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Dear Corrie fans. |
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#1 |
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Join Date: Apr 2015
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Dear Corrie fans.
I only catch the occasional bit of Corrie, so I can't comment on the quality of it.
I have noticed a lot of Corrie watchers on this forum lately saying that the quality has taken a hit recently, and although I don't watch it myself I'm still intrigued when long term fans begin to lose patience with a show. Many of you seem to agree that the show is not as good as it should be. What is it that's changed? Has it been going on a while or has it suddenly changed? Is it the plots that are bad or something else? I'm just interested in what it is that's happening over at Coronation Street that's making it's fans feel impatient.
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#2 |
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 1,609
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Quote:
I only catch the occasional bit of Corrie, so I can't comment on the quality of it.
I have noticed a lot of Corrie watchers on this forum lately saying that the quality has taken a hit recently, and although I don't watch it myself I'm still intrigued when long term fans begin to lose patience with a show. Many of you seem to agree that the show is not as good as it should be. What is it that's changed? Has it been going on a while or has it suddenly changed? Is it the plots that are bad or something else? I'm just interested in what it is that's happening over at Coronation Street that's making it's fans feel impatient. ![]() The street was famous for character driven drama and humour and much of that has been lost. There are some exceptions in my opinion: Tim and Sally, Mary, Platt family, Eva are very strong and add to the show. With the right producer and definitive action it's fixable |
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#3 |
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Join Date: Apr 2014
Location: Alcohol aisle in Tescos *gulp*
Posts: 12,043
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'Issue' storylines that pop up out of nowhere, characters that go round and round in circles (Tracy as an example), personality transplants (Carla), poor storylines and poor writing, bad acting (Izzy on Wednesday as an example, others include Fiz and Tyrone), unlikeable characters (apart from some who are likeable), lack of bigger storylines and forced comedy complete with lines from 1970's sitcoms.
However, there is still some good one liners, humorous scenes and likeable characters; namely Sally, Tim, Gail, Kylie, David, Sarah, Bethany, Erica, Leanne, Aiden, Kate, Jenny, Rita etc. |
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#4 |
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Join Date: Jun 2012
Posts: 4,461
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I think it is just very predictable. The Tracy/Carla feud we have seen so many times already. Characters that go round in circles. Not a lot of "big" storylines to keep viewers gripped right now. Although I sense they will be coming. The Marta story could have been really gripping but felt like it fell a bit flat and was over too quick. The Hope story at Christmas. I suppose we were supposed to be gripped by that and as harsh as it sounds I wasn't really. Could be that it was because I don't really care much for Fizz/Tyrone.
But they do have some Pros. The Platt/Tilsley family is the strongest part of the show right now in my opinion. Also I think Leanne. Eva. Mary, Tim, Sally, Jenny, Aiden, All very strong. Also Todd seems to be turning things around and has potential to become very good again. Johnny and Kate again I have grown to quite like them aswell. So there are a lot of things wrong but also there is a lot of potential and under a new producer I hope things will turn around. It just remains to be seen how long people are willing to wait. |
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#5 |
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Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: whitby , n yorks
Posts: 10,143
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Quote:
I only catch the occasional bit of Corrie, so I can't comment on the quality of it.
