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Coronation Street - Get rid of that cast!


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Old 30-03-2006, 23:54
Elsie Tanner
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I have been browsing around the Coronation Street website, and the Coronation Street cast currently rests at a level of almost 60 characters!

This is completely ridiculous!

Coronation Street needs a radical character cull, immediately!

Although producer Steve Frost has announced a number of axings, I think that the number being dismissed should be around 20-25 in total.

My list would be (including those already axed or leaving)…

Nathan Harding
Diggory Compton
Molly Compton
Kirk Sutherland
Bev Unwin
Shelley Unwin
Fred Elliot
Ashley Peacock
Claire Peacock (+Joshua)
Charlie Stubbs
Craig Harris
Keith Appleyard
Penny King
Danny Baldwin
Frankie Baldwin
Jamie Baldwin
Adam Barlow
Norris Cole
Dev Alahan
Tyrone Dobbs
Joanne from the factory
Jack Duckworth
Vera Duckworth

There will of course be some new characters needed to fill certain gaps (at the Rovers for instance) yet I believe that such a drastic cutting down of characters would promote the development of the remaining characters on the street.

At the moment Coronation Street has simply too many characters to handle, but no one will admit to this. We are stuck with the same characters stuck in the rut of grim and disastrous “comedy” storylines…Liz and “the band”, Roy & Clifford, Keith constantly wanting to go fishing…Coronation Street needs to ditch the characters and focus on realism. The only way they can do this is to cut down the cast to a workable level.
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Old 31-03-2006, 00:03
JPS Corrie King
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While I agree the cast needs cutting down I would not get rid of Jack and Vera. They are part of the furniture.

I also don't know how you could even think about axing Norris Would you care to explain this choice? I think he is a great comedy character and his double act with Rita in the Kabin is amazing
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Old 31-03-2006, 00:03
Pr1s0n 13reak
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I agree, but maybe not as much people as that, perhaps about 10-15 over 6-12 months.

But why Frankie Baldwin!?!? Debra Stephenson is severly underused which is a shame.

I dont think they should axe the baldwins or the duckworths but everybody else on that list I agree with.
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Old 31-03-2006, 00:04
AdamArmand
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ITA. How are viewers supposed to be invested in a character if they have a a few fleeting scenes per episode? The cast needs to be radically trimmed and CHARACTERS really need to be focused upon, what drives them etc etc, as opposed to who will hop into bed together next, who will provide the next 'comic antics' and all that...
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Old 31-03-2006, 00:09
Elsie Tanner
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Originally Posted by JPS Corrie King
While I agree the cast needs cutting down I would not get rid of Jack and Vera. They are part of the furniture.

I also don't know how you could even think about axing Norris Would you care to explain this choice? I think he is a great comedy character and his double act with Rita in the Kabin is amazing
Originally Posted by Pr1s0n 13reak
I agree, but maybe not as much people as that, perhaps about 10-15 over 6-12 months.

But why Frankie Baldwin!?!? Debra Stephenson is severly underused which is a shame.

I dont think they should axe the baldwins or the duckworths but everybody else on that list I agree with.
1. The Duckworths - I would make the move of writing Jack & Vera out and sending them off with a big storyline, on a high. It is widely known that Liz Dawn is very ill, and I would rather make the most of what strength she has left, instead of her deteriorating so much just to say "Vera has died", leaving Jack on his own. I would have the biggest storyline I (and they) could muster, with many different threads culminating in something rather big. However, I would give the pair their fairytaile ending, having them win the lottery and move away to Spain.

2. The Baldwins - I dislike them muchly. I have always found the new incarnations ill-fitting within the street and unless they are given a drastic overhaul as a family, I can't see where they will go in the future.

3. Norris. He is very funny, fantastic! However I think that he can wear a little thin at times. Again, a character overhaul would be needed to make him more rounded. At the moment, while he is hilarious, he is a pretty one dimensional nosey person who does little more than meddle.
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Old 31-03-2006, 00:55
Nancy Leathers
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner
1. The Duckworths - I would make the move of writing Jack & Vera out and sending them off with a big storyline, on a high. It is widely known that Liz Dawn is very ill, and I would rather make the most of what strength she has left, instead of her deteriorating so much just to say "Vera has died", leaving Jack on his own. I would have the biggest storyline I (and they) could muster, with many different threads culminating in something rather big. However, I would give the pair their fairytaile ending, having them win the lottery and move away to Spain.

2. The Baldwins - I dislike them muchly. I have always found the new incarnations ill-fitting within the street and unless they are given a drastic overhaul as a family, I can't see where they will go in the future.

