Corrie producer Stuart Blackburn says Stella was a "classic Coronation Street matriarch".
I'm gobsmacked.
Having been a Coronation Street fan for almost 40 years, I've watched and loved classic Coronation Street matriarchs. Annie Walker. Ena Sharples. Blanche Hunt. Elsie Tanner. Rita Tanner. There are loads more to choose from but Stella Price doesn't even come close.
What do you think, Corrie fans? Vote below:
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"Classic Corrie matriarch"? What a load of codswallop! I fear Mr Blackburn is following in the footsteps of his predecessor and treating viewers like gullible simpletons. Why not tell the truth and say "with the best will in the world, the character hasn't gelled and viewers haven't warmed to her"? The simple, unvarnished truth would make a nice change from the condescending flannel we are being expected to swallow yet again:(
ReplyDeleteI don't know who wrote that press release but they obviously don't have a clue about Corrie
ReplyDeleteThe tour de force comment had me howling with laughter.
ReplyDeleteI've always liked Stella well enough, but it's daft to say that she's in the same league as Ena, Elsie and Annie. I can't tell which is dafter, media BS or workplace BS.
ReplyDeleteYeah well they always come out with over exaggerated guff like this. Didnt they say Gloria was a popular and well liked character that had fitted in well???? I think they called Tracy popular as well. Dont have a clue.
ReplyDeleteYes, Stella will be remembered in the great traditions of Corrie matriarchs such as Natalie Barnes, Lynda Sykes, Kelly Crabtree, Cilla Battersby, and Kelly Crabtree.
ReplyDeleteFrosty is right. The PR machine has to say stuff like that even when everyone knows the truth of it. I didn't hate Stella but didn't much like her either. As has been said before she never really gelled and they shoved the character into too many storylines to force her on us. I didn't mind the accent so much but the whispery voice drove me mad.
ReplyDeleteI voted WTF as it's incredulous to me that anyone would ever think this.
ReplyDeleteMaybe he meant 'tour de force' and 'classic Corrie Matriarch' as a joke - cause I was peeing with laughter. Her fate for me was sealed when she messed about with Betty's personal effects. Raspy voice and the way she said 'Kahl' instead of 'KaRl' were SO annoying. Loved her as Cindy Beale but Stella and her constant presence in every bloody scene was too much to overcome. Good luck to MC.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the writer for Corrie's PR department is trying to break into comedy. That's the only way their statement makes sense. As long as the main message is that St Ella will no longer be reigning over the Back Room I'm willing to laugh off the rest of the details.
ReplyDeleteIf anyone was going to be the matriarch in the Price family, it would have been Gloria. By definition, it's got to be the oldest female in the family. Still, I'll let it pass. I got what I want so they can say what they like to keep face.
ReplyDeleteOf course she's not, but he has to say something like that really. It would be rude not to, especially when Michelle Collins has had to put up with so much from the press.
ReplyDeleteI do feel slightly sorry for her, because the problem was with the scripts rather than the actress. So if he wants to soften the blow by building the character up, fair enough.
Best poll ever!
ReplyDeleteI too feel sorry for Michelle she must have had high hopes to come into the street and be a bit of fresh air and make us all want to see what will happen next, but I am sorry the writers have ruin the moment and I feel she has been left twiddling her thumbs and wondering what alice in wonderland land she has landed in. Someone should have organised a bright wardrobe for her and some real episodes and whoa la a winner. Hope Michelle has a happy ending in her next adventure.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry, and I know this sounds personal, but I cannot take a heavily botoxed actress seriously unless botox is consistent with her character. At the very least, it should be referred to and integrated into the story instead of standing out like a grumpy elephant in the living room. However the reason it wasn't referred to even in passing (and why it was so incongruous) is probably because even a landlady of the Rover's would be unlikely to afford regular injections.
ReplyDeleteThe same goes for Shobna Gulati. When she started appearing with frozen facial expressions, the integrity of Sunita's character was lost.
There is a precedent here, of course. The moment Lynne Perrie had cosmetic surgery on her lips, Ivy Tilsley Brennan's days were numbered.