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Coronation street: the quality of british soap!


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Old 19-02-2004, 16:37
lala
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I have never watched Coronation street in my life, i always thought it was about a bunch of old bags arguing over which tea bag they should use. But over the past year or two Coronation street for me has been carrying the flag for British quality soap opera......which use to be carried by EE but not any bloody more!

Great scripts, quality acting and storylines......Corrie has deffinately turned over a new leaf and lets hope the "predictable pap" that is Eastenders will do the same sometime soon!
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Old 20-02-2004, 13:00
A Beaverhousen
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Totally agree with you. At its best Coronation Street can't be beaten.
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Old 20-02-2004, 13:22
Marky2001
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Even at its worst, Corrie is better than Eastenders because it has character.

In Eastenders, personality transplants are commonplace.

The toughing up of Phil after Grant left being a typical example.

Or Sam suddenly becoming the Godmother

or Laura going from downtrodden frump to scheming bitch to whiny cow

The list is endless. In corrie, you know what you are getting. If Roy and Hayley were in Albert square with their current storyline Hayley would have hired a hitman to kill Tracey by now.

Also, Corrie has humour. Eastenders..........is humourless, however hard it tries.
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Old 20-02-2004, 14:12
thistle1314
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Corrie - first and last I have to say.

I gave up watching EE years ago. They marry and divorce to often its hard to keep up. Its almost borders on incestuous.
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Old 20-02-2004, 14:16
Rita's Kabin
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Originally posted by Marky2001
Even at its worst, Corrie is better than Eastenders because it has character.

In Eastenders, personality transplants are commonplace.

The toughing up of Phil after Grant left being a typical example.

Or Sam suddenly becoming the Godmother

or Laura going from downtrodden frump to scheming bitch to whiny cow

The list is endless. In corrie, you know what you are getting. If Roy and Hayley were in Albert square with their current storyline Hayley would have hired a hitman to kill Tracey by now.

Also, Corrie has humour. Eastenders..........is humourless, however hard it tries.
I agree with the majority of that. However Corrie has had one major personality transplant recently. This of course is Tracy Barlow who has gone from a somewhat sulky woman to a vengeful, malicious bitch who doesn't care what she does or who she hurts.

I personally believe that this was done so that the Street would have another "baddie" character after Richard Hillman left. The difference between the two is that Brian Capron could act & carry off his storylines convincingly whereas Kate Ford is more wooden than a plank.
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Old 20-02-2004, 14:57
eggieuk
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Originally posted by Rita's Kabin
I agree with the majority of that. However Corrie has had one major personality transplant recently. This of course is Tracy Barlow who has gone from a somewhat sulky woman to a vengeful, malicious bitch who doesn't care what she does or who she hurts.

I personally believe that this was done so that the Street would have another "baddie" character after Richard Hillman left. The difference between the two is that Brian Capron could act & carry off his storylines convincingly whereas Kate Ford is more wooden than a plank.
How long have you been watching Corrie for? Tracy's so called personality transplant hasn't been done purely to create a new baddie, she's always been a bit of a self-obsessed bitch, and I think all the current storylines are doing is a progression of this. Bearing her mind her background, it could be argued a lot of Tracy's problems stem from the fact that she grew up not really knowing her real dad and with her mum in a succession of bad relationships or trauma.

Bearing in mind this is the same reason why she starting taking drugs and had to have a transplant - as a cry for attention. I think her subsequent behaviour - slashing Dev's clothes and the whole baby thing prove that. Besides which, it's obvious Tracy's not being thought of as an out and out bitch, her reaction to baby Patience and her feelings for Steve seem to imply she does have feelings, shes just very scarred by her past.
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Old 20-02-2004, 15:12
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I have to disagree on the point that Eastenders cannot be funny. Corrers and Enders can be as funny as each other....when Patrick and Jim get together there can be great humour and at other times too, I wouldn't say that one is ever funnier than the other (exluding the episode of Corrers that featured Sir Peter Kay).
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Old 20-02-2004, 15:18
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I agree, I cannot understand why Eastenders is seen as the "cool trendy" soap. Maybe ten years ago, but Corrie (and Emmerdale) have come along way in that time and easily wipe the floor with Eastenders. I think EE has run out of ideas,most of the new characters with the exception of Alfie and Nanna Moon are laughable. The whole ferrieara storyline is boring as hell, I couldn't care less about any of them.

