CORRIE BLOODBATH
Murder toll rises to 21 after latest killings
CORONATION Street has become Britain’s deadliest road after 21 murders.
Crime-loving show chiefs have bumped off seven residents in the last four years.
And this week the soap was slammed by chat show legend Sir Michael Parkinson for being too violent.
Producer Kate Oates hit back, insisting there were still “characters giving you that traditional warmth”.
But fans are still reeling from the show’s most recent deaths. Pat Phelan, played by Connor McIntyre, forced Andy Carver (Oliver Farnworth) to kill Vinny Ashford (Ian Kelsey) and then murdered Andy himself.
The dark storyline has attracted hundreds of complaints to regulator Ofcom as well as provoking criticism from famous Corrie fans like Sir Michael and Fern Britton.
It brought the Street’s overall murder toll to 21. There have also been at least 17 violent deaths, including the 2010 tram disaster that claimed the lives of Ashley Peacock (Steven Arnold), Molly Dobbs (Vicky Binns) and a taxi driver. But Kate insisted Corrie still serves up plenty of “warmth” and “humour”. And she added: “When you look at Corrie history there have always been dark stories. There have been murders even dating back to the 70s.”
Despite the recent bloodshed Corrie still lies a long way behind ITV’s Midsomer Murders in the death stakes.
Up to series 14 the town of Midsomer had experienced 246 murders, 12 accidental deaths, 11 suicides and eight deaths from natural causes.