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Thread: Corrie to have 6 episodes a week

  1. #1
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    Exclamation Corrie to have 6 episodes a week

    The nation’s most successful and popular soap drama, Coronation Street, is to broadcast a sixth weekly episode from late 2017, ITV announced today.

    ITV’s Director of Television, Kevin Lygo, said the news reflected the broadcaster’s commitment to high quality soap for its hugely loyal audience.
    I am a life-long fan of Coronation Street and one of the first things I wanted to explore when I became Director of Television was taking the production to six episodes a week.

    The soaps are the cornerstone of the ITV schedule, and Coronation Street continues to
    produce some of the finest drama and comedy on television. It is a hugely important part of what has defined ITV throughout its history, and I want it to continue to be right at the heart of what ITV defines in years to come.

    As a viewer I have watched the soap as it has continued to evolve, entertain, and grip the
    nation with fantastic storylines and this move will be the next exciting chapter in Corrie's story.
    – ITV’s Director of Television, Kevin Lygo.
    ITV Studios Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North, John
    Whiston, who has responsibility for overseeing both Coronation Street and Emmerdale, said:
    From a creative perspective this is an extremely exciting development for the production team, writers, cast and crew who work on our globally renowned soap drama. Coronation Street’s new producer Kate Oates, modern filming and editing facilities at the programme’s Production Centre and our fantastic, peerless drama teams will help turn this great idea into reality.
    – ITV Studios Managing Director of Continuing Drama and Head of ITV in the North, John Whiston.
    The plan, which was unveiled to the writers, cast and crew today, will create employment
    opportunities adding a new and exciting dimension to filming the UK’s longest running soap drama.

    The current layout of the set will be extended to facilitate the expansion in production, and create additional studio space on the 7.7-acre site in Trafford, Manchester. The programme currently has four operational studios, as well as the exterior lot of Coronation Street, and space has been identified on site for the creation of a further filming zone.

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    Lots of online Corrie fans are already of the opinion quality is suffering because of the pressure of producing five episodes a week. I think they're probably right. Will going to six episodes cause a further drop in quality?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Dazzle View Post
    Lots of online Corrie fans are already of the opinion quality is suffering because of the pressure of producing five episodes a week. I think they're probably right. Will going to six episodes cause a further drop in quality?
    And its not only the quality that suffers Dazzle. The older ones could be forced out of Corrie if their schedule gets too hectic. And I`m sure they find it hard enough to cope now. Maybe that`s Kate Oates intention all along.

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    the storylines need to improve majorly

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    As Coronation Street gets ready to air six episodes a week from next year, an internal email to Corrie staff has reassured them over their extra workload.

    The Guardian quotes the message from producers as saying that teams will be expanded "right across the board", while the additional episode will mean storylines spread across more characters.

    The move will also allow "space for the comedy of the show to really breathe".

    "The talent and commitment of the Corrie team, writers, cast, and crew will be central to making a sixth episode into reality," begins the email.

    "We'll also have substantial investment in our physical infrastructure, extending the current lot and creating additional studio space. And we'll be able to strengthen and increase our teams right across the board to support making the additional episodes.

    "It will also enable us to enhance all the positive things we currently do and are rightly proud of, such as training, apprenticeships, social inclusion, and sustainability.

    "Editorially, moving to six episodes will give room for a larger variety of A stories spread more equally across our character groups and families. It will also help us ensure that our lighter stories don't get squeezed out, giving space for the comedy of the show to really breathe."

    It continues: "We'll be going on air with six episodes in the autumn of 2017. That's over a year away so it gives us the opportunity to define a bespoke Coronation Street solution for how we'll achieve six, while carefully maintaining and enhancing the quality of what we do.

    "To this end we're setting up a project team of subject matter experts from across Corrie and the business. The team will pull together detailed plans covering all the editorial and operational elements.

    "All of this will, of course, be done in collaboration with colleagues. In the coming days and weeks, we'll arrange a schedule of face to face meetings so that we can properly discuss the changes and answer your questions."

    The change will take effect from late 2017, while an official statement earlier said that a sixth weekly episode reflects ITV's commitment to "high quality soap for its hugely loyal audience".


    Digital Spy

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    Why an extra episode of Coronation Street each week is a bad thing

    Radio Times' David Brown isn't a fan of ITV's decision to devote more screen time to Corrie




    Six episodes of Coronation Street per week! That’s a lot of hot pot to cook. And what’s the betting we end up chewing on gristle rather than lamb?

    OK, so when it comes to Corrie, I’m old school: such is my lifelong affinity for the show that I can remember having to wait from Wednesday until the following Monday to get the resolution to a cliffhanger. So maybe I’m not the best judge on this latest scheduling manoeuvre. But come on, ITV – this is surely sacrificing quality for quantity.

