Word on the Web: Coronation Street Crisis

So producer Phil Collinson has been doing the television rounds this past week to play down reports that the fifty year old soap is having a slightly late mid-life crisis. We’ve taken a look at online forums, including the official Corrie and Granada web pages to see what the public have been saying about the situation.

Val Houghton says, “Must admit, its not the same, no comedy now, the sexuality of the people in it don’t bother me but the absurd storylines do!! They drag on and on going nowhere!” A post from the ITV Granada Facebook page.

Shelley Goodwin on ITV Granada’s Facebook page said, “I’d ask him [Phil Collinson] to stop trying to create a Corrie that appeals to HIM and listen to/read what the loyal viewers want, as the vast majority clearly aren’t happy with dragged-out, stupid storylines, some terrible acting… an apparent PC agenda [sexualities], too much focus on the younger characters, and the awful new family that makes the Battersby clan’s arrival seem like a fond yet distant memory. Bring back the good old Northern humour, the fantastic one-liners, give more air time to the middle-aged/older cast and stop trying to compete with EastEnders for melodrama – each time I watch Corrie lately it seems to be as ludicrous as an episode of Dynasty, but with some hammier acting!”

X-quisite states on the ITV.com Coronation Street page, “Unfortunately, this box only allows 500 characters, so my thoughts will be going in an email to the show. Short version: Grew up watching, now thinking of stopping watching. Too many repeated storylines – Deidre/Samir & Gail/Joe, now another similar one with Fizz on remand. Eva is Tracy, different characters need different CHARACTERS! Also, where have all the comedy writers gone!”

In an email to ATV, JeanH2003 said, “Terrible acting is the problem in the main. We’ve coped with the awful Cotton for years, and any pal of the producer they see fit to employ, but more and more of these limited in acting ability personalities have cluttered the Rovers with appalling scenes. Ditch the deadwood and get some better researchers if they say these people are popular because they certainly are not with a lot of people!!!”

BarbaraFan on forum SoapChat says, “I dont think its fair to blame Michelle Collins for a ratings drop. As someone who doesnt “know her” as I have always hated EE, i think she is fine in the part the rot set in long before she appeared with unbelievable stories – John Stape and Fiz, and very un-likeable characters like Owen and his brood, Becky and Kylie (UGH_ get me the shotgun NOW Ray) Sean, Marcus, Dev, unconvincing child actors, Anna is boring with out Eddie and don’t like the foster brat.”

In a very rare positive post on the ITV Granada page on Facebook Iris Ryder said “There is nothing wrong with Stella’s northern accent…There are many variations of the northern accent due to way of life, friends, work and school. Even my own family all from the northwest have different accents from each other Everybody UP North are not identical for goodness sake. I love Corrie!”

Tina Adams says “I turn over now… Corrie used to enjoyable to watch not no more. Its boring and all the fun has gone out of it, the Webster girls really get on my nerves I’d rather watch paint dry then Corrie at the moment.” She posted on the Facebook ITV Granada page.

An email to ATV from Jon Lloyd says, “The die-hard fans won’t admit there is any problems, and that is the problem in itself. The spin and the hype is believed by some fans, but that can’t cover the flaws of this show. And the real problem is the spin and the hype has been going on so long I believe the Granada bosses and even the crew now believe this whole ‘Corrie can do no wrong’, ‘Corrie is the best’ view. They’ve got complacent, they think they can do anything, unfortunately they can’t. And the ratings show that.”

“Reviewing the exact same period (the first 27 weeks) in 2010 for comparison purposes, Corrie took the #1 spot 13 times, followed by Britain’s Got Talent which was top of the heap on no fewer than 8 separate occasions. Eastenders and World Cup football each managed to top the ratings 3 times. So, although Corrie’s ratings are still relatively healthy and this exercise is not entirely scientific, it would nevertheless appear to indicate that there has been a decline in the Weatherfield one’s popularity over the last 12 months vis a vis its ratings over the same period last year.” Stated Englishboy on the SoapChat forum.

Mazzarene says, “I don’t watch the programme much because I think there is too many young people in it.I don’t think there is enough viewing time given to the older characters.Where is Miss Nugent & Rita older ones don’t get any decent story lines.storyline of Audrey with tranny rubbish. I heard the comment somewhere on t.v. recently that “Corrie St has lost touch with reality” that is true. too much arguing & normal families. Call me old fashioned but it just isn’t the same anymore.” In a comment posted on the official Coronation Street ITV .com page.

Maria Mortimer said on the ITV Granada page on Facebook, “I’ve watched Corrie since the early 1970’s and live in Salford. I feel that it has become too sensational, its trying to be EastEnders. There is no need for this. Corrie used to be unique. There used to be characters that one could identify with, characters that were believable. There used to be comedy too. I know programmes have to evolve to survive but I just don’t like what’s happening at the moment unfortunately.”

