The end of a Corrie era?

Coronation Street and everyone connected with it has suffered a particularly traumatic start to the new year. Issues surrounding the casting of the new, grown up Bethany Platt have caused negative headlines, but far more importantly, the incredibly sad death of actress Anne Kirkbride has dismayed us all.

I didn't want to write about Anne passing away at the time and a week on from the news being made public, I still don't in any great detail. There have been plenty of superb tributes both on this blog and elsewhere across all forms of media. However, for some reason it has made me realise how fragile Corrie is. It's always seen as a powerful machine, trundling onwards as an unstoppable feature of contemporary British drama. It has an enviable history behind it and it shows no signs of slowing its pace, but I wonder if the central core of what makes Corrie "Corrie" is slowing being chipped away.

The exit of a pivotal cast member doesn't mean the end of Corrie. We have witnessed that on countless occasions in the past. Many household names have come and gone and each time it happens, headlines ask us if the soap can carry on. And of course it does, focussing on different angles and new characters. The beauty of a programme like Corrie is that it can regenerate as the need arises. The format is flexible enough to allow change while still providing the continuity regular viewers rely on. 

However it is not often that a character or actor departs who has entered the consciousness of the nation, not just avid Coronation Street viewers. The departures of characters like Annie Walker, Elsie Tanner and Hilda Ogden spring to mind, and more recently those of Betty, Blanche and the Duckworths. Each time it happens it is a huge wrench for all concerned, particularly if there is real life loss behind the on screen exit.

As a Corrie traditionalist, the fact that legendary characters are becoming an endangered species makes me sad. We don't often hear mentions of past glories and past characters these days and while it is important Coronation Street continues to move forward, while we do still see characters like Ken, Gail and Audrey, it would be brilliant if they name dropped Uncle Albert, Suzie Birchall and Alf Roberts a bit more often. It provides much needed continuity with the past and also makes proceedings feel more realistic. Families in the real world often reflect and reminisce about departed loved ones and while the current powers that be put a focus on family, it seems like a natural thing to expect. 

I worry that many people making television today put far too much effort into attracting young viewers. Talking about this recently with friends, we discussed how watching television has changed beyond recognition. Programmes like Coronation Street are watched most regularly by older people. The younger demographic do tune in, but perhaps not as loyally and definitely not as often through the traditional way. I think the majority of older Corrie viewers have watched for many years, just like my gran. 

They do remember the older characters and love hearing about them still. I'm not suggesting Corrie goes on a desperate mission to bring back past characters. Too often this move promises an awful lot and leaves a bitter taste. Too much had changed when Julie Goodyear returned as Bet and Philip Lowrie, while a welcome addition as Dennis Tanner, was woefully underused. The writers of today simply did not know what to do with him.

I think a renewed focus on more mature characters is very much needed in the Weatherfield of 2015. They are the ones who foster a sense of community and provide a stable backdrop for the high drama. Yes we still have Ken, Rita, Norris and Audrey but their appearances are increasingly fleeting. I loved Stephanie Cole's stint as Roy's mum Sylvia but as yet there has been nobody nearly as good to fill that gap. I hope Roy's new storyline with the widowed lady at the allotments is a good one but I think we need more. Like the wonderful Deirdre, they often provide the small yet memorable moments that stay with us long after the high drama and ratings grabbing stunts have faded away.

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Sylvia won't return to Corrie says Stephanie Cole

Stephanie Cole has confirmed that she has no plans to return to her role as Sylvia Goodwin on Coronation Street.

In an interview on ITV's Daybreak (by way of Digital Spy), Stephanie said this on live TV this week:

"I don't like being away from theatre too long, I don't like being away from telly too long. I adored my time on Corrie - great, wonderful actors, great crews and great scripts. And also, of course, Robert Vaughn as my love interest - it can't be bad, can it?"

What a massive shame she won't be back.  I miss her a lot and was hoping she would return one day to help Roy cope without Hayley.

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Time to rejuvenate the Corrie royalty?

So Dennis has fled Weatherfield once again, this time with that Gloria. Part of me says good for him as I can see what a good match they might be. Part of me says Boo! for poor Rita. The rest of me (that would be the majority) just feels heartily disappointed at the massive waste of talent this has all been.

