Well, we've found out who is fans' favourite Corrie male and it led to think what makes a top Corrie bloke?
Unlike the countless memorable women who have tread the Corrie cobbles, very few men have really left their stamp on the show and have become 'legends' - exceptions being Ken, Mike, Roy, Jack Duckworth and Fred Elliott.
Steve McDonald received 400 more votes than Percy Sugden who was at the bottom of the poll and there were even over 200 votes between Steve and Peter Barlow who was just as No.5. I imagine it would be a closer call with the top 25 women possibly?
Steve has the qualities of every kind of man in Corrie's history. As pub landlord he's at the heart of the community in the same guise as Alf at the Corner Shop or when Jack ran the Rovers. He's had his share of women like Ken and Mike but he's also been henpecked by Karen and Michelle like poor Stan and Jack. He can be very funny like Eddie Yeats or Graeme and has formed great partnerships in the same way as Reg and Curly or Stan and Eddie.
The classic Corrie man has never been a hunk. They have been ordinary blokes leading ordinary lives. Their jobs are nothing out of the ordinary: pub landlord, cafe owner, window cleaner, bookie, hairdresser, butcher, teacher and builder. Not to sound snobbish, but a man with a higher wage job wouldn't live on the street. Apart from a brief period in 1976-1977, Mike Baldwin opted to live in a swanky flat and lorded over his employees.
Side by side with strong Corrie women like Ena Sharples, Elsie Tanner, Bet Lynch, Rita Fairclough, Vera Duckworth and Carla Connor, you've had ordinary men like Harry Hewitt, Don Brennan, Gary Mallett and Tyrone Dobbs. I know there have been weak and forgettable women but the women always trump the men with immortality: Alan Howard was Elsie Tanner's husband, Don Brennan was Ivy Tilsley's husband or Luke Strong was Carla Connor's business partner. Remember him??
The recent fad of introducing 'hunky' male characters like Matt Carter, Andy Carver and Luke Britton have led to them become boring characters with no character qualities. Just look at the top 10 men voted by you - with the exception of Peter, Mike and Ken, every other man there is not known for their looks. It is their personalities and traits that stand out.
So that's what I think makes a good Corrie bloke - ordinariness but also that something extra special that makes you love them as a character.
What about you? What makes a top Corrie bloke for you?
by Llifon
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5 comments:
I suppose a character has to have a likeable side which even Mike Baldwin had now and then. They have a certain charm. THey have strong partnerships with either a woman/women and I think should have good friend connections. Andy has Steph. Kind of has Michael but doesn't seem to be mates with any of the other men his age, not even his girlfriend's brother. Where are the scenes with Andy and Luke having a pint together chatting about anything and nothing?
Well said, Tvor. Even more intruiging is where are the scenes with Andy chatting with Michael? How exactly does their relationship stand at present. I can't believe it's been ignored.
As for the good looking guys being boring - Steve himself was once the teen pin-up boy of the show, and yet he managed to evolve into our favourite bloke. If the writers would just invest in the likes of Luke and Andy, who knows where they could go - both actors are capable enough of carrying more humour and personality. For heaven's sake, one of these men was capable of impersonating someone else for months! That can't be a boring guy! Unfortunately there is too much focus on storyline rather than character development, with the result that as soon as Andy's impositure was revealed to Michael, the writers lost interest in him as a character, turning instead to the ludicrous Gail/Eileen Russell for Michael.
Steve has been a rogue in his time, and treated Vicky, his first wife very badly. He only married her for her money. Andy was the good twin, and Steve the evil one. I think Steve's redemption, was when they discovered Simon Gregson had a natural talent for comedy, and started writing for him to utilize this. Then when they paired him with Lloyd it was pure magic. We always love someone who can make us laugh, good looks can only go so far.
Clearly they need to have depth, complexity and be interesting. This one-sided type of fellow is immediately forgettable.
That's what we love about C.S. It's about normal, everyday people with normal, everyday lives.
American soaps always have beautiful, rich, important people with important jobs and all the flash that goes along with it, but they're so very boring and unrealistic.
C.S. is down to earth, a show that everyone can relate to!
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