'An Evening with' Corrie Writer Jonathan Harvey at Manchester's Hope Mill Theatre

Whenever I read the words 'An Evening with'.. my TV brain immediately conjures up images of 1980's television and those iconic 'An Audience with...' celebration of Britain's finest talents. From Kenneth Williams to Victoria Wood, they were always a jam-packed affair and with a TV star audience (often 1980s Corrie stars) and were the staple of Saturday night telly. I start this article with that memory as I feel tonight's interview with corrie writer Jonathan Harvey is set in a similar (albeit Covid19) kind of way. This evening's fundraiser in aid of Manchester's Hope Mill theatre (and a writing competition mentored by the man himself) is a ‘This Is Your Life’ special, perhaps, and dives deep into the life and work of this longtime Coronation Street writer. 

Filmed in Covid19 conditions at the theatre, the show was presented by another Corrie legend, actress Denise Welch, aka one time Rovers Return landlady Natalie Horrocks, who is the perfect host for this celebration on the writer's life and most recent works. If you’re unfamiliar with his pre-Corrie catalogue, Liverpool born Jonathan Harvey is probably best known for creating the outrageously camp and downright hilarious 1990’s comedy classic ‘Gimme, Gimme, Gimme’ starring national treasure Kathy Burke. This often celebrated work could be considered a pinnacle in any other writer's career but Jonathan Harvey is an accomplished playwright, novelist, and screenwriter who has also written 276 episodes of Coronation Street (including some absolute classics)

the classic 'AA scene' was written by Jonathan Harvey

About 18 months ago I had the pleasure of a one-on-one phone interview with the writer, for this very blog, so covering this ‘Evening With’ special (accessed via Vimeo) seemed like a no brainer, and a great way to raise money for the creative arts industry. Jonathan is (no hyperbole) an absolute writing idol of mine so I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday night! 

Jonathan Harvey (R) with Coronation Street creator Tony Warren (M) and fellow writer Damon Rochefort (L)

Q How did Jonathan Harvey become part of the corrie writing team? 

“I started writing for the show in 2004 after initially being approached by executive producer Carolyn Reynolds and turned it down twice before reluctantly accepting. As a religious corrie watcher, I was nervous and was reluctant to ‘peek behind the curtain’ to work backstage on the show and as a huge fan, to maybe lose some of the magic. As a writer, the camaraderie of Corrie is nice, and being part of 18 writers, feels like a huge team”

Of course, we had to have a few Corrie stars pose a few questions via video link.  First up was actor Antony Cotton (aka Sean Tully) who asked the following question; 

Q - Starting on Corrie you wrote Todd’s coming out story, How important do you think it is to write for the LGBT characters and do you think the representation on Coronation Street is strong? 

“As a writer, I felt, you know, what took you so long? Show creator Tony Warren was gay, the show has LGBT in its blueprint, and there is a natural fluctuation of characters within LGBT on Coronation Street and it must continue”

Q- Do you gravitate towards writing those characters?

“No not now, but to start with yes I thought I was ‘head of gay’ but as you go through life you realise that as a writer you can give any character a voice” he added “I recently helped create the Geoff and Yasmeen coercive storyline- it a writing job that just keeps on going”

Second up was ex-Corrie actress and one of the writers best friends in real life, Catherine Tyldesley (Eva Price) who asked;

Q-I first met you when I was working on the BBC drama ‘Lillies’ and my question is if you could go back to your 18-year-old self when you won your first writing award, what advice would you give you? 

“To be kind and to keep writing. When younger I had acne which blighted my youth and it was awful really but I laugh about it now and life gets better, I’d say that’s important” 

For more details about the playwriting competition, £5K prize, with mentoring from Jonathan Harvey himself, check out the details on the hope mill website

Thanks as always to @CoroStreetBlog editor Glenda 

I am @rybazoxo your (self-appointed) cobbles connoisseur & lifelong Corrie fan 

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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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Vote for Corrie's Kate and Rana in LGBT Awards #Kana

Coronation Street's Rana and Kate are nominated in the British LGBT Awards 2019 as a Media Moment.

If you're a fan of Rana and Kate, then you can vote for them here.

Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here!   

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Coronation Street Episode Review - 26th July 2017

More mid-week musings from your Sheffield-based Corrie connoisseur.

As tonight's episode begins, Gemma is still mithering Chesney to push ahead with his compo claim for his stabbing. Although he recovered extremely quickly, Chesney is nonplussed, however a 'Compo-tastic' Gemma prunes him, and Adam Barlow (Baldwin!) ravishes over the potential compo cash.

Over at The Rovers Return, beardy Barlow is still driving taxis (whatever happened to Chloe?) and Toyah is reeling from another saddening IVF failure. I'm not emotionally bereft, just not emotionally attached to this storyline. With Baby Oliver moving in, it's obvious where this could be heading.

I am not at all convinced with this Bistro drama either but hey, I think this storyline may be warming up.

With the customers cancelling in droves, Robert reaches for the whiskey and begins to drown his sorrows. No sooner is he downing whiskey but soon drowning in debt, as £10k is demanded for our Ches by the scheming Barlow (he is a Baldwin, that lad). Compo-tastic! indeed - Robert flees the scene.

Melodrama at the Bistro wasn't my thing tonight but over at Summer's Grandma's house, we saw Corrie absolutely excels itself as Billy and Todd (aka 'Tilly') finally won her custody. It wasn't before the truth was finally revealed by Drew's father though, and the vile homophobe Geraldine, didn't go down without a fight. Awash with drama, raw nerves and a real acting tour de-force from Billy (Dan Brocklebank), these scenes were incredibly well acted and it seemed fitting. Considering 'Pride month' and the UK's 50th legislative  anniversary, Corrie is once again at the forefront 'flying the flag'; love it.

