PEAK #CORRIE

I spotted a great photo on Instragram of Chris Gascoyne and Rob Mallard (Corrie’s Peter and Daniel Barlow) who have been filming in the Peak District.

Instagram: @chrisgascoyneofficial

It’s not clear exactly what they were filming, but reports have suggested Daniel is set to be consumed by grief after Sinead loses her cancer battle, and he turns to drink. Blog editor Glenda spotted a post made onTwitter by a golf course used as a filming location for the show two weeks ago. Are the Barlow brothers on some kind of detox retreat? Or is it something more sinister involving a cliff edge and a steep drop from one of the Peak District’s dangerous beauty spots? Time will tell.

Speaking of peaks, we’re heading in to a new season so I wanted to share some of my ‘peak' Corrie storylines from over the summer. 

Amy & Asha’s friendship

You can clearly see Tracy’s influence on Amy as the young Barlow grows into a young woman. She’s domineering and doesn’t take no for an answer, even some of her mannerisms are the same as her Mum’s. Surely it's only a matter of time before she batters someone over the head with some decorative art. Anyway all this has come in handy as we discover Asha has been struggling with her ethnicity and skin colour. If you need someone on your side, Amy Barlow is probably a good wingman and it’s great to see glimmers of Tracy and Blanche coming out in her as she helps out her mate.

Paul’s torment  

I’ll be honest I’ve found Paul’s struggle a bit difficult to watch as he reveals more about his sexual relationship and abuse at the hands of Kel. Last week we heard how Paul was in love with his stepdad when he was a teen and we even saw how young Paul looked when the abuse what happening in an old photograph, which made the story all the more shocking. What with Ali’s addiction, Sinead’s cancer and pyromaniac Hope on the loose, the serious storylines are dominating for me a bit and I hope the lighter side of Corrie returns as the dark nights start to draw in.

That said, character Paul has become a favourite of mine and actor Peter Ash seems right at home among the other cast. I hope he’s here to stay.

Playing it straight

James finally revealed his sexuality to some of his family, but out of fear of being bullied on the football pitch, vowed to keep everyone else in the dark. I think this is a really great storyline for Corrie to be going with, as in the real world we’re still yet to see an out and proud, top-flight gay footballer. Recently rugby player Gareth Thomas revealed to the world he has HIV just a few years after revealing he’s gay, which I’m sure broke down barriers and helped a great many people. The gay footballer story in Corrie will hopefully do the same and you never know, might even encourage a footy pro to come out.

I’m still trying to work the Bailey family out. Will they stand the test of time and become Corrie favourites? They have potential….

Adam Barlow

He might be slowly morphing into Pop Idol’s Darius ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ Campbell, a fellow Scot, but Adam seems a lot more mature and stable since returning to the cobbles. He thinks he’s sussed Gary Windass out but Gary keeps turning the tables and foiling Adams attempts to expose him. The rivalry is great telly, and it’s allowing the wayward Barlow to play the good guy. It suits him.

HIT ME BABY

KISS ME BABY

Quad Squad

The ever expanding Brown-Winter family is offering some much needed light relief at the minute. Poor Gemma is almost as wide as she is tall now as we get ever closer to the quads’ birth date and as always, chaos follows the every member of the family. Bernice has brought an extra layer of crazy as actor Jane Hazelgrove plays Gemma and Paul’s mum brilliantly. They’d better get that extension built and quick.

Emma cools off

It’s been so nice seeing Emma and Steve get closer, even if there’s still the odd awkward moment between them. Emma has obviously realised she needs to make the most of having people that love her around following the death of her dad. But are we missing something? Emma’s mum Fiona has appeared a few times by video call, but what if she comes back to the UK? Will she bring even more secrets with her? I hope so. Again, Alexandra Mardell who plays Emma has fitted in to the cast perfectly and I hope she’s around for years to come.

It looks like we are headed for a dramatic few months on the cobbles. Fingers crossed for an intense and gripping resolution to some long-running storylines with a good mix of laughs in between.

I’m on Twitter: @StevieDawson 

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