As for Julie well, as they say, there is nothing new under the sun. The usual stories about her grandmother, fear of Pat Phoenix, failed marriages, sexuality etc. all made an appearance. There's not a great deal to go around but fair play to Julie for admitting that her return to the Street in 2002 had been a mistake. Perhaps the most chilling part of the evening though was her offhand dismissal of her husband Scott, sat a few feet away. Julie tried to put a jokey spin on what she was saying but the icy silence of the studio audience spoke volumes. It was a truly uncomfortable piece of television.
Did anyone find themselves warming to Julie? For me, I found it difficult to judge whether she was the real deal or if she was playing the 'part' of Julie Goodyear, as expected by the media. There were genuine moments of sadness but more striking were the carefully worded tributes from some of her co-stars. Maybe in the hands of a more skilled interviewer things might have been different. However, as some of the clips proved, the 1970s 'imperial phase' Bet was a joy to behold and other than Annie Walker and Betty Williams, arguably remains the best of the bar staff. For that Ms Goodyear, we salute you!
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11 comments:
I didn't warm to you, but in fact went off her a lot. The husband fisaco at the end was just car crash television, the poor man must be mortified.
As for Julie herself, I expected a bit more. The only time I saw real emotion was when she was talking about Vicky, the rest was her playing to the persona.
Her autobiography is much, much better.
Julie G. is always "on" for the cameras, I find.
It was just how I expected really, she's always been a bit eccentric and aware of her persona. The questions about Scott were really uncomfortable at the end though, but Julie is wonderful, and a good actress.
You have to wonder why on earth "celebrities" do this kind of show. It just completely destroys the magic that was. It will take a bit of time to shake off this one. Have to agree with you, David, Piers Morgan is one of the worst hosts of any type of program.
I was also disappointed with the show.
Her marriages were only talked about in the first part and were only briefly mentioned.
And I would've liked her to mention how it was to act with the greats like Doris Speed, Pat Phoenix, Vi Carson, Peter Adamson and Betty Driver.
Piers' questions weren't that good actually. I've seen better shows - like the ones on Lulu, Cilla Black, Bill Roache and Lorraine Kelly.
It was car crash tv complete with the theatrics and the "tears" on tap. There is no doubting that Bet Lynch was and is one of the most memorable and popular characters of Coronation Street ever, but Ms Goodyear herself is as she was on Celebrity Big Brother a brash, opinionated, self centred and not very nice woman. I actually found it quite boring.
Well put, David. I caught the last 20 mins of the programem and felt truly sorry and embarassed for her husband. I've read her autobiography and it's terribly sad, you wouldn't wish on anyone what Julie Goodyear has gone through in her personal life, but Piers Morgan, I felt, was the wrong show for this kind of interview.
I was a bit dissapointed too. I've read her autobiography and Piers got nothing new out of her. Yes the tears seemed acted and yes it was awful to embarrass her husband on national TV. Perhaps it is a marriage of convenience. She did say that most of her relationships were not based on sex. I loved seeing the clip of her leaving day when she walked out the gate to a sea of about 20 fans. In her autobiography it says there were hundreds. At the end of the day, julie is never "just julie" she is always playing a part. For anyone who lives outside UK the Piers Morgan special is on youtube
Because I detest Piers Morgan, I'm quite glad he got nothing new out of Julie. Too many times, he's forced information out of celebrities and reduced them to a gibbering wreck just for the sake of good tv. I had the feeling she was saying to herself: 'You're not going to get me to crack', the result being not a brilliant show.
Gracious, witty, charming, modest, generous, fascinating...none of these adjectives come to mind in describing the subject of this excruciating interview. Instead, I kept thinking of Rita's description of Bet in their 2002 confrontation - "You're a hard, petty woman." A case of life imitating art?
For me Julie will always be a legend but I do dispair of some of the choices she has made career wise since leaving the street. This is just the latest in a long line of her 'hanging on' to her celebrity status. I have to say that although it was uncomfortable to watch her dismissal of Scott it was also rather refreshingly honest. More often than not these interviews with Piers end with the celebrity gushing about how wonderful their life is in the here and now. - Micky
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