Interview: Two men and a little lady in Coronation Street

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


There's a good interview with Bruno Langley (Todd Grimshaw) and Daniel Brocklebank (Billy Mayhew) in What's on TV this week.

Bruno and Daniel talk about becoming the first same-sex couple in Coronation Street to raise a child together.

Billy and Todd are the first same sex couple in Corrie to raise a child together. How do you feel about that?
Daniel: “Corrie has always been a forerunner in terms of LGBT rights, and I’m thrilled! And I adore working with Bruno, so for us to have this extra layer brought into Billy and Todd’s relationship is great. I would’ve loved to have been a dad, so if this is the closest I ever get to it, then brilliant.”
Bruno: “It’s another bit of Corrie history. The show has been moving with the times since its creation, and it’s just reflecting what’s happening in real life.”

How do you think the other residents will react to Billy and Todd being parents? Will there be a few ruffled feathers?
Daniel: “Of course there will be – surely the point is to ruffle feathers, and I’m sure there’ll be many a whimsical quip coming out of Norris’s lips!”
Bruno: “Do you know what, I don’t think there are going to be any characters saying anything! I can’t imagine a scene where someone’s disgusted with the fact that they’re raising a kid together.”

Todd has a rather chequered past – Bruno, do you think that now he is a father, his dark days are behind him?
“The conundrum is that in order to adopt Summer, Todd has rented a flat with Billy. But if he doesn’t have a good job, he can’t pay for it, and so he’s gone into business with Adam Barlow. I’m not a scriptwriter, but I know there are going to be points where Todd’s morals will be put into question again.”

Now that Billy and Todd are parents, would you like them to seal the deal and get married?
Daniel: “I’d love them to get married, because I’m a hopeless romantic! I also think it would be an interesting thing to highlight with the Church of England, because at the moment, if a gay vicar got married, they’d get fired.”
Bruno: “That would be another bit of history for the show, so I assume that’s probably on the cards at some point. Getting married abroad would be a good idea. How about the south of France?”

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

The Saints and Sinners of Summer's Corrie

(This post was originally posted by Stevie Dawson on the Coronation Street Blog in August 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Bless me father for I have sinned. It has been several weeks since my last blog. 

I’ve been enjoying reading rather than contributing to ‘The Blog’ these past few weeks. Through a combination of hectic work schedule and lack of inspiration I’ve not felt compelled to share my own thoughts on Corrie, but the musings of bloggers old and new have kept me fully in the loop on all things cobbled. I last blogged back in May about the lovely vigil for friend of the blog Martyn Hett, who died in the Manchester arena bomb. Not sure if these events triggered my blogger’s block, but as storylines build up to their autumn/winter crescendo, I thought I’d dip my toe in the water again and share some of my thoughts on Corrie’s current storylines.

Love thy neighbor

I’m not convinced by Kev and Erica’s little affair, they don’t seem well suited to me, sexually or emotionally. Their affair however has led to some more awesome performances from the brilliant Debbie Rush, who plays down in the dumps Anna Windass. Debbie plays anguish and torment so well, and Anna’s recent heart-to-heart with Kevin tugged at the heart strings. Her confrontation at the Bistro with Erica, where she laid down the law was also great – is Anna finally taking back control of her life?

The surreal but hilarious shenanigans from Norris and Mary have had me in stiches over recent weeks. Sometimes blurring the lines between soap and comedy, they end up in situations some might say are well beyond realistic, but I think Corrie can get away with this and it provides us with some much needed giggles. Last week Norris grudgingly agreed to marry his scatterbrained friend so that she could win a couple’s competition and visit her son in South Africa. If the wedding does happen, I’m sure it will provide more comedy gold, and I really hope Mary gets to see Jude.

Honour thy mother and father

Billy and Todd have started on a new adventure in life, with the arrival of Billy’s goddaughter Summer. I like nice Todd, even if there’s still the odd glimmer of evil and mischief in there every now and then. He and Billy actually make a good couple, and it will be good to see them tested as Summer settles into Weatherfield life. From Todd’s initial apprehension at taking on Summer full-time, to his now instinctive protectiveness over her, it’s been a heart-rending storyline that has moved at just the right pace. I also like the fact that religion has come into a lot of conversations recently, especially when it comes to Summer’s rather stern and deeply unpleasant grandmother. As an atheist it’s always interesting to see how religion and religious thought is interpreted in today’s television.

