Corrie writer profile: Jonathan Harvey

If I had to name just one reason I enjoy Coronation Street so much, it'd be the dialogue. And of course it's the talented team of writers who put the words into the mouths of the actors on screen. I've been thinking for some time of writing short and sweet profiles of each Corrie writer and I'm starting with one of my faves. I'll blog the rest of the writers in turn when the mood hits me. If anyone reading this, including the writers themselves, would like to add or amend anything to the extensive research that is two minutes on Google, do please let me know.

And so, here we go with the first in the Coronation Street writer profiles: Jonathan Harvey.

Sources: BBC, The Times and IMDB.

Jonathan Harvey was born in Liverpool in 1968 and educated at Hull University before moving to London, where he worked for four years as a special-needs teacher at a comprehensive school in Thamesmead, the area where his film Beautiful Thing is set. He started writing at the age of 16 and continued writing whilst studying and teaching. It was for his play Wildfire that he was awarded an attachment to the National Theatre's Studio at the end of 1992, prompting him to give up his teaching post and write full-time. His play-turned-film Beautiful Thing was a landmark in gay storytelling, featuring working-class teenage lovers and a happy ending. The film won 'Best Gay Film Ever' on Gay.com. His BAFTA nominated sit-com Gimme Gimme Gimme beat Will and Grace to the gay man/straight female flatmate format. Harvey also wrote the book for Closer to Heaven, a stage musical with songs and music written by the Pet Shop Boys. And it's been rumoured that he's now working on a film with Simon Cowell. His new comedy drama Beautiful People started in October 2008 and was shown on BBC2. Jonathan also leads the writing team for the new telly series of Britannia High.

Jonathan Harvey now brings his touch to some of the most comic and touching episodes of Coronation Street. He was drafted in to Coronation Street in 2004 to guide the Street’s first gay character, Todd Grimshaw.

The actor playing Todd left and Harvey has had more fun with the flamboyant gay barman Sean and villainous Tracy Barlow, who, in an exquisitely vicious attack, described the Rovers landlady Shelley as “a hippopotamus with split ends”.

From The Times: “I was offered Coronation Street a few times but always said no. I thought it was beneath me, to be honest,” Harvey says. “But it’s really nice to be writing for something that you know is going to be on screen.” He likes writing for Sean. “The fans think he’s a negative stereotype because he’s camp. But he’s got a dick. He’s unapologetic. The hard thing has been coming from theatre, where you handpick people and feel connected to a show, to somewhere where there are lots of actors, some good, some not so (booo, he won’t name names). You quickly learn who says your lines correctly and who doesn’t.” The producers “are always trying to tone down my campness”, he claims.

Harvey admits to feeling “awestruck” the first time he walked on set. “It’s like the family silver. To go from the Bush Theatre with 80 people watching to 12 million is something.” The street itself is two-thirds of the size of a real street, “so most of the actors are really small. Sally Webster is like a doll. Cars rarely park on the street because if they do they dwarf at least three houses.” His only niggle is that Corrie “swallows up stories so quickly. I loved Raquel having a dinner party and saying: ‘You can’t go wrong with boil-in-the-bag.’ That to me is more memorable than Maya setting fire to Dev’s shop.” This fan can only agree.

In 2011, Jonathan Harvey wrote the successful stage play based on Coronation Street, Corrie!

In August 2012, Jonathan Harvey had his debut novel published by Pan MacMillan - All She Wants.

If you'd like to read more on the representation of gay men in Coronation Street, have a look here.