It's interesting to
read the views of Phil Collinson in respect of current Corrie storylines and character development. From a purely personal view, I was staggered by the rather low quality of one of the scenes broadcast on Friday. The "Deirdre tea party" showdown was one of the worst things I have seen on the show since the grim days of Brian Park. The quality of some of the acting was beyond parody and would have been better suited to 'Acorn Antiques'. Why on earth this scene passed quality control is anyone's guess but it's possibly symptomatic of the malaise that appears to be hanging over the cobbles at the moment.
The likes of Phlip Lowrie (Dennis), Stephanie Cole (Sylvia) and Jane Danson (Leanne) seem to shine whenever they appear which makes some of the other performances look particularly lacklustre. I wouldn't go as far as to single out any particular actor but some of them really are not on the top of their game at the moment.
Has the quality of the acting on the Street been diminished by actors having to deal with poor storylines? Or, to be blunt, are some of the actors just not very good at what they do?
14 comments:
The good actors, the actors with substance are disappearing! The turnover of actors is so quick anymore that the story lines are diminished to nothing by their abrupt departure. You can't get your teeth into nothing!! The show needs to return to a core group of good talent and build from there and yes the story lines are also not up to par, some of them go on far to long like this sentence! Corrie remains my favorite show and I'm almost an original so I've seen lots of changes. We need an overhaul friends...lets not fall by the wayside! I hope someone is listening...thanks.
Well as you say David there are some excellent actors, Jane Danson, Chris Gasgoyne who carried the dire Stella scenes. Sylvie who I am warming to, may not like her but she is played by a top notch actress. Others and there are quite a few of them are very poor indeed. Anthony Cotton camps it up like someone from a carry on film, although Marcus is good and believable. I think that some of the "stars" especially the younger ones really believe their own hype. Sophie and Sian are NOT good actresses, they may be young and fancied by some but Sian is bland and puts no passion into her lines and the very unattractive Sophie just SHOUTS the whole time, her diction is terrible and yet they are given more scenes and stories than most. Jimmy Harkishan is quite appalling as Dev, is laughed at constantly on the web boards but is miraculously still there, that ridiciulous scene when he proposed to Sunita in the Rovers was another Acorn Antiques moment. Jamie is totally wooden as an actor but nepoistim rules supreme as he is the son of William Roache. I hope something is actually going to be done at Corrie, its an institution and deserves (some) better actors.
I agree with all that has been said. It appears corrie is suffering from post tram crash fatigue and seems to be trying plot led storylines, rather than character led. I mentioned a few days ago about the same old storylines; innocent characters going to prison, long lost relatives. I accept many life events can be repetitive but make them believable and characters we actually care about. There has been a comedy void for a while now and the balance is just not there. They wasted the character of Graeme pairing him with misery Tina and then that awful Xin storyline. No wonder he left. He has even stated that they are wasting people like Mary.
I remember John Savident (Fred Elliott) saying it had become like a sausage factory which is why he left and his point is valid. The actors who played Alec Gilroy, Mike Baldwin, Liz McDonald all state that there is no time to rehearse and there are too many episodes. I acknowledge pay and conditions match this, but the quality for the viewer suffers. It is akin to producing a film each week. The boldest step it could take is to scrap the extra episodes on Mon & Fri and go back to 3 eps a week. I feel the quality would improve immensely in conjunction with proper actors. This merry go round from soap to soap is lazy casting in my opinion. Ken, Deirdre, Emily, Rita and Betty are not getting any younger, leaving the spine of the show under severe pressure.
I could go on, but i dnt want to bore people. I reccommend people watch the late 70's & early 80's to listen and watch the beatiful dialogue between Hilda, Stan and Eddie Yeates, funny, warm and believable.
Alison King (Carla) is another one of the strongest actresses in Corrie by far x
I think far too many characters believe their own hype and there are too many interviews on paul o'grady and heat magazine. Michelle Collins was blabbing to everyone that she was to be Leanne's mum before she even appeared. Plots should be kept under wraps more.
What happened to the great scenes we used to get in the cab office with Steve, Lloyd and Eileen bantering over their tea break. Craig Charles has been so underused on the show and really deserves a decent storyline. Instead of bringing in Stella with her improbable backstory and whiny daughter they should have put Lloyd in charge of the Rovers. He and Steve would have made a brill pair behind the bar!
I think Michelle Collins is doing a fantastic Job. She is a great actress and her portrayal of Stella is nothing like her portrayal of Cindy. In fact, a lot of the audience probably wont even know her as Cindy. Love the fact that she is Leannes mum and am looking forward to seeing how that develops. Phil Collins would do better axing some of the terrible actors the show has at the moment like Anthony Cotton and Stellas daughter. Bad acting spoils the show, they should give these people such a long chance. Easy to miss if they never really trust you with a big storyline though Anthony eh? Its good that the writers are getting told to up the standard of their work though. Seem to have a lot of time to comment on twitter about their lives and what they do. Maybe more time spend invested in what they are paid to do wouldn't be such a bad thing.
