Tracy Barlow: 'A Change is Gonna Come'

I've been a little troubled by Tracy lately. It stems from her recent capacity to show compassion for others. So, as the title suggests, I will stick my neck out here and claim that Tracy will become a better person.

The change in the title of this piece is from Sam Cook's political anthem about civil rights in the 1960s, so we are nowhere near that massive scale. But in a small way, in the microcosm that is Weatherfield, it may be possible that Tracy learns some empathy. I claim this because of Tracy's selfless act of confessing to having pushed Ken down the stairs, in the mistaken belief that she was saving Amy, who, Tracy thought, had been the one to push Ken. She was ready to make that sacrifice for Amy, safe in the knowledge that Amy would be well looked after, while she, Tracy, served a prison term.  That act of maternal sacrifice has surely provoked some admiration for Tracy.

However, as far as Yasmeen is concerned, there is nothing in this world that can redeem Tracy Barlow. It was Tracy who crept into Carla's flat, fully intending to kill her. Hearing a toilet flush, Tracy scarpered, leaving her candle by a lampshade, which caught fire. Amy was in that flat but Tracy didn't know.  Kal Nazir died trying to rescue Amy. Initially, people blamed Carla, whose guilt manifested itself in her drinking to excess and gambling. Later Tracy confessed it was her who, accidentally, started the fire.

Yasmeen was in court this week to see Tracy Barlow go to prison for pushing her father down the stairs - attempted murder. Again, Yasmeen was disappointed, though initially hopeful. 'I thought she specialised in evading the law; now I hear she has finally confessed to something.' She adds, 'It would give me a great deal of pleasure to see that despicable woman brought to justice.' Yasmeen also feels for Ken when she says, 'Lord knows Ken has done his best, but to have such a creature as a daughter....' trailing off as Ken, himself appears.

In the bistro, Yasmeen confides in Leanne about how she feels about her court experience. 'I was desperately hoping for a small victory, some crumbs of consolation.' Gazing at baby Oliver, Yasmeen wistfully mentions how it might have been possible for Oliver to be her grandson. It's hard not to sympathise with Yasmeen, a woman who lost her son in the prime of his life.

This may be wild speculation, but might it be possible, in a while, for Tracy to empathise with Yasmeen and to express sorrow at the tragic loss of  her son, a loss which came about by accident, but was, in fact, rooted in Tracy's malicious desire to end Carla's life? In short, is a change gonna come?

By Ruth Owen, twitter: @ruth1722

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In pics: Kal Nazir's best bits

Farewell, Kal Nazir.

You were brought into Coronation Street as an ex-squaddie and a ladies man.  Your first appearance was on 8th December 2013 but you'll always be remembered for this.

 

You helped Dev get in shape when Gary recommended you to him as a personal trainer.

You had your head turned by Leanne when you started work at the gym.

Although you weren't that keen on every bird you laid your hands on.

 

You showed you could play as a team member.

And as a family member you were protective.

Finally you found love with Leanne and proposed. But sadly you were burnt to a crisp in the great fire of Victoria Court during Britain's Got Talent week, 2015.

And throughout it all, you'll always be remembered for this.

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Four characters leaving Coronation Street

There has been a lot of casting news around Coronation Street recently with comings and goings and I felt it was time to clarify who was leaving. 

As far as we know, these are the characters who have been confirmed by ITV as leaving the show.

Kal Nazir

Julie Carp

Maddie Heath

Andrea Beckett

Also leaving for a break when actress Samia Smith goes on maternity leave later this year, will be Maria Connor.

And of course, our beloved Deirdre will be written out this summer too in what will be a very emotional Corrie exit. Her funeral has been written, Chris Gascoyne will be returning as Peter Barlow and the funeral will screen this summer.

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Jimi Mistry leaving Corrie as Kal Nazir

The official Coronation Street website at itv.com/corrie have announced that Jimi Mistry is leaving Coronation Street as Kal Nazir.

Jimi said:"I have had a fantastic 18 months on Coronation Street but I never saw myself staying around forever, my life is in London and I enjoy playing a variety of roles."

I rate Jimi Mistry as an actor and wish him all the very best for his future.  But I can't say I'll be sorry to see Kal leave. For this Corrie fan, I don't think Kal has worked as a character or fitted into the Street, and neither have his son and father.

The Nazir women, on the  other hand, are great.

