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Underground > Film, TV & Theatre >

Coronation Street

08:04 / 28.05.08

In all the years Barbelith has been going there's only been one Corrie thread, apparantly, and that surprises me.

I for one (heart) Corrie and rarely miss it. As with any soap opera there are stories that interest less than others (two dull Connors stories running at once) but still has plenty of humour and characters that appeal enough to keep me watching.

For instance the out of the blue revelation that Roger the plumber is a secret history buff tickled me much, and Roy Cropper has had lots os screen time.

I've recently had the opporty to watch 48 episodes from the 1960's and they're some of the best telly I've ever seen. If there were a complete release of, say, a years worth of black and white Corrie I'd snap it up in a heartbeat.

So tell me, what appeals to you about Corrie, and what doesn't?

And what are your earliest memories of the show?

09:17 / 28.05.08

As a child of only 21 I've got a lot of odd Coronation Street memories that may or may not be real. I remember when Curly was in it and he liked Racquel. Didn't they get married?

What I like about Coronation Street is it's warmth and sense of humour. Emmerdale and Eastenders leave me wanting to end it all and their attempts at humour are usually embarassing, or involve token comedic families (and yeah, I suppose Corrie has some token comedy characters too). Corrie I find that the humour comes from a very real place in Coronation and that most of the characters frequently get good material, which is obviously down to good writing. Like all soaps it can get bogged down in supremely boring continuity issues, but in set piece character episodes the writing really shines. Plus, it's got the best actors in all of soap-dom.

It also helps that the characters are actually properly developed characters and not just vessels to move some horrendous issue based drama along. There can be issues-based crap, but you've usually get a few B plots going on to distract.

Best scene ever: Emily, Rita, Blanche, Norris and Roy inadvertently getting high.

Having said all that, I haven't actually seen it in months, so this may have all changed.

Essential Dazzler

12:17 / 28.05.08

My Dad's a gigantic Corrie fan, so I've sort of grown up with it in the background. I didn't start enjoying it until I started Uni.

Now I only catch a few episodes every few months, and that seems the perfect dosage for me, it's enough so I'm familiar with most of the mainstays characters, frequently enough that the characters don't develop too quickly for me to catch on and never too long so I'm irritated by the awful storylines. I'm free to just laugh my ass of every few minutes at the frankly wonderful humour of the show.

I don't know if it's always been this way, but the last few years have been regular comedy gold. They've got great actors playing funny characters, and I've seen them write great dialogue, set-pieces, sight gags, an even whole storylines.

All Acting Regiment

12:40 / 28.05.08

What I like about Coronation Street is its warmth and sense of humour.

It's the only soap opera with what I'd describe as a real sense of humour. In most of them you would not find a Roy Cropper, and in the ones in which you did find a Roy Cropper, he would be someone who served only to be laughed at, and never with.

And, considering that it's episodic, and so can't behave like a self-contained drama, the fact that it's sometimes close to something like Clocking Off is an acheivement.

On the other hand, the older episodes are slightly more problematic for me. They seem much more brutal.

10:07 / 29.05.08

Really? Interesting to see you write that. What vintage are we talking here? The humour element has always been embedded in the series - Riy Cropper is part of line of characters stretching right back to the original casts Leonard Swindley.

13:21 / 03.06.08

Watching recent Corrie, in particular the episode where Jerry had a heart attack following the attack on Roy's Rolls, it struck me that the scripts are supremely well written and the humour they contain even in the face of potentail tragedy is beautifully crafted and realised and perfectly in tune with the characters that are depicted in the soap. The epsiodes around Vera's death and Hayley's discovery of her son and all the problems that stirred up were also beautifully done. And to watch the evolution of the likes of Steve McDonald from the dreadfully callow youth he used to be to street stalwart and genuinely funny character (along with Dev, Lloyd and Eileen) has been a joy.

Although there have been several bruising cushion fights on my settee when Mr Teleute sits dribbling with unconstrained lust for femme fatale Carla with her heaving cleavage and lack of morals. I'm on Maria's side, though sadly I have to admit that Carla will probably eat her alive (and have Liam on toast for breakfast).

19:16 / 03.06.08

What I like about Coronation Street is it's warmth and sense of humour. Emmerdale and Eastenders leave me wanting to end it all and their attempts at humour are usually embarassing, or involve token comedic families

I don't really get this, where Emmerdale's concerned. Eastenders, yes - it's unendingly miserable, as well as repetitive and cheap - but Emmerdale is, if anything, complete slapstick. It's almost the reverse of how you've described it: the token families are the serious ones, the comedy characters in the majority.

18:13 / 25.06.08

Ah, it's that time of year when Corrie writers rummage around in the box files and comu up with a story that touches of Street history. Irma Barlow (Freda Ogden that was) has just been mentioned but much more exciting for people like me is the return of...Sonny Jim himself. It was only a matter of time, really, until they brought him back and I hope that we'll see Maggie Clegg or Esther Hayes back before the fiftieth too.

And Hilda Ogden. Naturally. But that's unlikley.