Coronation Street legend Sean Wilson says soap in ‘crisis’ and losing viewers for 2 reasons
Sean, who played Martin Platt is not surprised to see the ITV soap - which once attracted over 20 million viewers - losing its audience as he looks back on its 'halcyon years'
Corrie legend Sean Wilson says the soap is in crisis and losing viewers because the writers are trying to “solve the world’s issues” rather than trying to entertain.
The 58-year-old actor played Martin Platt from 1985 to 2005, before quitting over a row about a plot which saw the nurse fall in love with 16-year-old Katy Harris, played by Lucy-Jo Hudson.
Sean is not surprised to see the ITV soap – which once attracted over 20 million viewers – losing its audience because the humour and storylines that viewers can relate to have been replaced by issue plots like Seb’s murder and Paul’s Motor Neurone Disease (MND) diagnosis.
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He said: “I think the world of soaps is a different vehicle nowadays. I think I was part of the British soap industry at the best time, the halcyon years when there was 18 or 21 million people watching it.
“There’s lots of different reasons. There’s too many channels to choose from which means there’s a lot of choice. People don’t have to watch it anymore. Watching Coronation Street when I was in it was a family thing, people would sit around and maybe have their food or have a cup of tea together and have a good laugh together, shed a tear or two at some of the sad moments.
They were all segwayed together; you were five minutes from laughing and five minutes from crying. Nowadays it seems very much issue-centric, they’re trying to solve the world’s issues, which they’re not going to do.”
Sean insists the viewers would much rather see storylines about affairs, like the ones his alter ego Martin had behind wife Gail’s back, and neighbourly feuds than constantly be lectured to.
Sean says it’s those plots that can keep people hooked and tuning in for the whole year.
He said: “During my marriage to Gail, they would have me having an affair or two, and they would last a year. The whole affair would last a year and it would always culminate around Christmas time. On Christmas Day you would find yourself being one of the main characters in the show and there would be 21 or 22 million viewers, just amazing really. You couldn’t go anywhere.”
Sean swapped the cobbles of Weatherfield to set up his own cheesemaking business, the Saddleworth Cheese Company, but he admits there is rarely a week that goes by when someone doesn’t recognise for his role as Corrie Casanova Martin.
He said: “I think the character is well-remembered and people are generally very nice, very complimentary, and long may that continue.”
Sean – who did return to Corrie for a brief stint in 2018 – is certain he’s done with Martin, but he admits he’d have to consider a return if the producers contacted him for a major storyline, such as Helen Worth finally saying goodbye to her role as Gail, a character she has played for almost 50 years.
The businessman – who was speaking to encourage people thinking about changing careers to take up an apprenticeship with Association of Accounting Technicians, said: “Well, we’ll see. If the question was put in front of me then I’d have to think about it. I’m more than happy living the dream right now.”