Beverley Callard is blowing me away recently. As the Rovers enters a new era with Peter Barlow at the helm, Liz McDonald has moved on to a job at the Medical Centre, where boss-from-hell Moria is doing everything she can to make Liz’s life a misery. From criticizing her interaction with patients, to mocking her fashion sense, Moira has certainly taken a disliking to Liz, even if she tries to hide her digs as constructive criticism. Trying her best to make positive steps in her new life, Liz struggles to keep up with some of the demands of her new job, and her family life, as ever, makes things even more difficult, but this has given us the viewers some brilliantly funny scenes to enjoy. Friday’s episode saw Liz whack Steve across the head for interfering in her life, after he asked Peter to give her a few shifts behind the bar. Liz’s sharp wit, impatient grimace and at times short temper highlight Bev’s brilliant acting skills, whether she’s playing comedy or drama. I’m really enjoying seeing her in a new environment, even if it still doesn’t seem quite right that she’s no longer amongst the glistening optics of the Rovers Return bar.

Thou shalt not commit adultery

I’m a little bored with the Maria, Aidan, Eva storyline – as with most soap affairs it’s dragging on a bit. The elements I’ve enjoyed have been Eva’s game play, spending all of Aidan’s money and putting him and Maria in some pretty awkward situations. And whilst Adam Barlow’s involvement now means the stakes are much higher, I’m wondering when the cat will be out of the bag and will it be a bit of an anti-climax?

Thou shalt not bear false witness

It has been great seeing Craig given some proper storylines that don’t revolve around his rat. He’s really matured since Bethany’s grooming story was revealed and it has given Colson Smith, who plays Craig, the opportunity to show us that he’s worthy of his place on the Street. Bethany’s closeness to Craig has been really sweet, with some lovely scenes, as has her ever-growing friendship with Mary, who helped Bethany through some of her darkest times. They have both given Bethany the strength to tell the whole truth about Nathan and his pervy mates. Unexpected and surprising friendships often work really well on Corrie - look at Roy and Becky for example, or Tracy and Mary. Speaking of which, I’d love to see more of Dr Gaddas and Liz together. They are complete opposites as people but it would be nice to see them both get into trouble again with Moira and strike up a bit of a friendship.

Forget me not

It has been really nice in the past few weeks to hear references to some old characters, including Bet Lynch and Fred Elliott. It’s nice to know they haven’t been forgotten by characters or producers. The past is very important in Coronation Street, most characters in some way are linked to residents of years gone by. I’m quite excited at the prospect of some old characters coming back to the cobbles too – I can think of a few I’d love to see return, who would you like to see come back?

So that’s me caught up. Welcome to all new Corrie bloggers, I love your work!

Stevie

@StevieDawson

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Drew's Choice

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


Guest Blog Post from Lesley Katz
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When we, as viewers, first met Drew and Summer, I agreed with many here who commented that it wasn't realistic for Drew to ask Billy - an ex he hadn't seen in years - to become guardian to a kid he'd only met once. Even Drew seemed to wobble slightly on meeting Todd, who, as Billy's new partner, came across as less than solid. For the most part, Drew stuck to his guns, never apparently questioning whether Summer would get along with Billy, or whether, after meeting Summer – in her 12-year old incarnation – Billy would have qualms about taking her in.

As for Summer, she too seemed to act under Drew's spell, never questioning his choice, only affirming that if her father had selected Billy, it must be for a good reason. Admittedly, the storyline had an off-kilter quality, skating on a thin premise. Who were these people anyway? Surely, Drew had other closer friends, friends better known to Summer.

