Sunday, 12 June 2016

Who will be the next Coronation Street siren?

Soap operas are nothing without their stereotypes. This remains as true today as it always did. Think back to that first episode of Coronation Street in December 1960 when the types were introduced to us and then repeated through the years.

We had a battleaxe...

We had a snob...

And of course, we had a siren...

Or, as Tony Warren put it in his 1969 autobiography I was Ena Sharples father - the character brief called for an actress in her mid-40s with 'tit and glitter'

I'm not sure that Carla Connor exactly fell into this category but she was a Street icon, a siren of sorts. She entered a man's world of the knicker factory and took charge for years, before almost running it into the ground. 


 
Who will follow in her high-heel shoes and clatter over the cobbles in her wake?  How will Corrie fill the void left now that she's gone - and who with?

Ah, now there's a question.

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5 comments:

  1. Humpty Dumpty12 June 2016 at 17:34

    I have to say that Carla the siren didn't work for me mainly because a woman like her would choose her men well away from the grubby Street. I know it was supposed to be a case of 'you can take a girl out of the council estate but you can't ... etc'. Carla was far too classy to be another Elsie. I'm not sure she's an icon yet either. You need some distance to reflect on which characters qualify for that.

    Definitely, Sally is the snob. I hope the writers don't ruin it and make her too cartoonish. As for the battle axe, maybe Yasmeen. I do wish she had some female friends so they could sit in the community centre keeping a watchful eye on the Street.

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  2. Derelict Cucumberpatch12 June 2016 at 19:03

    Eva could well qualify as a siren.

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  3. Rapunzel12 June 2016 at 19:10

    I love Eva but she's too young to be an Elsie Tanner substitute. That person needs experience. Liz could qualify even though she's now in her 50s (the same age as Elsie during the 1970s/80s).

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  4. C in Canada13 June 2016 at 15:20

    I don't think Yasmeen could fill the battleaxe role very well. She has too much compassion underneath it all. There is a kindness to her that belies the battleaxe label.

    We need Sylvia back for that! lol

    Eva - yes she is young, but I think she could grow into the siren role.

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  5. Anonymous13 June 2016 at 18:18

    I think Michelle could be the siren. This silliness with Steve could be the straw that breaks the camel's back and bring on a Michelle that will turn heads. Just saying....

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