I was really pleased to hear the news that Stuart Blackburn is bringing actor Jimi Mistry into Coronation Street. I've liked him since I first saw East is East years ago and I think he'll fit in well in Weatherfield. While many viewers appear to be happy about this new arrival, it did produce a few comments on how appropriate it is for a programme like Coronation Street to bring in well known performers as regular characters. Personally, I like a few well known actors involved - it brings good publicity for my favourite television show and most of the time, it works.
However, some people have quite rightly said that actors with high profiles are unlikely to stick around for a long time to see their characters develop. That's a shame, but quite understandable given how sought after they must be.
While Sue Johnston's Gloria Price has not fitted in, we do have the wonderful Stephanie Cole as Roy's mum Sylvia. John Michie and Michelle Collins were both successful actors before joining Corrie as Karl and Stella. Joe Duttine is also a well known actor currently appearing. We already know both Sue and John are leaving in the near future, but who knows how long the others will stay?
In the past we've had some very successful short visits from the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Honor Blackman and Maureen Lipman, but sadly I doubt we'll see any of them back in Coronation Street any time soon. So are big name castings a good thing for Corrie in the long term?
When Coronation Street first started, the only cast member with any profile whatsoever was Violet Carson. For a long time before she appeared as Ena Sharples she was known for her role alongside Wilfrid Pickles on his radio show. Apart from that, the cast were a group of unknowns who went on to become stars, some of them of legendary status. Should that not be what Coronation Street is all about?
So what are your views on big names appearing in Coronation Street? Are you a fan, does it bother you either way, or would you prefer to see the Corrie powers that be recruit fresh faces and turn them into the stars of tomorrow?You can follow us on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog and Facebook: CoronationStreetBlog
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13 comments:
Fine for a cameo - Mel Hutchwright an excellent example but nt good for a regular character. These luvvies wouldnt have been seen dead in a soap years ago now they are fallig over each other to raise their profiles. Nigel Havers an excellent example,
Corrie has a large cast that goes unused most of the time. So what is wrong with a short-term stay from a competent actor? One of the reasons Stella and Gloria did not work might be that people remembered them from other things and hence had difficulty buying into the character she was playing. If they had not stayed as long perhaps people may not hate them as much. Not all big names are in high demand. What has Honor Blackman other than the one Bond movie?
"What has Honor Blackman [done] other than the one Bond movie?"
Well a cursory glance at her IMDb entry shows she's been in near-permanent employment with an entry virtually every year since the role of Pussy Galore back in 1964 right up until last year. Perhaps you weren't paying attention.
I think big names are fine for a short, high-profile visit, but there must be hundreds of young aspiring actors desperate for their big break for whom Corrie could be a fantastic springboard. Why not give them a chance? Mentioning no names, but I'm sure many of them could put in more creditable performances than some of the wooden drongoes we've had to endure in the past.
Honor Blackman is an absolute legend Janice!!
Wasn't Honor Blackman in The Avengers, one of the biggest TV shows of the 60s and has a huge cult following?
As for famous faces appearing in Corrie, for only a guest appearance yes. They're too famous to appear in Corrie on a regular basis.
Thanks for that about Honor. I am not of the age group I guess and in Canada we only know of her from reruns of the Bond flick. Fame and IMBD do not go hand in hand. Saeed Jaffery was not considered a 'big name' on this blog but I know he has a more impressive IMBD than Honor.
It depends entirely on the script they're given and the storyline. Timothy West was excellent in his very few episodes. Robert Vaughn was too awful for words. Sue Johnston hasn't been successful because Gloria is a badly thought out character. So Jimi Mistry may work - or he may not - depending on his storyline and scripts. Same goes for everyone else.
I was very happy with Maureen Lipman, Roy Hudd and Mollie Sugden's performances in the show as I am with Stephanie Cole's at the moment !! ...all good !!
I think they're great for short term cameos. But as you pointed out, many of them dont' stay the long term because they are sought after and are used to going from job to job. They wouldn't be happy staying as one character for years on end. That's where hiring talented unknowns is a bonus. No, they may not go the long distance either but they can make their name and there will be the occasional jewel that does stick with it.
As long as he's not another womanizing drunk with an douche-bag mother in law he's ok by me.
These days I don't think it matters if the actor is well known or unknown. If the character is successful, an unknown rapidly becomes known and disappears. Katherine Kelly, Michelle Keegan...
Nigel Havers was a wonderful addition to the cast .. he left once but still stayed for several good story lines. Never got the sense that he thought he was "slumming" it. In fact he seemed to be "well stuck in." Hope he comes back. Especially if Bill Roache doesn't return -- Havers will need to fill the role of "male wrinkly with the best head of hair."
I agree with Tvor, in that famous actors/actresses are all right just in the short term. I personally never saw Norman Wisdom (whom I've always enjoyed) in the show, nor Rula Lenska nor Maureen Lipman, but I doubt I'd have been able to get past thinking "Blimey, it's Norman Wisdom," to take his character seriously.
The regular characters are believable partly because we don't know the actors from anywhere else.
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