Remember the past but forget some of it

A blog post over here asks the readers how they think the new producer of Coronation Street is doing so far. Each new producer brings their own flavour to Coronation Street. Most producers seem to do some really good things and a few plonkers in their term in charge. I have no doubt current boss Phil Collinson will do the same. He's starting off well but really, he's mainly continuing on storylines that were started before he was on board even though his name is now on the screen as producer. The rest of the year will start to see his ideas and creations and that will start telling the tale. One thing he has to do, though, is make sure the rich history is not forgotten. I realize he wants to look forward but you can't just ignore the past, either.

Coronation Street has always been good with references to the past. An old character such as Annie Walker or Hilda Ogden gets a mention now and then. Just the other day, Kevin Webster came out with something that Hilda was famous for but i don't know how many people caught it. He said "The world's your lobster"! I enjoy historical references. That's how people talk, they talk about their pasts and people they knew and things that happened.

I'll be very disappointed if, after the upcoming tram crash, there is no mention of the one in the 1960s. Ken and Emily would certainly remember it. Peter would have only been small but he may remember, too, and any of the other older characters, though not living on Coronation Street should certainly remember reading about a disaster of that proportion in the newspaper (Jack Duckworth, Rita Sullivan, Audrey Roberts, Gail Platt, Deirdre Barlow to name a few long time Weatherfield residents).

One storyline i thought was forgotten was the one where Violet Wilson had Sean's son but they have revived that recently and it was nice to see Sean showing pictures of him with Dylan on a weekend trip to London. Hayley and Roy recently went to Romania to the wedding of former friend and employee Frankie Baldwin (though they missed the wedding). Graeme Proctor pretending to channel the ghost of Fred Elliot was brilliant!

Sometimes, however, there are storylines that are just better off forgotten. Every now and then I hear someone say that it's odd that Michelle's biological son, Alex, is never, ever mentioned. But when that storyline was on, there was nothing but complaints about how badly devised it was, how full of plot holes and people were glad to see the back of it, me included. As much as it's not logical for her never to send a text or mention Alex's birthday in conjunction with Ryan's or for Ryan never to mention he'd seen his biological dad, Nick, it's probably a storyline best forgotten.

Another storyline best forgotten was Hayley's son, Christian. while i thought the storyline, though copied from a Hollywood movie, could have been good and was, in fact, fairly well done at the time, it rewrote history. Hayley told Roy *everything* about her past. It made no sense that she wouldn't have told him that as well at some point. I don't care how they wrote it that the longer she didn't tell him that she'd had sex with her (Harold's) best friend, the harder it would be. It wasn't that big a deal, and even Hayley herself didn't know about the child. But the actress took a year off right at the end of that storyline so it, too, was dropped quickly and permanently. If she hadn't left for awhile, it might have gone on a bit more, with perhaps, an eventual reconciliation even if Christian wasn't to be a regular character. Then Christian would have been a guest at Hayley and Roy's upcoming wedding! Rewriting history annoys me and the end result isn't usually all that successful.

There's going to be another long lost son storyline coming up soon, too. This one involves Ken Barlow and while it does rely on a "Standard Soap Opera Plot", this time around, it kind of makes sense. Consider that Ken Barlow has been putting it around for all of his adult life. There's bound to be an illegitimate child or two, isn't there? Still, did we not see Ken lose his virginity to a librarian? Susan Cunningham, the mother of the new son was his university girlfriend, not a librarian, whose name was Marion Lund according to Corrie.net. Only very, very long time fans may remember that. I only know because i've read it in one of the Daran Little books. So they're rewriting history again. *sigh* But still, it does make sense and seeing William Roach play father and grandfather to his two real life sons might be a bit of a gimmick but i think it is brilliant casting as they do both look like he did in the early 60s. They may not stay as regular characters, most of Ken's children don't after all (Daniel Osborne, anyone? he's as absent as Ferris Bueller!) but chances are good we may get the occasional reference to them. One can only hope.

The worst storyline ever, though (in my not-so-humble opinion), is the infamous "Molvin" affair. Kevin Webster seemed to have a mid-life crisis and flirted with and crushed on cute young Molly, the new wife of Kev's business partner, affable puppy, Tyrone. That part i could understand. Crushes happen and Kevin's wife Sally would test the patience of a saint and it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for her husband to have flights of fancy. That's where it should have stayed. Molly, barely out of her wedding dress, seemed flattered and seemed to decide to milk it for all it was worth, for the excitement. But it was so out of character for Kevin to persue a woman almost young enough to be his daughter, especially after his daughter was so recently involved with a man not that much younger than Kevin himself. Kevin even went to jail for assaulting said man yet here he is lusting after 20-something Molly? I didn't buy it. The pair of them all loved up and lying to their respective spouses was stomach turning.

Then the classic soap opera plot emerged, Molly's pregnant and doesn't know who the father is. Yes, it has far reaching consequences and will take that storyline into the future but why??? Could we not rely on an old cliche like that? Next thing you know, someone will dredge up that other hoary old soap plot device, amnesia (well they did, when Rita had a breakdown during the Alan Bradley thing but it wasn't true amnesia, not really.) How is that story going to end? Will that story ever end? It will to some degree because the actress playing Molly is leaving the show. That leaves Tyrone with a baby that may or may not be his. Soap opera rules dictate that the affair has to come out sometime. What happens when it does is anyone's guess but I can't see how Tyrone and Kevin can continue to work together after that. Maybe both Molly and Tyrone will die in the tram crash. We'll know in a few months.

This is one storyline that i don't think is ever going to end or when it does, isn't going to be dropped and forgotten like the baby switch one. Unfortunately.

