Jean Alexander says Corrie's sold its soul to sex and scandal

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog May 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Jean Alexander, who played Coronation Street's Hilda Ogden, is interviewed in today's Express.  She's officially retired now, at 85 years old. She says: "I’m tired. That’s why I am announcing I am officially retired. All my life I have rushed around to fit in with other people’s schedules. Now I can suit myself.”

She talks about current storylines on Coronation Street and says: "Everyone in the Street seems to be having an affair. Some of them have been round the Street four times already. I cannot comment on East- Enders because I never watch it but I am so disappointed in Coronation Street. In the relentless battle for ratings it has sold its soul to sex, scandal and downright nastiness.

"Things have to move on, I know, but in the days of Hilda Ogden, Annie Walker and Co, the Street was gentle, funny and human. The humour has all but gone out of it these days. We had a lot of fun making Coronation Street and the fans let us know they had fun watching it. There were heartbreaking moments but we also tried to make people laugh.Today it’s all sex, doom and gloom and it’s all taken far too seriously. The Street always tried to be relevant to the way people lived, especially in a northern working-class district."

However, Jean does have good words to say about Jennie McAlpine, who plays Fiz Stape. Jean says Jennie would have fitted nicely into the Street in the days of Hilda Ogden. “She has that northern grit and the original elbows out, hands-on-hip attitude. She’s a tough cookie. She is a real character and very noticeable. The characters are missing from Coronation Street these days,” she says.

It's a good interview and well worth reading here.



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