Fighting for the future of
Bring warmth and humour back to the cobbles,
I’M not saying Coronation Street has been a little too obsessed with issues lately.
However, when the announcement was made about Kate Oates I was halfexpecting to hear ITV had set up a helpline for “anyone affected by this news”.
Don’t get me wrong, Corrie has clearly performed a service by highlighting issues such as stillbirth, male rape and teenage grooming over the past year.
I will always defend any soap’s right to tackle difficult topics.
I just think they got carried away with the campaigning.
It was almost as if the producers had a list of issues they thought might push all the right buttons on social media, and were in the process of arbitrarily assigning those issues to individual cast members.
This week, steroid abuse. Next week, OCD. The week after that, gender reassignment in OAPs?
It might bring big headlines and new fans in the short term, but as a longterm policy it is clearly unsustainable.
At times it felt like people behind the scenes were seeing an increase in calls to a charity as more of a marker of success than viewer satisfaction. That’s no way to run a popular TV show.
Viewers will only take being preached at for so long. I’m glad ITV has taken stock before the greatest TV show in history was allowed to become a laughing stock.
I’m delighted the new producer is considering giving more action to older cast members such as Norris, Rita and Audrey – and not-quite-as-old ones such as Liz, Eileen, Sally, Gail and Mary.
Hopefully that will mean the warmth and humour so synonymous with Corrie will return. Some people will argue soaps need shocking plots to attract a younger audience – and prolong their shelf life. I’m not sure I agree. I watched Corrie when I was a kid, a teenager, a cool (in my head) twentysomething and a partygoing thirtysomething.
The characters I’ve enjoyed the most are the older ones from Stan and Hilda, through Alec and Bet, up to Norris and Rita. The storylines I remember best are the broader ones such as the Mike/Deirdre/Ken triangle.
Of course, more shocking scenes such as Ernie Bishop’s shooting, Brian Tilsley’s stabbing, Maxine Peacock’s murder and Hilda Ogden sobbing over her Stan’s personal effects also stick in the mind.
Their rarity added to their immediate – and lasting – impact. The dash of sex and violence is all very well, but I’m sure
Viewers will only take being preached at for so long. I’m glad ITV took stock
millions of fans would prefer comedy, romance and warm storylines.
That wouldn’t have to mean an end to controversial issues. It’s not as if Corrie didn’t tackle those before Kate Oates came along.
One of the most memorable issue-based storylines was Peter Barlow’s alcoholism.
What made it so unforgettable? Corrie’s ability to see humour in the darkest moments, that’s what.
I can still hear Blanche Hunt stunning the rest of the Barlow family at Peter’s AA meeting in 2009 with outbursts like, “Is there some sort of correlation between how boring you are and how much you drink?”
You couldn’t imagine a line like that making the cut in this climate.
Twitter would be up in arms and ITV would be issuing an apology.
That’s one battle Corrie faces. In its quest to portray what real people think, the nation’s favourite soap should not be hamstrung by how a few do-gooders might react.
Look at what po-faced preaching has done to EastEnders. Ironically it appears to be making an effort to cast off that reputation.
The truth is it has been a lot funnier than Corrie this year. If that statement alone doesn’t convince you now was the right time for change in Weatherfield then nothing will.