Here we go again.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire.
Bells jingling across the cobbles.
Tipsy punters belting out Yuletide carols in the Rovers.
And like all good Corrie Christmases…Rita Tanner is in some
sort of distress.
Bugger.
The Blog spoke to producer Iain MacLeod recently at a Christmas
press-event and he shared with us his plans for the Corrie favourite over the
Christmas period and beyond. We already know there’s some high drama involved
for Gary Windass, but it would appear dear Rita is in for a tough time too:
“There’s a small storyline for Rita which is quite small and domestic but
heartbreaking – it showcases Barbara Knox’s undoubtable talent. Ultimately she
will be okay physically but Christmas will have far reaching consequences in
terms of the perception of her own life role in the world and on the Street.”
So we shouldn’t expect to find Rita in a crumpled, lifeless pile on
Christmas day then?
“It will play off into next year culminating into February. But no, I
won’t expect you to tune in on Christmas and watch Rita’s demise – that is
something that I’d never do! Barbara really nails it whenever she's given
something big to do. It’s subtle and poignant and she has embraced it with the
gusto you’d expect.”
We spoke to Iain when he first started on Corrie and it’s clear he’s a
Rita fan. Which is a bloody good job because so am I and in my opinion she
needs protecting at all costs. Rita is my Corrie Queen.
In fact my heart sank a bit when I heard the rumours of Rita’s Christmas
troubles and when I caught a glimpse of her in the cheeky previews we were
treated to at the press conference. The last time Rita was at the centre of her
own, big, emotional storyline was when she had the brain tumour scare back in
2017. It was a strange little plot that left me feeling a bit confused by the
end of it. However any story that revolves around Rita is a bonus for me, I think
Barbara Knox is a treasure on screen and brings the very warmth and familiarity
I watch the show for in the first place. And there were some genuinely heartbreaking
moments like the time sang at the piano in the hospital and Jenny broke down
out of concern for Rita, the closest thing she has to a mother. And every
episode had it’s own poignancy but by the end of the story, I was left thinking,
what was the point in that? It was too isolated as a story, and once it was
over it was over.
Before that, in one of my favourite weeks ever on Corrie (and I may be in a minority in this), Rita was
famously involved in the tram crash of 2010 – Corrie’s 50th
birthday. Buried beneath the wreckage of the Kabin and a kilo of bonbons,
Rita was left in serious danger and fans genuinely thought that was the end
of her. But she bounced back, as she always does, and has been one of the
Street’s most loved matriarchs ever since.
 |
| Concern for Rita grows back in 2017 |
So when I heard she was going to be the centre of “heartbreak” over
Christmas and into the New Year, I was worried that it was going to be a
cop-out. A kind of ‘lets put the little old lady in a bit of danger of
Christmas to add some festive jeopardy’ - but over the past week I’m encouraged
why what I’ve seen, as this story starts to play out.
On Friday Rita struggled to find someone to look after Mrs McIlroy’s
cat. It became clear, after several attempts to recruit a friend or relative to
help out, that everyone was busy, had other priorities, and that Rita wasn’t at
the top of their list. There was one scene, I think Rita was standing at the
bar in the Rovers, and she looked so small and insignificant as she struggled
to sort out her predicament. I don’t mind admitting it’s things like that that
make me cry. And as the story has only just started going I’ll have no chance
keeping it together if what Iain MacLeod said is to be believed!
These things get me in real life. Loneliness in older people who
have no family to visit them at Christmas or otherwise. It’s heartbreaking. So if this is
where Corrie is going with this, I’m all for it. We all should do more for our
neighbours and older family members, all year round and Corrie raising
awareness of this is a good thing in my opinion.
This stuff is what’s kept me coming back to Corrie several times a week
for years. Much loved characters, great acting, writing that isn’t matched in
any other soap (no-offence Eastenders & Emmerdale) and gentle raising of
awareness for important issues. So I’m not as concerned about the direction of
Rita’s story as I was having seen the start of something last week.
Tissues at the ready.
I’m on Twitter: @StevieDawson
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1 comment:
I just don't want to see Rita having a difficult time, at Christmas or any other time. We have issues all year round, and I could do with something to make me feel happy in my favourite soap. Won't we be getting all the drama we need from Gary?
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