I'm not actually too bothered by the suddenness of Marcus returning to marry Sean, after-all the show has a bit of a tradition of rushing characters to the altar (Ken and Val after the 1961 strike, Ray and Deirdre when Billy Walker abruptly quit, Alf and Audrey when Audrey became a regular and Derek and Mavis when Derek became a regular) and for those couples it actually worked out in the long run.

However since it seems that this is somewhat of a political statement I'm thinking within a month Marcus will cheat on Sean with James and then leave the street with both of them broken-hearted and blaming each other leading to a rivalry where they both fight over men who aren't really bothered with the both of them for a few years to come.

Or perhaps they want Sean married and settled so they can focus on James as a single. Sean's never really worked as a single himself (probably because with the exception of Marcus Sean's romances have gone down the same cliched path with Sean being interested in someone who is not really interested in him or is interested in someone else - Michelle and Jason) so marrying him off into a double act might actually work out.

That type of story you mention with the cheating and fighting would be interesting with someone besides Sean and with a show that wasn't afraid to have men do more than peck cheeks.

I'd rather see Marcus stay around as a supporting character who sometimes has his own stories - he could work at the clinic - and who might move Sean into some new type of story. I'd like to see James in a story of his own, especially since they rushed the whole thing with his father.

More cheap trash with Tracy and David -- and not even entertaining trash. Collinson seems to see Corrie as Melrose Place, but if you can't do camp and if you can't find actors who can do camp, then just avoid it, IMO.

Looks like Kate Ford might be leaving again:

http://www.whatsontv.co.uk/soaps/coronation-street/news/kate-ford-to-leave-corrie-after-brief-comeback/11395

If this is true, what was really the use of bringing her back?

Edited January 2, 201114 yr by Y&RWorldTurner

pretty pointless if you ask me. Maybe she will return when her son is older.

There are some claims that she was contractually obligated, under Kim Crowther, to make this return.

Was this the paper that claimed Betty Driver was retiring? But then they got Eddie Windass' firing right.

I'm sure some will say that if this was a brief return this is why they show had Tracey so OTT, but I still think this story has been a mistake. It's about the damage done to Tracey, but even moreso about the damage done to other characters -- it's going to take a while for me to forget about how the Barlows have acted since her return. Her return also served as a momentum-killer, as the ratings have shown, and the other stories aren't so fantastic that there will be a guaranteed ratings recovery once she's gone again.

If this was done to make Becky more sympathetic then I think that was also a mistake -- the only thing that will make Becky more sympathetic is to stop having her on the show so much and to move away from the constant baby obsession.

I hate what they have done to Becky because of the baby obsession. But really , i have never liked Becky tbh.

Craig Gazey is leaving.

http://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/news/craiggazeytoleave/

I never liked the character after they put him with Tina. This especially damaged her character and has made her a bit player. I just hope no one thinks it's a great idea to put her back with David, or with Nick.

*happy dance* Get on out the door, old boy!!

Now if they'd only get the guts to trim some of the others off.

I think if it was up to them he'd have stayed forever. But I think he was right to leave. He seems to want a long-term career outside of soaps, and beyond that, although this probably didn't have to do with his decision, the material for Graeme over the last year has been poor. There are a lot of characters Collinson doesn't seem to get, and Graeme is one of them.

Michelle Keegan is very talented but I wouldn't be too sad if she left with him. They ruined her character, and putting her in the Rovers to be stuck up and rude is an odd idea after she's already been written as rude for months and months. They have drained her of any life.

In other news, Kym Marsh is taking her maternity leave four months earlier than anticipated. She wants to make sure the baby is going to be OK.

I can understand her reasoning and I hope everything turns out well for her and Jamie Lomas.

I think Michelle was supposed to have some sort of new romance, but I guess that won't happen now. It is now running on two full years since she last had a storyline (the thing with Peter and Luke Strong). I wonder when Corrie might eventually realize that they don't need Michelle.

Edited January 6, 201114 yr by CarlD2

How many days a week did Corrie originally start with?

Twice a week for nearly 30 years, then they added a third, and you know what they say about giving an inch...

Carl, I meant to reply to that last week, but I forgot. I wonder why they keep Michelle/KM around anymore. Like you said, she barely ever has any story or anything to do.

As far as Graeme and Tina, I actually kinda hope they write Tina out (but not with Graeme). She has no reason to hang around the street anymore. She and David are no good together, but maybe she can reunite with Jason. Either way, I can't see her around for long.

Edited January 11, 201114 yr by All My Shadows

I think they will try to pair Tina up with Chris Fountain's character. The problem is that, like most of the women on Corrie now, Tina is defined only by men. All the talk of "feisty" Tina just means she's rude to people. She is extremely pointless and Michelle Keegan, talented as she is, can't compensate for writing that makes Tina irrelevant.

Of course on Corrie, the more irrelevant you are, the more likely they are to keep you around. They just care these days about stretching out stories to fill time. That's why John Stape's story goes on forever because what else is there? Further ruination of Kevin/Sally, or the crap with Steve/Becky/Tracy. No wonder they want to hold onto Stape. I would too.

I hope the Corrie's first Chinese resident will be a hit with fans. Hopefully the actress is good.

I wish they would just kill Fiz off. She's become so annoying and even John barely seems to be able to cope with her now.

Sad that Claire's last episodes were mostly about other people pulling stupid faces. I was surprised at how terrible Craig Gazey was. Making Graeme a romantic hero still confuses me and I wonder if this is one of the reasons he quit. The best part was the very natural bond between Claire and Becky. The only one Becky had on the show (the stuff with Roy and Hayley doesn't seem genuine in recent years). Their last scene was beautiful.

I don't understand why everything is fine just because she is going to France. Is this the France of the old Conehead sketches?