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Friday 21 December 2012

Corrie script changes made in Sophie and Jenna's lesbian story

We're soon going to see Sophie Webster falling for her physiotherapist Jenna Kamara on Coronation Street.  And in true Corrie style, ITV has taken advice from The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) as to how the situation would happen in real life if a patient and a physiotherapist developed a relationship.

Phil Gray, Chief Executive of the CSP explains:  “At an early stage, we expressed our significant concerns about the nature of this developing storyline to the senior executives at ITV. We were concerned that this was an unusual plot and not typical of the behavior of the vast majority of physiotherapists who are highly professional. 

"Coronation Street’s producers listened to us and a number of changes to the script were made. We believe that Jenna will now be shown struggling with her feelings and trying to do her best to behave in a professional way. And we understand that the storyline will show Jenna’s professional indiscretions being dealt with appropriately and balanced against a backdrop for viewers of the excellent clinical care physiotherapists provide to people who have suffered life-changing injuries.

"We are aware that it is unrealistic to expect a TV drama to completely change the course of a developing storyline. We’d like to assure our own members and the viewing public that we will always challenge plots we feel are unlikely or may risk damaging the reputation of the profession. Our members follow a strict code of professional conduct which requires them to maintain appropriate and professional relationships with their patients at all times. This TV story is an unusual case and in no way typical of the physiotherapy profession as a whole”.

It's good to know not only that Corrie takes advice from professional organisations like the CSP but that they can and do alter scripts on the professionals' recommendations too.

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14 comments:

Anonymous said...

"It's good to know not only that Corrie takes advice from professional organisations like the CSP but that they can and do alter scripts on the professionals' recommendations too."
And yet they completely screwed up the situation with Tyrone and Ruby's birth cetificate.
They only alter scripts when it suits them and doesn't interfere with how they want to sensationalize the storyline.

Janice said...

No mention was ever made about the professionalism of the police force, particularly in the Kirsty/Tina story. Kirsty broke multiple ethical rules with impunity.

Anonymous said...

Good that the street represents this profession with high regard. What about teachers and in particular headteachers?! Brian would have been put on a capability process months ago. No headteacher is able to spend breakfast in the cafe, lunchtime in the pub etc. As a headteacher myself I find it SO annoying!!!!

Humpty Dumpty said...

I assure Anonymous that no viewer would believe that Brian is a typical teacher, and I appreciate how frustrating it must be to see your profession treated so lightly. Hopefully,nobody thinks it's normal for GPs to have relationships with patients (OK, maybe Tina didn't need medical help at the time)or do intimate exams in the cafe. Which makes me wonder how much the pressure the physiotherapists association put on the producers to change the story line. Good for them, I say. Keeping it real makes for a better story.

ChiaGwen said...

So, sounds as if Jenna will choose Sophie and not Kevin...meaning more storylines for Sophie...God, I dread that, can't understand a word that whining twit says.

corrierules said...

Question: What is the issue with the Ruby birth certificate storyline?

Comment: Anyone remember one Michael Wall, Big Jim's physiotherapist? He had an affair with Liz and they rode off into the sunset together. Not a high standard of professional care, I would say.....Liz got excellent service, Big Jim, not so much.

Anonymous said...

As I understand it the issue with the Ruby birth certificate storyline is that Fiz phoned her solicitor who basically said that Tyrone was SOL.
Comments on various forums indicated that all Tyrone had to do was to go to court and get an order forcing Kirsty to have a DNA test on Ruby to determine paternity.
The following is from a UK solicitors site:
How can unmarried fathers obtain Parental Responsibility?

An unmarried father can obtain Parental Responsibility by:

marrying the mother;
having his name registered or re-registered on the birth certificate if his name is not already registered;
making a Parental Responsibility Agreement with the mother;
obtaining a Parental Responsibility Order from the court;
obtaining a Residence Order from the court; or becoming the child’s guardian on the mother’s death.

As Kirsty is very unlikely to consent to Tyrone being registered on Ruby’s birth certificate, Fizz is correct that one way of obtaining automatic PR is to marry Kirsty, however, given the circumstances this route is highly unadvisable. Tyrone does not love Kirsty anymore and the marriage would be a loveless sham. By marrying Kirsty, only to subsequently dump her, Tyrone is opening himself up to a messy divorce one year down the line (as you have to have been married for 1 year before you may apply for a divorce) and Kirsty is likely to make financial claims against him as he is now the wealthier of the pair.

A much simpler way of obtaining PR would be for Tyrone to apply for a Parental Responsibility Order from the Court.

Parental Responsibility Order:

A Parental Responsibility Order is an order under the Children Act 1989, which unmarried fathers can apply for when the mother refuses to allow the father to be registered or re-registered on the birth certificate, or refuses to sign a Parental Responsibility Agreement with him.

The process involves the father making an application to court for the Court to decide whether or not they should allow the unmarried father to have Parental Responsibility.

If the court decides that the father should have Parental Responsibility, the order will give the father equal Parental Responsibility with the mother.

In considering an application from a father, the Court will take the following into account:

the degree of commitment shown by the father to his child
the degree of attachment between father and child
the father’s reasons for applying for the order

The Court will then decide to accept or reject the application based on what it thinks is in the best interests of the child.

Tyrone could combine this application with an application for a Residence Order for sole residence of Ruby, so that Ruby lives with him full-time rather than with Kirsty. Tyrone would have a strong case, given the fact that he is Ruby’s primary carer and given Kirsty’s violent nature. If he wishes to stay at his house in Weatherfield, he will also need to consider applying for an Occupation Order to expel Kirsty from the home, and possibly a Non-Molestation Order to prevent her from harassing him. Again, given the history of domestic violence, Tyrone would have a strong case in such an application.

None of this was mentioned in the programme because they wanted to sensationalize the storyline and couldn't be bothered with the legal realities of the situation.

Kiwifruit & Cheese said...

Well since Fiz took some photos of Tyrone's injuries for evidence, maybe they're thinking of changing direction with this story so we don't have to put up with a whole year of poor old Ty getting the crap beaten out of him while we wait for the divorce.........one can only hope and pray that this is so.............and while we're praying............please God..... make the Sophie/Jenna thing over as quick as it starts.....my eyes are bleeding just thinking about it!!

Anonymous said...

Well, I say kudos to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy for at least standing up for their profession. Having said that, I think it is likely that Corrie will still be a fictionalized story about this, and we should not take it too seriously. Unfortunately, CSP is cognazant that some people do take Corrie very seriously.

bbhilda said...

I think a Residence Order was mentioned, but Tyrone quite rightly pointed out that the minute Kirsty got wind of what he was trying to do, she would be off, and take Ruby with her. It was felt that marriage was the only option that could happen without Kirsty getting suspicious about his real intentions.

Frosty the Snowman said...

So Jenna who has worked hard to get where she is as a professional physio and a black one at that, is going to chuck it all away for........ the unattractive spotty screechy lazy uneducated teenage Sawpie? Yeah right, Jenna obviously doesnt have the brains she was born with if this totally unlikely and unbelievable scenario occurs. Not looking forward to face pulling and more shouting from the ever pointless Kevin either.

Anonymous said...

Well done to the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy! Whoever represents Social Workers, the Police Federation, the Law Society and the National Association of Headteachers should all take note.

Once Coronation Street would have contacted experts when planning a storyline, but obviously they are too busy picking names out of a hat to put together in an affair.

The sad demise of a once great programme.

Unknown said...

If Corrie became politically correct it wouldn't be worth watching anymore.

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear the truth regarding the Parental Responsibility Order. Seemed pretty ridiculous that a birth mother could so easily deny any rights to the birth father.

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