Last week Andy Whyment celebrated 17 years as Kirk Sutherland on Coronation Street. We wrote a celebratory blog post about the milestone and you can read it here.
And the milestone started me off thinking about Kirk, as you do, and how we often forget he's there, despite him actually being an integral part of the show. It's because Kirk plays a low-key part. He doesn't get blown up or involved in a drugs storyline that makes headline news. He isn't nasty to anyone, he's not a villain or a thief. He's not feckless either, he's just a bit, well, Kirk. And we often take him for granted. He's a few more of those Corrie characters just like Kirk, who blend into the background too often.
I'm a huge fan of Izzy Armstrong and would love nothing more than for her and Gary to get back together but with the baby bombshell set to explode, there seems little hope of that. Izzy is too often overlooked, in my opinion. Like Kirk, she's not nasty or a villain, she's got a heart of gold. But she does need a storyline before we forget that she's there.
FAY(e) Armstrong joined Coronation Street as a troubled girl and she's turning into a troubled young woman. Well, wouldn't you if you had to live with Anna? And while Faye has had her share of storylines and drama, it's the fact that as we've watched Ellie Leach, grow up on screen, we forget sometimes just what a cracking young actress she is. Corrie have a great actress on their hands with Ellie Leach in my opinion and just because she plays wayward Faye with a nasty streak, let that never overshadow the fact of how good she can be on screen. And let's never take her for granted.
Ken Barlow. He's been at Corrie since the show started in 1960 but doesn't have a great deal to do at the moment. However, Ken was at the centre of one of Corrie's biggest storylines this year in the case of Who Pushed Ken? It's easy to think of Ken, at times, as not relevant any more to the show. After all, the rest of the Barlow clan have enough going on with their fights and double dealings. But let's remember that Ken is the only Corrie original still in the show and that's worth never forgetting about.
And finally, Roy Cropper, who has become as bland as a decaff teabag left behind the counter at Roy's Rolls. Come on, Corrie, let's NEVER take Roy (and David Neilson's great acting skills) for granted. It's easy to forget Roy's a part of the show at the moment, because, quite frankly, he isn't there very often on screen. And when he is, it's a fleeting moment, handing over a barm cake or a coffee in the cafe. Roy is Corrie gold and as such, should sparkle bright.
So, there you have it, my personal five characters I often take for granted but would really like to see more made of in the show. If you had to pick your own five, who would they be?
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With the imminent return of Carla, I'd imagine we'll see more of Roy as on-screen more. The bond the two of them have writes itself and is true Corrie.
ReplyDeleteI think Yasmeen is one we take for granted too. Shelley is a brilliant actress and she can be quite opinionated when it suits her reminiscent of Ena Shraples back in the day, saying what she wants without a filter.
They need to make more of Yasmeen. She's underused and usually in the background but just shines when she gets a few scenes. I also think Fiz is often taken for granted. She's been on the screen a long time as well and has had a few good storylines of her own in the past but there's really been nothing major since Hope's illness. Then there's Sean. I'd like to see more of him than just a few throwaway lines.
ReplyDeleteMy five underused characters would be:
ReplyDelete- Yasmeen (she's brilliant)
- Tim
- Fiz
- Simon
- Kirk definitely!
I'd also like to see Simon developed more as a character. There was a great brother-like relationship between him and Zeedan that just seems to have completely disappeared. There are a lot of younger characters and I find a lot of them (Craig, Faye, Simon, Summer, etc.) fun to watch. Maybe give one of them a paper route so they interact with Norris, or some club at the community centre that a number of them join so they interact more with each other (and Yasmeen!).
ReplyDeleteIzzy is just plain awful and irritating! Enjoyed her scenes in 2010 but since then it's been a huge downwards slope
ReplyDeleteHere's a left field one for being under used and just there that I never thought I'd say. Peter Barlow. Totally wasted behind that bar with the pot towel over his shoulder and a cocktail stick in his mouth. He's a brilliant character and should be in a beefy, gritty storyline that doesn't involve alcohol consumption
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't say that Faye is underused as I think she's seen more often than Kirk and Izzy are due to the Seb storyline.
ReplyDeleteRather than the ridiculous Nicola pregnancy storyline,I would have preferred if Gary found his way back to Izzy and their son Jake who's all but forgotten by his father as Izzy is more mature than Sarah and would be more understanding about his PTSD.
Everyone has raised some very good points. No disrespect but I disagree regarding Faye and Izzy ( I cannot stand either one of these characters).
ReplyDeleteTVOR - agree with you regarding Fizz, Yasmeen (whatever happened to the storyline where she was running the Community Centre? She is a well-educated woman and they have her working at Roys?) Sean is also in desperate need of a decent storyline(can't the writers give him a nice new boyfriend?)
Tillyflop I also agree with you regarding Peter - ever since he has hooked up with Toyah he has become incredibly boring what a waste of a very talented actor. I'm afraid he'll leave again if he doesn't get a decent storyline.
Amy is another one who is underused currently. She, Simon and Faye could get together and create some mayhem. Kind of like the situation with Summer, they and Dev's twins could get into all sorts of trouble!
ReplyDeleteSome characters aren't cut out for major storylines. Kirk is played perfectly just as he is but, while he doesn't need a storyline of his own, it would be good to see more of him in ones for Beth or Maria. Agree about Peter. Toyah has done the impossible and made him so boring. Can we see Peter and Tim in a storyline; a comedy caper, maybe losing a drunk Rover's customer in a cab. I think Sean should have been given the HIV storyline. I realise it would require an entirely different approach but Sean does pathos and comedy so well. Sophie needs something that isn't about her sexuality/relationships eg: mentoring Faye. Viewers were rooting for Fiz and Tyrone to get together and they've been a flop ever since. I had hoped they'd become the local 'neighbourhood watch', keeping an eye out for the Street's walking wounded. As it is, they're just concerned with their own family. The sickness story hasn't done much for them as viewers aren't really bothered about their children. Yasmeen should stay single and devote herself to the grandchildren. She's got a sharp eye so she could quickly work out what's going on in Zeedan's marriage.
ReplyDelete