It's a rant against Coronation Street and despite my best efforts for I like to see the good in everything Corrie-wise, I did find myself in agreement with some of it. The use of the word unpleasant is telling in the letter. I sucked in air though my teeth when the pig's heart was revealed and muttered 'Ooh, there's no need for that."
But maybe I'm an old fuddy-duddy who needs to get a life. I'm wondering what you, dear readers, think to the letter above?
Agree? Disagree? Let us know your thoughts!
Please read our advice for leaving comments on the Coronation Street Blog
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
21 comments:
I think it's nonsense personally.
I agree. Perhaps the show hires writers and producers who have experience but I doubt they hire Corrie fans.
It used to be that storylines flowed with the characters and stemmed from how they were because those in charge knew these people. Now I can picture the writers deciding that an attempted murder storyline would be just the thing to help ratings and then foisting it on some random group. Maybe they even drew it out of a hat and it could just as well have been Johnny at the bottom of the factory steps with his relatives looking suspicious. Or why not Steve down the pub steps, Nick down the Bistro steps?
Then to make sure the storyline they've decided on is somewhat credible they twist and turn the characters every which way
with no regard to the past or the future.
Never mind that David regretted injuring Nick by causing a crash, all that character growth vanished for some fireworks in a new crash he planned.
Was it worth having Sharif become an adulterer and Alya a blackmailer when his sudden death could have created equally dramatic but true to character scenes and financial difficulties?
Corrie just feels slapped together most of the time, as if it's being created by people who think they're above writing for a mere soap opera. They never seem to ask themselves why this mere soap opera has outlived hundreds of other shows full of murder, mayhem and whodunnits to learn how it should be done.
Watching Corrie now is like visiting an old relative; you do it out of habit and because once in while they act like their old selves again.
There's always the "off" button. I much prefer what we've got to watch now, than the dark, dreary, dismal days of Mr Stuart Blackburn
While I don't think it was necessary to actually show the bloody heart, I am finding Corrie quite good lately. I like that there are more surprises. When there seems to be dangling threads and unanswered questions, the results are usually tied up and revealed eventually.
Maricha raises some good points. It would seem the writers do not have the same connection (with the characters) that the fans do. Coronation Street stories were once driven by the characters. Now, it seems the writers are making up storylines and slotting in the characters needed to make it all happen.
I totally agree. The pigs heart was a bit OTT, but I'm loving most things with Corrie right now. If I'm starting to get a bit disillusioned, i just remember the Caz/Maria storyline and thank my lucky stars we've finished with all that
I totally agree. The pigs heart was a bit OTT, but I'm loving most things with Corrie right now. If I'm starting to get a bit disillusioned, i just remember the Caz/Maria storyline and thank my lucky stars we've finished with all that
I do find Corrie has become very dark and mean-spirited recently.
In the past there have been gentle humored storylines to counter darker storylines but lately those storylines are few and far between and don't last very long whereas darker storylines seem to drag on and usally involving the same families, the Platts and Barlows.
Villains in past storylines have also gotten their comeuppance but not anymore as Phelan still remains on the Street despite his scamming everyone with the flats and being reaponible for the deaths of Michale and Andy and by allowing Phelan get away with these crimes,the Street loses credibility.
While I still enjoy most of the stories these days, I often find myself comparing Corrie now to some of the Scandi-noir murder mysteries I watch. The first big hit, The Bridge, spawned various lesser copycat shows, so I hope the writers can stay on top of the historical spirit and characteristics of Corrie.
Darkness just for the sake of it never works in the long term. Life is composed of dark and light-heartedness.
The main problem is that there aren't enough 'ordinary' scenes to off-set the dramatic ones. We could see more of Norris bickering with suppliers then cut to the Barlow storyline. I'm not much bothered about Ken's accident. It seems contrived as though the writers want to insert edge-of-the-seat, thrilling scenes. Not working for me because it'll be a damp squib in the end. The truly dark storylines are Sally's on-line troll and Bethany's grooming. I'll be quite sorry if the troll turns out to be Gina because I imagine most trolls aren't relatives, although Gina's involvement would serve the storyline better. By the bye, why is Phelan still on the Street?
@Maricha Yes for some reason they want people who can write for television rather than people who are fans. It seems to me that people like the writer of this letter want something along the lines of Heartbeat, dull safety first drama which takes no risks and whose characters never change.
You realize that it would be entirely possible to find and hire professional writers who had watched and been fans of Corrie? The show has been on since the 60s and has millions of fans so the odds are quite high that a handful of writers would be among them.
Being able to draw on the characters' pasts and evolutions would create more, not less, opportunities to take risks and innovate.
If the troll turns out to be Gina, it will have been a missed opportunity. Why would a sister troll you with things any stranger could use to push your buttons when it's likely she knows your darkest secrets and hidden fears?
Todd did a better job when he catfished Eileen.
@Jonathan @Maricha, I've often wondered when those job postings come through how many of us would qualify without prior tv experience. Do you think the same holds true for the positions in research and archive management? Those are roles where I imagine fans could make a difference.
@Anonynous 21:27, The great thing about Corrie being such a longlasting show is that in all likelihood there are a good many people with training and experience who would qualify as writers. A continuing story like Corrie couldn't take the chance of hiring people without tv experience because of the workload involved but if a thorough knowledge of Corrie was judged as essential, I'm sure candidates also having that qualification could be found.
I agree it could make a difference, both in contimuity and consistency.Sometimes you get the impression characters have even forgotten their own storylines. I think they already have one person in charge of continuity but if all the writers knew the show there at least wouldn't be personality transplants as some have put it.
Perhaps the number of episodes that air each week is actually to blame for the change to Corrie. That's a lot to ask of all the folks who contribute to producing this soap. I imagine it has affected the writers as much as anyone. However, it might be interesting (albeit impossible) if they had a writer dedicated to each "main" character (how to decide?)... the writers would perhaps become more attached to the fate of the character and it could create some evolution in development. However, it would be a huge undertaking.
That would be a great idea. :-)
Bad idea, from a practical point of view. The result would be each episode written by committee. Which hardly ever works. Each writer would be vying for elbow-room. No - as a writer myself, I can tell you that could never work. It would suck the life out of every scene.
So what do you think would ensure continuity and credibility without sucking the life out of the scenes?
It would be great if someone at Coronation Street Blog could get an interview with someone at ITV to explain the intersection and overlap of these departments: writing, storylining, continuity, and research!
It is getting a bit dark these days. I have watched Corrie from the beginning and miss the comedic touches that we used to have. There don't seem to be any brighter moments at the moment to lighten things up. There are a number of good couples on screen who could be lighter.
Post a Comment