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Coronation Street - Best ALPHA Males - Past and Present


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Old 24-05-2014, 09:42
Chris Waltz
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Len Fairclough
Alan Bradley
Kevin Webster
Jim McDonald
Charlie Stubbs

I never had the pleasure of seeing Len or Alan but I loved Jim McDonalds second and stints after (not old enough to remember Jim anytime before he was pushed of the scaffolding.)

Charlie was and still is my best ever character! I would have loved to see Jim and Charlie have a rivalry or friendship.

Who are yours? We don't seem to have any since Charlie.
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Old 24-05-2014, 09:54
boogie woogie
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Up until the Phelan storyline I'd have said Owen Armstrong but he still has alpha male tendencies.
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Old 24-05-2014, 09:59
Chris Waltz
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Up until the Phelan storyline I'd have said Owen Armstrong but he still has alpha male tendencies.
I think Pat Phelan deserves a place on that list actually, I welcome his eventual return to the street!

Owen Armstrong has always disappointed me, it is like they don't know if they want him to be a petty bully, a hard man or someone who is all talk. His character is a good representation of how some "macho" men are in real life though.
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Old 24-05-2014, 10:13
ME1234567
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I think Pat Phelan deserves a place on that list actually, I welcome his eventual return to the street!

Owen Armstrong has always disappointed me, it is like they don't know if they want him to be a petty bully, a hard man or someone who is all talk. His character is a good representation of how some "macho" men are in real life though.
lol
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Old 24-05-2014, 10:18
Chris Waltz
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What you laughing about Willis!?
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Old 24-05-2014, 10:29
KornerKabin
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I think that Len and Jim are the only real 'alpha males' that Corrie has ever had in its long-term cast. I'd consider including Mike Baldwin in that list, but he really occupied his own niche as the flashy, sharp-elbowed businessman not the 'earthy' character that I think the OP is envisaging.

Kevin is a bit different. He's not the cut from the Len Fairclough cloth. Kevin was really quite mild-mannered and gentle from his first appearance in the 80s right through until the late 90s. Kevin and Curly were the 'wet blankets' to Terry Duckworth's bad lad. He was continually under the thumb of most people that he came into contact with (Hilda, Sally, Brian Tilsley and Mike Baldwin). It was only following the first breakdown of his marriage to Sally that he started to become angry and use his fists ad libitum. Sadly, this change in Kevin has never really been explored on screen.

Ray Langton had his moments.

The likes of Alan Bradley and Charlie Stubbs I tend to associate more with being a 'storyline' character rather than a show icon. I have this distinction in my head
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Old 24-05-2014, 10:38
Chris Waltz
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I think that Len and Jim are the only real 'alpha males' that Corrie has ever had in its long-term cast. I'd consider including Mike Baldwin in that list, but he really occupied his own niche as the flashy, sharp-elbowed businessman not the 'earthy' character that I think the OP is envisaging.

Kevin is a bit different. He's not the cut from the Len Fairclough cloth. Kevin was really quite mild-mannered and gentle from his first appearance in the 80s right through until the late 90s. Kevin and Curly were the 'wet blankets' to Terry Duckworth's bad lad. He was continually under the thumb of most people that he came into contact with (Hilda, Sally, Brian Tilsley and Mike Baldwin). It was only following the first breakdown of his marriage to Sally that he started to become angry and use his fists ad libitum. Sadly, this change in Kevin has never really been explored on screen.

Ray Langton had his moments.

The likes of Alan Bradley and Charlie Stubbs I tend to associate more with being a 'storyline' character rather than a show icon. I have this distinction in my head
I forgot about Terry Duckworth!

Yes I see what you mean, Charlie was there for his 2 big plots with Shelly Unwin and Tracy Barlow, which required him to be nasty and then he was off.

Mike Baldwin always seemed to flash for me to be ALPHA but I can see why.

I only knew Ray Langton as a old man in his final appearance.

Bill Webster count anyone, oh and what about Tony Stewart?
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Old 24-05-2014, 10:49
KornerKabin
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I forgot about Terry Duckworth!

Yes I see what you mean, Charlie was there for his 2 big plots with Shelly Unwin and Tracy Barlow, which required him to be nasty and then he was off.

Mike Baldwin always seemed to flash for me to be ALPHA but I can see why.

I only knew Ray Langton as a old man in his final appearance.

Bill Webster count anyone, oh and what about Tony Stewart?
There's a definite connection between this 'alpha male' character and builder in Corrie. Mainly because most of the characters are loosely structured around the archetype that was created by Len Fairclough.

For me, the 'Len' character is really quite complex, and many more recent incarnations simply don't have that complexity. I think that Owen Armstrong is the closest that Corrie has come in recent years to a more rounded Len type character. The character is tough, quick with his fists but also has a certain level of sensitivity and morality. Len Fairclough was, in many ways, the guardian of Coronation Street. He was tough and sometimes brash, but his actions were always well-intentioned. As Len once said to Ken Barlow: "If there's one thing wrong with Coronation Street it's that it sometimes throws up nasty, snivelling, clever-dicks like you!"

