Novels by Coronation Street Blog Editor Glenda Young

Friday, 3 January 2014

Coronation Street fan of the week - Matt in Birmingham

It's time to meet another Corrie fan of the week.
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Who are you and where are you from?
My name’s Matt and I hail from Britain’s second city, Birmingham.

How long have you been watching Corrie?
I’ve been watching Coronation Street for about 40 years (odd because I’m only 36! LOL).

Who are your favourite female and male characters - and the reasons why?
My favourite female characters are Hilda, Blanche, Ena. Why? Well they were great characters who could do comedy and tragedy equally well. The same goes for the male characters Stan, Roy, Curly and Eddie Yeats (played by the late, great Geoff Hughes)

What's been some of your favourite Corrie storylines over the years?
The best storylines have been the Ken/Deirdre/Mike and latterly Roy and Hayley, because they had that magical combination of great acting, directing and writing, which cannot be matched by other soaps.

And what would your fantasy Corrie storyline be?
My fantasy storyline would involve me as a character called Willy Eckerslike who could be Steve’s cousin.

Have you any snippets or news about meeting any of the Corrie cast, or trips to the set, etc., that you'd like to share?
I’ve never been on the set or anywhere near Coronation Street, although I do some work as a TV extra so who knows, I maybe soon on the famous cobbles!

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Peter and Tina: An affair to forget?

It was with a sudden jolt the other evening that I realised how much I currently hate Peter Barlow. Yes, before you say it, I know he's a fictitious character in a television drama and that it's meant to be an exaggerated version of real plodding life, but I can't help wishing he would just get out of my sight.

I know Peter is just the latest in a long line of Weatherfield residents to commit adultery and I'm not going to go all holier than thou on that one. However, well, let's be honest, the man has only just married for the fifth time! The current infatuation with young enough to be his daughter Tina McIntyre seems to have sprung up from nowhere (as it were) and it is just totally seedy.

Of course the writers have it planned out that just as Peter cheats again, Carla is showing her human, fragile soft side as she cares and frets for poor Hayley. The contrast between these scenes the other evening was almost too much to bear. I cringed as Peter sat with the Croppers in the Rovers, showing a complete disinterest as he pined for Tina. What a creep!

It was good to see Liz warning him off in the Rovers' gents the other night, however I don't totally agree with her that's it's mostly Peter's fault. He may be twice Tina's age, but she hasn't really tried that hard to stay away from him has she? I know this is part of the grand plan for Tina so that she's alienated as many people as possible before she finally leaves in the summer. It's just all a bit much.

Tina the temptress has hardly had five minutes to get over Tommy's sudden departure and now she's snogging the face off both Peter and Rob. Who's next on her hit list, Norris? Before Tommy there was Graeme (thankfully not me) and David Platt and not that long ago she was fighting off an amorous Gary Windass. However I guess her one redeeming feature is that, unlike Peter Barlow, she hasn't married them all as well.


I do feel sorry for Carla as I think Hayley's death will really hit her hard. On top of that, any revelations about Peter and Tina may just push her too far. I'm loving Alison King's portrayal at the moment, she's a terrific actress and Carla is developing nicely mainly thanks to her blossoming friendship with the Croppers.

Another character who will suffer as a result of this affair is poor little Simon. Has there ever been a worse upbringing for a Corrie child than the one Simon has had to endure? He is constantly stuck in the middle of Nick and Leanne and Peter and Carla. Not a pretty place to be. I do wonder when the writers are going to follow up on Simon's bullying storyline as that seemed to climax and then peter out (pardon the expression).
Surely Peter would be concentrating on his son at this time and his new wife, rather than chasing Tina hither and thither.

However, what do I know? Illicit affairs and secrets are the foundation stone of the modern soap opera so this latest story just carries on a grand tradition. Is it really what you want to watch five times a week though? I'm not sure I do.


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What will the Street deliver in 2014?

On the whole then, a decent batch of festive episodes from Weatherfield this year, save for the usual nonsense of 'snow on the cobbles'. Every year. Now another twelve months of ranting lies ahead here at Coronation Street Blog Towers. However, we live in hope and cling to the possibility that there will be much to enthuse about before we reach for the Christmas decorations again.

There are new characters to welcome and maybe even cherish. Weatherfield's favourite personal trainer - well, only personal trainer, Kal, is getting his feet under the table. Save for his slightly exaggerated speaking style, Kal looks like he's going to fit in well. He's establishing relationships and has caught the eye of Come to Deirdre. She likes a challenge but I fear Kal would jog quickly into the sunset should he be presented with Deirdre's stuffed marrow.