As became common under the reign of Phil Collinson, a lot was promised when we heard Dennis Tanner was returning to Coronation Street, but very little was actually delivered. The Powers That Be obviously knew the importance of this move, after all Philip Lowrie was pictured having been newly entered in the Guinness Book of Records, however after that came not very much at all.

I think the lack of anything decent for Philip Lowrie to do clearly demonstrates the wider issue of Corrie not really knowing quite what to do with its older characters. We should be cherishing them while we can, not bringing them back and doing nothing with them or changing personalities over night just because it's convenient to the plot. Once upon a time characters like Ena Sharples, Albert Tatlock, Annie Walker and Minnie Caldwell were the backbone of Coronation Street. Year after year they would be there in the snug of the Rovers or chatting away in the Corner Shop and although not a great deal happened, their performances were lively, truthful and entertaining. They had a niche and the writers of the time knew well what that was.

Even in more recent times we had the onscreen joy of Phyllis and Percy, Maud Grimes, Blanche Hunt and the Duckworths. I know we've lost many class acts in recent years, but that should only mean that the Corrie bosses invest even more in the older characters that remain.

Neither Audrey nor Deirdre have had decent, stand alone storylines in months (possibly years in Deirdre's case). We've seen how wonderful Anne Kirkbride can be recently and I want to see her do more than just disapprove of Tracy's behaviour or throw in a reference to her stuffed marrow. I've always loved Eileen Derbyshire and think Emily's character has stayed true to itself over the years, but the writers have let Barbara Knox down in recent times. Yes we see plenty of her onscreen, but she isn't the Rita we all know and love. The relationship with Dennis didn't work and the friendship with Tina continues to baffle me.

It wasn't that long ago that we gloried in the Book Group meetings in the cafe as Blanche, Rita and the others thumbed the pages of Mel Hutchwright's Hard Grindings. We need more of this, it's the kind of material Corrie thrives on and it's been absent for far too long.

I'm not sad to see the back of Gloria Price but I would desperately love to see Stephanie Cole return as Roy's mum, Sylvia. She was magnificant. I would also dearly love to see Roy Hudd reprise his role as undertaker Archie Shuttleworth. There was real chemistry between Roy and Sue Nicholls as Audrey. Much better than that dreadful Marc/Marcia debacle. And let's develop Norris and Mary a bit more - their touching dance in the Rovers backyard after Hayley's funeral was wonderfully moving.

I also think we need to see some new older characters brought in to freshen things up. I've often thought Lynda Baron would make a great addition to the Corrie cast. She has appeared once before back in the 1990s and more recently, Lynda was fantastic as Violet Carson in The Road to Coronation Street.

So do you agree more needs to be done with Corrie's older characters? Who would you like to see join the ranks? I'm sure I read somewhere that Stuart Blackburn wanted another older character in the cast - get your suggestions in, he might be reading!


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Stephanie Cole back on TV at Christmas

Stephanie Cole, who played Roy Cropper's mum Sylvia Goodwin, will be back on TV this Christmas, but sadly, not in Coronation Street. 

Stephanie will be starring as The Black Widow in a re-make of Open All Hours for a one-off Christmas special, called Still Open All Hours.  You can find out more about that here.

Stephanie's departure from Coronation Street earlier this year was blamed on bad health but then it was reported that she had suffered a family bereavement. 

We wish Stephanie all the best and hope that her return to TV in Still Open All Hours will herald her return back to Coronation Street in the New Year - fingers crossed.  Roy's going to need her, that's for sure and she's much missed by fans.

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Stephanie Cole takes Corrie break due to ill-health

Sad news reaches us today from Coronation Street where Stephanie Cole, who plays the wonderful Syvlia Goodwin, is taking a break from the show because of ill-health.

Corrie's senior publicity manager confirmed yesterday that Stephanie has left the show "for the time being".

It's not the first time Stephanie has taken a break from the soap because of ill-health and let's hope she'll be back on our screens very soon indeed.  We all wish her a very speedy recovery.

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Why Sylvia Goodwin is Corrie gold

Oh how I love Stephanie Cole in Coronation Street. Sylvia Goodwin is just lighting up the screen at the moment and in my opinion, definitely adds something extra to the Cropper family.

Initially I wasn't sure of her character. Her first stint was bogged down by the fairly terrible storyline involving her romance with The Man From Uncle, Milton Fanshawe. However since Sylvia has returned to Weatherfield, her character has just grown in stature. Sylvia Goodwin now has light and shade. Yes she is capable of the withering putdown and the sharp aside, but she is so very much more than that.

