I'm no fan of the relationship between Carla and Roy as I think it's been forced and for this fan, it doesn't feel natural. But I know lots of people like it - including our blogger Ruth.
When Alison King leaves the show later this year, will people look back on Carla Connor and think to themselves 'Ah, Carla Connor... now there was a Corrie icon'?
What do you think - is Carla Connor a Coronation Street icon? Yay or Nay?
I vote Yay.
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26 comments:
Yes I think so.
Definitely. No doubt about it.
I feel that Carla had a lot of potential...but she kept going off the rails so many times - it kind of ruined it for me. No matter how many people support here she goes into self destruct and hurts all those who care about her. She is wealthy, popular, beautiful, etc and it is not enough.
I can understand why some would consider her an icon...but I just don't.
Hi Glenda, I'm curious as to why you vote yes, would love to know more about your thinking. I've always felt some ambivalence. I like the character - her loyalty, no-nonsense attitude, caring but sharp management style. You find something forced in her relationship with Roy, I think I find something forced in her entire character. The storylines were so overdramatic that they didn't leave much for inference or gentle arcs. The character might have depended a lot on looks, sex and abuse to create interest (not sure about that). Judging from the twitter megafans of Carla, she seems to appeal to the young, stalker-type fans that are vulnerable to valuing looks, sex and abuse. Am I far off the mark here? Would love to hear what others think!
I would say she's an icon just because of her storylines being so memorable and the fact she's been at the forefront of so many big storylines, so often. She's got the look - hair, ear-rings, handbag - and the factory. She's flawed, of course. I wouldn't want her for my friend, that's for sure. But memorable she most certainly will be and on that basis, I vote her as an icon.
I would agree that she's an icon (at least for this era of the show) but she was ruined by too many disasters: the factory burning down every few years or teetering on the edge, the perpetual target of Tracy's vengeance, too many accidents and crimes (the factory siege with Tony Gordon, rape by Frank, accusations of murder, Victoria Court fire, Bistro break-in, etc.).
A big YAY from me.
It would be interesting to see how people feel if you ask this question in a few years time. M.L x
Potentially iconic but as others have said the character has become too incredible, the latest round of disasters have jumped the shark with her.
Nay!
Yay!
When I wonder whether Carla is a Corrie icon, I compare her to other characters who are, like Elsie, Roy, Ena, Annie, Steve (maybe) or Ken. To be an icon is to be a symbol or representative of something. What is Carla a representative of, exactly? How shoddy writing can ruin a character's potential? As others have mentioned, through no fault of hers she's been put in storylines that stretch the suspension of disbelief to its breaking point and beyond. Too bad, because I think given more time and better material she would have reached icon status.
Memorable, yes. Iconic, no. Not for me, anyway.
Of course she is an icon for the past decade. Icons are not necessarily positive. Thatcher is a reviled icon of the Eighties in that she embodied all that was wrong in that decade. Similarly this decade of Corrie is crime focussed and over the top. She does personify that in her character.
Yes, she is an icon. She represents a flawed, but very strong woman, who though often "down", constantly manages to resurface. Liz is an icon too, and I am surprised nobody mentioned her in the blog post about whether or not Michelle can take over from Carla (no, she can't).
Mostly definitely not.
It cannot be this easy to be an icon. Just because the character has hung around for a while and had the lead in a lot of storylines does not make it so. The storylines she was involved it seemed forced and many times just outrageously unbelievable. Who really is the real Carla Connor? To me, despite her longevity, she is still a plastic character. Can she really compare to the icons like Annie Walker, Hilda Ogden, Bet Lynch, Elsie, Ena...these characters you immediately recognize and a compelling set of images and human/emotional attributes immediately come to mind. My favourite is Hilda -- the char lady who pined for a bit of the good life. She strikes an emotional chord in everyone who at some point, despite the circumstances dares to dream of a bit of luxury. What immediate compelling image comes to mind with Carla? Sitting in her desk at the factory? Drinking? Gambling? Fooling around with married Liam? I can picture Annie Walker behind the bar holding court with that severe look on her face. No, I do not consider Carla an icon. The poor quality of writing and cavalier attitude on the part of the show's producers who have largely failed to protect this once great show works against the formation of any more icons.
Not IMO..just a old lush with a revolving door to her bedroom. Time for her to go.
It's a yes from me - she is undeniably a Corrie icon. Despite her flaws, Queen Carla still represents what I love about Corrie.
I'm with Tvor - I 'think' so too. She's one of my favourites, but I'd like to have seen her stay with the family longer. A Corrie icon needs to be part of the woodwork and while Carla has had many amazing storylines and scenes, I think she still has (or would have if she weren't leaving) an interesting Corrie journey ahead.
I hope she comes back in a few years.
Unsurprisingly I say yay.
For a moment I thought I had accidentally come across an old post on here because I'm sure there was a post almost identical to this one a while back (or have I imagined that?)
I think the brilliant thing about Carla is that she is portrayed by an actress like Alison King. The only one of her kind. She has amazing screen presence, she isn't a 20-something with stars in her eyes and we won't find her on twitter or see her doing the usual TV interviews. She values her privacy and she isn't interested in chasing fame. Anyone who meets her says how lovely she is.
What I do know about her is that she is a mother in her 40's giving her all to a role that must be so incredibly time consuming and physically, and mentally draining. You would have to be very passionate about your work to do what she's done over the last 10 years.
I do get frustrated with the writing sometimes but I can't bring myself to care for too long because at the end of the day, she still manages to be fabulous. Flawed but beautiful, fierce but vulnerable, witty, endearing, sexy, strong, passionate and incomparable. Even if she self-destructed, cheated, got drunk a million times, she would still be the impossible-to-ignore Carla Connor, an engaging character the other soaps can only dream of and I genuinely can't imagine Corrie without her, so for me she is absolutely a Coronation Street icon.
IMHO, the programme is so lacking in true iconic figures these days, apart from some of the older members of the cast that, when any actor comes along that is half-way decent, they are immediately labelled an "icon".
Way too many of the younger cast simply play themselves.
John McE - With respect I don't think it's got anything to do with being half-way decent. There are quite a few half-way decent actors/characters on the show and they are not called icons.
It's got everything to do with the impact a character makes. What they bring to the show, their ability to provoke strong reactions from viewers over a long period of time - years, in fact. To be fair, Carla has done all that. She has made a massive impact, viewers are emotionally invested in her and everything she does is memorable.
It's a YAY from me.
Carla's definitely a modern Corrie Icon. She represents the strong women that the show does so well, even with all her flaws underneath.
She keeps you rooted to the screen when she's on.
Total Yay!
-Pod
That's a nay from me. Carla has been a credible and sympathetic character, but she is not in the same league as Elsie Tanner, Ken Barlow or Hilda Ogden.
I'd like to think Corrie does have an icon in Carla Connor. It's a YAY from me
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