'Feisty' Maddie - she of the filthy hair and filthy attitude - will no doubt mellow but hopefully not too much. If she's here to put some oomph into the increasingly dreadful Sophie, then so be it. Likewise Tony Stewart who at the time of writing has yet to make an appearance. He should add a different dimension to Grimshaw family life and hopefully give Eileen a chance to hone her misery to new levels in the coming year.

The debate over the Corrie women has been an interesting one over the past few weeks but by the 'eck Minnie Caldwell, the ladies do need sorting out. The nasty brigade seemed to  gather in force during the end of 2013. New, horrible Rita is unpleasant to watch and rather than comforting Mother Earth, she's now morphed into a meddlesome ratbag. The collapse of her marriage is on the cards and maybe in its wake we will get a more thoughtful, contemplative Rita.

It's farewell to a couple of Prices in 2014. The readership to this blog seem to have sighed with relief. Foisting an entirely new family into the Rovers turned out to be a huge mistake. It was no fault of the actors, just one storyline after another which required us to be bothered about Stella and co. Sadly we weren't. The addition of Gloria should have been an absolute joy, especially given that Sue Johnston was cast in the role. It must have been a disappointment to her to have been handed such an unpleasant part. Much as the Prices have failed to deliver though, here's hoping they get an exit storyline that isn't 'explosive'. Let them leave with a bit of dignity.

Michelle and Liz. Liz and Michelle. They stagger around like something out of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? Michelle has never really been a fan favourite and now she's in full arm-snapping mode, she's even worse. Maybe 2014 will see her finally escape the House of McDonald and emerge into something more positive, Like a taxi to the airport. As for Liz? She's a better option as landlady than Stella but that's not saying much. Her recent duffing up of Peter in the bogs was laughably bad. If Liz is to remain we can only hope that she calms down a bit and acts her age. At the moment she lacks credibility and that's never good for a Rovers boss.

Post-Hayley Roy is surely going to be an interesting character this year. Please, dear storyliners, don't shove the poor bloke into some comedy friendship with Mary. No doubt Mary Moodswing will be waiting to make an entrance stage left but it would be too obvious a move and simply wrong. Where Corrie always triumphs is when unlikely friendships emerge. Roy and Carla would be interesting and given the latter's relationship with Hayley, maybe not too jarring.

Kevin's due back from Germany this Spring and we can all hope that he doesn't launch into some dreadful attempt to woo back Sally. The pairing of Sal and Tim is inspired. She's desperate, he's lazy. They could well be Stan and Hilda: The Next Generation. Let's not spoil this with Kevin screeching from the sidelines. Much better that he surprised everyone by bringing back a new woman or even his long lost brother Carl. Remember him? Don't worry, you're not alone.

What else would it be good to see in 2014? More of the new and rather wonderful Come to Deirdre. Anne Kirkbride must be loving every script delivery to her dressing room. Deirdre is suddenly canny, funny and a wee bit naughty. We are loving it. Also let's have more Eva this year. She and Jason were made for each other and with both characters approaching thirty, it's time for them to settle down. Something else for Eileen to moan about. How about a more independent Gail 2014 too? The whole Tilsey/Platt thing is starting to feel very claustrophobic. It would be fun to see her away from that house and striking out on her own. She doesn't need to be a trainee Ivy Tilsley. One of those was enough.

Let's forget about the likes of Tina and Tracy. One is heading for the cemetery and the other seems set to be bellowing "Well, hello?" every five minutes until the end of the century. What about the rest though? Is there a character you would like to see develop in a different way? Any new friendships that could emerge? Or how about new characters who could enhance the lives of some of the familiar faces? What would you like to see on t'cobbles in 2014?

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Jason Grimshaw's dad returns tonight on Coronation Street

Jason Grimshaw's dad returns to Coronation Street tonight.  He walks through the door and tells Jason: “Good to see you lad. I’m trying to make up for lost time, 30 years is a long way back.  You and me are going to be proper father and son, I’m telling you now.”

Actor Terence Maynard, who played Helios in the BBC’s hit fantasy drama Merlin, has been cast as Jason Grimshaw’s wayward dad Tony Stewart.  Read Terence Maynard's IMDB profile here.

The Star revealed that he will also be the new fella for Liz McDonald. 

Jason's dad has already appeared a few years ago on Coronation Street but was played by a different actor. The character of Tony Stewart was originally played by actor Alan Igbon (pictured below).







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GRITTY SAGAS BY CORRIE BLOG EDITOR GLENDA YOUNG, PUBLISHED BY HEADLINE. CLICK PIC BELOW!

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