Coronation Street Episode Review; Wednesday 27th October 7.30 & 8.30

That's the thing with sinkholes, I guess. The land opens up, swallows what it can, and then you have to fix the hole and deal with the fallout. Dramatic license or poetic license, we are certainly seeing the immediate effects it's having on Corrie residents. Tonight, we have to deal with Natasha's (unexpected, unneeded, and unnecessary) death and the consequences of Johnny's demise, too. 

Isn't this just sensationalist morbidity? Jenny and Carla are heartbroken, and even little Sam (a rare ray of Corrie sunshine) is now in turmoil too. There isn't much hope for the lad either; Leanne and Nick rarely smile at the best of times! The point I'm making is that it's very dark and doesn't feel like Corrie? How are they going to mend this sinkhole? I mean, it wasn't that long ago that Carla's mental health deteriorated to the point of hallucination and paranoid delusion. What now? Will Carla revert to her previous mental state following her Father's death? Leanne's is a right state, Nick's now a single father, Jenny Bradley's boozing, and even Roy's succumbing to guilt and lying. As much as I like the depths of human emotion examined by my favourite characters, we've all got enough on with Covid, haven't we? 

And then we have Corey's admittance of guilt. Harking back to last week's Scooby-Doo styled Horrornation Street crime caper, it seems Asha is now in 'Velma' mood, conveniently locating homeless man Stu, who just happens to have Corey's WCFC bag in his possession! It's a ruse to bring Nina and Asha back together, of course, and these two did bring light to tonight's dark proceedings - it's just another annoying strand to this already convoluted Corey thread. I was a bit unconvinced about the homeless guy collaring him at the end too. So.much.misery. 

With that, little atheist Sam (which makes me like him more) insists on seeing Natasha's corpse at the undertaker's. The morbid malaise just keeps on coming. I'd laugh if I could - it's just all so very miserable! Sam's monologue was heartfelt, but the sinkhole misery continues to pile on and into the street!

That's the thing with sinkholes, I guess. I just worry (and wonder) how Coronation Street will fill in this hole of misery?

Elsewhere in tonight's Corrie - Emma & Curtis do a cutesy couple thing, Jenny forgives Daisy, and Daniel drops David right in it!

@rybazoxo your Cobbles Connossieur 

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Shona, Sinkholes, and 21 years of David Platt! Corrie blog interview with Jack P Shepherd

In my fourth (and final) Corrie press day this week, I chatted with actor Jack P Shepherd, to find out how David will cope with that huge sinkhole, Shona’s new normal, Corrie’s 60th anniversary, and playing David Platt for an incredible 21 years! The last time I interviewed Jack P Shepherd was on the actual set of The Rovers Return (!) and I was sat right under that dartboard. Seeing him on a zoom screen is a little less scary!

Q - You’ve been playing David Platt now for 21 years, could you have ever imagined when you started that you’d be on Corrie for this long?

A - No. I was only contracted for 3 months originally, and I thought it would be a good gig, and then I’d do some other things. They kept on wanting to keep me around - ike a bad smell (!)

Q - Do you like David and would you be his friend in real life? 

A - Yes. Well, he gets stressed about a lot of things that I wouldn’t get stressed about in real life. He can fly off the handle. I think he’d be alright in small doses. I’d see him now and again and he’s one of those friends that you’d meet for a drink now and again but not keep in touch with. He’s just too much, sometimes. He’s one of those mates that when you ask if they are alright, they say ‘no, not really’ and you wish you hadn’t have asked. 

Q- Do you think he’s mellowed as he got older. Sometimes we are unsure as to how he will react to certain situations, which must be good as an actor?

A - Yes, it is. There are different sides to his character to play and that’s why its good to play him. He can react in a variety of ways and it is versatile. 

Q -  You recently had a part in how he dealt with Shona’s coma didn’t you, David’s adrenaline junkie reaction to her coma?

A - They wanted to go down a different route as to how he normally reacts, with going off the rails, they wanted to try something different as Daniel Osbourne was going through grief at the same time, lashing out and angry. They wanted something different for David and I thought that was a bit of a twist that I hadn’t done before with a few stunts along the way. 

Q - What do you enjoy about playing David? 

A - Mainly that its a laugh. I come to work, everybody is fun, you’ve got your onscreen family, my mates, crew, and it is a pleasure to come to work 

Q  -  You must look forward to your scripts still as part of the Platt family? 

A- Yes the thing is with the Platt’s is, we are all capable of carrying the storylines but then when Tina (Sarah) Ben, (Nick), or Julia (Shona) gets a story, we all jump on board and support each other with it, like a proper family in the way. 