If I ran the zoo...
- there would be more reference to the past and missing friends. Family would never forget to attend weddings. Old friends would write. There'd be more little moments like Kylie asking David to tell her the story of how he accidentally pushed Gail down the stairs again.
- Dev & Sunita would be given a graceful exit, and leave Gail, who still needs a job, in charge of the corner shop, perhaps with the option to buy. They're boring, their kids are dull.
- Michelle would stay away. Ciaran would return because Peter needs a friend.
- Becky would never sleep with Nick. He needs a girlfriend, she needs to make a new life for herself. Somewhere else.
- Tracy would go back inside. By some miraculous avoidance of double jeopardy, her case would to be re-heard, she'd lose, keys would be thrown away.
- Mary would just leave. I'm sorry, she's neither funny nor believable but she is quite irritating. She has no job, little money, anything she does with Norris is a rehash.
- Remember how creative (and fun) Fiz used to be, when she designed her own lingerie? In my Corrie, she and Julie would come up with a crazy colors kids clothing line; starting as a home business, Ches would make it a success at the Market, it would expand and be a side line for Underworld, and save the faktry. Fiz, Ches and Julie wouldn't know how to live comfortable lives. Maybe they have a sewing machine in prison?
- Like Anon, agree Lloyd would have been the best possible manager for the Rovers. He's way better than beige paint and a dull gf. The brilliant trio with Steve and Eileen needs rebuilding (can Eileen drive a cab?). Then, one day, if that Price woman doesn't work out...
- Stella's okay, but it's hard to see past the annoying Eva (who could get an award for the best portrayal of a petulant pre-teen by an adult) and the Leanne fiasco. She seemed to be fitting in with others, so jury's still out on her & Karl.
- Tina, Sean, Maria, Kirk: don't want to see any of them (or anyone else for that matter) in every scene every week. I like them all in small doses, Tina with Rita and behind bar, Sean as a sweet light touch & with Eileen, Maria as Fiz's best friend. Grow up, we'll have no more moping, dramatics or whining.
- Emily would find her way out of the cupboard. She and Dennis need a story.
- Deirdre won't have an affair with the pottery teacher (he'd lead her on just to meet James, or Marcus), but Ken would think they are. She needs to keep making those lumpy pots; they make spectacular gifts.
- Eddie would return just as Anna and Owen are about to commit. He'll bring back from Germany a trade skill that Owen needs desperately, and maybe a fraulein.
Enough?
I felt sorry for Sophie yesterday. She really got taken for a ride by a ring of con artists which James was part of. This will lead up to Sian leaving and clearing the path for Sophie and Amber to hook up.
Kevin was awesome he was sooo pissed and Sophie crying away..poor thing. Can't believe Becks is going to screw that loser Nick. What...she isn't low enough?
Blech...
i agree we need better character led stories theyre jsut throwing too many plots in at once
i for once would love to see tracy go back behind bars-why they couldnt jsut get another forensic scientist to look at the case again i dont know
stella hasnt botheres me as much as i thought she would but the storyline was very rushed she came in a week later shes revealed why shes therep-could have been workd out longer
lloyd and steve toegether used to be hilarious now they jsut moan aobut their other halves-boring
and sorry but tina is a waste of space why do they feel the need to keep her in-the great craig gazey left dont blame him those stories were dire at the end
and what is the point of this sophie being conned story i mean really does anyone actually care-her acting is dreadful on a par with the other awful actor kate ford
Abbyk.... I was enjoying that and then you stopped.. ahh shame! Far, far better than the current story lines and more believeable.
You can't make up these big stories and expect light weights to carry them through. Not only are the stories "poor" sensationalism but so are the actors poor in delivering them which makes it a double whammy. That's why it's one big slippery slope. The more solid actors can pull it through, that's why Jane Danson, Stephanie Cole and Philip Lowrie are shining in each scene. You could give some of them Shakespeare and it would still look like Acorn Antiques: Sian, Sophie, Dev, James, Katie, Cheryl, Maria......
It's simple - Corrie was once a drama that reflected real life, but had just a little shade of humour to expertly cut through the tougher storylines. Now it's a farce. The whole John Stape line was ridiculous - and the Fizz in jail line is completely rubbish. It wouldn't happen in real life because no CPS person worth their salt would say there was enough evidence to charge for murder.
An unknown actor should have been made landlady at the Rovers and there are far too many gay storylines. Only one per cent of the population is gay, according to recent research, and it appears they all live in Wetherfield.
Ashley and Claire were brilliant together - just nutty enough to bring light and shade.
Emmerdale is now streets ahead of Corrie. I don't mention EastEnders as that's far too ridiculous too...
abbyk
You are HIRED!
please please get rid of Fizz her acting is worse than awful
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