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Sunday 17 March 2013

Your Corrie heroes and villains of the week


It's time to discuss our Corrie heroes and villains from the past week. This last week has been all about couples splitting up and getting back together again. There has been lots of unhappiness for poor Chesney and happiness of a sort for Dev and Sunita. Let's see how long that lasts. I found it very easy to decide on my hero and villain this week as you shall see if you read on.


So here goes. If you had to pick one Coronation Street character who you particularly love at the moment and one you particularly hate, who would they be? Only one each please, and remember I am asking for characters, not actors! 

My heroine of the week was remarkably easy to choose. Who else but the Salford Songbird herself, Rita Tanner. Just when you think Rita will never sing again, up she pops out of the blue and gives a performance Dame Vera Lynn herself would be proud of. Our Rita has a long history of singing in Corrie. Originally a backstreet nightclub singer, we were often treated to her dulcet tones in The Capricorn Club (where brawls were not uncommon) and then t'Gatsby, again a lively venue. My personal favourite of Rita's performances came at Christmas 1972 when she wowed the Rovers Select with her impression of Marlene Dietrich.

Rita can always be counted on to belt one out, whether it be the Millennium street party or in the aftermath of the tram crash in 2010. You can relive her rendition of A Winter's Tale here. In all seriousness, I do love it when Barbara Knox gives her vocal cords a good airing - it's a tangible link to Coronation Street's rich past and a song from Rita normally brings us moments of true Corrie community spirit. Seeing Rita, Emily and Dennis reminiscing together in the Rovers by candlelight was just lovely.

Now for my villain of the week. Not a difficult one for me, it's Ryan Connor. I could start by asking just what was he thinking? However I honestly don't think he had a thought in his head! What a selfish, unpleasant young man he is. I haven't really enjoyed his story with Katy as I'm not a fan of repulsive Ryan or daft young Katy. I felt so sorry for Chesney on Friday night, and I have to say Sam Aston played a blinder. I am also so glad that someone (Izzy) finally told it as it is to Katy. One minute all Katy wants is a baby and a family around her and when she finds out how difficult and exhausting that was she realised she wanted another life. 

You could see Katy instantly regretted the whole thing. Incidentally, can anyone tell me what the ladies of Weatherfield see in Ryan, because for the life of me I can't! In a short space of time he's had a cocaine habit, put Sophie Webster in hospital, tried to steal from his mother, had doings with Tracy Barlow and now attempted to ruin Chesney and Katy's relationship. 

The character of Ryan is without any moral compass whatsoever as far as I can see and therefore has no place in Coronation Street. I still don't buy the mother and son relationship between him and Michelle - it just doesn't work. Don't get me started on the huge plot holes surrounding his return either. Where is Alex? Nobody seems to care! He needs to be ditched, and fast!

So let's have your Corrie hero(ine) and villain(ess) from the past week in Weatherfield. Right,  I'm off to relive the Rovers talent show from 1972 - what better way to spend half an hour than in the company of Rio Rita, Betty, Bet et al. I wonder if the new Rovers will have a Select?


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23 comments:

Anonymous said...

I have to go with your choices Graeme. Rita is always value for money - she would entertain singing the 'phone book. Ryan just does not fit into Coronation Street.

Ginger Beer said...

Couldn't agree more with your hero of the week but my villain would be Stella (or St. Ella of the Backroom as she's known round these parts) for sticking her neb in where it's not wanted and screwing up Dev and Sunita's reconciliation. I've stuck up for Stella before, but no more. Despite being shacked up with the fittest bloke in Weatherfield, she is so obviously still in love with Karl, hence her resentment of Sunita. If she just acknowledged that, it would make things better, but she pretends that she's meddling because she cares

As for Ryan, well I'm not a woman, I'm a gay man so I can't speak for the Corrie ladies, but IMO, he looks good in a pair of boxers and has a certain bad boy allure that would certainly see me dropping 'em for him.

Frosty the Snowman said...

Yep my villan has to be Stella. Where did she get off bad mouthing Sunita to Dev? What business is it of hers, she is always banging on to Karl to "move on". If Dev wants to take Sunitart back, the mother of his two kids then its up to HIM. The way she is letting Karl back in despite telling him in no uncertain terms never to darken her door agan is to my mind sending out a bad message.

Also Chesney- what a boring unforgiving old misery - does the bloke ever stop banging on how hard he works bla bla, put food on the table bla bla. Instead of 18 he acts 80 in his lumberjack shirts, no wonder Katy had her pretty head turned.

Carry On Blogging! said...


I agree St Ella is simply horrid, but Chesney is lovely. I don't think he is a misery at all.

Humpty Dumpty said...

I realise it's a plot device to give Sunita a motive, but it still irked me to see Stella killing off any chance of reconciliation between Dev and Sunita. I hope this is followed through when Stella and Karl reunite and Dev gives her a piece of his mind. As for hero, I don't think there's a stand-out candidate. Maybe Gary for lamping Ryan.