Q- How has it felt working with Julia, now that Shona has a completely new character?  

A - we have enjoyed it actually, she’s taking on this role as someone who doesn’t know me, and it’s not the same person. David is desperately trying to find remnants of the old Shona but she’s not there so he gets annoyed at times, and she can’t remember certain things, its been fun. He’s trying to be patient and she has no filter which can be quite hurtful. We’ve both liked it, the predicament when Julia’s maternity leave came up, was very cleverly done by the writers. 

Q-  And the comedy element? 

A - Yes, she can say whatever she wants. I love dark comedy and that’s my sense of humour. There are light and shade in this story which is good to do.

Q - Do you think Shona is his soulmate or would have been Kylie, or Tina perhaps? 

A - Yes I think so. I mean Tina dumped him and broke his heart, then he was madly in love with Kylie and now madly in love with Shona. I think that happens in life though, when you find love elsewhere, you don’t compare it to the past. 

Q - The sinkhole story is primed for Corrie’s 60th anniversary with the Platt’s heavily involved. You’ve been part of some great anniversary stories, are you looking forward to it this year? 

A - Yes. Its always great to be involved in these great anniversary stories, the live episodes, and David’s 30th is this year too, so its great to be part of it and whatever they have in store for me. I don’t know exactly what they have planned but its been great working with Mark Frost (Ray). I’ve had a few scenes with him, during the lockdown and I like the guy, I hope he sticks around for a bit, and his character, on the show. 

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I think the statement ‘what a year it's been!’ cannot be underestimated in 2020. For me, Corrie has continued to rise above and beyond Covid-19, delivering consistent drama, comedy, tragedy, and lashing of social realism. To be part of this blog is a dream come true and huge thanks to our editor, Glenda, for letting me get involved in such privileged press days! 

I’m @rybazoxo your cobbles connoisseur and Wednesday episode reviewer!

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Ray’s sinister sinkhole plot! Corrie blog interview with actor Mark Frost

Raging Ray's sinister sinkhole plot against the Platt's may seem random, however, the street's newest bad man could be about to embark on a plot that’s intrinsic to the shows 60th-anniversary celebrations?

I was invited to another Corrie zoom press day, to find out about more from actor Mark Frost and about what's coming up for Ray on the street!

Q - How did you get the part in Corrie? 

A - I’ve done theatre, film, Doctors, Brookside, and Poldark! I did a stint in Manchester on ‘The Mill’ and I’ve also had a little time away from the industry. I’ve opened up an antique shop in Peckham, south London, and I drive a yellow van! Make of that what you will. My girlfriend is an agent, and on this particular occasion she helped me film a self-tape for the audition, and she quite enjoyed it. I didn’t hear anything for 3-4 weeks and then had a call to say I started the following Monday. I think its a part I was qualified for and was thrilled! It’s rare to get the part from a self-tape.

Q - Being a fan of the show, it must have felt good to land the part on a show you grew up watching?

A -Yes. I grew up watching Stan and Hilda, those great character actors, and I’ve always been loved kitchen sink drama from the 60's and '70s. I’ve always thought that they were very important stories to tell. I love the heritage of Corrie and it's groundbreaking in bringing kitchen sink drama to a massive audience. I was terrified on my first day walking into the reception and seeing that huge picture of Ena Sharples looking down across Manchester. It makes the hairs on your neck stand up!

Q- How you auditioned for any parts previously on Corrie?

A - Yes, I did audition once before for the part of Pat Phelan’s sidekick and I believe Ian Kelsey got the part (Vinny Ashford). 

Q - When you firsts started on the show, what did you know about the character and did you know how long you would be around for? 

A - I knew he was a property developer and a businessman and the name Harvey Weinstein had been mentioned. I knew he had this inappropriateness towards women and I knew he was ruthless. I also knew that I had a part to play in Kym Marsh leaving. I was also told that he might burn fast and bright, maybe a year, so I’m already on borrowed time! He’s started more gently than I anticipated so I quite like that. 

Q - What sort of reaction have you had from fans who come into your shop or whilst you're out and about?

A -  On the whole its been lovely. A lot of shout outs and call-outs. I have a fan who comes to my shop every week for an update. It’s been positive on the whole. I’ve got some good-natured fan’s who like Ray. He’s shameless and abhorrent but comfortable with who he is. Some people like that.  

Q - What sort of bad businessman mould does he fall into? Is he Pat Phelan, Mike Baldwin, or Richard Hilman?

A  - I grew up watching Johnny Briggs as a kid, as Mike Baldwin, so I think he’s very much in that mould, somebody who has made their success with hard work and that determination can get you anything. He’s somebody who believes his hype, but I don’t think he’s psychotic or violent per se. I think if he bore a grudge, he wouldn’t get his own hands dirty. Probably more sophisticated than Phelan, in that respect.