Eastenders needs to pull its finger out.
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Old 20-02-2004, 15:34
Rita's Kabin
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Originally posted by eggieuk
How long have you been watching Corrie for? Tracy's so called personality transplant hasn't been done purely to create a new baddie, she's always been a bit of a self-obsessed bitch, and I think all the current storylines are doing is a progression of this. Bearing her mind her background, it could be argued a lot of Tracy's problems stem from the fact that she grew up not really knowing her real dad and with her mum in a succession of bad relationships or trauma.

Bearing in mind this is the same reason why she starting taking drugs and had to have a transplant - as a cry for attention. I think her subsequent behaviour - slashing Dev's clothes and the whole baby thing prove that. Besides which, it's obvious Tracy's not being thought of as an out and out bitch, her reaction to baby Patience and her feelings for Steve seem to imply she does have feelings, shes just very scarred by her past.
I've been watching Corrie for over 25 years, in fact, even before Christabel Finch played the original Tracy. I agree that Tracy has always been a bit self obsessed but she has never been a vindictive person who has deliberately set out to cause hurt to others before. She was never someone who deliberately lied left, right & centre either.

Corrie has altered characters before: take a look at Sarah Lancahire's performance as Raquel when she first came into the show. It's completely different to the Raquel that we first think of:- she's much more on the ball & less 'dizzy'. Raquel then left the show for a few months & when she came back it was as the character that we're more familiar with.

Tracy is a different kettle of fish. Her return was championed by Daran Little & he sat in on the auditions & selected Kate Ford for the part. In his view Tracy was always "a little madam". That may be true to an extent but the character has had a complete makeover since Dawn Acton played the part.

They've taken her character to the extreme & have made her an out & out bitch. What we're now seeing with the current baby storyline is an attempt on the part of the writer's to make the public feel some sympathy for Tracy. On a personal level I'm unable to feel anything at all for Tracy & this is because Kate Ford's "performance" (I use the word in the loosest possible sense) fails to engage me on any level.

I would be very happy if the writers sent Tracy back to London tomorrow & the next time they decide to bring her back hire someone that can actually act.
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Old 20-02-2004, 15:38
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Originally posted by Rita's Kabin

Tracy is a different kettle of fish. Her return was championed by Daran Little & he sat in on the auditions & selected Kate Ford for the part. In his view Tracy was always "a little madam". That may be true to an extent but the character has had a complete makeover since Dawn Acton played the part.

They've taken her character to the extreme & have made her an out & out bitch. What we're now seeing with the current baby storyline is an attempt on the part of the writer's to make the public feel some sympathy for Tracy. On a personal level I'm unable to feel anything at all for Tracy & this is because Kate Ford's "performance" (I use the word in the loosest possible sense) fails to engage me on any level.

I would be very happy if the writers sent Tracy back to London tomorrow & the next time they decide to bring her back hire someone that can actually act.
RK - you should really come off the fence and give us a clue about how you feel about Daran and Kate.

G
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Old 20-02-2004, 15:46
Rita's Kabin
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Originally posted by cobaltmale
RK - you should really come off the fence and give us a clue about how you feel about Daran and Kate.

G
LOL!!!

I think she's totally abysmal & is unable to carry any of the storylines that she's been given.

As for Daran, he was very rude to some posters on CSVU when they dared to criticise Kate. He's appears to be more conciliatroy at the moment & has asked for people to post their views about the upcoming Todd / Karl situation.

One of the things that annoyed a lot of people was him saying (about the Kate Ford criticism) "yes Granada do listen but I'm not going to anymore. She is here to stay" (or words to that effect) which made him sound as if he's got a bit too big for his boots.

Some soaps (Emmerdale is one of the best examples) listen to the feedback from their audience and sometime act on it but he made it sound as if he (& therefore Granada) weren't prepared to listen to anyone's opinion but their own.