Anonymous said...

My hero is Chesney. He's worked very hard to provide for his family which Katy cajoled him into having. He's had to be serious. He's stressed.

My 2nd choice is Gary. I'm glad he gave it to Ryan.

My villain is Katy. Ungrateful little wench. Her sister let her have it with both barrels and rightly so.

My 2nd choice - Ryan (scum of the earth). Tied for 2nd is Stella for sticking her beige nose in where it didn't belong.

~JB in Canada

Llifon said...

Hero: the Weatherfield Nighitngale herself Rita. Loved her singing those wartime songs.

Villain: Karl - for stirring things up between Stella and Jason and for making Jason be the bad guy

Stephen said...

I think Ryan "fits" well enough, but the fact that he is without merit (no moral compass, indeed) makes him boring. There are too many characters like this. Tracy Barlow, Faye, Norris, the horrific Gloria, there is no light and shade with them, just rottenness - though I do love Norris. One or two mean-spirited characters would be enough. At least Owen has a loving side, toward Anna, and Karl has that vulnerability that makes his character complex and therefore watchable.

Ryan "fits" better than Gloria does, but I wouldn't miss him.

Carry On Blogging! said...


Stephen you are right - he is boring. If he showed some remorse over all his actions it might improve things, but he just creates mess after mess without appearing to care. He is marginally better than Gloria but not by much!

Janice said...

hero: Joint place Lloyd and Steve for backing out of doing the full monty. Thanks for sparing us.

Villain: Gary Windass. If it concerns you personally enough we will let you know.

Frosty the Snowman said...

Forgot to add Eileen as the villan. A middle aged unattractive woman leering over every man under 70 and trying to get them to get their kits off for the Full Monty including her own son(!) is very creepy indeedy.

Chatty Kathy said...

Villain: The Beige Lady, for maliciously killing the reconciliation of Dev and Sunita. It wasn't just Sunita she is hurting. It's also Dev and the children. She's cold and heartless.

Hero: Gary, for doing to Ryan what many have wanted to do since he set foot back on the cobbles. Ryan was actually lucky it was Ryan who thumped him. If Owen had found out first, he'd be in the hospital.

Chatty Kathy said...

Sorry, I meant to write that Ryan was lucky it was Gary who thumped him.

Carry On Blogging! said...


I would have preferred it if both Gary and Owen had had a go! It's all Ryan deserves!

Defrost Indoors said...

My hero is the blogger who wrote vocal cords instead of chords, a particular peeve of mine, so thank you. ;)

Gloria is just a spare part -- not sure why they bothered bringing her back.

Defrost Indoors said...

(to clarify, CORDS is correct)

Anonymous said...

I really like watching Gary give Ryan a smack...Gary is way too over-emotional when it comes to Katy..maybe there's more there than he'd like to admit..she is awfully cute and she was awfully good trying to explain her actions when it came to Ryan. She feels trapped and abandoned. A guy like Ryan could spot that a mile away and take advantage...even if he doesn't know it..he isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.
So..my hero of the week is Izzy...anybody that can sit there with a moronic animal on her head while trying to have a serious talk with her sister is ok in my books.
Villain..Chesney..I know Katy broke his heart but she was very very sorry and begged his forgiveness on bended knee. He didn't have to throw her out in the cold like that. It's not like it's 1913 after all..women have rights. I hope she calls the cops.

Chatty Kathy said...

Anon 16:24

Too right. Katy was wrong, but all she did was kiss Ryan! Chesney threw her out onto the street over a kiss!

Anonymous said...

It's not like she's alone. Sheesh! I'm sure she went over to Anna/Owen's place. No big thing.

~JB in Canada

Chatty Kathy said...

JB, yes we assume that Katy won't be wandering the streets alone, cold, and hungry. She'll go to Anna's, Izzy's or to some girl friend's house. The actual point is that Ches is just as immature as Katy if he's willing to end a serious relationship that includes a child over a few kisses. He said he was afraid of letting down Joseph. Well, that's certainly letting down Joseph more than Katy has.

Anonymous said...

Ya JB, and if it was a character you liked, you'd be the first one shouting the odds about abuse and how evil men are.

What Katy did was wrong; what Chesney did was ridiculous.

I hope this idiotic relationship implodes permanently and we can get on to something else. Like the equally idiotic surrogacy storyline, that will no doubt split up two other couples.

Anonymous said...

I don't recall saying I didn't like Katy. And I'm never in the habit of shouting the odds. Silly.

~JB in Canada

Anonymous said...

I have a few villains at the moment but top of my list would have to be "Gail" She is driving me crazy going from a whispery voice prancing fairy to a loud mouth who cannot do enough for the family she is supposed to love. Never one to back away we see her off to unload it all on Sally who will soon tell it all to someone else since she cannot hold anything either! The story line is getting stupid. Where is Norris when we need him?

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