With the news that Sol Heras will be leaving Coronation Street later this year, the list of characters departing under Stuart Blackburn's reign has started to grow. There hasn't been a mass exodus in the style of Brian Park, thank goodness, however Mr B is obviously making some changes.To be honest, I'm glad Ryan Connor will be leaving soon.
The character has never fitted in since coming back with a new, much older head. The relationship between mother and son never worked for me, as I couldn't really believe Ryan was Michelle's offspring. Of course, if we stop to remember the dreadful baby swap storyline he actually isn't Michelle's at all, but that was never touched on again. I guess we should be grateful for that.
Of the others departing, Brian Packham was always irritating to me in the traditional Derek Wilton style. I did quite like him with Julie though and felt he was never really given a chance. I won't miss Paul Kershaw one little bit though. There was initial promise from him and I was pleased to see Eileen Grimshaw get herself a fella, however he has bored me to tears ever since. Of course we know the Price family is being depleted, though for the moment both St Ella and Eva are staying put. Karl Munro was a great character in the making - John Michie is a terrific actor. However the powers that be turned him from a loveable rogue into a hopeless cheat and liar and of course, being Corrie there is no way back from that. Well, apart from Tracy Barlow it seems. Gloria I'm not sad to see go. Such a waste of the wonderful Sue Johnston but I think the character has gone too far now to be redeemed. Glo could have been a Corrie legend.
It is unclear how many of these actors are leaving of their own accord and how many have been pushed out. I guess it doesn't really matter. We are also losing both Hayley (sob) and Tina (sigh), but it is clear these actors are moving on through choice.
Are there any more characters you would like to see get the chop, or has Stuart Blackburn gone far enough?
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34 comments:
Slowly the disasters of the Collinson reign are being quietly removed. Tracy, Rob and Stella would be at the top of my list, followed by Jenna. If Mr Blackburn had the nerve to axe Dev and Sean too, I would dance in my street!
I hope they keep Brian..he's such a know-it-all and they need one of those, what with Ken 'in Canada' for the foreseeable.
Tracy..as much as I can't stand the character, she'll have to stay for the sake of Deidre's character..for the same reason as above.
Rob..emmm..he's growing on me just because he put that scumbag Peter Barlow in his place.
Glad to see the back of Ryan. Such a dull character really, nothing to him.
Mandy and Jenna can both bog off..Jenna can take that smarmy Sophie with her. Seems they don't know what to do with Paul. He can save lives, run into burning buidlings, risk his life on a daily basis but one slur and he's the scum of the earth. Go figure.
Good piece Graeme! I'd axe Stella (top choice), Rob, Tracy, Katy, Sophie, Jenna and her mum and Sean. Would not miss Eva either.
Why do people want Rob gone? I quite like him
#TeamRob
Very satisfying news that Ryan is leaving but even better Paul is too - hurrah! Time for Sophie to go to the Nunnery.
defo maria......so irritating!
I'm actually not minding Tracy these days with Rob. I'm just glad she finally seems to have got past scheming over Steve! I also like the brother-sister dynamic with Carla.
It would be a shame to lose Brian as I think he works really well as an educated yet comic character. I hope they are changing their minds about him! Katy, Ryan, Chesney are basically spare parts, and Jenna and Mandy are not working very well either.
My list of leavers is longer than the stayers: Tracy, Rob, Ryan, Chesney, Katy, Owen, Anna, Stella, Gloria, Sean, Tim, Faye, Mandy, Jenna, Sophie. Who's left? The ones who can act and have a believable storyline. When the cast is as big as it is these days, you can axe half the characters and it can only be an improvement.
Dev definitely has to depart. I will not be devastated. followed by Mandy, The Meerkats are better actors than these two.
Absolutely cannot stand that barmaid who is the mother of Lloyd's daughter (shows how much I care about either of them - can't even remember their names!). The barmaid cannot act and I've no idea how she managed to bluff her way through an audition!
Paul the boring fireman can do one. He used to be quite good at the start but the scriptwriters have turned him into a right moan who flips for no apparent reason.
