summarising ''Children's Hour''.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="obituary"/><ref name="bfi"/> There he worked alongside future ''Coronation Street'' actresses Doris Speed and Violet Carson.<ref name="carson">[https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/how-ena-actress-sparked-corrie-929189 ''Manchester Evening News'' detailing Warren's interactions with Carson and how her "Bowton's Yard" song inspired him to write ''Coronation Street''.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="obituary"/> An incident where Carson threatened to smack Warren's bottom if he failed to control his excitement certainly intimidated him for years, making him especially reluctant to cast Carson as Ena Sharples.<ref name="dramatisation">[https://youtu.be/pteYQd29MCM As depicted in ''The Road to Coronation Street''.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="carson"/> 

However, her rendition of the Sam Laycock poem "Bowton's Yard" for ''Children's Hour'', which was all about working-class Stalybridge neighbours at each numbered accommodation, intrigued Warren greatly.<ref>[https://talkingaboutmygeneration.co.uk/history-uncovered-bowtons-yard-samuel-laycock-and-stalybridge/ ''Talking About My Generation'' detailing Bowton's Yard.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="carson"/> It has subsequently been credited for inspiring Warren to create a soap opera centred around the lives of those living in the northern back streets.<ref name="carson"/> Prior to March 2016, it was believed that his first attempt to write a soap opera came in 1956, with ''Where No Birds Sing''.<ref name="wylie">[https://lifeofwylie.com/2010/12/09/coronation-street-tony-warren/ ''Life of Wylie'' where Ian Wylie interviewed Warren regarding his earlier scripts prior to ''Coronation Street.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="proposals"/> The name, according to Warren, reflected the absence of birds in Salford.<ref name="wylie"/> A year onwards, he decided to adapt it into a comedy, which he coined ''Our Street''.<ref name="proposals"/><ref name="wylie"/><ref name="bfi"/> The latter was sent off to the BBC; while Barney Coleham expressed some interest in the work, the television board clearly did not, not even sending a letter of rejection back to Warren.<ref name="proposals"/><ref name="bfi"/><ref name="wylie"/><ref name="dramatisation"/> Two years later, Warren tried to convince BBC producer Olive Shapley of the concept's viability, but she found it lacked entertainment value.<ref name="proposals"/>

In 1958, Warren began working at ITV franchise Granada Television as a scriptwriter for shows like ''Shadow Squad'' and ''Biggles''.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/coronationstreet0000litt/page/6/mode/2up ''The "Coronation Street" Story: Celebrating Thirty Five Years of the Street'' summarising Warren's early career at Granada.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="bfi"/> But after becoming disillusioned with the latter, he was finally allowed by producer Harry Elton to develop his soap opera proposal.<ref name="proposals"/><ref name="dramatisation"/> In just 24 hours, a script for ''Florizel Street'' was established, which Elton liked but Granada boss Sidney Bernstein initially shot down.<ref name="mail">[https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Here%27s+Florizel+Street...-a061515832 16th April 2000 issue of the ''Sunday Mail'' on the creation of ''Florizel Street'', later ''Coronation Street''.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="proposals"/><ref name="dramatisation"/> Eventually, after [[Florizel Street (lost dry runs of Coronation Street; 1960)|two dry runs were produced]], the project was greenlit under the new title ''Coronation Street''.<ref>[https://archive.org/details/coronationstreet0000litt/page/10/mode/2up? ''The "Coronation Street" Story: Celebrating Thirty Five Years of the Street'' detailing the production and casting for ''Coronation Street'''s dry runs.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="mail"/> With ''Coronation Street'' having first aired on 9th December 1960, Warren is credited as the author of its first twelve episodes, with it quickly becoming the most popular television show in Britain.<ref name="mail"/><ref name="bfi"/><ref name="dramatisation"/> To this day, new episodes of ''Coronation Street'' are being produced, immortalising Warren's legacy as its creator.<ref name="bfi"/><ref name="obituary"/><ref name="mail"/>

==Seven, Bessie Street==
When ''The "Coronation Street" Story: Celebrating Thirty Five Years of the Street'' was published in 1995, its timeline of Warren's scripts appeared to be accurate.<ref name="proposals"/><ref name="bbcfound"/> Indeed, the only proposals Warren discussed in interviews were ''Where No Birds Sing'', ''Our Street'' and ''Florizel Street''.<ref name="wylie"/> However, a startling revelation emerged following Warren's passing on 1st March 2016.<ref name="obituary"/> After his death, Warren's estate was transferred over to long-term close friend David Tucker. Tucker obtained all of Warren's unpublished creative works, many of which no longer exist as he complied with the writer's posthumous request to have them be destroyed. However, upon reading one such work, Tucker realised it contained historical value concerning the timeline of events that led to ''Coronation Street'''s creation.<ref name="digitalscript">[https://www.digitalspy.com/soaps/coronation-street/a841166/coronation-street-corrie-creator-tony-warren-different-soap-idea/ ''Digital Spy'' reporting on the discovery of ''Seven, Bessie Street'' and how it will likely remain inaccessible to the public.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="bbcfound"/>

