Whatever happened to the women of Weatherfield?

Admittedly, I haven't felt the need to blog anything Corrie-related for a while. The show seems to have hit a period of stasis where it feels as though plots are ticking over gently, awaiting the arrival of the new boss woman and her equally new broom.

Partly though, I was ever so slightly worn down by the constant appearance of The Bistro in nearly every scene. There it was, camera trained on its door or on the Product Placement advert for Visa. I'm surprised Nick hasn't picked the card machine up and, vinegary smile in place and turned towards us proffering the thing. I suppose the Bistro set has it uses. For example it keeps Leanne confined to a small space. There's no possibility of her launching into one of her legendary 'face like a war' marathon stomps, M & S mac blowing in the wind behind her.

When there's not much going on though, it's easy to let your mind wander and wander it did. I found myself looking at Carla Connor, or whatever she's called these days, anew. Who was this woman? This forty-something quivering wreck, all Cadbury's Milk Chocolate (other brands are available) brown hair with her wintry, pensioner-faced boyfriend and vase of red wine to hand. Was this really the Carla Connor that I remembered?

Clearly not. I dug out an old episode from 2007 as I assumed that by then, she would have been making a name for herself on t'Street. She was a completely different person. For a start, the hair colour was Guinness black (again, other varieties of stout can be purchased). In a scene at the Rovers, she let rip at an oddly mute and non arm-flapping Michelle, accusing her of never having liked her and how the mighty Connors  had never welcomed her. No sign of red wine, just lots of white to wash down that venom. Off Carla went, to th'ospickle where her errant husband was breathing his last, not that she was particularly bothered. The situation just provided her with a chance to shout her mouth off in the waiting room, slating Leanne in the process. This was a very different Carla - a mouthy, rather nasty piece of work, eyes flaming and sarcasm to the fore. This Carla would have annihilated Tracy Barlow.  We need her to return before she bows out forever. She needs to displace the whimpering, simpering lady with the chocolate tresses.

Another candidate for 'Would the real Eileen Grimshaw please stand up?' is Eileen Grimshaw.
Anyone fancy casting their minds back sixteen years? Are you finding it difficult to recapture the infectious joy of the nascent Eileen? Well, she was actually a bit of fun back then. Mark One Eileen was sharp, sassy and funny. She ruled the roost at the cab office and did so with genuine good humour. Fast forward to 2016 and behold the sad sack that is Eileen now. You can't miss her. She'll be the one in the corner, draining the life out of every scene. A little like Tracy B, Eileen never learns. For her, the grass is always greener on the other side, even when it turns out to be derelict land. One unsuitable man follows another and with each failed romance, stomach churning though the thought may be, Eileen adds another layer of armour. The wit evaporated and turned to spite. The humour faded into malicious sarcasm. In her wake, two sons, one of whom might have earned the ultimate Blanche Hunt epithet of 'daft' and the other who makes posies for a murderer. No wonder she seeks solace in kiddie's entertainers and firemen. Anything to lighten the load. Except that now she is in a joy-sapping relationship with the equally dour Michael, enlivened only by the presence of deranged Scouser, Pat "I'm mad, me' Phelan. There will be tears before bedtime. Eileen's tears but we are used to them by now. Miserable Eileen needs to book herself a taxi and do one. We need jolly, joyous, funny Eileen back.

Given her penchant for children's entertainers, maybe she'll make a move on Play School's Derek Griffiths. Except, children, look what he's seen through the arched window . . .

David - on twitter @bridglondon

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Vote for your all-time favourite female

The search continues to find Coronation Street fans' all-time favourite Corrie female!

In the first poll, hundreds of you voted for your favourites from a list of 40 females, plus you got to include your own personal favourites.

I've now drawn another poll which includes the top 25 from that poll. You can now vote for TWO female characters in this poll. 

Then I'll make a countdown of top 25 by adding both polls results. 

So get voting for your favourites!

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Vote for your all-time favourite Coronation Street women

Towards the end of last year, I conducted a poll and countdown asking you for your all-time favourite Corrie males. And this is how you voted.

And now as promised, here's another poll asking you to vote for your all-time favourite Corrie females.

The poll contains 40 Corrie females from 1960 to the present day. You can vote for as many as you like plus you can enter your own names.

The poll will be open for a few weeks and then I'll count the votes and eliminate the bottom 15. I'll then do another poll and you can vote for two out of those 25. That poll will also be open for a few weeks. Then we'll do a top 25 countdown.

So here we go! Have fun voting!

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Vote for your all-time favourite Corrie women

If you haven't yet, there's still another week for you to vote for your favourite Corrie women. You can vote for as many as you like and enter your own names as well.

The reaction has been great so far and thank you for that.

You can vote by following this link. And there's a link in the margin.

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Who's your all time favourite Corrie female?

Since I joined the Coronation Street Blog team back in 2012, what I have mostly done is conducting polls - be it for favourite characters, couples or certain archetypes and moments in Corrie history. As you may have probably noticed, I've been in a lull these past couple of weeks about what to write about on the blog. Inspiration has been lacking it must be said.

