Corrie boss: I’m making Gem queen of Street
KEBAB SHOP TO ALL-TIME GREAT ...but can she beat these legends of the cobbles?
CORRIE favourite Gemma Winter has been hailed the new Queen of the Street.
The soap’s top boss Iain MacLeod is a massive fan of actress DollyRose Campbell, who plays the bubbly kebab shop worker.
Dolly-Rose, 31, burst on to our screens at the end of 2014 as Kylie Platt’s dodgy mate Gemma.
But her character proved so popular with the soap’s fans she was offered a long-term contract at the beginning of
2016.
And Iain will put her at the heart of the show next year when her brother turns up on the cobbles.
A Corrie source said: “Gemma is TV gold. The fans love her, the cast and crew love her, but more importantly Iain loves her.”
It’s now thought she could even rival some of the classic Corrie characters of the past.
And she could end up on a par with Elsie Tanner, who appeared in the very first episode in December 1960.
Although she was feisty and bolshy this Corrie icon had a good heart as well as a passion for the fellas!
Also ranked among the Corrie legends are dizzy barmaid Raquel Watts, who provided a lot of the comedy during the
1990s.
Who can ever forget her French lessons with Ken Barlow? But there was also a vulnerability to her that the viewers loved.
Then there was Vera Duckworth, who was brash and unashamedly common. Not only was Vera one of the funniest ever Corrie characters, her marriage to Jack proved the greatest soap pairing of all time.
And Deirdre Barlow was at the show’s forefront for more than four decades.
From her rape in the 1970s, her affair with husband Ken’s arch enemy Mike Baldwin in the 1980s and her wrongful imprisonment in the 1990s, has there ever been any bigger female Corrie character than Deirdre?
And finally there’s Bet Lynch, who left a hole behind the Rovers bar that has never been filled.
Bet first appeared back in May 1966, but did not become a regular until fourand-half years later in December 1970.
She then ruled the cobbles for 25 years before leaving as Rovers landlady in
1995 and making brief comebacks in
2002 and 2003.
But Iain is so keen on Gemma he is now planning to expand her character by exploring her murky family background.
Her brother Paul will be played by Manchester-born Peter Ash, 33, who first shot to fame playing teenage footballing superstar Darius Fry in Footballers’ Wives.
And viewers will be surprised to learn he has already appeared in the soap as David Platt’s cellmate back in May.
David, played by Jack P Shepherd, was banged up in the wake of his rape ordeal.
At the time viewers had no idea that Paul was Gemma’s brother.
But they will be left in no doubt he’s a wrong ’un when he’s freed from prison and makes an appearance in Weatherfield next year.
The source added: “Iain wants to take Gemma back to her roots.
“After all, she was a bit of a bad girl when she first came into the show and was caught up in some pretty dark stuff.
“We’ve already had a little taster of what Paul’s about and it was pretty clear that he’d been in prison before when he shared a cell with David.
“So it’s going to be interesting to see what he makes of Gemma’s new life in Weatherfield.
“She’s managed to escape her past and is enjoying a nice life.
“Her brother turning up is going to certainly shake things up for her.
“But there’s also the small matter of David and the Platts. There’s some huge stuff coming up that viewers will not want to miss.”