I've always watched Corrie, ever since I can remember. Those classic 90s end credits are even playing in the TV in the background of one of my baby videos. This is the episode that aired on the day I was born, and watching it back, there's an awful lot of things that have changed. Notably, it's jam-packed with classic characters from the Duckworth's to Janice Battersby - and that made me think about how much heritage has been lost in the past sixteen years.
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| Vera and her big-kid Jack were a crucial part of Corrie |
The cobbles nowadays are very youth populated, and it's sad to see the attention focusing away from the vast history of the show. Nick and Carla are no Jack and Vera (I'm yet to even be convinced that they even show affection for eachother) and my biggest hatred at the moment is the use of their collective name Narla. It's used mainly by thirteen year olds on Instagram who think that the show began with Liam Connor's death - though I have seen the official Corrie accounts writing it now and again. Ack.
I love the fact that Coronation Street has a lot of young fans, but my biggest hope is that they begin to respect the brilliant past times the show has had. Believe it or not, there was life before that tram crash...I hope you'll agree.
You can follow me on Twitter if you so wish to: @MichaelAdamsUk. There's not a mention of Narla anywhere.
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Trust me, I love the days of Stan and Hilda and Elsie Tanner. Some of my favourite moments were in the 70's and 80's.
ReplyDeleteIt also annoys me that 10yr olds make role play accounts on instagram. I really love the days of Bet Lynch.
ReplyDeleteOh dear. There's Corrie fan-fiction out there? This is not something I've come across. I thought it was all devoted to Harry Potter and the Hunger Games. Sounds utterly dire! And to think we moan about the current show writers! Ladies & gentlemen, I give you the future ...!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. My interest was piqued to take a look but I think you've just convinced me life's too short for that. Yet another curious unforeseen development of the virtual age!
DeleteFirstly, let me just say that I am not a fan of Nick but I am a fan of Carla so I have communicated with some "Narla" fans on twitter.
ReplyDeleteHope you don't mind me saying but I think it's a shame that you've singled them out in a pretty harsh way like this. They may well be young but so what? They are passionate, enthusiastic fans of the show and in my eyes, that's a really good thing. You or I don't have a right to judge them based on how much they support a new relationship on a soap.
I have watched Corrie for years - and I'm no spring chicken - but I like to think that I am entitled to enjoy new characters and new relationships as much as I want. Just because you have a different opinion doesn't mean you should criticise theirs. The show has to keep moving on but that doesn't mean anyone is disrespecting the past.
It is really awful some of the role play. One account was just themed on Bethany, honestly it is just dreary.
ReplyDeleteMichael, I always enjoy your blogs! I've saved the episode you referred to and will watch it later. I'm off now to watch Corrie (here in Canada).
ReplyDeleteI must say that I am happy we have young fans of Corrie yourself and of course Joseph. Sadly I could never get my son or husband to watch.
Thinking back over my lifetime, I feel it is easy to see the world in generalizations when you are young. Then again the same seems to apply when you are old. However, I get your frustration with fans who seem to be wanna-bes rather than actual fans and the anonymity of the Internet certainly seems to provide many opportunities to take fantasy to ridiculous proportions. At the same time, I have to hope there are many younger people familiar with some of the older characters and storylines.
ReplyDeleteI also wish there was more emphasis on some of the older characters and the history of the Street mixed in with the newer cast and current story lines. I get that stories need to be relevant to the audience watching them but that doesn't mean the past can't be referred to more or that the characters can't return to their more "everyman" roots. There is a gloss on the cobbles now that does not ring true anymore and that is truly unfortunate.
I do agree that a good balance of older and younger characters is needed. As for the Narla thing, I find that quite amusing that young viewers are entertained by their relationship, as both Nick and Carla are probably old enough to be the kids parents! (and Ben Price must be a good 10 years older than Nick's supposed to be anyway).
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post. I'm old so I don't understand NARLA but then again, I don't think I'm supposed to. It's great that Corrie fans can express themselves in many ways - instagram, role play, fan fiction, blogging here, podcasting, and any fan interaction is to be lauded, even if we don't all like what other fans like. It's a brave blog post for our youngest blogger Michael to have written as he stands against a tide of Narlaism. He doesn't like it but plenty do and I'd welcome a blog post from anyone reading this who would like to put their view across - just email in, I'd love to hear from you.
ReplyDeleteWhat I object to, as a lifelong Corrie fan however, is official Corrie sources as Michael mentions (@itvcorrie I'm looking at you) who have over a million twitter followers yet seem to be aiming their tweets at the 12 year Narla fans. It's patronising to the rest of us and this blog provides the well-rounded fan experience that I love.
ReplyDeleteWith all due respect I think some are taking these fans too seriously. I assume that 'NARLA' is just a pet name for them and it's only a bit of fun.
ReplyDeleteFans of other soap couples do it too and I know that Catherine Tyldesley calls Jason and Eva "Jeva" so I guess that's the same thing.
Personally, I think it's great if @itvcorrie is encouraging younger fans. There are enough negatives on the show without finding faults in the way fans choose to express themselves.
I won't be calling anyone Narla or Jeva but it makes no difference to me if others are. If that's what floats your boat then go for it.
I think the point you're missing is that how you may view characters ie Jack and Vera is how others may view different characters.
ReplyDeleteYou're not really taking into account that people will start watching the show at different times so the past for them is differing from the past you remember. For example a lot of these fans won't have been old enough to remember Jack and Vera and their legacy so why should they be expected to take them into consideration.
Also, I think the thing is, regardless of how flawed the relationships are, people view Carla as an incredibly popular character and they warm to her. So if she is in a storyline, they warm to those relating to her therefore leading to Narla.
I think it's just a credit to Alison King how adored her and her character are - I've never seen such passion relating to a soap character. It's a positive :)
Role playing has been around a long time as has fan fiction which really came into its own with the internet. I don't participate in either but just because it's not my thing, doesn't mean it's valid for the fans that enjoy it, young or old and I think that's what Michael's saying, too. Itv isn't above that either, having given Norris a voice on twitter a couple of years ago (and is still ongoing, i believe). While i do follow ITV Corrie on Twitter, I'm not on twitter on a regular daily basis so I haven't really noticed that they are targeting younger viewers but then it doesn't surprise me either. While people of all generations are on social media, younger people have made it a part of their everyday life. Getting younger viewers in helps to ensure the life of the show. Corrie changes over time and the viewer demographic does as well.
ReplyDeleteWhile Corrie can be a lot more sensational than it used to be when I first started watching, and overall probably the storylines suffer for having so many episodes and such a huge cast, I'm glad it's still on the air and I still love and enjoy it.
Yes Michael @Joseph187502
ReplyDelete