Ever since his very first line, I have been enamoured of
Craig Tinker. His first line was in fact, ‘Tracy had a go at me because I ate all the
cereal.’
Beth and her son were staying with Tracy in a house owned by
Steve Macdonald. Living there, in fact, until Steve evicted them all.
‘Love me love my rat Darryl,’ would be Craig’s mantra. Of
course, we have had the ‘Rat runs riot in The Rovers’ which is mildly amusing, but Craig didn’t really come into his own as a character until the fire at The Rovers for
which Craig believed he was guilty, and thus also guilty for the deaths of Toni
Griffiths and Sunita Alahan.
Colson Smith pulled off several brilliantly successful
performances. At his young age, he managed to convey guilt, fear and horror.
He left his mum, Beth, and her then boyfriend Kirk, a note to say that he would
like them to apologise to Dev on his behalf, because he had killed his wife. The
psychology and behaviour of a teenager suffering an all-consuming guilt, was so
convincingly portrayed by Colson, and so far, I do not believe I have seen a child act so
well.
At one point, I was in need of being convinced that Beth and
Craig ‘worked’ as mother and son. Craig seemed to have a refinement that his
mum lacked. Now, however I think the pairing of the two was an excellent idea.
Children do not necessarily reflect their parents.
There is something about Craig’s appearance, his bulk, for
want of a better way of expressing it, which draws the viewer to him. His
rounded face and his red hair also evoke a warmth in the viewer towards him
created by the boy’s vulnerability, perhaps due to the boy’s less than perfect
physique. You do not need me to remind you of the intense pressures on young
people today concerning their appearance. For girls, they must be skinny,
before anything else and for boys, the six pack is what they are all supposed
to covet. Craig is not there yet.
All that said, about the superficial, the appearance, the
right clothes and of course, trainers, Craig Tinker/ Sutherland (?) has a charm
which cannot be bought in Top Man nor can it be achieved by the use of rowing
machines, a treadmill or the lifting of weights.
Craig’s likeability stems from his innate charm and
kindness, along with his gentle, mellifluous voice. His friendship with Faye,
his ability to talk to almost anyone and his quiet confidence also serve to
endear us to him. His delight at being able to help Tim produced his beautiful
smile.
Beth Sunderland, you are a lucky woman. No wonder you wear a
C on your necklace.
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