Out of sight often means out of mind on a soap but at least Corrie does manage the occasional reference and that's good. But a few suggestions...

We understand that actors aren't usually available to revive characters to attend weddings and funerals that the character would probably normally attend but a card or reference would be nice.

Let's keep the rewriting of history to a minimum, please and at least keep the storylines logical for the characters.

Keep the little everyday scenes about nothing in particular. Life's like that, innit? Keep the throwaway lines and that humour that Corrie is famous for. Keep the great drama as well, because Corrie is good at that too.

Use the older, more experienced actors, don't just focus on the young and beautiful ones. Corrie's been getting better at this as well, after a period of leaving them on the back burner.

Keep bringing us those weird, wonderful and off the wall characters like Graeme Proctor, Mary Turner, and Charlotte. A little mania is good for the soul! Keep other off beat characters and eccentrics such as Roy and Julie and Teresa and Kirk around awhile and use them or you'll lose them!

Keep giving us characters we love to hate, characters that make us wonder what they're going to do next.

Give us pathos, and then a good dose of daft 'ap'orths.

There's a reason Coronation Street has lasted for 50 years. Don't mess with the formula too much or it won't last a whole lot longer! And that would be a real shame!

Speculation runs rampant

Most of us do realize that the tabloid papers such as the Mirror and the News of the World love to sensationalize things. When it comes to soap spoilers, we also know, down deep, that they make a lot of it up or it's all a lot of pure speculation though they print it as the truth. Sometimes, just sometimes, there are cast or crew members that might feed tips to the tabs for cash so people think, well you know it *could* be true, what they say! It's usually not.




Coming up to Corrie's 50th anniversary, there's been loads and loads of press coverage. You mention a tram crash and people dying and the horses are out of the gate. Actors that we know are leaving are already being mangled under the wreckage in the newspapers' scenarios and others are being lined up for the crush, too. The tram is going to come tumbling off the viaduct where a new bar will have just opened. (I think Nick Tilsley, the new owner, probably has a little black cloud of bad luck over his head like those comic characters always did!)

A new producer generally does have a look at the current cast and inevitably, there are some let go and replaced with fresh new characters. Some actors see the writing on the wall and get out before they can be thrown out but are said to be leaving by their own decision. This is sometimes actually the case when a character really hasn't been involved in storylines for a long time, and the actor gets bored and fed up, like Tupele Dorgu as Kelly whos talent was shamelessly underused. Most of the ones that leave of their own accord think they can make it big doing other things when in reality, most of them don't. Of course, some do go on to a lot of success but it's also true that if you've been playing the same part for a decade or more, people have a hard time seeing you as anything else.

I think Johnny Briggs found that out. I'm afraid Vicky Entwhistle may too. I like her, and i think she's a good actress that could really sink her teeth into a part and i hope she gets the chance to prove she's more than just gobby Janice Battersby.

Anyway. I've been reading story after story about who will die in the crash. Having a big disaster like this still needs to have far reaching implications and push the storylines. It has to end some and start new ones with the fallout and that's exactly what Collinson will do with this. Thus, just wiping out characters because the actors are leaving isn't good enough.

Actors that are leaving are obviously the odds on but it doesn't always go that way. Jack Duckworth is apparently going to be diagnosed with terminal cancer so currently presumed to be one of the victims. But would Jack really be comfortable drinking in a posh hip new wine bar? Claire and Ashley are heading out of Weatherfield but though i've seen reference to them dying, i have also read that they will leave after a scandal implicating Claire of harming one of the Alahan children. It's untrue, but they'll use that as the excuse to leave.

Molly's going, too, and she's due to give birth in September. We don't know if the baby is going to be Kevin's or Tyrone's. More speculation that she'll be a victim and i think that one is likely. She works in the corner shop and the shop is next to the viaduct and likely to come in for some damage. That leaves Tyrone alone with the baby and there's a lot of storyline potential there for the truth to come out, which it has to eventually because it always does. Will the baby be Kevin's? If so, what happens? Will Sally agree to raise a child that her husband fathered in an affair? If Kevin gets the baby, i really can't see Tyrone staying around. My original thought was the affair coming out and Tyrone making Molly leave and keeping the baby himself. But even that scenario would seem to end with Tyrone taking the baby and leaving the Street too. I just can't see how Tyrone, Kevin and Sally can occupy the same place after the truth comes out.

But it's all speculation, eh?

Who do you love?

Standard issue question, I know, "which characters do you love" but my take on it, out of current summer 2010 cast members is this:

Characters I love to hate: These are the ones that are not likeable characters but are not supposed to be and are still enjoyable to watch. The actors are great, and you just can't wait for their comeuppance!
For me, these include Nick, David, Stape, Eddie (started off just awful but he's grown on me and now I think he's just a brilliant character). Some would say Sally and Gail but though they tend to be stubborn, bitchy, moaning nellies, I don't class them in this category, personally. They go in the Characters I Love category.

Characters I just don't like at all: There are various reasons why I don't like these ones. Some of them aren't necessarily characters we're supposed to dislike, but they rub me the wrong way anyway. These include Norris, Ken, Molly (they're ruined her), Tina (ruined her, too!), Michelle, Ryan and Rosie. I am very, very glad to see the back of Joe! I would include Tracy Barlow as well since she'll be back on our screens and was recently with us as well.

Then there's the characters that I love! I enjoy these characters a lot and enjoy the actors playing them. I love seeing what happens to them, what they'll do or say next, and I look forward to storylines involving them.
These include: Gail, Sally, Audrey, Liz, Steve, Becky, Roy, Hayley, Mary, Julie, Eileen, Leanne, Peter, Kirk, Graeme. I'm putting Simon in here because he's such a cracking little child actor.

