Coronation Street issues defence amid backlash from fans over grim storylines and state of show
A top ITV boss has responded to Coronation Street fans who are claiming the show’s stories are too dark and have lost their traditional Northern humour.
The long-running soap has dealt with a number of grim plots in the last year which to some is a far cry from the comedy based narratives of old.
Viewers have watched in horror as legendary character Roy Cropper (David Neilson) accidentally implicated himself for the apparent murder of troubled teen Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton), whilst neighbour Paul Foreman (Peter Ash) is terminally ill with Motor Neurone Disease.
Last week, Glenda Shuttleworth (Jodie Prenger) was left traumatised following a terrifying ordeal in an armed burglary in the Rovers Return, just days after former drug dealer Damon Hay (Ciaran Griffiths) was arrested for robbery whilst conspiring with his murderous brother Harvey Gaskell (Will Mellor).
Meanwhile, Ryan Connor (Ryan Prescott) is still recovering from a devastating acid attack, and the consequences of serial killer Stephen Reid’s (Todd Boyce) actions are set to cause more chaos in upcoming episodes.
On top of that, Summer Spellman (Harriet Bibby) alone has had to deal with her boyfriend raping her best friend, being held hostage by a couple she agreed to be a surrogate for and being diagnosed with diabetes and an eating disorder.
The show has purpose built sets for Weatherfield police station and hospital, and for a prison, on their 7.7 acre production site in Trafford, Greater Manchester.
Reliance on these sets is something our team has called for less of as new producer Kate Brooks takes over in coming months.
According to BARB, which records audience data, around 600,000 viewers have switched off since the same time last year.
In a recent statement issued to The Guardian, John Whiston, managing director of continuing dramas and head of ITV in the North, addressed the show’s direction.
‘Coronation Street is, and always has been, a mixture of characters you love, earthy humour and stories that matter such as the current Liam bullying storyline or the Lauren grooming storyline’ he began.
‘The show is proud to explore important contemporary issues such as these and our audience research shows that viewers really appreciate these stories and believe we deal with them in an engaging but responsible way.
‘Which is why Coronation Street continues to be the most-watched soap on British TV.’
But the comments appear to be too little, too late for some Corrie watchers, who were appalled last weekend to learn that the show is set to explore the historic rape of Toyah Habeeb (Georgia Taylor).
In coming weeks, the street stalwart will reveal that she gave birth to a stillborn child in 2001 and buried it in the nearby Red Rec park.
The story seems to be a complete disregard for what actually played out on screen, retroactively changing the narrative in favour of a revised version.
‘The story by itself is disgusting but to treat viewers as so thick as to completely rewrite history is something else’ said one fan on X/Twitter.
Another added: ‘It’s just trauma porn at this point. How anyone thinks this is a good idea is beyond me.’
Despite the latest uproar, it should be noted that the kitchen sink drama has broadcast harrowing scenes from the outset.
In 1963, Sheila Birtles (Eileen Mayers) contemplated suicide after breaking up with her boyfriend but was rescued by Dennis Tanner (Philip Lowrie).
Five years later, American GI Joe Donelli (Shane Rimmer) murdered Steve Tanner (Paul Maxwell) and later returned to the cobbles, holding several residents at gunpoint before shooting himself dead.
In the decades that followed, Deirdre Barlow (Anne Kirkbride) also thought about taking her own life after being sexually assaulted and Rita Fairclough (Barbara Knox) suffered an abusive relationship at the hands of evil Alan Bradley (Mark Eden).