5 Corrie characters we often take for granted

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


Last week Andy Whyment celebrated 17 years as Kirk Sutherland on Coronation Street. We wrote a celebratory blog post about the milestone and you can read it here.

And the milestone started me off thinking about Kirk, as you do, and how we often forget he's there, despite him actually being an integral part of the show.  It's because Kirk plays a low-key part. He doesn't get blown up or involved in a drugs storyline that makes headline news. He isn't nasty to anyone, he's not a villain or a thief. He's not feckless either, he's just a bit, well, Kirk.  And we often take him for granted. He's a few more of those Corrie characters just like Kirk, who blend into the background too often.

I'm a huge fan of Izzy Armstrong and would love nothing more than for her and Gary to get back together but with the baby bombshell set to explode, there seems little hope of that.  Izzy is too often overlooked, in my opinion.  Like Kirk, she's not nasty or a villain, she's got a heart of gold. But she does need a storyline before we forget that she's there.

FAY(e) Armstrong joined Coronation Street as a troubled girl and she's turning into a troubled young woman. Well, wouldn't you if you had to live with Anna?  And while Faye has had her share of storylines and drama, it's the fact that as we've watched Ellie Leach, grow up on screen, we forget sometimes just what a cracking young actress she is. Corrie have a great actress on their hands with Ellie Leach in my opinion and just because she plays wayward Faye with a nasty streak, let that never overshadow the fact of how good she can be on screen. And let's never take her for granted.

Ken Barlow. He's been at Corrie since the show started in 1960 but doesn't have a great deal to do at the moment. However, Ken was at the centre of one of Corrie's biggest storylines this year in the case of Who Pushed Ken? It's easy to think of Ken, at times, as not relevant any more to the show. After all, the rest of the Barlow clan have enough going on with their fights and double dealings. But let's remember that Ken is the only Corrie original still in the show and that's worth never forgetting about.

And finally, Roy Cropper, who has become as bland as a decaff teabag left behind the counter at Roy's Rolls. Come on, Corrie, let's NEVER take Roy (and David Neilson's great acting skills) for granted. It's easy to forget Roy's a part of the show at the moment, because, quite frankly, he isn't there very often on screen. And when he is, it's a fleeting moment, handing over a barm cake or a coffee in the cafe. Roy is Corrie gold and as such, should sparkle bright.

So, there you have it, my personal five characters I often take for granted but would really like to see more made of in the show. If you had to pick your own five, who would they be?

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Cherylee Houston: My Perception Of Disability

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


Cherylee Houston, who plays Izzy Armstrong in Coronation Street, has written a blog post for the Huffington Post called My Perception Of Disability.

Cherylee supports the disability charity Scope.

She writes a powerful piece and she says: "I am not a disabled person, I am Cherylee, actress, writer, vegetarian, gardener, lover of adventures, likes to make things, glue things, have daft impulses, learn lessons too late - that’s who I am. I am not ‘disabled’ in the perception of the term. And yet disability has soaked itself into so many areas of my life and by proxy those around me.

"Disability is never seen as a positive. But it can be. I feel it myself and see it in others - the wisdom, the knowledge, the processing, the understanding it brings. It teaches you to face difficult choices alongside depth of patience, to cherish the moments. The acceptance you have to learn or perpetually rally against.

You can read the full interview here.
 

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Current frustrations about Coronation Street

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog August 2016, reposted to this blog with permission.)

There's a lot I'm loving about Coronation Street at the moment.

But there are a few loose ends that need tying up...

Last night on Coronation Street in the Rovers Return, Maria and Kate talked about Manchester Pride. Maria reminded everyone that she had a gay ex-boyfriend in Marcus Dent.  She seems to have forgotten that she's still married to a gay man called Pablo.

Since Izzy returned from jail she's not mentioned her chronic pain once, not once. This is the chronic pain that got her into jail in the first place when she chose the medicinal cannabis route to ease her pain.

Since Carla left, Nick's rages and brain injury symptoms have disappeared completely.

