I am a huge Coronation Street fan but the ITV soap is abysmal viewing (2024)

THROUGHOUT the years, Coronation Street has been a real stalwart of British pop culture and led the way for agenda-setting storylines.

Who could forget the huge tram crash that was part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, the incident that killed off the beloved Ashley Peaco*ck? (Steven Arnold).

We have seen gripping love triangles that viewers couldn’t miss like Deirdre Barlow’s (Anne Kirkbride) trysts with Mike Baldwin (Johnny Briggs) behind the back of Ken (William Roache).

Meanwhile, the monochrome images of the street rows between Violet Carson’s Ena Sharples and Patricia Phoenix’s Elsie Tanner are forever embedded into our minds. This is on top of the multiple fires at the Rovers Return.

The soap has also shown ground-breaking storylines on-screen while tackling difficult topics.

Sarah-Louise (Tina O’Brien) having a baby at the tender age of 13 comes to mind, only for her daughter Bethany to face her own grooming storyline seventeen years later.

In 2018 former X Factor star Shayne Ward opened up about the many people that got in contact with him after his character Aidan Connor committed suicide, which led to important discussions around mental health issues.

ITV has aired incredible moments over the years, that is undeniable. But another fact that is undeniable is that the storylines being played out on the cobbles at the moment are absolutely abysmal and cannot compare to the incredible legacy of Britain's longest-running soap.

Let's have a look at some of the most recent stories, such as the one involving Roy Cropper (David Neilson), also known as the most unassuming and harmless character on the street.

It’s almost inconceivable a man like that with such good standing in the community and friends around to back him up would even dare to commit a murder, and yet was put on remand for the alleged killing of Lauren Bolton (Cait Fitton).

The evidence the police had was entirely circ*mstantial and a body was not even found. The story goes beyond far-fetched so it’s no surprise that it received widespread backlash.

But the furore wasn’t about the severe injustice, it was about the ineffectiveness of the storytelling as viewers just weren’t buying it.

Back in the 90s Deirdre Barlow was put in prison after she was wrongly found guilty in a credit card fraud trial, scammed by Jon Lindsay (Owen Aaronovitch) whom she had an affair with.

She was eventually freed after Tony Blair - the Prime Minister at the time - promised to intervene in Parliament and the Home Secretary Jack Straw was put under order to look into the case after a nationwide campaign.

Roy Cropper’s storyline went out with a whimper. Free The Weatherfield One it was not.

Speaking of which, who was the person put in prison in his place? Nathan Curtis (Christopher Harper). The man who was convicted of rape and conspiracy to commit rape after grooming Bethany Platt (Lucy Fallon).

If one is convicted of rape, they receive a life sentence. The sentence for conspiracy to commit rape stands at two to 25 years. With no mitigating factors and serious convictions on both counts, it is therefore probable he received a sentence of 25 years.

Are you seriously telling me that a criminal like this would be released on licence less than seven years later and his main victim Bethany was barely contacted by authorities?

The writing is sloppy at best and utterly implausible at worst.

Joel Deering (Calum Lill) was revealed to be behind Lauren’s apparent murder and he carries on his daily life as the nice guy next door with his fiancée Dee-Dee Bailey (Channique Sterling-Brown).

Yet, there is no proper cover up that has been explained. We do not see Joel panicking. We do not see him getting rid of his blood stained clothing.

Nope, just a close up shot of the man with a deranged expression as he rubs his leather gloves through his sweaty hair.

It doesn’t take a criminal to notice that he would easily be found out. But as soap criminals go, there is also no convincing motive and everything is so open ended.

What made Richard Hillman (Brian Capron) so brilliant in the noughties is that he was misguided in his actions. Everything he did was for his uncompromising devotion to Gail Platt (Helen Worth).

Over 15 million people watched the murder of Maxine Peaco*ck (Tracy Shaw) in two instalments and it caused a power surge on the National Grid.

Seventeen million were watching when he confessed all of his actions to Gail. Nearly 20 million saw him drive the Platt family into the canal and it was the most watched UK television programme in 2003.

Today, we just see a seemingly dodgy lawyer going after vulnerable girls for no other reason other than it is some sort of demented hobby. A series that caused a power surge is now totally running out of steam.

And what do we have to look forward to? More desperate storylines of course, such as the Leanne Battersby cult storyline – which in itself has been branded awful by fans.

AI technology has allowed the grieving mother (Jane Danson) to have conversations with a virtual avatar of her dead son as she gets more manipulated by The Institute.

Later, we have watched on as her sister Toyah (Georgia Taylor) got it on with her fiancé Nick Tilsley (Ben Price) behind her back. But again it was done in a completely stupid and disturbing way.

The pair first kissed on the sofa of the flat they all share, but later Nick and Toyah were spotted and photographed by one of the cult members in a passionate embrace, right next to an open window. It was so visible, it was almost like they were asking to be seen by the street.

We have seen all the hallmarks of what Coronation Street used to be, a wrongful imprisonment, a serial killer and a shocking affair in recent weeks. But yet, none of these are making any sort of real impact like how the soap used to do.

They are either completely slammed by fans who are already switching off in their droves, or they seem to get axed with just a whimper.

Corrie is known for its more comedic element but some of the storylines are so bad they are laughable.

We have seen glimpses of gritty stories such as Gemma and Chesney dealing with the Cost Of Living crisis with their five kids or Ken’s health woes.

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The soap could take a back to basics approach by tackling proper issues in a coherent and sensitive way with collaborations with charities. The writers could think more about proper characterisation and logistics.

Otherwise, with the way things are going, it’s no wonder legends like Helen Worth - who has played Gail Platt since the 70s - want out.