There's always characters I like: These are a bit further down the scale. I like them, sometimes a lot.
Give me Deirdre, Emily, Sophie, Anna, Lloyd, Sean, Rita, Sunita, Fiz (though they're ruining her character, she needs to be our Fiz Bomb again and blow up Stape!), Carla. We also need Ted back, so let's hope the actor will become available again, soon!

The rest of the characters are neither hate nor love nor like. I go from ambivalence to "They're ok". A few of the newer ones we don't really know well enough yet but have potential.

A few thoughts:

Natasha is one of these that had potential but I can't decide what I think about her. She was vastly underused for the first year she was on the show and seemed to be a bit of a daft blonde. Do I dislike her character, now, or do I pity her? We know she's clingy and pushing herself on Nick who really isn't into her and she's spiralling into a downward plunge. I expect it's more pity, I suppose.

Dev is another one I have waffled on for ages. Sometimes I really don't like him and other times I think he's fun and goofy and a character that's there specifically to take the mick out of for his old fashioned attitudes and self importance. I am really glad they have Sunita back, though, as she always seemed to be Dev's anchor.

Tyrone has come a long way really. He's still daft and not too bright but he's kind hearted and loyal and way too good for Molly. I really dread the fallout of the Molvin affair. That storyline was one of the most ill-fitting ones ever. Kudos to the actors, though, that did their best with it, but the viewer fallout for me is that I won't be sad to see Molly go and if Tyrone leaves as a result of it all hitting the fan, I probably won't miss him either. There will be nothing left for him really. Shame.

I won't rattle on about Fiz. I've done enough of that! I expect John will wriggle out if the latest mess he's got them all into and I hear rumours that Fiz will fall pregnant, a further cement to the man that has totally put out her sparky personality. The only possible bright spot is that John *has* to pay for his crime of identity theft and hiding a dead body eventually. Doesn't he?



Families:
As much as I'm not a Ken Barlow fan, you really can't do without the Barlow clan on the whole. They are a great family though really missing Blanche, sadly. And I would very much miss the Websters and Platts as well as two other long-time families that really add to the canvas. The McDonalds are also a great clan. I do wish we'd see more of Big Jim. I always loved the chemistry between him and Liz though new man, Owen, just might have that edge of danger that Liz likes and it could be the new roller coaster relationship she's been needing.

State of the Street: July 2010

Carla's back and Nick didn't want her involved. Surely there's some legal issues there and then they were stealing each other's business. Sean was the first one to back Carla but then he's also got another job. You just knew Carla would come out on top! Nick is so sleazy and he's sucking up to the workers and he's sucking up to Leanne and Natasha is trying very hard to get her hooks into him deeper and deeper. She even rumbled Leanne's past to Nick but you know, wouldn't Gail have already gossiped that little fact to Nick years ago? Or Audrey. And how DARE he ask her what it would have been like if they'd stayed together and had a baby when he was the one that insisted she terminate their child!!!

Sean is so anxious to connect with Violet and his little boy, Dylan, and made up a pretend Facebook page (yes i know, it's Facescene and the colour scheme is green instead of blue but you know what it really is!) as Liz McDonald. That should have been the first suspicious clue to Vi! As if Liz would! Sean said he didn't know if any of Violet's mates were on the site but he and Violet go back a long way, surely he'd know if her mates were on Facebook or could at least look them up and then see if Violet was on their contact lists. Of course Sean is going to get caught out, and soon!

Tina and Graeme are all loved up. A lot of people, including me, think that the character of Tina has been ruined. I really don't think this pairing is going to last. Between David's interference and the fact that i'm sure Graeme was a rebound thing for Tina, latching on to him after her dad died. Well, Tina is lodging with Rita and Emily's house seems to have grown another room as well, the same one Ramsay stayed in but those houses on that side of the street only have two bedrooms upstairs and the third that used to be the "box" room, everyone had turned into bathrooms. Number 7 has the loft conversion but let's face it, most of those houses always did have elastic walls, especially the Rovers! After their initial coming together, they've disappeared. Just as well. I really don't like the way Tina seems to go out of her way to rub David's face in it.

Lloyd has got himself involved in a very messy domestic scene. It gives me chills seeing a woman in a situation like that, and accepting it and excusing it. I think it's being portrayed very realistically, actually. This happens. And Craig Charles is a very underrated actor, he's doing a really good job with this. It'll all end badly, but i think it's a good storyline and one that needs telling.

And Lewis is still around... out of the escort business but he just can't seem to help himself flirting and it's with Deirdre this time. Do you not think this has given Deirdre quite a lift as a character? She's flirty and fun and thoroughly enjoying herself. We know she loves Ken but he's never been very exciting and Lewis is there for the asking if you can make the payment. Or he was. Will he be able to break the habit? Audrey's nemesis, Claudia let all the cats out of the bag and very publically! Lewis talks about retiring to Greece...and running a hotel. That's not much of a retirement but it's probably all talk until Audrey starts to think it's a good idea. She'll just sell up and high tail it away to paradise. Suddenly Lewis looks a bit green around the gills.

But now that Gail knows his past, we get to see her disapproving face hovering in the corner all over the place. It's too funny! But i do wonder, why does Lewis need to defraud the bookies? Surely he made a good bit of money being a gigalo? He's *supposedly* got a job in a casino now. What has he spent all that cash on?