With those polls, I was in control. I was the one who chose the characters, couples etc and their groupings. And yes I did face criticism about not making the polls democratic. Not making you, the readers, choose who you like. And yes that is a fair argument and I have taken it on board. And here is the result. 

I would like to know who's your all-time favourite Corrie female. No poll, just leave your comments on here or on Facebook or Twitter - completely open to you. I'm curious what the response will be. And yes, in due course, I will ask you for your favourite Corrie male.

Now, I'm sure you can guess who my favourite Corrie female is. You're right: the radiant redhead that is Rita. From her quick wit and humour to her dramas and from her various hairstyles to her love of singing, Rita for me resembles what's great about Corrie. She's one of those characters that has managed to survive the ages without being past her sell-by date. I read somewhere that when Len Fairclough died, Rita was born. Despite her original on-screen partner's exit, Rita as a character wasn't affected. She became an independent businesswoman running the Kabin. She became involved with Alan Bradley and she reached the pinnacle with that storyline. She has maintained strong friendships over the years with the likes of Mavis, Alf, Bet, Norris, Emily, Ken and Audrey and has become a mother figure to many. And that's why she's my favourite character.

And Annie Walker is a very close second!

So who's your all time favourite Corrie female? Leave your comments!

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What's happened to the women of Weatherfield?

Maybe it's the recent bout of hot weather or perhaps someone has poisoned the water (or gin) supply but it occurred to me that the ladies of the cobbles represent a pretty rum bunch at present.

There are exceptions of course. Hayley remains peerless and we are feasting on her every scene, storing them away for the time when there are no more. Deirdre is an absolute slice of joy. She has slid into wry, ironic 'daughter of Blanche' mode and should Ken never return from Canada, then it's good to know that Deirdre can exist in her own right. Three cheers too for the lovely Beth who finally seems to have shrugged off the 'Cilla-lite' mantle. Yes, she is rough and ready but she also cares. This is always an integral part to the success of a Corrie woman and probably explains why Tracy continues to be so unpopular.

Speaking of which... no, let's not bother. Far too many comments about McBarlow and St Ella so let's leave them alone. It's the other women who are, for me at any rate, a bit of a worry at the moment.

The Windass/Armstrong clan seem to be more than a little grim. It's good to see that Anna has lost her twee mumsiness and has reverted to being the unpleasant spitbag that first graced the cobbles.

Most of the time she sports the kind of face that could start a war. She presides over the gimlet-eyed Izzy, an unconvincing mother if ever there was one, Kay-teh, who went from sweet sixteen to perma-tanned harridan in the blink of an eye plus Rosemary's Baby, FayE. Together they represent an unedifying bunch. Anna in particular has had more personality changes than a series of Doctor Who regenerations. The woman is a nightmare and for laughs, probably gives herself the evil eye in the mirror.

Tina and Reet. Where to begin? There is something worryingly unhealthy about the way Rita muscles in on the lives of young women. With all the subtlety of a steamroller in a red wig, in she goes, flashing her cheque book which automatically give her the right to an opinion. Rita knows best.

There's nothing better than a lesson in life skills from an octogenarian cabaret singer. Who better to receive these wise words than Tina, a study in misery and pent-up rage. A woman so angry that her fury can cook a hotpot before it even reaches the oven. A steady procession of Greater Manchester's finest psychiatrists would have their work cut out wrestling Tina's demons.

They say that apples never falls far from the tree which is a worry if that tree is called Sally. Sophie has dispensed with her Christian values and cosy chats with Emily for a cold and unconvincing relationship with Jenna, coupled with an unforgiving persona. Sophie has now been reinvented so many times that she's becoming a bit of a joke. Her current incarnation is a particularly unpleasant one and arguably, she's becoming as small-minded as her mother, the lovely Sally. The post-Kevin Sally is, we can but hope, returning to her roots as a bit of a slapper. Now in her late forties, Sally may be about to give up her delusions of grandeur and settle for life with a bit of rough. Tim seems to be from the same side of the tracks as her - the wrong side. Fingers crossed that he will bring out the inner scrubber in Sally and before long she'll be necking cans of lager on the Red Rec and investing in some nice hooped ear-rings.

Of the rest, I have to admit that Eva is always a joy to watch. Despite the war paint, this lady is fragile. Will she forge a new relationship with Munch's Scream (alias Leanne)? The Sister-In-Laws Connor provide varied viewing. Carla is good value at present whereas Michelle spends most of her days sulking and crossing her arms under her bosom. Maria seems to only exist fleetingly, like a half-remembered dream. Eileen trundles on and we have to 'bear with' until she gets rid of the fireman. She's a bit of a bore and of late, seems to fall into the Audrey and Rita trap of suddenly going a bit 'posh' for no apparent reason. Maybe it's a tribute to Annie Walker.

Audrey battles on, surviving whatever the writers throw at her. Gail however seems to be increasingly marginalised and this once strong, if serious, woman has morphed into some slightly ridiculous Mrs Mop with a  less than generous spirit. She is Ivy Tilsley for the new Millennium. Kylie excels in the hands of the talented Paula Lane and it will be interesting to see if the character signs up to mumsnet or cracks open a bottle of Freshco's own-brand vodka, post-baby.