And as for Emily... is she ever coming back?  The official line is, we've been told here at the Coronation Street Blog by ITV, that the actress is on "extended leave for family reasons".  As fans, we've invested decades worth of believe-ability into Emily Nugent/Bishop. Will we not get closure, a chance to say a proper goodbye?

But it's not all doom and gloom - have a look at what I'm loving about Corrie right now.



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The return of Linda Armstrong, for better or worse

I was looking forward to Owen's ex-wife's return. I thought it would be a good storyline. I looked forward to Owen getting a comeuppance by having his charade blown out of the water. And don't get me wrong, I'm enjoying that aspect very much.

Owen has never been a sympathetic character. He's a bully and has a temper and he's not usually very nice. He was brought in to be the "next" Len Fairclough, or that sort of character, and I think they did do that well. I never found Len all that likeable or sympathetic, either! Owen was a good father, though, even if a bit strict. We now find out that his ex-wife left the family for very different reasons than they believed and that Owen refused to let Linda see her children.

I've had a couple of points in this that have fallen flat for me. One was Linda not taking legal action and the other is the actor herself. I have no prior experience seeing her in anything so I don't know if her acting style is typical of her or not. I don't like it. Linda should be a bit more fiery, I think, pushing back and getting angry at Owen with a bit more spirit that she seems to be so far.  I had a few thoughts about it all over here.




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Why Gary and Izzy have got to get back together

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2014, reposted to this blog with permission.)


Mikey North as Gary Windass and Cherylee Houston as Izzy Armstrong are two fantastic actors playing two wonderful characters. 

In short, Gary and Izzy are one of my favourite Coronation Street couples, ever.

Please, Coronation Street, put them back together and make them whole and happy again. 



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Corrie characters: thick as two short planks

(This post was originally posted by me on the Coronation Street Blog in August 2013.)

So there's Eva, wanting to help out in the Bistro. She pretends she has a dentist appointment and takes the afternoon off. What are the odds that she'll get caught out? Pretty flaming high, I'd say. She's skiving work to put in a few hours 40 feet away from her workplace. Naturally, Michelle went into the newly opened Bistro and Eva was busted.

Izzy is feeling a bit guilty for rubbing Tina's nose in it, having the welcome home party for the baby right under her nose. Then she and Gary decide they'll just think of themselves from now on. Um. Isn't that exactly what they were doing when they insensitively agreed to have the party in the Rovers when Gloria offered?

But the worst of all was Karl. It looked like he was going to lose his lunch when Craig "confessed". He tried his hardest to convince Craig he didn't burn the pub down. Craig wasn't convinced no matter what Karl said so he agreed. Craig's a murderer and painted the worst case scenario to terrify him into keeping quiet. Telling a kid that is going to make Craig's guilt bubble over sooner or later. What I don't get is how long were they driving before they found a quiet place to stop? It seemed like at least an hour going by how long Stella and Beth were trying to get hold of them.

Karl missed the appointment with the Registrar and Stella is worried he'll have been gambling and admits she'll swallow any excuse as long as he doesn't get cold feet. And both of those stories he spun were complete and utter bollocks but she must have been right, she *is* willing to swallow any old codswallop. She's going to deserve everything she gets, insisting on marrying him.

On the smart side, I think it's a good idea for Tina to spend a little bit of time with the baby. If she's got to live in the same neighbourhood, why not? It just might make it a bit easier and why not have the birth mother be in Jake's life as his "Auntie Tina"?



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Is baby Jake really Tina and Tommy's child?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog June 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

As one of our readers pointed out by leaving a comment on this blog post here, the baby that Tina has handed over to Izzy and Gary, might not be Izzy and Gary's after all.

Hang on, bear with me, this isn't another discussion about surrogacy. It's about the fact that, as our commenter says: "Doesn't anyone remember that Tina and Tommy slept together the night before the surrogacy procedure was performed? Hmmmm"

Well, I had forgotten it, that's for sure.  So there's every chance that the baby could be Tina and Tommy's and if it is, and Gary's gone and got his name on the birth certificate, it could lead to all manner of carry on for the future.

Cue that famous scene from EastEnders:
"You ain't mah muvver!"
"Yes Iyam!"



