Dizzy

So.  Vic Reeves.  What was all that about then?

I'll say up front: I consider Vic Reeves/Jim Moir to be a comic genius.  Separately and together Reeves and Mortimer have reduced me to tears of laughter on many occasions.  So I was excited to hear he would have an extended guest stint on the show.  He's a talented, funny actor, and since he was unwilling to commit to a permanent role, absolutely get him in to mix things up a bit.

But something went wrong en route.  What was the point of Colin, in the end?  He appeared, slightly sinister, slightly creepy, smarming over Mary and Norris at the Mr & Mrs contest and hinting that he'd rig it in their favour... for some reason.  He then followed them to Coronation Street where, through manipulation, he encouraged Rita and Norris to sell the Kabin and the flat... for some reason.  After he took over, he turned out to be claiming multiple employees for tax purposes... for some reason.  Eventually, he got it into his head he was Norris's son... for some reason.  Which caused him to sell everything back and run off to Stoke with Moira, a woman he'd known for about a week... oh, you get the idea.

None of it made sense.  This wasn't a character arc, it was a rollercoaster of stuff.  Stuff happened with Colin, stuff that was entirely unrelated to one another, and then everything moved on.  Was he a villain?  Was he a funny character?  He was a little of both, but no good at either.

If you're going to have a big star make a lengthy guest appearance, plan it out.  You've got eight weeks of Jim Moir - you should know what he's there for, who he's going to affect, and how he's leaving.  It's going to attract publicity and people who might not otherwise watch the show; have the guest character's appearances reflect the absolute best of Corrie.  Make him the funniest the show's been; make him the most dramatic the show's been.  Make him something.  Otherwise it's a waste of everyone's time.

How about Colin suspected from the start that Norris was his dad?  That would explain why he wanted the competition to go in his favour.  He wanted to buy the Kabin so that his long-lost dad could finally retire.  It'd give him a reason to doggedly pursue this particular newsagents' over any other newsagents' in the world.  After weeks of investigating and searching, he finally confronts Norris, finds out the memorable time in Darlington he hinted about was a hospital stay, and skulks off, embarrassed.  The same basic parts of what happened during Colin's tenure, but, and here's the difference, it's underpinned by character and with a motivation that actually makes some kind of sense.

The show did this very well before.  Ian McKellen came in with a character who affected the lives of the residents, unfurled new facets to his character without dominating the show, and was then driven out of the Street for good, dramatic reasons.  He didn't just say "oh, Norris isn't really my dad?  In that case I'll sell the shop back to him and return to Stoke."

I'm not sure if there was a plan for Colin that was somehow derailed, a plotline that was abandoned for some reason, causing him to be lost in rewrites.  I hope there was.  Because the alternative is that the show just didn't know what it was doing.

By @merseytart

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Vic Reeves in Coronation Street - Yay or Nay?

Now then, I'm a big fan of comedian Vic Reeves... A Big Fan.  I'm also a big fan of Jim Moir (Vic Reeves' real name) in his acting roles. As Eric Morecambe's father George in the show written by Victoria Wood he was sublime. Read more on that here.

But in Coronation Street? I'm not sure he's worked... not for me anyway. And it's disappointing - but not totally expected. You may well disagree with me and I'd love to hear your views. I just think that Vic/Jim has a persona bigger than Coronation Street itself and he'll always be Vic Reeves to me, making the investment of him as Colin of Corrie a little difficult.

Don't get me wrong, there have been comedy moments from Colin - the high leg, anyone?

And I don't think we were supposed to particularly like his character anyway, were we? I mean, going after Dame Rita of Tanner as she lay in her hospital bed, determined to get the contract signed so that her flat went to him.

And as for taking over the Kabin... well, he wasn't meant to endear himself to fans, that's for sure. 

I even yelled at the telly on Friday night when he positioned himself behind the counter at the Kabin as Jenny and her new best friend Eileen (?) and Gail did a group hug in the Kabin.  "What's he doing working in the Kabin?" I yelled at the telly. As yet, the telly has offered no reply.

