Time for Sophie Webster to grow up?

(This post was originally posted by Graeme N on the Coronation Street Blog in April 2014.)

Ah Sophie Webster, what has become of you? Unfortunately young Sophie is now neck and neck with Michelle for the award of character most likely to get on my nerves.

It wasn't always this way. Once upon a time Sophie was bright and cheeky and a great foil for her sister Rosie. We felt sorry for her as Sally lavished all her attentions on Rosie and her ambitions at Oakhill. However since Rosie departed for the bright lights of wherever it was she went, Sophie has taken centre stage chez Webster and sadly not in a good way.

I think it was a great decision to have a regular lesbian character in Coronation Street, I just wish it had been someone likeable. Instead we have pouty, shouty, narky Sophie being disrespectful to her mother and boringly self-righteous whenever the mood takes her. Her religious leanings are only mentioned these days when the writers remember.I applauded her Christmas time charity work but unfortunately that has been dropped, only being a segue for yet another tortuous romance.

I didn't particularly enjoy the Sophie/Sian pairing as they were a tad on the screechy side for me. Sophie and Jenna was just wrong from the start. Ms Webster ruined Jenna's career and most probably the characters future storyline potential.

Now we come to Maddie. I am trying to like her but it's all just causing me too much effort. The pair of them sleeping rough should have been thought provoking, instead I found it tedious and I struggled not to fast forward. I just hate the way the pair sneer at Sally and anyone else who disagrees with them. It feels like both characters would be better suited to EastEnders or Hollyoaks.

Sophie, like several other characters, has lost her way. We've had her current incarnation for ten years now and while it is great that young actors stay in Corrie that length of time, I just wish they could focus efforts on taking them in interesting directions. Why can't Sophie better herself, get back to college and move on? She seems stuck in a neverending loop of working in Dev's, chasing Maddie around the place and being nasty to her mother. Enough already!

So do you agree, is it time Sophie Webster grew up?


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