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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 19, 2008 22:32:57 GMT
Who in your opinion has totally ruined Coronation Street?
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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 19, 2008 22:35:32 GMT
It was a tough choice between Jane McNaught and Brian Park, but I chose Brian because he got rid of a lot of characters during his reign
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 20, 2008 1:20:06 GMT
Jane was a scapegoat. Go back to her eps and they were entertaining with drama and humour. Brian Park was the beginning but Kieran stuck the knife in deeper and he's pulling the strings again now as exec prod so no one has a chance of making their own mark while that pillock is there.
Patsy
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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 20, 2008 12:04:23 GMT
Who did Kieran get rid of Pats???
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 20, 2008 16:19:03 GMT
I can't remember but it's not who he got rid of but the things he did. He was responsible for KF for one thing and having her centre-stage when Tracy had only been there five minutes. He also focused too much on Richard Hillman at the expense of everyone else. That's the same today. The same characters get all the airtime. Richard was good at the time and caught the nation's imagination but it doesn't hold up to viewing now. Once he went it was so boring because they had forgotten how to write for everyone. Humour had vanished under his tenure and it was just misery. When he was got rid of in the August and Carolyn Reynolds took over until Tony Wood came onboard, you could see a marked difference in the eps at the end of the year.
Patsy
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Post by sallywebster on Jan 20, 2008 19:03:59 GMT
Tony Wood isnt on the list Corriegirl. IMO his 2nd year off Corrie (2005) was the worst year of Corrie this decade. Even worst than 2001 when Jane was producer.
I agree that she was a scapegoat - Corrie wasnt even that bad during her time there.
Brian Park got rid of a lot of the right characters IMO - people like Don Brennan needed axing IMO. OK he got rid of Derek which made Thelma quit which was a huge mistake but he revived Corrie as 1997-1998 was excellent after the crap year they had in 1996. I think 1996 is possibly Corrie's worst year ever, or at least on a par with 2005!
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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 20, 2008 19:50:35 GMT
That`s why I listed Brain Park as the worst producer. In his time as producer, the working atmosphere must have been really awful wondering who got the axe. And I can remember the headline in the Sun even now....it said "Bloodbath on t`Street"
Derek and Mavis were never my favourites but to kill off Derek was a massive mistake. I don`t blame Thelma Barlow for quitting.
As for the cult storyline - it was ludicrous from the start. Brian Park thought it would be clever to have an anagram of his name as the cult name. It wasn`t clever it was arogance and I`m glad when he left - as was much of the cast too no doubt.
I`ll never forgive the producer (I think it was David Hansen) who axed Alf Roberts. If it wasn`t for him I bet Bryan Mosley might have had a few more years left in him - instead of dying from a heart attack. Broken heart more than like it.
I agree with you Jez about Corrie being the worst in 2005. It must`ve lost so many fans that it still hasn`t recovered now.
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Post by sallywebster on Jan 20, 2008 20:26:44 GMT
David Hanson was ok as producer and 1999 was quite a good year for the show I guess. I particularly enjoyed Sharon returning that year and the triangle with Sharon/Ian/Natalie. This also gave Reet a good storyline IMO.
I agree the cult was poor, but a lot of Brian Park's storylines were good like the Sally/Kevin/Natalie storyline. It made Corrie must see viewing after a poor couple of years.
A lot of the axings were for the best IMO - especially Don Brennan and Maureen Holdsworth. Derek was never one of my faves either but Mavis was. I always preferred Mavis and Reet in scenes than Mavis and Derek, so its a shame Thelma quit.
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 20, 2008 22:35:19 GMT
But Brian Park also turned it into a teen soap and hired the plank for his looks over his lack of acting talent. He also created the Battersby's and we know Leanne is the only good one of them. I agree about getting rid of Don. I used to like him but over the years he became a caricature.
Jane MacNaught and John Fay created Richard Hillman but Kieran takes the credit. He also wanted to bring Richard back when we all saw he was dead.
Corrie lost a lot of viewers after Richard too. I was surprised when my late aunt told me in 2003 it was boring and she'd watched since the start. We saw Deirdre's trial together last time I stayed wth her in Liverpool.
I know someone who works at Granada and he told me Kieran is responsible for a lot of storylines and he and Steve don't get on. If Kieran kept his fat nose out and let the producer do their job it may get back to the way it once was.
Patsy
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Post by sallywebster on Jan 20, 2008 23:05:43 GMT
Well when Brian took over I was a teenager, 15 infact so it appealed to me greatly at that time. Leanne, Janice and Toyah I all liked, didnt think much of Les. Didnt like Mr Rickett either, he was never my type.
Lets hope Kieran will go then. Steve has done a fantastic job at Corrie despite Kieran interferring.
