There's been angry reaction today to the news that Kylie Platt is going to be killed off in Coronation Street. The reaction from Coronation Street fans this morning is that it's a spoiler too far, too much, too soon.
In almost nine years of running the Coronation Street Blog (it started in December 2007) I've never woken up to an angry reaction like it. On twitter, by email, on the blog, on facebook. I'm going to take myself away from the computer for the rest of the day.
The spoiler and accompanying Youtube trailer has been released by ITV, it's an official storyline teaser.
We're just the messenger. Please don't shoot us.
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21 comments:
My first reaction to reading the spoiler on the blog was annoyance but I realised that it would be all over the soap mags. Paula Lane would be giving interviews etc etc. I remember somebody letting the cat out of the bag about Alan Bradley's death and I was furious. Perhaps that's the era when the spoilers started. Those days are gone and it's a shame. I just don't understand the point of Corrie announcing the end of the storyline. What do they gain by it?
The thing that gets me about this is: there's no mystery about it. Perhaps a "how will she die?" thing, but that's it. (And given Paula Lane is heavily pregnant, I'm guessing Kylie's end isn't going to be physically demanding, in case we get a glimpse of her prominent baby bump). It's not like there's a fire or something and the mystery is "who will live and who will die?" It's just, "yeah, Kylie's dead." And it's not being restricted to those who seek out spoilers, the people who buy soap mags or come to this blog - it's being played on a trailer, on ITV, for everyone to see. This is not a criticism of the blog at all, it's squarely on ITV. They've decided that the only way to get people tuning in is to tell them what's going to happen... therefore negating any mystery about what's going to happen, and removing the need to watch it.
Other shows have made huge capital out of their lack of spoilers. EastEnders regularly sends social media into shock by whipping out an unheralded return or departure. It's treating the drama as the centrepiece: making the show's integrity important. New viewers are attracted by the promise of revelations, the surprise, the fuss that was made about this shock. Revealing Kylie's death is treating the regular viewers with contempt - people who've invested time in the character's growth are irrelevant. We'll watch whether we know what happens or not. The important people are floating viewers who might turn on with a promise of a bit of blood. It's insulting and frustrating.
ITV are in danger of killing the goose that lays the golden egg for them. The whole strategy around the programme is in tatters, which is why the 6 episode announcement has gone down like a lead balloon. Nobody reads the last page of a book as because it'd be a waste of time reading it, a joke isn't so funny if you know the punchline. I'm reaching a crossroads with Corrie at the moment, so frustrating to see an old friend getting further into a mess.
I'm so annoyed about this. Other than the fact that I didn't want to her to die, Coronation Street shouldn't be spoiling every storyline for us. The only consolation is the nice picture.
I agree with the annoyance, but like I just said on the Facebook thread, you've just done the same thing... :(
To be honest I don't know why soaps need to do spoilers, I'm fed up with them, and have stopped reading a certain Soaps forum because of them. Imagine how much more impactful this would have been if it had come as a total surprise. It can't be to get viewers - surely in this day and age you either watch the "big three" or you don't, and equally surely, the number of new/floating/lapsed viewers they're going to gain as a result of a spoiler like this isn't going to be massive in the scheme of things? Grr.
I think they went a bit too far with what they released. Takes all the fun out of watching it if you know what is going to happen. I think back to when they killed off Liam--there were spoilers with that, but at least they had three different scenarios so you didn't really know which one. You had to watch and as each scene played out, the viewer was left wondering "is this when it happens??"
Seriously, what is next, releasing the scripts online for viewers to read?
I'm one of many in my circle of Corrie long time viewers who very much look forward to Spoiler Alerts. It prompts anticipations and great discussions. We are also the type of people that take a peek at the end of a book. In response to why bother reading a book, viewing a movie or soap plot is this, we may know the Who, but it's the What, Where, When and Why, that makes it all the more suspenseful and enticing, etc.. This is why I think Spoiler Alerts are so popular.
I do think this might be one too far. Since we knew Paula Lane was leaving, most people would have expected her to be sent to prison so it would have been a really good turn about to have her die. I'm a bit surprised but not totally because she wouldn't leave her family on purpose just as we knew Hayley wouldn't leave Roy. But there was another way. I hate the "filming more than one ending" for stories because it's contrived but this might be the time when it would have been useful.
Tvor has it spot on. As we've known for what seems like forever that she was leaving, the assumption was prison,so it's the lost opportunity for a truly stunning twist that is so annoying. Issues, gimmick casting and stunts are nothing (and over-done) compared to true twists and surprises that are nweded to sustain viewer interest in a world with so many other distractions - particularly in the 6episode future.
The candidness of spoilers is an indication of desperation over low ratings. A loyal viewership would have been trusted to tune in to see how Kylie's exit would unfold. In the absence there of, they resort to telling us 'if you abandon us, here is what you will miss.'
What would they have done with this character anyway? She surely wouldn't have left her kids with David and I, for one am glad to see the end of the her. She wasn't a fit with David from the beginning IMO. Good luck to her..she's a cracking actor. And, if you don't want to know what's coming up on Corrie, don't go on the internet looking for it.
These spoilers are stupid. You commit to watching to the end, only for them to ruin the ending. Hate them.
And I'm truly disappointed that a popular character like Kylie gets killed off, like Tina. Yet Jason gets to go on holiday. How stupid are these choices.
And Max loses both biological parents in one year. Ridiculous. They better show some serious fallout in this boy's life, for David to have to handle.
How is that young actor going to be up to that? That's rough.
Re anon 18.42. I didn't go on the internet looking for Corrie spoilers. I was reading another news related website, nothing to do with Corrie, and the spoiler metaphorically slapped me across the face! Couldn't avoid it
This is a shameful spoiler as it just popped up on my FB page without my ability to look away. The mystery of how Kylie would depart was the only thing of interest surrounding this entire painful saga. The fact that what has been released leaves little room for the imagination or there to be an extra twist at the end that we didn't expect is pathetic. Boo ITV!!
This didn't seem a big spoiler to me, as I'm sure I read a while ago that her character would be killed off. It is a shame, she is a fab actress and her character has grown on me.
I've grown quite used to the annoyance of spoilers, but can't be too upset by this one...
...at one point I reveled in the idea of Kylie and her sister reuniting on the cobbles, but got over that in the last year. Truth be told, I will still watch because the joy is in the journey not necessarily the destination.
At least Kylie is going to heaven as an angel. She is wearing all white. If she was going to hell, she would be in black. LOL!
I agree with anon at 18.53, you don't need to go looking for the spoilers to see them!
I hate spoilers myself but ITV have been running them for quite a lot of years now. The only reason I can think of for using them is to increase the number of viewers for these "big" episodes, so maybe they do achieve the objective. People who don't watch all the time might tune in if they think something big is going on.
Agree with Scott. They're more concerned with attracting the casual viewer- who'll inevitably tune out again - rather than rewarding loyal viewers by creating surprises. Eastenders have used the latter approach recently. It may not increase ratings,but I'm sure it adds significantly to audience appreciation.
Final words on this "spoiler"...
1. We have always posted spoilers and will continue to post spoilers. This blog started in 2007 and has always posted spoilers.
2. The Kylie death story was an ITV press release - not a tabloid spoiler. ITV Coronation Street *wanted its viewers to know* that this character was being killed off.
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