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Ranking The Nazirs

It's been just over a year since Kal Nazir made his first appearance on the Street, and with their purchase of number six they've finally established themselves as residents.  It's perhaps time to give them a report card on their progress over that time.

Alya Nazir

Alya's emerged as the star of the family, for a few reasons.  Firstly, actress Sair Khan is talented at both drama and comedy, a valuable skill set in the often farcical world of Corrie.  She's also brought an intelligence and compassion to her scenes and storylines, and her background in fashion has made her a natural for working at Underworld.  She's certainly a better fit for the role of deputy manager than Michelle, Peter or (saints preserve us) Maria ever were - at least she's got a passion for the product.  I thought they'd use her staying at the factory to help with Beth's basque as a way to engineer a friendship with Sinead (they're both young characters who don't have much in the way of friends) but it doesn't seem to have worked out that way.  Her relationship with Gary is problematic; one minute she's presented as a strident, independent woman, the next she kowtows to her family's pressure, but there's definite chemistry between them.

Grade: A-

Yasmeen Nazir

A lot of people hate Yasmeen.  She's interfering, bossy and sharp tongued.  For me, that's why she's great.  Since the departure of Sylvia we've been missing a matriarch who speaks her mind, and Yasmeen has all these characteristics.  It's also tempered by a forcefulness and a passion for projects that I find appealing.  I'm not sold on the idea of a community centre in the butcher's shop (try doing a fitness class in there without banging your head on the ceiling) but I totally believe that this is the kind of thing Yasmeen would do with her time.  I loved the little (completely uncalled for) pep talk she gave to Sean before his date with Billy, and her dislike of Sharif's chickens was heartfelt.  Best of all, the prospect of her and Sally Webster engaging in an ever-escalating war of snobbishness over the garden fence makes me giddy; a kind of Mapp and Lucia with Manchester accents.

Grade: B

Zeedan Nazir

The biggest problem with Zeedan so far is: what is he for?  I don't know anything about him other than he's a bit sulky, he loved his mum, and he hates Leanne.  I don't know about his education, his aspirations, his dreams.  I don't even know how old he is - sometimes he acts like Alya's older brother, other times he's like a petulant teenager.  At the moment he just seems to be eye candy.  Giving him a job as a builder means he's got even less opportunity to be a distinct presence - what is he offering us that we haven't already got from Jason/Gary/Tony/Owen?  He gets a passing grade because I don't actively dislike him, but he can't get any more than that because all he's doing right now is existing.

Grade: C

Kal Nazir

While Zeedan hasn't established himself, Kal has taken his potential and thrown it down the drain.  A former Army colleague of Gary's who is now a fitness guru could be an excellent character.  Jimi Mistry is a charming, personable actor, who's got a history of good performances.  However, Kal has sunk over the past year into nothing.  He's not established himself as friends with anyone (in Friday's show, he was shown drinking with Kevin and Luke, and he stuck out like a sore thumb).  Early suggestions of friendships with Dev and Nick have fallen by the wayside.  His relationship with Leanne is tepid - they have no chemistry at all.  He seems too young to be a parent to Alya and Zeedan, and too old to be the child of Yasmeen and Sharif.  He's become a beige character, enough to raise a sigh of disinterest when he appears onscreen, but not enough to actually care about.

Grade: D+

Sharif Nazir

Ugh.  Sharif manages to be nothing to anyone.  At first he seemed like a hard taskmaster with a canny financial sense.  That disappeared.  He seemed to be a domineering father to Kal, until Yasmeen turned up and showed herself to be the power behind the throne.  He wanders into scenes, gets told to do something, looks unhappy about it, then does it anyway.  Where did he get his money from?  What is his background?  Why doesn't he have a job?  Where did this passion for raising livestock suddenly come from?  Is he from Manchester, even - his accent seems to come and go depending on how hard he's required to act?  I don't believe in him and I don't like him.

Grade: E

Impact on the Street:  Right now the Nazir family owns two businesses (the community centre and the gym) and have bought a house.  The latter point, of course, is ridiculous: they were shown to have a perfectly lovely home earlier in the year, and they've sold it to buy a house they can't all fit into.  At least I don't think they can all fit in there - are Kal, Zeedan and Alya all living there as well?  Haven't they got their own house?  The show's been annoyingly vague in that respect, bringing back nasty memories of when the Family of Sinbad had to put a shed in the back garden for the son to live in instead of, you know, buying a house that was big enough for them.

