Amber J. Meyer: I DON'T LIKE CHANGE

The arrival of a new producer always rings in a period of change on Coronation Street. In some cases the whole feel and mood of the show changes, as we saw with Kate Oates’ time in charge. An influx of returning characters alongside a “culling” of current ones can often be the only major differences, allowing us to dig up old storylines and return to the comfort of familiarity. However a producer puts their own stamp on Corrie, there are always periods of highs and lows, where it looks like some characters aren’t being used to their full potential, or others simply don’t fit at that particular time. A new character that looks good on paper can fail to translate on screen. But a new producer has a limited time to experiment with their own ideas, and as they only usually get one shot at it, their legacy can be sealed in those early decisions.

"Murderer!"

Change has definitely arrived on the cobbles now that Iain MacLeod has got his feet under the table. And it’s been a great period so far, as far as I‘m concerned. Iain has chosen to embrace comedy in a major way, and this has meant the laughs have dominated for a couple of months now, despite major storylines like the roof collapse threatening to kill the mood. As is often the case with big budget, dramatic events on Coronation Street, some of us are left asking whether it was really worth it, and aren’t they dragging out the aftermath a bit?

Going hard on the comedy has not been universally popular. Mary’s scenes post-Jude have brought back the old character we know and love – emotional, slightly unhinged, completely unique and in my opinion bloody hilarious. Not to mention the double act of her a Tracy Barlow which is always written and acted brilliantly. But some fans have commented that Mary’s outbursts are unrealistic and a bit too crazy for Coronation Street. Others have mentioned the ramped-up innuendo that we are seeing and hearing more of, some of which I have had to rewind back to check I heard correctly. Again I’m all for it, but it's not everyone’s cup of tea. Lines like “I won’t see a woman fingered for a crime she didn’t commit”; Kirk belting out “our souls at night” at a christening or even a flat out offer of “sex in the bogs” are right up my alley. I can see why people think it’s a bit much on a Monday evening while you’re eating your Quorn sausages though.

(I'm actually re-watching last night's second episode to jog my mind whilst writing this Blog. I've just googled "French tickler" and am crying with laughter).

"What's a French Tickler?"

OUT WITH THE OLD

Pretty soon we’ll see the arrival of a new family on Coronation Street, which looks set to coincide with the long-term departure of Norris who returned to the cobbles last night in the middle of one of Mary’s meltdowns. The fact that there were more questions than answers over Norris’ whereabouts, who was in the urn, how Emily is and why he was selling the house made me a little uneasy. And why does Freda keep doing sign language to people who aren’t deaf? Some were answered last night, but one thing’s for certain, Number 3 will soon change forever.

The Baileys’ arrival will see the terraced house get a full makeover, as you would expect, but it will be the end of a Coronation Street era. Iain MacLeod described the Number 3 set as a "museum piece" and had to think long and hard about changing it. Norris lived there from 2000 and of course it was Emily and Ernest’s marital home in the 1970s.

A number of other much loved characters also resided there for a time – Percy Sugden, Curly, even Deirdre for a while. The likes of Sean and Spider also came and went. Once the new family move in, a little piece of history will be gone, and perhaps Norris and Emily with it. Iain MacLeod has reassured viewers in the past Eileen Derbyshire hasn’t ruled out a return. And we aren’t yet sure what will happen with Norris, but that could be it for the dysfunctional but much loved family of friends we know and love at Number 3.

Much missed Emily Bishop

Along the rest of the ‘common’ side of the street, as Sally would put it, there are lots of links to Corrie’s past. Ken at number 1, he’s part of the furniture. Chesney at number 5 - although a younger member of the neighbourhood, Ches is now a Corrie veteran. Dev’s at number 7 and Tyrone is in Jack and Vera’s ‘Old Rectory’ at number 9. The new family, as far as we know, have few links to the neighbourhood, so it really will be the start of something new.

Change always makes me nervous. As Corrie superfans we are always very protective over our favourite characters and even the bricks and mortar that make up the Street. When Kate Oates gave Rita a brain tumour I was worried her time on the Street was coming to an end. It wasn’t, but the storyline was another example of those ‘what the hell was that!?’ moments. That said I love any storyline Rita is in, so I’m glad Iain has chosen to focus on some of the older characters, even if they aren’t the centre of the drama, they are always around to offer advice or a telling off. At the same time though, the balance between old and young seems to be pretty spot on at the moment. The writers have tapped into the likeability of Gemma and Emma, as well as their comedy value. David’s always lurking in the background of some storyline or another, if not slap bang in the centre of it. Other peripheral characters like Maria, Toyah, Yasmeen and Sophie seem to hover about and not do very much. Which is fine because all soaps need people to fill the gaps in between the comedy and drama of the other characters. I do think it’s about time Maria got something juicy though.

A NIP AND A TUCK

In the past couple of weeks we’ve seen a spate of Corrie resignations. This is healthy I think, even if in the press it looks like an exodus and more dramatic than it actually is. I speculated that we were witnessing a bit of a cull, and this is probably the case, but Iain hasn’t touched Rita, Audrey, Roy or Liz so I’m happy. The cobbles, the Rovers and my favourite characters live to survive another producer - for now. Change is happening but it seems to be more in the spirit of trying to embrace what’s already good about Corrie, rather than add something new or headline-grabbing or dangerous. A few months in to the job Iain MacLeod has had enough time to show us what he’s all about. And of course he needs good writers to make his version of Corrie a reality. He certainly has them. So Corrie remains intact and healthy as ever for me.

And I'm still tittering at "French Tickler"...

I'm on Twitter: @StevieDawson