Sylvia very obviously loves good old Roy very much - theirs is a touching relationship of many layers, both funny and achingly sad at the same time. Roy, Hayley and Sylvia have certainly meshed well as characters and they have been a joy to watch of late. It's just such a shame this trio will be broken up early next year with the departure of Hayley.

When Sylvia first arrived she was positioned as a Blanche Hunt replacement. I guess that's why it took me a while to warm to her. There really is just no replacing Blanche. The closest we'll get to that is through her daughter Deirdre - and that would seem like a natural development to me. Sylvia has become her own character and that's why it works. Unlike the other big name of a similar ilk which sadly hasn't. The difference between Sylvia and Gloria Price is like night and day. It's really odd that this has happened as Sue Johnston is just as talented as Stephanie Cole. I guess these things just work or they don't.

Anyway, I'm loving Sylvia Goodwin at the moment and I hope Ms Cole decides to stay in Corrie for the foreseeable future. I think the relationship between Sylvia and Roy will become even more interesting if rumours on Hayley's departure turn out to be true.

So tell me, what are your views on Corrie's Sylvia? 


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Classic Corrie gems

"He was that bow-legged he couldn't stop a pig in an entry." So said Roy's mum Sylvia this evening. A great line alright, but it sounded vaguely familiar to me...

Ah yes, echoes of none other than Elsie Tanner from the very first episode of Coronation Street! I love it when Corrie makes reference to past glories. And I'd love more of the same. 

That's why I keep watching Corrie. Every so often there is an unexpected gem or a wonderful nod to the past, and long may it continue! 

Can you remember any other classic Corrie lines being recycled in the modern era?


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Does Corrie need more comedy?

Coronation Street has been rather serious of late. Not surprising given the dominant storylines have involved relationship breakups, arson attacks, funerals and St Ella and her seemingly endless beige wardrobe. Incidentally I understand the nude look is in. 

Anyway, what I think Corrie needs is a bit of good old fashioned humour. The recent hash brownie interlude with Sylvia and Dennis was like an oasis in the desert. I don't know about you but I long for the days when episodes could revolve around Fred Gee's wig, Annie Walker's bingo hall carpet or Stan and Hilda's slot machine. I know it takes a certain type of character to carry these stories off well. Many of the classic Corrie comedy ideas when written down on paper would look pretty ordinary, but brought to life by the likes of Jean Alexander and Doris Speed could turn into comedy gold.

I think the Coronation Street of 2013 could use an injection of traditional Corrie comedy. So who could be tasked with this challenge? 

i love the relationship between Roy and Sylvia. Practically every scene they appear in has a little gem in it. Now that the link with the infamous One O'Clock Club has been restored, I'd love to see Sylvia and Dennis have some more adventures there. There is also the Rita and Dennis pairing - the timing of Barbara Knox and Philip Lowrie is superb. And I'd like to see Norris involved in some more light-hearted stories rather than his constant nippy sweetie persona that seems to dominate today.


Of the younger characters I think Steve and Lloyd have great comedy potential. Once Eileen shakes off Paul the Fireman, I hope we are treated to some more cab office scenes. They used to have some classic moments. 

So who do you think should be providing the Corrie comedy today?


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Roy's Bubblebeard

You've heard of Blackbeard and Bluebeard, the fierce pirates. Last night we were introduced to Royston Bubblebeard! Sylvia, under the influence of herbal brownies was fascinated by the bubbles from the dish soap and decorated Roy's face, with Dennis thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.

I'm loving this! Yes, it's cheesy and silly but isn't that gentle humour what we've been asking for? So what if something similar was done before? I don't care and it gives the older set something to do and something fun! I can't imagine how David Neilson managed to keep a straight, indeed, pinched face!

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Corrie's oldies but goodies

Watching the lovely little scene between Norris and Rita the other evening was one of the highlights of the recent Rovers fire drama. It was terrific to see these two older characters expressing just how much they care about each other. This really did highlight to me how much we value the older generation on Coronation Street.

I think it's about time some of Corrie's mature characters featured in a storyline of their own, rather than just appearing in the background in those of younger characters. I really do think we have to use them before we lose them.

We haven't seen much of Ken and Deirdre recently and although Ken had the story with the wonderful Wendy flamin' Crozier, we haven't seen a proper storyline for Deirdre in ages, unless you count Tracy's never-ending dramas. 

