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Coronation Street

***WARNING*** - This thread contains SPOILERS (January 2003)

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JE
Jez Founding member
Gavin Scott posted:
Jez - with the greatest of respect would you kindly give it a rest with your definitions of who is "wooden" or a "cr*p actor".

Your previous missives about the actresses who play 'Cilla' and 'Tracey' left little doubt that you wouldn't know a talented actor from a slap in the face.

No offense, mind.


Really! Well find me the place in this thread where I said Kate Ford was wooden then?

And surely you can tell the difference in the standard of acting between someone like Rita and Cilla - Rita is an excellent actress which sadly Cilla is not!

And if I wasnt to say that Todd is wooden then I bloody well will say he is wooden, that OK by you Rolling Eyes
SE
Square Eyes Founding member
Jez posted:

Really! Well find me the place in this thread where I said Kate Ford was wooden then?

And surely you can tell the difference in the standard of acting between someone like Rita and Cilla - Rita is an excellent actress which sadly Cilla is not!

And if I wasnt to say that Todd is wooden then I bloody well will say he is wooden, that OK by you Rolling Eyes


Is that the sound of Gavin's head banging against a brick wall I can hear ?
:-(
A former member
Hello. I've been lurking for some time and been enjoying the discussion so thought I'd finally take the plunge and join.

I wouldn't be surprised if Bruno gets written out. I don't think Corrie has the courage of their ratings grabbing to stick with having a gay character. It's high time they did have gay characters. But what I object to most is that it's a cynical ratings ploy like everything else they do these days. I'd prefer no spoilers so you get surprised. Not things like this launched with a practical fanfare to get the casual viewers watching who won't stay. I also wouldn't be surprised if it turns out he was going through a 'phase' and they get Todd back with Sarah yet again. The teenage Websters they're turning into.

Adam Rickett's awful. How did he get the job? Kate Ford can't cut it either. She was obviously the worst of the bunch. Iain whatsit who plays Harry is right when he says it's better to introduce characters gradually than give them storylines all the time because they run out of steam in 6 months. Tracy's been ruined and no one I know cares about her because she's played by a terrible actress who has the wrong expressions for certain emotions and grins even when upset and angry.
GS
Gavin Scott Founding member
Rita Littlewood posted:
she's played by a terrible actress who has the wrong expressions for certain emotions and grins even when upset and angry.

I think you'll find she is grimacing, not grinning.

I will not offer any argument about Adam Rickett. His p*ss poor performance actually makes the other actors in the scene seem bad too. He's like some kind of talent vacuum. Cute, though.
:-(
A former member
Grimacing, Gavin? I know that's what I do whenever she's on screen and 'acting'. Very Happy

He is. With his flat-pack and walnut muscles. Who was Brian Park kidding? Don't they teach casting directors to spot talent over looks any more? Or are drama schools letting anyone through? It bugs me when he goes, 'um' all the time and hardly looks at the person he's talking to, like he's instead looking for his next line. Why couldn't they have brought in a new actor when they brought him back from Canada for Gail and Richard's wedding? Confused
JE
Jez Founding member
Kate Ford isnt bad IMO, I like her anyway. Very Happy


Anyway, in the paper today I saw this about the cast’s salaries!

Quote:
140,000 BILL ROACHE
Ken Barlow, Coronation Street: Bill's played the same character for 43 years, and he'll be in the Rovers for a while yet, despite being 71. Court cases in the Nineties left him bankrupt and owing £300,000 in legal fees.

£130,000 HELEN WORTH
Gail Platt, Coronation Street: Helen's been the Street's unluckiest for 30 years. Hubby No 1 cheated on her and died, No 2 left and No 3 was a serial killer. Her gymslip-mum girl's marrying a gay man and she's mum to devil's spawn David.

£123,000 BILL TARMEY
Jack Duckworth, Coronation Street: Half of double act Jack and Vera, Bill, 62, made Jack a hero to all nagged, middle-aged, working-class men who like a pint. Recent heart surgery rations his time on air, making him all the more precious.

£121,000 BARBARA KNOX
Rita Sullivan, Coronation Street: After more than 30 years, Barbara's the doyenne of Weather field. Guaranteed a number of shows a year, the 70-year-old is still earning her corn with a meaty plot that puts her behind bars.

£120,000 JOHNNY BRIGGS
Mike Baldwin, Coronation Street: The Thatcherite factory boss won some of the biggest story lines over 28 years, like the Ken-Deirdre-Mike triangle. But since most involved Ken, he deserves a six-figure sum.

115,000 LIZ DAWN
Vera Duck worth, Coronation Street: Another veteran of 30 years. The former stand-up was once mayoress of Leeds. She joined as a mouthy machinist, and has become the Street's greatest comic relief.

