I was really pleased to hear the news that Stuart Blackburn is bringing actor Jimi Mistry into Coronation Street. I've liked him since I first saw East is East years ago and I think he'll fit in well in Weatherfield. While many viewers appear to be happy about this new arrival, it did produce a few comments on how appropriate it is for a programme like Coronation Street to bring in well known performers as regular characters. Personally, I like a few well known actors involved - it brings good publicity for my favourite television show and most of the time, it works.
However, some people have quite rightly said that actors with high profiles are unlikely to stick around for a long time to see their characters develop. That's a shame, but quite understandable given how sought after they must be.
While Sue Johnston's Gloria Price has not fitted in, we do have the wonderful Stephanie Cole as Roy's mum Sylvia. John Michie and Michelle Collins were both successful actors before joining Corrie as Karl and Stella. Joe Duttine is also a well known actor currently appearing. We already know both Sue and John are leaving in the near future, but who knows how long the others will stay?
In the past we've had some very successful short visits from the likes of Sir Ian McKellen, Honor Blackman and Maureen Lipman, but sadly I doubt we'll see any of them back in Coronation Street any time soon. So are big name castings a good thing for Corrie in the long term?
When Coronation Street first started, the only cast member with any profile whatsoever was Violet Carson. For a long time before she appeared as Ena Sharples she was known for her role alongside Wilfrid Pickles on his radio show. Apart from that, the cast were a group of unknowns who went on to become stars, some of them of legendary status. Should that not be what Coronation Street is all about?
So what are your views on big names appearing in Coronation Street? Are you a fan, does it bother you either way, or would you prefer to see the Corrie powers that be recruit fresh faces and turn them into the stars of tomorrow?You can follow us on Twitter @CoroStreetBlog and Facebook: CoronationStreetBlog
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