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 20, 2008 23:13:24 GMT
LOL! Exactly. Hormonal teen to boot but at least with taste regarding the plank.  But consider the job Steve did over at Emmerdale. He turned that show around and brought back the humour after Kieran ruined it with his misery and sensationalism. If Steve had a boss like Keith Richardsom over at Emmerdale Corrie wouldn't have had the sleazy Rosie and John drivel and countless other things. He would have had more of a free reign to turn it around after Tony Wood. It beggars belief ITV brought Kieran back. Patsy |
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Post by sallywebster on Jan 20, 2008 23:18:13 GMT
LOL! The plank of wood never did anything for me at all.
But I think Steve has turned around Corrie - its miles better now than it was before he took over. Also with there being so many episodes they are bound to drag storyline out a bit, same with Emmerdale, not a lot the producers can do about that.
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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 21, 2008 1:17:05 GMT
Its my opinion that Bill Podmore has been the best. I was reading his autobiography a while back and he genuinly loved the people he worked with, and how gutted he felt when 'Hilda' decided to leave.
Me either Jez. I could never understand what people saw in Adam (P)Rickett. He was a smidgin better than Warren Jackson, but Warren Jackson was there as a newborn and was not highly trained like some of the child actors. When you compare the acting skills of the likes of Adam to the likes of 'Amber' and 'Sophie' then it`s a wonder Adam ever got through the interview process.
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Post by sallywebster on Jan 21, 2008 8:20:37 GMT
I agree that Bill Podmore's era of Corrie was its best.
Its obvious that Adam got hired for his looks.
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 21, 2008 15:56:36 GMT
Both his era's were excellent.
I've been saying that for years. Less eps means less dragging out because it can skip days. Also there's less characters so no one gets underused.
Patsy
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Post by sallywebster on Jan 21, 2008 23:07:16 GMT
I think thats the only thing we agree on - reduce the eps!!!
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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 22, 2008 1:17:42 GMT
As an avid Corrie fan for many many years I most definately agree too - cut the episodes down to 3 a week. 4 a week if there is an exciting storyline coming up.
Watching the 70`s and 80`s eps on DVD have been an absolute joy and a pleasure to watch and I lap up each episode and savour them like a fine wine.
I would love to see someone Welsh in the street though....just for a change. And for them to be nice and not hateful like Mother Hopkins.
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 22, 2008 15:29:01 GMT
Oh we agree on other things, Jezziekins. Sometimes. Yes, CG. I could easily watch hours on end of the 70s and 80s eps yet struggled with just one ep of the newer ones. Patsy |
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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 22, 2008 19:44:40 GMT
Do you think that they will have more DVD box sets of the 60`s 70`s, 80`s and 90`s for the 50th anniversary special?
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 22, 2008 20:16:59 GMT
You never know. They do like to cash in.
Oh one thing about Steve Frost I didn't like. He made his feelings about the Alzheimer's perfectly clear yet didn't change it when he could have. Instead he brought Mike's death forward 6 months leaving Johnny still under contract with Granada and unable to work for anyone else.
Patsy
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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 22, 2008 21:00:23 GMT
Sneaky git Steve Frost is....after all the years Johnny was with Granada he deserved much better  |
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Post by sallywebster on Jan 22, 2008 21:15:05 GMT
And now Johnny has ended up in Echo Beach!
CG I hope we get more 70s and 80s DVD sets but most likely one for 90s if they are going to release any more id say.
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 22, 2008 22:23:08 GMT
Yeah so much for retirement!
I agree, CG. Many things could have caused Mike's memory lapses. Reet suffered them due to carbon monoxide. Mind you, she should still be having the after-effects. Steve could have stopped it.
Patsy
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Post by CG Wendy on Jan 23, 2008 12:52:55 GMT
Steve Frost is the one who suffered from memory lapses...and he still does. There was a lot of mileage left in Mike.
I just finished watching the 70`s box set last night (I finished the set with 1974 lol), and even though Mike hadn`t arrived yet, the writing was fantastic. I think Susie Hush was producer. I laughed out loud at the fight between Hilda and Bet in the street over the real owner of Maggie Cleggs sideboard lol
That episode alone could knock spots off the 2008 episodes. It doesn`t even seem like the same show.
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Post by RitaLittlewood on Jan 23, 2008 13:17:14 GMT
Well Johnny was going anyway but still could have left in the October. There was absolutely no need to kill him off, let alone 6 months earlier.
That's because it's not. Little things like that made it real. Now they do in-your-face issues and sensationalism and say it's realistic. I'd much rather watch old eps. They had a feelgood factor whereas now it's too depressing, the very thing they accuse EE of being.
Patsy
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