Ray wasn't a fully-fledged alpha, but he was Len's sidekick and took on a lot of his traits. However, Ray was ultimately selfish and only looked out for himself. He left Deirdre, Tracy and Weatherfield with barely a thought.

Bill Webster was pretty much a direct replacement for Len. He bought the builders yard from Rita and moved into No.11. I think that in his first stint Bill was quite quickly overshadowed by the popularity of his two children, Kevin and Debbie. He left for the first time fairly shortly after his first appearances. His other appearances have never really established him as a stronger male character.
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Old 24-05-2014, 10:49
annielou
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Jim had a fatal weakness though - Elizabeth.

Had a crush on Terry Duckworth when I was a teenager in the 80s - but he is more bad lad than alpha male.
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Old 24-05-2014, 11:00
Chris Waltz
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There's a definite connection between this 'alpha male' character and builder in Corrie. Mainly because most of the characters are loosely structured around the archetype that was created by Len Fairclough.

For me, the 'Len' character is really quite complex, and many more recent incarnations simply don't have that complexity. I think that Owen Armstrong is the closest that Corrie has come in recent years to a more rounded Len type character. The character is tough, quick with his fists but also has a certain level of sensitivity and morality. Len Fairclough was, in many ways, the guardian of Coronation Street. He was tough and sometimes brash, but his actions were always well-intentioned. As Len once said to Ken Barlow: "If there's one thing wrong with Coronation Street it's that it sometimes throws up nasty, snivelling, clever-dicks like you!"

Ray wasn't a fully-fledged alpha, but he was Len's sidekick and took on a lot of his traits. However, Ray was ultimately selfish and only looked out for himself. He left Deirdre, Tracy and Weatherfield with barely a thought.

Bill Webster was pretty much a direct replacement for Len. He bought the builders yard from Rita and moved into No.11. I think that in his first stint Bill was quite quickly overshadowed by the popularity of his two children, Kevin and Debbie. He left for the first time fairly shortly after his first appearances. His other appearances have never really established him as a stronger male character.
Could you tell me anything about Len's big storylines?

Who was that man that Tony Gordan hated, the old man that was Dennis Tanners sidekick?

Jim had a fatal weakness though - Elizabeth.

Had a crush on Terry Duckworth when I was a teenager in the 80s - but he is more bad lad than alpha male.
I presume Jim's return is to do with Liz McDonald and I also presume he won't be entering the street. I wish he was back on the street as a resident just for a year. His Youtube clips from his original stint look so fun!
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Old 24-05-2014, 11:50
David the Wavid
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Definitely Ray Langton as well. He was more of a bad lad than Len and did some pretty despicable things, such as breaking up the Fleming marriage and practically bullying Stan and Jerry, but he had his sensitive moments as well without it seeming like a betrayal of his character, and was charming and funny enough that you weren't asking why Len didn't just kick him out (helped by the fact that Len wasn't exactly an angel himself).

The trinity of Len, Ray and Jerry and their dump of a bachelor pad made for great viewing, and their complex friendship was something you don't see on Coronation Street very often.
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Old 24-05-2014, 12:01
Chris Waltz
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So basically Tracy Barlow gets her tendencies from Ray?

Who is Jerry?
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Old 24-05-2014, 12:20
David the Wavid
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So basically Tracy Barlow gets her tendencies from Ray?

Who is Jerry?
Jerry Booth, a lovely character who was a builder like Len and Ray but far more genial and mild-mannered. In many ways the forerunner of Tyrone.
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Old 24-05-2014, 12:29
21stCenturyBoy
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Mike Baldwin, the Tony Soprano of knicker stitching.
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Old 24-05-2014, 12:36
0...0
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Jim McDonald. Worra legend.
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Old 24-05-2014, 12:43
Chris Waltz
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Tony Stewart? I reckon he fits this role perfectly.
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Old 24-05-2014, 12:49
onemorearrow
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Jim had a fatal weakness though - Elizabeth.

Had a crush on Terry Duckworth when I was a teenager in the 80s - but he is more bad lad than alpha male.
Dear God I'm glad I wasn't eating when I read that. The man is repulsive!!
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Old 24-05-2014, 12:50
onemorearrow
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Who was that man that Tony Gordan hated, the old man that was Dennis Tanners sidekick?
Jed Stone
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Old 24-05-2014, 12:51
mitchey316
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Let's not forget Don Ches the streets current hardman.
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Old 24-05-2014, 14:35
Chris Waltz
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Was Jed Stone a bad boy?

Don who?
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Old 25-05-2014, 15:51
annielou
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Dear God I'm glad I wasn't eating when I read that. The man is repulsive!!
He was quite good looking in 1985!
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Old 25-05-2014, 15:55
KornerKabin
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He was quite good looking in 1985!
He was really hot in the 80s! Really hot!

I always remember scene where he came downstairs in a tiny pair of grey briefs ....
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Old 25-05-2014, 19:27
Chris Waltz
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Ewwwwww.....
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Old 26-05-2014, 03:05
Tom_Mullen
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Pat phelan
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