Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Coronasian Street
Soap’s producer admits show is too white and vows to increase diversity
CORONATION Street’s boss has promised to bring more racial diversity to the soap’s cast.
Kate Oates has admitted that the show is dominated by white actors and also wants more writers from wider ethnic backgrounds.
She said: “In terms of reflecting diversity and showing black and Asian characters, yes, we absolutely need to do more of it. And we need more black and Asian writers, to bring out the truth of those voices. It’s important to keep the show strong and relevant.”
A source at the soap said of its 70 or so regular characters, just a dozen are black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) – around 17% of the cast.
Corrie currently has a Muslim family, the Nazirs, with Sair Khan playing Alya Nazir, as well as several black actors.
Perhaps its most well-known BAME star is Jimmi Harkishin, who is of Indian descent and has played Dev Alahan since 1999. Oates, who took over as the show’s producer from Stuart Blackburn last year, has been hailed by fans for bringing back popular characters, including Peter Barlow (Chris Gascoyne) and Toyah Battersby (Georgia Taylor).
She has also been praised for empowering female characters, with Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon) taking action after being groomed for a sex ring by her partner Nathan Curtis (Chris Harper), and Eva Price (Catherine Tyldesley) plotting revenge on her cheating fiance Aidan Connor (Shayne Ward). Oates said: “The presence of strong women was the backbone of the show as Tony Warren created it.
“The tone and content of the stories have moved on, and so have the female characters, but that strength has still to be there for it to be truly Coronation Street.”
Oates also revealed that Alison King will return as Carla Connor at Christmas. She said: “It’s time to break new ground with Carla.”