In Praise of Corrie - Mental Health Awareness Week 2019

In the past 12 to 13 months, Coronation Street has been predominant in bringing issue-based storylines into the Weatherfield world, with praise and abhorrence heaped upon them equally amongst us die-hard cobbles fans. Personally, I am quite the fan. In an age where social media (as opposed to tabloid sensationalism) can sway opinion and equally grab headlines, dramas that reach millions of people, several nights a week, certainly have an important role in modern society.

Working in my day job (in the disability industry), I am acutely exposed to ‘awareness days/weeks’ and their importance in raising awareness for minorities and (often underrepresented) health issues. This past fortnight, I think it's worth praising Corrie for serious awareness raised of two equally important conditions.

Where Carla’s psychosis and mental health storyline is rapidly developing during this week's #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek,  Freda’s reappearance, to coincide with the legend Malcolm Hebden returning to the cobbles, was actually aired during #DeafAwarenessWeek.  As a hearing-aid wearer (it has its benefits, trust me!), I was glad to see Freda back on the street and jovially winding up Amy’s efforts at BSL (British Sign language) and the character being so expressive with the signing.
Wouldn’t it be great to learn BSL?

With mental health now (finally) being at the forefront of the UK's social health agenda, Carla’s descent into psychosis and paranoia is also worth its weight in gold, when highlighting an issue that is equally troubling for both men and women. In 2018, we saw her fictional brother Aidan fight and lose his battle with mental health, and Aidan’s suicide was remarkable (without sensationalism) in highlighting how suicide is the biggest killer amongst men, under the age of 50, in the UK. Aside from opening discussion amongst the UK press, social media discussion, and with some brilliant charities involved, who can forget Gail's (Bafta nominated) incredibly moving monologue, written by Jonathan Harvey.

Carla’s demise then, during mental health awareness week, is not only timely, but will do wonders in raising more awareness of severe psychosis and how mental health is incredibly important to us individually, and society as a whole.  I doubt many of us will be embroiled in faux factory collapses, but, it is of course a metaphor for many a drama we all face as individuals and how we cope

Although issues-led storylines can come up for scrutiny, personally I think we can get more 3-dimensional characterisations from these storylines and I think it does help rather than hinder character development.

I wanted to write this to thank @itvcorrie cast and writers for raising awareness over the past fortnight of two important health issues within the UK.

With a promised special episode devoted to Carla's mental health still to come, it will be interesting to see how Corrie develops future storylines based on issues affecting modern working-class Britain.

What do you think?. Let me know in the comments section.

I am @rybazoxo on twitter, your (self-titled) 'cobbles connoisseur' and writer of the Wednesday episode blog reviews.

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The Emancipation of David Platt

To say that the last few years have been tough on David Platt would be an understatement.

Even by soap standards (and being part of the 'cursed' Platt family), he's had a tumultuous time. Following the death of his wife on the cobbles, David has fallen for the mother of her killer, watched as his niece descended into the midst of a sexual exploitation ring, and nearly burnt Anna Windass to a crisp, in a suicidal revenge plot.

However, he has also recently managed to go from a rebellious wild child, jail stints, and pushing his mother down the stairs, to becoming an honest hard-working father.

Without a strong male role model in his life, (the brief reappearance and departure of Martin Platt, cemented thus) it was easy to see how David could quickly become accustomed to a 'bromance' with mechanic newcomer Josh. Although appearing innocent, to begin with (I and the Mrs immediately liked Josh), what was to follow in their relationship, was shocking and I think the worst thing that's ever happened to David.

The storyline has been implicit in opening up discussion regarding male mental health and Jack P Shepherd has been consistently brilliant. Coupled with the tragic demise of Aidan Conner, David rallied against his own feelings of suicide, ably assisted and embraced by the real shining light in his life... Shona. Even David's brief romance with ditzy Emma has done little to dispel Shona's devotion.

As #PhelansRevenge comes to its fruition this week, we will also see David admit his recent assault to his family. Finally releasing weeks of anger and unpredictable behaviour, I think we will see a new side to David in future episodes. Josh will be locked up soon, but will David finally be free of all this trouble?.

Coronation Streets recent storylines on male mental health has caused a plethora of positive social media activity and discussion. It can only be lauded.

I just thought I'd put my musings on this subject, online.  Have you enjoyed the recent 'issue led' stories or have you been in the 'too dark' camp?.

Let us know your thoughts!.

I am @rybazoxo your @CoroStreetBlog Wednesday episode reviewer and self-styled 'Cobbles Connoisseur'. Give us a follow.

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Smile, Though Your Heart is Aching

I can’t stand crime dramas. It always baffles me how successful they are. It’s a whole industry centered around death and misery. I did dip my toe into Broadchurch last year but that was only because Julie Hesmondhalgh was in it and it was the last ever series so I didn’t need to worry about getting hooked. Which I might have, it was very good. Julie was brilliant in it too.

