This is Coronation Street: The 1st 5 Episodes

For anyone out there who, like me, loves classic soaps and is curious about non-US shows, here's a tip for you: Netflix has a series of Coronation Street DVDs available to rent, including This is Coronation Street: First 5 episodes & The Anniversary Special, Coronation Street: Farewell to Mike, and Coronation Street Family Albums. I can't wait to watch these dvds and figured I'd blog my thoughts here for fellow Denial Islanders who might be interested in checking them out.

First up: This is Coronation Street: The First 5 Episodes

First, a warning: I am almost a complete newbie to Coronation Street. Besides watching this dvd, the Farewell to Mike dvd awhile ago and a couple of random eps on YouTube, I'm pretty clueless about the show. So please forgive the lack of knowledge I'll be displaying here, lol.

Here's what I do know: the show premiered on December 9, 1960, in B&W, airing two evenings a week. From what I could tell in the first 5 episodes, the show is set in a working class town and deals with the lives of the various people who live on Coronation Street. A nice surprise at the end of two episodes is the camera panning down the street, listing the actors credits in front of their characters' homes - a fun way of letting the audience know where the characters live in relation to one another.

I enjoyed these episodes tremendously and found myself disappointed that I could never watch the rest of the show. Within just a few episodes I began caring about these characters and wanting to know what ended up happening to them - though the dvd features 'Character Profiles' which answered some of my questions (it includes character bios, years they appeared on the show, and their various addresses during their time on the show.)

A special shout-out to my favorite character on the show: Ena Sharples (played by Violet Carson)

Separated at Birth?

Corrie's Violet Carson (Ena)

and

Character Actress Anne Ramsey

At first, I thought Ena would be a character I loved to hate, but I have to admit, I just loved her. A churchgoing, bar-dwelling, tough, judgmental, busybody who seems to always be getting into fights with people - this character is hardly original. Yet, Ms. Carson played her with such gusto, dignity and genuine pathos - I found myself caring for the curmudgeon in spite of myself. I just can't let this character go! I'll have to try and find some clips of her on YouTube.

As most of you may know, there is only one actor who has stayed with the show through its entire run: William Roache (as Ken Barlow). 50 years of playing the same character is not unheard of (Don Hastings was Dr. Bob Hughes continuously for 50 years on ATWT), but it's impressive nonetheless. From what I've read on wiki, the character is considered a bore, but I was intrigued by him. What I liked about these first 5 episodes is that it dealt with realistic problems: difficulty in marriages, a mother dealing with a son just out of prison, romantic woes, and most intriguing, University student Ken's conflicting feelings regarding his working class roots. While being close to his family, and not wanting to be ashamed of where he comes from, you can tell there's a desire to break free and pursue a more intellectual and prosperous life. How ironic then that out of everyone, it would be Ken who remained on Coronation Street for his entire life.


Thanks for reading my Coronation Street babbling! I highly recommend this dvd to Soapies with an interest in soap history. I'll be watching the other dvds as well. Next up will be This is Coronation Street: The Anniversary Special. (FYI: The Anniversary Special and The First 5 Episodes are actually part of a 2 disc collection under the name This is Coronation Street, however, Netflix has them listed separately.)
-Melanie/SoapOperaBabble/daisyclover1938