How do you solve a problem like Sophie?

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

I'm just not loving Sophie Webster these days. I can't quite put my finger on it, but she's just not working for me. I don't loathe her as I did her sister, Rosie, who I hope never returns. I hope Sophie can be turned around, but at the moment her storylines aren't doing it for me.

Brooke Vincent has been playing Sophie since 2004. When she first took on the role, her Sophie was a cute, intelligent, cheeky little thing - almost the female equivalent of the young David Platt. She was very much Kevin's daughter, while Rosie was much more like her mother, Sally. I loved the Websters during this period. Snobby Sally's attempts to turn Rosie into a lady, sending her to Oakhill and pushing her as far as she could. The great contrast was with Sophie, who was much more down to earth and grounded. Then it all seemed to change.

First of all, her character found religion. Fair enough, it was an interesting direction to take a young character. I enjoyed her interaction with Emily, it was very touching at times. Having Sophie come out as gay was also fine. Coronation Street had long lacked a lesbian character. It look long enough for the series, created by a gay man, to feature any gay men, so it seemed sensible for a gay woman to follow. I'm just not sure it's right for Sophie. I may be wrong but I would have preferred the introduction of a more mature gay woman, with more life experience. 

I know lots of viewers were fans of the Sophie and Sian pairing but it really did nothing for me. All they did was shriek and shout at each other. I liked that both Sally and Rosie were supportive of them, I just felt they lacked chemistry and their storylines weren't that strong. I also thought their wedding came too soon. Speaking of which, I really dislike the idea of Sophie and Jenna getting together. From what I've seen they have very little onscreen chemistry and I just don't think Jenna would compromise her professional position in this way.

I'm afraid I also didn't much care for Sophie's storyline with Ryan Connor. Their involvement and her subsequent accident was really just to bring Sophie and Jenna together. I felt Sophie's recovery was all too quick and went without much coverage. What has happened to Ryan's serious cocaine addiction by the way? It seems to have vanished as quickly as it arrived. 

I think part of the problem with Sophie is she now lacks any notable friends her own age. What is she doing with her life these days? Would we not see more friends from church? I worry that she is becoming an isolated character. 

So what would you like to see Sophie do next? Do you like her character or would you prefer her to be given the chop?




Follow the Bluenose CorrieBlog on Twitter and Facebook