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Time for some Corrie 'oldies' to retire?


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Old 11-03-2015, 03:04
notdebbiedingle
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Ha, before you all come out with the pitchforks & the lyhch mob, I don't mean sack the older cast members!!

My opinion is many of our characters are far too set in their ways & stale!! Two cases in point are Audrey & Rita!! How likely is it that two vibrant pensioners like those two would still be slogging away working every hour trying to run a business? If ever two characters should be retired, painting the town red, growing old disgracefully it's those two!!
Most will probably agree that currently Audrey's best scenes are as Mum to Gail or friend & comforter to Maria, that needn't change if she was to retire from the salon!! No one loves her & Maria's scenes more than I do but Maria is now old enough & sensible enough to stand on her own feet take on the responsibility of her own business so Audrey should sell up & Maria take over the salon! Audrey could still work the odd shift but when she wanted to!! Also I'd like Maria to mentor one of the younger characters, maybe Bethany, in time to bring her back to the heart of the show!
Rita should also retire from the Kabin & become a double act with Audrey!! Norris should have a change of direction! I can see him looking after the community centre, a la Percy Sugden a few years ago!!
I would bring Sally & Tim in to run the Kabin with Sophie helping out when needed!! Sally is absolutely wasted as lackey to Carla, she needs a position of importance so her irritating snobbery at least has some basis!! Sophie could train up for the PO side of it & when not helping there I would have her & Emily become friends & help Emily with her charity work, basically explore her Christian side & turn her back into a nice girl instead of the sulky, sour faced brat she's become over the last few years!!
I would move Mary into the shop with Dev, but still just as friends!!
As I've said on many different threads I would move heaven & earth to bring Toyah back & have her, Leanne & Eva running the Rover's when Steve loses it due to his money problems!! Liz could beggar off back to Spain & stay there!!
I would have Jenny Bradley take Leanne's place in the Bistro & work with Steph!!
Alya would take over Sally's job as PA to Carla & Gail could take over at the gym reception from Katy!!

All of these things are just ideas tofreshen up the show a bit!! I would love to hear other people's ideas & any comments, good or bad you had about mine!! Cheers!!
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Old 11-03-2015, 04:00
SoapGirl95
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Coronation Street comes across as the soap most set in its ways. So many of its characters seem to be there because they have been there so long it's the done thing to keep them. The character's\actors at Coronation Street seem to be able to have gaurenteed jobs based on the length of their stint or the iconic status they hold.

Other soaps do of course do this but Coronation Street has loads. For instance in EastEnders when Pat Butcher was killed off there was, and still is, uproar. She was iconic and had been there since its starting year. Most importantly she was still useful, could still pull off big storylines, and still had potential. One Exec comes in, decides he has an impact storyline, and Pat is hastily killed off. This was a step too far IMO, but the fact remains had a boss at Coronation Street decided they were going to kill off Rita without the backing of Barbara Knox the storyline would probably have never got broadcast.

This could be considered a good and a bad thing. Icons and big names shouldn't be killed off for five minutes of glory for the soap IMO, but they shouldn't be kept simply because they've been there years if the character has become stale. Either give the character something to do that is important for the shows success and make the actor work for their role or get rid. If reviving these characters, as the OP suggests, works then great. But some of them have probably run their course.

Why should character's such as Ken, Rita, Emily, Norris, Audrey, Gail, Sally, Kevin etc be given jobs until they decide to leave, retire, or die? Gail has still had storyline's so she could arguably be kept on. Likewise Sally and Kevin. The others though seem to be extras. They seem to do fill in scenes, accompany other characters, and stay so we can have cosy chats in the pub about what Coronation Street was like 20, 30, 40, 50 years ago. While it is nice to have nods to the past and reminisce about Betty and her hotpot etc it doesn't require Coronation Street to become a retirement centre for actors who are no longer needed for the success of the show. One or two could be considered useful, but having about half a dozen familiar faces who don't have vital roles is the reason so many episodes are full of little happening imo. It seems they are there until they decide to go because no one at Coronation Street dare sack them. "Do you know who I am?"
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Old 11-03-2015, 04:46
Catmittens
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I sort of see what notdebbiedingle is talking about and some valid points are made.

But SoapGirl95 - I'll keep it short and sweet say that I COMPLETELY DISAGREE WITH YOUR POST.

Sorry.

#SaveOurOldies

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Old 11-03-2015, 06:26
dd68
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I would leave it to the actors to choose, I don't know of any community where there are no older people, Also the actors with fifty years bring authenticity to the show and should be respected.
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Old 11-03-2015, 06:50
Janet Plank
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I would leave it to the actors to choose, I don't know of any community where there are no older people, Also the actors with fifty years bring authenticity to the show and should be respected.
I agree with this, dd68.
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Old 11-03-2015, 07:12
norbitonite
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NotDD, I very much like some of your ideas; Rita and Aud becoming the sort of female 'last of the summer wine', Sally and Tim the Annie and Jack Walker de nos jours, but with the Kabin i/o the Rovers as their realm.
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