Brian should stay - he and Julie make a very good team and could, with time, become as beloved as Roy and Hayley (ah, poor Hayley - tears in my eyes for her as Sylvia cuddled her).
Evil Tracey needs to get going. I've never liked the character ever since Kate Ford took over so it's clearly Kate Ford I don't like!
Best character by a mile though has got to be Roy's mum. I wasn't keen to start with as I felt the scripwriters were trying to fill the gap of Maggie Jones (Blanche) too quickly but I now stand corrected and humbled - Corrie has once again found a fantastic ascerbic wit in a lovely rough diamond!
I agree, Sylvia is totally wonderful!
Humpty, I'm afraid I agree with most names on your list. I couldn't get rid of Chesney though!
They can get rid of Tracey, Rob and Ryan immediately as long as I am concerned. I do not like the storey line with Sophie and Jenna because there is no charisma between them at all. So if they are going to keep Sophie then get her back to school to train to do something worthwhile and find a partner for her.
They need to tone down Anna and get rid of Tim and stop making Faye such a pouter. They need to hurry up and get the story line regarding Karl over and done with and we do not need a wedding between Carl and Stella.
As far as Katy is concerned. If there are any young 15 or 16 year olds watching this story may actually do some good to let these young girls know that having a baby is not such an intelligent thing to do. So if they make both Katy and Chesney actually grow up and stop acting like idiots they could turn out to be an interesting pair.
Why get rid of Paul and Brian? Eileen deserves a decent man after what she has gone though and Brian is so clueless he adds a bit of silliness to the street. Just saying:)
I don't know why people dislike Sean. He is what he is, a fairly shallow character who bounces along in a directionless fashion. And I do enjoy his humorous quips behind the bar.
I also love Anna.
Tracey - and Kate Ford acting her - hasn't always been so 2D. Remember when Ray came back, she was very conflicted and we saw some good acting from her.
It seems that they introduced Mandy and then had no idea what to do with the character. So now we just see her moaning and bitching at Lloyd and Jenna - a recipe for unlikeability.
Very glad Ryan's going. But leaves Michelle at a loose end. Do not get her and Steve together - didn't first time round either.
I hope they decide to keep Brian. But as much as I'd like Eileen to have a successful relationship, cannot wait to see the end of Paul.
I'd like to see Jenna go back to Uni for a post-grad degree in Public Health or something similar. She could encourage Sophie to study social work. These qualifications would be true to the characters, but are not well-paid industries so not far-fetched for them to live on the street. Sophie must stay, otherwise Sally has no one left. And we must keep Sally!
BTW, just on that note. Didn't anyone else wonder why the writers named Gary and Izzy's baby Jake when there is already a baby Jack? Perhaps they don't seriously expect him to return with his Dad.
Agree with most of the usual suspect going. To the list I might add Norris as I find the character has little room for maneuver and the actor is also limited in range. For the same reason as Tracy I think David can go. Both are one-trick ponies ready for the knacker's yard.
Dunno if its been pointed out before, but Pam and Bill have silently disappeared from the ITV character line up over the last few weeks. Wonder if there are other minor characters who have been quietly removed.
With so many actors leaving, perhaps it would be advisable for the producer to let the dust settle before getting rid of anyone else - unless its Rob or mouthy Beth.
i'd give the boot to Tracy, Kirk, Rob, Jenna and her mother. All on their acting more than anything.
My list.
Tracy
Norris
Dev
Anna
Owen
Izzy
Faye
Mandy
Jenna
I can't add anything because I agree with everything you said, Graeme. Very well written. This new era of Corrie is indeed looking better and better!
I'm also very disappointed that Sue Johnston's character was completely ruined from the get go. I've loved her in everything I've ever seen her in, except Corrie. Real shame.
Just off the top of my head for my wish list of departees...:
Rob - unbelievable character; the Warren Buffet of Weatherfield Scrubs and a real C.E.Know. That just doesn't jibe;
Keep Peter Barlow and develop the fictional character. Ax Chris Gascoyne; he brings nothing to the table but the AC/DC wardrobe and six word sentences spoken at whisper level;
Deep-six Owen. For all their message themes (cancer, surrogate mothers, lesbians, husband abuse); they have no problem letting a backstreet thug like Owen survive unscathed. His treatment of Tim clearly sends the wrong message to the YOBs in the audience. Didn't he once hit Faye? Good one, Corrie;
Emily: keeps the blue-rinse demographic coming back for more, but she's well-past the shelf life date.