    Even now, when Corrie or Emmerdale show their regular double bills, there’s the sneaking suspicion that – if pushed for time – you can just catch the second episode because you know that’s where the drama is going to be. A sacrilegious thought for completists, but hey, when you have kids to bath and homework to help with, cutbacks have to be made somewhere. If anything, adding in a permanent extra episode is only going to intensify that feeling of Corrie being just that little bit more disposable.

    Because will it really matter all that much if we miss the odd instalment? Can’t we just get the gist on a two-minute YouTube clip? With so much broadcast time to fill, viewers are bound to think that scripts will be less finessed and performances not so polished. ITV is obviously hoping that this is going to make theirs an appointment-to-view channel for an extra 30 minutes a week. The worry is that it instead becomes a temptation-to-miss.

    I mean, you can understand why ITV is going down this road. Corrie, Emmerdale, Simon Cowell and Ant & Dec aside, they are kind of hunting around for hits. So it makes scheduling sense to give fans more of what they like. And Emmerdale – which has been pumping out six episodes a week for years – has just won Best Soap at the British Soap Awards for the first time, mainly thanks to the storytelling skills of producer Kate Oates. Who has now moved over to Corrie. So, it all looks good on paper.

    But, I’m afraid, the Street is not in such robust shape as its fellow soap over the Pennines. Storylines such as Carla’s exit have lacked credibility, they’ve had to deal with the departures of the likes of long-serving cast members like Alison King and Ryan Thomas, and there’s the feeling that it’s lost some of the wry humour that made it stand out from its competitors in the first place. Oates has until 2017 to turn the good ship Corrie around, but it’s a tough ask. Particularly when you’re also prepping for that increase in workload.

    Plus, you have the fact that Coronation Street works most effectively when it isn't burning through storylines like nobody's business and is instead homing in on small-scale domestic drama that moves and entertains. Is it built to withstand such a punishing regime? Why not commission a new continuing drama for 30 minutes a week instead of working the cast and writers of Corrie like carthorses?

    Then there’s the issue of where this sixth episode is going to land. Maybe 8.30pm on a Thursday? It seems like the only available slot. After all, the experiment of having an episode on a Sunday evening has been long since abandoned. I’m just keeping my fingers crossed that ITV steers well clear of any competitive scheduling against EastEnders, a tactic that ill-serves the audience and always results in poor returns when it comes to viewing figures.

    And, finally, you have to think of the saturation point for even the most rabid Corrie-phile. You want soap fans, not soap slaves. The last thing you need is for devotees to feel beholden to the show they love. When soaps are at their best, they reflect the concerns, dreams and desires of their viewers. In order to accurately depict its audience’s problems, Coronation Street will soon be filled with characters that are worried about how they’re possibly going to find time to watch all the episodes of Coronation Street.

    http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-...is-a-bad-thing

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    Excellent article, and I agree with every word.
    Thanks Dazzle

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    Quote Originally Posted by TaintedLove View Post
    And its not only the quality that suffers Dazzle. The older ones could be forced out of Corrie if their schedule gets too hectic. And I`m sure they find it hard enough to cope now. Maybe that`s Kate Oates intention all along.
    I know this is an unpopular opinion but I absolutely HATED Kate Oates' writing for Emmerdale. She was all about shocking storylines. Character development and character interactions suffered. She hated certain characters and it showed. Then there was the fact that some characters who used to interact all the time before (friends, family members etc) went months without any interaction. It's like she had no idea how to write for certain characters.

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    Quote Originally Posted by TaintedLove View Post
    And its not only the quality that suffers Dazzle. The older ones could be forced out of Corrie if their schedule gets too hectic. And I`m sure they find it hard enough to cope now. Maybe that`s Kate Oates intention all along.
    I know this is an unpopular opinion but I absolutely HATED Kate Oates' writing for Emmerdale. She was all about shocking storylines. Character development and character interactions suffered. She hated certain characters and it showed. Then there was the fact that some characters who used to interact all the time before (friends, family members etc) went months without any interaction. It's like she had no idea how to write for certain characters.

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    Quote Originally Posted by livden View Post
    I know this is an unpopular opinion but I absolutely HATED Kate Oates' writing for Emmerdale. She was all about shocking storylines. Character development and character interactions suffered. She hated certain characters and it showed. Then there was the fact that some characters who used to interact all the time before (friends, family members etc) went months without any interaction. It's like she had no idea how to write for certain characters.
    I don't watch Emmerdale but you make me feel pessimistic about Corrie's future. Kate Oates' failings you've listed above mirror what I recently said on another thread was my opinion of why Corrie is so underwhelming at the moment. The last thing we need is yet more sensationalism and shallowness at the expense of characterisation...
    Last edited by Dazzle; 05-07-2016 at 20:44.

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