And so... I really would love to know if this is just me having a moan and whether you loved Vic/Jim in Corrie.  But for me, I'm afraid, it's been a great big fat Nay.

You might also like to read our blogger Emma's interview with Jim Moir

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Vic Reeves films final scenes at Coronation Street

Vic Reeves (real name Jim Moir) has filmed his final scenes at Coronation Street as Colin, the rather strange man in the even stranger suit. Just what is he up to, trying to get his hands on the Kabin and Rita's flat?

Jim was brought into the show for a three month stint. Will he return, I wonder?

You can read our blogger Emma's full interview with Jim Moir here.

Find out who else is leaving, joining and returning to Coronation Street.  

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Coronation Street Blog Interview: Jim Moir

Coronation Street has hosted its fair share of guest appearances over the years, but the news that Jim Moir was to join the cast had me particularly excited.

Much like Corrie, Jim has been a constant in my life since I was a kid, having watched Vic Reeves’ Big Night Out, The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer and Shooting Stars growing up. House of Fools, co-written with Bob Mortimer, is a recent firm favourite of mine and I found his stand out performance in the role of George Bartholomew in Eric & Ernie to be sublime. In fact, Jim has a habit of popping up in many things I enjoy, such as Toast of London, The Life of Rock with Brian Pern, and now Coronation Street.

Bearing all that in mind, imagine you’re invited to ITV Studios in Manchester to interview Jim about his upcoming role as the mysterious Colin Callen. Then, imagine getting there, and realising that, before you interviewed him, you would be brought to the set of the Rovers Return for a hotpot and a Corrie themed table quiz, hosted by him. As I sat, pencil in hand, while he asked the nationality of Tracy Barlow’s donated kidney, I wondered if this was actually happening while somehow expecting nothing less surreal from my first encounter with Jim Moir.

Our knowledge of cobble-based marriages, murders and medical ailments firmly tested, we retired to the Bistro to hear all about Jim’s foray into the world of Coronation Street. The spoiler-averse among you should probably look away now.

One thing every Corrie fan wants to know when someone new arrives on the street is why they chose to join and what it means to them. “Cos I’ve been a big fan.” Jim tells us. “There’s only one programme that I’ve ever watched me whole life I think, and it’s Corrie. So it’s a great privilege.” He continues, “It’s a great institution and I’m in it. It’s just another part of my adventure in me life.”

With Corrie no stranger to cameos, it’s always interesting to know how they come about. Jim reveals it took about two and a half to three years to finally happen after he was asked initially by Stuart Blackburn at the TV Choice Awards, “he said would I ever consider being in Corrie and I said yeah, of course I would” he tells us. “Then he left and Kate took over and I got a sticker on me dressing room door at Hammersmith Odeon saying would I like to be in Corrie again, so I gave her a ring, and I said yes.” Jim feels genuinely privileged to have a profession where he can say, “that sounds like good fun, I’d like to do that.”

I asked Jim if it was surreal to be stepping out on to the cobbles as part of the show. “It’s great” he tells me. “I remember the first time I went to New York and I was thinking, ‘oh look, this is where they make films,’ and it’s like that when you see the street. I mean, I’ve been on the street before a few times, you know, scrounging my way in, but it is great to see that iconic street in real life.”

So how has the experience been for him so far? “Well I suppose when I first stepped on, it’s a bit like your first day at secondary school or big school, you know? Which a lot of kids will relate to right now, my two included” he explains. “I said to ‘em, ‘are you nervous going to your big school?’ and they said ‘no’, and I said when I went to my big school recently, Coronation Street, I was. But then all of a sudden it kind of disappears ‘cos everyone’s so nice, and you make friends pretty quick and it’s a great environment to be in.”

