Has the Corrie year made for enjoyable viewing? For me, in the main, yes it has. There has been some superb drama and comedy on screen. The scriptwriters, storyliners, directors and production team have done us proud. As for the acting? I still maintain that Corrie has some of the best actors on stage and screen. Very watchable.
The strength of a performance can often overcome a mundane storyline. Exhibit A, m'lud', is the current Prisoner Sally Block H nonsense. It's a dog of a story and one that seems to have been dragging on for decades. The entire thing would have collapsed in the hands of others. However, we had joyous performances from Joe Duttine, Sally Dynevor and Connie Hyde to savour. OK, so the plot has more holes than Jack Duckworth's vest but who cares when you have this trio wringing every emotion out of the script.
Also rising to the occasion in 2018 was Daniel Osbourne, ably portrayed by Rob Mallard. Daniel gravitated from being the new Street 'weirdo' to something far more settled. His partnership with Sinead 'soap' Tinker has been a positive one for viewers as we see him struggle with the ravages and sadness caused by cancer. Aside from the 'veggie cure' nonsense, the story seems to have been handled well and will play out into 2019.
Another big, fat flop in 2018 was the introduction of Mary's family. In the same way that the Websters and Claytons failed in the 1980s, the Appletons suffered from having been dropped on us from a great height. They could have been interesting and vivacious. With Mary at the helm, they could have been fun. Instead we stared glassy eyed at a compulsive, child-like liar and his dull wife, the living embodiment of rowdy boredom. Together, they exhibited a dullness in full bloom and not even a bunch of loopy one-liners from Mary could save them. Thankfully, the axe fell.
2018 began with Pat Phelan in full flow and his gradual demise was a pleasure to watch, for all the right reasons. How some of us hoped that Eileen would find herself beneath several tonnes of concrete but alas, it wasn't to be. Despite her terrifying year, she's as lacklustre as ever. Looking at the rota, it's her turn to get comfy on the prison set next years let's hope she gets sent down for hacking off lumps of Seb's hair. Surely Audrey could apply a light perm. Eh? Hmm?
There is so much more we could rattle on about. The steady rise of Evelyn, Claudia's face full of flowers, the chronic underuse of Carla and Peter, the chronic overuse of Rana and Kate, Tyrone's unmentioned six-pack (pie and chips seemingly have a healthy effect on his physique), Steve and Tracy-luv's Carry On wedding, an 86 year old woman running a toffee shop single-handed, the preservation of Emily's house as a museum, Aidan's shocking suicide, David's battle against his horrific rape, the return of Gail's 60 year old son, Gail's hair getting its own Equity card . . . on it goes and for that we are thankful. For 2019 we are promised a collapsing factory, a serious breakdown and the return of a familiar face. Bring it on!
All original work on Coronation Street Blog is covered by a Creative Commons License