Called ''Seven, Bessie Street'', this script is now believed to be Warren's inaugural attempt to create a British soap opera. It shared some similarities with ''Coronation Street'', with episodes planned to last 30 minutes and be set within a back street. However, Tucker's assessment indicated substantial differences; particularly, the show would exclusively focus on one family.<ref name="bbcfound"/><ref name="digitalscript"/> As per the memo Warren established, ''Coronation Street'' centres around the lives of multiple working-class families, whose stories are interconnected.<ref name="proposals"/> However, not only are zero characters from the actual show documented in ''Seven, Bessie Street'', but the family members discussed are all somewhat connected to the world of theatre. Tucker and the BBC both suspect that Warren subsequently based the characters on his own family.<ref name="bbcfound"/><ref name="bfi"/><ref name="obituary"/><ref name="digitalscript"/> 

Ultimately, Warren abandoned his early concepts in favour of ''Where No Birds Sing'' and never discussed ''Seven, Bessie Street'' during his lifetime. Tucker believes the lack of scenarios and how the characters would probably not connect with the general audience, were the main reasons behind Warren's change of course.<ref name="bbcfound"/><ref name="digitalscript"/> Nevertheless, Warren later named Weatherfield's primary school as Bessie Street School, the only known reference to his original script.<ref name="bbcfound"/> 

==Availability==
Because of Tucker's decision, ''Seven, Bessie Street'' was preserved against Warren's wish. It was later showcased at the Salford Museum & Art Gallery as part of its ''Four Miles from Manchester: Tony Warren’s Coronation Street'' exhibition from 21st October 2017 to 3rd July 2018.<ref>[https://ilovemanchester.com/new-exhibition-celebrates-life-mr-coronation-street ''I Love Manchester'' reporting on the ''Four Miles from Manchester: Tony Warren’s Coronation Street'' exhibition.] Retrieved 14th Jan '24</ref><ref name="bbcfound"/><ref name="digitalscript"/> However, recognising that his friend never wanted the work publicly unveiled, Tucker partially honoured Warren's request. The Museum was only allowed to publicly display the cover page; the rest of the script will remain locked away from the public.<ref name="digitalscript"/> Since then, Tucker has stuck to that decision resolutely, having only summarised a few key details about the script in October 2017.<ref name="bbcfound"/>

==See Also==
*[[Beacon Hill (lost television soap opera; 1975)]]
*[[Coronation Street "Episode 1202" (lost episode of ITV soap opera; 1972)]]
*[[The Corsairs (lost pilot for ABC soap opera; 2002)]]
*[[Dark Shadows "1219" (partially found episode of gothic soap opera TV series; 1971)]]
*[[EastEnders (lost broadcast tapes of BBC soap opera; 1986; 1989)]]
*[[EastEnders (lost footage of Frances Cuka's scenes and Barbara Windsor's auditions as Peggy Mitchell; 1991-1994)]]
*[[EastEnders (lost footage of Jean Fennell as Angie Watts; 1984)]]
*[[El Oasis (partially found Latin American telenovela; 1994-1997)]]
*[[Emmerdale Farm (lost episodes of ITV soap opera; existence unconfirmed; 1981)]]
*[[Executive Suite (partially found television soap opera; 1976-1977)]]
*[[Faraway Hill (lost early soap opera; 1946)]]
*[[Florizel Street (lost dry runs of Coronation Street; 1960)]]
*[[Hiwaga sa Bahay na Bato (lost Filipino TV soap opera; 1962-1963)]]
*[[Models Inc. (found primetime soap opera; 1994-1995)]]
*[[Neighbours "Episode 3896" (partially found episode of Australian soap opera; 2001)]]
*[[O Direito de Nascer (lost adaptation of a radio play to TV; 1964)]]
*[[Pardon the Expression (lost pilots of Coronation Street sitcom spin-off; 1965)]]
*[[Springhill (partially lost second series of British soap opera; 1997)]]
*[[United! (lost British soap opera; 1965-1967)]]

==References== 
{{reflist}} 

[[Category:Lost literature]]
[[Category:Partially found media]]
[[Category:Historic]]