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Yay or Nay - should Izzy forgive Gary?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog May 2013, reposted to this blog with permission.)

I was heartily moved by Owen's performance last night on Coronation Street.

The new grandad was having to contend with the fact that baby Jake might not pull through, and even if he does, his daughter Izzy might not have the strength to look after him as her own. 

And on top of all of that, Owen's trying to maintain his relationship with Anna, the mother of the fella who's done the dirty on his daughter.  Well, I was moved, I tell you.

But what about Gary and Izzy? Do you think Izzy should forgive him for trying to kiss Tina - Yay or Nay?  I say Yay.



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Corrie's surrogacy storyline - splendid or stupid?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog September 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)
I'm hating every minute of the surrogacy storyline in Coronation Street. It's a complete farce and I can already tell it's one of those storylines I'm going to have to endure for the next few months instead of enjoy. 

First off - how on earth Gary and Izzy were ever going to raise the thousands of pounds needed for the IVF treatment in the first place were never explained. Then Owen pops up saying he'll pay, so that's all sorted. Now we've got Tina who offers to pop out a baby to pay off Tommy's debts and then Tommy tries to leaves her. 

Why on earth didn't Tina take Rita's offer of the money? She could have given the money to Tommy to pay off Tyrone and get that nasty Kirsty one off their backs once and for all while paying Rita back at leisure. She's in no rush for the money, is Rita. She's loaded.

Anyway, this fan's opinion is - despite fab acting from my two favourite Corrie actors Mikey North and Cherylee Houston as Gary and Izzy - this surrogacy storyline is the daftest, dullest thing Corrie's done in a while.

What do you reckon?


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Further Predictions about the Corrie surrogacy storyline

There have been a lot of negative comments about the surrogacy storyline. People already think it's gone on too long and are getting frustrated with it. Not me.

I am enjoying it and enjoying thinking about what's going to happen. I didn't think Katy would be the surrogate because of the finances. But then Owen got involved and Katy got uninvolved and now Tina has decided to do it for the money to bail out Tommy's debts.

On the surface, it seems like the perfect fit, even if it's not strictly legal to be paying money for it but that never stopped Owen before.  It seems to be the kiss of death for Tina and Tommy's relationship and Gary has latched on to the new plan with his usual single-mindedness. He's determined to persuade anyone and everyone that needs it in order to become a dad.

But I don't think it's going to succeed. And this time maybe it will definitely come down to the cash. Rita has offered her Favourite money in the past and it may be Tina's turn this time. It would get Tyrone and Kirsty off their backs and it would pay off Tommy's debts. They'd still owe money but at least Rita wouldn't be rubbing their noses in it at every turn. Owen's not made of money and I don't think he'd end up being able to afford the 15K plus 7K every time they have to do the treatment because it doesn't work first time out.

In the end, debts will be paid and there will be no baby. Gary gets to love Izzy and they'll probably get a puppy that will be forgotten and will disappear in about 8 months. 

Like it or not, where do you think this is going? Will there be a baby at the end of it?


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Surrogacy Storyline on Corrie - Will Katy Do It?

I felt bad for Izzy who got pregnant by accident. She never thought she'd be able to get pregnant let alone carry a baby, not with her medical condition and had resolved herself to the fact. Then it happend. She was scared and excited and when Gary was excited, too, she was over the moon. Then tragedy.

Gary is now hell-bent on having a child. Once the idea got in his head there was no shifting it and Gary can be very single-minded. Enter Katy, Izzy's 17 year old sister who's already had one baby and come through with flying colours. She's offered to be a surrogate and carry a baby for Izzy. Gary is thrilled, Izzy was a bit less so. Hopeful but nervous but has come around to the idea. Katy is excited and wants to do this for her sister but Chesney isn't so sure he's keen.

And Daddy Owen is losing his mind. He forbids it, he thinks they're in "cloud cuckoo land", he's stomping and yelling and threatening and nothing he does or says is changing anyone's mind though he did get Chesney on board and slyly had him won over for awhile. Chesney is now supporting Katy but down deep, I'm sure he's still against the whole thing.

