I came home late from work last night and sat down to watch Coronation Street before bed. What followed were some of the most mortifying scenes I've witnessed in Corrie's long history. Right up there with Tracy's "sexy" dance before offing nasty Charlie Stubbs, worse that Dev's naked form being displayed on the side of the posh flats and almost giving anything "Molvin" a run for its money.The mortification levels were so high in our house thanks to the delightful hen party storyline which saw Weatherfield's finest personal trainer, Kal Nazir, overexcite some rather unpleasant females by serving their microwaved puds half naked. The sight of Kal, stripped to the waist and slathered across the midriff with chocolate mousse was not only a waste of pudding, but a waste of my time as a Corrie viewer. Quite why this got Leanne's pulse racing I'm not quite sure, but it did and they snogged and nobody ever saw that one coming.
It was just so tedious. My complaint about last nights scenes comes in two parts I'm afraid, so buckle up.
First of all, and possibly most importantly for the reputation of the programme, this storyline was just incredibly contrived, hackneyed and disrespectful. How many times has the dreadful male stripper plot been used? The mild titillation afforded by half naked men in the 7.30pm time slot really isn't worth the effort. It really doesn't do the writers, actors or viewers any favours. It's not funny, it's not dramatic, it's not clever.
I blame the arrival of Brian Park back in the 1990s for this phenomenon. When he introduced Adam Rickitt to the viewing public back in 1997, Corrie would never be the same again. The female characters were soon to drool over his physique which was amply displayed, whether essential to the plot or not. Ever since, there has been a long line of muscular young men fulfilling that role. Yawn. Time for some new ideas I think.My second complaint is not directly about Coronation Street itself. I've been dismayed but not altogether surprised by the reaction to Jimi Mistry's role in the aforementioned storyline. Never mind whether you like the character or respect the actor, it really is totally unpleasant to pass such scathing judgements on someone else's appearance. Some of the comments I've read on internet forums and comments pages have been really out of line and I only hope the actor himself hasn't seen them. Fair play to the man for making the most of a lousy script and a bad idea. He did his best. I'd like to see how some of the people posting such negative comments about his appearance would cope if they had to endure such treatment.
So enough with the half naked waiters and the sticky toffee pudding. Judging by the content of last night's Corrie, they should've been serving up Manchester tart instead.
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It seems the writers have lost their way.
ReplyDeleteI think it might be time for the team to tune into Eastenders. That show went from really bad to really good in about a month.
I'm sad to say, that the Corrie is very boring at the moment. Perhaps some tough love.. get rid of some deadwood?
I am with you on this one Graeme. The childishness just keeps dragging on and on. We are just dragged screaming from one affair of the heart to another, one jealous triangle after another, will it never end?
ReplyDeleteGet out of the playground writers, grow up and give us some decent story lines!
I have always liked Jimi Mistry, he is being completely wasted in this, even though he is being shoehorned into every storyline like Stella was in the beginning. I hope for his sake he hasn't signed a long contract. Professional suicide.
All things considered, he's great for his age but Jimi deserves a much better storyline than the one he's got. If they wanted a sex god, they should have employed an actor around 25 years old - another Chris Fountain. I really don't think Leanne at her age would be turned on by any guy jigging about with custard on his chest. She would be more impressed if he flexed his muscles mending the boiler. (Or perhaps that's just me ...)
ReplyDeleteWhat is unbelievable to me is that Leanne the ex prostie, arsonist, cheat, thief etc., would get worked up over seeing a middle aged bloke with his shirt off. Talk about desperate for storylines...sheesh!!
ReplyDeleteI think Leanne would be more impressed with someone more like Dennis, her real-mum Janice's one-time beau. Leanne has had more than her share of the seamy side of life but it is was unfulling. She married a pretty boy once and that ended badly. She was engaged to another one, Jamie, that too was unsatisfying. I think any Corrie woman would be impressed by a man with integrity, gentle strength and compassion. Such a man has not walked the cobbles since Dennis' demise. (Perhaps Tyrone comes close).
ReplyDeleteWhy the concern for Mistry's gentle feelings? Noone cared if the feelings were hurt of Kate Ford, Michelle Collins, etc.
