Kana - Yay or Nay?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


We've had Tilly - a ship of Todd and Billy, but what about the latest ship of Kana - Kate and Rana?

What's a ship, you say?  It's one of these, surely?

Well, yes, but these days it's also one of these:

ship

N: Short for romantic relationship, popularised in fan fiction circles.
V: To endorse a romantic relationship.

And so there you have it. I'm old and I don't say ship other than, you know, as in the phrase "I see no..."  but younger, more trendy Corrie fans than I are shipping all over the internet these days, putting characters together and chopping up their names. I'm showing my age, I know, and I can only apologise.

But what about Kate and Rana - Yay or Nay? I say Nay.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

In Support Of Kana

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Guest blog post by Matt Johnson who is on Twitter @unitedmixer89
Fancy writing a guest blog post for us? All details here! 

On Friday last week, Flaming Nora wrote about why she isn't a fan of the Kana pairing- so I thought about why I am.

It's been 20 months since Rana first graced the cobbles and stole the hearts of both Zeedan and this blogger, but in that time she hasn't really had a big storyline of her own- even her wedding was more about Zeedan dealing with Sharif's betrayal.

However, this storyline represents a chance to explore Rana as a character and for the viewers to learn more about her. We know she doesn't get on with her parents, but why? She used to be a party girl, so why did she settle down so soon? For someone who has been on the show for over a year and a half, there's still a lot we don't know about the street's resident nurse.

Being with Rana could also bring out the best in Kate. Her only serious relationship so far has been with Caz- and it would be no surprise if that had left her with a few issues when it comes to relationships. We've already seen hints that Rana's feelings for Kate are mutual, but she is at least trying to do the right thing given her friendship with Zeedan.

What is frustrating is that, after last week when Bhavna Limbachia knocked it out of the park, when Rana emotionally confessed her true feelings for Kate, there's now no idea when they're next going to be back on screen- and shippers on social media aren't happy. Once November comes around, I hope that Kana will be given some proper screen time to allow the story to really develop.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Corrie Canada sneak previews for Dec. 4 - 8

Without further ado here is a brief sneak preview of what you'll see on next week's Corrie in Canada.

Gemma meets a posh bloke and has a Cinderella moment. Bad publicity throws a rift between Sally and Gina and between Gina and Dev. A dating app suggestion catches Steve by surprise. Robert continues to avoid reality. Phelan uses Vinny's cash to pay some back the flat purchasers. Anna tries to trap Phelan.



For these and more detail, see the Moosejaw Mercury on Corrie.net

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Bhavna Limbachia interview: Kiss me, Kate!

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


How is Rana feeling as her and Zeedan's civil wedding draws closer? 
Rana is somewhat confused and trying to convince herself that the civil wedding is just a formality as she tries to brush off the sentiment behind it. However her internal struggle and trying to cope with her feelings for Kate are at the forefront of her mind.

What's things like with Kate and Rana at this point? Rana comes home to find Kate there who has been helping Zeedan decorate the house for the wedding. Rana questions Kate and they end up having a bit of an argument. As Kate is about to leave, there is an intense moment between them and Kate kisses Rana. Rana responds to the kiss and the heated moment is interrupted as Zeedan comes downstairs. Kate abruptly exits leaving Rana very confused.

How hard has Rana been finding it, having feelings for Kate?
It has been a great struggle for her, as she has always been in control of her emotions and relationships. She is trying everything within her power to push her feelings for Kate away by suggesting her and Zeedan try for a baby.

Does she still love Zeedan?
She does love him and married him for all the genuine reasons, but is now struggles with the fact that she has feelings for  Kate and is trying to fight them.

Does she feel guilty about what she is doing?
Absolutely! It’s crushing her as she’s riddled with guilt. Rana has always admired Zeedan’s loyalty and it breaks her heart knowing she has feelings for someone else, let alone a woman. Zeedan has been through so much with losing both parents and the last thing Rana wants to do is break his heart.

Does Rana feel like she has been hiding behind the wedding preparations and telling Zeedan she wants to have kids?
Yes, she’s trying to do the right thing but is thrown when Kate kisses her. This sends her deeper into a state of confusion. The last thing she wants to do is hurt Zeedan. She believes throwing herself further into their marriage will help suppress any feelings she has for Kate.

Kate tells Rana to stop messing with her head, what's Rana's reaction to this? Rana questions Kate about the kiss and asks her if the feelings are mutual. Kate tells Rana it would never work but doesn’t dismiss or deny having feelings for her too. This becomes a pivotal point for Rana as it’s the first time she openly questions her own sexuality whilst in conversation with Kate and almost admits she might not be straight. However, this is immediately slammed by Kate as Rana says she still loves Zeedan. At this point, Rana is left feeling deflated and torn between her feelings for both her husband and her friend.

What does Rana hope Kate will say when she confesses she wants them to be together?
At one last push, Rana turns up at Kate’s flat on the morning of the wedding in the hope that Kate will ask her to stop the wedding. All she needs is for Kate to give her the green light and she won’t go through with it.

Do you think it truly is Kate that Rana wants to be with?
Yes, Rana does not want to label herself as gay or bisexual as she thinks the person she has fallen for just happens to be a woman. She’s tried fighting her feelings by investing further into her marriage but it doesn’t make her happy anymore. Kate is who she really wants to be with.

How would Rana feel if people on the street found out?
I think she would be mortified if people on the street were to find out as she is about to make her marriage official with the Civil ceremony. The last thing she wants is to be judged by anyone and fears how her parents would react if they were ever to find out.

What was your first thoughts when you were told about this storyline? 
I was so excited and instantly on board! Having the extra element of the cultural aspect of the character, I knew this was something I wanted to explore and support.

What advice would you give Rana if she was your friend?
The best advice I could give to Rana would be ‘to be true to herself- the sooner the better’. There is nothing worse than suppressing feelings, any kind of feelings. Everyone has the right to be who they are- regardless of race, age, gender or sexual orientation.

What's the reaction been like from viewers so far? 
Hugely positive. It’s so humbling to see how supportive the viewers are of Rana’s journey. Also, social media has gone wild for #kana.

How important is this storyline to be shown on Coronation Street and why? What do you hope this storyline will achieve?Coronation Street is a hugely successful show, which reaches a wide audience and  is a great platform to tackle difficult subjects. Being from an Asian background, I feel incredibly passionate about Rana’s storyline as it is still such a taboo subject within the Asian community. The more I researched the struggle the LGBT community are faced with, the more I wanted to support it. Kate Oates was so supportive which gave me the drive to make this storyline work. I really hope Rana’s journey sparks conversation- especially within the Asian community and breaks the silence.

What's the best thing about working with Faye Brookes?Faye is a dream to work with! We have the same work ethic and I love how we feed off each other’s energy. I couldn’t have asked for a better person to share the screen with.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Conversation Street Podcast 281

Gemma and Michael's podcast for the  episodes that aired up to last night's Canadian Corrie can be heard here.

This week's episodes saw some great performances from the leading actors, but when it came to plot developments, we can't say we were 100% satisfied. We've already made our stance on the marriage-wrecking 'Kana' storyline clear, and this week, we were just left feeling even more sorry for the blissfully ignorant Zeedan. Billy, meanwhile, confesses a shocking event from his past to Todd, which, to us, called for a little bit too much suspension of disbelief (and if press spoilers are to be believed, is just the tip of the iceberg). Fortunately, we were just as happy as ever with the Phelan storyline - assuming, of course, Nicola's not actually going to move to Australia for good! After Street Talk, we turn our attentions to a little project that listener Rebecca has been working on for the past few months - cataloguing all the characters of the week we've picked, and we take a look at who's made it into the Top 20 up to now. Next up is The Kabin, where Michael heaps praise on the newly released Christmas On Coronation Street book, then we round things off with some more of your lovely feedback.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Remembering Susan Barlow in Coronation Street

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


There's a tabloid rumour that Billy Mayhew is going to be exposed as the person who killed Susan Barlow. You can read all the details here.

It's such a bizarre set up for a storyline that it may well be true. ITV have neither confirmed nor denied the tabloid rumour from The Sun, so it may come to nothing.

But the mention of an old character from times past prompts us to remember who Susan Barlow was.

And so, with help from Corriepedia, here we go...

Susan was the daughter of Ken and Valerie Barlow, twin sister of Peter, wife of Mike Baldwin and mother of Adam Barlow.