Some of our most successful and long-running TV shows have been crime dramas. Prime Suspect, Morse, all of Agatha Christie’s work, Midsomer Murders, Silent Witness, CSI Miami, CSI Las Vegas, CSI New Brighton (etc, etc). And the basic premise in all of them is that someone’s dead and we all need to be kept in suspense until right at the very end when the person we least expected to be responsible turns out to be the killer. Or the rapist. Our obsession with death keeps these franchises going. Are we this eager to see characters on television peg it to prepare us for our own end? Or is it that death is still such a mystery to us that we use fiction to try and understand it more? Who knows. 

This week’s Coronation Street proved yet again that death is a key ingredient for soaps as well as drama. Aidan’s devastating suicide and the aftermath has been praised by fans and media alike over the past few days, and some have said Corrie is back to its best. Here's a Radio Times article including some Tweets from the public.

Gail’s monologue from her front window, looking out over the cobbles across the street she’s known for forty years, was a particular high point from Wednesday’s hour-long episode. She pondered how she and others could have done something to help Aidan, if only they’d known what he was going through. And how concerned she was for her son David’s own safety and wellbeing. It was a gut-wrenching episode that I found difficult to watch. But it was also a brilliant piece of television, beautifully and skillfully written by Jonathan Harvey. It will go down in history as one of Corrie’s best I’m sure.

For the chop

And it will be in good company. Some of my favourite storylines and scenes have centred around Corrie deaths. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve watched Audrey complain that she hasn’t had time for a cup of tea whilst standing over a near-lifeless Alma as she faded away. I swear I saw Amanda Barrie lick her lips in that death scene at one point. Anyway because I loved those two characters together so much, Alma’s death from cancer is one of my all time favourite episodes. 

I also enjoy reliving the moment Fred Elliott keeled over in Audrey’s vestibule. The two of them had some great scenes together towards the end, and after parting on good terms, Audrey ended up being the last person to see Fred at his best. I say at his best. Fred was given the perfect final goodbye as the comedic character’s coffin got stuck on the crematorium conveyor belt, causing Audrey to burst into fits of giggles as other friends and family looked awkwardly on.

The tram crash of 2010, widely criticised, is another of my top Corrie moments. Death and destruction everywhere. I thought we’d lose Rita at one point but she suffered nothing more serious than an Uncle Joe’s Mint Ball to the face. The disaster brought some questionable CGI along with a handful of dead characters. I loved it. It’s imperfections and all. I even enjoyed seeing real life reporters from ITV News and Granada Reports including Alastair Stewart, play parts in the unfolding drama. It was awkward as hell. But brilliant. The perfect way to celebrate 50 years of Corrie. 

Mind the Gap - in your roof

Going back a few years, Judy Mallett’s death was harrowing. She’d had a car accident a short time before her demise and suffered an embolism as a result. The scene of her collapsing, holding her chest in the back yard of Number 9 was awful. In heartbreaking scenes, her husband Gary was grief stricken and struggled to accept she was dead.

Aired well before my time, a Corrie death that everyone knows about it Stan Ogden’s. Actor Bernard Youens had passed away and it was decided that they would kill off Stan. This led to the iconic scene of Hilda, sitting at her dining table clutching Stan’s glasses case, wedding ring glistening in the light. It was perfectly heartbreaking.

Probably the most well known Corrie death was that of Alan Bradley in Blackpool. Despite the tram hitting him with as much force as a bluebottle flying into some double glazing, he met his maker in one of Corrie’s best rating episodes with over 26 million people watching.

All of these deaths in some way brought characters within Coronation Street together. Particularly Aidan’s recent death which seems to have touched everyone on the Street. And of course peppered among the distressing scenes of pain and anguish are little comedic gems, like Beth worrying if they would still have jobs now that the boss has croaked it. Perhaps we love watching these types of storylines on TV because at the end of it, we always see some kind of justice. And that is quite satisfying as a viewer. Quite what justice can be found from Aidan’s death who knows, but the awareness the story has created over mental health and suicide is a positive real-life effect that we can all be thankful for.

Coronation Street is all the better for it’s deaths. They can have a message, be heartbreaking, see storylines come to a conclusion, or in some cases provide a bit of comedy. Corrie is capable of handling all of the above, and I look forward to the grim reaper returning to the cobbles in due course. Who for? I wouldn’t like to say….

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Someone called ‘UnitedRoar’ on YouTube made this little compilation of Coronation Street deaths over the years. The sicko. Enjoy.

Twitter: @StevieDawson

Need support? Contact the Samaritans.

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

@theCALMzone 

Also more support available http://www.itv.com/advice

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Coronation Street Episode Review; Weds 2nd of May 2018 7.30pm

Warning - the following article contains discussions that some readers could find distressing.

Welcome to Wednesday's edition of the Coronation Street Blog and tonight's episode is a one-hour special.

