The magazine says that "it's rumoured that, after much behind-the-scenes deliberation, Betty's funeral won't be seen on screen, with the action istead taking place at her wake. And the focus of the storyline will be on the secert that Betty guarded, which we blogged about here.
The Inside Soap article is further given weight at Digital Spy who say they "understand that a number of characters will be seen leaving for the funeral, before later returning to the pub to reminisce over Betty," and that Betty's send-off from Coronation Street will be centred around her wake.
It has now been confirmed that Bill Kenwright, who played Betty's son Gordon, will be returning for the funeral.
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Well...thats a bit of a downer.
ReplyDeleteI suppose it could mean that all the characters that we wanna see back for the funeral could fictionally return. But it is a downer for us who want to SEE them.
ReplyDeleteI think this is far more personal than showing the funeral itself - it allows people to chat and reminisce, rather than just sitting and listening to the vicar. Plus, I always find it a bit weird when there is a fictional funeral for someone who is actually dead...
ReplyDeleteI agree Scott. A soap funeral is more about drama, a heart wrenching eulogy usually. This way will Celebrate Betty's life more fully I think.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree; after an initial pang of disappointment, on reflection, I think there's much more scope for the characters to make personal tributes in the form of reminiscences and funny stories than the conventional formal funeral. Brave decision though!
ReplyDeletethey also said on digitalspy that the only ex-star asked to return was bill kenwright, which if true is a real shame. julie goodyear should be there after spending 25 years behind the bar with her.
ReplyDeletei really miss betty i keep waiting for her to come from behind the bar with her hot pot .she seems like such a lovely lady .i also still miss blanche wow wouldent she be in seventh heaven with this trial of franks .with her flask and what ever else she had to eat she would be there ahead of norris i like norris but i dont like mary she is a waste of space get rid of her .grackled
ReplyDeleteI think its in better taste than showing the funeral, they probably realised this behind the scenes.
ReplyDeleteI don't like Mary either. Does anyone know is she an employee of the Kabin or just hangs around. If not what does she live on?
ReplyDeleteMary delivered beautifully,some absolutely great lines early on, especially when she took on the position of Haley's wedding planner, she was SO funny!
ReplyDeleteI still have a strange feeling that the bizarre kidnapping of Norris was just sort of left hanging and forgotten.
Corrie characters seem to have awfully short memories most of the time.
I remember when they did Blanche's funeral on Corrie. It was well done, but really sad because Maggie Hunt had died recently. I cried through the whole funeral. The cast had a hard time of it too. http://coronationstreetupdates.blogspot.com/2010/03/filming-blanches-funeral-upsets-corrie.html
ReplyDeleteSo I'm glad they're not filming a service, but a Rovers send-off would be wonderful. Oh how I miss her! I hope they bring back as many ex-cast as possible.
Would have been good to see Hilda Ogden return for the wake.
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