The gym hasn't been visited lately, and seems to have become a place for the Nazirs to talk rather than a part of Weatherfield.  I'm not against the gym as an idea - it's 2015 after all - but the set is far too small to be convincing.  The idea that Kal would only just have got round to putting in a sauna is also pretty daft.  The same criticisms can be made of the Community Centre: it's far too small.  Also, can you just set up a private Community Centre like that?  Who's paying for all of it?  Given that Weatherfield Council closed a library only a few months earlier I can't believe they're swimming in cash.

In personal relationships, again, Alya is the winner, slotting effortlessly in with the factory girls, and I believed Yasmeen when she went to the cafe to talk to Roy about his conviction (and the less said about that storyline the better, by the way).  I believe that Zeedan would be friends with Gary far more than I believe Kal would be, while Sharif doesn't seem to want to talk to anyone he's not related to.

Overall: The Nazirs get a "could do better" from me.  As the Street's first Muslim family, they've got baggage that other families haven't had, with a weight of expectations that have been effectively managed.  The producers have done their best to slowly feed them in unlike, say, the explosive blast of the Mortons, and it's given us time to get used to them.  It's still difficult to completely say who they are though, and furthermore, how they'll fit in as the show goes on.  I'm not keen to see them all go - Alya and Yasmeen are definite assets - but if they don't improve over the next year I may be calling for a fire at number six.


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Some Corrie New Year's Resolutions

I'd like to start by saying I hope all our loyal Coronation Street Blog readers had a wonderful Christmas. I don't know about you but I was left seriously underwhelmed by the festive editions of Corrie this year. They just lacked that traditional Christmas magic.

However, I've decided to start the new year afresh. The run up to new year always leads to many of us making resolutions for the year ahead, setting out our hopes, dreams and aspirations. So here are my Corrie new year resolutions for 2015.

First of all, I must try not to launch into a verbal tirade every time either Liz or Michelle appear on screen and criticise, deride or treat the lovely Steve in an altogether harsh and unfair manner. This will be a tough habit to crack, especially if Michelle is pouting with her arms folded like daggers.

I must give the Nazir family a chance. Even if it is downright preposterous that they have moved into that house in Coronation Street. Even if they have no chemistry as a family and do not work as individual characters.

I must work hard to accept that no matter how much I try I will never, ever like Sophie Webster, the most ungrateful, unpleasant, whinging Christian in the history of prime time television.

I must not cringe every time Andrea appears or jumps onto Lloyd's lap in the cab office. Which is practically every time she appears.

I must live in hope that when Owen and Katy's exits finally come about they will be both short and painless for the viewers. In the meantime, one of my resolutions is to hit the mute button every time either appears on my television set.

I must not scream and shout at each and every one of Corrie's totally rubbish romantic pairings. Nick and Erica sounded like fun but made me shudder. As did Tony and Tracy (make me shudder that is, not sound like fun). And Leanne and Kal don't provoke a strong enough reaction to even warrant a shudder. Can Sean's budding romance with his vicar please not be cringeworthy? Sean seriously needs to grow up, act his age and be seen to have some form of character development.

I resolve not to make a face worthy of a Gogglebox close up every time any of the following things happen: Tracy says something horrible; Dev over-acts; Sharif attempts to act; Michael acts like a wimp; Izzy over-reacts; Maria simpers; Simon is treated like he's five years old when in actual fact he's started to shave; Leanne either frowns or stomps; Nick treats his mother like dirt; David calls his mother "Gail"; Rita plays it all "sweet old lady" or Ken's kimono represents the best attempt at Corrie comedy.

I hope and pray that 2015 will see the Platts and the Wind-strongs rested, allowing other characters to have a look in. Let's hope this new year sees Steph and Luke flourish, Jason and Eva get a proper storyline, Julie get her cheery, 1950s self, perched pertly behind Dev's counter (ahem), Roy find some happiness (not in the form of Mary), Audrey take centre stage in a storyline that does not involve a conman or a cross dresser, Rita make reference to the fact she's still married to Dennis and plenty more of Sally and Tim. 

And please, please, please can Deirdre return soon, ready to get stuck into her stuffed marrow once again?

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Why I like (most of) the Nazir family

There have been a lot of blog posts about the Nazir family on Coronation Street and a lot of comments left by fans on each post. It seems as if there's a love/hate thing going on with the Nazir family as a whole, and individual members of the clan have their own strengths and weaknesses too.  I've stayed out of the debate so far but feel it necessary to vent my spleen now.  I've had enough of the Nazir family - but not all of them. In fact, there's one I like a lot.