Susan started a relationship with Mike Baldwin much to Ken's disapproval and hatred of Mike.

She married Mike but they separated when Mike pressured Susan into having a baby, even though she wanted to put her career first. She told Mike she'd had an abortion - but she returned to Scotland and gave birth to the baby - Adam Barlow.

When Mike found out about Adam he demanded custody. Susan left Glasgow with the intention of going where Mike couldn't find her, but she was killed in a car crash on the journey. Adam survived.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Sally-Ann Matthews and Brooke Vincent star in new film

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Photography by Matt Bester

Last week we brought you the news that Coronation Street cast members were starring in a new film. You can read more on that here.

And now we can bring you some more news on the project with publicity pictures too.  The short film is called ‘Chapter 1: Liv’and it's an independent production written and directed by Dominic Stephenson. 

The film is a thriller with Brooke Vincent starring as Liv and Sally-Ann Matthews starring as mum.  When Liv wakes up three weeks after an almost fatal car accident, her mum tries to help her remember exactly what happened. What she soon discovers is that some things maybe better left forgotten.

The cast list also includes Simon Naylor (Dane Hibbs from Coronation Street) and Adam Blease (aka Dirk not Kirk) who will be in the film in a supporting artist role. Also in the film are actors Dan Cunningham, Chloe Ephraim, Rachel Wilde and Chloe Bodkin.

Filmed on location in Manchester, the film is due for release in early 2018.

Twitter:- @chapter1livfilm
Facebook:- @chapter1livfilm
Instagram:- Chapter 1: Liv - Film

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Daniel Brocklebank reveals Billy's dark past

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


What are Billy’s first thoughts when he is arrested for robbery?

Billy is horrified, he was in a few weeks before when he handed himself in for the Peter thing but what he doesn't realise is that the fingerprints he gave when he was arrested then have brought up a cold case from 2001. So when he is arrested he has no idea why and he thinks it's a mistake.

What happens at the police station when the police ask Billy questions?

Todd has sent Adam in. Adam takes Billy aside and tells him to say nothing so, although this goes against Billy’s moral stance, he keeps his mouth shut.

What happens after when Billy is alone with Todd?

Billy sits Todd down and speaks about something that he has never spoken about to anyone before.

Is Billy worried that social services will find out about his arrest?

Yes of course, Billy and Todd are trying for adoption and the poor kid has been through enough with the death of Drew so he knows that this potentially could damage their future.

How much involvement have you had with the character of Billy and Billy’s past?

Initially it was conversations with the writers and it came from me saying, “If you ever write a scene for me with my top off, you are going to have to explain why the vicar has tattoos,” which they thought was interesting. So when eventually that happened, which was a couple of years ago, there was a line about a past life. It was clear that there was a life before Billy became a vicar. But it wasn’t really until Kate Oates arrived and she asked me and I said that from my perspective it would be interesting to know why he became a vicar. I’ve known people in my life who have become born-again Christians to remove themselves from unpleasant and dark situations so I thought that it was a very interesting thing to give a vicar a colourful past.

What do think the viewers reactions will be to Billy’s confession?

I am excited but slightly nervous because it does show a completely different side to him. This storyline explains who Billy is now so it is not fundamentally changing who Billy is now, it just means we have more of an idea who Billy was before he became the person he is now. It’s still Billy but just with a hell of a lot more information about him.

Have you enjoyed playing a darker storyline?

From an actor’s perspective it's great because I am learning more and more about who Billy was prior to him joining Coronation Street. It’s been great to make Billy more three dimensional, to flesh him out, to give him a history. It's a weird job in a sense that with a drama or a play or a movie you know the character’s entire arc; you’ve got a beginning, a middle and an end. In something like Corrie, you are constantly playing middle so to suddenly discover his past and work out who Billy is and where he is from has been a joy.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Corrie's Baby George has real-life soap mum

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog October 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)


Did you know that the little boy who plays baby George Appleton in Coronation Street has a famous real-life mum?

Baby George is played by Romeo and his mum is ex-Waterloo Road actress Zeriozha Annika. She is also a lifestyle blogger as well as being mum to two gorgeous little boys. 

Zeriozha has written a blog post about little Romeo securing his place on Coronation Street and you can read it here, it's really nice and there are some behind-the-scenes pictures too. 

Have a read of it here.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter