It was fucking dreadful. I don't even watch Coronation Street routinely, but I find myself tuning in because of the ongoing DISMAY over at Digital Spy about how bad the show is.
The show is absolutely crippled by block filming. They've got a serial killer showdown in the middle of the street, but only about 15 characters were there - no one looking out of windows or standing on doorsteps - which is bizarre. It was the middle of the day (or so it seemed - a lot happened, including Stephen getting to Liverpool and back), but the sets were empty.
And ultimately, Stephen killed three guest characters, so what was the point? One of them (Rufus) was so minor that one person flickered any recognition when it was revealed. Tonally it was all over the place and delivered with all the farce of a pantomime.