Guest blog post from Alan Kennedy who is on Twitter @AlanTVGuy
Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here!
Like many of you reading this blog, I’ve been a devout fan of Coronation Street for many years. I started watching in 1989 and was even lucky enough to be able to make the pilgrimage to the set back in 1996 when they were still doing tours. I hate to say that it was the closest thing to a religious experience that I’ve ever had. So what is it that keeps so many of coming back week after week, year after year? For me the simple answer is the characters that represent the true spirit of Coronation Street.
What does it take to be on that list? It’s a combination of humour, good acting and someone you’d like to sit down and have dinner with if you were on the street. They are no longer on the show but wouldn’t you have loved to sit down with Jack and Vera?
My list is very likely going to be different than yours but hopefully you can appreciate my choices. Over the years the mix has pretty much always been the same. There are three categories people fall into – “classic”, “take or leave them”, and the “when are they going to be written out?”. Some I don’t even like that much but still are classic Corrie characters. Sally Webster for example I find a little annoying but she is one of the cornerstones of the street and it just wouldn’t be the same without her. But my list mostly contains people I really like and would be very sad to see leave.
The classic list isn’t just people who have been around for years like Steve McDonald, David Platt, Rita Sullivan and of course Eileen. They are all amazing and I love seeing them even if they are just sitting in the background of the Rovers. I also appreciate some of the relative newcomers like Eva Price, Craig Tinker and Gemma Winter. They won me over almost as soon as they appeared on screen. Then there are ones that I thought were horrible at first but developed into people I loved to watch. Mary Taylor was way OTT when she was first introduced but as the character developed, she became one of the most enjoyable. I just have to forget she kidnapped Norris and instead remember about her mother telling her that eating a banana in public was not ladylike (or something to that effect). Tracy Barlow is another. Tracy is essentially a pretty horrible person but for some reason I like her. Kate Ford’s acting annoyed me immensely at first, but as she grew into the character she moved onto my classic list.
Then there are those that belong in the ‘take them or leave them’ list like Peter Barlow. Peter cheats, Peter starts drinking again, Peter disappoints Simon… and then just keep repeating that over and over for years. I’ve never understood the attraction to him. You’d probably think that Ken Barlow is on my ‘classic’ list. Nope. He is right there with his son Peter. Maybe because Ken hasn’t had any good storylines since the early 90s I’m sorry to say that I wouldn’t miss him much. Kevin Webster, Toyah Battersby, Billy Mayhew and Dev Alahan are also on that list. Actually Dev probably deserves his own entitled “Why am I still here?”.
The last list is of people who quite frankly I tend not to even remember their names when they are on screen half the time. Zeedan and his wife Rana, Kate Connor, Maria Connor and Adam Barlow. These are characters that could go on vacation and never come back and I wouldn’t notice.
Luckily for me that are far more on my favorite list than the others and I’ll faithfully continue to watch.
Guest blog post from Alan Kennedy who is on Twitter @AlanTVGuy
Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here!
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