Corrie Comicals week ending 27 April 2018

The lighter side started early on Monday when Ty started mainsplaining to blonde Abi (a trained mechanic thanks to the education resources in our penal system) about the need for a new steering rack.  Even Kev ended up telling Ty he was wrong on this.

I am confused over Josh - all we have seen of him is in his flat - but not at the garage - so is there a vacancy for Abi to fill or not?

Fiz pointed out that Beth's tea was not up to much this morning certainly brought wide smiles to the remaining team in t'factory - just the type of ensemble moment that I hoped the factory re-opening would give us!

Moira's return has allowed the McDonald-Pollock double act to get stronger and this week she was accepting an invitation on Liz's behalf from Mike for a trip to see a Pedro Almodovar film - to be honest I am not sure that film will be up Liz's street!  And I doubt if either of the girls know who he is!

Shona called this Tracy's angry pout.  And you have to admit she does look like her nose is a little out of joint after being blackmailed over Billy's tenancy and back rent by the new firm of Barlow & Ramsey - accountants and lawyers to the crooks!

With a good view of the new part of the set showing Costa here we have Sally suggesting to Yasmeen that the best solution to her washing getting dirtied by the birds is to move the washing line!  No wonder Yasmeen decided on direct action and removal of the bird bath!

Why does Geoff only seem to have a vague idea that Weatherfield exists?

Tvor, late of this parish, often used to rail at length at the inconsistencies which we suffer.  So take Geoff - sitting in Weatherfield General Hospital, working for Weatherfield Hospital Radio and whose daughter-in-law is one Sally Metcalfe, Mayor of Weatherfield with whom he is living.

And for those who have not heard the joke which Geoff did not finish telling:  "A polar bear walked into a bar.  The barkeep asks him what he wants.  "Can I have a ........................... beer please?"  The barkeep asks why the big pause.  The polar bear holds up his arms and says he has always had them!"

Line of the week - Emma calling David's mother Grail - a shortening of Granny Gail.  The latter seemed unimpressed by her new name.  I look forward to Emma renaming other Street residents.

Kosmo
@Kosmo100 on Twitter

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ITV deny Georgia May Foote axed for refusing Islamic storyline

Do you remember in the 70s and early 80s when the Sunday tabloids had a field day after a footballer was exposed as a love cheat or an actor left a soap?

They'd get the footballer, or actor, or whoever, into the paper, plaster their face all over the pages alongside their words, each one coming out as bitter as you'd expect, especially when it was a soap actor and they'd been sacked.

Well, it's happened again. Today. And no, it's not 1972 but this story in The Sun on Sunday makes it feel like it is.

Marc Anwar, who was sacked from Corrie as Sharif Nazir, after making racist remarks back in 2016, has turned up in a double page spread in The Sun on Sunday today. He criticises most everyone in the cast he worked with saying the following:

• Georgia May Foote left the show after she refused to allow her character Katy Armstrong to turn to Islam.  And what does Georgia have to say to that today publicly on twitter?  Well, she says this:

Again. Fake shit stories. As an actress i would have jumped at the chance to play such a diverse storyline. This was not the reason behind me leaving the show i loved and cherished for 5 years.

— Georgia May Foote (@georgiafoote) 29 April 2018

The soap itself also denied the reports today , with a Coronation Street spokesperson telling Digital Spy: "Georgia never refused to do any storyline during her time in the show."

I reckon, based on ITV and Georgia's response to the story, and Marc's reason for leaving the show himself, that the rest of the story in The Sun on Sunday can be taken with a huge pinch of salt too.  But let's have a look at what he does say, because by 'eck, it's funny.

He has a pop at Sair Khan, who plays Alya Nazir and complains about the way that Muslims are depicted in the show. He complains about Antony Cotton being unfriendly.  He even says that Shelley King, who plays Yasmeen Nazir took food home from the canteen. Well, I never!

Well, it goes on, as petty and bitter as it can be. What a shame, but also, what a tabloid throwback to the days of anything goes gossip, eh?

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Five Things We Learned In Corrie This Week

Liz was never any good at French.  That's not what I've heard.

