Michelle Collins and John Michie join as Stella and Karl

[LizzyBizzy]

For me the rot set in with the aftermath of the tram crash, and Ken's reunion with his son and grandson.

[Perdita]

William Roache has spoken out in defence of Coronation Street producer Phil Collinson.

The showrunner last week publicly responded to reports suggesting that ratings for the ITV1 soap have fallen dramatically.

Roache, who has played Ken Barlow in the show since it launched in 1960, defended Collinson's work on ITV's This Morning.

"Right, two points to make," he told hosts Phillip Schofield and Jenni Falconer. "One is, is that one of the hardest tasks of the producer is to move the Street forward into what is socially acceptable.

"Times change. If you showed an episode we have today in 1960, we'd be off the air, banned; it'd be something horrible."

Roache explained: "The producer has to do that [by] bringing in the new, without offending the old. So every so often, a senior member, well-meaning , will say that the Street isn't what it used to be. It's sad that that happens, but it does. There was a big article like that last week.

"I understand why [Brian Sewell] said that, but this is part of keeping it new. A journalist jumped in on this bandwagon and what he did was, he took the current ratings - which are about 8 million roughly - compared it to a one-off special which went out, highly publicised at 9pm and got 10 million, and said that the Street is slipping in the ratings."

Defending the ratings, the 79-year-old said: "If you look at the ratings for this time last year, we are 8% up. Far from going down, the Street is going up. Now, a lot of this is due to the live episode and the tram crash, which brought in a lot of new viewers and many have stayed with us. We're stronger than ever, better than ever.

"I'm enjoying it more than ever. I think last year was the best thing it ever did. While I can do it, while they want me, I'll be there."

[alan45]

They can defend it all they like. For me it's becoming unbearable with all the stupid storylines going on. I must be getting old. I know it's only a soap but that doesn't mean it should have ridiculous storylines and bring characters in just for the sake of it.

[tammyy2j]

Bring back Eddie Windass it went downhill when he left

[Perdita]

Former Coronation Street star Johnny Briggs has criticised the show, claiming that there is no "fun" in it any more.

The 75-year-old actor appeared in the ITV1 soap as Underworld boss Mike Baldwin for 30 years. Briggs's criticism comes after producer Phil Collinson hit back at claims that ratings have fallen dramatically.

Briggs told The Mirror: "There's no laughter or humour. The Duckworths have gone, Hilda Ogden is gone, the comedy and drama is dead. People were once happy in the soap. There is no one in it I recognise now.

"I watched the 50th anniversary episode [in December] but could only stand five minutes before I flicked over to the golf. There is no fun in the show any more."

Briggs continued: "The writers have lost their way by bringing in all these unknowns and trying to make it interesting by introducing different characters.

"I haven't watched it recently so I don't know about the new gay characters, but my philosophy is, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it'. It's so sad to learn the ratings have gone down. It's heartbreaking. It used to be a great show - it was an old friend to me. Now I can't bring myself to watch, what a terrible shame."

However, Briggs claimed that he would return to the Manchester serial, if storyliners could find a way to bring him back - despite Mike dying on-screen in 2006.

"I might have to come out of retirement to return to the Street," he said. "I would seriously consider going back if they paid me the right money. I was the JR Ewing of Weatherfield – and that's what the show lacks, another great villain, a big star."

Executive producer Kieran Robertson and cast members including William Roache and Michelle Collins, have all spoken out in defence of the show this week.

[alan45]

:d

[alan45]

CORRIE legend Ken Morley has become the latest former star to criticise the soap, saying how it needs more LAUGHS.
And Ken - who played Reg Holdsworth - said he would even make a sensational comeback to inject some much-needed humour.
Ken, 68, who quit the soap 16 years ago, fired off a typically over-the-top rant.
He told TV Biz: "I am sick and tired of people coming to me and saying how bad it is and asking if I know the viewing figures.
"It's like it's some kind of national tragedy and everyone at the moment wants to kick it.
"I turned on the other night and there was some nonsense about whether Fiz should have a baby in prison. It went on and on and it was a real turn-off. What they need to do is bring back comedy and topics that the viewers can relate to.

Got him by the short and curlies ... Reg and Watts
"It's lost the comedy, it's lost the viewers, it's lost plot, but let's not kick it while it's down - let's try to fix it."
Ken - seen as Reg tangling with Curly Watts (Kevin Kennedy), in 1995, left - added: "The Northern humour in the face of adversity is what made Coronation Street great, along with the gritty real-life storylines.
"If it was raining cats and dogs the character would slip out into the rain and quip, 'turned out nice again'. That's typical Northern humour.

"When I went to a charity show in Blackpool the other day I was waiting outside the front of the house for a limo. I was dressed in a canary yellow suit, daft bow tie and all the trimmings - and the next-door neighbour comes out and says, 'Are you going away? Or are you being taken away?'. That's a funny gag from a man in the street and that is what the Street was once so good at, making humour out of ordinary situations."
Ken hit out at the recent transvestite storyline involving Audrey Roberts' boyfriend Marc. He said: "It's not traditional Coronation Street. It's just another far-fetched step away from the real world."
He also joined the backlash against the number of gay storylines, adding: "The Street has gone too far with gay problems, gay shoes, gay fish and chips. They need to get back to square one and deal with people's everyday problems in a humorous way."
And Ken pledged to return to the soap to help rescue ratings - which have slumped by a quarter this year.
He said: "They need characters like Reg again. There is nothing he couldn't do - a character like that could save Corrie single-handedly by ranting about real issues in the Rovers.
"They really need to get to grips with Corrie or the nation is going to lose a beloved institution.

"The 50th anniversary tram crash was fine, but we're now in a period of sloth after the big event. It needs shaking back to life."
Ken added: "Why not bring in a Chinese family and have them running a chippy? Then perhaps they can start showing the programme in China and the viewing figures could shoot up by billions, not millions."

[parkerman]

There seems to be an echo round here...

[Siobhan]

There seems to be an echo round here...

here here here here

[alan45]

There seems to be an echo round here...

here here here here

There was so there was