Perdita
04-10-2008, 18:08
Coronation Street chiefs have removed a derogatory reference to Rangers FC from a forthcoming episode following complaints from the team's fans.
ITV's switchboard received calls from "dozens" of supporters last week after the character Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien), who supports Celtic, voiced his distaste for the Ibrox side.
In a discussion with his fiancée Carla, Gordon insisted: "I could no more be interested in Rosie Webster than I could support Glasgow Rangers."
His comments sparked debate on both sides of the Old Firm divide and football forums were flooded with discussions on the matter.
A second reference to Rangers, which had been set to air in Wednesday night's episode, has now been cut ahead of broadcast. The uncensored scene would have seen Gordon claiming that he is allergic to "warm beer, the English national anthem and Glasgow Rangers".
An ITV spokeswoman said: "Both comments were in keeping with the character of Tony Gordon. But we have to bear in mind that it does seem to have caused some upset, so the decision was made to take the line out.
"It doesn't compromise the drama of the episode, and if it did, then the line definitely wouldn't have been taken out. We also felt in the absence of a character balancing things up on the other side of the Old Firm, it was a line not worth repeating."
This complaining malarky is getting on my nervers :angry: Are we not all supposed to have freedom of speech? Surely it applies to actors making up a line in a tv show/movie etc. :mad:
ITV's switchboard received calls from "dozens" of supporters last week after the character Tony Gordon (Gray O'Brien), who supports Celtic, voiced his distaste for the Ibrox side.
In a discussion with his fiancée Carla, Gordon insisted: "I could no more be interested in Rosie Webster than I could support Glasgow Rangers."
His comments sparked debate on both sides of the Old Firm divide and football forums were flooded with discussions on the matter.
A second reference to Rangers, which had been set to air in Wednesday night's episode, has now been cut ahead of broadcast. The uncensored scene would have seen Gordon claiming that he is allergic to "warm beer, the English national anthem and Glasgow Rangers".
An ITV spokeswoman said: "Both comments were in keeping with the character of Tony Gordon. But we have to bear in mind that it does seem to have caused some upset, so the decision was made to take the line out.
"It doesn't compromise the drama of the episode, and if it did, then the line definitely wouldn't have been taken out. We also felt in the absence of a character balancing things up on the other side of the Old Firm, it was a line not worth repeating."
This complaining malarky is getting on my nervers :angry: Are we not all supposed to have freedom of speech? Surely it applies to actors making up a line in a tv show/movie etc. :mad: