THE Corrie tour has upped its offer, bringing to visitors the chance to see in detail, and in some cases in situ, highly realistic sets for the Kabin, Websters’ Auto Centre and the woefully-named relative newcomer, Prima Doner.   

The tour is already established with fans, some returning five or six times, but many making just the one crusade.

Coronation Street: The Tour, has been running for nearly a year. It’s a major part of Manchester’s tourist offer, with a visitor figure close to 420,000 

Coronation Street: The Tour provides guests with a fifty minute guided tour taking them behind the scenes of the television studio where Coronation Street was filmed for over fifty years. Guests get to see the rather dated green room where the cast would grab a coffee along with their scripts, pass along a corridor of identifiable dressing rooms and view a wardrobe collection of iconic outfits. There’s a selection of interior sets on display including Carla’s flat, the Platt and Duckworth homes and Underworld and a chance to have a photo taken behind the bar of the Rovers Return. 

To this collection has been added The Kabin. Rita’s Kabin. I believe it now belongs to Norris, but in my mind it’s Rita’s. 

A typical corner shop newsagent, the Kabin is highly realistic, somewhat larger than I expected, but with plenty of space for Norris to dust his magazines and rearrange a true to life selection of cards and bon bons. The Kabin is a gift to loyal fans. It’s employed a range of well-known characters who moved on, including Mavis retiring to The Lake District, and Tina who left for the cemetery. See if you can spot the fake magazine, a Weatherfield ‘Hello’, aptly named ‘Hiya’ and your favourite jar of sweets.  Just to jog the visitor memory, a screen nearby runs famous Kabin scenes. As the Kabin is the source of non-printed news, conjecture and gossip, and a well-known crime scene, there’s plenty to choose from. 

Coronation Street: The Tour, has been running for nearly a year. It’s a major part of Manchester’s tourist offer, with a visitor figure close to 420,000 and positive feedback giving a high-ranking Trip Advisor listing. Local residents can testify to the popularity and local, real, private hire firm Streetcars, which shares a name with the fictional firm run by Steve and Lloyd, must be doing a roaring trade. 

The highlight for most is the ‘grand reveal’ of Coronation Street itself. Visitors get to walk the cobbles, take photos and reminisce about their favourite scenes. 

The refresh has opened the doors to a delightfully scruffy and authentic Websters’ Auto Centre. Everything you would expect is there, including the litter. It’s the sort of garage you’d probably avoid unless recommended, or desperate. 

You also get to visit Prima Doner, one of the more recent additions to the street’s small business range. 

The Tour remains open for the rest of 2015 and the refreshing is a clever way of attracting some return custom while remaining true to the brand. As for it continuing past 2015? It’s not expected. There is a limit on the number of return visits and its international appeal is a niche market. The power to decide is likely still to be with ITV. It’s an important part of their brand, and they will retain control over its future. Many Manchester people, including many who’ve never visited, would love the ‘Street’ to remain as a permanent attraction, and there’s an online petition to save part of the set. 

Whatever the future holds Coronation Street: The Tour is a major draw in Manchester’s current tourist offer and the current refresh will encourage some return visits. 

There’s still room for further refreshes. We still aren’t able to see inside Dev’s corner shop or Roy’s café. Is that on the horizon? I’d love to buy a pack of biscuits in Dev’s and pop into Roy’s Rolls for a late full English breakfast. 

Come on Corrie. Can you pack in a bit more ‘reality’ before you leave?  Let’s just avoid the tram-crash.

The original Coronation Street: The Tour story is here.