3. Norris. He is very funny, fantastic! However I think that he can wear a little thin at times. Again, a character overhaul would be needed to make him more rounded. At the moment, while he is hilarious, he is a pretty one dimensional nosey person who does little more than meddle.
I agree very much on the point of the Duckworths. They have been dwindling in appearances as well as effectiveness for a number of years. While they are 'part of the furniture' it would be a terrible shame to see them 'leave of screen' without actually sending them off.

However Elsie I completely disagree about your point over the "new" Baldwins. I don't see them as ill fitting at all. They down sized from their previous lifestyle when Danny chose to buy halfg of Mike's factory. They have great relationships with many people on the street. Frankie has the girls as well as a quite unique and perhaps unusual relationship with vera through the cafe. Jamie's a more ground young character, and is great in the young mix. I do feel that you are looking for problems with the family rather than allowing them to settle. Further although you may not see where they could go, you might have a little faith in the show to allow them to move the family on, or exit them succesfully.


On people like Norris, I can perhaps understand why you think as funny as he is, he's one dimensional. However I don't think you're looking at him properly if you think there is notyhing more to him. He's played with constant fidgety ambition in the Kabin, but is held back by his own fears of failing in his ventures. Yes he's nosy, yes he's busy body, but he has so much more that. We know a lot of his past, what makes him interested in other people, his distrustful nature etc. If you don't to look to deeply into how Norris is played then you can of course see him as the sardonic busy body, but I feel that you are particularly looking for a complaint about Norris.

I'm not saying occasionally he isn't played one dimensionally. At times all the characters will be, but he's often more....
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Old 31-03-2006, 00:59
Elsie Tanner
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Originally Posted by Nancy Leathers
I agree very much on the point of the Duckworths. They have been dwindling in appearances as well as effectiveness for a number of years. While they are 'part of the furniture' it would be a terrible shame to see them 'leave of screen' without actually sending them off.

However Elsie I completely disagree about your point over the "new" Baldwins. I don't see them as ill fitting at all. They down sized from their previous lifestyle when Danny chose to buy halfg of Mike's factory. They have great relationships with many people on the street. Frankie has the girls as well as a quite unique and perhaps unusual relationship with vera through the cafe. Jamie's a more ground young character, and is great in the young mix. I do feel that you are looking for problems with the family rather than allowing them to settle. Further although you may not see where they could go, you might have a little faith in the show to allow them to move the family on, or exit them succesfully.


On people like Norris, I can perhaps understand why you think as funny as he is, he's one dimensional. However I don't think you're looking at him properly if you think there is notyhing more to him. He's played with constant fidgety ambition in the Kabin, but is held back by his own fears of failing in his ventures. Yes he's nosy, yes he's busy body, but he has so much more that. We know a lot of his past, what makes him interested in other people, his distrustful nature etc. If you don't to look to deeply into how Norris is played then you can of course see him as the sardonic busy body, but I feel that you are particularly looking for a complaint about Norris.

I'm not saying occasionally he isn't played one dimensionally. At times all the characters will be, but he's often more....
Point taken
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:05
Nancy Leathers
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner
Point taken
Sorry if I seemed aggressive with teh previous post. I take a lot of your points as very valid, and there are occassions when certain characters are represented as well as they are in other episodes. Its probably more that teh different writers will write much better for certain characters than others. Also there is always the actor(ess) own perfornace adding more on certain occasions.
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:09
SULLA
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner
I have been browsing around the Coronation Street website, and the Coronation Street cast currently rests at a level of almost 60 characters!

This is completely ridiculous!

Coronation Street needs a radical character cull, immediately!

Although producer Steve Frost has announced a number of axings, I think that the number being dismissed should be around 20-25 in total.

My list would be (including those already axed or leaving)…

Nathan Harding
Diggory Compton
Molly Compton
Kirk Sutherland
Bev Unwin
Shelley Unwin
Fred Elliot
Ashley Peacock
Claire Peacock (+Joshua)
Charlie Stubbs
Craig Harris
Keith Appleyard
Penny King
Danny Baldwin
Frankie Baldwin
Jamie Baldwin
Adam Barlow
Norris Cole
Dev Alahan
Tyrone Dobbs
Joanne from the factory
Jack Duckworth
Vera Duckworth

There will of course be some new characters needed to fill certain gaps (at the Rovers for instance) yet I believe that such a drastic cutting down of characters would promote the development of the remaining characters on the street.

