Alison King, who plays the tremendous force of nature that is Carla Connor, arrived on our screens as Carla on 1st December 2006. At that time she was married to Paul Connor. Since then, she has had various boyfriends/ husbands and different surnames including Connor, Gordon and Barlow. Before marriage, she was Donovan. Officially she is still Barlow but as she has made it clear to her staff and others, woe betide anyone who calls her Barlow.
There was no doubt that
she loved Peter Barlow and she did not have an easy time ensnaring him. For a
while, when Peter’s deserting of Leanne had settled down and Leanne got together with Nick, it looked as if Peter
and Carla would be together for good. Their dark heads of hair and their build
made them seem to fit together very well. (Though I have realized recently that
Carla’s hair is more red than black). In addition, after a very shaky start,
the relationship between Carla and Simon gradually improved and they were able to tolerate each other and were even
beginning to enjoy each other’s company. Sadly for everyone, as we now know, in
retrospect, Peter’s affair with Tina put paid to a blossoming relationship with
Carla’s would-be stepson. Not to mention all the rest, which, of course, will
now be mentioned.
Paul, her first husband
was killed as was her lover Liam, Paul’s brother. Tony Gordon, her second
husband was responsible for Liam’s death and a whole host of other crimes.
What strength Carla has
shown. She is a survivor and mostly, a deserving one. True she’s no angel and
the sisterhood doesn’t seem to mean that much to her as she is happy to purloin
other women’s husbands, namely, Maria’s Liam and Leanne’s Peter. Now she has
had a taste of how it feels to be cheated on, as her full betrayal by Peter
came to light, shortly followed by the miscarriage of the baby, which she was
at first certain she didn’t want. When she miscarried she was heartbroken and
maybe that is her last chance of motherhood, though this is soap life not real
life. (And anyway my sister in law had a baby aged 44 – she’ll be thrilled to
to get a mention on the blog). Tina, she thought, was her friend and Carla was the
embodiment of kindness to her. And, though she doesn’t know it yet, her brother
is a murderer.
Carla is the business –
so it is fitting that she is also a business woman and a hardworking one at that. She has a tough love
approach towards her staff . They are a little afraid of her but clearly respect
her. She pays them for their work, so work they must. That, she makes crystal
clear. She is fair too.
When Maddie asks her for
a job, and messes it up. Carla says, ‘Right little charmer in’t she?’
Maybe, just maybe, she
sees in Maddie what she herself was like
as a teenager, until she found her niche.
When Carla is on screen,
for me, there is never a dull second. Her presence, her wearing of black even
in summer, which I sense she will wear until they discover a darker colour, her
style, her confidence, her business acumen and above all her compassion. What a
friend she was to Hayley – a masterstroke by the writing team to have Carla and
Hayley as such friends. especially since they are so dissimilar.
All praise to Carla and just remember that if you find her too brusque, too outspoken or just too much, she will have Tracy Barlow as a sister in law – and we must feel some humanity towards a woman who has to suffer such a fate.
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