Anyway, as I said, that's in the past & he seems to be more conciliatory now.
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Old 21-02-2004, 13:40
Marky2001
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I agree with the majority of that. However Corrie has had one major personality transplant recently. This of course is Tracy Barlow who has gone from a somewhat sulky woman to a vengeful, malicious bitch who doesn't care what she does or who she hurts.
Have to agree with the other posters, This is more an extension of the Tracy that has always been there rather than a complete about turn. If this were EE she would be sleeping with Peter Barlow and hiringh a hitman to finish off the Croppers.

I would be very happy if the writers sent Tracy back to London tomorrow & the next time they decide to bring her back hire someone that can actually act.
Fair point though, Kate Ford isn't great. There has definitely been an improvement since she first joined the cast though, shes almost one dimensional now



I have to disagree on the point that Eastenders cannot be funny. Corrers and Enders can be as funny as each other....when Patrick and Jim get together there can be great humour and at other times too, I wouldn't say that one is ever funnier than the other (exluding the episode of Corrers that featured Sir Peter Kay).
But the humour is always so laboured whenever I see Eastenders. It looks like the scriptwriters have sat down and said ' Ok we've covered the incest, suicides, abortions and rapes for this episode. What can we shoehorn in for comedy effect?' . In Corrie, the humour comes naturally and acts as a healthy balance to the more downbeat storylines, this in part comes from the strong characterisation of people like Norris, Fiz and the estimable Blanche.



As for Daran, he was very rude to some posters on CSVU when they dared to criticise Kate. He's appears to be more conciliatroy at the moment & has asked for people to post their views about the upcoming Todd / Karl situation.
Have to say that Daran has been a eal shot in the arm for Corrie. I went off the show for a while as it was becoming more issue led at the expense of characterisation. I think the turning point came when he transferred from archivist to scriptwriter.

I am trying to put my finger on what it is that sets Corrie above EE more than anything else. I think it is because of the interaction and chemistry between the cast. In Eastenders, people only have conversations to further the plot, not simply to show interaction between people who share a community. Everything hat is said in EE has a purpose behind it. Corrie allows itself to meander off into whimsy, and thats why it works for me (Not entirely sure that will make any sense! )
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Old 21-02-2004, 20:22
bapak
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corrie is excellent these days.i would give EE a slight edge overall apart from the ferrieras-i wouldnt miss them if they were written out.david nielsen as roy has been superb.
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Old 21-02-2004, 22:22
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Corrie has been in top form this last couple of years and the acting has been top quality, however now the new producer has axed five im not sure if its going in the right direction

The last time somebody axed so many the programme had some ridiculously unbelieveable storylines - remember the cult of Nirab which plunged new depths of drivel

Although Adam Ricketts will be no loss!!
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Old 21-02-2004, 22:28
bapak
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adam ricketts is useless.he has neither a manc or canuck accent-almost as bad as vicki in EE.
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Old 22-02-2004, 01:22
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If Eastenders wins more awards than Corrie this year at the British Soap Awards, it will prove just how stupid the majority of people who vote in these things are. Either that or EE's bosses pay the judges a little to change the voting.

And if EE wins best soap then...
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Old 22-02-2004, 10:35
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Well last year I was delighted when Corrie swept the board at the BSA – however this year they don’t have the Richard Hillman storyline so will face more competition from Eastenders and Emmerdale. However they had the Roy/Hayley/Tracey/Karen/Steve storyline, also the bigamy storyline, so they have a good chance of getting some awards.
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Old 22-02-2004, 10:40
Rita's Kabin
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Originally posted by Coronation St
Well last year I was delighted when Corrie swept the board at the BSA – however this year they don’t have the Richard Hillman storyline so will face more competition from Eastenders and Emmerdale. However they had the Roy/Hayley/Tracey/Karen/Steve storyline, also the bigamy storyline, so they have a good chance of getting some awards.
Yes, it will be interesting to see who wins what & who is nominated in each category. I really hope Jessie Wallace doesn't win sexiest female again - that's a total joke.
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Old 22-02-2004, 10:53
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Ive set up a thread for discussion of this, however I hate EE so I hope they win nothing.

I agree, that woman from EE winning a sexiest female award was a joke, I don’t really see a need to have “sexiest” awards anyway, but of they must have them at least nominate people who are actually sexy. Kate Ford, Katy Carmichael (Lucy) and in particular Suranne (Karen) are all much sexier than that woman from EE.
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Old 22-02-2004, 10:59
Rita's Kabin
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Originally posted by Coronation St
Ive set up a thread for discussion of this, however I hate EE so I hope they win nothing.

I agree, that woman from EE winning a sexiest female award was a joke, I don’t really see a need to have “sexiest” awards anyway, but of they must have them at least nominate people who are actually sexy. Kate Ford, Katy Carmichael (Lucy) and in particular Suranne (Karen) are all much sexier than that woman from EE.
Yes, the 'sexiest' categories are a joke - they have nothing to do with acting or storylines. And how can someone with an ornage perma-tan & a hairstyle that looks as if she'd been dragged through a hedge backwards win that category....???
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Old 22-02-2004, 12:23
Marky2001
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I'd forgotten about NIRAB

As regards the five axings, the only one I think is a mistake is Harry, and ossibly Bev

Rickitt adds nothing to the show

The harris's were an example of Corrie getting it wrong. Bringing in a family with a 'big event' storyline is a mistake. Viewers don't care enough about them to be engaged by the storyline and the producers will struggle to find a way to top it. No loss I feel.
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Old 22-02-2004, 12:37
Rita's Kabin
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Originally posted by Marky2001
I'd forgotten about NIRAB

As regards the five axings, the only one I think is a mistake is Harry, and ossibly Bev

Rickitt adds nothing to the show

The harris's were an example of Corrie getting it wrong. Bringing in a family with a 'big event' storyline is a mistake. Viewers don't care enough about them to be engaged by the storyline and the producers will struggle to find a way to top it. No loss I feel.
Totally agree about the Harrises, which is a pity as Thomas Craig & Kathryn Hunt are both good actors. With Susie Blake (Bev) & Iain Rogerson ( harry) I don't think the writers have known what to do with them. Hence we've had Harry with practically no storylines & Bev in this ridiculous, pathetic story about fancying Charlie.
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Old 22-02-2004, 15:08
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Eastenders is on VERY shakey ground and they are trying to atttract a teen audience which they are loosing in bucket loads and attempting to get back through focusing on younger cast members. Big mistake. There is also talk to bringing back old characters with new actors in the roles. They will also pull out all the punches to bring back the whole Mitchell clan.

But they are missing the point, totally. The writing is atrocious and the storylines seem bitty and awkward at the moment.

This is tragic and we are witnessing the decline of a once great show. Unless they do something soon it will be damaged beyond repair but I am concerned very soon the rot will be too deep to rectify as this downward spiral has been happening for months and not even Den managed to salvage the ratings.

Coronation Street on the other hand has managed to keep things fresh with plots that involve many of the major characters. EE's can have their kidney transplants, Sharon sleeping with her 'brother', or Zoe having a 'lesbien' kiss but I would rather watch the wonderful Rita slapping Chesney around the head and the wrath of Cilla. Sometimes simple stories are the best one. Then of course the whole Tracy storyline has been fantastic.

Coronation Street is great now but it always has been good in some form or other and thats because this show keeps true to the characters and understands them. Eastenders is storyline driven, its written with 13+ audience in mind and perhaps they do enjoy it. But if you want to be proud of a UK based show than Corrie is the one.
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Old 22-02-2004, 19:58
rij
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Coronation Street has always been the best! Have watched Eastenders on and off for a few years at a time... now firmly off. Loved Brookie at the beginning, but ended up turning that off once the sensationalist storylines went into overdrive. Can't summon up much enthusiasm for Emmerdale.

Have watched and enjoyed Corry for over twenty years.... enough said!

(But as much as I love it.... please ITV don't let it go seven nights a week... even the two eps on Monday nights are too much).
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Old 22-02-2004, 23:07
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It was a disgrace that Eastenders won Best Soap at the National TV Awards last year. I suppose all the stupid Yuppies down South still think Corrie is sad and for old women.

If they watched it now, they would get a shock.
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