Owen, of course, can't really do anything about it because Katy, once she turns 18, is a legal adult and it's out of his hands. He has had a hard time accepting that his daughters are grown and independent. He tends to be a bully. He's manipulative. He is used to having things his way and he can't anymore.

But on this one? I can see where he's coming from.

He's raised one daughter with a disability. He worries about her, naturally. Motherhood is not easy, whether you carry the baby or not but loads of disabled people are very good parents. His other daughter is barely out of childhood and even if she's got a baby of her own, she's still immature, if kind and generous. As a middle aged grownup, you can see this. To Owen, it's a hair brained scheme and Owen, with his impatience, control issues and bullying tactics, is going to be wading into this like an elephant in a china shop.

He's entitled to his opinion and he's entitled to air it. But he's going about it all the wrong way but for the right reasons. He worries. Have I said this before? He loves his girls even if it doesn't really show it in a way they can understand all the time.

I already know where this is heading but I can't spoil it for you. There are more twists to be had. I don't know the ultimate outcome. I don't know if Izzy and Gary will have a baby of their own to raise, by whatever means they can. I do know that there are too many babies on the Street already so I *suspect* it might not come to pass in the long run but time will tell.

What do you think? Do you understand Owen's point of view? Do you think surrogacy is the answer? Will it be successful?

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Corrie's Cherylee Houston writes play for Radio 4

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

News from this week's fab Inside Soap magazine is that it includes an interview with Cherylee Houston, who plays Izzy Armstrong in Coronation Street.

Cherylee says the most expensive thing she's bought since she started on Corrie has been a special magnetic bed to help relieve the pain she suffers from the rare connective tissue disorder, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome.  She says in her spare time she enjoys gardening and writing and she's written a play!  What a woman!

She says: "I've been doing some writing. I wrote a book which hasn't been published yet, but it's just been commissioned to be a Radio 4 play, and should hopefully be on next year. You'll have to wait to find out what it's about!". 


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Mikey North interview on Izzy and Gary losing the baby

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Mikey North and Cherylee Houston, who play Coronation Street's Gary and Izzy, are two of my absolute favourites on Corrie.   And there's an excellent interview today over at Digital Spy with Mikey North who talks about the baby storyline and how Gary and Izzy deal with losing the baby.

There's a great quote which I think speaks volumes about why this Corrie couple have such great chemistry on screen, it's clearly because they're such great friends in real life.

Mikey says this: "I love working with Cherylee as she's brilliant. She's an inspiration as she goes through so much every day just to get into work and to give the level of performance that she does. I love her to bits and can't speak highly enough of her."

Read the full interview here.

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Gary and Izzy - the happiest couple on Coronation Street?

(This post was originally posted by Flaming Nora on the Coronation Street Blog July 2012, reposted to this blog with permission.)

This has got to be one of my favourite storylines and favourite scenes on Coronation Street I've seen in a very, very long time.  Last night's episode was made all the more better by another absence of St Ella, of course, which is one reason I've ben enjoying Corrie more than usual this week.

But Izzy breaking the baby news to Gary was just wonderful and I was almost in tears. Mikey North as Gary Windass and Cherylee Houston as Izzy Armstrong are two fantastic actors playing two wonderful characters.

It's going to be interesting to see how this story plays out and we know that when Owen finds out the news that Izzy's pregnant, his reaction will be primarily fear of how Izzy's condition will affect her ability to carry a baby.

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Izzy's Disability

(This post was originally posted by Rebecca on the Coronation Street Blog in May, 2010, reposted to this blog with permission.)

I meant to write this post last week, but forgot, and have just been reminded now, after Izzy told Kirk about her disability (after inadvertently putting her foot in it by saying she was disabled in a hit and run, just like Lee-um). The lovely Bendy Girl, who writes a blog about having Hypermobility type Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, wrote last week about how Izzy's character is supposed to reflect what the actress - Cherylee Houston - has, and that is Hypermobility syndrome too! She's just told Kirk that she has a 'degenerative disease' so I don't know if they'll go into it further, but I for one am so pleased that she's on the Street!

You can read Bendy Girl's excellent post here.