At the moment Coronation Street has simply too many characters to handle, but no one will admit to this. We are stuck with the same characters stuck in the rut of grim and disastrous “comedy” storylines…Liz and “the band”, Roy & Clifford, Keith constantly wanting to go fishing…Coronation Street needs to ditch the characters and focus on realism. The only way they can do this is to cut down the cast to a workable level.
How can I take serious a list will includes some great characters and omits the Battersbys
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:24
Elsie Tanner
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Originally Posted by Nancy Leathers
Sorry if I seemed aggressive with teh previous post. I take a lot of your points as very valid, and there are occassions when certain characters are represented as well as they are in other episodes. Its probably more that teh different writers will write much better for certain characters than others. Also there is always the actor(ess) own perfornace adding more on certain occasions.
Yes, of course. It has been peaks and troughs with me for the Baldwins. When they first arrived I thought they were great. Unfortunately now I dislike them and my biggest struggle is to see the relevance of (and understand) the character of Frankie. I really can't take her seriously. Mainly because of a) where she lives and b) where she works. I know that the "down sizing" was part of the storyline, etc, but I feel that her character now has little or no basis whatsoever. I cannot see how a character such as Frankie would be happy living in a two-up, two-down and working in a greasy spoon for as long as she has. I know that Frankie's past was briefly touched on once, saying she came from a council estate etc, but I don't find that relevant to where the character is at the moment or was throughout the years she spent with Danny.

In my eyes Frankie Baldwin does have the potential of being a fantastic character, however her position within the Weatherfield community has been consistently weak more or less since she arrived.

In her first scene when she arrived on Coronation Street; her face was pure disgust. It was raining, she got her heels caught in the cobbles...it smelt of fish & chips. I know that people ultimately get used to their surroundings, but for me this was a defining moment for Frankie. She is alien to that kind of place, and boy did she make it known to everyone around her.

I guess my biggest gripe is that she has simply grown to be too "boring". Interest with characters comes out of conflict, and what better conflict than the eternal struggle of "rich" and "poor". For Frankie to remain successful, in my eyes she needs to get back with Danny (albeit briefly), quit her job at the cafe and move out of Number 7 into a more fitting abode.

Similarly, Jamie has underwent a strange character shift, from "Likely Lad" to complete Wet Willy!

When the family first arrived their potential was great (apart from Warren! *vomits*) but they have descended into complete boredom...

I don't have the energy to talk about Norris...let me have a break.
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:26
Elsie Tanner
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Originally Posted by SULLA
How can I take serious a list will includes some great characters and omits the Battersbys
I like them, I think they have potential as characters and as a family.

Although I might kill off Les
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:34
SULLA
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner
I like them, I think they have potential as characters and as a family.

Although I might kill off Les
You spare the Battersbys and want to kill off the Peacocks
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:36
Elsie Tanner
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Originally Posted by SULLA
You spare the Battersbys and want to kill off the Peacocks
Erm...yes

The Peacocks are boring as sin!
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:38
Nancy Leathers
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner

I guess my biggest gripe is that she has simply grown to be too "boring". Interest with characters comes out of conflict, and what better conflict than the eternal struggle of "rich" and "poor". For Frankie to remain successful, in my eyes she needs to get back with Danny (albeit briefly), quit her job at the cafe and move out of Number 7 into a more fitting abode.

Similarly, Jamie has underwent a strange character shift, from "Likely Lad" to complete Wet Willy!

.
I do completely take your point about Frankie. Up to the end of her marriage with Danny is was about trying to make it owrk for her family in the Street, but since then it has been difficult to see why she has stayed on the Street so near the man who I believe really broke her heart. Now she does have connections, as does Jamie. But it would be easier for Frankie to move back down south with her part of the divorce from Danny to her old life. Warren has moved on and Jamie's relationship with her would still be kept up. Post Mike it will be interesting so see how the dynamic of thw Baldwins shifts.

Jamie perhaps now doesn't have the same sort of man about town attitude, but I suppose that attitude got him soneone like Leanne. I do like him with Violet, and the friendship that gives him with Sean.

And for the Battersbys (Browns). Les could go for me. That would probably take Cilla, which if she were toned down to just being an oikish dreg of society on the street, would be a shame. I'd like to keep both Chesney and Kirk though.

I sometimes see Chesney as a mix of really early Ken and Curly in an 11 years old's body. Kirk is just personal choice. I realise certain people don;t like him, but for me he adds a real if not slightyl slow texture to the street.
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:41
Nancy Leathers
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner
Erm...yes

The Peacocks are boring as sin!
Sin's quite interesting some times. A touch of lust anyone?
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Old 31-03-2006, 01:48
SULLA
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner
Erm...yes

The Peacocks are boring as sin!
Claire boring
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Old 31-03-2006, 08:39
Bonze
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Originally Posted by Nancy Leathers
Sin's quite interesting some times. A touch of lust anyone?
your place or mine
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Old 31-03-2006, 08:39
peaches41
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Originally Posted by SULLA
How can I take serious a list will includes some great characters and omits the Battersbys
Yes, I have to agree with that. However, some on the list I think should go.
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Old 31-03-2006, 10:37
bramallblade
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner
I have been browsing around the Coronation Street website, and the Coronation Street cast currently rests at a level of almost 60 characters!

This is completely ridiculous!

Coronation Street needs a radical character cull, immediately!

Although producer Steve Frost has announced a number of axings, I think that the number being dismissed should be around 20-25 in total.

My list would be (including those already axed or leaving)…

Nathan Harding
Diggory Compton
Molly Compton
Kirk Sutherland
Bev Unwin
Shelley Unwin
Fred Elliot
Ashley Peacock
Claire Peacock (+Joshua)
Charlie Stubbs
Craig Harris
Keith Appleyard
Penny King
Danny Baldwin
Frankie Baldwin
Jamie Baldwin
Adam Barlow
Norris Cole
Dev Alahan
Tyrone Dobbs
Joanne from the factory
Jack Duckworth
Vera Duckworth

There will of course be some new characters needed to fill certain gaps (at the Rovers for instance) yet I believe that such a drastic cutting down of characters would promote the development of the remaining characters on the street.

At the moment Coronation Street has simply too many characters to handle, but no one will admit to this. We are stuck with the same characters stuck in the rut of grim and disastrous “comedy” storylines…Liz and “the band”, Roy & Clifford, Keith constantly wanting to go fishing…Coronation Street needs to ditch the characters and focus on realism. The only way they can do this is to cut down the cast to a workable level.
Elsie you do speak words of wisdom and i agree we need to chop some characters but not as many 15 max. The show needs more characters than Eastenders for instance as there is an extra episode a week and it allows for some of the cast members to take reasonable breaks.

I agree with:

Nathan Harding
Diggory Compton
Keith Appleyard
Adam Barlow
Joanne

For the leavers anyway obviously they are going regardless:
Shelly Unwin
Bev Unwin
Fred Elliot
Mike Baldwin
Ronnie Clayton (you forgot her!)

The rest i don't agree with at all.

Molly and Tyrone are gonna be a great couple and i know this is said on a regular basis but they could really be the next Jack and Vera.

Speaking of which, they should go only when they have had enough. When Liz Dawn says that, then pull out all the stops for a fantastic exit, but until then, no.

Norris? He is hillarious. I would be more tempted to get rid of Rita rather than Norris. Rita is getting stale and she must spend hours putting her face together in the morning, wasting valuable filming hours! - I'd be tempted to bring back Mavis for a few episodes and let Rita leave with her - that would be lovely.

Kirk? Don't think so. He is part of the fantastic Battersby-Brown clan really. Loveable character.

Craig Harris. Again no. He has real potential to be a future star for the Street, will be very interesting to see him develop and mature. I would say grow-up but he had to do that very quickly last year!

The Baldwins and Penny King. There is potential for those lot, esp between Frankie and Danny.

Dev. 6 months ago i would have agreed, but not anymore because of the fantastic Amber. She is a delight, is just like her father and Dev is really growing to like her.
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Old 31-03-2006, 10:39
gosh24
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Hi everyone

first post today!....

I have to say Corrie just have to many people in the cast... it seems that they hardly ever go into a real depth of character...because there is soo many of them, I think that they waste a potential characters...but I do think some need to be axed..

The Peacocks
Norris
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Old 31-03-2006, 10:50
Laroc
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Originally Posted by Elsie Tanner
Nathan Harding
Diggory Compton
Molly Compton
Kirk Sutherland
Bev Unwin
Shelley Unwin
Fred Elliot
Ashley Peacock
Claire Peacock (+Joshua)
Charlie Stubbs
Craig Harris
Keith Appleyard
Penny King
Danny Baldwin
Frankie Baldwin
Jamie Baldwin
Adam Barlow
Norris Cole
Dev Alahan
Tyrone Dobbs
Joanne from the factory
Jack Duckworth
Vera Duckworth
I agree with most of them apart from Jack, Vera, Kirk and Norris. I would like to see Sarah, Violet, Cilla and Les go.
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Old 31-03-2006, 10:53
bramallblade
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Originally Posted by Laroc
I agree with most of them apart from Jack, Vera, Kirk and Norris. I would like to see Sarah, Violet, Cilla and Les go.
Violet? Are you taking the piss?!
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Old 31-03-2006, 10:56
Laroc
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Originally Posted by bramallblade
Violet? Are you taking the piss?!
Er no. Totally boring character, god it's making me sleepy thinking about her :yawn:
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Old 31-03-2006, 10:57
Misty Looper
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Originally Posted by bramallblade
Violet? Are you taking the piss?!

I want her to go as well she is a drip. :sleep:
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Old 31-03-2006, 11:02
bramallblade
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She is fantastic, has a very bright future on the Street.
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