The other day on Twitter I was asked to pick my seven favourite Coronation Street characters. An enjoyable bit of fun but it probably reveals more about ourselves, what we like and what we don't than we might immediately think.
For anyone interested, my pick of characters were: Alma Baldwin, Audrey Roberts, Hilda Ogden, Betty Turpin, Annie Walker, Ena Sharples and Elsie Tanner. For those who know me there aren't many surprises there. Of course they are all women but that's not necessarily surprising as the foundations of Corrie have always been strong, vibrant female characters. Also, only one of my top seven are currently appearing in the show - Audrey. The rest are either dead on screen or in real life.
I've always said I prefer much of what has gone before in Corrie than what we have now and that's not to say there aren't plenty of positives today before anyone cuts in! My friend and fellow blogger Emma also took part and she went the other way, choosing seven male characters. I was surprised by this, particularly in her penchant for Pat Phelan and Peter Barlow, but perhaps she was having an off day...
Anyway, with daft games like this it's sometimes more about who you leave out than who you include. For me, there were a few who nearly made the cut - Mavis, beautifully brought to life by that wonderful actress Thelma Barlow and yes, two men - Mike Baldwin, the best, more enduring Corrie character I've loved to hate and that lovable rogue Jack Duckworth portrayed by the sublime Bill Tarmey for so many years.
One of the hardest choices was not to include either Emily or Rita. If I had to pick I'd probably go for Emily as Eileen Derbyshire has kept her closest to her original character. Emily has matured in an extremely believable way and Derbyshire's quiet, non-showy performances are perhaps only know seen for what they are now she's no longer in the show. By the way, ITV , is Emily ever coming back? If Eileen has decided to quietly withdraw, please just tell us so we can respect her decision, wish her well and move on.
Anyway, have a go yourself, which seven Corrie characters would you pick as your favourites?
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19 comments:
Great blog Graeme. My 7 - in no particular order - Ena,Annie,Martha,Hilda,Betty,Mavis and Ivy.
IT's a difficult choice. Deirdre, Roy, Liz, Gail, Peter Barlow, Curly, Audrey
Love your blogs, Graeme, we don't see nearly enough of them. Mine would be: Hilda, Elsie, Len, Mike, Derek, Raquel, Deirdre.
Hmmm - Phyllis, Ena, Elsie, Annie, Bet and Alec, Hilda.
Hmmm... Sally, Bet, Deirdre, Gail, Liz, Vera, Percy. Though that would probably be a completely different list if you asked me tomorrow.
How could I forget Phyllis?!!
Thank you! Raquel was brilliant
Historic: Elsie, JacknVera, Hilda, Uncle Albert, Rita (in her heyday), Bet, Phyllis
Now: Audrey, Peter, Leanne, Jenny, Eva, Phelan, Liz
Peter, Hilda, Annie Walker, Ena, David, Bet
Here are some of mine, in order...
Past characters:
Blanche, Becky, Dennis, Deirdre, Stella (I know many hate her; not me!), Hayley and Rosie...
Current characters:
Rita, Yasmeen, Roy, Jenny, Gemma, Cathy and Eva...
All-time favourite:
Rita, Yasmeen, Dennis, Ken, Hayley, Becky, Blanche...
I vote for the cat.
Albert, Ena, Alec, Hilda, Mike, Minnie and Curly.
See, other names are coming to me now... can I have 20 characters in joint 7th place?
Becky, Peter, Silvia, Tony Gordon, Dierdre, Jack, and Betty
Betty, Elsie, Deirdre, Blanche, Roy, Alf and Mike Baldwin. The Deirdre/Blanche relationship was my favourite ever pairing.
Good question Graeme:
Rita (no surprise), Alf, Emily, Ken, Annie Walker, Norris, Blanche.
Raquel, jack, Vera, Bet, Carla, Roy, Dierdre, Hilda
I'll add Peter at some point but I'm mad with him as it stands arm.
Some of my favourite characters, dead or alive, on the show at the moment or not, in no particular order:
1.) David
2.) Sarah
3.) Izzy
4.) (the old) Todd
5.) Kylie
6.) Steve
7.) Tina
Bonus characters:
8.) Gary
9.) Peter
10.) Becky
11.) Sian
12.) Sophie
It was quite difficult to pick only seven, and even to pick twelve, favourite characters.
I could pick my least favourite characters easily though. They are Phelan, Tracy, the Naziers (except Zeedan, love him), Caz, and Carla (there are more, but I'm keeping it short).
Bethany Platt
Tina McIntyre
Kylie Platt
Gail Platt
David Platt
Sarah Platt
Eva Price
Yes, in that order! :)
I've only been watching since 2000 or so, so earlier characters aren't on my radar. This was a tough assignment, I've been mulling about it for over a day. In no particular order:
Blanche Hunt
Lloyd Mulvaney
David Platt
Roy Cropper
Tina McIntyre
Carla Connor
Leanne Battersby
I think these are also some of the most talented actors over the past 15 years. Blanche and Roy are one offs, complete originals with brilliant, insightful delivery. David has so many facets; he still really needs a friend or two. Lloyd never had much to do except be everybody's best friend. He brought out the best in Steve, Eileen and everyone else he dealt with; I wish he had bought the Rovers and stayed. Tina and Carla were both ruined by long downward spiraling exits; they were favorites only in their primes. Ken and Peter Barlow fought for the last slot but I gave it to Leanne because while they never change, she's grown as a character and keeps the 'normal' space interesting.
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