The Perfect Blend: Corrie vs. Neighbours

This March marks 30 years since Aussie soap Neighbours was first broadcast. And as well as being a fan of Corrie, I'm also a fan of Neighbours and have been since 2008 although it had featured in my life for years before then. I think I like Neighbours because it's very similar to Corrie in that it mixes drama and comedy and has produced some memorable characters and moments. Let's compare and contrast the two soaps that have equally become part of British culture in their own ways:

Location: 

The only thing that's common with the soaps' locations is that they both begin with 'M': Manchester and Melbourne! While Manchester and Weatherfield lack the exoticism and sun-kissed scenes of Melbourne and Erinsborough, Coronation Street and Ramsay Street are very similar. There is a community spirit there and the neighbours come together in times of crisis. Okay, there aren't any driveways or balconies on the cobbles, but that's just a technicality isn't it?

Local businesses:

Like Corrie, the local businesses play a vital role in Neighbours. While the Rovers, Corner Shop and Kabin have never changed their names over the years, Neighbours has often changed the names of the local pub or shops. You could say that Neighbours eras can be separated into when the name of the pub changes - from the Waterhole to Chez Cher or Lou's Place to Charlie's. And there's the cafe that has a mix of Roy's Rolls, the Kabin and the Corner Shop. As well as serving cappucinos and milkshakes, it also sells newspapers and groceries. Turning Underworld into a hotel and Corrie could have its own Lassiters!

Age demographic:

The main difference between the two soaps is the age demographic of the cast. This was one of the main reasons of Neighbours' popularity when it began - it had a younger and fresher feel that hadn't been done before in soap. While Brookside and Eastenders had challenged Corrie's social portrayal of life effectively, the age of the cast hadn't been addressed. It wasn't until 1997 that Corrie started having the younger cast being the stars of the show. Corrie had younger characters before but they were portrayed as being much older than they actually were and took a back seat. I'm happy now that the average age of Corrie is starting to rise again. It had become too dependent on younger characters to carry characters but I don't think we'll ever see characters in their 50s becoming top of the bill!

While Neighbours has always had an interchangeable younger cast, it is the older characters that we really remember: Helen Daniels, Jim Robinson, Madge and Harold, Mrs Mangel, Lou and the Kennedys. They are the constant thread through the changing cast.

The women:

Like Corrie, Neighbours has always had strong women - from matriarchs to gossips. They aren't just middle class housewives - they've been businesswomen, teachers, managers and are independent from their husbands. You just have to think about classic Corrie women who've been independent and strong - Elsie, Bet, Rita, Vera, Gal, Denise, Alma, Carla and Liz. One achievement Reg Watson, the creator of Neighbours, did was portray a mother in law who was against the stereotype. Helen Daniels, played wonderfully by Anne Haddy, was the matriarch of the Robinson family but never interfered, just counselled. That aspect of the matriarch has always been a strong presence in Neighbours with the current holders being Susan Kennedy and Sheila Canning. 

The men:

Here is the main difference between the two soaps. The men of Ramsay Street have traditionally been well-groomed, professional and pillars of the community. Jim Robinson, Doug Willis, Karl Kennedy, Harold Bishop, Lou Carpenter, Philip Martin, Toadie Rebecchi and Paul Robinson over the years have been patriarchs of the street and are keen family men. While in Corrie, when we think of men, we think of the layabouts like Stan Ogden and Jack Duckworth, although there have been the rare professionals like Ken, Alf, Roy and Mike. But Corrie men have always been henpecked and it is mainly the women that we remember.

Theme tune:

Both soaps have been fortunate that they have iconic theme tunes. While Corrie has the northern sound of  a brass band, Neighbours has its cheery theme tune, the most iconic being Barry Crocker's between 1985 and 1992. 

Magic moments:

Like Corrie, Neighbours has had its fair of iconic moments. The ones that spring to mind include Harold falling off the rocks and going missing for 5 years; Susan confronting Karl over his various affairs; Paul Robinson being pushed off a balcony; and then how can we forget that wedding - Scott and Charlene in 1987! 

So I've compared both soaps. Can you think of any thing else? Are there any fans of Corrie who are also fans of Neighbours who visit this blog perhaps?

Happy Birthday Neighbours!

by Llifon

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It's the little things

Coronation Street turns 54 tomorrow. Another remarkable milestone for such a remarkable telly programme. Who would have thought all those years ago that Corrie would still be popular today and would have evolved into such a massive part of our culture. 

Although tomorrow's birthday does not match the achievement of turning 40 or reaching 50, every 9 December does still send a shiver down my spine as I think of that first, brilliant episode introducing us to the likes of Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples and Annie Walker. 

Coronation Street means many different things to each and every one of us, so here are just some of the thoughts it conjures up in me, hopefully showing how important it has been and continues to be in my life. For me it's the little things that make Corrie what it is.

The sound of Elsie Tanner's smoky, seductive voice. Annie Walker's withering looks from behind the Rovers bar. Carla Connor's effortless glamour. Sally Webster's snooty, snobbish ways, painfully aware that she'll never make it to Hale Barns.

The sound of the Corner Shop bell tinkling. Mike Baldwin's Jag snarling down the cobbles. Every cherished mention of Fat Brenda, always maddeningly absent from the switch. Deirdre's stuffed marrow and those much-missed belts - come back Deirdre, it's not the same without you!

Alma's turned up collars; Phyllis Pearce - that hair and that voice; Gail Potter and decades of misery. Hilda Ogden singing out of tune; Woman, Stanley, Woman!

The genius of David Neilson, crafting big performances out of nearly nothing at all. Betty Turpin walking out of the Rovers 47 times but always coming back. Ena Sharples sitting in judgement in the snug. 

