Graeme and Xin...it's just so wrong!

This has to be one of the lamest storylines ever.

Janice's contrived exit was bad enough. Who would believe that Tall Trev would return and, after a drunken snog with Janice, decide he fancies her rotten and asks her to go off traveling with him? Seriously, he's been with Carla and now he thinks Janice is his dream girl? Really????

But putting Xin and Graeme together in an 'illegal immigrant' scam storyline to facilitate the exit of the marvellous Craig Gazey is just wrong.

I am glad they're portraying Graeme as totally uncomfortable with it. He's quirky and eccentric but he's also honest. This storyline seems to have sucked the last of the quirk right out of him. Quirk which was already slowly draining as he sat, all loved up, on the back burner of the Storyline World with Tina. He's has been a hugely popular character, totally off the wall and delightful and it was sad seeing him go more or less mainstream.

Now, the actor has chosen to move on. It's something we face often when watching our very long lasting favourite show. Actors often want new challenges and fair enough but it's hard when you've become attached and invested in a character. At least Corrie doesn't just recast on the fly like American soaps do. Oh, they may recast a character a few years later but it's not so jarring as seeing one face on Monday and a different one on Thursday.

The actor's leaving storyline was ill thought out, though. Xin was supposed to be Tina's great mate when really, she was just a former coworker. I really find it difficult to believe that qualified psychiatric nurses are so thick on the ground that there just is no work for another one. If she's a qualified nurse of any sort, she should be able to get at least part time work, whether in a hospital or with a home nursing service or in a senior's residence even if it's not specifically for psychiatry. Has she tried elsewhere in the U.K.? Thought not.

Seeing Xin and Graeme pretending to be a couple just doesn't work. It's clear to anyone with eyes that they're faking it. They are uncomfortable when they pretend to be affectionate, stammering to get their stories straight,  and there's absolutely no chemistry. This particularly applies to the actress playing Xin. She's wooden and flat, no depth at all. It feels like she's reading her lines from crib notes under the teapot. I don't know if that's due to her lack of ability or if she's supposed to play the character that way. It feels like the former. Gazey's performance is a bit better, his character's discomfort with the plot is a bit more believable in that he, as always, plays it bewildered yet with sharp observations, which is part of Graeme's appeal but even the talented Gazey sometimes seems to be phoning in his performance.

Classic Soap Plot #328 *should* have them pretending a little too well and discovering there really is a mutual attraction. The alternative classic soap plot would, and probably should have them back out of the marraige at the altar. If the first is the way they're going, then perhaps after the wedding, they really will fall for each other for real and Xin will get a job in London and they'll leave Weatherfield behind.

Can't come soon enough for me though I will miss Craig Gazey, just not this stupid storyline!

Graeme Proctor, an old soul in a young body

When Graeme Proctor first appeared on our screens, he was a cell mate of David Platt's in the juvenile detention centre. He was clearly a pyromaniac and most definitely way off the wall. He provided a quirky, nonsensical mirror to poor David's angst. Lucky for us, he must have struck a chord with the viewers and the producer because his character was returned to the canvas of Coronation Street.

We know Graeme is not a sweet and innocent boy, but he does have that childlike quality. He comes across as naive but does have "street smarts" and often it seems like he "didn't get the joke". Then you see a twinkle in his eye and a sly near-wink and you know he's actually taking the piss. Nobody can tell me his dressing up as a near-replica of Liz for Teresa's Slapper and Vicar party wasn't a mistaken understanding of the concept of the party. He knew that was Teresa's intent, for people to imitate Liz, but I think he didn't realize that Liz wasn't in on the joke.

He seems a bit thick, yet he has a keen sense of observation for what's going on around him. He's pragmatic, earnest, optimistic and kind. He's basically honest and working on turning his life around yet isn't adverse to a bit of dodgey dealing now and then. I like to think of him as the Greek Chorus, always watching human nature around him and he's often spot on in his observations. Most people in his world think he's weird but he is only eccentric. He is helpful to his neighbours and willing to lend a hand or a shoulder.

Recently, there was a scene where he and Kirk had been out together. I thought, wait, isn't Kirk a good 10 years older than Graeme? Graeme can only be David's age (David just turned 19 at Christmas past) since he was in juvvy with David who was under 18 at the time. Kirk never hangs out with David, after all. He's more of an age with Jason and Tyrone, his usual buddies. Kirk is older than Maria who is about 26 or 27 by now. (She was about 17 when she first appeared in 2000.) Mind you, Kirk is probably only about 15 emotionally, most of the time, though can surprise you sometimes in his maturity.

But that had me thinking. Given Graeme's nature, it feels like he really is an old soul in a young body. He certainly is wise beyond his years. We don't know a lot about his past but a few remarks have led me to guess that his childhood family life was probably not all that pleasant. It led him to a habit of setting fires and he still swoons when he gets a whiff of charred wood. He's determined to stay on the straight and narrow, however.

Craig Gazey plays Graeme Proctor which skill and finesse. I'm sure he must have a lot of fun with it and he has superb comic timing. He keeps Graeme reined in just enough so he's eccentric and yes, sometimes, weird but not over the top psycho. He gives Graeme self confidence with a dose of yearning to be accepted. He's already winning awards and I foresee many more in his future. He's a perfect, classic Coronation Street character and I really hope he's around for a long time.

You can read a great interview with Craig over here.