I have noticed a lot of Corrie watchers on this forum lately saying that the quality has taken a hit recently, and although I don't watch it myself I'm still intrigued when long term fans begin to lose patience with a show. Many of you seem to agree that the show is not as good as it should be. What is it that's changed? Has it been going on a while or has it suddenly changed? Is it the plots that are bad or something else? I'm just interested in what it is that's happening over at Coronation Street that's making it's fans feel impatient. ![]() What is much harder is to put a finger on, or even for us alll to agree on is what the exact problem is or maybe more to the point, what has caused it!! Some blame the cast, stating a lot of characters they feel have been there too long & no longer have a story to tell, or the actors playing them are no longer putting in the effort because they think they're untouchable, or whatever!! My own verdict on this is that the long term Corrie cast are pretty much fine as they are & could very easily be brought back to life by some imaginative writing!! Which brings me to the standard of writing!! This for me has become a real problem!! It seems to me that the writers in general just don't have a basic enough knowledge of the history & personalities of the characters they are writing for!! Thus we get howling continuity errors as we had last year with one character effectively saying to another he couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to lose a child, when 15 years earlier he himself had lost a son!! That was an extreme example but it was symptomatic, however I have noticed more recently a real effort to reference the past more, which is encouraging to see!! To move on again & look at production!! The current producer is for many, the guy who carries the biggest can for Corrie's downturn, and to a large degree he has brought the criticism on himself!! The man quite simply cannot keep his mouth shut!! He goes on record months before a story or event is due to be aired, builds it up to levels of great excitement, gives away nearly every detail of the plot, then by the time it airs onscreen it has become a massive anticlimax, leaving fans disappointed yet again!! He is the same with his new characters, builds them up to be something special,only to introduce them in a hastily put together s/l that lasts all of 5 minutes then ignore them for weeks!!! Another symotom of this producer in particular has been changing the whole persona of a character to fit said character into a storyline, rather than writing & producing storylines to fit the character!! Moving on again there are also several more general issues!! Starting with the insularity of the current Coronation Street!! Nobody seems allowed to leave the Street for any reason these days!! All characters have to live, work, even have their nights out now on the confines of that one little Street & it makes for a feeling of claustraphobia & a lack of real life feel to the whole show!! Add to that the fact that the whole Street is like a timewarp!! The same people running the same businesses they've been running for the last 20 years, in exactly the same way, while the 30- 50 year old cast members who should be the nucleus of the show now are floundering without any real purpose or storylines!! The biggest culprit is the factory which in it's present form is a joke in today's online orientated world!! These are just more points alienating the show from the feeling of reality for the fans!! I don't have the answers of how to put Corrie back on the map so to speak!! I don't actually think it would be as difficult as people think though!! The raw materials are all there and it needs a 'new broom' with an infectious enthusiasm to put a smile back on the face of Britain's favourite Street again, whilst not losing sight of what made this show so bloody loved in the first place!! Strong characters, good character driven storylines, proper northern humour & above all a happy & enthusiastic cast who are enjoying playing out the material they are given, something which has seemed lacking in more recent years, illustrated by the sheer number of long term cast members who have decided to call it a day & move on!! Is Kate Oates that person?? Time will tell but she has taken on one hell of a task here & seems enthusiastic to get started!! Only time will tell I guess!! |
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#6 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,383
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It's not true to life.
That doesn't mean 100% realistic. To me to be true to life it needs to have subtle humour, interesting character relationships that hook and some obstacles for characters to overcome. I can live with these elements being exaggerated, I struggle to live with these elements not complementing each other. The issue storylines are doing my head in. The utter lack of humour is annoying and takes away from the show. I also think they need to give us a more varied look at characters lives. All they seem to do is work, eat in the Bistro, drink in the rovers or deal with some existential crisis. I'd love to see Tim or Kevin going to a football match, Norris visiting/having a family member over to see him, Liz and Eileen on a night-out in the town, Sophie at a pop concert. I understand that Coronation Street is focused on the street, but let's not limit their stories to the street so much. The only time they seem to interact on-screen with anybody outside the street is during an personal crisis or on holiday. The lack of humorous storylines is the main issue for me at the minute, if I want to be depressed I'd watch EastEnders. By all means have the tough, but for god's sake throw the funny in with it. I'm not sure if it's available on YT anymore following the copyright cull but the episode where Diedre's raped, and the following few episodes, in 1977 are a class example of how to treat these issues. Don't create humour out of the issue, but still include lighter moments in the episodes. We don't expect Corrie to a endless stream of people talking about nothing and making cups of tea, drama is a key criteon of good television. It should just be less exaggerated and less absurd. And lastly there's a lot of characters who need to move out the street. Not all of them are awful (although most of them are) but some of them have had their day. |
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#7 |
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Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 5,175
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Poor scripts and storylines. A lack of original and compelling ideas. Some very poor and lazy performances and a total lack of innovation despite the new set which should revolutionise whats possible.
The street was famous for character driven drama and humour and much of that has been lost. There are some exceptions in my opinion: Tim and Sally, Mary, Platt family, Eva are very strong and add to the show. With the right producer and definitive action it's fixable A good post, AuntieSoap. Unfortunately, we are about to have the producer who ruined Emmerdale taking over, so I don't visualise any improvement in the near future. |
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#8 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,054
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Nothing wrong with Corrie certainly no worse or better than any of the others the humorous bits whether intended or not make it fun to watch.
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#9 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,383
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I also think they need to go to amateur dramatic societies and touring theatre companies to recruit actors, as well as allocate more time for rehearsals. Originally the majority of actors in Corrie had done rep theatre, and it shows in their screen performances.
Deadwood characters need removing. The cast needs a significant overhaul (I'm going to make another post on that). |
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#10 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 42
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I feel quite sad that I have watched Corrie for all of my life but in the last few months have tapered off to next to nothing.
Still on series link but can find absolutely no reason to watch. Bad acting - unbelievable story lines - characters that have no depth. Pushing the younger actors who have no likeability. There needs to be a massive cull - get rid of Izzie, Gary, Erica, Nick, whatever that new family at the factory are called, the token lesbians, anthony cotton, tracey, todd. Blimey, perhaps I should concentrate on who to keep .... Eileen, Mary, Norris, Sally and Tim..... not many ! |
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#11 |
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Join Date: Jan 2016
Posts: 476
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I feel like Im not as turned off as some people here, but its definitely felt more dry and boring in the past year or two. The characters are never happy in between turmoils, there is less day-to-day normal activity (and lightheartedness) shown, and the drama itself has been bottom of the barrel - either repetitive or just feels like its the quickest idea the writers could come up with to stick in the script rather than fitting with the character or their history. Some storylines (seemingly the most dull ones) are stretched out for months and months and months progressing at such a slow rate you lose interest (Carla and Tracy et all) and some that could be more interesting are never delved into deeply enough to gain your interest or get true on screen enjoyment from. That seems to go for characters as well as storylines actually as well now I'd said it. Some good actors are completely ignored in favor of giving more and more material to overused ones instead of having a balanced cast and balanced material given to them.
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#12 |
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Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 5,390
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I had not watched Corrie in over 15 years until I moved in with my man who watches the show. Whilst I understand that you have to suspend disbelief in a soap, two things really amazed me when I started watching it again:
- it seems to be soap law now that you can only have a relationship with someone else who lives on your street/drinks in your pub/works in the same place as you - all young female soap actors have to be stunningly gorgeous whereas the young men can look like a dogs breakfast and still get the women. I have only watched for the last 2 years but the repeat storylines mentioned above are driving me nuts and some of the acting is downright awful. |
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#13 |
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Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,034
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It's been interesting reading Corrie watchers opinions, and it seems many of you agree on the issues at hand.
It really make me wonder how it happens, you'd think an experienced programme would know what to avoid etc. How fans feel about the show is everything, and I see some posters on DS sometimes who have very impressive insight into the shows and have some ideas that I personally think would be useful to the programme makers. It makes me wonder if the big soaps have a way of gauging the fans views. Maybe the soap awards are supposed to do something like that? |
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#14 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,383
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Quote:
It's been interesting reading Corrie watchers opinions, and it seems many of you agree on the issues at hand.
It really make me wonder how it happens, you'd think an experienced programme would know what to avoid etc. How fans feel about the show is everything, and I see some posters on DS sometimes who have very impressive insight into the shows and have some ideas that I personally think would be useful to the programme makers. It makes me wonder if the big soaps have a way of gauging the fans views. Maybe the soap awards are supposed to do something like that? |
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#15 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 2,034
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I personally think they should release that DVD box set they came up with for April Fools and make it compulsory viewing for any producer.
Are you a long term viewer Corrie-Fan? Has the show got a history of going up and down in terms of quality? Or is this a recent problem? I will probably check out some old clips on youtube. |
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#16 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 13,275
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It isn't the gritty northern soap it used to be. It's now full of idiot, weirdo and nitwit characters.
Corrie don't half overdo the strong women thing Corrie is famous for. These days the feisty women are just big gobs with no substance to their characters. And Ken Barlow. The only person on the street with an education? Maybe back in the day. But not these days. Apart from Ken anyone showing any signs of interest in culture or any signs of intellect are treated as idiot/nitwit characters and laughed at. |
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#17 |
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Join Date: Dec 2013
Posts: 951
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A good post, AuntieSoap. Unfortunately, we are about to have the producer who ruined Emmerdale taking over, so I don't visualise any improvement in the near future. Now he has ruined Corrie, Kate Oates has been given the task of reviving another show. At long last Corrie is getting a quality producer. But for Corrie at the moment: - Lack of comedy - Too many issue stories - Too many character personality transplants - Too many unlikeable characters (Fiz, Tyrone, The Nazirs, Sean, Gemma, Sarah, Bethany and now I can add Tracy to the list) - The double bill on Mon/Fri leads to rubbish cliffhangers. These days, I look for a good film or football match on Sky as I can avoid Corrie - i.e. it is definiely missable Hurry up Kate Oates and save Corrie before it is too late. |
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#18 |
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Join Date: Jul 2008
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She has improved Emmerdale
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#19 |
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Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,383
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It would be a fantastic idea for the person running a show to have an extensive knowledge of the history of it, do you think that's what's missing too in a way?
