There just aren't enough Webster women in Coronation Street today. And no, before you say it, I'm not championing the return of the vacuous Miss Rosie! I've long thought the arrival of Kevin's barely mentioned sister, Debbie, would be good for the diminishing Webster clan.Debbie, played by the talented Sue Devaney, only appeared in Corrie as a regular character for a short time back in the mid 1980s. I always thought it was a shame that the original trio of Bill, Kevin and Debbie didn't last longer together, but I think they suffered from issues present at the time. Coronation Street, then as now, was in a period of flux and transition. Many of the traditional old guard had departed and the powers that be were desperately trying to rescue the situation with a host of new characters.
Sadly Bill and Debbie soon left for Southampton to be replaced by the equally short lived Clayton family. Remember them? No, me neither. While Bill Webster has dipped in and out of Weatherfield life ever since, we have never had the pleasure of seeing Debbie again. From memory (well, DVDs at least) Debbie was bright, sharp and headstrong. She worked in Jim's Cafe for a time, dated unsuitable men on motorbikes and often got the better of her brother. I guess she was a kind of a precursor to the likes of Angie Freeman who would follow on later (another character I would love to see again).
The current crop of middle aged Corrie ladies are severely lacking in many respects. They all seem to be falling for dubious men, making rash, stupid decisions or having complete personality transformations - yes, I mean you Gail Potter as was! What we need is a bright, successful and sassy, mature Corrie woman. Could that be Debbie Webster?
She might be able to talk some sense into Sally, as well as taking the rise out of her when she gets above herself (garden party? purlease!) And she might be able to liven up her old before her time niece, the holier than thou Sophie. She would also be someone for Sal to go into business with, seeing as how inept Gail has become of late.So what do you think? Would you like to see Debbie Webster make a reappearance in Weatherfield?
You can follow us on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog and Facebook: CoronationStreetBlog
All original work on the Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
Could give it a try I suppose! Watching old eps of Corrie makes you long for those strong women that Corrie had loads of back in the day.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant idea, would love to see her back.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see Gail, Sally and Deirdre retire to the country together and take Liz with them!
ReplyDeleteYes please! The sooner the better.
ReplyDeleteYes I have said it for years. She very rarely gets a mention. I have never heard Kevin mention her at all but I remember that Bill did.
ReplyDeleteI don't know if I just was not paying attention but Bill seemed to disappear quite suddenly. There was no explanation as far as I remember and then wen Kevin's character got written out he went to Germany to look after his dad. I was surprised at this as I had no idea that Bill had gone anywhere let alone Germany.
Why keep bringing back old characters? They brought Denis back and haven't done much with him other than to make him Rita's house bitch.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I'd far rather they bought Auntie Pam back, and gave her a decent run of storylines. She'd be ideal to put Sally in her place (with or without Kevin), and was a good, traditional Corrie battleaxe when it was needed.
ReplyDeleteI remember the actress saying that when Pam came back she'd be at the centre of a storyline, yet she came back for about two episodes and has never been mentioned again.
I thought she was too good to throw away like that.
I'm afraid when I think of Pam all I can imagine up is her flogging knocked off ham from a basket. She did just disappear without trace though.
ReplyDeleteI' d like to see clair and the boys come back and open the butcher....... how about geena and candice, maybe bethany can come for a visit,
ReplyDeletemichelle is leaving, steves going to need a love, how about shelly?
ReplyDeleteI remember Debbie and how attractive she was then bring her back and brighten up corry once more
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteAnonymous - I couldn't stand Geena! I'd much rather see Shelley back if we're talking about Rovers bar staff...
Rather her than Bev Callard!
ReplyDeleteActually almost anyone living or dead before Bev.
Michelle is leaving!????
ReplyDeleteI barely remember Debbie, but Angie Freeman was a great character. I'm sure she has become a successful independent woman and could give Carla a run for her money.
ReplyDeleteI'd watch Sue Devaney in anything: I still have very fond memories of her as Our Rita in Johnny Briggs (no, not Baldwin). I wonder if she has already been asked back though, and has refused? Like Amelia Bullmore her career has been so much more than Corrie in the last twenty years she might feel it was a step back.
ReplyDeleteAll these blogs about bringing characters back, are they about the character or the actor who played them? Debbie Webster could come back with another head if the story fitted. She hasn't been seen on Corrie for nearly thirty years and was only in it for a year. Anyone could take the part.
ReplyDeleteBill and Debbie were only written out because actor Peter Armitage didn't want to stay on - according to producer Bill Podmore's book. Ironic really when you think how many times the character of Bill Webster has returned over the years!!
ReplyDeleteYes, well njblas, it's probably another case of an actor thinking the grass is greener ..... and more oft times than not, it isn't.
ReplyDeleteThere are far more ex-corrie actors who haven't fared well away from the street than those who have.
Sue Devaney is currently appearing in Scottish soap River City so she's apparently not immune to the genre at this stage of her career :)
ReplyDeleteNO NO NO why keep dredging up these old characters? With the character of Kevin in limbo what is the point? If she were to come back she should have come back ages ago, too late now. Plus we dont want another mouthy middle aged moaner - ta.
ReplyDeleteDilly, Bruce Jones and Vicky Entwistle are currently in Celebrity Big Brother - not sure if that's a step up or down!
ReplyDeleteAnonymous at 17:51 Haven't seen anything to suggest that Kym Lomas aka Michelle Connor is going.
ReplyDeleteAre you sure you don't mean Michelles Collins and Keegan aka Stella and Tina?
Yes, I have been wanting her to return for years!
ReplyDeleteSo, I am not the only one who watches the old eppies. I believe I bought the first VCR in the early nineties. And then we visited The Street in 1993 and the truly wonderful young man who wrote the history and then many episodes, showed us around, day after day. Daran Little. We formed and enjoyed the first Coronation Street Fan Club in Richmond which gathered for years. Now I watch the recent episodes the same day on YouTube.
ReplyDeleteOh yes the old eps on DVDs / YouTube are a great watch! Some of the cast today should tune in!
ReplyDelete