Yasmeen is the one I like best. She's gobby, forthright, strong - all the qualities of the typical Coronation Street woman. She's not a battle-axe although she does have a sharp tongue, not afraid to say what she thinks. In addition, not only did she endear herself to me with the sit-in at the library with Roy, she's opened Jamila House, the new Community Centre of the Street.  Yasmeen is the best of the lot and the one that should stay, if indeed Corrie were ever thinking of axing any of them, which they're probably not, but I do wish they would.

Sharif is next on my list of those I like most, but only because he acts as a feckless foil to Yasmeen's big plans. He's become a member of the Square Dealers, another nod to Corrie's history, and am  I over-thinking this, or are his chickens a cunning and not very subtle nod to Jack's pigeons?  Or maybe a fox will come and eat them, who knows?  Sharif can stay too, but only so that he extends his reign as the downtrodden husband, a type that we know on the Street only too well.

Alya is one I have mixed feelings about. I think putting her into Underworld with Carla could be a joy to watch in coming weeks. Or it could turn sour, my inner-Corrie jury is still out on this one. I like what I've seen of Alya so far except for the wrongly-matched relationship with Gary Windass, which I haven't enjoyed watching.  As a huge fan of both actor Mikey North and the character of Gary Windass, Alya was never going to be good enough for Gary, in my eyes.  Mind you, I'm not sure who would be.  He needs to get back with Izzy.  The poor lad also needs to get back to counselling for his post traumatic stress disorder too.

And then we come on to the other two Nazirs - Kal and Zeedan.  This is the tricky bit, because I was excited when I read the news that Jimi Mistry was joining Corrie as Kal, and that Chesney from Shameless was joining Corrie as Zeedan. These were two actors I have watched and admired on telly and in film, in other shows, in other dramas and always thought they were great.  But for me, neither of them fit in with Corrie and both should leave soon.

There, I've said it. It's just my tuppence worth.


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The curse of 6 Coronation Street

So the Nazir family are rather inexplicably moving into number 6 Coronation Street. I still do not understand the reason behind this impulse purchase, other than a crazy notion these days that every character connected with the programme must live on the street itself. Gone are the days of seeing the wider Weatherfield world it seems. 

I'm trying very hard to like the Nazir family. Alya is the brightest hope for a long term character I can take to. I can't even find the words to describe how boring I find Kal, Zeedan and Sharif. I feel sorry for Jane Danson as the trend for her character being placed with unpopular new arrivals continues. Yasmeen has promise but she can sometimes be just too full on for me. Putting her in charge of the new community centre has been a good move but the current Alya/Gary storyline isn't impressing me all that much.

Anyway, they've moved into number 6 which hopefully means that horrid living room wallpaper will soon disappear. Every cloud. 6 Coronation Street is something of a doom-laden property so that doesn't exactly augur well for its latest inhabitants. Shall we take a look at the evidence as we go through the keyhole? Ahem.

For the first eight years of its life, the house was owned by bookmaker Des Barnes. The fondest memory I have of this time is the lovely Phyllis Pearce acting as his cleaner. Sadly all was not well chez Barnes and before too long Steph had run off with someone else. More misery ensued as Des mucked poor Raquel about for years. And of course Des met his maker in the house thanks to a run in with a coffee table and some dodgy drug dealers. 

Ever since then, the house has changed hands on a rather alarming number of occasions. It has become a temporary residence for a constant stream of ill-advised casting decisions. Debs Brownlow and Matt and Charlie Ramsden spring uneasily to mind. 

Then came the Harris family, never a happy, bubbly brood. They ruined the character of Martin Platt, daughter Katy killed her father and then herself and mother Angela went to prison. 

Then came Charlie Stubbs, who also breathed his last under that roof thanks to a combination of Tracy's woeful sexy dance and her nack with heavy, ugly ornaments. After a quick bottoming through, in come 23 members of the Morton family, although the only one I can remember is Sinbad from Brookside. Most recently we've had to witness the extended misery of the extended Armstrong-Windass clan, now forever banished to the gloomy flat above Tracy's emporium of knock off. Not exactly a glittering track record is it? 

