Dev vs Rita - The Battle for the Bottom end of Coronation Street

Something’s got to give. With the arrival of all the new shops and businesses in and around Coronation Street, I’m afraid to say Rita’s Kabin and Dev’s corner shop can’t both survive much longer.

Corrie writers have achieved the almost impossible over the past couple of years, finding a way to make the old cobbled set seem less unrealistic and actually quite relevant to the part of the real world it’s set in. Coronation Street has gone from down and out industrial backstreet, to bohemian Chorltonesque hub, flowing with cash, crime and loads of character. (If you don’t know Chorlton, it’s a conurbation just south of Manchester city centre, known for its small, independent, and yes sometimes pretentious little businesses and eateries, and as a magnet for media and arty types as well as hundreds of property developers. The only thing keeping it anchored to gritty Manchester reality is the fact it’s nestled between Salford and Moss Side and it’s full name is Chorlton-cum-Hardy).

L.S. Lowry's vision of Salford in 1956

Coronation Street and its surrounding areas like Victoria Street now actually represent real areas of Manchester and Salford. But before the recent changes – a thriving pub, bistro, two shops, takewaways, busy factory employing lots of locals, and a very glam group of residents just wasn’t believable. Corrie has always been true to life(ish), more so than other soaps, and the type of neighbourgood Coronation Street started as still exists, I grew up somewhere very similar, but the show itself had left its setting behind long ago. Even as far back as the Bet Lynch years. Someone recently suggested that it would have taken Bet two hours to get all her makeup on – just to go and work in the backstreet pub where Ena Sharples drank. It wasn’t realistic at all, but we suspended our disbelief. But you can only do that for so long. In the real world Coronation Street would have been demolished decades ago and replaced by an industrial estate. Or if it had survived, it would likely be a picture of severe poverty and neglect as we see in many parts of the country today. Of course being originally set in Salford, it could have been knocked down to make way for the fancy new studios of a famous TV soap opera. In any case the street survived, and the smallest businesses in the area survived; Rita’s little “toffee shop” and Dev’s corner shop. But now it could be time for one of them to fall on their sword and shut up shop. Sad though it is, they couldn’t both survive even if one is offering tins of beans and the other magazines. There’s a Co-op round the corner that does both. It’s a sign of the times.

Victoria Street

In the place of Dev’s, the hardware shop Brian and Cathy were plotting to open up would fit perfectly. Or another niche business – a tropical fish shop would be nice and colourful. But not very ethical. Electrical goods? Too boring. Thinking of small businesses that are still open back at home in Rochdale – there are so few. Locksmiths? Sun bed shop? Perhaps…

And instead of Rita’s Kabin, it could simply be turned into a house or more flats – for new Corrie characters to move into. Sean could finally get his own place and stop leeching off his neighbours. Or Kev could expand the garage and take on more business.

The Kabin and the Corner Shop have both played a significant role in Corrie over the years. Who can forget those iconic scenes with Rita guiding Mavis through her troubles behind the counter of the Kabin, or Alf Roberts grumbling at the lack of custom in his corner shop to a disinterested Audrey.

Legendary double act

Legendary double act

Whatever the changes, I’m sad to say – Dev, Rita – time to fight it out. Whose business is worth more to residents of Weatherfield? Who should reign over the bottom end of Coronation Street?

@StevieDawson

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Coronation Street: Straight out of the Dales

Weatherfield is positively brimming with immigrants these days. Although from not too far afield. Yorkshire in fact. For many years now, that familiar Lancashire twang of Coronation Street residents has been diluted somewhat and there seem to be less true 'locals' than ever before.

Hayley Cropper's lovely dialect is from Accrington, in deepest Lancashire and back in the 1960s and 70s this was pretty much how the whole cast spoke, either naturally or acted. It was a very working class sound and perfect for the Lowryesque, industrial setting of Coronation Street in the Salford of the not-so-swinging Sixties.

I first noticed the invasion of the Yorkshire folk however back when the Harris family were in residence at the first half of the last decade. It was written into their story that they had moved from Sheffield under witness protection and sure enough, Tommy, Angela, Katy and Craig all had the same Yorkshire accent. Their origins were clear enough, but what about David Platt? He was born on the Street but wouldn't sound out of place propping up the bar in Emmerdale's Woolpack. And Liz McDonald, certainly another one from across the border and of course Beverley Callard appeared in Emmerdale at one point. Then there are others like the much missed Vera Duckworth, Ivy Tilsley, Des Barnes and the more recent Becky McDonald, sister Kylie, Gary Windass...the list goes on.

Kevin Webster has a different but arguably more accurate accent than Hayley considering the area in which Coronation Street is set. Michael Le Vell, who plays Kevin, was born in Newton Heath which is very close to central Manchester. Despite being Scottish, John Michie who plays killer Karl doesn't do a bad job of a similar 'Manc' accent, much better than his Mrs. Rob James-Collier had a great broad Manchester twang too. Some of the cast hail from South Manchester and Cheshire so characters like Steve and Eileen have accents that are a little less broad. There have been accents from all around the country, a good number from London, most specifically the cockney Baldwin clan. The writers probably avoid tipping the balance with non-northern accents, but it's probably not the end of the world if large chunks of the cast originate from the Dales.

However if you want to hear the true Corrie accent, listen to characters like little Simon Barlow, Chesney, Sally Wester, Dierdre Barlow and of course Hayley. Flippin' great.

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