The Light and the Dark on the Cobbles

First of all, the light...

This stunning piece of comedy gold represents much needed light on the cobbles. It concerns Liz and her belief that Peter and Toyah have invited her back to serve behind the bar at The Rovers.Peter has sent a note to Steve asking him to come back to the pub after he was barred. The problem is that Peter assumed that Steve would receive the note but hadn't considered its ambiguous nature, nor the possibility that Liz would get hold of it and assume she was invited back.

Bouyed up by Tyrone's comment that a bit of glamour was needed behind th bear and the Liz, had 'still got it' Liz handed in her notice at The Medical Centre in readiness to take up her job offer at the Rovers.

Launching herself behind the bar, she thrusts her bag at Peter and gets stuck in. She informs her new employers that she is doing a 'freebie' as she transitions'  into her old role.

Toyah blames Peter for the mix up and tells him he should be the one to let liz know of the misunderstanding . Peter tries to worm his way out of it by flattering Toyah, telling her that she is braver than he is. So, reluctantly, Toyah has a go and fails spectacularly. Liz is so excited to be back 'in her own pond' that Toyah cannot get a word in. As she tries to tell Liz that there has been no job offer, Liz interrupts, glowing with happiness, 'Can I just say that I feel I've come home.' and 'Im so happy to be back behind the bar, where I belong.' An exasperated Toyah gives up.

The brilliance of the piece stems from Beverley Callard's excellent comic timing. Once again, I have to repeat that in the soaps, and in Corrie in particular, some of the acting is as good as any to be found on the stage in the West End.

Now to the dark...

Mel has successfully gained access to the Platt household. At first it was hard to tell if her need was genuine, but after a call to Nathan, in his prison cell, awaiting trial, and the words, 'Im in' all confusion ends.

So should we pity Mel or should we despise her for her playing on Bethany's sweet nature, naivety and gullibility? Mel is clearly captured under  Nathan's spell and her manipulation of Bethany is an attempt to stop Bethany giving evidence against those who so vilely abused her.

Mel, is an interesting character in that she must realise what Nathan does, how he tricks girls into abuse by telling them he loves thank and that by sleeping with his friends, the girl is making him happy. It is a twisted, distorted world, but because Nathan is such an arch manipulator and, on the surface, initially, an attentive boyfriend, who claims to be in love with the girl. Surely then Mel knows this, yet seems willing to be duped by Nathan again, believing that he loves her. Just how damaged is Mel?

When Bethny tells Mel how foolish she was to believe that Nathan loved her and how long it took her to realise that he was merely using her, an agonising expression crossed Mel's face, suggesting that she does actually know, deep down that he is using her, but damaged as she is, has to believe it's true. It is chilling to see the wreckage that a man such as Nathan can create,

There is though, for the viewer the safety net that villains in soap operas always get their comeuppance. Heartbreakingly, in the real world, I suspect that in the majority of cases, there exists no such safety net.


By Ruth Owen, twitter: @ruth1722  

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Sonia Ibrahim Interview: Mel's return to Coronation Street

How did you first feel when you heard that Mel was going to come back to the street?
I was obviously very happy but I knew that there would be some kind of intention behind it from Mel. But even though there is a reason why she is back, it is good that all of Mel’s story comes out and the Platts get to know everything about her.

What happens in that first moment Bethany sees that Mel’s back?
Mel has been homeless for a while so when she sees Bethany, she's desperate to speak to her. Bethany knows what Mel has done so obviously she doesn't like her and she wants to phone the police but Mel manages to persuade her to invite her into the Platts' to hear her side of the story.

What is Sarah’s reaction when Mel first comes back?
She probably wants to hit her and to go for her since she's put her daughter through all that. But Bethany persuades Sarah to at least let Mel talk.

Why does Bethany agree to talk to Mel after everything?
Bethany is trying to continuously open Mel’s eyes to how brainwashed she is. Bethany keeps asking her to come to court because she needs her help; Lara is not a reliable witness and Mel knows more so she can help to put Nathan away.

