GRITT Y CORRIE SL APS ON THE GORE PAINT
Faye is way back to her best Horror make-up training
CORRIE is now so violent its make-up artists have been given extra training in blood and gore.
Staff more used to doing stars’ hair and putting on a spot of lippy are now having classes in creating horror movie-style injuries.
The techniques in creating bullet and knife wounds are designed to help make the show’s new grisly storylines as realistic as possible.
A source on the show said: “Years ago a big job would have been doing Bet Lynch’s hair and slap so she looked good behind the bar of the Rovers.
“They made sure that everyone’s hair and make-up looked good on set and they’d perhaps have to do the odd bump and bruise and provide a bit of blood for a punch-up in the Rovers.
“Now Weatherfield is like the Bronx with murder and mayhem at every turn and the make-up room is more like a special effects department.
“The staff joke that they use more fake blood than Casualty.
“They’ve had some people in who are experts in this kind of make-up and effects to show them how to recreate wounds as realistically as possible.”
Violent scenes have included serial killer Pat Phelan’s murder rampage, chef Robert Preston beating up drug dealer Rich Collis, and Gary Windass being left bloodied and bruised by club bouncers after trying to persuade Bethany Platt to stop lap dancing.
Some viewers have vowed to boycott the show over its dark storylines and violence. Veteran broadcaster and Corrie fan Sir Michael Parkinson has said that the once “gentle and funny” soap was now more like a “horror film than a family show”.
Ofcom is assessing whether ITV breached guidelines by screening violent scenes ahead of the 9pm watershed after getting 622 complaints over the Phelan storyline.
Producer Kate Oakes has admitted recent gritty plots had divided viewers.
She has pledged to kill off Phelan, played by Connor McIntyre, and said the soap will continue to focus on its traditional strengths – “emotional family domestic drama” and comedy.