I asked Jim if learning his lines for soap is different to anything else he’s done because of the fast pace. “It’s a bit quicker than anything else, yeah. It’s kind of the same, but you don’t really run any lines with anyone so you just know all your lines and go in and do it, ‘cos it’s kind of like a factory” he tells me, adding “I find if I learn my lines about three weeks in advance it makes it easier to learn ‘em the night before ‘cos it all comes back to you.”

So, what of his character Colin Callen, the over enthusiastic, flamboyant organiser of the Mr & Mrs competition in which Norris and Mary are participating? We’re told that Colin may not be all that he seems, and while viewers might enjoy watching Colin, they may not necessarily like him, per se, and may even be somewhat suspicious of him. Larger than life, he apparently makes himself known on the cobbles.

“He had a string of newsagents which he lost when he got divorced and his wife turned them into a string of yoghurt shops” Jim reveals. “So, he works for NewsCo, which is an umbrella company for a lot of newsagents in the north-west and he wants to get his string of newsagents back.”

I asked Jim if Colin is a comedic or a dark character. “There’s a bit of both” he tells me, “there’s some very good comedy lines in it, but he’s a very odd character.” Could we compare him to any other Corrie characters past or present? “I don’t think you can, no” he says. “He’s a strange character, I can’t think of anyone who’s quite like him, so that’s a good thing.”

With regard to who Colin has appeared with on the street, Jim tells us, “I did me first scene with Roy last week, which is good, and I’ve got some more with him. I’ve got a good scene with him next week, I’m looking forward to that.” Based on what we know of both characters, so am I.

Asked if he’s had the opportunity to contribute any lines, Jim tells us, “I’ve not wanted to do anything with any of the lines because they’re so well written.” The field of movement, however, is another story. Genuine laughs abound at Jim’s account of a Nicholas Cage inspired, but self-learned, pointing technique, complete with demonstration. Viewers are assured that this does not restrict itself to hands and we can also look forward to some pointing of the foot in due course.

Meeting Jim was a genuine and absolute delight, and Colin sounds just the type of character I love to see on the street. What he's up to is anyone's guess, but I'm happy to sit back and enjoy whatever it might be, confident that watching Jim in the part will be a pleasure.

Emma Hynes

www.emmahynes.net
Twitter: @ELHynes
Facebook: @EmmaHynesWrites
Instagram: emmalouhynes

Readers might like to visit Jim's Twitter profile @JamesMoir10 where he shares pictures of his artwork, among other things, and has some interesting photos of the cobbles. You can also see more of his artwork on his website vicreeves.tv

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Vic Reeves films first scenes at Coronation Street

Vic Reeves is pictured in the Manchester Evening News this week after he walked from the Corrie set after filming his first scenes at Coronation Street.

Vic, real name Jim Moir, walked through Salford's MediaCityUK to catch a tram and told an onlooker at Salford Quays: “I’ve always wanted to be on the cobbles.”

Vic will be joining our favourite show to  play television presenter Colin who comes to Weatherfield to meet newlyweds Norris Cole and Mary Taylor after they are chosen to make an appearance on his show.

His character, who will have a three month stint in the ITV1 soap, will also find himself embroiled in the lives of other street residents.

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First pic: Vic Reeves starts filming at Coronation Street

The official ITV Coronation Street website has posted this picture of comedian Vic Reeves to Twitter today as he starts work on the soap.

Vic Reeves - real name Jim Moir - will  be playing a television presenter called Colin. It will be a short term stay and will involve Norris and Mary.   I'm guessing that it must involve Norris' Mr and Mrs competition that he entered and will somehow end up with Norris and Mary getting married.

Appearing in Corrie has been a lifelong dream for Vic/Jim who said: "I'm really looking forward to acting in Corrie. It's a real thrill to be part of a British institution." 
Vic will be on screen for up to 3 months from the end of summer. Vic is well known for such series as Monkey Pants, Vic Reeves Big Night Out, and Vic & Bob's Afternoon Delights. You can see all of his writing and acting stints here on his IMDB entry. 

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