What’s Mel’s reaction to that?
Definitely deep down Mel knows that it’s right and that she should do it. There’s always the to-and-fro in her mind of whether she should go to court but that little voice in her head, which is Nathan, is just niggling away at her, saying, ‘No, do what I want, do what I want!’.

What is it about Mel’s backstory that makes us understand why she is the way she is?
At first Bethany doesn't know what Mel has been through and tells Mel not to play the victim so that’s when Mel says she’s had it worse. She says that she's taken beatings for Bethany and explains she was Nathan’s first with all this stuff and it just escalated. Mel still thinks that she's his one true love - she's been through a lot, a lot more than anyone realises.

How has it been playing such a complex character with the backstory looming over her?
At times it is challenging to get into that mindset but it’s been really good to play the different sides of Mel and have such a character arc in the story. You've seen a massive journey for her and I've really enjoyed playing that.

Have you found that viewers are understanding her a lot more?
Yeah, definitely. I have noticed that people are warming to her because they can see that there’s something with her. People can see that she's very manipulated.

Have you had anyone coming up to you in the streets?
The thing people always say is, ‘You really look like that girl in Coronation Street’, and I’m like, ‘Yeah, it’s me’, but everyone’s been really nice.

What’s it been like working with the Platts?
Ever since I started working with Lucy we have formed a really lovely friendship and she's just such a nice girl. We have bonded and that’s good when you're working so close with somebody, especially on a storyline like this when it does get quite dark because it’s nice to be able to have those uplifting moments in-between. Working with the Platts like Tina, Helen and Sue has been so much fun on set. Sometimes I just stand there and watch because I am still new to it and it’s interesting to see how everyone does the different things and how their characters get to where they get to.

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New Pics: Has Corrie killed off Mel?

Pic: MCPIX

Yesterday we posted a link to paparazzi pictures showing Bethany fighting with Mel in a new twist in the grooming storyline.  You can find out more here.

And since then, more paparazzi pictures have emerged showing Colson Smith, as Craig Tinker, being called to the scene wearing his police uniform.

It appears as if young Craig has to ID a body that has been left on the train tracks. I can't imagine for one minute that it'd be Bethany that Coronation Street are killing off, not after the long summer of the grooming storyline and the way in which actress Lucy Fallon most surely deserve every award that comes her way.

And so, I wonder if they're killing off Mel or perhaps the other young girl, Lara? Someone who is involved in the grooming storyline who isn't in jail and banged up. That rules out, I would think, Nathan and Neil.

A few months ago I wrote a blog post asking if there were too many paprazzi pictures being released around Corrie's upcoming storylines. If you'd like to, you can read it here.

It doesn't seem to have got any easier for the show with photographers chasing them, I'd imagine, for gossip and pictures on the stories. Now, I love spoilers, I really love them and I'll always link to paparazzi pictures because I enjoy knowing what's coming in advance, but I know not everyone feels the same. So, apologies. But I do wish Corrie would close down the paparazzi and film in locations that they're not allowed access to.

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Sonia Ibrahim on being starstruck at Coronation Street

Sonia Ibrahim, who plays Mel in Coronation Street, is interviewed by fans in a recent Inside Soap magazine. 

She answers questions which Corrie fans have sent in to the magazine and she comes across really nicely.  She says that she was really starstruck when she first started work on the show.

"I was excited by everyone on my first day. Every time I saw someone I'd say "Oh my God, that's Peter Barlow!" or "Oh my God, that's David Platt!". But the actors who left me most starstruck were people like Bill Roache (who plays Ken Barlow) because he's the centre of old-school Corrie, isn't he?"

Asked which former Corrie characters she would bring back if she had the chance she said Tina McIntyre and Becky McDonald.

And if she could play anyone else on Corrie for a day, it would have to be Eva. "I think she's great. She's so feisty and is a very strong woman who has that girl power and independence about her. It'd be very cool to work in the Rovers Return too!".

Sonia recently got engaged at Manchester Town Hall. You can read more on that here.

