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

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To Kate Oates from a Corrie superfan

Criticising Coronation Street can be quite cathartic when you’re a super fan. It’s good to share thoughts on the way we think Corrie is going, what we like and what we don’t like. Despite being in my early thirties I feel like I’m part of the Corrie ‘old guard’ – someone who loves the good old days, the classic and iconic characters like Bet Lynch and Hilda Ogden, and wish today’s Corrie was a bit more like back then. I took great comfort in a recent interview Corrie boss Kate Oates gave, in which she acknowledged people like me exist, and writers do try to keep us happy. Not exclusively, but we do matter to the powers that be.

Kate spoke about the recent criticism Corrie has received on the darker storylines. She also mentions her personal preference for darker comedy rather than slapstick. It’s been something we’ve talked about on the blog. The performances of cast members such as Debbie Rush and Connor McIntyre have been sublime, and Corrie for me, generally is very good at the moment. But negative comments on the darker turn Corrie has taken since Kate took over are well founded I think. In recent times we’ve seen Pat watch Michael die, then shoot three people in cold blood, setting one of them on fire in a gruesome car explosion. Billy’s been stabbed in the leg and almost bled to death. Ken was shoved down the stairs and nearly died. Rita had the brain tumour – quite what that was all about I’m still not sure, it seemed like they threw it in to give her a storyline but didn’t quite work in my opinion. Michelle’s stalker. Bethany’s sex grooming. HIV. Drug addiction. False imprisonment. Racism. Daniel and Sinead. Chesney’s brick to the face. Mary’s meltdown and the arrival of her dull but delicious long lost son. Aidan and Maria’s affair. Gary's 'death'. The fake baby. The miscarriages and still births. Quick sand(!?). Not to mention the many glaring continuity errors.  Flippin ‘eck it’s been hard going. Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve said there have been some amazing performances and as always the hilarious asides from the likes of Gemma, David Platt and Audrey have given us some much needed comic relief. But the sinister goings on in Weatherfield for many of us have been a bit much. That’s why some recent developments have given me some optimism. Before I get onto that though, one more negative. Sean Tully. What the hell. It’s like he’s been possessed by ghosts of Rovers barmaids past. I love a bit of camp, I really do. But shoehorning lines in that hark back to the good old days without the charm and likeability of that era, or of the character, just looks forced. I feel like they don’t know where to put him. How he ended up living with Norris, and now Tyrone and the kids is beyond me. I just don’t see much more longevity in that character. But who knows.

Now for the positives. Roy and Carla. I love it. I know we’ve been here before but it’s just so beautiful to watch. When she asked him to marry her, in jest, the other day I could have cried (who am I kidding - I did). So much warmth and affection between them. It really works for me.

Audrey, Gail and Sarah sipping wine in the lap dancing bar. Classic. Sue Nicholls needs more screen time. PLEASE! And I love the mature Sarah. I see glimmers of tortured, struggling Gail in her. I’ve commented on Tina O’Brien’s performances in the past, around the time of evil Callum's demise. I think she’s really blossomed since coming back.

Gemma, noisy and frantic as she is, is great. Should she and Chesney get together? I’m not sure he could cope with her, but there’s something there, and he needs to get back to his old self. Perhaps she can help.

Steve and Tracy. I didn’t want it to happen but I like it. It brings so much comedy and has all the elements of a good old fashioned Corrie relationship. Tracy wears the trousers and apprentice-battleaxe Amy adds that extra bit of stress for Steve – he plays henpecked so well. Steve’s a bit of a cartoon character with his hilarious facial expressions and body language. We need that in Corrie right now.

The extension of the set is exciting. I’m not sure how a small neighbourhood can accommodate another grocery store and coffee shop, but it opens up so many more opportunities for the show and I’m all for seeing more of Weatherfield.

I recently wrote a love letter to Corrie. And there’s so much to look forward to in 2018. Let’s hope writers get the mix right. High drama is always welcome. But Kate - don’t forget me, and many others like me, who love the charm of the good old days. And despite all the criticism, personally, I think you’re doing great.  Still a superfan.

@StevieDawson

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Vote for Corrie! Best TV drama award

The Radio Times are celebrating their 90th birthday and want viewers to choose their favourite programmes for the best night in front of the box.  By voting, you could win a European cruise for two.

 

So, what are you waiting for?

Vote for Coronation Street here.

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Women of Weatherfield Radio Times' covers

All 12 of the Coronation Street women of Weatherfield covers can now be seen online here. The version I picked up at the weekend had Bet Lynch on the front cover.

There's some wonderful Corrie stuff in this week's Radio Times, have a look at some of it here.

Radio Times tribute to Becky Granger

Look out for the cover of the Radio Times this week as Coronation Street barmaid Becky Granger is transformed into a Manet painting.

Radio Times celebrates Becky behind the bar of the Rovers Return with a special cover paying tribute to Manet’s famous painting, ‘A bar at the Folies-Bergere’. Plus there are interviews with Katherine Kelly and actresses who have played previous barmaids Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear) and Vera Duckworth (Liz Dawn).

You'll have to buy the Radio Times if you'd like to read the interview but their website has some other good Corrie stuff - click here.