Coronation Street helps promotes gay rights

Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson has said that the soap can help to promote gay rights and hailed the romance between Sophie Webster and Sian Powers as helping to create positive role models.

 

 

Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson has said that the Granada soap can help to promote gay rights and hailed the romance between Sophie Webster (Brooke Vincent) and Sian Powers (Sacha Parkinson) as helping to create positive role models. The openly gay producer said the ITV soap really could change the way people thought and their opinions.

 

“Coronation Street is an amazing platform. What’s transmitted on Monday night people talk about in pubs, clubs and at work the next day. You can really make a difference to the way people think – and this show has always had a gay sensibility” – Phil Collinson quoted in The Sun

 

The ITV soap celebrated its 50th anniversary last week with a tram-crash and live episode which saw ratings top 14 million viewers. While Coronation Street may now be seen as promoting gay rights for the majority of its history gay/lesbian characters were notably absent from Weatherfield. It wasn’t until the Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley) coming out story in 2003/2004 that the soap featured a regular gay character.