I came across one of my most favourite Coronation Street scenes the other night and I felt it was worth a blog post all of its own. I'm sure many of you will have seen it before, however it definitely stands up to repeat viewings. You can view the scene here.Bet and Raquel are two of Corrie's best loved characters and their onscreen partnership in the Rovers during the 1990s was a joy. There was always humour mixed with touches of vulnerability. Julie Goodyear and Sarah Lancashire sum up what's best about Corrie in this scene. The performances are spot on, the acting is terrific. You can tell both Julie and Sarah are having fun with their characters. It is also written beautifully. Time is taken to set the scene up and it meanders along with nothing much happening. It's not the wham bam of today. It's funny and a little bit sad and is probably something a lot of viewers could and can relate to, and that for me is Corrie at its finest.
Betty Driver once said that while she would always love Coronation Street, she did miss the times in the Rovers where the regulars would chat together in long scenes where nothing much happened. It strengthened the sense of community and made it feel real. We do see a bit of that now and again, but for me the action nowadays is far too plot driven.
So Corrie writers, let's take a page out of Bet and Raquel's book. Let's have more Streetcars scenes with Steve, Lloyd and Eileen discussing nothing much of anything and having a laugh. Let's see Liz and Deirdre chewing the fat in the Rovers, Rita and Audrey musing over their rich histories. There's so much material to be explored and it doesn't all have to revolve around Tina flamin' McIntyre and pathetic Peter Barlow!
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There are so many places in Corrie where the characters could be funny or sad just by chatting or playing to relieve the boredom. We've seen it now with Steve and Lloyd in the cab office and the same could happen in the Kabin, the Rovers, the bus stop, the factory. It's best done with only two characters because they would reveal more about themselves. All the over-60's would have free bus travel so why don't Emily/Norris/Rita/occasional character stand at the bus stop, chatting? Do Sally and Anna ever hang their washing out? Could be some comedy between the two women. All it needs is some imaginative writing.
ReplyDeleteBet's hair alone deserves a mention. She makes Liz look positively demure.
ReplyDeleteCan today's writers produce such brilliant stuff? Can the current actors create such memorable moments? We viewers sure would like to find out!!
Brilliant post!
ReplyDeleteHear, hear!
ReplyDeleteThank you :) glad you enjoyed it
ReplyDeleteTotally agree.
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more.
ReplyDeleteI agree too. One problem is that some of the current writers don't seem comfortable with this sort of low key humour, as it's so infrequently used. There was a scene not long ago in the cab office where there was an argument about replacing the last biscuit in the barrel. It was so bad it was embarrassing to watch. Years ago this sort of thing would have been much better written and acted - and would have fitted in better with the show. These days unfortunately it seems tacked on and doesn't work. It's a real shame.
ReplyDeleteThat was one of the most superb scenes ever! That scene a few months back when Deirdre and Eileen got drunk after Paul left was pretty good. Not quite up to Bet and Raquel standards but echoing that old chemistry at least.
ReplyDeleteIt may be beyond the producers' control to be fair, but surely Eileen Derbyshire deserves more than her few lines. She has always proven to be very impressive in difficult scenes when asked and her character has an interesting backstory.I always find it odd how Deirdre and Tracy aren't next door more regularly!
ReplyDeleteEven if they need to limit the role, surely a character of Emily's history could be used to carry more weight in scenes? Almost like they used to do with Mrs Sharples and Mrs Walker at the end of their tenure where they would have fewer lines but better ones!
I seem to recall lots of conversations between the ladies of the street on the subject of "fellas" that were both insightful and funny. Nowadays such conversations could benefit from a slightly different perspective from Sean or Todd.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, the current crop of writers don't seem to have the time or the freedom to create such scenes.
That scene has always been my favourite of all time too Graeme. I believe it was written by Patrea Smallacomb, who wasn't there for all that long, but the dialogue in that was brilliant. You just wanted Bet to go on through the alphabet, and nod in agreement each time she came up with a name.
ReplyDeleteSarah Lancashire was such a good actress, and did drunk beautifully!
I agree. Also, Eileen was quite funny when she first came into the show, now she seems so ground down and miserable. Would be nice to see the poor cow get more of her verve back and not just reduced to bitching about Andrea. Please God no, not another member of the Olympic Arm Folding Squad! --Smelloid
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