Another new Corrie thread

I don’t like Abi’s lips either, and I think someone’s ironed her forehead and her hair seems to have grown about six inches in the last week. Lip fillers? Botox? Extensions?

'cathy' is in casualty

Cathy?

Roy’s ex. She is Alex’s aunt. What happened to Alex? He’s in it very occasionally but there is no explanation as to where he is the rest of the time.

Oh, and she was Brian’s partner for a while too. What happened to him? Is there a black hole in Weatherfield?

I think the reason we see less of certain characters, i.e. Brian, is, according to social media, cost cutting.

Seems the actors are paid differently to how it used to be. Perhaps previously they received their pay whether they featured in storylines or not, now it seems it’s more a case of being paid by appearance?

Probably that’s why someone is not in for ages, then suddenly reappears for a bit. And the storyline is then worked to death.

Viewing figures for Corrie have dropped dramatically to how they used to be, the awful scripts must contribute to that.

I didn’t know viewing figures have dropped dramatically Calendargirl but can’t say I’m surprised.
We used to be entertained by the cutting remarks of Ena Sharples, Blanche, Annie Walker. The contrasts such as Annie and Hilda, Ena and Elsie. The affairs of Mike Baldwin or Ken Barlow. The wonderful rows and sarcasm between Jack and Vera but always faithful to each other.
All of the above also had a caring side, a nice touch of humanity that reassured us all
Now we have drugs, thugs, murders, affairs, missing people.
No couple remains together for long.
Solicitors who groom young girls, builders who steal to gamble and ex druggie scousers who become carers.
Thank goodness for Evelyn, much more of her please with lines that Blanche may have used.

I agree, I enjoy Evelyn's one liners and general common sense with sarcasm added.

To me it looks ridiculous if somebody has been married about 6 times, is that Gail? And is still living on the street with her exes around her. Strange to me.

Coronation Street and Emmerdale TV ratings at record low amid huge shake-up
Coronation Street and Emmerdale's TV ratings are down, according to a report by Ofcom, as soap viewers increasingly switch to watching shows via streaming services
www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/coronation-street-emmerdale-tv-ratings-30626856

I've said for ages that it was better when all the cast were in most episodes, even if just for a couple of lines, or as 'extras' in the Rovers. It gave it more of a community feeling, and I think that stopped with Covid, and the contracts changed then.

Does streaming matter? It's the ads that pay for ITV, and people have the choice of either seeing them or paying for ITVX and watching out of synch to miss them. I do both, really - if I'm in and available when it's on I watch live with ads, and otherwise I pick it up on ITVX without them. If the 'pay to stream' model wasn't cost-effective ITV wouldn't have brought it in - there is a free 'catch up' service with ads, and they could have stuck to that.

Calendargirl

I think the reason we see less of certain characters, i.e. Brian, is, according to social media, cost cutting.

Seems the actors are paid differently to how it used to be. Perhaps previously they received their pay whether they featured in storylines or not, now it seems it’s more a case of being paid by appearance?

Probably that’s why someone is not in for ages, then suddenly reappears for a bit. And the storyline is then worked to death.

Viewing figures for Corrie have dropped dramatically to how they used to be, the awful scripts must contribute to that.

I read a few years back that Beverley Callard (Liz MacDonald) said her income had dropped by a half as she was now paid by appearance rather than with a contractural salary. That must have made a big difference to many of the actors; some appear so rarely that they must surely have to do other work to survive.

Yes, and it means that they can't call on people to just be in the background. If you catch an episode of the old Corrie you can really see the difference. People are in the Rovers, the Kabin, the factory or Roy's Rolls whether they are part of the story or not. There is much more continuity, and it allows the one-liners from those who are not taking part in the story, so there can be light relief in a dark story without it looking forced.

I doubt they'll get back to those days if the budgets are affected, particularly if the audience share has reduced, as it's a vicious circle. I don't know how long Corrie will have left 😢

Poor Lauren’s wages have taken a nose dive if she’s still alive and absent all this time.

Lauren is hardly mentioned now- seems to have fizzled out- no doubt it will be reignited somewhere down the line when we have forgotten about it.

Yes Charleygirl all the ex wives and husbands, past relationships being passed around not to mention the children that move away and never visit and are barely spoken of again, Rosie, Sophie, Jason. Just as well Ken has so many long lost offspring to fill the spaces.

I do always have trouble working out who’s related to whom, and how. And sometimes, who killed whom, and why!

Gail's ex husbands - 'have been trying to remember what happened to them all. Her first - Brian? - was murdered, her second, Martin is living elsewhere with a different partner, then the murderous maniac appeared - Richard Hillman - who tried to kill them all, then Joe who drowned in an insurance scam, then she married..... Les Dennis. Is that all of them, and the right order? Possibly one another - 'can't remember.

Gail’s ex’s..hmm🤷‍♀️?

Yes, Martin went off with Jill Halfpenny didn’t he? Another nurse.

Of course, she had a fling with Nigel Havers, the dastardly cad Lewis, who also dallied with Audrey and Claudia (what happened to Claudia, did she remain in that upmarket nursing home?) But Lewis managed to slip through Gail’s fingers and escaped matrimony.

We shall have to wait and see if another Mr Right (or Mr Wrong) whisks her off when she departs the Street.

Tim and Sally tonight. brilliant humour.

Joel seems to be turning into a pantomine villain. 😈

When do any of the lawyers actually work, or at least paid work, instead of off-the-cuff advising of mates?

No doubt Dee Dee will soon be drafted in to get Gemma off her shoplifting charge, not that the police will even be following such a minor offence.

The police rarely turn up for shoplifting these days - especially if she brought them back.

That's another idiotic story. As if the manager of a shop would follow a shoplifter home and confront her in her sitting room. He even shooed the children out. Isn't it a bit odd to have an independent shoe shop these days? Specially one where Gemma would shop, bless her.

I assume that the shop owner will become a regular - people rarely feature as obviously otherwise.

Doodledog

That's another idiotic story. As if the manager of a shop would follow a shoplifter home and confront her in her sitting room. He even shooed the children out. Isn't it a bit odd to have an independent shoe shop these days? Specially one where Gemma would shop, bless her.

I assume that the shop owner will become a regular - people rarely feature as obviously otherwise.

He was the father of one of the Oakhill boys.

Yes I don't think the shop owner followed Gemma Doodledog just a Corrie coincidence that he was the father of one of Joseph's friends from school. He was collecting his son & friends from Gemma's house.

I think it’s good that the writers are bringing in the no fault eviction issue, cost of living crisis, and the struggles that families are going through. It’s not before time - most of the street’s residents seem to have money to burn at the bistro, Rover’s, Roy’s Rolls, even on their low wages. I know they need to get the cast together (so they can blurt out their secrets for everyone to overhear) but it’s so unrealistic.

But surely Gemma’s family would be using the local food bank and clothes bank? I’d like to see them finding out what help’s available, and that there’s no shame in taking it.