With Drew's death, the story has taken on new life, allowing us to understand some of Drew's and Billy's backstory, or at least to fill it in. With the introduction of Drew's mother, Geraldine, we get a good sense of the homophobic home Drew grew up in, the challenges this posed to his coming out, and why he would not have wanted to place his daughter in the grandparents' care. More, however, emerged in last week's showdown between Billy and Geraldine,

Apparently, three days before he died, Drew reached the decision to change his will and make Billy Summer's legal guardian. Maybe he thought there would be time for the idea to grow on Billy, or, conversely, maybe he thought time was running short and he'd make the decision easier for Billy by simply ringing up his solicitor and changing the will. Throughout this storyline runs the idea that Drew knew things about Billy beyond what we - or even Billy - knows about himself. “Drew wanted me to be part of Summer's life for a reason.”

At some point in the past, we learn that Billy served as Drew's sounding board. “Oh, years ago, Drew told me about some of the things that you said and did to him.” Daniel Brocklebank puts a chilling pause between “said” and “did,” suggesting that Geraldine's sadism extended beyond emotional cruelty to physical acts. Even Geraldine looks momentarily caught off guard, before pulling herself back into steely, self-righteous mode. What did Geraldine do to Drew as a kid coming into his own sexuality? Was Drew approximately Summer's age at the time? The hints of abuse that run through Billy's first hand testimony - “Oh... Drew told me,” shift the balance of authority, both moral and legal, in the conversation. I love how the camera keeps returning to granddad Angus's expression as he witnesses the showdown. Did he not know about Geraldine's abuse of Drew? Did he know but let it pass? Is either worse than the other?

In this brief but brilliant scene, Billy and Todd's once reluctant adoption of Summer turns into a rescue op. Billy: “Summer deserves the life [Drew] wanted for her and I won't rest until she gets it.” He and Todd go from lower-case guardians to full-on Guardians of a glorious Corrie tradition of exposing bigotry as a fatal flaw. Billy: “Now that we've spent some time together – and this has nothing to do with the collar I wear – I don't hate you Geraldine, I pity you.” That “I pity you” is an effective put-down for Geraldine, whose naked twistedness stands exposed. While her husband silently watches it all go down, Geraldine's world view is doubly KO'd by Todd's no-nonsense “You need help,” and Summer's mic drop: “Gran, I know you care about me, but the way you talk, the way you think, it's not normal.”

Angus, of course, has the final reveal, pulling a copy of Drew's revised will from a convenient drawer and telling Summer that the final decision lies with her. I fully agree with a comment Tvor made about this storyline, noting that Drew's solicitor would have contacted Billy directly to inform him about the change, but – let's admit – neither was Shakespeare known for overly realistic storyline wrap-ups.

“Drew wanted me to be part of Summer's life for a reason.” We can assign all sorts of posthumous wisdom to Drew's choice, but in the end, it's down to the writers.  It was all “for a reason,” but one which I, for one, did not see coming: to make these three over – Billy, Todd, and Summer - not as a randomly cobbled-together family unit, but as a threesome fused around a strong core of progressive like-mindedness. They may very well be the second coming of Roy and Hayley Cropper, just not in the shape we anticipated.

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Summer's grandmother - the biggest bigot to walk the cobbles?

(This post was originally posted by Ruth Owen on the Coronation Street Blog in August 2017, reposted to this blog with permission.)

Geraldine is the embodiment of all the bigotry that should have been consigned to the 1950s. She espouses the senseless, ignorant attitudes which were, I thought, already left behind in the 1950s.

But no, here is Geraldine Moffat – a mother and a grandmother, who holds onto those heinous, cruel, abhorrent attitudes, even though her own son, her own flesh and blood was a gay man.

It almost feels as if she is pleased, or at least relieved, that Drew, her son, is now dead, as the embarrassment that he has caused his mother is no more. Her son’s heartfelt, final wishes she chose to ignore.  Drew is an ex of Billy, and a man who clearly has sound judgement when it comes to selecting an adoptive father for his daughter, Summer. His choice is Billy - Billy is the man Drew wants his 13-year-old daughter brought up by, along with Todd. And I can see exactly why he would want that. Billy is the absolute opposite of Geraldine – he is the embodiment of goodness.