Then of course, there's Natasha continuing on her quest to trap Nick into a life of domesticity. She's determined to buy the salon and Maria comes back and slips in with first refusal, right under her nose. Natasha is jealous of Leanne and now finds out her rival in the Salon Wars is a Nick-ex too. I'm actually glad to see Maria. I wonder what they have in store for her?

Stape's lies are now back to haunt him big time. I'm really loving that Chesney found out and really, really loving that he keeps digging the sarcastic knife in. I could rant on and on about how much i hate Stape and all his selfish lies and manipulations but you're all probably pretty bored of that by now. Gotta say though, as much as i hate the character and what he's done to Fiz, the whole storyline with Colin returning and that nutter Charlotte getting *her* claws into Stape further and further is a good laugh. She makes the whole storyline! There's a big hole in this storyline though. How on earth would the husband of the woman that the real Colin was shagging know that John is Colin and how would he know where "Colin" lives to come around shouting the odds and thumping him? Poor Fiz is going to have no nerves left at this rate.

Mary is being a wedding Nazi, she's really being forceful and aggressive and obviously living her fantasies out in Hayley's life. Hayley needs to stand up to her. That might be tricky. But in the meantime, fun to watch Mary steam ahead, get her face in a knot when Hayley stands up to her and see what she does when that eventually happens?

Sunita is not juggling job and children and house well. What did she do when she had a house three times the size? And why would she want to do it all? She didn't worry about having a job when she was single. It makes no sense. Typical misongynistic Dev, wants the little woman at home raising the kiddies. Is it too much for her to ask for a little help from him now they're supposed to be raising the children together?

Sian and Sophie are an item but Sophie is jealous of Sian's friendship with her former boyfriend, Ryan. It seems pretty clear to me that, for Sian, this really is just an experiment, confusion for her, but it isn't for Sophie. It'll all end in tears! Nice to see Sally back though. Molly is pushing Tyrone to sell Kevin his share and move away before that baby shows it's little face. She's obviously afraid it's going to be Kevin's. I'd love for it to be Tyrone's. So it looks like Eileen might buy their house. We'll see.

Such was the State of the Street in July!

Character Study: Sally Seddon Webster

In honour of Sally's birthday this week, I'm reproducing an updated character study i wrote about Sally and what makes her tick. Sally's always been a favourite character of mine even when Sally Webster has been at her most obnoxious.

Let's examine the evolution of the Coronation Street character, Sally Webster who arrived on our screens in January 1986. She was a young firecracker, gobby and brash, some might say "common". She came from a struggling family with a violent father and her family were no better than they should be, according to Hilda Ogden. She debuted with a splash, literally! She was on the street waiting for a bus when Kevin John Webster drove by and through a puddle and splashed muddy water all over her. She was furious as she was on her way to a job interview. Thus began Love's Young Dream of the 1980s.

Sally was full of spirit, tended to the bossy side and always wanted Kevin to better himself which would elevate her own status as well. Several times, she tried to get him to buy the garage, urging her lackluster husband to become his own boss. Kevin was never that keen on running the place which frustrated Sally to no end. Even then, she had aspirations above her station. Motherhood in the 1990s made the character of Sally a bit boring, immersed in motherhood and sweetness, but when Kevin was seduced by the predatory Natalie Horrocks, her claws came back out with a vengeance. Kevin was out on his ear and Natalie felt the force of Sally's wrath on the side of her face (not to mention the repairs that were necessary when Sally flooded Natalie's bathroom and printed "SLUT" in the mist on the bathroom mirror).

Sally found being a single mum was very difficult. She took Kevin back temporarily, for the sake of the girls and for security which had always been lacking in her own childhood but that didn't last long when she was drawn to the devilish and violent Greg Kelly. That affair blew up her marriage again. It took Sally awhile, and several men, to find her way inevitably back to Kevin. In my opinion, she didn't really love Kevin and I always thought she was settling for security for the children's sake though she did care about Kevin. I think the love has grown back over the years again.

So there she was, back in a marriage that really didn't mean that much to her at the time but which kept her family together. She sees herself stuck in a back street, working in a factory, husband running a small business which could have been so much more, with her own ambitions well and truly thwarted. Her fling with rich Ian Davenport was little more than prostitution to gain financial security for her family and help pay for Rosie's private school fees. Ian uses her as one in a long succession of women. When he's done with her, she's bitter and resentful, she comes crashing back to earth, having risked her family for a callous fling and it stings even more because Kevin knows down deep his wife was unfaithful but was willing to overlook it anyway.




Sally turns her ambitions to her oldest daughter, Rosie. When Rosie expressed a passing interest in being a pop star, Sally pushed her onto the stage where she was miserable. She then pushed Rosie into a posh private school and railed against Rosie dating a neighbourhood lad from a family with a somewhat shady and violent past (too much like her own). The final straw was discovering that Rosie and Craig were having sex even though they were approaching it sensibly. Sally's emotions and nerves crumbled and she took Rosie on a wild drive across the M62 en route to a boarding school. Kevin caught up and cradled his broken wife, who *still* moaned about *her* broken dreams and life in a back street, wanting more for her children than she had.

In the last few years, Sally has been working in the factory and watching her daughter make bad choice after bad choice and *still* making excuses for her! She was proud when Rosie became part owner of the factory because it meant she was making something of her life, but was crushed to find out Rosie was taken for a mug and lost all her cash. But it's not that Rosie has not given her other worries. Because of Rosie's affair with Stape, Kevin went to jail and I think that Sally became just a little more realistic where her oldest daughter's failings are concerned. Still, she'll defend her chicks to the death, even stooping to childishly paint over Fiz and John's windows when John got out of prison and moved in with Fiz.