See also: Sonia Ibrahim reveals why Mel can't help Bethany

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When Bethany emerges from hell

How long now before Bethany emerges from the hell into which Nathan has plunged her? Well, as I understand it, she has a good deal more to endure before she escapes the web in which Nathan has ensnared her.

How will it happen? How will she be able to escape a man as controlling and manipulative as Nathan. A man who is able to convince Bethany that he loves her and who can keep Mel, an ex-girlfriend, on side and silent through fear. Can any of us forget how Nathan slammed the till drawer on Mel? Not to mention her continual air of fear, her subdued behaviour, her eyes forever cast downward – just how much is Mel in his sway? And what exactly has passed between them?  Mel’s refusal/inability to tell Bethany what is going on is so frustrating – can she not hint at it, at least? She must be so terrified, so caught up in Nathan’s scheme, that to tell Bethany the truth would be to open herself up to the worst of dangers.

Unlikely though it may seem, it just might be the case that Mary plays a key role in Bethany’s eventual escape from Nathan. In Monday’s episode Mary showed a touching degree of concern for Bethany. Bethany’s traumatised, haunted expression, to anyone who knew her, would surely make it clear that something seismic had taken place. Mary’s concern was touching and we mustn’t forget that Mary herself was taken advantage of at a very young age, resulting in the birth of her son and the subsequent heart ache, as she was forced to surrender him for adoption.

It may also be the case that Shona, Nathan’s ex, will realise what is happening to Bethany and play a part in her rescue.

Bethany spots Nathan outside the florists and she looks petrified. She tries to hide but fails and Nathan takes her back to his lair. But Mary is alerted – Mary is on watch. For the viewer, there is some small degree of reassurance in this.

On her return, Nathan acts in a deliberately intimidating way. He turns up the music so loud that Bethany is made to feel even more afraid. He then asks her in a sneering, obnoxious fashion what he should buy her for her birthday. He answers his own question – ‘A doll’s house, a rocking horse, some crayons? Just when I thought you were a grown up, you go and behave like a child.’

Oh, he’s good! His ability to twist and distort, in order to confuse and control, is second to none.

And what of the future for Bethany? How difficult will it be for her to return to normal life? Who will she be able to trust in the ensuing years when men approach her as they surely will? Will her confidence ever be restored? Let's not forget that it is not so long ago that Bethany was being bullied by those awful girls at school. Sarah, if she is told the whole truth, will be utterly devastated when she learns the extent of what has happened to Bethany. How will she and Gary cope with the traumatic truth?  Will Gail and Audrey know? How will David react? 

All of the scenes relating to the grooming storyline have been played well, but the one that sticks in my mind is where Neil is talking Bethany to the bedroom, and Bethany, in her desperation, is rubbing her ear, the code ‘agreed’ between her and Nathan that when he sees her doing this he will rescue her. Bethany’s confusion as to why Nathan would ‘give’ her to Neil, as compensation for the ‘stolen’ photographic equipment, was played so very well by the talented Lucy Fallon, whose acting abilities have soared in this storyline. Chris Harper, who plays Nathan is doing an excellent job too.

Yes, it makes for difficult viewing, but if this brave storyline saves one person from the hell caused by grooming, then in my book, it has been worth it – every bit.

by Ruth Owen, twitter: @Ruth1722

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What's Mel hiding? Corrie's Sonia Ibrahim reveals all

What's Mel hiding behind the counter at the tanning salon, we wonder?

Actor Sonia Ibrahim, who plays Mel, has revealed why her character hasn’t warned or helped Bethany.

In an exclusive interview with Metro, Sonia says: "I knew from the beginning that Mel had a history with Nathan in the same way as what is happening to Bethany so I knew when taking on the role that she had been his victim,” the actress told the Metro.

“The things that she is doing for Nathan are to try save herself so she doesn’t have to go back there and do those things.

“That’s definitely her biggest fear – Mel knows exactly what Nathan is capable of because she has been through it all. She doesn’t want to be on that end of it; she’d rather stay on this end of it.”

"She feels really bad; as the scenes go on, you see a bit more of a human side to Mel".

See also: Evil Nathan is leaving Coronation Street

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