How Coronation Street lost the plot

Legendary… The cast of 1989’s Coronation Street.Photo: ITV/Shutterstock

Whether it was Deirdre being sent to prison, Alan Bradley being mowed down on a Blackpool tram or “you should have stayed at the party, Maxine”, Coronation Street has delivered some of the most memorable moments in UK soap history.

At its peak, the world’s longest-running television series could attract 26 million viewers to an episode, and its storylines, such as the introduction of transgender character Hayley Cropper, helped shape the national debate in a way Westminster politicians could only dream of. But in recent years Corrie has faced a backlash from fans who say they are fed up with the ITV flagship series’ dark, issue-ridden scripts, increasingly large cast and sporadic programming.

“ITV and Coronation Street seem to have forgotten what made Coronation Street the beloved institution it once was,” says superfan Lewis Pringle, who has watched Corrie since he was five and is now serially tweeting about the show. “This is not a Netflix crime drama or Line of Duty. They’ve replaced endless drama with character and heart, and sometimes it feels like overkill, written and produced by people who’ve never watched Coronation Street before.

The criticism comes as series face a struggle to survive amid falling ratings and slashed budgets. Channel 4’s Hollyoaks recently reduced its weekly episodes from five to three and moved online-first; Channel 5, meanwhile, controversially canceled Neighbors two years ago before it was revived by Amazon.

Corrie’s recent reliance on dramatic scenes has cost it viewer fatigue. Although some major spectacles, such as the 50th anniversary trolley crash or a pothole that appeared in the Platts’ backyard, were well received, the conveyor belt of crime-related intrigue left fans disappointed. In the past year, the series has featured numerous hit-and-runs, several characters being held at gunpoint, and several instances of drug lords wreaking havoc on the sidewalks.

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The stories have become too unbelievable for Bruce Jones, who played Les Battersby from 1997 to 2008. “I watched it from day one, but now my wife says it’s not worth watching. “There can’t be so many murders in one street,” he says. “He’s watched this his whole life but he’ll tell you ‘it’s not just me saying this, everyone is saying it’.”

“The writers we had were living Manchester city life. It’s not the actors’ fault—they all do a good job for my money—but it’s the writers who have changed. “I actually think we’ve lost that element of what Manchester life is all about.”

Reflecting on what could improve the show in its current form, Jones says: “Get back to what Coronation Street was, an ensemble. There was comedy, and tragedy followed. That’s what happened, and the love from the people on the street is gone.”

Jones’ former co-star Beverley Callard, who played Liz McDonald on and off for 31 years, said on the How to Be 60 podcast in June 2023 that she left because “the scripts weren’t what they used to be.”

“Years ago we would get scripts and you’d open them and think: oh my god, this is amazing, I can’t believe I’m going to film this,” he said. “Then I would open the scripts and think, ‘well, we shot this three years ago.’ “Street was originally very character-driven and story-driven, and a lot of times now with so much television and movies, I think it’s become issue-driven, and I hate that.”

For many, Maureen Lipman’s portrayal of Evelyn Plummer has been one of the biggest positives of recent years, but even she has publicly criticized her recent direction. She said on the Beyond the Title podcast in February: “We’ve reached a point in Corrie where people are now being murdered in knickers factories. We are experiencing domestic violence… In the 21st century there will be everything that falls under the scope of social problems [it].”

Some fans fear that the real problem with the series is the lack of funnier moments. “There’s definitely a place for issue-focused stories, and some, like the current one where Paul is battling motor neurone disease, have been done particularly well,” says Gavin Broom, co-host of The Talk of the Street. digital audio file. “But historically it’s always been a good contrast to lighter stories and humor, and that’s been missing for the past year or so. The hardest part of podcasting is when the show is really unstable and I don’t care.

In 2017, ITV increased the series’ weekly episodes to six, with a three-hour broadcast each week. The additional airtime saw the series’ cast increase to approximately 90 regular characters. Another headache for fans has been the occasional scheduling. Typically aired in three-hour episodes on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, the first two months of 2024 have been punctuated by live sports broadcasts on ITV1, leaving even the show’s most famous fans confused about when the show will air.

senior publisher Tony Blackburn tweeted: “This is now more than just a joke for us Coronation Street fans. There will be more football on BBC and ITV tonight, which means no Corrie. Why don’t they put football on other channels and leave us Coronation Street fans alone, or put Coronation Street on ITV2 and say we will follow it everywhere!!!”

Another recurring criticism of Corrie is that old characters such as Gail Platt, Tracy Barlow and Toyah Battersby are cast aside in favor of new, often younger, characters in a bid to attract younger viewers.

“I think Coronation Street and ITV need to think seriously about who they are appealing to – long-term fans, those who will suddenly drop out of the series, or possibly younger viewers who just aren’t interested in the series.” Pringle.

Covid also affected soap, which it has not yet recovered from. Due to quarantine restrictions, the cast and crew began shooting in “blocks”; This means that some actors and their characters’ stories may remain off-screen for weeks or even months.

“This breaks the momentum, because instead of the plot being presented at a good pace, it’s a constant stop-start situation,” says Caitlin Stewart, who counts Coronation Street and many of its stars among her followers on her social media account Script to Scene.

“There are often several weeks between one point in the story and the next, so it’s hard for viewers to focus on the plot. It’s a shame. I hope there’s a way to fix this.”

Coronation Street remains the UK’s most-watched soap, ahead of its main rivals Emmerdale and EastEnders; despite its recent resurgence under executive producer (and Corrie alumna) Kate Oates. Iain MacLeod, Corrie’s producer of six years, was promoted to executive producer for the ongoing drama, having overseen Emmerdale in February.

MacLeod, who is blamed by many fans for the latest crisis in the series, is replaced by Emmerdale producer Kate Brooks, who was announced this week as Corrie’s new producer. ITV bosses eventually turned to Brooks after reportedly struggling to fill the position, which had been rejected by “a number of prestigious TV executives”.

The show’s assistant producer Verity MacLeod – also Iain’s wife – was meanwhile acting as producer; MailOnline reports that she was put off by salary reasons, as well as the possibility of outside producers working between her and her executive producer husband. Brooks’ appointment comes after Corrie was rejected for a second consecutive Bafta nomination.

While ITV did not want to put anyone forward to discuss fans’ concerns, John Whiston, the network’s executive in charge of ongoing drama, issued a written statement. He writes: “Coronation Street is, and always has been, a mix of characters you love, worldly humor and important stories like the topical Liam bullying storyline or Lauren’s caring storyline.

“The program prides itself on exploring important topical issues such as these, and our audience research shows that viewers really appreciate these stories and believe we are tackling them in an engaging but responsible way. That’s why Coronation Street remains the most-watched series on British television.”

The hope for fans of the show is that things start to turn around quickly on the Weatherfield-set drama. “Most of the time, watching it feels like a chore, and that makes me sad,” Pringle says. “I wish they would show some love and attention to the series as a whole and come up with better stories and characters before it’s too late.”