Steve McDonald, from teenager to 40 and beyond. Rita Littlewood belting them out at t'Gatsby. Angie Freeman, a character ahead of her time. That Audrey Roberts noise and her decades of crying out "Oh Gail!"

Suzie Birchall's hot pants, Eddie Yeats' wooly hat, Deirdre's re-entry shields and Bet's beehive. It's not a smile, it's the lid on a scream...

But most of all, that theme tune. Those closing credits ushering out scenes of marriage, parties and jubilation, that sense of community. Or death and despair. Community again. The bad guy always meets his match. The good guy sometimes makes it, sometimes not. Sharing the joys of much loved characters and seeing off the villains. All forms of human life are there. 

Corrie has it's ups and downs like everything else in life. Despite it all, I'm just glad it's still there. I adore its rich history and I still revel in its success when it gets it right. Long may Weatherfield amuse us, make us cry, educate and entertain us. 

Follow me on Twitter @GraemeN82 


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Pearl anniversay of a pearl's departure

One of our commenters on Graeme's blog post about Corrie exists, has requested this blog post – so here it is!

Today is the 30th anniversary of Elsie Tanner’s final departure from Coronation Street. For some of you, you may be shocked that it was 30 years ago!

It could be said that Elsie’s departure was a milestone for Corrie in a sense that it was bidding a proper goodbye to a legend – and on-screen as well. While the characters of Martha Longhurst, Valerie Barlow and Ernest Bishop were well-loved and popular, they weren’t regarded as Corrie greats like Elsie, Annie Walker and Ena Sharples were. And also Corrie had never said a proper goodbye to its big characters before this. Jack Walker, Minnie Caldwell, Ena Sharples, Len Fairclough and Annie Walker had all been written out of the programme off-screen due to death, ill health or scandal. Pat Phoenix herself left the programme for the first time in 1973 without any notice and it was quickly written that Elsie had got a job in Newcastle. A decade later, the writers were given a chance to give a proper goodbye to Elsie and in my opinion; it’s one of the best exits in Corrie history. 

Things had changed in Corrie in those ten years – those new characters in 1973 like Deirdre, Bet, Rita, Mavis and Alf were now very well established so the production team weren’t in a panic when Pat Phoenix announced that she was leaving in late 1983 – the show was in safe hands.

Viewers were left with two questions: why was Pat Phoenix leaving and how?

At the time, some believed it was the fact that Peter Adamson had been sacked and so Len Fairclough was being written out of the show. As you know, Elsie and Len had a close friendship and even though Len had tried many times to get Elsie to be his wife, she refused, saying she preferred him to be her friend rather than a husband. This close friendship sometimes caused tension between Len and wife Rita and between Rita and Elsie. And when Len married Rita in 1977, Pat Phoenix failed to attend filming of the wedding, stating that she felt that a part of Elsie’s character was disappearing with Len getting married.

As Adele Rose told Sean Egan in his book Coronation Street: The (Very) Unofficial Story: “The value of their relationship was always in the spikiness underneath the genuine affection they had for each other. It was far more profitable in terms of story and character to keep them with the love-hate relationship going on. He was the one who could say things to her that nobody else could and vice versa. If we ever brought it to any kind of conclusion, that would have been the end of both the characters' value to the show.” Many believed that Elsie and Len would be written out together, but producer Bill Podmore announced that Len’s exit had been written before Phoenix gave her notice.

Another possible reason for her departure was the fact that she didn’t want to enter old age on the show. She feared that Elsie would morph into Ena Sharples or Annie Walker, and she didn’t want that! She also wasn’t happy with the stories that were given to her. Despite being in her fifties, she still wanted to be involved with young, attractive men but it wasn’t reality. In fact, when she announced she was leaving, it felt it was at the right time. It felt the character was coming to an end.

As for how she’d leave, leaving with Len was out of the question. What about Dennis or Linda returning for their mother’s exit?

But as it turned out, the writers and production team had worked out a plausible exit storyline. Elsie’s old flame from 1961 Bill Gregory returned to the street to visit Rita after Len died in a car crash in December. Thinking Elsie was still in Newcastle with hubby Alan Howard, Bill was shocked when the neighbours told him that she was back at N°11. They reunited after 13 years (Elsie had rebuffed Bill for Alan in 1970) and Bill tells her about his wonderful life in Portugal as asks her to join him. Although she refused at first, Bill failed to back down and Elsie agreed in the end. She did a moonlight flit and took her photographs of Linda and Dennis and wrote a few letters and put her keys through the Barlows’ letterbox. She then reminisced about her catfights with Annie Walker and Ena Sharples and telling off Dennis. It was a great piece of writing! When the cab driver asked her when she’d be returning, Elsie gave a knowing smile and said: “Ah, now there’s a question!”.

Elsie never did return. Any chances of her returning were dashed two years later when Pat Phoenix announced she was dying of cancer. There have been rumours that she left the programme because she knew she had cancer. But who knows? Twenty seven years after last appearance, we found out about Elsie’s fate post-cobbles. She married Bill and they lived a very happy life in the Algarve. They both died in 2004 when their car flew off a cliff and were holding each other’s hands when they were found. A Hollywood ending for a woman who led a Hollywood lifestyle!

And there we are, the story of the departure of a classic Corrie character – the first siren and femme fatale. She’s not remembered for any accessory like Hilda or Bet but for her love life and the kind of storylines that we crave for these days!

Mrs Tanner, we salute you – a true Corrie and TV icon!

And to keep you entertained during the wet weather, why not sit down and watch this classic episode from the 4th of January 1984 below. Did you watch it first time round? What did you think when Pat Phoenix announced her departure? Let us know - we'd love to hear!

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