Q - Can you talk us through the sinkhole plot and a bit of a clue about what he’s up to?

A - Yes. I think he has made no secret about his plans when he bought the garage and bistro, and he’s looking to expand his empire. He wants to purchase property and its fair to say he may have overstretched himself and is looking to get what he wants and by any means necessary. I think you’ll be surprised about just how far he’s prepared to go to get what he wants. It will put him at odds with the rest of the Weatherfield community.

Q - He’s not bothered about other people on the street, is he?  



A - No, he’s got no familial ties with anyone, no links. He’s come in as a property developer and doesn’t see the community side of the street. I think he hates that kind of sentimentality, as a weakness, and maybe its something to do with his past. He dislikes the bonhomie and camaraderie of the street’s residents and I think she should fear that it could be his undoing! It’s great that he has a secret connection to someone on the street, somebody who has kept quiet about it, maybe even an ally to help him. It’s quite exciting!

Is Ray going be a big part of Corrie’s 60th? I can’t wait to find out!

Keep your eyes peeled on the Corrie blog as I also chatted to Rachel Leskovac about Natasha’s return, Ben Price about how Nick will cope with Oliver’s illness, and Jack P Shepherd about David Platt’s 21 years on the street! All to come this week. 

I’m @rybazoxo your cobbles connoisseur and Wednesday episode reviewer!

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Shona’s New Normal! Corrie blog interview with Julia Goulding

I think we can all agree that last Christmas seems like a lifetime ago, now. A lot has happened and the world has turned upside down. A ‘new normal’ is something we are all aiming towards, and in the world of Weatherfield, Shona Ramsay is also returning to a new normal following her festive shooting, coma, and brain injury! In the second part of this three-part Autumn ‘Back to Six’ press day, we interviewed actress Julia Goulding who told us all about playing the new version of Shona Platt!

Q - Tell us how it’s been playing the ‘new’ Shona?

A - It has been a lot of fun! It’s very rare to suddenly play a completely different character in a long-running soap. We’ve done a lot of research about brain injuries but we learnt that the symptoms are malleable. At first, with her remembering absolutely nothing, and where we are now in filming, what we will see on screen is post-lockdown and she’s got to know the family again. Now we are in post lockdown and she’s not got a filter, that can get her into all kinds of trouble. As serious as the injury is, we are now able to have a little bit of fun with it. 

Q - How do you get into the mindset of playing her, now?

A - It’s really strange, actually. It’s so hard to not slip back into character like I was before. Even when we are on the studio floor and filming with the director, I keep having to remind myself that Shona doesn’t know the Platt family history, so to work based on no knowledge of any of that, it’s quite refreshing but its also been quite hard. In terms of the character, the writing kind of speaks for itself and its been so good. 

Q- Do you enjoy playing the new Shona? 

A - It's weird because we are now living in this new normal. Post lockdown and everything, and it is kind of like I’m getting used to playing the new Shona as well, so I don’t know. When I’ve been playing her a bit longer I’ll be able to give you a better answer.

Q - Do you think she still loves David or is it because, deep down, she still wants to? 

A - She genuinely has no recollection of him nor the love she felt for him. It’s very much about getting to know each other again, and learning who he is, and falling back in love with him. We are starting to see a return to that a bit. David hasn’t changed so she can fall back in love with him again quite easily, its just Shona that has changed so its harder for him to fall back on love with her, actually. She’s changed but he hasnt. 

Q - If things didn’t work out for David and Shona, is there anybody else you could see her with?

A - At the moment, no not really!  I have said before, in previous interviews, that I would love to work more with Sally Carmen (Abi) whether that would be a relationship or best mates, they are quite similar characters, but I think Shona is made for David. 

Q - Can you tease us on what’s coming up in the next few weeks? We have heard that there may be a sinkhole appearing in the Platt back garden...

A  - Yeah! So, Shona’s been developing a really good relationship with Nina, Roy’s niece, and they are living together and things. They head over to the Platt’s for a BBQ and Shona is obsessed with Lilly’s trampoline, she just wants to bounce on it, and she’s really frustrating David. They head back inside, and all of sudden they hear this massive rumble. Heading back into the garden, there is some mild intensity and they suddenly see this huge gaping sinkhole appear. Shona is completely non-plussed by it though! 

In our next we interview we chat to Sally Carmen about her alt ego Abi battling drug addiction and her relationships with Kevin, and possibly, Peter?

I am @rybazoxo your cobbles connoisseur

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