Back at The Rovers, both Battersby girls are behind the bar (I do like that) but Toyah's harrowing news has been revealed to an anguished Peter. Sad it may be, but I do wonder where the writers are going with this. I also miss Liz behind the bar, and don't get me started on Mad 'Medic' Moira.

As Summer is welcomed over at Tilly's (so proud of Corrie for this), the drama continues at the Bistro.

As Michelle is left alone, she hears a rumbling (cue sinister camera angles and nightmarish tension) 'Chelle discovers R.I.P is splattered in RED paint on the Bistro wall. OOOH! Looks like more drama for Michelle?

I think I'd avoid Nick's Bistro and The Rovers Return tonight, in all honesty. You can't get a pint anywhere, it's all doom and gloom.

That's it! I'm off to the 'Weatherfield Arms'. Speak next week.

I am @rybazoxo 

NEW MUSIC DJ @PenistoneFM

Editor of music blog @Drunkonmusic2 

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Sisters Reunited: Brooke Vincent reveals her part in Helen Flanagan's return to Corrie

During last week's Weatherfield visit Stevie Dawson sat down with a cup of tea and some sandwiches in the Rovers with Brooke Vincent, who is returning to Coronation Street after a short stint in the theatre. Here's what she had to share:

Can you talk us through how Sophie returns?

It’s quite a funny scene actually, she gets out of the car and says hello to everybody and they see all these cases in the road, and then Rosie appears. So I bring her back with me. It’s a surprise for everybody else.

What’s it like having Helen Flanagan back?

It’s good, we’ve been messing about! Even though I was only away for a short time it’s nice to come back with somebody and me and Helen have obviously known each other for a very long time, she’s great, she’s good to have back. We are a bit like how our characters are written, we are very different.

Did you two stay in touch when she was away and what was your reaction when she said she’s coming back?

Well we stayed in touch but we didn’t get chance to see each other very often. As for coming back, I kind of had a conversation with her before I was leaving and she said I’d love to come back so I kind of told Kate (Oates) and then that was the last I heard of it. Then she rang me and I’d heard something so I asked her if she was coming back and she said yes darling Kate rang me and I was like oh that’s good then!

Kevin’s going through a bit of a tough patch at the moment with the garage but the Websters have always seemed to stick together. And Tim hasn’t met Rosie yet, so what’s the new dynamic like and how will that continue?

It’s like my mum having this daughter and then she comes in like a whirlwind, and that’s basically what Rosie is. Tim obviously has Sally who’s completely different to Sophie who’s completely different to Rosie so I think – obviously Joe (Duttine) loves Helen but character-wise I don’t think they know yet where they stand. But it is funny to watch.

What does Helen Flanagan bring to the show, as a person?

I don’t know whether I’m going to describe this very well (everyone laughs) but we had a scene the other day, and because she’s funny, she’s flouncing about and she’s a very ditzy character, and you’ve got me and Sally and Kevin who can be quite serious, it gives it different levels. It’s what families are. I’ve missed having her around, we did grow up together. It’s really nice to see Helen really happy and settled.

We know that Rosie brings trouble with her, how does Sophie react when she realises there’s sh*t going on?

Sophie doesn’t suspect anything, and neither does Rosie. You can tell because of how different the characters are and how differently we react, that the same situation wouldn’t have happened if it was Sophie living in the US. Rosie was always going to be trouble, but she’s away with the faries so doesn’t realise how much trouble we are in.

Photo credit: Metro newspaper

What reason do they give for coming back?

I was always coming back and Rosie misses Weatherfield.

Rachel Newton: I think later we realise for Rosie that live isn’t what it’s cracked up to be and things haven’t really worked out that well.

Did you ever think about permanently leaving Corrie?

No. Because of doing it from such a young age, you see this as normal. When it came up for me to do a play, it was nice to be able to do that and come back. This is like my home. Hopefully in a few years I’ll maybe go and do it again.

Do you think doing live theatre has improved you as an actor?

You’d have to ask other people! It’s very different. What I learned is that I actually know quite a lot about TV work, which I never thought I did I thought I just breezed through life. I used to constantly change myself because of a camera being there, or adjust another person or stand in a certain way. So hopefully I am a bit better.

If you did want a change, what would be the first thing you would look at doing?

Ummm, well I really enjoyed radio, because I could be me. I had more input in it. (Brooke guest presented on Key103).

Rosie is probably going to dominate most of the storylines now you are back, do you know what’s coming up for you, in terms of relationships or do you have any inkling of any upcoming storylines?

No I’ve not seen Kate (Oates) yet but I’m quite happy just being with Helen for now. As much as se says I’m her safety blanket she’s kind of mine too. When we were growing up she took a lot of the brunt of fame and I learned from her. I’m not in a rush to say I want my character to be doing ‘this’.

Do you hope they re-explore the Sophie and Kate dynamics?

I didn’t mind that storyline. For me personally, I get very arsey about this, but I think because I’m lesbian in the show, not everything I do should be about being a lesbian. It doesn’t need to be written about every time I do a scene ‘oh she’s a lesbian’ we are moving forward as a generation and you want it to be normal, we’ve said it and that’s that. There’s more to people than their sexuality. Have I said all that correct? (Everyone laughs).

If Sophie leaves the garage, where would you like her to go?

Well we (Rosie and Sophie) start window cleaning. So we’re like the Chuckle Brothers. I stand there doing all the work, obviously. It’s funny so we’re obviously enjoying playing that.

@StevieDawson 


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