So I wonder what lies in store for the Nazirs? Will it be more murder, mayhem and misery or will they lead a more charmed existence, sandwiched between Sally and Gail? I'd say it will be interesting finding out, but I'm yet to be convinced. 


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The Nazirs of Coronation Street

Guest blog post from Corrie fan long-time Coronation Street Blog rader Nathan Richardson, who shares his thoughts on the Nazir family.

It has been nearly one year now since Kal first appeared in Coronation Street. Introduced as the ex-army pal of Gary Windass, his raison d’être on the street was to be Dev’s personal trainer. The producers certainly thought the character had potential because, twelve months on, he has now opened a gym on the street, become romantically involved with Leanne, and introduced us to four members of his family.

But does anybody actually like him?

Personally, I thought his arrival rather ridiculous: the only friend from the army Gary ever mentioned was Quinny, and he died in battle. Suddenly, the proprietor of the corner shop has a protruding waist, and so Gary stepped in with military quickness, ready to implicate Dev unto a fitness regime courtesy of his old friend Kal? It seemed silly at worst, but, okay, this Coronation Street, it takes great liberties with what might actually happen in life, and we have to accept that.

But then (as always happens) Kal settled into the street, and I still didn’t warm to him. He worked also with Nick, after his accident, and they were occasionally seen out running together, but beside that he seemed to just drift. He drank in the Bistro, in the Rovers, became friendly with the other characters, but he had no real purpose; we knew he had children, that his wife had died, but he lived away from the street, and was something of a lone bird. If you’d have taken him away he’d have been quickly forgotten.

And then, this year, they introduced his family, and then my view began to change. Okay, his father, Sharif, didn’t do much for me. He played the archetypal interfering father, but Coronation Street is brilliant for its female characters, and once we met the female Nazirs (and once I accepted that Kal, judging by appearances, became a father aged ten) I began to love them.

Yasmeen, Kal’s mother, has, since Sylvia’s sad departure, taken on the feisty harridan role, the battle axe. A retired librarian, she is dogmatic and determined. In the past we’re told she has been arrested for protesting, and when the Weatherfield Library was under threat of closure, she quickly intervened, and staged a sit in protest, where, quite brilliantly, she spoke favourably of Elizabeth Smart’s wonderful novel By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept. It made brilliant viewing. “The argument of the broken window pane is the most valuable argument in modern politics.” These words were spoken by another empowered Mancunian woman: Emmeline Pankhurst.

Yasmeen was introduced as another forthright, no-nonsense activist for the greater-good in society. Given her history, I wouldn’t be surprised to see her smashing windows, and I hope we see more of this aspect to her character. In short, I love her. Most recently, she has purchased the former butcher’s shop and opened it as a community centre. This gives her solid ground on the street, and hopefully the nucleus of many brilliant story-lines to come.

Alya is Kal’s daughter, and like Yasmeen, I think she is completely heavenly and fabulous. A fashion graduate, she works on the reception desk at the gym. She is friends with Gary Windass, and between the two there is something of a suppressed desire for each other. I think this is rather nice, rather old-fashioned, and it’s a joy to watch. The audience wants them to get together, but Gary is an unskilled labourer, and a father, too – there’s no way her family would welcome him, but we know that true love is blind to these things, and we want them to be together. Though Alya is not exactly an intellectual (to Yasmeen’s horror she confessed to having not read Wuthering Heights) she has more cultured tastes than Gary: at her request and his reluctance they recently went to see a Spanish film at the art-house cinema in Manchester. Soon, I believe she will become the trainee manager at Underworld, which shall also give the character more stability on the street, and it shall be interesting to see how her relationship with Gary develops now that, oh my, they have actually kissed.

And that leaves us with Zeedan, who only appeared back in September. It’s probably too early to cast an opinion on him, but from what I’ve seen of him I like. He has perfected the look of disappointment and is often seen shaking his head despairingly at his father, Kal. He’s currently working at the builder’s site, and I’ve no idea where he’s headed, but I’m keen to learn.

So yes, the Nazirs – I’ve gone from not liking Kal at all to not like him at all but adoring his family. They are a diverse bunch, and they provide great comic relief, but with the absent mother, and the occasionally fragile inter-generational relationships, there’s something very serious about them too.

It’s been a while since the street had a new family, and with three generations to work with, I think the writers are having great fun. I for one am having fun watching them, and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Nathan Richardson
Twitter: @unfingermarked
www.nathanrichardson.wordpress.com

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