It didn't end up that way, and when Michelle Collins finally departs the Street in 2014, she'll be unmourned. In fact, there will probably be a queue of viewers outside the gates willing to drive her anywhere she wants to go, so long as it's a long way from Weatherfield.
Why was Stella such a failure? I reckon there are a few factors that came into play that meant the viewers were sceptical even before she set foot on the cobbles.
The first we heard of Michelle Collins' potential involvement in the Street was when she had a dinner with the show's then new producer, Phil Collinson. The tabloids leapt to a conclusion: Michelle was being scoped out as a new star of Corrie. "They're just friends!" the press office said. "They've worked together before, and they were just having a chat." Michelle had previously appeared in Sea of Souls and Doctor Who, both of which were produced by Phil. In fact, in Doctor Who, she played a loyal wife who refused to believe her husband was a villain even as he killed her workmates; it ended with an enormous fireball. No typecasting there.
It meant that when Michelle finally turned up on the Street, it had a slight tang of nepotism about it. She hadn't got the job because she was the best for the role - she got it because she and Phil were great showbiz pals. The feeling that she had been parachuted in only got worse when it was revealed she was the new landlady of the Rovers. Since Annie Walker died, there's been a certain feeling that you have to earn ownership of the pub. It's the heart of the show, and as such, the landlord or lady should be a character we already care about. Bet. Jack and Vera. Fred Elliot. Liz and Steve. Families who are being rewarded for their years of loyal service by getting one of the prime jobs on British television.
Stella waltzed in, first as manageress, then as owner of the Rovers, and we knew nothing about her. It felt wrong, somehow, watching Ken and Deirdre order pints off this complete stranger. The effortless way in which Liz McDonald has returned and reasserted her dominance demonstrates how tough it is behind that bar.
Bringing an actor who was so well known for one role on a rival soap into Corrie was going to be different - just look at how badly Michael "Sinbad" Starke fared when he moved into number six. Worse, whether it was the intention of the scriptwriters, or the determination of Michelle Collins to be not-Cindy, Stella was made soft as an eiderdown. She didn't have a wicked, bitchy side to her; she was caring, huggable, empathetic. Or as it's also know, dull.
Corrie is built on strong women and Stella was just a drip. She was forever popping up to provide a cup of tea and a sympathetic ear; the back room of the Rovers became a drop in centre for the emotionally traumatised. Wander in for a quiet pint because you'd had a bad day at work and next thing you knew Stella had whipped you behind the bar for a cup of Tetley and a hand holding session. Again, the landlady of the Rovers should be involved in everyone's lives - she sees them every day and hears all the gossip. Watching characters we'd known for years open up to this stranger felt wrong though. She didn't fit.
The introduction of Sue Johnston as her mum, Gloria, felt like an even more desperate attempt to get us to like Stella: "Look!" the show seemed to say. "Her mum is Sheila Grant! Or, if you're a bit younger, Barbara Royle! She's a legend of British television, and she produced Stella! Admit it, you like her a bit more now." And it might have worked, if they ever gave Gloria something decent to do. Sue Johnston's considerable acting talents were wasted, and it was no surprise that she decided to leave before Michelle Collins had even announced her departure.
The net result was a character we didn't care about who never went away. If you're behind the bar at the Rovers, you get far more scenes than any other actor; even if your only line is "two ninety eight, ta", you have to be there. It felt like Stella was always around, and so antipathy turned into hatred. Overexposed characters can come back from the brink. Michelle was the Most Fragrant Empress of the Universe for a while; every appearance made you want to vomit up your own kidney. A combination of quieter storylines and, admittedly, Kym
By the time the Rovers was burnt to the ground with her in it, most viewers were praying that she'd get caught up in the conflagration. That would have been the perfect point for Stella to quietly exit, stage left, flogging the pub back to the McDonalds and vanishing. That didn't happen; we got a load of hand-wringing and talk about financial hardship before Gloria revealed she had a few grand in the back of a drawer and did Stella want it? Looking back at those lengthy discussions about overdrafts and paying Owen, it's hard not to feel a little bitter; it was a massive waste of time, because the minute Stuart Blackburn took over as producer he exiled the Prices to the outer darkness. Stella's barely been onscreen for months, and she isn't missed.
There's still a little while left on Michelle Collins' contract. Time enough to make us regret her departure, if the writers really try; after all, once she goes, Leanne won't be left with any relatives who aren't Platts. Now that she's free of the Rovers there's time to make Stella fun and interesting before she bows out. Alternatively, someone could lock her in the cellar at the Bistro for six months; I suspect that many of the viewers won't be bothered either way.
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10 comments:
Take a new character, give her a motor mouth - shove her into every scene possible = instant dislike. The writers simply weren't up to the task IMO. They have one formula - either the female is brain dead and an evil bitch all in one, or she's a genius but can't keep a man. The whole female persona is centered around whether or not the female can bag and keep her mate. It really is medieval thinking and the writers had better start scrambling for better material other than Dev on a health kick or another gay storyline. They also drag out storylines to the enth degree.
As the fiasco with Dennis has shown, the writers now are just not up to the job.
I don't think it's the fault of the writers, it's the Powers That Be who want the character to be a certain type. So much for "ballsy and brassy", Stella was neither of those from the very start. Eva has more balls and brass along with her daftness which is why we love her!
I am still predicting a STella/Dev fling, mark my words.
What made me dislike Stella was the fact that they tried to introduce a new character and instantly make her one of the Street matriarchs. Like with owning the pub, to me, that is something that you have to earn over the years. I wouldn't have minded her being in every scene if all she was doing was serving drinks for most of them, but so much of her story lines felt like a desperate attempt to make us like her. It's like they're trying to force characters to be iconic rather than letting them develop that status over time because the viewers love them.
(1) i had seen michelle collins in a few tv shows over the years with her strong cockney accent. The fact she came in with a false northern accent made her a bit less believable from day 1. (2) someone like stella would never have slept with the likes of les Battersby in a million years (3) she was too nice to be a landlady, not ballsy at all, unlike Liz McDonald. (4) comments like "betty was really kind to me..." When she had never worked with Betty made it feel like the producers were trying to con us into believing she had been a long established character.
I didn't mind Stella, but of course I had never seen her in any other role. I did not understand the hate everyone had for her, but she'll be gone soon so thankfully we have Michelle (?) now?
I know people might call me silly but stella is my favourite charachter out of them all
Said it before, but in addition to what you've all said, the downfall of Stella was that there was no humour there, just this dull earnestness. She's the equivalent of tepid chamomile tea, no sugar.
I am one of those who has never seen an episode of EE as I am in Canada. Her northern accent did not jar on me for the same reason. What did turn me off not just her but Corrie in general was that she highlighted the slap-dash way in which this series is now being produced. WIthin a few months she was shown to have secret daughter, was run over and seen dying at Wethy General with tubes up her nose, rescued little Simon from certain death, had her life savings gambled away, was cheated upon, had a toy-boy, then survived another near-death. I asked myself why I am I wasting my time with this drivel? I deserve so much better. So Stella's legacy for me is the breaking of a thirty-year habit.
Aren't we over this character yet? Beating a dead horse at this point.
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