ReplyDeleteI think that a little eye candy is nice from time to time....but was not overly impressed with the goods on display.
Has anyone heard anything new regarding Kal's muslim daughter who is to be the next sex kitten on the street? lmao
Can't agree enough that this tripe must have been mortifying for the actor underneath Kal's good-time-guy persona. He may have had a laugh doing it for all we know and likely couldn't care less what other's think of his body but it seems like a particularly nasty story line to inflict on what seems to be an otherwise nice man.
ReplyDeleteAnd by 'eck but I'd have Janice's Dennis take a ride on my bike any day of t'week (or just over for tea)! Can't agree enough that he's a fantastic character and sadly missed.
I know we've had prostitutes, drug addicts, rape victims and murder victims but have any of the women on the Street been asked to provide some half-naked/stripper entertainment at the Rovers or any other locale? One imagines there'd be an uproar but apparently it's a great idea to treat men on the Street like idiots and sex-pots.
ReplyDeleteFor a time, Leanne was working in a bar where she had to dress like a bellydancer in skimpy clothing; I think that was after she disappeared after her affair with Danny Baldwin went bust? That was probably the closest we've come.
ReplyDeleteAs Frosty said in a previous post the whole thing was totally buttock clenchingly cringe from the start. And if actors strip off and expose us to their not very palatable bodies at what is basically tea time, then they have to put up with some criticism it I am afraid.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Frosty here. When Mistry was offered the role he would have known he was to play a personal trainer. Many actors change their physique to suit a role, so if he doesn't look much like a personal trainer with his shirt off he should be prepared for some criticism, or stipulate in his contract that he's not prepared to remove clothes.
ReplyDeleteSeconded. Personal comments attacking actors are never nice, but when a scene is as "in your face" as this was, they should either have employed an actor with an impressive body, or simply not forced him to strip off.
ReplyDeleteThe storyline meant that viewers, as well as Leanne, were meant to be impressed by the actor's physique... and it wasn't that impressive. He certainly doesn'tt doesn't have the body of a physical trainer.
I agree John McE, a personal trainer with a bad physique isn't very good advertising...
ReplyDeleteI think we can agree that the whole thing was a very bad idea from the start!
ReplyDeleteI remember watching Rosie Webster parading around in next to nothing on a constant basis. I don't remember reading any scathing remarks about Helen H showing off her bits - although I doubt anyone would have complained - she's a stunning girl.
ReplyDeleteWell probably Anon above that Rosie is young and good to look at. Sorry but Kal was not, a middle aged man with a flabby tummy and no muscle tone and man boobs. This was supposed to make Leanne and the other women in the Bistro swoon. Total miscasting again.
ReplyDeleteAny business out there for Chubby the Personal Trainer? LOL!
ReplyDeleteThe writers set Jimi Mistry up by showing the women (including Leanne and Steph) drooling over Kal. We were expected to buy the premise that he looked "buff". Unfortunately, poor Mr. Mistry was unable to deliver, so viewers were annoyed at the "false advertising", hence the nasty comments. It seems that the writers don't understand what mature women find attractive, (or, for that matter, what appeals to mature men) hence the many awkward pairings we've been subjected to in recent years. Yet another reason to cull the unskilled, unproductive writing team! Good, believable writing, across a wide age-range is harder than it looks. It takes real talent! The actors are only as good as their material, and contrary to some ITV upper management opinion, the current crop of writers are no Shakespeares!
ReplyDeleteDefrost indoors...after the Danny Baldwin affair Leanne became a full on prostitute. She returned and got involved with Liam Connor.
ReplyDeleteWhen Les found her in a club with a genie type outfit...this was years before. Otherwise good point.
Remember Sam the stripper? He had a mask on while he stripped....and you could tell that they did not use the same actor who played the character as the one who stripped. Different body was very apparant due to the arms.
If they needed a topless waiter/stripper to be believable then they needed to get Jason in there not the flabby Kal.
ReplyDeleteThey obviously knew the story line was coming so they should have hired a trainer for Mr. Mistry so he could look the part
not throw him in there and expect us to ignore his flabby body and believe the hype that his character Kal is fit.