Your views on Corrie's gay characters

(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in March 2013.)

I've been having a good old muse about Coronation Street's gay characters and the direction they are currently heading in thanks to the powers that be and the Corrie writing team. I must start this blog by saying thank goodness we have gay male and female characters in Weatherfield these days to actually talk about. Progress at last. 

Currently we have four gay characters, well three and a half if you count Marcus and his current partner, Maria (no, that's not just a strange name for a bloke). So we have Marcus Dent, Sean Tully, Sawphie Webster and her new girlfriend, Jenna Kamara.

Let's start with the longest standing character on that list - Sean Tully. Sean has been a regular in Corrie for almost a decade and certainly does split viewers - some love him and others, well not so much. When Sean first appeared amid the Todd and Karl coming out storyline back in 2003 he was like a breath of fresh air. He was like Bet Lynch, only less butch. He was funny, bright and unlucky in love, just how we like our Corrie characters. He freshened up both the Grimshaw household and Underworld. For a while he was flavour of the month, appearing everywhere, and then something went wrong.

I really liked Sean when he first appeared. I also enjoyed watching the early days of his relationship with Marcus, but it wasn't to be. Sean's character has unfortunately started to grate on my nerves and I really dislike his selfish "all about me" childishness. He must be in his late 30s now and unfortunately, like many Corrie characters he just hasn't progressed or moved on. I think he suffered from over-exposure (shudder!) and in my view, it will be hard to rescue him from this slippery slope. There are rumours that he may be heading for a new romance in the future so let's hope that sees an improvement. Otherwise, I'd be happy to see him leave the cobbles.

So what about Sean's ex, Marcus Dent? I really really like Marcus. I always thought he was too good for Sean. He's a well-rounded, caring, sympathetic character of the kind that seem to be in short supply in Coronation Street today. Charlie Condou is a great actor and is always believable. I know his current story, which sees him in a surprise relationship with Maria Connor, has divided fans. I think it works though. The actors clearly demonstrate how much the characters do care about each other and I think Marcus makes a great father figure and role model for Liam. How much of this relationship is down to the instant family Marcus has long craved, I don't know but I guess time will tell.

I would really like to see Marcus interact more with his parents. We saw a glimpse of them at Christmas and I think there would be plenty of mileage in having them back again. I hope Marcus and Maria are not a flash in the pan, even if he eventually gets back on the other bus.  Ten years ago Corrie could never have explored this kind of angle so I think we must see it as a positive thing.


Finally, let's look at the only current gay relationship in Coronation Street, that of Sophie and Jenna. i like both characters individually however I had real reservations about them being together. I just couldn't see it happening in real life - it didn't seem true to me. However recent, more relaxed scenes between Jenna and Sophie have seen me warming to them as a couple. I also like how accepting Sally has been. So please, less drama and more humour in the Webster household! I was never a huge fan of the Sophie and Sian partnership. I always felt a more mature lesbian character would have been a better approach, rather than two screechy teenage girls. I hope Jenna's arrival will see Sophie grow up. 

Another interesting aspect of this relationship is Mandy's reaction. Jenna's mum was less than pleased when Jenna came out and not just because she was dating someone significantly younger. Mandy had a point when she despaired about Jenna losing her job and career prospects. I too was upset with this - there is a serious lack of educated young people in Corrie and I think this is something that needs to be rectified. I would like to see Mandy getting closer to Jenna and Sophie in the months ahead - some scenes with Sally could also be quite amusing.

So what do you think about the current crop of gay men and women in Coronation Street? Do you have a favourite? Anyone you'd gladly see the back of? 

And more importantly, do you think they are representative of gay men and women in British society today?


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