It's good to see Julie back in harness and Fiz in the mix. Mary's extremes seem to have been re-channelled and I think Sinead could turn out to be good news.

Corrie tends to live or die by the strength of its women. The majority of the current crop are entertaining enough but some are starting to grate a little. Can they be saved or should they herded into the Corrie Cupboard for the rest of their days?

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Monday Moan: Time to revitalise the Corrie women!

Some of the more mature ladies of Weatherfield are really grating on my nerves at the moment. For me, this is a great shame as I've always seen Corrie being about strong women of a certain age. At the moment they are just not doing it for me.

Let's look at the evidence:

Deirdre Barlow

Known for: Fags, big belts, big bins and dodgy pottery.
Desperately needs to: Show Tracy-luv the door and regain her self-respect.

Eileen Grimshaw

Known for: hopeless men, lodgers that never leave and fighting in the street with Gail.
Desperately needs to: ditch the fireman and visit the hairdressers (not Audrey's!)

Gail McIntyre

Known for: wearing tabards, fluttering her eyelashes and slowing turning into Ivy Tilsley.
Desperately needs to: stop interfering and skivying for her sons and get her own life!

Anna Windass

Known for: having an annoying adopted daughter which has caused a personality transplant.
Desperately needs to: ditch the daughter and the bullyboy boyfriend and bring back cake-making Eddie!

Mary Taylor

Known for: theme nights, an impossibly large motorhome and stalking Norris Cole.
Desperately needs to: leave Weatherfield due to a crushing storyline shortage.

I believe all of the above characters have come unstuck in recent times. Other Corrie ladies like Rita, Audrey, Sally and Hayley have faired better though my only complaint is that we really just don't see enough of them.

In all seriousness though, these women need to be the cornerstone of our favourite cobbled street. In my opinion there is an urgent need for the Corrie storyliners and writing team to come up with the goods for these performers.

All of them (apart from Mary) can easily be turned around with decent stories. Come on Mr Blackburn, time to revitalise some of Coronation Street's most loyal and longstanding characters! 

*You'll notice that St Ella hasn't reared her head in this blog. I haven't really got a lot more to say about her for the moment. There has been no change on screen so I have nothing further to add. 


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What Corrie needs right now: a strong woman

That's what I think anyway. There's nobody in the cast right now that fits the bill. You know the sort I mean - that strong, determined, middle-aged woman that Corrie has brilliantly portrayed over the years.

 

I've come to the conclusion after watching Corrie in recent weeks and noticing various comments and posts on this blog that state that Corrie has become 'too young'. Now you would think that me being in my early 20s that I'd love to see a younger demographic in a soap. If so, I would watch Hollyoaks. But no, I love Corrie.

What attracted me to Corrie at first in 2002 was that it used its mature cast in big storylines - characters like Gail, Audrey, Fred, Mike, Ken, Deirdre, Norris, Emily, Jack and Vera. And yes when I started watching regularly, during the Hillman saga, there was one character that shone out to me, and that was Audrey. Not a sexy, young twenty something, but a woman in her 60s who had life experience and also someone who we had grown to love for 15-20 years. In what was her biggest storyline, we saw her life crumble at the cruel hands of Richard Hillman. But yet she rose like a phoenix from the ashes and regained her strength. Another thing that contributes to that strength is the fact that she runs her own business and has done so for many years and has become a pillar of the community. But with Audrey now in her 70s, I think it's time now for another Corrie strong woman to step into the breach.

And while there are middle-aged women in the cast, they lack that strength that Corrie women have always had. Deirdre has become potty (pardon the pun!), Eileen has become paranoid and Gail is penniless. Stella also lacks the strength past Rovers landladies have had.

When Corrie began in 1960, the stars of the show weren't spring chickens, they were middle-aged women. Elsie Tanner, Ena Sharples and Annie Walker topped the bill for the rest of the decade. And over the years they've been joined by the likes of Hilda Ogden, Betty Turpin, Bet Lynch, Rita Fairclough, Ivy Tilsley, Vera Duckworth, Audrey Roberts, Alma Baldwin, Denise Osbourne and Liz McDonald. Strong women that made Corrie what it is. And what it lacks these days.

And other soaps have followed the trend: Crossroads had Meg Richardson, Emmerdale had Annie Sugden, Brookside had Sheila Grant, EastEnders has had Pauline Fowler, Pat Butcher, Dot Cotton and Peggy Mitchell while Neighbours has had Helen Daniels, Madge Bishop and Susan Kennedy. While these soaps have had younger characters, it is those mature women that we love and cherish.

So, c'mon Corrie, let's get back to basis. Make Gail a businesswoman like she was in the 1990s and not a lowly cleaner, get Deirdre to work in the factory as a PA and be reminiscent of Elsie Tanner and return Eileen to that witty and tough as old boots woman we once loved and not the simpering, paranoid harpy she's become.

Maybe Stuart Blackburn has got something up his sleeve, who knows? Do you think Corrie needs a mature strong woman?
 

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