The programme marked its 35th anniversary in December with its first purposely written hour-long episode, featuring the surprise wedding of Curly Watts and Raquel Wolstenhulme (previous hour-long episodes were made as single episodes which were edited together for scheduling purposes). Curly and Raquel's honeymoon aboard the QE2 was unseen on the main programme but served as the basis of its first straight-to-video spin-off, released under the title Coronation Street - The Feature Length Special. The video also starred Barbara Knox and Thelma Barlow, with Rita Sullivan and Mavis Wilton ending up on the same cruise at the Watts, and featured an appearance by Roy Barraclough as Alec Gilroy. Meant as an optional bonus for viewers, offering them a chance to see familiar characters in a more ex