Normally tasked with the 7.30pm half-hour slot, tonight I am honoured to be covering episodes that are right in the middle of such an incredible week on the cobbles.

Monday night was sorrowful, morose, emotional, and incredibly real (triggering last weeks media-led spoilers). Many words have been written already, its trended on social media, and raised some important debate and discussion. A lot can be said for 'issue-led' storylines in continuing drama, but for me, this is a story that really deserves every bit of media attention possible. Aidan's death may well be fictional but 84 men a week lose their lives to suicide.

From personal experience, I can tell you that the fall out from such an event in the real life is, well, shattering. Reverbations are felt for a long time after.

So, what are the repercussions of Aidan's final act, for the Connor clan and residents of Coronation Street?.

It's the morning after the leaving party. Late arriving at the factory, the girls stand outside waiting for Aidan and Alya to turn up, the sudden appearance of Carla and Johnny causes concern.
A hungover Johnny, upon seeing the factory girls, heads over to Aidan's flat. He finds the place looking symbolically untidy yet 'boxed up'. Discovering a suicide note from Aidan, Johnny opens the bathroom door. A scene of unseen devastation is unleashed, followed by an unmistakable harrowing howl.

David seems more distant than ever as the plea hearing looms - he's fearing prison & feeling helpless. Gary wants to see him but Sarah wisely warms him 'actions have consequences' an apt quote from Sarah, this early on in the episode.

Johnny phones Carla, she rushes to Aidan's flat and finds her father behind the bathroom door. Seeing the ambulance, Roy enquiries as to what's happened. Carla's stoical reply is haunting 'He's killed himself'.

Is it still the final taboo, an act of selfishness, or a fall from an all-consuming emotional precipice?.

When the factory girls are told the news, Gina and Beth become embroiled in a heated discussion of polar opposite opinions on suicide.  I'm glad Corrie chose to show this scene as conflicting attitudes on suicide are sometimes part of the stigma.


David sat in the car on his way to court, feels the sudden and devastating news engulf his psyche. Upon seeing Josh at the garage, he flees Imran's car, and the court case, on foot.

With the devastating news continuing to reverberate around the street, Gail becomes the voice of the residents and delivers an impassioned and rather haunting monologue. She echoes her own thoughts of life on the street, and Aidan and Davids all-consuming mental health issues. Her voice echoes around the street as the soundtrack to an emotional montage of scenes, a segue of sadness, as various characters are told of Aidan Connors demise.

Eva really can't cope with the reality having shared such close emotions with Aidan, just hours before his death. Sadly we also see Toyah still try to cover for her web of lies. It's now unclear as to what may become of baby Susie?.

Discovered by Shauna in the community garden, Davids finally admits Josh's rape.

The biggest reverberation of Aidan's death then, maybe that he saved the life of David in the process?. The Connors shall never be the same again, that's for sure.

An incredible hour-long episode that gave us opposing ends to two male mental health issues.
A juxtaposition that worked so well, with incredible writing from Jonathan Harvey.

It was also a brilliant team effort by everyone at Coronation Street, ITV, and the various charities that have supported the show in this storyline.

Anyway, that's me done for another week - it has been emotional!.

Take care and if you've enjoyed this - follow @CoroStreetBlog

You can also follow me @rybazoxo on twitter-your self-styled 'Cobbles Connoisseur'.

#ItsOkToTalk

Need support? Contact the Samaritans.

For emotional support, you can call the Samaritans 24-hour helpline on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org, visit a Samaritans branch in person or go to the Samaritans website.

@theCALMzone

Also more support available http://www.itv.com/advice

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Beverley Callard opens up about her depression and mental health

Beverley Callard and husband Jon on BBC North West Tonight

Beverley Callard, who plays Liz McDonald on Coronation Street,  was interviewed today on BBC news talking about how she underwent electroconvulsive therapy to treat her own symptoms of depression.

Beverley spoke to the BBC as part of the In The Mind mental health season. She described collapsing on the Corrie set in 2009 after feeling unwell for 18 months.

"I knew I wasn't myself and I knew I wasn't firing on all cylinders. I just didn't think anyone like me would have [depression] because I'm a strong, feisty female."

Beverley, who is now an ambassador for mental health charity Mind, said: "For the first six months out of hospital, I couldn't write my own name." She still takes medication, adding: "I occasionally fight the demons but, more often than not, I'm doing very well."

Beverley said the response from her Corrie colleagues was "amazing" but remembers a person "way behind the scenes" suggest she should not take part in the live episodes marking the soap's 50th anniversary in case she became "flaky and unreliable".

"Anybody who really knows me knows I'm not flaky and unreliable - even on the day I collapsed I was still filming till 8 o'clock at night but some people don't understand," she said.

A ITV spokeswoman said the organisation took "their duty of care as an employer extremely seriously" and would "always strive to help any employee who is suffering from ill health or is dealing with personal issues".

You can read the full interview and watch the video on the BBC website.

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