Sofie: Talk about Generation Y-Bother - no ambition, no money; no potential (other than Mrs. Sofie Jenna). Even The SUN doesn't go near her;
Characters that need an overhaul:
Get Jack P. Sheppard growth supplements, or re-define the character. The only evilness is in the look as he's about three cm shorter than Matt Rollof and certainly couldn't accomplish the damage for which he's been responsible. Max could squash him;
Fizz and Tyrone - by no fault of their own, they've become dispensable. They're so loved-up, so morally un-corruptable there's no story line here anymore, unless Barney the Dinosaur and the Smurfs move in and ring havoc;
Steve MacDonald - His claim to fame: endless supply of gurn's and bad hair cuts. Couldn't pull a girl like Michelle if his life depended on it. Constellation's away in maturity;
The Black Guy that Works in the Bistro: superb standing-around skills, deft at the one-liner. TV Choice award material.
I also agree that Brian should be kept on, there is still a lot of mileage in the fairly new character, especially when Julie returns.
The axe should fall on : Fiz, Chesney, Katie, Maria, Sean, Tim (not going anywhere), and Eileen whose bitter unlucky in love character to Frosty is now exhausted. She is NOT funny in the cab office, just rude.
I'm pleased that Ryan is going: a pointless and dull character.
I'd also axe
Sean
Sophie
Katy
Chesney
Rob
Tracy
Mandy and Jenna
Paul
Izzy
Tim and Faye
Owen
I've said it before, I'll say it again. Dev, Dev, Dev!
And of course Paul, a character so wet he could put out fires without the need of a hose.
And Faye. Who gives brats a bad name.
And Stella, hopefully dragged out of the pub by her roots by the magnificent Liz McDonald.
And can Hayley please wake up and realise the cancer scare had been a horrible dream. I really don't want her to go.
Yep, my cull list would be similar to everyone else's: STELLA, Rob,Kay'ee,Izzy,Jenna & Mandy. Mercifully Ryan and Paul are on the way out. I would have kept Brian Packham though- I think he has humour potential which has been sadly lacking in Corrie under PC. Quietly impressed with Stuart Blackburn so far as long as we don't descend into anymore unbelievable,'explosive' storylines and the affairs and babies are kept to an absolute minimum.
Missing from your culled list are Kevin and Ken. They too were removed from the cast by order of the producers. And also Dr Carter.
I left both Kevin and Ken off as they are away indefinitely - the characters may return.
I did forget about Dr Carter, but he was never really a regular character - a shame though!
A lot of people seem to dislike both Jenna and Mandy a great deal. However, like Brian, I don't think we've seen enough of them to make a proper decision. Both disappeared for ages.
I like Karl and Brian and it is sad they are going. The only person I really don't like is Mandy- she just does not seem to fit in.
A point I would make in general is that not all characters have to be interesting or exciting- that is certainly not the case in real life. I like that there are long term characters like Maria and Chesney.
I agree with Humpty's list. However, I'd be thrilled to see the back of Chesney, particularly after having his head slammed in the cab door several times. Such an idiot.
Here's my list:
Gail,David,Tracey,Rob,Ryan,Katey, Chesney, Gary, Izzy, Anna, Faye, Owen, Sophie and Jenna.
The only people I really want gone are Tracy (she ruins every scene that she is in for me) and Jenna (something about her attitude, she's just boring and rude.)
I don't mind Mandy, they need to give her something better. I appreciate that they listened to Craig Charles and brought in a Black family to the show, but surely they could have done some better casting.
Fasinating comments and I would agree with most of them, but please could they all stop argueing non-stop. I stopped watching East Enders a long time ago because of the constant fights and actuations...but now Corrie has fallen into the same trap and if I hear one more 'SORRY' I will be tempted to give up on my beloved Corrie.
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