Tending to your flock is a part-time job.  This week we welcomed back Billy, fresh from his rehab in a clinic that was, judging by his tan, located in Gran Canaria.  He immediately started scouting around for an evening job because apparently being a vicar leaves him with loads of free time and he wants to top up his pocket money.  I'm not sure I'd want the priest at my nan's funeral stinking of chip fat, but then I also wouldn't want the reverend shooting up smack in the aisle either so I guess I'm just old-fashioned.  Billy managed to overcome the threat of eviction by moving in Shona as a flatmate-slash-chaperone; why he didn't pick up Summer and head off to that lovely wood-panelled vicarage attached to the church I don't know.  He initially moved out of there in case his homosexual relationship frightened the more sensitive parishioners.  Now Todd is off living in a forest somewhere, he can return home and properly attend to their needs.  When he isn't doling out battered cod, of course.

Accountants are good with numbers... not so good with everything else.  Jude took a moment from stacking the gift shop shelves while wearing a lobster hat to visit Angie in her new office.  "He's definitely keeping something from me," said the woman who thinks a man who can't spell fish is a marine biologist.  "I can tell when he's lying."  Across Britain, eight million viewers snorted into their mugs of tea.

Tyrone is a litter lout. I understand having Abi - a woman I'm pretty sure Tyrone has never met before - lecture you on the correct way to adjust a steering column or whatever she was talking about must be frustrating (please note: I am not a mechanic).  I also understand that being left with someone's half-eaten fruit is deeply unpleasant.  However, there is absolutely no excuse for simply tossing apple cores over your shoulder into the street outside.  I've forgiven your adultery, Mr Dobbs, and I've forgiven you using your daughter's illness to extract cash from well wishers, but being a litterbug is beyond the pale.  Sadly they didn't show Gail subsequently whacking him over the head with a broom for messing up her nice clean driveway.

It's a long, long time, from May to December.  Last year Corrie did a lengthy storyline about the dangers of young people getting sexually involved with people a lot older than them.  So it's weird they've spent the past few weeks having characters getting sexually involved with people a lot older than them.  There was Carla, romping with first Daniel, then Ali, like a backstreet Joan Collins.  Now it's David, dallying with a girl who was at school with his niece.  Admittedly, it's a much narrower age gap, but still: show some sensitivity.  Still, it's not as bad as next week's storyline, when Rita reveals her secret love affair with Adam.  The dodgy old/young relationships aren't all sexual: Simon is currently palling around with Tyler who, next to fresh-faced Mr Barlow, looks about 104 - when Asha asked for ID in the corner shop, he handed over his bus pass.  I know it's easy to say Simon's behavioural descent is down to Tyler's influence, but I reckon there's a more malign power at work.  Both Simon and David started out as adorable tykes who turned to pure EVIL, and what do they have in common?

PLOT TWIST: it was the rabbits all along.

If you know where I can get a tasteful bird feeder like Sally's to graciously enhance my outdoor dining ambiance, please let me know on Twitter @merseytart.

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When did Summer become Winter?

When young Summer Spellman first arrived on the cobbles, she was a bright and witty young girl. Sure, she was facing some pretty life-changing challenges, but she remained optimistic and older than her years. She was a breath of fresh air.

Matilda Freeman has been absolutely brilliant in the role and broken the spell of former Corrie kid actors who have been reduced to smiling sweetly because they have no acting experience. 

But, Summer has since gotten very cold.  Gone is her upbeat approach to life. She carries the weight of the world on her shoulders. Everyone she trusts leaves or lets her down. 

She has smoked Spice, lived with a killer and her new dad got hooked on heroin. Now she has gone all 'Kevin the teenager.' This happened to sulky Simon who began life like an old Northern Vaudeville comedian, cracking jokes and charming people, And now he sits there, grimacing and turning milk sour. 

The logical side of your brain says Summer is a teen and they go through changes and get a tad moody and withdrawn. But this poor kid is starting to resemble the late Pauline Fowler from Eastenders, she almost sighs whenever she has to do something simple, such as breathe. The sassiness is gone, the humour has disappeared and even Amy is sweeter than her. 

Not every character in Corrie can stay the same, I get that. But if Summer remains this bloody miserable, I think Billy is better off getting her name changed by deed poll to Winter. 

Guest blog post by Glenn Meads who is on Twitter and LinkedIn
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