Sally has just survived a struggle with breast cancer, cut short on screen by the real-life all too similar crisis for the actress herself! Sally Dyvenor (she's taken her husband's name professionally) is doing well and it seems Sally Webster has made a recovery as well.

She didn't know that Kevin had an affair with his best friend's wife, someone that Sally seems to take great relish in looking down on. Molly seemed to be encroaching on Sally's territory (more than she knows!) with the business and bookkeeping. Molly was pregnant and couldn't know if the baby was Tyrone's or Kevin's. Kevin finally stole the baby's dummy and had an instant DNA test that proved baby Jack was his son but he still didn't want to be with Molly and the baby.

Molly decided to leave Tyrone and on the day she was going, the tram crashed into the corner shop, trapping Molly under the rubble. Sally, who had bonded with Molly because she'd delivered baby Jack in the Dobbs' living room, crawled into the rubble and sat with Molly while the rescue workers tried to get her out. Molly's dying words to Sally revealed the affair and paternity and, believing it, Sally confronted Kevin. He admited it and she threw him out on his ear.

In spite of initial shock and objections, Sally was also able to accept her daugher Sophie's declaration that she is gay. It's still a bit of a struggle but Sally supports Sophie. Will she still do when things finally get physical between Sophie and Sian?

I've heard a lot over the years about how Sally has changed but I don't think she really has. I think her personality has progressed very logically considering where she came from and what's happened to her over her life to this point. I think Sally has always been a great character to watch evolve, even if she hasn't been a likeable person at times. Everything they have created with both Sally and Kevin has really been in line and consistent with their history. That's Coronation Street at it's best.

What's been your favourite Sally moment? Was it when she drove Rosie across the moors? Was it when she walloped Natalie on the cobbles (one of my personal favourite moments)?

State of the Street - June

The Big Bang this month was the seige of the knicker factory and the demise of villain Tony Gordon who escaped prison to take his revenge. Odd, because when he turned himself in he was quite contrite. I guess prison makes you hard! Gives you lots of time to stew and really, a vengeful Tony makes far more sense than a docile one, doesn't it? He was helped by the deceptively docile Robbie who was a bit hapless in the end, trusting Tony who then not only stabbed him in the back, figuratively, but shot him in the chest! Yes, Tony, who always got other people to do his dirty work for him. It's not without precedent, he nearly strangled Jed Stone though that wasn't premeditated. It does prove Tony's capable of snapping and he sure went over the edge this time! Clearly, he'd lost his mind. Grey O'Brien really made me believe in Tony's insanity, though, I have to say. Excellent stuff.

Plot holes? Oh yes. Tony set fire to the factory. All that polyester and silk should have had the whole factory ablaze in minutes but it took a lot longer than you'd think! And the factory exploded. Now I'm no chemical expert, but I didn't think silk was *that* flammable! Tony did have some petrol in cans but it looked as if he'd used it all when he soaked the place. Maybe he had more behind the door that we didn't see. After all, he did ask Robbie to help him unload and if it was just a couple of jerry cans, Tony could have done that easily. Ah, so what? Plot holes? We gotta million of em but it didn't really matter to me. I really enjoyed it. The aftermath, Nick scrambling to keep the business open, and then clearly he was planning to undercut Carla out of the factory. She's going to be pissed! Tender TooTall Trevor looking after Carla? Awww! He's not supposed to be staying on the show and that's too bad. Not only is he really good to her, but he's cute!

The other major storyline was Gail's trial. More plot holes, of course, but it's television and you have to allow for that. There was never any doubt that Gail would get off. I don't care that they filmed two endings to keep the media guessing. A character like Gail, a long term, long suffering but popular character would never be sent down for something she did not do. If we knew that the actress was leaving the show, then perhaps but she'd have to get sent down for something she *did* do. It's soap law. The innocent are not convicted and the guilty always get their just desserts. Which makes it harder to swallow the spoiler that says Tracy Barlow is eventually going to be back on the Street. She killed Charlie in cold blood and got 15 years. Then she lied on the stand to try to get Gail convicted in return for a transfer to a posh open prison. I don't think she was nicked for perjury but she did pay for it. Prisoners' justice. In real life, had she been beaten up by her fellow inmates, you probably wouldn't have recognized her bruised and battered face for all the injuries.

So Gail's out of jail and trying to get her life back on track. Meanwhile David's life is spinning off the rails again. He was a great support to his mother, we all thought maybe he'd changed or grown up a bit. But he's just found out that his best friend and the ex-girlfriend that he never could forget have just got together. This is going to fester and boil inside him. Spoilers have him sexually assaulting her but if they do that, they can never redeem the character and the actor will have no future. You can't have a long time character do that and be forgiven. I hope the spoilers are exaggerated or skewed as is often the case.

The up side of this is that we've seen lots more of Graeme, one of the best characters to come on the scene in years! He's quirky, he's honest, he's had a dodgey past but is making a better life for himself. He's a bit of a backward, awkward geek, with an air of innocence and a tiny frisson of street smarts too. The downside of this is Tina.

Putting that awful spoiler/rumour aside, I think they've ruined the character. She was sparky and bright when she arrived and she was just what David needed at the time. I do think it was right that they broke up the couple because she couldn't live with David's lies and jealousy. I also think she and Jason were a good couple but it was not all that bright of her to hook up with David's ex-brother-in-law knowing what David can be like. She snogged Nick too but she didn't know who he was and now she's in bed with Graeme. All of her relationships seem very rushed and very slapper-ish, don't you think? I have a feeling we won't have Tina around for the long term because there's only so much you can do with her besides throwing her at every available man on the Street. They won't get rid of her until she's had a stint behind the bar of the Rovers, though. All pretty females seem to end up there eventually, even if just for a short spell.

I did like how they put her in the Kabin as a foil for Nozzer and a faux-daughter for Rita. Rita's had history taking troubled young women under her wing. You may recall Sharon and later Leanne as well.

Then there's Mad Mary Taylor who didn't exactly tie up Norris and bundle him off to the moody moors for a cottage holiday but she did her best to keep him there, deep into a stack of magazine competitions until he ran for his little life, dragging his wheelie case behind him. He accused her of kidnapping, fearing for his life at one point but the next thing you know, they're sharing sherbet lemons at the trial and making friendly bets on the outcome. We also saw her helping out in the Kabin (but Rita's back, so why was Mary there glaring daggers at Tina when Rita re-hired her?) It makes no sense at all. Norris is not one to let go of a grudge. Meanwhile, Mary is clearly bonkers, and getting moreso as time goes on. We can see that. I mean, a Princess Leia hairdo at her age? As the month ends, she's latched on to Hayley to live out her wedding fantasies. Hayley is too nice to say no and she's going to regret this, mark my words.

Aww, but it's about time Hayley and Roy tied the knot legally! I'm dead chuffed, I am and I can't wait to see the rest of the wedding planner storyline and ceremony. I may even buy a hat!

I don't know about any of you but the duo adoption storyline is dragging and is starting to be boring. I believe Tracy Barlow has a bit more input into that and perhaps we'll get her back again to stir things up, otherwise this is going to be a dead duck of a story. I'd like to see Becky find a troubled kid, maybe breaking into the pub or cafe or something and having that child, a girl like Becky used to be, find a place in the McDonald family eventually.

A few words about Nick (Slap me) Tilsley. The recast with Ben Price is great! It's great to have a Nick finally portrayed by an actor. Who can act. He's very good at making Nick a smug, arrogant, pr....att. ;) Nick is enjoying winding people up, Peter Barlow over Leanne, and anyone else he can get a rise out of. He's making an attempt at stealing Carla's business but he'll find her a formidable enemy, I think. He gave in to Natasha's relentless pursuit, for lack of anyone else around that he fancied but it's clear he's not that into her. Clear to us, but not to her and she's continuing to push him into more and more of a committment while he continues to treat her with a very offhand manner. It's going to end badly but will he take any responsibility? Will he heck!

In many ways he's exactly like his late father, Brian. Self centered and pig headed (well he gets that bit from his mother, too!) We have needed this sort of character since we lost Mike Baldwin. Nick is neither as ruthless nor quite as charming as Mike, though he'd like to be. Mike's cocky, cheeky attitude and shit-eating grin were born out of the east end of London and he was a tough survivor. Pampered Nick just doesn't quite have the cojones or the desperation born out of a deprived background to carry that off but he'll give it all he's got, anyway. With this actor, I think Nick could be a good long term character that we'll see change and evolve over the years if the actor sticks with it.

I don't understand why they've given Dev and Sunita Number 7. They had a huge lovely house with a garden for the twins though I can see that a flat isn't as convenient. And where will Maria live when she comes back? Oh, I know, from the storyline point of view, she's staying in Ireland but the actress is on maternity leave and as far as I know, she's going to be back. I can't see her and Kirk and the baby sharing the little flat over the salon for an extended period. I also wonder what excuse they'll make up to have her come back and stay. I guess we'll find out.

John Stape's schemes and plans are about to come crashing down around his and Fiz's ears. There just aren't enough words to describe how much I dislike this character! He's manipulative, dishonest, passive aggressive, selfish and probably severely narcissistic. It seems like he believes it's one law for him and one for everyone else. Is he a danger junkie? Maybe. He's stolen the identity of a former coworker and didn't think he would get found out but little by little, it's all going to be chipped away. The first strings are being frayed by the presence of Charlotte Hoyle, a former co-worker who has uncovered his secret and is joyfully holding the lever to the guillotine over Stape's head. What is she going to make him do to keep her sweet? She's another one that's completely bonkers and I'm going to totally enjoy watching him get his comeuppance.

The only downside is Fiz, whom they've ruined by making her spineless and at the mercy of Stape's emotional blackmail over and over. I have to say, kudos to the actor, Graeme Hawley, however, he's very good in the part! Any of the criticisms I usually have about characters I dislike are character-oriented only, for the most part. It's usually due to excellent performances by the actors that make the characters come alive. Good writing, too, even if I don't always like the storylines. They usually are appropriate to the characters.

Molly seems to have gone walkabout. I guess we'll have to wait for Sally's return (in a few weeks' time) for more googly eyed thousand yard stares she shoots to Kevin across the road when she's fluffling the floral displays. More moping and grumbling from Kevin as he frets about the baby that might be his and all his fancy footwork to keep Sally from finding out. By God, I hope she does and throws Kevin out on his ear! First, though, she's going to have to deal with the fact that her younger daughter is gay! Stayed tuned for that later this summer.

Anyway, June was good, July is going to be fun with Hayley's wedding plans having Mary as the Wedding Planner. Liz is going to find a new fella in Izzy's dad and he already seems like he might be just the right sort for her. I like Izzy so far though there's more romantic chemistry with Gary than there is with Kirk. The Platt fallout to Graeme and Tina's romance is going to be bubbling. Nick is bringing the factory back to life and having to deal with Carla. Stay tuned!

Charlotte "Busy on Sunday" ... How close to the edge is she really?