Are you a long term viewer Corrie-Fan? Has the show got a history of going up and down in terms of quality? Or is this a recent problem? I will probably check out some old clips on youtube. Yes, in part. They need to understand what the street is about and where Tony Warren's inspiration comes from. I'm not a particularly long term viewer, I've watched it on and off most of my life (I'm20). I've also watched a fair bit of Bill Podmore's era on YouTube before ITV slammed a copyright claim on it as well as the original 13 episodes from 1960. One of the key themes running through all of that is a blend of humour and drama, and a grounding in reality. The current show doesn't strike the balance well enough and the acting isn't up to scratch. Kate Oates says she watched a lot of archive footage, so hopefully it's from a good era and she can take inspiration. There's certain archetypes that run through the shows history and there's a reason they run through the shows history, they're drivers of drama and humour and they way they interact with those around them is great for navel-gazing, which is what Corrie should feel like. It should feel like were navel-gazing on people's lifes. At the minute it feels like were being thrust into some alternative reality with a bunch of people who are walking anachronisms. The writers and producers need to keep continuity in there minds as well - the character saying he couldn't imagine how it'd feel to lose a child when he had 15 years early is a stark enough example. Look at the show in 1976-80 (the archive period I managed to get to watch) it bears very little resemblance to the show of 2016. That's understandable, the world's changed and it needs to reflect that but it's not even got the key ingredients. Characters actually used to have lives outside of the street (Gail getting in with her boss in 1976, Elsie cab driver fancyman, Annie Walker going to visit Billy and Billy coming to visit her, Ken taking Peter to the lakes. Eddie Yeates was getting up to his tricks all over Weatherfield) There was also potrayals of real life social issues that weren't incredibly one-sided - the factory strikes showed the effects for both staff and Mike Baldwin - rather than the 100% agenda driven social issues stories of today. The last story I truly enjoyed of current Corrie was Hayley's cancer over 2 years ago because of the way it was handled. Character driven, not issue. There also seems to be a bit of an overly politically ignorant nature to the show. Now I'm not advocating that characters starting walking in and acting obscenely, but there's scenes from the archive of heated political discussion. Why does discussion in the rovers never turn to anything but the characters or the street, you'd expect heated debates about immigration, tax, austerity in any backstreet pub even today. I've also think they need to play more on conflicts of morals and beliefs, one of the greatest things I seem to have seen in the archives is moralistic conflicts. Today all of the conflict in the show is about what characters have done to each other, rather than what they think and believe about each others actions. There are still people around who would hide behind religion to justify unsanitary beliefs as Ena Sharples did and there are still women today, if not more so, that believe in their freedom to do almost anything in the book as Elsie Tanner did but the conflict between those people is barely picked. Maybe it's a reflection of a changing society in which you can quite literally ignore your neighbours but it's not good telly. They need to remember that the streets of the show are homes for the characters, not homes for the entire show. The class system that was the shows foundation might be gone in the black and white sense, but the conflict between different walks of live still exists and could be represented along with the more dramatic story lines. If I was producer I'd be reflecting the reliance of people on food banks and the strict rules regarding it by looking at a character becoming unemployed and getting tied up in the sanctions system, you don't necessarily have to blame the system/the claimant but reflecting the issue is good real life stuff. Similarly I'd bring the characters down to size and slowly exaggerate them. The Elsie Tanner of 1960 is a far tamer beast than the Elsie Tanner of 1979, similarly the Ena Sharples of 1960 is a far sterner woman than the Ena Sharples of 1980. Characters change, something that the current time-warp of a street seems to neglect. Sorry, this is a bit long and rambling. |
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#20 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2014
Location: whitby , n yorks
Posts: 10,143
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Quote:
Yes, in part. They need to understand what the street is about and where Tony Warren's inspiration comes from.