Emily has a much-reduced role these days but Eileen Derbyshire is still always effective when given an opportunity. Probably the most prolific of the old guard are Rita, Gail and Audrey. Gail and Audrey are pretty much guaranteed storylines as part of the turbulent Platt household, but Rita tends to pop up in Tina's stories these days rather than her own.

I'm all for bringing in Dennis Tanner more often. He has a long history with Ken and a spikey relationship with Norris (but then who doesn't!) I'd love to see the writers explore Dennis and Rita's marriage a little more and also have Dennis interact with Gail - she did lodge with his mother for a good few years back in the 1970s.

I adore Sylvia Goodwin and would like to see her brought more into the group, perhaps also involving Roy more once Hayley departs. Sylvia is a great fit with the likes of Rita and Emily I think, but so far she has mainly been seen with the Croppers in the cafe. Perhaps even Gloria can become more involved with the pensioners as she surely must be one herself. Incidentally, I softened to Gloria during her scene at Stella's bedside the other evening. If she is to stay and develop, we need to see more of her softer side. Sue Johnston was terrific.

I loved the stories involving the infamous book group when we were blessed with the wonderful Mel Hutchwright and his Hard Grindings! It was Corrie at its best - comedy, sharp writing and a bit of poignancy. I would love to see another story like this. I know we have sadly lost Jack, Vera, Blanche and Betty but we are really lucky to still have many links to the Coronation Street of the past.

Do you agree we should have more stories focussing on the older Coronation Street residents? If so, what would you like to see them get up to?

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Guess who returns to Coronation Street tonight?

Roy's mum, the excellent Sylvia Goodwin returns to Coronation Street tonight.

She's been living in Palm Springs in th'America with smooth-talking, silver-haired Milton.  

Sylvia tells Roy and Hayley that she's just on a short visit to Weatherfield but what's the real reason for her return? And why has Milton sent her a trunk with all her belongings in it?

Read the full double episode preview for tonight here.

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Will Sylvia swap the Street for the States?

Reading next week's Coronation Street episode previews over at http://www.corrie.net/, it seems as if we might be losing Sylvia. Say it ain't so, Corrie!

The preview reads as follows:

Thursday 16 February: Milton asks Sylvia to move to America with him. Discussing his invite with Roy, Sylvia's hoping that Roy will beg her to stay but will he?

Friday 17 February: Milton and Sylvia prepare to leave for the airport. Will Roy be able to bring himself to admit he doesn't want his mother to go?

I'm guessing that Roy won't admit to his feelings in such a big way, he's not that kind of a man. So does this mean that Sylvia will be leaving Coronation Street next week?  If it does, let's hope Stephanie Cole will return very soon indeed to the role of Roy's mum Sylvia Goodwin.

When she first arrived, I was a little sceptical, thinking that Corrie had brought in a woman of the same age and temperament as that of the late Blanche Hunt. The danger being that Sylvia was brought in as a replacement for Blanche, and fortunately it's turned out to be anything but. Stephanie Cole has made the role of Sylvia her very own. The relationship between Sylvia and Roy has been a joy to watch and has helped explain more about Roy's character too, finding out a little about what makes him tick and why he is the way he is.

When Stephanie Cole joined Corrie, she did say she was only going to be in it for a short while, so could this be end for Sylvia on the Street?  If she does jet off to the States next week with Milton, this fan hopes she jets back to the Street very soon indeed - and she brings her uke-banjo with her for a duet with Deirdre on the harmonica.

See also: We love Roy Cropper's mum

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Corrie caricature of the week, Sylvia Goodwin

These wonderful Corrie caricatures are created by talented artist Pickled Jo. Some of the Corrie cast even use their own caricatures for their profile pics on twitter, and I've long been a fan of her work here on the Coronation Street Blog. 

Pickled Jo has even done the poster for the Fat Brenda stage show, starting in Harrogate, Yorkshire, in April 2012.

Today's Corrie caricature is Roy's wonderful mum Sylvia Goodwin.

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Norris in the Loo

Most of the time, I can suspend disbelief. I know that you have to do that for television fiction, they do take liberties. But I just can't imagine that Norris would have been locked in the lavvy all weekend.