The last new character that came on board the Coronation Street Bonkers train was loopy Mary Taylor who is eccentric and completely off the wall (and getting even more so!). The latest one is Charlotte "Church" Hoyle played by Becky Hindley. She made a brief appearance all decked out in a sari of multiple colours at a going away party, the one where John decided to steal his former co-worker Colin Fishwick's identity papers. She was a bit off the wall then but she's back, bigger, bolder and just as colourful!

She calls herself a Free Spirit as far as her dress sense goes. I guess you could call it that. I bet they have fun dressing her in Wardrobe. You'd just have to hit the cheesiest market stalls or charity shops you could find, pick clothes and random and put them all on her! Some of them actually don't look too bad but she's definitely not a trend follower!

However, the fun in this character is her personality. She's as loopy as a macrame plant hanger!!! Clearly man-mad, she's honed in on John Stape and discovered his secret. And she's using it, boy, is she using it! She's going to be the instrument of his downfall, i'm guessing. She's thrilled with the idea that he's done something so sly and sneaky and now she thinks Colin might be returning from Canada, only because she's been following his Facebook status! Sounds like a stalker in the making, there!

She certainly has latched on to John, much to Fiz's dismay. It was bad enough that he did the whole identity theft thing in the first place but for someone else to know the secret, Fiz is going to lose her mind with worry! The longer it goes on, the more chance someone will find out. In the meantime, i don't think it's out of the question that Charlotte is going to try to blackmail Stape into the sack. She just seems that type. If you can't attract them with your natural beauty and sparkling wit, blackmail will do just as well! She's really enjoying winding up John and i'm really enjoying watching her do it! He deserves a little torture! Every time he tries to justify his actions, trying to manipulate Fiz into "trusting" him, i cringe and holler at the screen. There's something seriously wrong with that man.

Now, something just occurred to me. Spoilers say there is a body that turns up and rumours say it will be Colin Fishwick, the one whose identity Stape has stolen. You can pretty much predict that Stape will be found out and arrested for it. I've just had a Road to Damascus moment and I think the real culprit is going to be loopy Charlotte! I'm not wrong, am I?

Watch this space!

Monday's episodes are why Corrie has lasted 50 years

I just have to jump in here and say how much I enjoyed Monday's double episodes of Corrie. In contrast to last week's gloom, doom, drama and pyrotechnics, Monday's episodes were filled with fun, weirdness and foreboding (but not in an impending pyrotechnics way). Mary's Star Wars get up and musing about not being allowed to watch those kinds of movies, or pretty much any movies from the sound of it, was just as far out there as the far, far away galaxy. Is it me, or is she getting weirder and weirder? It's almost as if by having her mother living in a home instead of under her roof, the relief of not having that obviously domineering life force under her feet has set her free, dizzyingly so. I don't understand how Norris seems to be friends with her again, even having her working in the Kabin after the whole kidnap debacle, but he was also not all that upset that Rita gave Tina her job back, displacing Mary who wasn't happy about it at all.

The factory is back up and running, in the old Joinery bar. It's bizarre, really. All the fixtures and fittings and empty bottles are still there on shelves and on the bar and the (rented?) machines are lined up in the middle with just desk lamps for light. Surely that isn't really good enough for close sewing work? Kirk is happily running around with bolts of fabric (and packing and shipping, assuming there's a rear delivery door as most restaurants do have that.) At least there is a fully equipped kitchen, not just a kettle and a sink and I suppose the girls could always have their tea break at the bar! Didn't Julie mention something about having a smoothie maker?

What did have that sense of foreboding for me was the increasingly clingy Natasha. Now she's lent Nick the deposit for the lease, money she'd been saving for their own place. Um. Really? She's going to be borrowing a page out of Mary's wedding book soon and we'll be seeing a meringue type dress on a hanger behind the door of the salon pretty soon. And Nick, it's so obvious, honey, he's just not that into you! He's going to let her down with a huge thump, she's going to crash and burn. Well, maybe not burn, we've already had our share of that this year. But it isn't going to be pretty.

And Peter's jealousy just got inflamed well and truly. It seems like it came out of nowhere, doesn't it? Or is it just me? After everything that Leanne has gone through with Peter, you'd think he would have more trust in her. Why on earth would he think Leanne still has feelings for Nick after all these years? Mind you, Nick seems to quite enjoy winding up Peter. Nick is a smug git, isn't he? And for those of you that remember, he does seem to be his father's son. Brian was a smug, arrogant git, too.

I can understand Peter's feelings toward having anything resembling George anywhere near him and Simon but I don't think George will be back lurking on street corners trying to get a glimpse of Simon. I think George has an empty premises, an investment that isn't making him any money and this is a good chance to recoup. I'm sure they will rebuild Underworld once the insurance money comes in. A good chance to spruce up the old set.

It did strike me odd that Paul Stokes remarked that Nick had never let him down before but I thought this was a new Underworld contract? Nick came from Nottingham previously. Maybe Stokes is a contact and Nick had worked with him before when he lived there.

It was nice to see Tina and Gail making up and it's nice to see Tina smile, even if it was at Ciaran's daft flirting. Did he really ask her what her sign was? (Speed Dating, starring Graeme and probably Mary. That ought to be hysterical!) And so nice that Roy and Hayley are going to make it legal, finally! Again, Julie manages to put her daft foot into it wondering about Hayley's bits and pieces but she's daft as a brush anyway. Julie. Not so much Hayley. I would be very afraid, though, if I were Hayley, what with Mad Mary looming over her with her wedding planning advice.

Anyway, I quite enjoyed the Monday episodes. This is the kind of thing Corrie does so well. High drama and tragedy is good, but Corrie became famous for it's slices of everyday life like this!