£112,000 SUE NICHOLLS
Audrey Roberts, Coronation Street: Or the Honourable Susan Frances Harmer Nicholls as the aristocracy know her. This year is her 25th as sticky beak Audrey. Like Wendy Richard, Sue was a Sixties pop star.


Interesting! So Barbara Knox isnt the highest paid afterall then! And Anne Kirkbride (Deridre) has been in it since 1972 and is the 5th longest serving but she isnt included! Eileen Derbyshire and Betty Driver are also the 2nd and 3rd longest serving (Rita is 4th) but they arnt mentioned.
:-(
A former member
Well, as I'm new here I won't get into a row with anyone about Kate Ford's woodenness, Jez.

Interesting about the cast salaries. But BK's meant to be on £180,000 a year according to the soap rich list published a few months ago. Where did you read that? Not quite right about Gail. Hubby number 2 was the same as hubby number 1. Richard was her 4th marriage. Maybe if this is accurate, they've worked it out on the basis of the amount they do. And we know that for the past few years, Rita has been a glorified extra with very few lines or scenes.
JE
Jez Founding member
I read it on the Corrie.net website, under the articles section. It was from the Daily Record originally I think.

I agree that Rita has been underused recently so im glad she has finally got this storyline, I cant wait for Monday's double episode Very Happy
:-(
A former member
Ah. right. Well I still can't see it. Barbara's been top banana in the pay stakes for years and although they had pay cuts, I can't see hers being chopped so drastically. Though William Roache SHOULD be highest paid and the scale should be in order of service. So, as you said in your earlier post, Jez, Eileen, Betty then Barbara. I've been a huge fan of Barbara Knox since the 80s but I don't think it's right she has the best dressing room or highest salary.

Me neither. It's high time Rita got centre stage, even if this storyline is a recycled combination of 3 done already under Kieran Roberts.
JE
Jez Founding member
Yes the top 10 are in this order I think so should be paid in this order

Ken(1960), Emily(1961), Betty(1969), Rita (1972), Deirdre(1972), Gail(1974), Vera(1974), Mike(1976), Audrey(1979) and Jack(1979)

Although Audrey wasnt a regular until she married Alf in the Mid 1980s, and only this week Inside Soap were saying Vera and Jack were in the background until they moved into the street in 83.

Ive been watching since 1986, although ive seen all the eps from April 1976 onwards on G+ (currently November 1992)

I like Barbara Knox too, she is the best actress they have on the show. Littlewood? That was Rita's maiden name wasnt it! That name suits her much more than Sullivan, never liked that name and I didnt like Ted Sullivan either!
:-(
A former member
So why does Bill Tarmey get paid more than Liz Dawn?? Confused I suspect this is a load of rubbish because a lot of the list makes absolutely no sense.

Vera was a main player in the factory from 1976 when Mike bought it so was hardly in the background. I've heard Inside Soap get things wrong quite a bit so that doesn't surprise me they don't seem to know anything about Vera. I loved those old factory days. It was more funny than it is now.

I won't disagree with you there about Barbara Knox, Jez. Very Happy I'm deciding which Rita quote to use as my signature. Yep, it was her maiden name. I've seen people call themselves Rita Sullivan elsewhere so I thought I'd go for something different. Can't sing though! LOL! Oh I loved Ted Sullivan. He was so right for Rita. Her perfect gentleman. There was also more affection between them than Rita and Alan. She didn't even have 1 pic of Alan about the place when they lived together. Though Alan and Rita is my favourite era. Partly because it opened my eyes to what a wonderful actress Barbara is and partly because it was a terrific storyline. Only Richard comes close and he was partially ripped off from Alan. But having met both Mark Eden and Brian Capron, I still prefer Mark. He's cuddlier! Very Happy
JE
Jez Founding member
I read that Vera Duckworth appeared in 2 episodes back in 1974 as a loud mouthed employee at the warehouse and then she appeared now again until the Duckworth famliy moved into the street in 1983. But yes she was certainly quite regular from about 1976 onwards after Mike took over the factory. After watching the episodes on Plus I noticed Jack was often spoken of but never seen (until that one off appearance at Gails wedding to Brian) but the actor was often seen as an extra playing darts etc in the rovers!

If there is to be a spin off made for daytime it would be better for it to be set in the factory -the old factory was good though, I liked Vera, Ivy, Ida, Elsie, Shirly etc I do like the current factory girls too mind.

Ted annoyed me but I liked the storyline with Alan, I remember the episodes back in 89 when he tried to kill Rita, so dramatic!

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