The latest news is that a fan of the show has received the most promising response yet from Granada about a possible DVD release of the series.
On the 16th of June this was the email that Dan received:
Hi Daniel,
Your message has been passed to me
Granada Video is looking at releasing this title through Network Video.
Discussions need to take place with Willy Russell before any action is taken – it is currently with our rights dept as they are seeking clearance.
Please feel free to contact me in 2 months as I should have a clearer indication of developments
This follows several previous emails that mentioned that negotiations were occurring, but did not give any specifics. While it is early days yet, it is very encouraging to see that Granada are seriously pursuing this.