Mad Mary

We all know that Mary is obsessed with Norris. We all know the reality of their little sojourn in the Dales. She very definitely sabotaged the motor home and she very definitely ripped out the phone from the wall so it wouldn't work. She broke his glasses which made him vulnerable and she brought a wedding dress with her. I don't know if she thought he'd run away with her. In her fantasies, she certainly did. She is an expert at twisting words to her own ends.

We didn't see her interviews with the police after Norris had her arrested for kidnapping him. It seems her mother is still alive and therein lies a big clue to Mary's state of mind. It sounds very much like Mary's mother is a very dominating woman and has spent years destroying Mary's self confidence. As much as she often does seem confident, in spite of her mother, it also seems evident that her mother is like a thorn in her side, a rock in her shoe, and she is a damaged woman.

I absolutely love the character, though. She was just odd at first and now we're getting more layers and seeing that she really is a bit bonkers. Patti Clare plays her with just the right touch. She's not putting the "crazy" in, she's playing it straight, a woman with vulnerabilities and years of trying to shed the millstone that is her dependent, dominant mother and whose hobby has turned into an obsession, a way of escaping her dreary life.

It was wonderful when Mary got to go on the road in the motorhome. She probably felt the free-est she's ever felt with no responsibilities and could go where she wanted when she wanted. I wonder if it was her responsibilities to her mother that finally brought her back or was it the call of Cupid? She seemed edgier and more "stalkerish" when she got back. Maybe having all that freedom gave her a sense of determination which, she hoped, would come to fruition on the moors of Yorkshire. Yet we still saw that her mother continued to harangue her by phone while she was away.

Now that she's off the hook, legally, she's coming around again, hanging out trying to insinuate herself into Norris' life, most recently attending Gail's trial with him. Norris is horrified and terrified and is sure that she won't leave him alone. And you know that? I think he's right. I think there's going to be more to this story, don't you?

State of the Street: May 2010

The main storylines in May were Gail's legal troubles, the death of Blanche Hunt which was very sad because actress Maggie Jones died back in December. This kicked off the return of Tracy Barlow who is determined to get out of jail, or at least to an open prison. She's also determined to cause trouble for Steve and Becky's adoption process by keeping her hand firmly on her daughter as a weapon.

Well, actually, even though we know Tracy is using Amy, I can't help sympathising with Tracy who sees her daughter being brought up by another woman. Of course she doesn't want her daughter to forget her and changing Amy's name to McDonald is another step in that direction. But of course, Amy should be the priority and if it makes her feel more like part of the family, then Tracy should allow it all. Nobody would try to make Amy forget her mother but Tracy doesn't see it that way. After all, if Steve and Tracy had married, her name would have been McDonald anyway!

Tracy manages to get her backside in Gail's cell, quite the trick considering Tracy's convicted and Gail's only being held on remand. Suspending disbelief here. Tracy always was a good liar. You'd think they would have checked her background, wouldn't you, before they decided to trust her to get Gail to "confess". She got lucky with the rolling pin being where she guessed it might be and that's all they needed. Gail has a huge amount of circumstantial evidence mounting up. If they bring in witnesses to her history with Joe, all his financial and drug troubles aren't going to make her look like a saint. It's going to make her look like a saint that reached the end of her rope!. So Tracy's lies could very well get Gail a cell on the convict side of the prison. Her lies are also causing friction between the Barlows and the Platts. David nearly heaved Ken's window out and Nick and Peter have been nose to nose as well.

I know they're planning on having Tracy out of jail by the end of the year but I can't see how that's going to work. I think it would have been better off seeing her in prison causing trouble and that be the end of it. I guess it will depend on audience reaction and if they can plausibly do it. I know it's a soap and you sometimes have to suspend your disbelief. I think that's what's going to have to happen this time.

So May also seems to have brought the disappearance of Stape who's pretending to be Colin. Fiz hasn't been wringing her hands and we've been spared her sighing at him every time he goes off to his ill-gotten job. You just know it's going to blow up in his face at some point. I hate how everyone keeps saying Stape is a good man really, just makes bad decisions. The man is a prize plonker! He lies, he's passive aggressive and manipulating, he's weak, he's selfish and he's utterly destroyed the sparky Fiz we know and love.

Gail in Jail has been interesting. She got sucked in by Tracy Barlow who is using her in her devious plans and it looks like she could be hung out to dry at the trial that starts in June. I don't know about you, but as we've not been told that Helen Worth is leaving Corrie, and add to that the fact that Gail really is innocent, it's probably a no brainer. Gail should be found not guilty, in my opinion as a lifetime soap watcher. The guilty get convicted, the innocent go free. That's the rule. I just hope Tracy gets what's coming to her for lying in court!

Underworld seems to be going ... er... under. And i'm not so sure it's not down to that smarmy prat Nick Tilsley. My God he's annoying. The factory roof is giving way with gushers of water streaming through. Never mind it's hardly rained in weeks. Nick's mind is on his mother's trial and he's off running around bribing witnesses with Underworld money and missing meetings. He keeps banging on about Trevor the binman messing up a deal but it's his own damn fault for missing the meeting isn't it? And he didn't keep his eye on the job and for the want of a little bow, the order was lost. I got news for him. It's only going to get worse!

Lloyd is running after a pole dancer and worried about what shirt he's wearing. She seems like a nice girl which probably means she's got secrets beyond having a little boy she didn't tell Lloyd about. Tony's back, and he's sent his newly released cellmate to go sniffing around Coronation Street. Informer perhaps? We'll know very soon.