Doesn't Roy open the cafe on weekends? Saturdays at least? It always seems to be open. And wouldn't they hear Norris hollering from down below them or hear the lavvy flush over the weekend?

Even if the cafe is closed, Roy and Hayley still use the staircase right next to the lavvy to go up and down and out of the flat through the cafe all the time. As far as I know, there is no other external door to the flat other than through the business premises. Surely Norris would hear someone coming and make noise.

I might believe an overnight in the loo, but not a whole weekend. Sorry. Can't buy this one.

Sylvia and Roy on Friday's Corrie

A difficult child was how Sylvia described Roy as a little boy. He went rigid when she tried to cuddle him, even as a baby. He preferred to be in his room instead of being around people. She said it was difficult to love a child like that and he overheard her. You could tell it hurt him but she tried to explain. In the end, he actually defended her against Becky's sniping and I think maybe he's starting to realize what it must have been like from her point of view. Perhaps caring for Hope and having paternal feelings brought a new understanding for Roy?

His father left, his stepfather didn't treat him well, either. He had a lonely childhood, some of it by choice. Roy has resentment, Sylvia has regrets though she does love her son. I also think that she did the best she could. Nobody knew back then why Roy was the way he was. As she also said, people thought he was slow or weird, or both. She probably wondered the same herself, sometimes.

Roy is likely somewhat autistic or has Asperger's Syndrome and these days, though there's no cure, it's understood and there's better ways to help children and parents dealing with it. Kids learn with a different process and they can thrive when their parents are understanding and help them properly instead of getting frustrated with them for something they can't help.

We're seeing a thawing in the relationship between Roy and Sylvia, and a slow acceptance between Sylvia and Hayley and the writers and actors are making it into pure gold.

We love Roy Cropper's mum

Roy's mother, Syliva, is a crusty old cow, with leanings to spiteful and nasty. She and Roy clearly have a contentious history but last night on Coronation Street, we saw a few cracks in her facade.

After a few days of battling Becky, dealing with the shock of finding out about Hayley and having her son stand toe to toe against her to defend his wife, we found her sitting in a corner gazing at a well worn photo of her son as a child. Clearly, that was a photo of David Neilson himself which added a nice touch to the scene.

Sylvia loves her son, she's even admitted as much but also said he was a disappointment. Let's look at that from her point of view. She had two bad marrages. We've heard Roy speak badly of his father occasionally and also of an abusive step-father. Women of her generation usually stayed with their husbands even when things were very bad. Add to that a son that had difficulties, very likely dealing with Asperger's Syndrome. That's hard to handle if you don't know what you're dealing with and when Roy was a child, nobody really did. He was branded as weird and awkward and she didn't have the proper skills to know how to help him. It must have been very frustrating and she dealt with him entirely the wrong way, no doubt.

Now she's feeling old, left out, with nowhere to go, embarassed at having to accept charity from her son who is providing her a home more out of duty than love. Her daughter-in-law has a past history that bewilders her. But she's built up a wall for so long that she has no idea how to let it down and being cranky and insulting is the way she deals with it all. Little by little we are seeing cracks in the wall and perhaps we'll see she and Roy make peace.

Will she turn into a sweet old lady? I doubt that but she may occasionally show a softer side to offset the vitriol and she'll be the classic Corrie battleaxe that we need and love. We're very lucky to have an actress of the calibre of Stephanie Cole to bring Sylvia to life and the chemistry between she and Julie Hesmondhalgh and David Neilson is a powerhouse trio, in my opinion!

Sylvia has one fan already, me!

I'm already loving Sylvia, Roy's mother. (Her last name, according to IMDB, is Goodwin. Remember, Roger, her recently deceased husband, was Roy's step-father)

From the minute she walked behind the counter of the cafe, astutely judging Tyrone as "not a salad type" and ordering him to "Sit!" to when she complained about Hayley's driving to when she shuffled up the stairs of the run down respite home.  We  saw her through a fence from a distance slowly and reluctantly climbing the stairs to the door, you could see her stooping in defeat and discouragement. When she gave Roy the old train set, you saw her look down at the box after he got up from the table and gesture to it as if she was remembering when she gave it to him when he was little. The tiniest gesture conveyed a lot. It's the mark of the great actress that Stephanie Cole is.

I am going to love seeing her become a thorn in Roy and Hayley's side, grumpy behind the cafe counter like Vera used to be, yet with a vulnerable side she's not about to show many people.