An email to ATV from Kenny Feltham says, “Let’s remember Coronation Street was beaten in the ratings many times in the 1970s by a daytime soap! It was also knocked from its top perch in the 1980s by that London BBC rival. The thing back then was however Corrie was unique and its humour and its warm characters always made people come back to Weatherfield in the end. There are so few warm characters anymore its unlikely it’ll ever draw me back again.”

“It seems ITV want Emmerdale and Coronation Street to appeal to the market or age range who watch Hollyoaks. Clearly having failed to make their own Hollyoaks (Night and Day and even the revived Crossroads) they’ve decided the best option is to make the older soaps more ‘Hollyoaks’. Very foolish. I’m not sure why they’re obsessed with youth anyway, the majority of viewers to both main channels are over 60. I’m sure there are advertisers for these people.” Says TonyUKSoapFan on SoapChat forum.

On ITV’s Facebook page for the Granada region Lorraine Potts posted, “I have always watched Corrie but must admit it is a little long drawn out of late, you need to lighten up a bit all doom and gloom not one happy story line.”

“I must admit, although I don’t watch Corrie nowadays, I do keep up with developments via the Press, Tv boards on-line, and YouTube, because I used to love the show and look out vainly for indications that story-lines might be returning to the good old days when I found the show believable and enjoyable. In recent months, I’ve found the Vera’s ghost story-line totally daft (what happened to the days when a death would be greeted with a simple but excellently portrayed display of grief – as with Jean Alexander’s Hilda’s response to Stan’s death in the mid-1980s?), the tram crash (I saw a clip with an ’80s U2 track playing over the action – much as I love U2, was this teenage telly? Did we need an old pop song to make us feel emotional?) and various other bits and bobs.

“Michelle’s Collins’s casting “totally unbelievable”? Well, I don’t mean to offend any current Corrie fans, but as somebody who cherishes the memory of the days when Elsie would tell Ivy where to get off at Baldwin’s sweat shop and Phyllis would lurk amongst the hobnobs at the Corner Shop, waiting for her Percy to come in, I had to smile at the comment about Ms Collins’s arrival. “Totally unbelievable”? Should be very suitable for this show, I would have thought.” Said Jasonswalkman on an ATV message board.

Auldmary says on ITV.com’s official Coronation Street page, “ I must disagree about Sophie and Sian’s storyline and characters. I find it very, very aggravating listening to both of them. The accents are disgusting and the storyline is very boring. They are both great little actresses but wish you would dispense with this storyline soon. I tape the show and when they come on I ‘whiz’ past it and don’t get involved in the storyline. That’s not good!!!”

“I have watched almost every Corrie episode since the very first but it’s gone down lately and now I don’t care if I miss an episode. Even the long established and well liked characters are losing credibility and the addition of Michelle Collins is the last straw. Phil has made a pig’s ear of what was a success, “if it ain’t broke don’t try to fix it”. It’s a real shame and if ITV are not careful they will pass the point of no return and the show will eventually fold.” Says Tellefan on the ITV.com Coronation Street page.

Tracey Shipham said on the ITV Granada page on Facebook: “He seemed very defensive and shifty [the producer speaking on Granada News]. I really think Corrie is going through a really bad patch which is a shame after the tram crash which was amazing. Becky’s character has been destroyed it’s a shame for Kat Kelly but I can’t watch it any…more until she has gone, I love Steve but putting him with Becky was a massive mistake, and the less said about Tracy the better. It can’t begin to improve until those 2 completely awful characters are gone hopefully for good.”

An email to ATV from Ste Brown says, “I don’t understand the thing knocking Michelle Collins coming into this soap because she was in EastEnders. Do people not remember the fact Johnny Briggs (Mike Baldwin) went from 16 million Crossroads viewers to 18 million Coronation Street ones in 1976 and that was in the same year, never mind waiting a decade!”

Jam401 adds from the Coronation Street page on ITV.com, “Turn offs – Becky and Steve, too farfetched recently even for them ! Fiz’s current storyline is horrible, James can’t act (sorry William !)and needs to go. Turn ons – Roy and Hayls, the brilliant Sylvia, Kylie & David with Gayle, Norris, Rita & Mary, little Katy & Chesney ahh!, Izzy & Gary.

David Boardman states, “The comedy is disappearing out of it – life is not always a tragedy like on EastEnders – people have a bit of fun from time to time – bring back some fun.” A comment posted on Facebook and the ITV Granada page.

In an email to ATV, Kyle Knight says, “Does he think Corrie is the same as Doctor Who? Get this show back into reality. It isn’t Dynasty. It certainly at the moment isn’t anything like true Corrie.”

Dean Kirkham wrote on ITV Granada’s Facebook page, “Corrie which I have been a fan for years and being a Mancunian and proud of our longest running soap find it difficult to watch the last few months it has just got so silly, the Becky, Steve and Tracey story line has just gone on so long it… is just boring now. None of the storylines are believable, what is this Phil Collinson doing to our show. I agree that the shoe is being aimed at a younger generation when it used to be aimed at all ages.”

Michelle Collins said on television yesterday it was just the press stirring up trouble, from ITV’s own official pages, clearly this isn’t the case as viewers make their views felt.