Corrie boss Kate Oates has admitted she’s totally aware that the current dark storylines aren’t pleasing everyone.
But she said she thinks the show is managing to get a balance of thought-provoking, hard-hitting plots and lighter, more humorous stories.
“I realise that, at the moment, Corrie is divisive,” Kate told Radio Times. “I love the old-school viewers because they’re key to our audience. But the audience is changing – the dynamic needs to move and shift. It’s all about keeping current with what people want. As long as we cater for everyone in the mix then I think we’re doing okay.”
Pat Phelan’s murderous rampage in the Street has attracted criticism from viewers, along with Bethany Platt’s hard-hitting sexual exploitation storyline.
Peter Barlow’s revenge on Billy Mayhew at Christmas was also pretty gruesome, while Adam Barlow trying to finish what Peter started is becoming increasingly dark too.
And with David Platt about to become a rape victim, it seems the dark stories are set to continue into 2018.
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Former star Bruce Jones, aka Les Battersby, has said he believes the show has abandoned its old viewers, and even current star Sue Cleaver, who plays Eileen Phelan, said she is struggling with the dark plots and needs a break.
And viewers regularly complain on social media – and on occasion to TV watchdog Ofcom – about the grisly plots.
But Kate said that in her opinion the show has got the balance right.
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“I will quite happily accept that it’s darker,” she said. “But I do think that we’ve got a good balance – what I enjoy best about that dramatic mix is when you’ve got comedy within the darkness.
“I’ve never been a fan of slapstick. I’ve never been a fan of comedy strands, but I like dark humour and gallows humour.
“Sometimes the show is dark – certainly the Phelan story in particular. But we balance it out.”
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