I'm not a particularly long term viewer, I've watched it on and off most of my life (I'm20). I've also watched a fair bit of Bill Podmore's era on YouTube before ITV slammed a copyright claim on it as well as the original 13 episodes from 1960. One of the key themes running through all of that is a blend of humour and drama, and a grounding in reality. The current show doesn't strike the balance well enough and the acting isn't up to scratch. Kate Oates says she watched a lot of archive footage, so hopefully it's from a good era and she can take inspiration. There's certain archetypes that run through the shows history and there's a reason they run through the shows history, they're drivers of drama and humour and they way they interact with those around them is great for navel-gazing, which is what Corrie should feel like. It should feel like were navel-gazing on people's lifes. At the minute it feels like were being thrust into some alternative reality with a bunch of people who are walking anachronisms. The writers and producers need to keep continuity in there minds as well - the character saying he couldn't imagine how it'd feel to lose a child when he had 15 years early is a stark enough example. Look at the show in 1976-80 (the archive period I managed to get to watch) it bears very little resemblance to the show of 2016. That's understandable, the world's changed and it needs to reflect that but it's not even got the key ingredients. Characters actually used to have lives outside of the street (Gail getting in with her boss in 1976, Elsie cab driver fancyman, Annie Walker going to visit Billy and Billy coming to visit her, Ken taking Peter to the lakes. Eddie Yeates was getting up to his tricks all over Weatherfield) There was also potrayals of real life social issues that weren't incredibly one-sided - the factory strikes showed the effects for both staff and Mike Baldwin - rather than the 100% agenda driven social issues stories of today. The last story I truly enjoyed of current Corrie was Hayley's cancer over 2 years ago because of the way it was handled. Character driven, not issue. There also seems to be a bit of an overly politically ignorant nature to the show. Now I'm not advocating that characters starting walking in and acting obscenely, but there's scenes from the archive of heated political discussion. Why does discussion in the rovers never turn to anything but the characters or the street, you'd expect heated debates about immigration, tax, austerity in any backstreet pub even today. I've also think they need to play more on conflicts of morals and beliefs, one of the greatest things I seem to have seen in the archives is moralistic conflicts. Today all of the conflict in the show is about what characters have done to each other, rather than what they think and believe about each others actions. There are still people around who would hide behind religion to justify unsanitary beliefs as Ena Sharples did and there are still women today, if not more so, that believe in their freedom to do almost anything in the book as Elsie Tanner did but the conflict between those people is barely picked. Maybe it's a reflection of a changing society in which you can quite literally ignore your neighbours but it's not good telly. They need to remember that the streets of the show are homes for the characters, not homes for the entire show. The class system that was the shows foundation might be gone in the black and white sense, but the conflict between different walks of live still exists and could be represented along with the more dramatic story lines. If I was producer I'd be reflecting the reliance of people on food banks and the strict rules regarding it by looking at a character becoming unemployed and getting tied up in the sanctions system, you don't necessarily have to blame the system/the claimant but reflecting the issue is good real life stuff. Similarly I'd bring the characters down to size and slowly exaggerate them. The Elsie Tanner of 1960 is a far tamer beast than the Elsie Tanner of 1979, similarly the Ena Sharples of 1960 is a far sterner woman than the Ena Sharples of 1980. Characters change, something that the current time-warp of a street seems to neglect. Sorry, this is a bit long and rambling. As a 51 year old can I just say, without wanting to sound patronisong, you have wisdom beyond your years!! ![]() Brilliant post!! |
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#21 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Oct 2014
Posts: 1,524
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Quote:
I only catch the occasional bit of Corrie, so I can't comment on the quality of it.
I have noticed a lot of Corrie watchers on this forum lately saying that the quality has taken a hit recently, and although I don't watch it myself I'm still intrigued when long term fans begin to lose patience with a show. Many of you seem to agree that the show is not as good as it should be. What is it that's changed? Has it been going on a while or has it suddenly changed? Is it the plots that are bad or something else? I'm just interested in what it is that's happening over at Coronation Street that's making it's fans feel impatient. ![]() |
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#22 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 3,749
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and likeable characters; namely Sally, Tim, Gail, Kylie, David, Sarah, Bethany, Erica, Leanne, Aiden, Kate, Jenny, Rita etc.
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#23 |
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Inactive Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Posts: 1,383
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Quote:
Really??
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#24 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Jun 2011
Posts: 30,200
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At times it feels like a really bad sitcom and they need to do away with one of their writers. Jonathan Harvey. His dialogue can be bloody shocking. To the point where characters come out with things their character would never say.
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#25 |
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Forum Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Bury Lancashire
Posts: 1,133
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Allowing for ad breaks, there are about 100 minutes of Coronation Street on tv every week.
That is the equivalent of writing, producing and filming a feature length movie, every week, 52 weeks a year. For me the answer is a simple one Quantity at the expense of quality. I remember when Corrie was 2 half hour episodes a week! Sometimes less is more? |
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