That's what I think anyway. There's nobody in the cast right now that fits the bill. You know the sort I mean - that strong, determined, middle-aged woman that Corrie has brilliantly portrayed over the years.
I've come to the conclusion after watching Corrie in recent weeks and noticing various comments and posts on this blog that state that Corrie has become 'too young'. Now you would think that me being in my early 20s that I'd love to see a younger demographic in a soap. If so, I would watch Hollyoaks. But no, I love Corrie.
What attracted me to Corrie at first in 2002 was that it used its mature cast in big storylines - characters like Gail, Audrey, Fred, Mike, Ken, Deirdre, Norris, Emily, Jack and Vera. And yes when I started watching regularly, during the Hillman saga, there was one character that shone out to me, and that was Audrey. Not a sexy, young twenty something, but a woman in her 60s who had life experience and also someone who we had grown to love for 15-20 years. In what was her biggest storyline, we saw her life crumble at the cruel hands of Richard Hillman. But yet she rose like a phoenix from the ashes and regained her strength. Another thing that contributes to that strength is the fact that she runs her own business and has done so for many years and has become a pillar of the community. But with Audrey now in her 70s, I think it's time now for another Corrie strong woman to step into the breach.
And while there are middle-aged women in the cast, they lack that strength that Corrie women have always had. Deirdre has become potty (pardon the pun!), Eileen has become paranoid and Gail is penniless. Stella also lacks the strength past Rovers landladies have had.
When Corrie began in 1960, the stars of the show weren't spring chickens, they were middle-aged women. Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples and Annie Walker topped the bill for the rest of the decade. And over the years they've been joined by the likes of Hilda Ogden, Betty Turpin, Bet Lynch, Rita Fairclough, Ivy Tilsley, Vera Duckworth, Audrey Roberts, Alma Baldwin, Denise Osbourne and Liz McDonald. Strong women that made Corrie what it is. And what it lacks these days.
And other soaps have followed the trend: Crossroads had Meg Richardson, Emmerdale had Annie Sugden, Brookside had Sheila Grant, EastEnders has had Pauline Fowler, Pat Butcher, Dot Cotton and Peggy Mitchell while Neighbours has had Helen Daniels, Madge Bishop and Susan Kennedy. While these soaps have had younger characters, it is those mature women that we love and cherish.
So, c'mon Corrie, let's get back to basis. Make Gail a businesswoman like she was in the 1990s and not a lowly cleaner, get Deirdre to work in the factory as a PA and be reminiscent of Elsie Tanner and return Eileen to that witty and tough as old boots woman we once loved and not the simpering, paranoid harpy she's become.
Maybe Stuart Blackburn has got something up his sleeve, who knows? Do you think Corrie needs a mature strong woman?
You can follow us on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog and Facebook: CoronationStreetBlogWhat attracted me to Corrie at first in 2002 was that it used its mature cast in big storylines - characters like Gail, Audrey, Fred, Mike, Ken, Deirdre, Norris, Emily, Jack and Vera. And yes when I started watching regularly, during the Hillman saga, there was one character that shone out to me, and that was Audrey. Not a sexy, young twenty something, but a woman in her 60s who had life experience and also someone who we had grown to love for 15-20 years. In what was her biggest storyline, we saw her life crumble at the cruel hands of Richard Hillman. But yet she rose like a phoenix from the ashes and regained her strength. Another thing that contributes to that strength is the fact that she runs her own business and has done so for many years and has become a pillar of the community. But with Audrey now in her 70s, I think it's time now for another Corrie strong woman to step into the breach.
And while there are middle-aged women in the cast, they lack that strength that Corrie women have always had. Deirdre has become potty (pardon the pun!), Eileen has become paranoid and Gail is penniless. Stella also lacks the strength past Rovers landladies have had.
When Corrie began in 1960, the stars of the show weren't spring chickens, they were middle-aged women. Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples and Annie Walker topped the bill for the rest of the decade. And over the years they've been joined by the likes of Hilda Ogden, Betty Turpin, Bet Lynch, Rita Fairclough, Ivy Tilsley, Vera Duckworth, Audrey Roberts, Alma Baldwin, Denise Osbourne and Liz McDonald. Strong women that made Corrie what it is. And what it lacks these days.And other soaps have followed the trend: Crossroads had Meg Richardson, Emmerdale had Annie Sugden, Brookside had Sheila Grant, EastEnders has had Pauline Fowler, Pat Butcher, Dot Cotton and Peggy Mitchell while Neighbours has had Helen Daniels, Madge Bishop and Susan Kennedy. While these soaps have had younger characters, it is those mature women that we love and cherish.
Maybe Stuart Blackburn has got something up his sleeve, who knows? Do you think Corrie needs a mature strong woman?
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