Before Drew died, it was a joy to see how well Billy, Todd and Summer got along together. Despite Todd’s initial doubts, it was undeniable that the 3 of them had a connection and a certain alchemy was taking place. But, Geraldine refused to allow Summer to be brought up by Billy and Todd, clearly believing that, as gay men they would be a detrimental influence on Summer. Geraldine’s vehemence in this matter was profoundly troubling.

She banned Todd and Billy from the funeral, but Todd persuaded Billy that they most definitely should and would attend. And to Geraldine’s utmost outrage, they did. Even the vicar had been put on alert to prevent them coming in.

In conversation with Todd and Billy, concerning Summer, Geraldine said, ‘This is becoming tiresome. For the final time, Summer is none of your concern.’

In response, Billy says, ‘We want what’s best for her.’

‘For a so-called man of the cloth, your arrogance is mind-boggling. How dare you claim you want what’s best for my granddaughter. You have spent a handful of hours with her and you presume to know what’s best for her,’ replies Geraldine.

Billy continues, ‘Drew wanted me to be part of Summer’s life for a reason. Can’t you respect that?’

Geraldine fires back, ‘You speak of respect, yet you have no respect for God or your own soul! Whatever my son said, there will be no access, no visitation. I will not let you drag this innocent girl into the filthy cesspit you inhabit.’

Billy tells her he pities her for all that she has missed, which is the saddest part of it all. And Billy is absolutely right.

Silent throughout this exchange, Hero Angus, Drew’s dad, says, ‘I denied my son in life, I will not deny him in death.’ He fetches the will.

I cannot imagine for one second that Geraldine will not appear again, and try to reclaim her granddaughter. I just hope, principally for Summer’s sake, that Geraldine does not succeed.

By @Ruth1722

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter

Could Summer be the making of Todd Grimshaw?

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


It's always a good sign when a new Coronation Street character is given a surname on arrival in the street. It suggests a bit of permanence and so I'm pleased to see that newcomer Summer Spellman appears to be sticking around for a while.

I think she might be the making of Todd Grimshaw. We've seen his character change subtly since her arrival as he comes out fighting for what he knows is right - against Drew's nasty, homophobic mum.

Bruno Langley, who plays Todd in Corrie, is interviewed in Soaplife this week about Todd and Summer.

He says that Todd "...knows Summer's a very special kid and he genuinely feels that he and Billy are the right people to care for her, as her father wanted, although her homophobic gran, Geraldine, is dead against it.”

How come Todd and Billy go to Drew’s funeral after Geraldine banned them?
“Todd manages to convince Billy by saying he should stand up for what he believes in. Summer’s dad Drew made it very clear that after his death he wanted Todd but especially Billy to have a relationship with Summer. Todd makes Billy see the light.”

How does he feel when Summer delivers the eulogy?
“Proud. Anyone who hears a little girl stand up and deliver a eulogy about her father is bound to be heartbroken. But he is also so proud of her.”

How do Todd and Billy feel when Summer is so dismissive of them?
“Things get misconstrued. When Summer says she doesn’t want to live with them, it’s very disheartening because they had made up their minds to raise her together.”

Meanwhile, Todd’s now working with Adam Barlow in his lawyer’s practice…
“Yes. He was a lawyer’s clerk in London so he knows about all this kind of stuff. Why not use what he knows to make a bit more money? Adam [Sam Robertson] is a dubious character, but Todd knows that in order to raise this child and get his own place with Billy he needs money.”

Does Todd trust Adam?
“He doesn’t even trust himself most of the time, so why would he trust anyone else, especially Adam? Billy’s also wary of him working with Adam and makes Todd promise he’ll only do ‘above board’ stuff.”

How does Summer become Todd’s first client?
“It’s something to do with how her dad died. Todd sees he can use this opportunity to make her realise that he and Billy are the best people to have her – like her dad wanted. He listens to her and makes some headway as she starts telling him how she really feels.”

Would Todd be a good parent?
“He’d make a good father to Summer and he wouldn’t let anything bad happen to her. It won’t be plain sailing, though.”

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Tvor @tvordlj on Twitter